Hi Lonnie, and welcome! If I were buying now in that price range, it would definitely be the A12. The arm bevel is nice. Playability is pretty much universally good from Taylor across all their models, and is easily tweaked for any outlying examples.
If you decide to change the setup, make sure to use a Taylor-certified tech. With an NT neck system, shaving the saddle is the very last thing to do and then only to get that last 1/64" of action height below factory spec of 6/64" bass E and 4/64" for the treble e. Most techs will automatically sand the saddle down first to lower action, since that is the only option with a non-adjustable dovetail neck. FYI all of the ten different Taylor guitars I have owned have had acceptable setup and action for me right out of the box - none ever needed any work, and I'm happy with the factory action specs. I did have one where a Taylor tech wanted to change the shims by one increment to lessen the neck angle slightly. I could see his point, but I did not feel it necessary for my playing style.
I own a 114ce and have owned two different GS Mini's (mahogany and spruce tops). I have never owned but have played the A12 several times. Academy 12 is a GC or Grand Concert body size, smaller than a GA or x14 body size, and has the shorter 24-7/8" scale length which is very comfortable. A Martin 000 lower bout width is somewhere between a GC and GA for reference. GS Mini is 23.5" scale which is a bit cramped for many players. That is like playing a normal scale guitar with a capo on the second fret. Both models have a 1-11/16" nut width. You don't get into 1-3/4" nut width until the 300 series, like a 312 GC or a 314 GA. Hope this helps!
