My personal opinion is that as long as you get something from a reputable manufacturer with a solid top, you are going to get a decent guitar. Yamaha is certainly a good brand, excellent value. I recommend spending the money to get it set up by a good guitar tech, it will make ALL the difference to having it be nice to play. I generally buy used these days, and try in person, and like to buy well-used guitars in good overall structural shape. I prefer having some scratches and dings as it shows that it has been played, and will probably sound better. As long as the neck is straight and the frets are in nice condition, you're pretty much in business and a good setup will have it playing better than new.