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Saying that - I was blown away by the tone of a Furch OM, 5 years ago and bought it on a "whim" even tho the neck is a little uncomfortable now (soft V)
There are brands that some rave about, (cole clarke for instance) but not for me - the two I played had horrible necks/fretboards were very inorganic and utterly sterile and only came alive plugged in (but I believe that's where their market lies over here)
Of course budget will dictate/eliminate some areas
You say its not easy to "try before you buy" can I ask why is that ? my real, honest personal advice would be, go and try try try as many makes and types as you can - you really cannot beat finding the right one yourself
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
If you are going for something custom-made (and why not?), I think it is important to play some examples of the builder's prior work, and to work with a builder you feel comfortable with and confident in.
If I liked the American sound (which I don't), Cole Clark would be somewhere near the bottom of my list. On a point of detail, they are not hand made, indeed they are notable for extensive use of CNC. Apart from being only the standard 44mm width, the six-strings have lovely necks, especially the expensive 3-Series models (which naturally have more hands-on craftsmanship than the cheap ones, but are still CNC babies). The Cole Clark 12-string profile I dislike (too flat and too square). The many different models vary enormously because of the wide range of timbers used. This is intentional. They are all different - playing the exact model before buying is essential.
@bertie I'm interested in your comment that Brook standard necks are wide. Their website doesn't provide specs. (I ask because I've been making mental note of makers who offer nice roomy necks as standard. I've pretty much decided not to buy any more guitars which don't have wide necks. I can cope with the standard 44 and 44.5mm widths, but I always play better where my fingers have some room.)
I tend to judge things on "feel" rather than data sheet specs, UNLESS its something I particularly dislike/like then I make a mental note
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
for the amount of spend you are considering it is worth putting in the effort to get it right.
It also pays to understand the setup changes that can be done to stock guitars, they tend to have slightly high action for example. It can pay dividends to take a reliable guitar playing friend for advise, calm your excitement and play guitars for you to hear projection and listeners tone. Sorry if you already know all this but I add it for others that may follow you thread.
good luck and enjoy the hunt.
or the solo artisan luthiers at the top end like Turnstone, Bashkin and a whole host of others I would suggest you perhaps reach out to @carlos of ths parish Istr he has owned and played many a fine luthier built instrument.
At the high end you are usually talking about
a good 2 year waiting list and these guys tend to build 6-12 guitars per year.
https://www.turnstoneguitar.co.uk/tm-indian-rosewood-spruce-acoustic-guitar
As has been said the best thing is to phone around and get out and play a few from the small factory and solo luthiers and see what takes your fancy. The one thing I got was at this level they are all very different tonally and a very different world to a top end factory guitar. Coda acoustic store looks very nice and is on my day out list at some point.