Its always fun looking outside ones own field of vision. My wife needed a tenor Viola De Gomba made by her dad , Don Warnock and one came on the market last year . After getting it ( I used the second morgage!) we added up all of my guitars and banjos and they did not match the price of Her tenor viol. So what we consider expensive has somthing to do with perseption . I think a new ford ranger costing 20 + thousand is over priced; yes obseen.
       I got a new OOO18 Martin Carthy model that is just incredable in a room on a mike and most importantly for me in the studio . It cost a ton of money but for what I get from it I do not consider it in the least bit exspensive . This being said by a potter who dosent mind selling a good vase for $500.00 or more.
      Oh on the high action point . If you realy SOUND the instroment the strings have to be a bit higher. A square dance guitar needed to speak up and to make it speak you needed to HIT the strings . Hitting a modern set up guitar ready for an amp and it not only buzzes it sounds like abuse of some kind .
          That said the Taylor has the best electrics on a factory set up acoustic I have ever heard . Now if we could raise the action so I could hear the tone of the thing ....Sorry Kendell just joking ...
          Different Guitars different tones different jobs : quality cost money and is worth the effort to obtain them . What a joy we have so much to choose from ! All the best , Guy