It depends how many you already have. If you have zero guitars I'd go for 2. You can get a used Martin 15 series for under $1K and something pretty tasty for the other $2K.

I’d buy one used guitar.

One.

My house in Ga is small. There have been spousal comments about space. So one in one out.

I’d say always shoot for the best one you can afford. You can only play one guitar at the time. The best doesn’t have to be the most expensive.

I'd get one, probably a Taylor 714, lutz over rosewood.

I’ve spent about that amount over the last few months (counting trade in). I’m in the 2 guitar camp: Gibson Southern Jumbo and I just ordered a Farida OT-22 from Elderly. Obviously the Farida is still an unknown. But I can definitely say the SJ has me smitten with a little money left over using that budget.

Well, what are you playing now? That would influence my answer.

Too many variables/assumptions to make a call without clarifications. But if I was talking about me, with my current needs and skills, and I suddenly had NO guitars and only $3,000 to replace them I would definitely get two USED guitars instead of one.

One would be a Cole Clark Angel 2 and the other a RainSong Shorty CH-OM1000NS with a Baggs Element StagePro or some equivalent smaller body carbon fiber guitar with a decent sounding pickup system. This would cover most of what I need to do.

If it was a case where I have the guitars I already have and suddenly had $3,000 that I HAD to spend on a guitar or two, I'd buy one used guitar in great shape, probably either a Martin 000-18GE or 000-28EC or maybe a Santa Cruz 1929 00. Or maybe just something interesting in AGF classifieds.

+1 My thoughts as well. I'd be looking at Yamaha in the $1500 price range (5 series) as one of the guitars. If I had several nice guitars I'd be looking for one $3k guitar... or bump the funds for something better.

My $3000 Taylor is probably my best sounding guitar but honestly my 500$ Martin and $500 Epiphone sound good enough to me... I don’t think I’d ever spend 3000$ on a guitar now being how happy I am with my cheap ones...

My advice is to get as much guitar as you can for the $3,000.00 and enjoy it for many years to come.

You will probably still wind up purchasing more guitars that cost a lot less than $3,000.00 but you will always have your great guitar to compare the others to.

With the benefit of 10 yrs playing, and owning close to 30 guitars during these years, if my house burned down and insurance only covered $3000 in total, I would look for one great guitar and most likely kick in another $1500 to purchase a used Merrill C-28 or a used Collings D2HTS.

I’d buy a “low mileage” Alvarez Yairi Mastwrworks. Dym70 12-fret.
Then I’d put the rest away for something else, down the road.

If you ask a car salesman to help you spend $3K, he'll find a way to offer something at that price. If someone walks into a guitar store and announces he's got that amount to spend, I think I can guess how that's going to work out, too.

I suggest OP consider what he wants before suggesting how much he's going to spend.

First: Find the guitar that you want. If it is less than the 3K then save the rest.

Second: Wait a year and go looking for guitar #2 with whatever you have left.

Two guitars can get you lots of different sounds, tunings, gauge of strings, outside campfire guitar or on the road touring guitar or stay at home parlor guitar.