acoustics from upto £250/$500

[projectjem]

i've been looking for a good electro acoustic guitar in this price range. something that can give quite a nice lead sound. i must say i've been tempted by the ibanez masa sx-60. but im still not sure. i really want to find out what you guys n gals think.

[jamiewitt1]

In that price bracket, you should definatly be considering Yamaha and Crafter. Both brands make excellent budget models that are renowned for their tone and build quality, especially models such as the APX5, which you could probably get for about 250 if you looked.
I would seriously recommend a Taylor Big Baby however. I have yet to play a better acoustic under 500 quid, you can find these for 300 or less these days. Its tone is amazing and the playability unbelievable, the only real problem with it is that it is not an electro, but if you mic it up you'd be golden.

[Davey]

The Dean Exotica I had was not only beautiful, but sounded great when plugged in and played very well too.

I just couldn't get used to the bulk of it though. I'm an electric player through and through. My arm would kill if I played more than 30-40 minutes