I've had cheaper and more expensive instruments, and I found myself most comfortable with those that cost around $250-500. Cheaper, and you usually have to make sacrifices in craftsmanship and quality of the material (tuners, etc.). More expensive, and I start fretting over damaging it and feel the need to baby it, which takes out the spontaneity of making music. I feel that instruments are tools, not collectibles (to me), and tools get used and will suffer wear. But if I have a $1500 instrument, that is hard to make peace with, and just knowing that a) I couldn't effortlessly replace it if it broke and b) that every scratch and ding lowers its resale value, just takes the fun out of it, for me.
What really is important is the set up. I wouldn't be happy with an instrument that is 30 cents sharp in the 12th fret, or one that buzzes or that hurts my fingers. More expensive instruments are less prone to these issues out of the box, whereas cheaper instruments tend to need some extra work. I'm not "handy", so I'm not confident doing set up work myself. That was part of the reason why I ended up with some (by my financial standards) expensive instruments in the $1200-1500 range. I now only have one of those (the Barron River tenor) and it took me over a year to get over the "fear" of damaging it. My learning and enjoyment improved once I lost that fear. My other ukes are all less expensive than that, though none are entry level models, just around the sweet spot mentioned above.
When I decided to buy a short-scale guitar (my first one), I deliberately only looked for candidates that have laminated back and sides (but a solid top, which is important to me), because I wanted to be able to leave it out on a stand in a "normal" room that I'm in also. My theory was that if it's always in reach and can be picked up easily, I'll also play it more. That turned out to be the case. I still handle it with care, but since it was $400 instead of $1500+, I use it like an instrument, not like an investment or a piece of art. Not that $400 isn't a sizable amount of money, but it's a sum that I know I can get together again if something happens to it. That's different with larger sums. Then again, this probably depends on one's financial situation. If I made 10k a month, or generally had more "fun money" than I currently do, my perspective may be different.
That guitar showed me something else, too. (I use it as an example because I only have one guitar, but six ukes, and I have gone through 13 or 14, so the experiences with them are less defined and less present in my mind.) It showed me that if you put time into research, specify exactly what you want (and why you want it), and resist the temptation to impulse-buy, you can actually get an instrument that isn't merely a compromise or just a "this will do until I upgrade" settlement, but something that actually leaves you without a desire for something "better". That hit me the other night when I was talking about this with my partner about material desires and how to have them in a positive way (in a way that doesn't feel bad or results in disappointment, a sort of enjoyable "wanting without wanting").
I tried to come up with a good way of expressing my thoughts and wanted to use my guitar as something that i enjoy and am happy with, while still also having a desire for another "better" guitar. And I couldn't think of a way to put that. Then, a few hours later, I realized that there was a simple answer for this: I'm actually satisfied with the instrument and don't really have a desire for something else. That sounds super trivial, but it was still insightful for myself, because with ukuleles before I always had something else I wanted, always a "I like what I have, but if I could have THAT other uke, then I'd be complete!" thought going through my head. It felt nice actually being satisfied, really satisfied, with something in a way that leaves me unable to say what I would like to be different or better about it. I may still upgrade some day, but not before I actually know how it would benefit me or my musical journey.
Anyway! I definitely think that mid-range instruments are a great choice that likely offer the best value for one's money, while also giving peace of mind. I wouldn't want an instrument that I feel gets in the way of learning or makes learning unnecessarily hard. And with more expensive instruments there are diminishing returns in terms of playability and sound, and increasingly more worrying about upkeep and maintenance (as well as retention of value). At least that is how it is for me. Mileage may vary, as always.
