I JUST finished my search for my acoustic soul mate, and I had about the same budget as you. The first rule, like everybody here will tell you, is to play everything you can get your hands on. You never know, the guitar that speaks to you the most may not even come close to the top end of your budget.
In the lower range of your budget, here are a few to try:
Martin D-15
Taylor ??? (I can't keep their model numbers straight...there are several for less than $1200)
Blueridge
Gibson Songmaker
Guild (they have models all over the price ranges)
In the middle of your price range, here are a few to try:
Martin D-28
Martin HD-28
Gibson Advanced Jumbo
Gibson J45
Gibson Songwriter
Gibson Hummingbird
Taylor ??? (again, there are several in the $1500 - $2500 range)
Breedlove (I don't know their model numbers either)
In the higher end of your price range:
See if you can find a used Collings to play, otherwise they start at about $4200
Martin D-35
Martin HD-35
Martin D-41
Martin D-45 (Not sure that this is still in your price range, but a used one would be, or if you're a good haggler).
Martin Eric Clapton Signature
Martin John Mayer Signature (I don't like Mayer, but his signature Martin is freaking awesome)
And if you have $109,000 just lying around, burning a hole in your pocket, then pick up a Martin D-100. Who needs a house when you can have a D-100?
After I played pretty much every guitar I listed above, I ended up with
a Martin D-41. If you see one of these at your local music stores during your search, please, please, PLEASE pick it up and strum a full 6-string G chord on it. If the guitar doesn't go home with you, I'll be surprised
I can at least share with you what I learned during my recent search for the perfect acoustic for me. First thing, I'm a dreadnaught fan. I don't hate orchestra models, but I've just grown to love the full-bodied boom of a dreadnaught. Orchestra models in general are going to be a bit easier to record because they don't tend to be as boomy as a dreadnaught does. But a dreadnaught can just fill a room with sound if you're either a singer/songwriter or a stage performer.
I think that if you're a stage performer, then you owe a good look to Taylor guitars. They sound terrific acoustically, and they generally have some good electronics in them that make them good stage guitars. A lot of Martins are starting to come with good electronics as options as well. Personally, I'm totally against electronics in an acoustic guitar because I don't perform and I have no use for a pickup. I have an electric guitar for times when I want to be amplified.
As far as the guitars that I played, I was hell-bent on getting an HD-28. I had played one a year ago and it just sent chills down my spine. Deep, deep lows, very powerful mids, and chiming, silky highs. A very loud, very powerful guitar. I played a D-35 and it was OK but the one I played had a crack all the way through the neck at the 1st fret. I missed my chance to play the HD-35, but the fellows at the store said it was the loudest, most electrifying guitar they'd heard in ages. I'd really like to hear one someday.
The Eric Clapton custom model (he has a few with Martin so I'm not sure how to identify which one I played...I assume the newest one). It was a fine instrument, a little boxy but nice and balanced like most Martin orchestra models are. It'd be a great blues guitar. It had a pretty wide, flat neck, almost like a classical, which isn't my favorite neck profile.
The John Mayer custom model really impressed the pants off of me. It was not only beautiful to look at, but it was very balanced and had a nice, full low end for an orchestra model type body. I really don't like Mayer's music but he really knows how to spec out an acoustic guitar. I'd say this is a must-try if you can find one.
The Gibson Advanced Jumbo was a great, big, sounding guitar. A little boomy, and the one I played had really dead strings on it so I didn't get a good gauge on how it truly sounded. But it was a nice and full sounding dreadnaught.
But then I played the D-41. Every other guitar simply paled in comparison to it for my tastes. It has the volume and huge sound of
the HD-28, but without the boomy bottom end. The low end on the D-41 is so tight and focused, it almost sounds like an orchestra model. Plus the visual appointments on it make it a real head-turner. I'm not much of a flashy kind of guy, but this guitar is simply heaven. Here's a picture of it that I posted in another thread the day that I brought it home:
If your browser resizes that picture, definitely go to the source and view the picture full-size. It's so worth it to see a close-up of the abalone pearl binding, the abalone fret markers, the abalone dots on the bridge pins, the inlaid headstock logo that's used instead of the traditional C.F. Martin logo, plus you can just make out the beautiful cross-grain on the solid Sitka Spruce top in this pic. When you look at it under nice bright lights, that cross-grain shines through.
So...um...yeah...I guess I've made my point about my suggestion for your price range :-D
MSRP for a D-41 is $4999, Retail at Musician's Friend/Guitar Center is $3799, and the Lowest Advertised Price when I bought mine was somewhere just below $3300. Musician's Friend/Guitar Center will match the lowest advertised price, and they even helped me search around for a low price by letting me use their internet connection. Plus I had a text conversation going with my wife, who was at home searching for a low price on her own. All in all, it was a good experience and I got a guitar that's going to be with me for the rest of my natural life (and then to my children and then their children).
So I hope this info helps. Good luck in your search, and please, above, play everything you can get your hands on and don't buy online unless they have a very lenient return policy. You want to actually physically touch, inspect, and play every instrument that you'd even consider puchasing if you're going to spend this kind of money.
Cheers, and happy hunting!
