Emerald vs Rainsong

[Bearman]

Has anyone here had an actual experience A/B ing Emerald and Rainsong guitars? Preferably, their 12 string models? I'd love to get one, but can't find any to actually play.
Thanks. Gerry

[dthumb]

Originally Posted by Bearman

Has anyone here had an actual experience A/B ing Emerald and Rainsong guitars? Preferably, their 12 string models? I'd love to get one, but can't find any to actually play.
Thanks. Gerry

I 'm not gonna be much help to you but, I'd sure like to know if anyone has played a nylon strung Rainsong or Emerald myself.
Sorry, but I thought we could kill two birds with one stone.

[MissouriPicker]

I've never seen or played an Emerald, but I've had my Rainsong WS1000 now for several years and it is a superb guitar.

[jackweasel]

Hey Guitarget, where are you on this one?
He has THREE Rainsongs. A jumbo 12, jumbo 6 and a nylon string.
By the way they sound great and are loud as heck.

[guitarget]

Never saw this post till five minutes ago.

I've never even seen an Emerald guitar, let alone played or heard one. I once collected a bunch of my abstract (digital) art to send to the folks at Emerald; thought maybe they'd like to try one on a guitar finish. (Chickened out.)

Gave away the Rainsong nylon last year to an old friend in Virginia named Marc Pagan, one of my guitar heroes who once played in a band with Daryl Jenifer of Bad Brains. My only complaint was the neck was too thin for my enormous hands. Replaced it with a cheap Yamaha classical that I had set up by a local repair man, which plays wonderfully. And sounds good enough, for my ears.

[jdinco]

I have a H-WS1000 12 fret RS and a X20 Emerald, not 12 strings, I don't think RS currently manufactures 12 strings. So that may make your choice a lot easier. The guitars are quite a bit different, the RS has a thinner more comfortable neck, with clear piano like tone, it is a joy to play and sounds great. The 12 fret neck is easier for me to play than the Emerald due to some wrist issues on the left hand. The X20's neck it a bit thicker and feels wider at the nut than the RS. Still comfortable, but bigger. The tone is warmer than the RS, I LOVE the tone of this guitar, it also has the sound hole pointing at you, it is loud to the player, I didn't realize how loud it was until I switched to a different guitar after playing it for a couple weeks. It sounded like something was wrong with the other guitar LOL is this thing on? But your ears do readjust. Both are top notch build quality. If it I were buying again, I think I would buy an X20 and ask Emerald to make it a 12 fret or shorter scale. I find the 12 fret RS neck easier to play, but I prefer the Emerald tone and looks. I like the colors. Hope that helps?

[Puerto Player]

My Rainsong BlackIce didn't sound anywhere close to the X20 Emerald Artisan. It was very boxy and hollow sounding. Having my second Artisan built now. My good buddy has a Rainsong WS1000, pretty much the same thing although his does sound better than my BlackIce did.

Also, the BlackIce was THE most uncomfortable guitar I've ever played. The sharp edges dug into my chest and leg when playing seated. The Emeralds with the beveled edge make for some very easy playing.

[GuitarDoc]

Originally Posted by Puerto Player

My Rainsong BlackIce didn't sound anywhere close to the X20 Emerald Artisan. It was very boxy and hollow sounding. Having my second Artisan built now. My good buddy has a Rainsong WS1000, pretty much the same thing although his does sound better than my BlackIce did.

Also, the BlackIce was THE most uncomfortable guitar I've ever played. The sharp edges dug into my chest and leg when playing seated. The Emeralds with the beveled edge make for some very easy playing.

Very informative evaluation.

[Methos1979]

I have owned both. I had a Rainsong Shorty APLE model and an Emerald X20 Artisan. Both were 6 string guitars though.

Both were excellent and had a wonderful tone. The APLE had much better ergonomics (for me) in that it was a shorter scale while the X20 was a longer scale although the X20 guitar body does have the nice arm bevel and belly bevel on each side. The APLE's neck was slightly more comfortable but neither were what I prefer which is a soft V.

The electrics were barn door on both. Fishman blend on the APLE and B-Band on the X20. Acoustically the APLE has a more natural sound (like a regular wood guitar) with it's uni-directional top and center sound hole. The X20 had it's own sound but still wonderful with the offset sound hole projecting straight up into the player's face which was a welcome thing.

Fit and finish on both were excellent. If I was going with a stock guitar I'd likely buy another APLE over the Emerald. But with those new and beautiful woody finishes and Emerald's eagerness to do custom builds, I elected to order a custom and get the short scale neck I really want with my favorite neck carve/shape and exact dimensions. Plus the pickup system I prefer (K&K).

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Puerto Player

Also, the BlackIce was THE most uncomfortable guitar I've ever played. The sharp edges dug into my chest and leg when playing seated.

This is a zombie thread but all the more reason to respond- RainSong guitars have come a long way since 2006- my goodness half of their current options have been added along with a neck redesign and other models dropped!

I've had the exact opposite experience with the Shorty. The 12 fret to body, ergonomic N2 neck, contoured back and side molded construction (haven't they always been done that way?) make this particular RainSong the most comfortable acoustic I've ever played. I do agree the top has a sharp edge but I remedied that with a John Pearse armrest.

Tone is subjective, and I can't give my 2 cents anyway since I've not played an Emerald. However, I can say that I love the way the Shorty sounds and get compliments on it all the time. YMMV.

[MJH]

I have a Rainsong W1000 and an Emerald X7. They are both outstanding guitars. The Rainsong, with the N1 neck, is extremely close to the wonderful Taylors that I have been playing for years. However, I like the Rainsong so much, that my 2 Taylors on consignment at a music shop in St. Louis.

The Emerald is a completely different bird as it is smaller and just configured differently. But what a great guitar. I'm considering an X7 woody 12 string right now if my Taylors sell.

Because I don't gig much anymore, if I had to sell one and just keep one, I would keep the Emerald for its size and sound.

But don't get me wrong, I love the Rainsong!

dthumb;

I have the Rainsong Parlor nylon string guitar and the emerald X10-OSN nylon. I've tried to get it down to one guitar, but I can't decide between these two. The RS has a stronger projection, but the Emerald has better fret reach. They both have delicious tonal qualities and it looks like I've got two keepers.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

This is a zombie thread but all the more reason to respond - RainSong guitars have come a long way since 2006 - my goodness half of their current options have been added along with a neck redesign and other models dropped!......

This thread is indeed only three months shy of being 11 years old, and some of the original responders have not been on-line in years.

I'm pretty happy with my 2001 vintage WS-1000, and would likely grab a WS-3000 twelve-string if one popped up. I agree that both Rainsong and Emerald have since revamped their product lines considerably. Emerald is now basically the only game in town in terms of carbon fiber twelve strings, with their X20-12. The smaller body size, bevels, and rounded edges would give it the "edge" in terms of playing comfort. I usually don't have a problem with edges digging into my forearm when playing, but I play everything using a strap these days.

[jdinco]

Wow...I didn't notice the 2006 date. Oops. Still an interesting topic.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by jdinco

Wow...I didn't notice the 2006 date. Oops. Still an interesting topic.

Other Forums I am on give you a giant warning if you bump a thread that is more that 6 months old. We seem to get necro-threads around here all the time though.