another comparison of guitars thread !
but well, it's up to the type of wood used to construct the guitar.
u should never really compare brands of the guitars.
u should be heading down to the shops and try them out intensively instead.
hear them out for yourself.
strings wise, there are alot of brands out there for u to choose.
they're not fixed onto the guitar.
if u are going for a concert style guitars, u may want to check out higher ends Epiphone if u have the moolah.
or head down to Luther MusicWorks for the Corts, Yamahas and Takamines.
i suppose u need a guitar with a pre-amp. Corts have very good Fishman pickups in them while Maestro have B-Band pickups in them.