Review of the Rainsong Shorty Steel String

[Kindness]

I headed to Kramster's house after work. My expectations were already high. A short scale CF guitar with the unidirectional top.

I picked her up, and started playing my fingerstyle songs. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn I had my Wood OMC in my hands. THAT is how great sounding this guitar is.

Kramster and I took turns playing for one another, and it became more and more clear over the time we spent with it, that Ashwin had created the best CF guitar we have played to date. This guitar sounds great unplugged and plugged in. It is the first CF guitar I have played that I have absolutely loved unplugged. (Kramster has one of, if not the largest collection of CF guitars. So, I have been fortunate to have tried every model available out there, except for Blackbird).

Is this a travel guitar. Nope. I would say it is about the same size as my OMC wood guitar. The rough finish was quite nice, and the quality, what one would expect of Rainsong, excellent. To look at the guitar, you would never know it is a short scale. But it plays like butter, and handles fingerstyle and heavy strumming. What was particularly interesting was the fact that you could play it softly, or dig in and play it hard. And it responded. Responded just like my wood guitars. Pure genious.

Every CF guitar has its own purpose. Emerald, Blackbird and Cargo build some great guitars. Each with its own unique sound.

But having been a singer since I was 6 years old, I guess I am a music snob. By the way, we plugged it into a Schertler amp and it sounded amazing (my gosh these are fantastic amps!).

I did not sing tonight. I really thought this guitar deserved the spotlight...and shine it did.

[pandaroo]

Hi Lisa,

I have been on the lookout for more comments on the Shorty. Thanks for the review.

When you refer the finish as rough, I assume you tried the one with Fine Texture (FT) finish?

All Rainsongs with this unidirectional top is very rich sounding. I have a Taylor Cedar/Walnut 414. My Rainsong with this top just makes my Taylor sound kinda thin.

[wcap]

I've never played a Rainsong, but have been very impressed by a few Composite Acoustic guitars in the past. I approached them with an unfortunate bias against a non-wood guitar, and really didn't give them serious consideration in my guitar deliberations, but I think I really should have. They were not just good sounding carbon fiber guitars. They were genuinely nice guitars.

With guitar building woods becoming ever more scarce it is so nice to see that the carbon-fiber guitar makers are producing such nice instruments. It would be interesting to see what some of the top builders of premium hand-built guitars could do with carbon fiber if they set their minds and energies to it. I realize that the building methods would be quite different from wood, but I'll bet some of these top guitar builders could bring something special to a carbon fiber guitar. It will be interesting to see what develops in the future in this regard.

[Kindness]

Yes, it was the fine texture top that I played. I would like to try the other finish to see if there is any sound difference. But this is the second Rainsong I have played with the unidirectional top. The first was the CO-WS1000N2.

If you have not played a Rainsong with the unidirectional top, then you do not have any idea how good carbon fiber guitars sound. Ashvin has done something special here with this top. And the OM size is extremely comfortable to hold.

Some may think that sound is compromised with the smaller body. I absolutely disagree. The volume is fantastic, and it is an incredibly responsive guitar.

Guys and gals, I am as much of a wood guitar snob as anyone. I love the look and feel of wood. But I HATE the hassle of humidifying.

Welcome the Rainsong Shorty into your herd...she will be a great addition!

A couple of questions for Ashwin would be:

1. How is the neck attached, is it bolted on, glued, dove tailed?
2. Is there a difference in sound with the gloss vs the FT and if so, was this intentional or due to the materials?
3. Will you try to go smaller, to a travel size guitar?

Ashvin, congratulations!!

[Kh1967]

I just picked up a Shorty in the gloss finish and I love it. However, I did buy it for travel. Yes, you can get smaller guitar, but I have never found one I liked.

The beauty of this guitar is the sound as others have posted. But, you can leave the thing in your car, rain or shine, hot or cold. What is better than that?

[Kindness]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

I just picked up a Shorty in the gloss finish and I love it. However, I did buy it for travel. Yes, you can get smaller guitar, but I have never found one I liked.

The beauty of this guitar is the sound as others have posted. But, you can leave the thing in your car, rain or shine, hot or cold. What is better than that?

You are so right about the videos and the sound! Many times I see the videos and think, ok, that sounds really good. This guitar is as great as it sounds in the videos.

It comes with a TKL case. I wonder if there is a sturdy soft shell case that would be protective.

[Kh1967]

Originally Posted by itself

......

It comes with a TKL case. I wonder if there is a sturdy soft shell case that would be protective.

SKB Thinline/Acoustic Case. Hard foam, lightweight, awesome.

[JohnnyDes]

Originally Posted by itself

2. Is there a difference in sound with the gloss vs the FT and if so, was this intentional or due to the materials?

To my ears, the difference between the FT and gloss is pronounced, and I prefer the FT finish. I also like how it keeps the guitar very stable in my lap. Down side is those errant pick sweeps that make a lot of noise in the FT. Tonewise, I think the FT softens and warms things up, whereas with the gloss you get more of that trademark Rainsong glassiness. Preference would be purely based on personal taste, although I'd wager that wood lovers would gravitate toward the tone of the FT more.

Lisa, have you tried any of the Studio OMs? I didn't find the Shorty SO different from my S-OM that I'd make the switch, and in some ways I even preferred my S-OM, but that's also based on what music your playing. I use my Rainsong as my main singer/strummer guitar, so I prefer the full scale sound for that.

JD

[Ashvin]

Originally Posted by itself

Yes, it was the fine texture top that I played. I would like to try the other finish to see if there is any sound difference. But this is the second Rainsong I have played with the unidirectional top. The first was the CO-WS1000N2.

If you have not played a Rainsong with the unidirectional top, then you do not have any idea how good carbon fiber guitars sound. Ashvin has done something special here with this top. And the OM size is extremely comfortable to hold.

Some may think that sound is compromised with the smaller body. I absolutely disagree. The volume is fantastic, and it is an incredibly responsive guitar.

Guys and gals, I am as much of a wood guitar snob as anyone. I love the look and feel of wood. But I HATE the hassle of humidifying.

Welcome the Rainsong Shorty into your herd...she will be a great addition!

A couple of questions for Ashwin would be:

1. How is the neck attached, is it bolted on, glued, dove tailed?
2. Is there a difference in sound with the gloss vs the FT and if so, was this intentional or due to the materials?
3. Will you try to go smaller, to a travel size guitar?

Ashvin, congratulations!!

Hi Lisa:

Thank you for the kind words. I would love to take credit for designing the Shorty ... however, this was an instrument that seemed to design itself. This is probably the first time in RainSong history where we have actually built an instrument based on Dealer (thanks Ted/Michael!) and Customer feedback/requests.

Here are answers to your questions:

1. How is the neck attached, is it bolted on, glued, dove tailed?
The neck is attached in the same way as all our other instruments. The heel is bolted to the body. The fingerboard (which is an integral part of the neck) is glued to the soundboard, making the neck permanently attached to the body.
2. Is there a difference in sound with the gloss vs the FT and if so, was this intentional or due to the materials?
From a construction standpoint there is no difference between the FT and the gloss versions. As far as the finishing process is concerned, the UV protective urethane is identical on both. Only the final coat is different. The FT has a flattening agent and a texture additive included. Skipping the final polishing process helps to reduce the cost on the FT instrument. The FT and gloss versions were created to offer a couple of different visual options and price points.
3. Will you try to go smaller, to a travel size guitar?
The new neck molds created for the Shorty were expensive, and we are not in a financial position to design/build more new molds at this time. Maybe if we sell many Shortys ... Also, I have been getting a lot of requests for nylon strings, basses, mandolins, ukes ....

[scooter74]

Here is a copy of my review from another thread:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=229320

I had the opportunity to try this 12 fret out at Teds and like the man says, Rainsong has another winner. The guitar feels intimate but not cramped, and the tone is quite nice, somewhere between the standard Rainsong OM1000 and a CA GX. While in the store I took the opportunity to compare it against a Taylor 12 fret limited which by the way is the exact same size, and I must say the little Rainsong held it's own. Tonally not as complex but certainly louder, and the playability was fantastic. No set up or adjustments would be needed for me. The guitar comes in a high quality archtop hardshell case which is nice, but for me a snug fitting gig bag would work a little better, which I'm told is already in the works.

All in all this is a fantastic guitar. Kudos to the people at Rainsong.

[Kindness]

One other key feature that I failed to mention. The Shorty has an adjustable truss rod. Very nice!

[jacksonlui]

are you guys still loving this?
any good experiments from different strings?

[HeavyDuty]

I'm still loving mine! I haven't done any string experimentation.

[Kindness]

I am still LOVING my Shorty! And thanks to the efforts of Ted, I got it customized with the abalone soundhole, and the sharks.

I just put on medium Elixir Nanos, and had my tech set it up vey low. It is so rich and balanced, and so responsive. I don't find it bright at all. But please keep in mind I keep my nails trimmed properly for my classical guitar. For fingerstyle on both guitars, I find this really has a big impact. I do not strum at all.

Also, I do play with my strings tuned one full step down. Many will share that even on a wood guitar, this really mellows and richens the sound.

And best of all, it's been the guitar I can safely travel with. I play and sing for my 81 year old mom in a nursing home with my frequent visits to Boston. I gate check the Shorty with no worries of temperature or humidity changes. And three times a year I travel to Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. I play for my little furry friends at Quincy House.

I am so grateful to Ashvin and the folks at Rainsong. It's a brillant guitar...

[jacksonlui]

are you gate checking with the case which came with it?
i haven't traveled with it. i check my fender strat in using a hard case into baggage check.
any tips on gate checking?