Just some of the REALLY great guitars that can be found under $1K...You'll get plenty of folks pushing the Martin/Gibson/Taylor lines, but I think their higher priced models are where these companies excel..

Here are some of the mfg's I've played in the last year that are noteworthy and really giving the big guys a run for their money:

Recording King - Most are very nice and you can get all-solid wood, Ebony fretboard and bridge and Adi-top for under $1K...I have had 3 very nice examples, still have 1. They're really into vintage designs also...
Eastman - better builds and woods than RK, but the nice ones are approaching $1K (~$800 used) - I have 1 and another on order, very good quality.
Blueridge - Well built, nice woods, very reliable, Don't own one...yet! Have played about 15 of them and they are a great value and player.
The Epi Masterbuilts (AJ, DR and EF) - All very nice although I think you can only find the DR Dreadnaughts new now, but plenty of AJ's and EF's in the used market now.
PRS has some nice models, the Angelus is getting some great reviews
Aria, Alvarez-Yairi, Higher priced Yamaha's (FG series in particular) are all good names to look for...
A new company called Teton is putting out some exceptional, mostly laminate back/side models that play and sound fantastic, even a couple with Cedar tops (very sweet sounding), you'll never guess they're laminates!
Tanglewood out of the UK are making some awesome sounding models
Good old Washburn is still at it!
Guild's GAD series have been pretty good players, at least the few I've tried

These are just the ones I've played, I'm sure there are more....good to live in these times with so many options!