I'm probably talking to myself here, but I have some more data points. I've done more research into the three manufacturers. I found the Yamaha AC3M which is $899, the same as the Martin. Unlike the Taylors, the Yamaha has solid wood back and sides. As far as I can tell, you need to spend over $2K to get a Taylor with solid back and sides (edit: that is incorrect. The American Dream series is solid back and sides and is in the same price range as the 200 series). I did compare the AC3M with a Taylor 214ce which goes from $1600. Both sounded good. The Taylor was very bright with little bass. Not a surprise because it's not a dread. It certainly didn't sound twice as good as the Yamaha.

So right now I'm leaning toward the AC3M. It sounds quite a bit better than the Transacoustic (without the effects--the effects radically improve the sound). It is $120 more, but the AC3M comes with a case whereas the Transacoustic does not. That pretty much makes up the difference right there.

Honestly I really wanted to like the Taylor because of the neck construction. I like them, but it's hard to ignore how much more guitar you get for the money with Yamaha.