I'm a bit of a gear head, in everything, so I do my homework before spending money. Following comprehensive research on the Interwebs, I bought a Taylor A12e as my student guitar. It works really well, with a clean sound, but it lacks soul, personality, doesn't really get me excited. So I'm considering switching to another guitar. Since I'm thrifty, I buy used. Contenders are:

1) Taylor 314ce

2) Taylor GS Mini Koa

3) Martin 000-15 (maybe even the 12-fret)

All of these I can get gently used for around $1K. If I sell my A12e for $450, my additional investment is about $550.

Generally speaking, all of these guitars have a proven track record and play well. However, some voices telling the world that the GS Mini is not a good choice as a beginner's guitar as it's simply smaller (nut, scale, etc.) At this time I should probably mention that I'm 6'6" with big hands and fingers and there's no way for me to play a clean A chord with 3 fingers on 3 strings. Luckily I learned that there are 7 ways to play an A chord, and I can pull it off pretty nicely with index and middle finger alone.

Your thoughts and input are appreciated.