I called Bill (RIP Sir) on the phone and asked him about using lighter gauges and he said it was a bad idea! Don't want to put a guilt trip on anyone for using lighter gauge strings. I am going with what he said, and I will sell it to someone who will promise to use Medium Gauges or sell it to someone who can! I got it from Dusty Strings in Seattle brand new, nice guitar. D2H, standard D2H nothing fancy. He said the top is designed for Mediums and if I were to put lights on it then it would not vibrate correctly. Phone conversation, no written records.
Right now I am looking at selling or horse trading a whole bunch of stuff and getting one really, really good guitar, maybe even an old Martin not really sure yet. I'll be back, I am just trying to close this down for now. I tend to Ramble on forever so I have to stop myself! Some really good deals out there right now, and I am thinking that it's time to buy, not to sell. Trades might work here and there if the person you're trading with thinks your stuff might be a more profitable and quick sell than a high end item like the guitar above. Yet that seller is totally cash only, in person, old school. Lay the Cabbage on the table first, then you can try out the guitar! And at that point you're pretty much buying it anyways...
I can drive to Berkeley CA to look at something like that in a 3 day weekend, most people probably would have to fly out there. Then you have to ask yourself is it really worth it or would I rather remodel the garage? Or buy a nice used car? Looking at 10G's with taxes for that guitar.
(If you drive down in person though, you might be able to get it for cash, make an offer, etc on reverb less taxes, or split it with the seller, etc)
Guy wants to sell his guitar, but probably not give it away, and wants to find someone who can play the thing is my guess! I would not sell my fiddle to a beginner, would have to be someone I thought had some potential. Maybe back in North Carolina even as that's where it came from.
It's not always about the money you know, you can use light guage strings if you want, but I would sell those guitars to someone who can play with Mediums if you don't like that D2HA! Lol! Bill's words, not mine... The CJ, maybe that is okay with lights, not sure. Your'e not getting the proper tension is the deal. Now if it was sagging on the top, then I might use 12-53's like you said. But I have not seen many Collings with a sagging top, Adirondack might be a different deal than Spruce of course.
When I got my good fiddle Stuart had it set up with Orchestra Gauge Helicore's which are D'Addario's heaviest string. My local luthier also from NC he said we should back off to Medium Gauges, so that's all I put on that fiddle now. It's like 150 years old! So probably makes sense!
Another guy who recently passed Mike Lull of Bellevue WA, he told me to buy a newer guitar like a Collings not an old prewar Martin that needs a neck reset, etc.. Santa Cruz, etc... Heck maybe even a newer Guild! I have thought of that as well!
I don't have much time left to play I don't think. Maybe 10-15 years or so and my fingers and brain will slowly lose the abilities I once had. So I have to start thinking about the future, what is the best guitar for an older player?
And that's why I am starting to like the smaller and lighter gauge guitars, just looking to the future. And I don't want some 30,000$ guitar to be donated to the goodwill if I pass on early! (My mom has done stuff like that in the past, but my sister would probably sell it!)
Totally off topic but my mom, (bless her heart) gave away my wet suit and my Boy Scout Uniform, both of course which would never fit me again, and I remember being a bit upset about that! Lol... Then I realized that I could have never worn them ever again and some kid probably enjoyed snorkeling and being in the Boy Scouts as well. Just like I had before him, and it was probably 2nd Hand when I got it too!
I am thinking though that I might want to put some lights on my Guild F-50R with the sinking/sagging top. You're right about that. Never on the D2H though... No way I will sell it first! Mediums or Die! Take care, your mileage may vary... (YMMV)