String Quest for my RainSong Shorty - Page 2

Finger Stylish · #16 06-05-2015, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondoggie999

Well the SP's seem to have gone dead. That's about 6 weeks since I put them on. I'll put some SP lifespans on next and see how long they go for.

Two odd things about my shorty - first is that the strings lay on top of the truss rod cover. This seems to be the norm due to how low Rainsong sets the action. No problem, just a little different than what I'm used to. Second thing, two of the bridge pins holes are slightly larger than the other four and the bridge pins fall out of the hole. Again no problem, used that as an excuse to order some ebony pins with a mother of pearl dot surrounded by a gold colored circle (Parisian Eye) Did have to slightly enlarge all the bridge pin holes to accommodate the ebony pins but now none fall out if I turn the guitar over.

In other customization: had a friend/luthier dye the nut and saddle a dark black (like the new Smokey) and also "engraved" the truss rod cover. I ordered some Gotoh tuners in gold color with ebony tuner buttons that should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks. Will post a pic then of the finished look.

I put the Tony Rice Monels on my Dred this past Monday. So far the sound is the best I've had. Every time I play it it feels like a match made in heaven. No howling "A" string either. The first 2-3 hours, I was suspect, but since that. I am happy. It is taking some finger fitness to build up my playing time, but that's okay. Also the strings aren't near as pitchy when using a capo.

moondoggie999 · #17 06-05-2015, 12:29 PM

That's awesome Vance! Yep I love the Tony Rice Monels (13's) I have them on my archtop. Sure have a great sound and feel to them.

drjond56 · #18 06-05-2015, 05:33 PM

I don't have the Shorty but a Studio Parlor which was similar. I have tried any number of strings but get the best sound from the D'Addario EXP coated 80/20 in the newer New York Steel series. I actually notice a difference in the older D'Addarios and the New York Steel sets.

Jon

moondoggie999 · #19 07-03-2015, 12:58 PM

Just put on the Martin SP PB's in 12's, this time its the Lifespans. The non lifespans were on for two months and although I could tell a marked difference after about 6 weeks, they were still very usable. However, since my new tuners came in, I decided to change strings. I cannot tell a difference with the Lifespans to my ears or fingers compared to the non-lifespans.

In other news, got all the customization work done that I wanted to do to my Shorty.

Gotoh 510 in gold color with Ebony buttons
Blacked out Tusq Nut and Saddle
Ebony bridge pins in "Parisian Eye" (Gold circle around mother of pearl dot)
"Prison Tattoo" engraving of truss rod cover

All alterations were done by a certified maniac (me)

Decided it was time for some (guitar) family photo's with the rest of my collections and so put it into an unlisted video on youtube. https://youtu.be/ISZiCxbU_tE

Eventually, once my latest CD project is finalized, I'll be selling everything except the Shorty, my grandfathers Uke, and the first guitar my parents bought me when I was 9 (The 1977 Franciscan Nylon string in the photos - which is also the guitar on the soundtrack for the video) but at the rate I am going with getting the CD recordings done, I won't be selling anytime soon...

Rampant · #20 07-03-2015, 02:21 PM

I put D'Addario light/medium "bluegrass" strings on my Emerald and they do amazing. 12-56

They make a few variations, 80/20, phosphor bronze, coated. But these were by far the best so far and very easy to play.

steelvibe · #21 07-04-2015, 02:05 AM

The Shorty customization looks great Brett, I like the tuners a lot!

moondoggie999 · #22 07-04-2015, 11:00 AM

Thanx Sean! I wouldn't have even thought to change anything but when Rainsong did the Smokey it set the wheels in motion

Doubleneck · #23 07-07-2015, 05:46 AM

Great testing but I see more change in your shirt than the sound of the Guitar. To me the take away is how consistent the sound is.

pfflyer55 · #24 07-07-2015, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondoggie999

Well the SP's seem to have gone dead. That's about 6 weeks since I put them on. I'll put some SP lifespans on next and see how long they go for.

Two odd things about my shorty - first is that the strings lay on top of the truss rod cover. This seems to be the norm due to how low Rainsong sets the action. No problem, just a little different than what I'm used to. Second thing, two of the bridge pins holes are slightly larger than the other four and the bridge pins fall out of the hole. Again no problem, used that as an excuse to order some ebony pins with a mother of pearl dot surrounded by a gold colored circle (Parisian Eye) Did have to slightly enlarge all the bridge pin holes to accommodate the ebony pins but now none fall out if I turn the guitar over.

In other customization: had a friend/luthier dye the nut and saddle a dark black (like the new Smokey) and also "engraved" the truss rod cover. I ordered some Gotoh tuners in gold color with ebony tuner buttons that should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks. Will post a pic then of the finished look.

You may find more chime on the Lifespans, but they last a super long time and don't die on the high end as fast as elixirs do, (nanoweb pb). Great reviews, I like the SP's in your first review and have not yet had the time to listen to your 2nd video. Keep up the good work M.D.

moondoggie999 · #25 07-07-2015, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

Great testing but I see more change in your shirt than the sound of the Guitar. To me the take away is how consistent the sound is.

Haha well I'm glad my shirts were clean

jk and you know this is my first cf guitar so it's a whole new world for me. BTW what strings are you using in your blackbird Lucky13?

moondoggie999 · #26 07-07-2015, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfflyer55

You may find more chime on the Lifespans, but they last a super long time and don't die on the high end as fast as elixirs do, (nanoweb pb). Great reviews, I like the SP's in your first review and have not yet had the time to listen to your 2nd video. Keep up the good work M.D.

Thanks PF! This will be my first time using the SP lifespans on any guitar although I've used the SPs on my Martin DM for years with great results.

I'm hoping for maybe 3-6 months on the lifespans?

UPDATE 10SEPT2015: So as I mentioned, I installed the SP Lifespan PB 12's at the end of June (30June) and initially I could not tell any difference from the non lifespan SP's. As they aged, however, they did age differently than the non-lifespan SP's. To me it seemed that the Lifespan SP's did not have the same sort of punch or jangle compared to the regular non-lifespan SP's as they aged (the Lifespan SP's seemed to become kinda sedate a little quicker than the non lifespan SP's). Both the Lifespan and non lifespan SP's were on for about 2+months, and by the end of that, I was a bit happier with the sound of the SP non lifespan than I was with the Lifespan SP's. One go-round is not a deal breaker for me, I'll try the Lifespan/non-lifespan test again down the road but for now I want to try a set of strings that so many on this board rave about and that's the John Pearse strings. So I just ordered a set of John Pearse and a set of regular SP's to compare afterwards.

UPDATE 22SEPT2015: Wow the John Pearse Phos Bronze 12's are on now and I am amazed at the sonic differences. These are a very cool compliment to the Shorty, no doubt. Where the SP's are bold strong and lush, the JP's are light lively and jangly. I can see why this brand has a following! Initially I still prefer the SP's fullness but I will be in no rush to take these JP's off anytime soon. The JP's also seem to be a bit quieter compared to the SP's. Got in one video with the JP's on (below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEt4uE1U9xA

Update 24SEPT2015: Holy smokes, the JP's took a turn for the worse on me after about 2 days (and 5-6 hours of play time). Sounded great at first but after they settled in, I was not pleased with the response. Good thing I bought a set of SP's with the JP's, as I am changing strings back to SP's today. I am thinking my string quest is done (for now at least lol...)

UPDATE 08OCT2015: So I have completed my video setlist of songs using the Shorty (and the Martin SP's mostly) I put a thread in the Show and Tell sub forum: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...73#post4668173 Between all of the songs, it gives a pretty good test drive of the shorty with the Martin Strings.