So, after some research I went to the shop today, gave them my Telecaster and ordered the Guild.
While I was there I played the electro/cutaway version which pretty much sealed it for me.
I also got to play a Faith mini-jumbo and I have to say I was mightily impressed, although it was not the guitar for me. The fit, finish and playability was right up there with the sort of immaculate crispness you'd expect in a Taylor costing 4x as much. I think I may well have gone for a Faith had they had what I wanted (mahogany/spruce/gloss/all-solid) in a concert size. The prices were certainly right for me.
Interestingly the shop manager said that he was finding it increasingly difficult to justify to inquisitive customers why otherwise near-identical guitars in all respects should have such wildly different pricing. Telling them 'you're paying for better quality' just isn't a convincing argument any longer in many cases.
Anyway my new Guild will be with me sometime next week. Looking forward to that
