Well actually Spaw, I didn't say it was at Mandolin Brothers (I've never been there) but the rest of it is right. Bottom line is that some folks are "brand conscious" and some ain't. Taylor has a bit more "snob appeal" and is probably about 25% more expensive, but the Seagulls are known for being extremely hardy. Do you plan on using your guitar occasionally as a canoe paddle? Another good buy in that range is the new line of Fenders. They LOOK like high end luthier-built instruments but are really mass-produced "off shore".

The one "absolute" is that NOBODY needs start with a lousy guitar these days....not so for those of us who started in the sixties. The choices (for cheap instruments) then were Harmony, Kay, Kent etc. and many were pretty lousy.

Rick