cant decide on acoustic guitar

[Eko]

18. My assumption are correct.

It also depends on what martin he got, does it have a lot of inlay work on the body and neck? That can weigh it down a lot and keep it from resonating. If it is not played much as you said, the top has never really loosened up and keeping it in a case does not keep if from having too much moisture in it, that can actually make it worse, they can trap moisture. You have just said what I did, the guitar was not taken care of. It is entirely possible that your takamine sounded better than the martin when both were new, takamine did a lot of guitars with a very light satin finish so to let the top resonate more than a guitar with a nitro finish (new martin) but if played and taken care of any martin that is thousands of dollars would sound way better than the day it was bought and better than any takamine. Now it is possible (not probable) that you have that actual one in a million guitar, but comparing it to a Martin that was and is not taken care of is incorrect.