Hi all,

I'm considered a new joiner for guitar (<half a year experience) and is looking to purchase a mid-tier guitar which I'll probably keep forever.
I'm using a Norman B18 Cedar which was purchased by my brother 8 years ago and I love how it sounds, the problem is I don't feel comfortable to the dreadnaught body and looking for something which is smaller / more comfortable to hold.

These are the things I want in my new guitar:
i) GA / GC body
ii) With a pickup
iii) With a cutaway (purely because I think it looks cooler)
iv) The sound is more towards warm and mellow rather than sharp and bright (as I want to play more towards fingerstyle music in the future)

After doing some researches, I found that a Grand Auditorium or a Grand Concert will probably fulfill what I look in a guitar. A body that is easier to hold but not too small so it doesn't lose much of its volume a dreadnought guitar has.

The Taylor 114CE and 214CE is recommended by many but it has a laminated wood back and sides so there are also many who says go for a smaller brand which has full solid wood. Then I saw Cort Gold A6 fulfill that requirement. It is priced at RM2.8k while 114CE is about the same while 214CE is RM700/800 more expensive. I would also like recommendation of any guitar from the Norman sister's company ( Larrivee / Seagull etc) as I really like how my Norman sounds.

Which 1 should I go for? Is laminated back and sides really bad? Or solid top is enough? You guys can also recommend me some other brands too as I don't have much knowledge in it... Thanks.