Rainsong Ws1000 vs Taylor 714ce
 

Wanted to see what you guys thought was a better sounding/playing guitar?Thanks!

All depends on what you want or need. I don't need a guitar at the moment that I can play in a thunderstorm - nor do I really like the look and feel of carbon fiber. I LIKE the feel of wood, and I like the warmth of cedar. And I also don't know that it's a really good comparison - I mean, it's a bit like asking if I think a Martin D-18 is a "better" guitar than a 714CE. For some yes, for some no. Assuming build quality is similar, which can also be subjective, it's the player and what the player wants - not the guitar.

All the best,

Wade

Did you also ask the folks on the Rainsong Forum? I'd be interested in comparing the results.

Personally, I've never played a Rainsong, but have heard people say good things about them (although these folks tended to be over-zealous recent purchasers of said guitars). I wonder if those people would still rave about them?

I played a dread that was really nice. Thing is, I can't tell how much I was impressed from the novelty of it sounding good from man-made materials, or if it really was something I'd want. I know that I didn't care for the feel, but all of those things are so subjective...

Wade

wood > non-wood

I played a few CF guitars, but I do not remember the brand. They were nice guitars all in all, sounded good, really consistant, I just don't think for the money I'd get one. :)

I'd love to have one to leave out all the time. That is a great feature. I love the looks of laminated carbon fiber. The trouble is, I only want to spend about $400 for one of those plastic geetars.

I played one in a store and it sounded very good. I think that the sound of the 714 will be more complex, but maybe that is because I expect the wood to be so. It would be nice to get a blind test.

I like nice wood and don't appreciate the looks of the carbon fiber.

The Rainsong Ws1000s that I have auditioned, probably 3 different guitars over a period of a few months, were quite impressive, better sounding to me than I had expected.

Two words kept coming to my mind as I played them: loud, and harsh. The fact that they project well is probably not debatable, but I'm sure some would not think of them as "harsh." I did.

The neck didn't fit my fingers as comfortably as Taylors, but that's a highly subjective, personal preference thing, too.

If I were considering only the Rainsong Ws1000 and the Taylor 714, which I probably wouldn't do, I'd choose the Taylor, by a wide margin. Unless I had to have a guitar that can withstand the elements the way the Rainsong does, of course.

cotten

Played a number of Rainsongs at Stutzman's Guitar Center in Rochester, NY. He is also a major Martin/Taylor dealer. I was surprised (pleasantly) at the sound and timbre of the Rainsongs.

Yeah--they're not wood. I coudn't get past the herringbone black "look" but soundwise, unamplified, they held their own. They ain't cheap! If they were 4 or 500.00 gits (hah!) I would've walked out with one. The 12's were nice, albeit a bit "neutral" sounding. The 6's I played were better sounding than a couple-only a couple-Martin D's I compared them to.

These are not a fad, or poorly made gits. I'm sure they have their place, and the fact that they are virtually impervious to humidity and other meteorlogical conditions aren't to be taken lightly. The necks were nice-the tone, while not "woody" were not radically different IMHO. I liked 'em. Given the recent threads on the possible scarcity of genuine mahogany, and the outrageous upcharges on Braz, they may well find a niche soon. I liked them better than the CA's. Once you get past the aesthetics, you might grow to like them.

Rainsong Ws1000 vs Taylor 714ce
 

It's tough to offer a useful opinion when one doesn't know what the other person likes to hear in a guitar. I've played a Rainsong and was underwhelmed. My own choice would be the Taylor over the Rainsong in a flash.

On the other hand, the proprietor of my local high-end guitar emporium handed me a CA C.O.T.™ not long ago. When I saw that it was a composite I started to hand it back to him but he insisted I give it a try. I wound up sitting there playing the guitar for nearly an hour. Even though I wanted to hate the guitar, I loved it. It really sounded like a wooden guitar. I haven't actually purchased one yet but there may be a CA somewhere in my future. These guys clearly understand something about tone production that the others are missing.

If you think you'd like a composite guitar you should definately go play a CA somewhere.

Rainsong
 

You need to consider what you want out of an instrument. Personally, I own two rainsongs (WS & a J-12) and for what they are, they are great. I use them for gigging and beat the crap out of them, I tote them around without worrying about temp or humidity in my car, I play them at -5 around campfires in the winter, I play them on my boat and on the beach without concern for salt spray, I mean , I've done just about everything except fry an egg on the back of them in the hot summer sun, and they're always in tune, the action is always perfect and they always sound the same, which in my opinoin is pretty good. If I treated a taylor like that, I'd be on my 5th one in 2 years by now... Since I'm a guitar collector as well as a player, I needed an instrument, or instruments, that I could absolutely thrash and not worry one iota about, and the Rainsong is the ONLY guitar that fit that bill for me. As far as the "feel" of carbon fiber vs. wood and some people complaining about it?!?!? Hmmm. Personally, I think that if you were blind folded and handed a Rainsong and a Taylor, you wouldn't say, "Hey, this one is carbon fiber and this one is Sapele & Sitka." It's a guitar, it feels like a guitar, it plays like a guitar and it sounds like a guitar. The only real difference is that it's about 1/2 the weight of a traditional guitar, which isn't a bad thing when you have it on a strap hanging from your neck for a 4 hour gig. I admit that the style is not for everyone, I mean a BLACK woven carbon fiber guitar is not necessarily the prettiest thing in the world, unless you're a cyclist and into the whole carbon fiber sub-culture like I am, but the Rainsongs are great instruments that can take neglect, abuse and punishment that would crack, warp, and destroy a traditionally built wooden instrument. Just my 2 cents...

I'm into cars so I absolutely love the CF look (people manufacture CF hoods and other body parts)...in fact I get a kick everytime I look at my ws1000....I love my guitar and if I were to go back I would buy it again over a taylor, but just like everyone is saying, the rainsong fits me and my purposes. I had a 314ce before my ws, and personally I like the "feel" of the rainsong better than I did my taylor....I'll go ahead and throw you a curve ball....I say get the 714. They are great guitars. Wood guitars sound better over time when properly kept but if you can't keep up with the maintenence of a wood guitar (like myself) the rainsong is an obvious choice. In terms of sound of the rainsong...I wouldn't so much call it a harsh guitar, its very loud and it has a good balanced sound, but it's a little on the crispy side. I thought I liked the bright crisp sound, but actually I've found myself trying to warm up the sound a bit when I plug into a PA system.

Excellent points, Mike. Well said. Carbon fiber does have some distinct advantages over wood in some settings.

How long before someone comes up with a ceramic guitar?

cotten