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As a general rule you can move up or down one gauge without having to adjust the truss rod on most acoustics. So if you're set up for 11s you can probably play around with 10s or 12s without any trouble at all. If it's set really really low it's possable it could buzz with 10's but it's unlikely and if it did you'd just have to tighten the truss about an 1/8 turn to fix it and then an 1/8 turn back when you change again, if you go back heavier.

Hey Jerry, Congrats on a great find! Maya made a lot of martin copies back in the lawsuit era (70's). They seem to have a good reputation and people speak highly of them. They moved (I believe) most of their production to Korea in the early 80's and maintained a following for a couple of years after but seem to have faded away since. The've been rumored to be related to early Ibanez and/or Tokai guitar companies. Either way, they seem to be great guitars and an excellent find at $50 Hope you enjoy her!  BTW, You do know pics are required with these kind of posts...Right -Pix

Sounds like a great plan Jerry! I've always told my wife that that's how I want to spend my retirement Just traveling in a motor home going from music festival to music festival all over the country I bought a pull behind a few years ago with a slide out room and such but man that things just too heavy to pull (1200 pound tongue weight) so I parked it at the river. It makes a nice little fishing retreat...  Of course if you head down toward tops, I'm only a couple hours away on the coast and would love to extend a warm welcome to you and the misses as well.   All the best and I hope it works out for ya! -Pix

Never played one personally but have always heard that the older Guilds were real jems! I think they went through a bad period in the 80's on into the 90's... Just what I've heard/read. They've really came back hard in the last few years though and are pushing out some really fine bang for the buck guitars..

Have you considered just adding a pick up to the fg730s. They are great guitars and I think if you were to add say a K&K pick up to it you'd have a very nice acoustic electric. $100 for the pick up and a little more to upgrade it to bone saddle and pins and you'd have a great sounding guitar plugged or unplugged IMO.

Both Takamine and Ibanez are great bang for the buck guitars with excellent electronics. I'd try to go solid top and full size to keep a decent unplugged tone. I don't care for the slim models personally. Bottom line, It's your choice and I'd recommend trying what you can and seeing what sounds best and plays the most comfortably for you and your style of play.

Here's a quick guide that may help you decide... It really all depends on the tonal changes you want from your guitar for your style of play.

-Tusq can add a moderate amount of treble, sustain, clarity & volume to your guitar.
-Bone offers everything Tusq provides, but in bigger doses.
-Ebony can add bass and warmth.
-Buffalo Horn sounds almost identical to bone, and is a great choice if you want a dark looking saddle with bone tone.
-Walrus Jawbone offers the fundamental tone of bone but with better overtones & fatter harmonics.
-Mammoth Ivory can add sustain, volume, and a transparent richness to your guitar, with an increase in harmonics & overtones!
-Walrus Ivory provides the greatest increase in volume, sustain & clarity.

I'll add that if it has a USP (Under saddle pick-up) then tusq is a popular choice because it has a more consistent desity. In other words you don't get more sound transfer at different points of the saddle causing some strings to stand out more than others. Hope that helps! -Pix

"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." - Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

"Sometimes in the morning, when it's a good surf, I go out there, and I don't feel like it's a bad world." - Kary Mullis

Sorry to hear it but at least you found it before you replaced the paneling and then it rained heavy again... I'm assuming that it has block walls?? If so it may not hurt to roll a good coat of Drylok on if you think it could be a problematic area. It's a block sealer/waterproofer made by UGL that works really well. It's also fairly inexpensive, around $20 a gallon and I think that covers 75-100 sq ft.

"I've always considered the presence of lightening rods on most church steeples to show a lack of faith"

I'd keep it OEM.... On a 12 string you have to worry about it getting too much going on.... To much sustain can muddy everything IMO.... Mr Collins himself (Collins guitars) said that if you want a good 12 string don't order a custom built with all the extras just go out and buy a Yamaha