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Old 12-02-2016, 12:20 PM
JerryM JerryM is offline
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Default Rainsongs & Blackbirds in Classifieds??

It seems every time I read about a NGD here on the CF forum a short time later I see the guitar on the for sale list? A shorty, lucky 13, om, shorty sg and several others in the past month or so.
Is everyone dumping them to buy Emeralds??? Seems all the posts are dominated as of late by them.
I wish I could try one so I could experience this magic, must really be special!!
It's making me want to get one too,,,,this fever may be the greatest advertising method ever devised!! LOL

Last edited by JerryM; 12-02-2016 at 01:04 PM.
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Old 12-02-2016, 02:19 PM
frances50 frances50 is offline
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Originally Posted by JerryM View Post
It seems every time I read about a NGD here on the CF forum a short time later I see the guitar on the for sale list? A shorty, lucky 13, om, shorty sg and several others in the past month or so.
Is everyone dumping them to buy Emeralds??? Seems all the posts are dominated as of late by them.
I wish I could try one so I could experience this magic, must really be special!!
It's making me want to get one too,,,,this fever may be the greatest advertising method ever devised!! LOL
I've never played an Emerald but I'm quite satisfied with my Rainsong hybrid. I can't speak for the Rainsong owners who now have their guitars up for sale.
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Old 12-02-2016, 02:27 PM
thaichine thaichine is offline
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Jerry, I know that I will not be letting go of your- I mean my Lucky 13 anytime soon! I love it. But I agree all this Emerald talk has gotten me interested as well. If the x20 came standard with shorter scale I would be very interested. I know you can special order it with short scale but I believe it will be several hundred dollars upcharge. I remember there was some discussion of a trial program, but I havent heard anything about it in a while.
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Old 12-02-2016, 02:48 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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I doubt people are dumping the CF guitars to buy Emeralds. I think more often than not people buy CF guitars to 'try them out' and even though they like them, when push comes to shove and something needs to go to make room or cash out, the CF guitars get the boot before the wood ones do.

Obviously that's a generalization. I have now owned three CF guitars. All were excellent in all respects. The first was an Emerald X20 Artisan (blue) that was a great guitar. Great sound unplugged and amplified. I didn't like the scale (long) or the neck shape. I bought it mostly because I wanted to give CF guitars a try.

A while later I grabbed a Rainsong APLE which was also an excellent guitar. Loved the size and playability and pretty much everything about the guitar but some cost overruns with home improvements meant I needed to move a guitar and so once again the CF got the boot.

Then a Journey Overhead OF660 popped in the classifieds for a steal of a price and this guitar ticked off enough boxes to make it a keeper (so far). Small, collapsible for transporting, CF so impervious to elements. It's my 'beater' and travel guitar. Plus the cost is small enough that it's really not worth selling as it won't generate as much as other guitars would.
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Old 12-02-2016, 03:50 PM
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I also see an occasional Emerald on the market. Emerald is a rarer beast than some of the production models by other makers. Given Rainsong's years on the market and production levels I would guess that Rainsongs are the most common guitar on the CF market.
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Old 12-02-2016, 04:06 PM
JerryM JerryM is offline
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I just acquired a new 2016 Shorty off the forum, guy purchased it had it one week and never even unpacked it, got a smoking deal on it and I must say I am more than satisfied on all fronts with this guitar...
At the price I paid I figured I could resell and not get hurt if I didn't like it. Well it has quickly become my go to guitar for daily practice. I absolutely love it, neck shape is like my SC and Martin OO and the guitar plays so easy it's unreal. Love the 12 frets and short scale as well. Amplified it's perfect these built in controls which I thought I would not like are great! Makes life real easy when plugged in and sounds natural to me, just a bit louder.
So I would say this Rainsong is pretty much perfect for me. I didn't know if I would like the black thing but must say it is pretty sharp and the tone is very IMO woody sounding, very nice for bluegrass, lot's of punch and with using a capo so much it's right in tune.
Maybe someday I'll try another but for now I am Very Happy with this Shorty SG!
Got the Gator gig bag from Sweetwater for 70 dollars off on sale and it makes a super light easy to handle package going out the door. Will most likely never use the hardshell case it came in, like a vault but to heavy and awkward........
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Old 12-03-2016, 02:22 PM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryM View Post
It seems every time I read about a NGD here on the CF forum a short time later I see the guitar on the for sale list? A shorty, lucky 13, om, shorty sg and several others in the past month or so.
Is everyone dumping them to buy Emeralds??? Seems all the posts are dominated as of late by them.
I wish I could try one so I could experience this magic, must really be special!!
It's making me want to get one too,,,,this fever may be the greatest advertising method ever devised!! LOL
Hi Jerry,

Some years back, there was a dealer run forum dedicated to carbon guitars, and although I didn't participate, I would check in regularly, and it was pretty much the same thing, Emerald dominated the conversation, seemed every other thread had Emerald in the title. I was so impressed by all the chatter, that I contacted Alistair, and we became an Emerald dealer in 2009. Sadly Emerald guitars were not nearly as popular with our clients as they were on the forum, but I'll leave that story for another thread.

Point is, the "fever" being created by all the forum chatter is probably selling some guitars, (it certainly worked on me ) but I can assure you that folks are not dumping their Rainsongs, or Blackbirds to buy Emeralds. In fact, if you do a search, you will see that there were twice as many Emeralds offered for sale on the forum than Blackbirds in 2016.

And yes, there are certainly more used Rainsongs for sale than Emeralds, but that has to do with the sheer number of guitars they sold over the last twenty or so years. FYI, Rainsong builds and sells more guitars every year than the total production of Blackbird and Emerald combined, and they've been doing it more than twice as long, so it makes sense that there would be more used examples for sale.

BTW, congrats on the Shorty, by your review, it sounds like you are bonding rather nicely.
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Old 12-03-2016, 05:50 PM
GrandDadgad GrandDadgad is offline
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Not "everyone" is selling their CF's. I just posted my Martin Custom on local Craigslist which will leave me with my Blackbird Lucky 13 as my only acoustic guitar...
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:45 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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I just bought a Martin and, after enjoying the wood timbre of an all sapele guitar for a moment, I picked up the Shorty. Just sounds glorious in it's own unique and crystalline way. My Rainsong is not going anywhere providing I don't hit hard times and I'd have to sell it. Even then, it would be a different guitar before I'd sell the Rainsong. They are just hard to beat from a functionality standpoint- I would imagine any carbon fiber guitar fits that bill.

Emeralds are gorgeous though and I hope to get my hands on one someday.
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:50 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
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I certainly don't have any plans to dump my Rainsong H-WS1000 12 fret any time soon! Love that guitar, but I do need a small travel size guitar and may try a Emerald X7.

I love seeing support for customer service oriented companies like Rainsong and Emerald being generated here. This is the best advertising there is me thinks.....
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Old 12-04-2016, 02:19 AM
sirwhale sirwhale is offline
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Blackbird truly are my favourite brand, and they were back when I only played the ukulele. Not selling my L13, and will be very interested in this new guitar at NAMM.
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Old 12-04-2016, 09:34 AM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Years ago, I was a Gibson guy: one electric, one acoustic, both Gibsons (60s and 70s). I eventually found other acoustics I preferred. Even though I spent 14 years with an Ovation, I considered myself a "wood guitar" guy. I got rid of the Ovation when I bought my first Taylor. Then, more Taylors... I knew I was a "Taylor guy" when my family bought me Taylor logo-ed stuff for gift-giving occasions. I still considered myself a wood guitar guy, even though there were more Taylors living with us than anything else

Then, I bought a RainSong Shorty. I thought it was going to be my "travel guitar." I couldn't believe that wonderful crystal-like tone. I liked the size, the sound... I had not given carbon fiber a second glance when a friend told me about it, years before. Hey, I was a wood guitar guy.

Oh, I bought another wood guitar, a Taylor 522ce 12-fret a year or so after getting the RainSong. Then, 6 months ago, I bought an Emerald X7. I am completely convinced on what carbon fiber brings, and found this X7 to be the most comfortable guitar I've owned. Love the sound. No, it doesn't have the same tone as my 814ce, but it doesn't have to. It doesn't make me want to get rid of my RainSong, either.

BUT, this X7 is the guitar I pick up the most often. Sounds great acoustically and plugged in. The comfort has convinced me that I won't likely be buying any more wood guitars... even though there are some that I think are gorgeous. Oh, I look at my guitars when they're hanging on the wall... but, it is how they sound and feel that makes me want to play them.

I feel fortunate to be able to have a handful of nice guitars. While I sometimes think about "thinning the herd," there is something about each of the guitars that makes that one special to me. If I had to downsize, the two carbon fibers would be the last to go. If you made me choose between those two (Sophie's Choice??), the X7 would be the one that stays.

I am out of wall space. There is another guitar that I'd like to add, but...

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Old 12-04-2016, 10:17 AM
JerryM JerryM is offline
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I hear you Cpt. Jim, I played a jam yesterday for 3 hours straight and used my Shorty, only black guitar in the group....LOL but let me tell you it was great! I use a little tiny Fender amp about 12" square don't know the model but I put it under my folding chair and plugged in the Rainsong. Most didn't even realize it was amped but I put just enough volume I could be heard well over the bass and mando.
I got a bunch of compliments on the new guitar and people remarked how usually they couldn't hear my guitar well enough now it was perfect! After two hours the back of the neck got a little tacky on me but I just grabbed my polish cloth and a quick wipe down took care of it.
I am completely sold on these carbon guitars regardless of make. I won't be buying any more wood myself. As much as I love my wood guitars all the anxiety I used to feel at jams about my guitar getting banged by another instrument or mic, or worry about it sitting on the stand while people were walking around on break, etc. is gone. I really appreciate that, i don't abuse it but I don't worry about it either.
My Santa Cruz was 6500 big ones and taking it anywhere makes me paranoid. So it stays home, also if it was stolen well it would be hard to replace. Carbon I could just order another and it would be the same.....
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Old 12-04-2016, 07:14 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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I will never sell any of my CF instruments (my estate might but not while I'm around). Wood guitars will go, except maybe for one all-koa Taylor, but CF guitars are staying right here.

I just got back from a week-long road trip to Arizona, Las Vegas, and Reno. It was a great comfort knowing that my Lucky 13 could travel with me and not worry about humidity or temperature (hot or cold) in the car or where I stayed.
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Old 12-06-2016, 12:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryM View Post
It seems every time I read about a NGD here on the CF forum a short time later I see the guitar on the for sale list? A shorty, lucky 13, om, shorty sg and several others in the past month or so.
Is everyone dumping them to buy Emeralds??? Seems all the posts are dominated as of late by them.
I wish I could try one so I could experience this magic, must really be special!!
It's making me want to get one too,,,,this fever may be the greatest advertising method ever devised!! LOL

The only reason I am selling my Shorty SSA is to help fund a custom build...I will be back to CF when the financial time is right.
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