FWIW - it's never too late to take up an instrument, and, anyone can get pretty proficient on one if they so desire, no matter what the age.
I think this, "you have to be born with the gift" mentality is mostly myth. Lots of great guitarist didn't even know a lick until they were in their late teens. Maybe to be a technical genius, you have to start playing your instrument at about 3 months of age; for everyone else, it doesn't really matter.
I started playing guitar (horribly) at age 18. I was told by a plethora of people that I had no talent and should probably find something else to occupy my time. Well, at age 27, I was accepted into the Musicians Institute of Technology in Hollywood, CA. A few years later, I released a solo jazz guitar CD that got airplay from places like Kiev, Ukraine, all the way to Puerto Rico. David Foster's sister bought one of my CD's; music from it has been used as the background music for a number of pubs and spas.
My point here is that ANYONE can do this if that's what they have in mind. If your goal is just to play an instrument and have some fun with it; put it some work and you'll be there. If your goal is to find success as a musician, but in more work (a lot more) and you'll be there, too.