Peter, pay particular attention to outwest's comment that his particular D28 sounds different than more than a dozen other D-28 guitars.

Make sure that when you audition the guitars, they have fresh strings on them. Most manufacturers now ship their acoustic guitars with some kind of coated strings, as they maintain a consistent tone for a longer period of time - helps with shelf life in showrooms.

Many argue that coated strings dull the sound a bit when brand-new compared to some non-coated strings. There is some truth to that statement, but coated strings have a longer 'middle tone' life compared to uncoated strings.

Again, the key thing to pay attention to is comfort/playability and tone. Brand can only get you in the ball-park in terms of reliability, customer service, reputation, etc. The shape of the guitar - all aspects, fretboard width and radius, body shape, etc. will matter for playability, the latter will matter for tone as well.

Do the following to convince yourself of my points:

1. Pick a brand.
2. Call a local shop that specializes in acoustic guitars and ask how many different body styles they have for that one particular brand.
3. Go to the shop and play the exact same tune on all of the different body styles.
4. You should notice playability and tonal differences between the various body styles. When I did this, it was a real eye-opener to me.
5. Check the strings - are they nice and shiny or do they appear to be dull in appearance? If dull, ask if they will swap out the strings for a new set - similar in type to those that are shiny on the other guitars in that brand that you are auditioning.

There should be many shops in the Vancouver area that carry many brands in many styles.

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