When I was without my (one and only) guitar for a month or more ~ getting the neck reset by a reputable but slow-working luthier ~ I visited music stores and played a wide variety of guitars as a browsing "potential customer."

Kept up my chops and calluses and had some interesting conversations. The sales personnel were invariably glad to let me play even when I was quite candid about not being able to afford a purchase "just now."

I also was able to confirm that my own instrument (a 1969 Martin D-18 that I acquired new upon college graduation) was far better ~ for me, at any rate ~ than almost anything else I might buy, including new D-18s. I played exactly two guitars, out of dozens that I tried out, that I felt were comparable to, or perhaps even better than, my own: a new "O"-model Martin and a REALLY nice Lowden. Both were priced WAY beyond my means...