[Stratrat]

I vote for the guitar store. Friends are a "safe place" because even though they might give you guff about it, they're generally impressed that you even play guitar. Strangers (especially non-guitar playing ones) are suitably impressed if you can play anything that vaguely resembles a song.....double points if you can sing along to it. Playing in a guitar store you're surrounded by people who are enthusiasts and (at least in my case) most of them are far better guitarists. It's a very nervous and humbling place for me to play!

Although I have to say that the sales guy was pretty cool the other day when I went in to buy my Squier Tele. He didn't demean me over buying a 'cheap' guitar, try to talk me into the MIA versions or anything like that. He took me over to an amp, plugged in, let ME tune the guitar, then sat there tapping his foot and acting like he was digging listening to me as I fumbled through my limited repertoire....he didn't play the "guitar god" role (snatching it from me and doing speed runs up and down the neck or anything) - just sat there and let me groove on it until I was done (which didn't take long.)