Rainsong again?? maybe?

[JerryM]

Hey all, I am in the market for a guitar to go on a 5mo. long rv tour from Or. thru most of the western states stopping in Illinois for a visit to my brother who has a farm there then on thru the midwest states. Stopping at several BG Festivals in Id, Ky, and in NC and Virginia. Planning on staying in Virginia for a while to visit my grandson in the USCG and see our two great grandchildren for the first time since they were born in Guam.
Then on thru some more states and eventually towards the west again and Az, Nv, and back home. So we will obviously be exposed to a wide variety of weather and temp, humidity etc.
Have really been searching for another wood guitar of lesser quality than my home keepers as the combined cost of those two is way to much to allow me to take them or even one with. So have been looking at lower end Martin and a few others to use on the trip. I figure if something happens to a lesser instrument it will be a loss but not huge.
Now I am wondering if I am making a error in judgement, if I purchase another CF I would suffer NO loss and still have it intact when I return and could resell and recoup at least a good portion of my investment. I had a RS APLE for a while and liked it but hated the trapdoor electronics. Now I see RS has K&K mini in them as an option. However, I don't want to spend a fortune so am considering the CH-WS1000NSK or the PA same price same construction.
Has anyone on here played both to compare? I need enough acoustic volume for ensemble play, bass, Mando and fiddle.
Won't alway have access to a amp as much of the play is outdoors. Is the volume between the om and pa considerable? I like the small size of the PA for the rv but am concerned about being a bit under powered. My APLE was pretty good at projecting. The RS seems the only brand that looks somewhat traditional. I don't care for the ultra modern shapes and os sound holes. It's strange but I have not seen even One CF at a festival yet, they all still use wood. Have for the past 70 years or so, makes me wonder how they hold up as most play is outside. Makes you stand out when you walk in with CF..... makes you a bit self conscious at times...LOL Any and all thoughts welcome, having a really hard time deciding what to do, be practical and different or take a chance on wood??
Been talking with Ted @ LAS and he is great, very patient, probably thinks I'm nuts by now

[AZLiberty]

I would probably get the CH-PA myself due to the smaller size, I don't think the volume difference is that much. All Rainsongs are surprisingly loud acoustically.

If you want the K&K I would install it yourself, or have a tech do so. That's what I did with my Shorty. Rainsong wants what I think is a ridiculous amount of money for a factory install on one of those. I paid something like $75 installed.

[JerryM]

The two I'm looking at both have them installed already, I don't know where I would take it around here to get installed, I have found it difficult to get work like that done as we are rural and No music stores less than 70 miles away. I didn't use the PU in my last one very often but found it great when I needed it. If I decide to go this route I'd just like it done and ready to go as we will be heading out before to long and sometimes things get stalled getting work done.
Thanks for your input on the volume difference, I agree the size is a real plus, the std. short scale is something I need.

[Acousticado]

Sounds like great fun, Jerry. Might a Journey OF660 be ideal for such an adventure?

[JerryM]

I suppose it would but I guess any CF guitar would. Just spent two hours listening to reviews demos, etc. and now after not having a CF for a while and playing my wood guitars they sound harsh to me. It's tough because I love the sound of Rosewood and these still have a tone that is like a guitar but lacking in warmth and depth a bit, not bad just different. Toughest buying decision I have ever had to make.

[jdinco]

I find the Emerald and CA guitars to sound warmer and fuller than my Rainsong.

[JerryM]

yes I think your right, trying to stay under 1500 dollars total which is hard to do, a used wood at this level gets pretty nice guitar but CF are not as common on the used market.
The Emerald is out for me it's to futuristic looking and just would not fit in at all. Composite Acoustic is to high priced, if money were not an issue I would go for the Savoy.
Kind of chasing my tail here, just need to sit and think it out and decide, then go for it. thanks

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by jdinco

I find the Emerald and CA guitars to sound warmer and fuller than my Rainsong.

I keep hearing that from Emerald owners, and I would love to try an X20. In fairness I have not heard or played any Emerald in person but the Emerald sounds I hear in videos is very similar to RainSong. If anything, while the Emeralds do sound very nice, they sound more compressed than RainSongs?

If there is one slight complaint I have regarding RainSong guitars it's that they lean heavily on the bright side and the only way to tone them down is strings.

As far as ensemble play, you might consider a small battery powered Roland. I generally play acoustic guitar with an ensemble of two other guitars, a banjo, and a mandolin. My new Emerald thin, hollow-bodied, nylon string electric would obviously not match the other instruments in acoustic power, so I tried blending in with the small Roland.

At first, the other players had their doubts about adding an amp to the group. After three afternoons of play, everyone is now very positive about the addition.

The only problem has been operator restraint. As a nylon string player I generally have to attack the guitar with some force to fit in with numerous other instruments. With the electric, I find that I have to work with a lot more sensitivity. But the effort is worthwhile in that I am blending in nicely and playing with more precision.

Just a thought.

[JerryM]

Goon thoughts thanks, amps can be a problem where I play electric not always around.

[rob2966]

I own a CH Parlor. I does have a brighter, very articulate sound (which I love) and the size is very nice. And yes, while it is quite loud for a parlor guitar, I have never tried to "keep up" with a banjo. Obviously a larger body model would have more volume (physics is physics) and if space is not an issue you might want to look at that.

I purposely wanted the smaller body size for space when camping, etc. Without that requirement, I would likely have gone with the CH-OM instead.

Later
Rob

[JerryM]

Yes I think the om size is the way to go, wood or cf

[MiG50]

I can't say enough good things about my CH-WS1000NS. It definitely has more volume and projection, not to mention low-end, compared to my Shorty. I've always been impressed with Rainsong's volume compared to expectation, even from the Parlor models I've played. But for strictly acoustic jams, I think the OM or WS body size would probably be a better fit. It looks like you have a couple 000s already, so the OM would be pretty comfortable and familiar.

Carbon fiber would certainly be a traveler's best friend, going from climate to climate. You might be able to achieve similar results with a plywood/laminate wood acoustic, but I doubt you'll be as satisfied. I've been pretty impressed with the Martins that have HPL back and sides and a solid spruce top, but then you're worrying about temperature and humidity again. And a fully-HPL Martin won't sound anything as nice as a good CF instrument.

For warmer tone, I find that the Rainsong Hybrid series is the warmest. An H-OM1100NS might be right up your alley. You'd have to get the aftermarket pickup of your choice installed, but then you'd be set!

Good luck with your search.

[JerryM]

Thanks that's constructive advice, need to look up which one that is the numbering on these is a bit confusing. The hybrid series I think is the least expensive. The upper models are to much for me to invest.

[steelvibe]

Before Al was a RainSong endorser and the APLE and APSE were created, Al was first turned onto the brand with other models. One of the main reasons I ever even bought the Shorty (which is really a glorified CH-OM) was because Petteway reviewed the Shorty on his Facebook page back in 2013. He did an A/B comparison with FINE wooden instruments and posted the results on SoundCloud. It was like a little game and listeners were to pick out the CF. Most were not able to do it, including myself, even up against a 1934 Martin and a Tippin guitar!

I've been sold on that instrument and I'm a bit surprised that so many have sold their Shorty or are about to. Why? I just don't get it. It was guitar of the year here on AGF back in 2012!