I recently purchased a solid spruce top, laminate back and sides Hohner, new, for $200, and that included a good padded gig bag and an set of Elixir custom light strings. I bought it to take on more problematical gigs where I've been unwilling to risk my vintage Martin. Not as complex, of course, as the Martin, but this Hohner is good looking, in a flashy, trashy sort of way and has a clear, bright sound that has a charm of its own. Also the neck is a tad narrower and less thick than the Martin which makes playing it habit-forming (and would be a real advantage for students, I would think).