[DesertTwang]

I think so much of this comes down to personal preference. I'm in a similar position in that I could not afford a Collings or Santa Cruz any time soon (or rather, I'd rather spend that money on things like my child's education, or family vacations and the like).

Back when I shopped around for a 12-fret slot-head guitar, I went to a high end acoustic store where they had a bunch of boutique guitars. I played a few, such as Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Collings and others. Santa Cruz left me "meh," Bourgeois' sound didn't live up even close to the price tag in my opinion, and I ended up buying a Martin 000-15sm at a fraction of the others' price. A few months ago, I discovered a dreadnaught with a name on the headstock I didn't recognize that looked really cool. Intrigued by the fact that the luthier was unknown to me, yet the guitar had a $3,500 price tag, I tried it out, bracing myself for immediate buyer's remorse, since I had just bought a Martin America 1 Model a few months earlier. That boutique guitar was a total dud, nowhere near my Martin America 1, which cost $1,000 less.

Collings is a different story. I am very much drawn to them and might even prefer them over Martin, but not at their prices.