For a new all-solid guitar, I don't think you'll find cheaper than the Silver Creek. Like Fatstrat said, they will need a bit of work out of the box, but still huge bang for the buck. I've been tempted, but I'm not looking for a dread at the moment. Myself, I'd probably pay a bit more for a Recording King or a Yamaha L-series. I'm a little unsure of the Silver Creek's durability at the moment.

edit: I see the T-160 is on sale for the same price if you need an auditorium size.

You'd be surprised how many people don't think to do that. :)

Check out the Wechter 000. Nice guitar, I like it in some ways better than my expensive Taylor.

Well, if someone comes here with a handle "Newbie888" and four posts it can be assumed he is just that, and perhaps not as well informed as he should be. For all the hype about low end solids like Seagull, Silver Creek and others that are commonly mentioned here, I haven't played any that hold a candle to some Yamaha, Takamine, Taylor, Martin, and Breedloves (and others) that have solid tops and lami sides and back. But in the end, I don't care what anyone else plays. We're just trying to steer a newbie in the right direction. You know what they say about "leading a horse to water".

I think an Eastman AC320CE would be worth considering.

The Silver Creek I got was marginal in quality. The frets were uneven and the neck wasn't that straight.. I should have returned it, but being in Canada it is not that easy, but that's what can be expected when buying online from time to time. The Eastman flattops are very good but will probably exceed your budget. A line of guitars that will suit your budget are the Seagull SWS (solid wood series) guitars. They are very well made and quite consistent; However, they are not powerhouse Martins. I guess you simply get what you pay for :)

Just curious about your reservations on laminated sides/back. If your budget is $700, you should be looking for the best sounding/best playing $700 guitar you can find and not worry about how it's constructed. That's my advice and it's worth what you paid for it. :D

Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE $xxx

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone...94-i1515774.gc

*** Price Removed 2) NO GUITAR PRICING DISCUSSIONS: We respectfully ask that you keep guitar pricing discussions offline. We think pricing discussions in this forum can hurt dealers and ultimately hurt customers. When someone posts that they bought a guitar for XXXX, that suddenly sets the price for a lot of other dealers to have to match to stay competitive. It doesn't matter if the more expensive dealer offers better service or value-adds, has a nicer display room where the instruments are better cared for, etc. ***

RM Olson, check it out on Ebay. Nice guitars for the price. $500 bucks gets you solid B&S and a solid Sitka top with some nice inlay as well.

Be aware of guitar addiction. My budget started at $250. Now I own over 20K worth of tools and materials to build guitars and my current budget for purchasing guitars is $250 x a LOT. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

The D-160 is a dread.

If you can get an Eastman solid wood in your price range, that is absolutely the way I'd go. GREAT guitars. But I wouldn't be afraid of the Silver Creek. True, not the highest quality. But I think not bad. Mine needed minimal work and sounds/plays very good. I'm buying a new Rosewood Martin, but as far I'm concerned, the D-160 has Mahogany body covered well enough to suit me.

I have played the Guild GAD series. My son acutally had one once. play great and sound good. very good build quality. here is one that could probably be bought for you price.

http://davesguitar.com/guild/gad-50-7626.asp

A Recording King and put some $ back in your pocket. I'm serious! :)

Broaden your perspective and get a used one. For that money you'll either get a rubbish new solid wood model, or an excellent used one.