On the foreign made instraments you do have to worry more about the craftsmanship. Both of those guitars were foreign one made in Mexico, one I believe made in China. The Blueridge does give you real woods though.
If I am not mistaken Blue Ridge is Chinese made and Martin is made in the USA. I own 2 Martins myself and I will take my made in the USA over foreign made any day of the week. You don't need to spend to $2000 to get a good Martin.
I would go used and see what you can find. I do highly recomend Martins. I do own a couple of them one is an OMC-1E and the other is an MMV. The MMV is a GC exclusive it's built similarly to a D28. The main differance is the bracing. It uses A frame bracing which is found on the 15 series...
Congrats on the new guitars. I have 2 Martins myself and love them. Mine are the MMV the dreadnaght not the 000, and OMC-1E. IMO the MMV's are Martins best kept secret.
Congrats on the new Martin. I own 2 Martins and love them. BTW which LR Baggs pickup is it. There are versions of the M1 pickup one is called the M1A which is an active pickup and also there is a passive version of the pickup. I have the M1A installed in my Martin MMV. With the active pickup you...
The Guitar is absolutley beautiful. I have played several HD28's and I think they are great guitars. As far as not being a canon is concerned, it will open up as time goes by and it gets played more and more. I own a couple of Martins myself and love them. My first was an OMC1E and the other is...
Most of their $1000 and under are road series or series, and those are made with HPL back and sides. If your looking for a new Martin under $1000 check out the custom D. Here is a link so you see the specs. Martin Custom D Classic Mahogany Acoustic Guitar | GuitarCenter
It's a Guitar Center...
I have never played a Seagull, Taylors are very good. But to me and others Martin is the way to go. They are still making the best acoustic guitars in the business period. BTW most of the lower priced Martins don't have the fancier appointments but they still have that great Martin tone.
I own a couple of Martins and they are fantastic. I have a feeling that you can find a cheaper acoustic but you won't be satisfied with it. You can find some good deals on used Martins. If you were willing to save around $800 you could get into a nice 16 series, 15 series, or a Guitar Center...