Yo linkindude. Let's test your theory. I could really use a guitar that plays, feels, and sounds like a 1937-or-so Martin dreadnought in mint condition. I'll tell you what. You find it for me (or build it- even better) and I'll *overpay* you for it, say- $300. That's fair, right, at least according to you?
And Buzzard- Takamine builds lots of guitars, from the custom shop babies the Eagles use to guitar-shaped doorstops. When you're dealing with cheap acoustics, it's never about the brand name. It's about finding the one silk purse amidst all those sow's ears, that one that some underpaid Chinese, Korean, or Indonesian worker didn't screw up, either because he was that good, or because he got lucky. As they say- give a monkey a typewriter, and he's bound to spell a word sooner or later. A $100 can't be a great guitar, unless you took advantage of some clueless person, but it can be a *usable* guitar. But- if you want to find that handsome prince, expect to kiss a bunch of frog.-Richie