re: Rank the best/quality acoustic guitar company's:

I'm not a Martinista, and I would say that Taylor and Martin are closer to 1a and 1b.

Martin (at a price), makes exceptionally high quality acoustic guitars - I just think they come out sterile and do not have a good feel or sound to me, at least compared to Taylor.

I don't think that Yamaha belongs in this discussion, while they have very high quality products at the top end, I think they are more broad based and have guitars down to the entry level and all the way up. I would say at the top end - particularly their 12-strings - they are getting comparable to middling offerings from Taylor and Martin.

I just don't have enough experience with Gretsch acoustics to say - although their hollow/semi-hollow are outstanding.

And I agree that Taylor does the high end A/E better than Martin, as well.


But, the cult of Martin survives for a reason.