John In Kansas' idea is a really good one, though, at some point you may run out of frets -- especially if you already capo up for singing.

I think that you have your finger on the problem -- shorter scale guitars are usually quieter than their longer scale counterparts.

Interesting thing happened to me though. I have an HD28 that is VERY loud, and a Gibson LG2 that is on the quiet side. I decided to take the Gibson to a very loud jam. It did have new medium strings on it, but I was quite surprised at the number of compliments I got on the sound of it. Others were obviously hearing it quite well.

LG2s like mine can be found pretty easily between $800 - $1200.

I'm not sure where you live, but I have a very reputable builder who is a relative unknown. He builds guitars to suit and is not that expensive. (I believe that Mooh, who posts here often, was lucky enough to have hitched his wagon to a now-famous builder before the fame made his prices outta sight. It can still be done)