I saw that first effort at starting this thread a day or two ago, and looked forward to reading the responses. (I have no difinitive knowledge myself that I could have contributed.)

It's very interesting that no one responded to that initial effort, but that a second try with a different title elicited so many responses.

The fact that an internet/mail-order purchase precludes playing and hearing the individual guitars is a nasty extra complication. One particular spruce-top might very well be clearly superior to a particular cedar-top, but comparison of another pair of individual intruments might just as clearly indicate the cedar as the clear winner.

Buying sight-unseen, it would seem to be a choice between an instrument that might sound a little better now, but is less likely to improve (the cedar) versus one whose tone is more likely to continually improve over time. What's more important: now or later?

Spruce has been more commonly used, over a longer period of time, for steel-string acoustic tops. Cedar is becoming more and more common and popular as time goes on. Why? Maybe the best spruce has all been harvested and used up, perhaps?