snarf
making guitars wish they were still trees
I wouldn't get too hung up on Martin or Taylor. Especially with an acoustic, find someplace that you can get your hands on a bunch of them and just start playing them. Eventually one of them will speak to you. Every acoustic has it's own voice. Find the one that has the sound you hear in your head.
That said, I've played a LOT that sound really nice. Taylors, Larivees, Breedloves, Gibsons, Seagulls, Takamines, Guilds. They all felt different and had their own distinct sound (to my ear anyways.) Out of those, the Taks and Guilds were my faves. Bang for the buck, the Seagulls were great guitars. The ones that I own are Martins (D-35 and D-15), Boulder Creek Solitaire (very Taylor sounding), a Tacoma Chief (very punchy sound), and an Epiphone Olympic (an archtop with a very mid-heavy sound.)
If you're stuck on Martin or Taylor, then I'm a Martin man. The others have pretty much covered it. Martins tend to be thought of as having that old school, big, round mellow sound (and mine seem to be getting even more mellow as they get older.) Taylors tend to be thought to have that more modern, bright sound. I don't have any experience with the ones that you mentioned specifically, but, and this is just my opinion, rather than looking at their baby versions, I'd look at their regular line but the smaller bodies. Like some have mentioned, take a look at some of the 000 Martins. If you find the right deal, you can find a used one in your budget.
That said, I've played a LOT that sound really nice. Taylors, Larivees, Breedloves, Gibsons, Seagulls, Takamines, Guilds. They all felt different and had their own distinct sound (to my ear anyways.) Out of those, the Taks and Guilds were my faves. Bang for the buck, the Seagulls were great guitars. The ones that I own are Martins (D-35 and D-15), Boulder Creek Solitaire (very Taylor sounding), a Tacoma Chief (very punchy sound), and an Epiphone Olympic (an archtop with a very mid-heavy sound.)
If you're stuck on Martin or Taylor, then I'm a Martin man. The others have pretty much covered it. Martins tend to be thought of as having that old school, big, round mellow sound (and mine seem to be getting even more mellow as they get older.) Taylors tend to be thought to have that more modern, bright sound. I don't have any experience with the ones that you mentioned specifically, but, and this is just my opinion, rather than looking at their baby versions, I'd look at their regular line but the smaller bodies. Like some have mentioned, take a look at some of the 000 Martins. If you find the right deal, you can find a used one in your budget.
