Earlier this year I bought one of the modern Chinese built Guild 12 stringers. The guy I bought it from couldn't get on with the 12 stringer - possibly had limited use for what he knew - and he was quite happy to sell it to me for considerably less than a Guild had any right being sold for. It was a "burst" finish - which normally wouln't appeal to me personally - but at the price it would have been churlish to have worried about that point.

The build and the finish are as good as I've seen on any guitar within a mile of it's retail price. The neck was comfortable and the action perfectly acceptable for a guitar practically out of the box; even my Martin needed seting up when I first bought it.

I'm not sure what it came with, but it now has D'Addario 10's on it; that's what I put o all of my 12 stringers. The sound is good enough for me; I'm not saying it's as good as my Martin - it doesn't have quite the same "ring" - but it's a respectable contender. And you won't have anybody with a Taylor drowning it out in a pub singaround, I can promise you.

Well worth looking at, if you want one.