NGD-Sharks swimming in snow?

[Frettingflyer]

This may be a little lengthy but here goes, and Methos1979 has agreed to post my pics since I haven’t learned how yet. Thank you to Methos1979!
As many here probably know I had an Emerald X20 Artisan that was very nice, but if I played it a lot my fretting hand would have pain that I didn’t experience on my other guitars, so I finally realized it had to go, and although I appreciate Emeralds willingness to do a custom neck it seemed too high a price for me after consulting with the good gents at Emerald.
So, how to get a bit more sound than my lucky13 and Shorty? I had the fortune to have a trip to Worcester, MA and was able to visit Union Music, a nice store with great people and a good selection of Rainsong guitars. I was interested in a WS-1000, and they had the BI version which I really liked, but wanted the straight weave. A quick call to a former sponsor found my answer at a great price point as usual. Since another thread seems to be allowed to mention Ted and Helene and a great experience at a Southern California guitar shop I am assuming I am now allowed a similar shoutout. Great price and customer service.
Out of our last Nor’easter last week these sharks showed up, and they seem to be the anwer to my quest. The honeymoon is still on but this guitar has the improved bass and volume I was looking for to be used mostly for RV travel and camping but I can see it getting a lot of play at home as well. This has a nice sound that complements my other CF guitars well.
Edit- I forgot to mention the setup. I had to lower the action on my Shorty to my liking, but this is awesome right out of the box, no modification needed for my preferred low action!
So many thanks to L.A. Guitars for the awesome service as usual! Now back to playing this great guitar.

[Earl49]

As someone who is a long time owner of a WS-1000 and now an X20 (formerly yours) I concur with your comments about bass and overall volume. There is a place for both tools in my toolbox. X20 gets a lot of play time at my house and appreciation at the jams it has been to.

[Methos1979]

Photos!

[Fixedgear60]

Originally Posted by Frettingflyer

This may be a little lengthy but here goes, and Methos1979 has agreed to post my pics since I haven’t learned how yet. Thank you to Methos1979!
As many here probably know I had an Emerald X20 Artisan that was very nice, but if I played it a lot my fretting hand would have pain that I didn’t experience on my other guitars, so I finally realized it had to go, and although I appreciate Emeralds willingness to do a custom neck it seemed too high a price for me after consulting with the good gents at Emerald.
So, how to get a bit more sound than my lucky13 and Shorty? I had the fortune to have a trip to Worcester, MA and was able to visit Union Music, a nice store with great people and a good selection of Rainsong guitars. I was interested in a WS-1000, and they had the BI version which I really liked, but wanted the straight weave. A quick call to a former sponsor found my answer at a great price point as usual.
Out of our last Nor’easter last week these sharks showed up, and they seem to be the anwer to my quest. The honeymoon is still on but this guitar has the improved bass and volume I was looking for to be used mostly for RV travel and camping but I can see it getting a lot of play at home as well. This has a nice sound that complements my other CF guitars well.
Edit- I forgot to mention the setup. I had to lower the action on my Shorty to my liking, but this is awesome right out of the box, no modification needed for my preferred low action!
So many thanks for the awesome service as usual! Now back to playing this great guitar.

Did you get a chance to stop by ConeyIsland Hot Dogs right next store??? Two of my favorite things right next store to each other .. hot dogs and guitars.... The world sometimes aligns in a perfect way!!!

[kramster]

Nice buy of a most excellent guitar ! You NH guys know what guitars to get. (been to Eastman Lake a few times)

Great pictures!

[Frettingflyer]

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciated. I had to stay away from the dogs due to wanting to be able to continue to reach my guitar with my “rounded” shape

Thank you,

[Captain Jim]

Congrats on the new guitar! Good to hear you found the right one for your use.

The only downside of this whole thread: the snow... after years in the frozen northland, this island boy would be delighted to never see that white stuff again. The upside: today is the last day of winter... won't be long and you'll be able to enjoy playing that beauty outside.

[Earl49]

It's just a photo, Jim - the snow can't hurt you. Think of it as a margarita waiting to happen.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Earl49

It's just a photo, Jim - the snow can't hurt you. Think of it as a margarita waiting to happen.

Brings back unpleasant memories, Earl (just the thought of shoveling snow gives me the shivers; i had one boat job that was icy decks and gawd-awful cold winds). Joan taught me the error of my ways when she showed me the joy of warmth after winter in the frozen northland. Oh sure, we skied, I chopped wood for our fireplace and wood burner, drove my 4x4 through the snow. Back then, I didn't know anything about humidifying those old fashioned wood guitars and was horrified when my acoustic got a crack in the top! This was long before I heard of carbon fiber guitars.

BUT, I did figure out that the guitars weren't the only ones who preferred the warmth and some humidity. Mid-70s here in the desert today; low humidity, plenty of sunshine. After some guitar time this morning, we'll be out on the scoots. Not as laid back as the Tropical Tip, but not bad for the last day of winter.

Warm wishes,
Jim

[GBG]

Nice guitar! Glad it is working out well for you so far.

Curious what it was about the X20 that caused fretting hand pain?

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by GBG

Nice guitar! Glad it is working out well for you so far.

Curious what it was about the X20 that caused fretting hand pain?

I get this - not every neck profile is a great fit for every hand. My situation was the reverse: I had my RainSong Shorty for two years before getting the first Emerald. I would get muscle cramps with that RS NS neck, after playing for more than a couple hours. The stock Emerald neck profile is just a better fit for my hand.

Thinner, thicker, rounder, more V, flat C, wide D... you can describe them, but your hands know what makes them happy. Probably why I've owned several Taylors, but no Martins from the "wooden days."

[Frettingflyer]

Originally Posted by GBG

Nice guitar! Glad it is working out well for you so far.

Curious what it was about the X20 that caused fretting hand pain?

Jim nailed it, just the shape somehow? I never could put my finger on it and at first it felt good, but the pain would come after a bit of use. I found myself trying to change my technique to see if that would help but that just made my (marginal) playing worse.
With Rainsong, at first I didn’t like the fat neck, but now it fits like a glove, so just the opposite. But, like Jim, my fretting hand seems to prefer Taylor’s over Martins, although both are in house at the moment it is a 4 to 1 ratio

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

Congrats on the new guitar! Good to hear you found the right one for your use.

The only downside of this whole thread: the snow... after years in the frozen northland, this island boy would be delighted to never see that white stuff again. The upside: today is the last day of winter... won't be long and you'll be able to enjoy playing that beauty outside.

Yay, first day of spring in upstate NY. 13 degrees!!! woot woot.

[GBG]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Yay, first day of spring in upstate NY. 13 degrees!!! woot woot.

The desert is an interesting place, we are expected to hit 80 degrees today!