Now I'm old and a little better off than I used to be I have bought both a Martin 00018gt and a taylor GS cedar top. They are like 2 great singers with very different voices both unique in their own ways. They were both bought in separate blind playing sessions in a great shop where the assistant passed me instruments without me really being able to notice the precise details of what they were until I'd played them for at least a good 15 minutes when I stopped to have a look. It took a lot more playing before making final decisions but I don't regret either purchase. In fact buying the Martin (the first one) is one of the best decisions of my musical life - it revolutionised my playing and gave me a confidence I'd never had before. The Martin is an ultra reliable workhorse that will do anything gig after gig after gig. The Taylor came 4 years later and is a bit more of a Diva. The Taylor GS does not sound like a Taylor - it has a massive bottom end and played with a 5 string capo is amazing! I will never ever part with either, both worth every penny and I wish I'd mortaged my life 20 years earlier to buy them.