Hi James,
I'm a necomer to the forum myself. I just got in ahead of you in the "My first Post" stakes. If you read my thread you will see that the guys have been very welcoming to me.
Boombox is correct, buying guitars can become addictive and you have to watch yourself. With so much to choose from, its easy to get carried away.
You can quite easily develop a sever case of G.A.S.(Guitar Aquisition Syndrome) and before you know it, you become the "Imelda Marcos" of guitar buying.
That said, I think you do it because, once you are introduced to how wonderful a good acoustic handmade guitar can sound, you inadvertantly begin your search for the holy grail of acoustic sound.Much to the dismay of the loved ones around you.
I have been fortunate enough to acquire an Avalon A320C just recently & for me, it is the "Manola Blahnik" of guitars. I cannot put it down. It just suits me perfectly. Looks great, sounds fantastic & is exactly the correct size for my build.Of course, others on this site would say the same of their axes & rightly so!
As the greypicker says, they come in many different shapes & sizes and in truth,what you opt for will depend ultimately on your budget. There are varying degrees of specifications & quality depending on the Model you go for. However, it is not for me to to break this down for you. I will let others more qualified than myself take care of that.
The guys can be contacted directly & could point you in the right direction vis-a-vis a model that might suit you.
I suppose, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the guitar & its sound.
For my part, i'm delighted with my purchase & all that goes with it (the forum) & would highly recommend the brand.
Happy hunting,
Tom