When I bought my first decent guitar, I was trying all the £2k Martins, but they all sounded remarkably similar to my £350 Takemine. Then I tried a brand I had never heard of - Lowden - and was blown away, so got that. The only new Martin I've been jealous of was a £5k one a civil servant friend of mine had. But that's a hell of a lot to pay for a name, seeing as it only just edged the Lowden...