My favorite is a Daion guitar. I have taken it in to shops with the idea of trading up, but I have never been able to part with it. At least three pros have picked it up and commented on how beautifully it plays. For those who have never heard of the brand, Daion was a mid-range label that only lasted for a couple of years. The instruments were considered good but not great. However just like "Casablanca" started out to be a "B" movie starring Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan, but accidentally became a classic, well I got lucky...

I also have a nylon string Giannini with sentimental associations and an old label-less banjo, both of which have great sounds for inexpensive instruments (pawn shop refugees, the both of them). There has always seemed to be something a little off about folk singers playing expensive guitars. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, etc. or saying they aren't worth the money, it's just that singing, say, a Joe Hill tune while playing a $3,000 vintage Gibson...

Great thread, I appreciate the chance to brag on three of my loves