Totally unbiased guitar review.

I have Faith I will never get to try either ;(

CTGull,

At the end of the day, it's the sound/tone, that you like.
I think Taylor make some absolutely stunning guitars, but all the Taylor guitars that I have played, and that's not that many, as you say sound a bit thin.
I do tend to change my mind quite often, but for the last twelve months or so, disregarding the make of guitar, I prefer the sound/tone of my guitars tuned half a step down.

I liked my Taylor 214 DLX, but I like my Larrivee better. My Taylor sounded very "bright," in general I prefer a "deeper" tone though, but I traded the Taylor because it didn't fit me, I prefer parlors. If the Taylor had been parlor size, I might very well still have it.

seagullplayer,  Well to be fair to Taylor, those guys in the video are all plugged in and you're hearing the sound they way they've set it up, equalized etc.  You're not hearing the acoustic sound of the guitars, just the electronic sound (for the most part I think anyways).

Acoustically, I always thought Taylors sounded very balanced; not too boomy, not too thin, just perfectly in the middle with a signature "chime" all their own.  The only exceptions were guitars they made of certain woods where they were going for something different ( Like one of their all mahogany/sapele guitars I tried a few times that sounded just luscious! ).

You mentioned the action and that's something I think Taylor consistently nails better than anyone.  I don't think, of all the Taylors I tried over the years, that I ever came across even one that did not have just about perfect (by perfect I mean low but not too low) action all along the neck, right up to the 14th fret.

Personal tastes aside, I think Taylor consistently makes some of the best guitars; you just pay for that consistent high quality big time which many don't like. 

Times have changed.  Everybody wants it fast and they want it cheap.  Taylors are not for those kinds of people.  Even my Alvarezes (Alvari?  Alvarezs? Alvarezez?      ) which were 1/3 or less than the cost of the equivalent in a Taylor were not cheap.  "You get what you pay for" still holds true I think.  (Scams aside that is).

Cort Luce series?

www.cortguitars.com/product/list.php?ca_id=102040

Cort Gold series?

www.cortguitars.com/product/list.php?ca_id=1020d0

Just sayin'...

I'd add Eastman—you can find very playable and good-sounding guitar from them for sub-$1,000 (and some really great ones if you're willing to check out used. However, with the current trade war between the US and China, Eastman has raised prices. I suspect most of the Chinese-made products will follow suit if they haven't already.