I'll suggest you look at the Martin Eric Clapton acoustic - I've played that one at guitar center and its a wonderful toned guitar and in the price range your wanting. One thing that was mentioned to me and born out in trying different models of that same guitar is that they do not all have the same tone or have the same feel. I'm getting ready to post up a version of 32-20 Blues that I played on a Martin 000-18 Norman Blake guitar. That signature model is a bit more expensive but a wonderful guitar for finger picking - the regular 000-18 might be in your suggested range and you might try it - its a wider fingerboard with a 12 fret to the body size. As they say there's more pretty girls than one. Happy hunting.

Pete Gallatin
http://www.reverbnation.com/patiopete