I guess for me it's an issue of bang for the buck. Two years ago when I decided to pick the guitar back up, CB asked one of her co-workers (a Martin snob) what guitar he would recommend in the price range we were looking for. His response was that you couldn't find a decent guitar in that price range, and I'd be better off saving my money for a real guitar.
When I started researching the issue I found the Washburn D10S. It had been named by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as the best acoustic guitar under $500, so I thought I'd give it a try (at that time they were going for $200 new, though the price has gone up this year to about $275). I fell in love with it.
Since then I've done a few things to improve her, specifically a bone nut and saddle, and the improvement they made was well worth the coin. I now have five Washburns for the price of less then I could have spent on one Martin or Taylor.
Now, I'm not going to try to tell you that my little D10S sounds just as good as a Martin or Taylor. It doesn't. But I will tell you that she sounds just as good (and plays as well) as guitars costing three or four times as much. I can also say that when you compare the D10S to other guitars in the same price range, the difference in terms of craftsmanship, quality and sound is immediately evident.
Guitars and other stringed instruments: Washburn D10S, Washburn EA52SWCE, Washburn Cumberland J28SDL, Washburn D46S12, D'Aquisto Centura, Rover RM-50B Mando
Amps and Cabs: Behringer AT108, Firefly Tube Amph, Blackheart Little Giant BH5H, Shiner's Custom Cab v.1.0
". . . because without beer, things do not seem to go as well . . ." Brother Epp, Capuchin Monastery, Munjor, Kansas 1902