Carbon Dred. CA or Rainsong

[Doubleneck]

I have a CA X and love it but it is really a parlor guitar (on steriods). Am thinking of a carbon dred and am attracted to the Rainsong DR1000, really like the weave back and sides on Rainsongs. Anyone audition both. I have played more CA's and have played Rainsongs but not the DR1000. Have a chance to buy one used only will not be able to audition it.
Thanks,
Steve

[Mr. Ed]

I prefer Rainsong, but others will disagree I'm sure.

For a comparison check out this link: http://carbonguitar.com/smf/index.php?topic=1494.0

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Tone is subjective but most will tell you that Rainsongs sound brighter, more clear whereas CA's have a warmer tone. Rainsong uses a traditional dreadnaught body whereas CA uses a slimmer, contoured design which some folks find more comfortable.

Rainsong has a slim profile neck similar to Taylor, whereas CA has a slightly fuller neck like the Martin low profile. CA uses the same neck on all of their full size guitars so if you like the neck on your X you will also like the Legacy neck.

[davis53]

Being a beginning guitarist my opinion is not worth much about guitar recommendations, but here it is anyway. At the local Guitar Center I fooled around with a RainSong. It was very light in weight. Had a wonderful feel to it, the neck was great for me. The sound was bright, and I liked it. A very nice guitar, I see one in my future.

[SGretsch001]

I have played both and I prefer the Rainsong Dread a little more but both are good guitars. I like the Jumbo Rainsong the best. It is really loud and powerful.

[jkwrpc]

I have only had a chance to play a RainSong dread at my local GC. I own a CA OX Raw and simply love it. That said I was quite taken with the RainSong. It was a beautifully finished carbon guitar and was a joy to hold and play even for a short time. As a regular on the carbon guitar forum we see more RainSong owners and players joining the group. They give their instruments high praise and have good reason. You may want to pop over there, if you have not already, and read some of the comments.

They do strike me as having a different tone than CA's. I see similar comments made in the wood guitar world about tonal differences between Taylors and Martins. The differences are not bad just different and some people seem to prefer one over the other.

Unfortunately for me, RainSong does not currently offer a model in my price range.

[Aaron Smith]

I owned a Rainsong dread for a couple of years, then sold it. It was a great sounding instrument, very chimey and bright. My playing style evolved a bit and it no longer fit the bill for me, so I sold it- but I would still give them a great recommendation.

[flaggerphil]

I've owned both Rainsong and CA guitars over the years (though never a dread of either) and I prefer the CA. Nothing wrong with the Rainsongs, the CAs just sound and feel better to me.

[benplaut]

The Rainsongs that I've tried (DR1000 included) have a unique sound, chimey, bright. I haven't tried a Legacy, but I've heard it compared to a GX, which is balanced and full. I'm a CA owner, and it's worth trying both if at all possible... different beasts.

[SpruceTop]

I've had and auditioned several RainSong DR1000 Dreadnoughts, and currently own one, along with a RainSong WS1000. I've had a couple of top-of-the line CA (Composite Acoustics) dreadnoughts including the new Tim Stafford Signature Model Dreadnought with Onboard Fishman Aura. I've found both RainSong and CA have distinct sounds and I'm not saying one tone is better than the other but I will say the RainSong has a nicely-balanced tonal spectrum with a strong bass but with more of the upper mid-range and treble harmonics still in the mix compared to CA. Also, I find RainSongs to have an easy playability even with my recent switch from the factory-installed Elixer Nanoweb light guage strings to my recently installed Elixer Nanoweb medium guage strings. The change of strings was accomplished with little or no neck-relief change and no saddle-bottom shaving but the action height did increase a slight amount because of increased torque on the guitar's bridge and top but the guitar is still very playable as it is now. The CA Tim Stafford came with medium guage strings and I loved the tone of this guitar but found the playability to be a bit difficult because of the wider-feeling neck which tends to increase in width and depth much more than the RainSong's as you go up the neck toward the guitar's body. Going back to the Rainsong was a joy with its better-suited neck-profile for my tastes. I returned the CA Tim Stafford Signature Model Dreadnought to the dealer for a refund because of its playability issues for me. YMMV.

Overall, I could be happy with the tone of either a RainSong DR1000 or a Composite Acoustics Dreadnought but prefer more the playability of the RainSong.

Below is a link to some recent recordings I did with my RainSong DR1000 Dreadnought equipped with light guage strings prior to my change-over to medium guage strings, which now gives the guitar a louder and fuller tone. The recording was made without any effects or EQ with the RainSong DR1000's soundhole about 8" away and aimed directly at a Heil PR40 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Microphone. The mic's input went into a PreSonus Firebox and was recorded at 24/96 .wav and mixed-down to 44/192 mp3. The recordings, which are really the first ones I've done of myself in over 20 years, weren't done in any professional way as all I did was stand in front of the mic, set the input level and play a take just to get an example of the RainSong's mic'ed tone. No doubt, if I play around some, I can get a better recording but here they are anyway, warts-and-all with room ambiance noises present:

RainSong DR1000 Dreadnought Bluegrass/Country-Style Demo MP3:

http://www.kingstontrioplace.com/Ken...ce%20Laing.mp3

RainSong DR1000 Dreadnought Rhythm & Blues-Style Full Chordal Up-And-Down The Neck Demo MP3:

http://www.kingstontrioplace.com/Ken...ce%20Laing.mp3

Regards,

SpruceTop

[captaindonn]

What's better? Ford or Chevy? Buy what you like, not what i like.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by captaindonn

What's better? Ford or Chevy? Buy what you like, not what i like.

Good Point! Auditioning prospective guitar-brand choices is a must to help assure a player gets what they want.

Regards,

SpruceTop

[scooter74]

Earlier this year I decided to add a carbon dreadnought to my small stable of guitars, so off to Guitar Center I went to try the Rainsong DR1000. The quality was outstanding, setup was excellent, and although the tone was nothing like my trusty D-18, it was not bad at all. Then I went across the street to Sam Ash to try a CA Legacy but they didn't have one. Luckily I decided to go online to see if there was a another CA dealer near me and I found LA Guitar Sales (Tarpman on this forum) who not only stocks both CA and Rainsong, but they have the absolute lowest prices on both brands.

I tried all three versions of the Legacy, the RAW, RT, and high gloss, and tried the Rainsong DR1000 and the JM1000 as well. In the end I decided on a Legacy RT because it was the closest to the D-18 tone I'm used to. If I did buy a Rainsong it would be their Jumbo, the JM1000 which is just an amazing guitar.

Whichever you choose do yourself a favor and email LA Guitar Sales for a price quote before buying one, even a used one, I paid just few bucks more for my RT Legacy than what the guys who runs the carbon forum was asking for the RAW, and LA would have saved me hundreds less for the DR1000 than what GC was asking.

Good luck and do let us know which you ended up with.

[Marc Durso]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKauiG9TRRs

My fave songwriter, David Wilcox, plays a Rainsong and an Olson. That says a lot.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Marc Durso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKauiG9TRRs

My fave songwriter, David Wilcox, plays a Rainsong and an Olson. That says a lot.

I gotta get me a RainSong JM1000 and that's a catchy tune by David!

Regards,

SpruceTop