Yes, the used market is a great place to look - if you know what to look for. Look for solid tops to begin with. Then take a look inside at the glueing of the bracing and kerfing. If there's quite a bit of slop, then you can almost be assured that there was slop in the construction of the guitar in general. Don't be impressed by extra shiny varnish. Less varnish is better in general for acoustic guitars - don't be afraid of a scratched up top.

Do look across the top and look for general dips or bulges = bad

If you're shopping used, always also ask if the owner can put a new set of strings on the thing so you can hear what it can sound like. A dull and grimy set of strings is a guaranteed tone killer on what might be a gem of an instrument. Be prepared with a few sets of strings on your own and offer to do this to the instrument and ask to have that amount pulled from the price if you decide to buy.

-Scott

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