Hey Laszlo,
Thanks for the "ramble" I rather enjoyed it.
As for what I am looking for in acoustic, that gets pretty deep.
Superficially, great tone, like my Larivee DV 10. And the kind of great playability that I experience with my PRS HB 2 similarly in an acoustic.
Beyond that, and I expect you will understand, I want acoustic guitar love again. I like the acoustics I have a lot. We gigged together for decades, but I feel I have moved beyond them a bit in what I want in my guitar. Especially in terms of playabilty and electronics.
Now who is rambling...lol
If you're rambling, I don't know what the heck I'm doing, because I tend to go on and on!
For me, playability depends a lot on the way the guitar is set up and how it does over time, more so than how it comes from the factory. I ordered my PS Tonare with carbon fiber strength rods instead of the adjustable truss rod. I think it results in a wonderful tone not to have a big hunk of metal in the middle of the neck, but the bonus is that the setup has remained the exact same for 11 years, and I live in Michigan where the climate changes pretty drastically from winter to summer. It has never needed a setup. That's a big plus.
However, I do like medium gauge strings and a 'stiffer' setup than many, so don't rely on my comments on playability unless you're also into that type of setup. I love the way it handles, but that's just a personal thing.
In terms of tone, it's a cannon, with plenty of bass even though it has a maple body and maple neck, which usually sacrifice some of the bottom end.
When I received it, my son happened to be visiting while on tour with 30 Seconds to Mars, and was in the other room getting out his Taylor while I was tuning up. As he walked into the room, he said, "That thing sounds like a grand piano! Now I'm wondering why I even took the Taylor out of the case."
Jamie has gold records under his belt, and is a Fender endorser; he knows guitar sound as well as anyone. I was thrilled over how much he liked it.
Taylors are generally not built for big bass; even Bob Taylor commented around the time I had a Collings that a guitar that's built more heavily like the Collings has a different kid of tone than a guitar made to be lighter.
In any case, if you like a more perceptible bass response, try the USA PRS and the various Collings models, and see how they fit your playing style. Other than those two, the other guitar I'd be happy to own would be a Martin D-41. There's a reason Martins are considered a standard.
I'd also try a Gibson jumbo or small jumbo; they're classics, but you have to wade through an awful lot of them to find 'the one'.
Though my PS was built with electronics and included a highly regarded pickup, I only record a guitar with a mic. I got it with the electronics because the pickup was offered and I thought 'maybe I'll use it in a different context than recording, better safe than sorry'.
So other than plugging it in when I got it simply to hear how it sounds (sounds like a very high quality piezo, i.e., not my thing), I've never used the electronics. I took the batteries out 10 years ago so they wouldn't leak inside the guitar and screw it up. I've never liked the sound of a piezo pickup, no matter who made the guitar. YMMV
I mic a guitar using two mics in a stereo setup (the Dutch Radio 'NOS' stereo pairing), Granted, all I do with it is recording.
Also, leaning toward short scale acoustic, but the two I've tried Larrivee 000 40v and the Taylor 812 seemed short on tone...especially bass.
As you'd expect!
You get a very warm tone with a 12 fret guitar because of where the bridge sits, but less articulation in the higher frequencies.
Thing is, the high frequency articulation also matters for the perception of bass response, because a little more higher frequency snap on the attack of a bass note adds to our ability to perceive the immediacy of the low frequency tone.
It's why the classic thing to do with the studio to make. bass sound better is to boost 800 Hz with EQ to bring out the articulation.
It sounds counterintuitive since the 12 fret models often have a warmer bottom end, but the missing 'snap' makes them tend to sound a bit muddier.
Think about the low E-string twang on a 25.5" scale Telecaster style guitar. People love that tone. I think the initial, snappy note attack is why,