CA OX or Rainsong OM/Shorty...?
 

Looking for a knock-around CF guitar I can leave out of the case year round, leave out in the screened porch etc. My main guitar is a BTO Taylor (short scale) GA Florentine cutaway. So I'm looking for something closely related to that as far as playability/neck feel and low action. Which one of these has a fuller feeling neck?

I'm looking at the CA OX and the Rainsong OM1000 or shorty models. I think I've ruled out the RS Parlor. Too small for me.

Can someone tell me who has the better (lower) action? Looks like they both 1.75' spacing at the nut which is good. Rainsong has a truss rod (does it matter?) Are these CF guitars pretty much set at the factory as far as action goes?

The other condition would be a satin finish on the neck. Would be nice if they offered a gloss body with a satin neck. Maybe they do?

Thanks for any input.

No question the Rainsong will have the fuller neck, unless you special order the N1 on the OM1000, its now on the way out. The OX will be slimmer more Taylorlike. You need to play the Rainsong neck and see if you like it. You should be able to find one somewhere. It is the same profile as the N2. I think that will be very telling, if that works for you go Shorty. If not the OX will be a great choice. The quality control with both companies is very high with great setups out of the box. A truss rod is nice but really not that necessary. Go with what feels right.

Just go to show how subjective it all is - I found the OX neck felt like a two by four where the Rainsong Shorty was more comfortable for me. The Shorty is also lighter which I liked better. My 2 cents...

Best,
Jayne

I think the CA is thinner but for me not as nice up the neck. Rainsong is a full U variant very nice and consistent up the neck. The full U is very unTaylorlike, but many like it.

Not mine but saw this over on the Carbon guitar forum
http://macnichol.com/forum-post/7219

I would just get an OX and a Shorty...oh wait..I did

Thanks for the help. Leaning towards the shorty. :)

Oh wait ....so did I. :)

As far as preference I actually like the feel of my OX a bit better....I like the 14 fret versus the 12 a bit more but both great guitars.

The neck on my pre-Peavey OX is satin. The Peavey OX I played was gloss. I didn't like it at all. On the other hand, my La-2 Rainsong has a gloss neck and I have no problem with it but do like the shape of the CA OX neck better.

That was a nice looking instrument. Looks like it sold relatively cheaply on ebay. Wow.

you can't go wrong with a RainSong :up:

I just received a WS1000 and it immediately became my go-to guitar so I'm selling all my woody acoustics (Taylor 555 is on hold through next week, 2009 Taylor 716ce LTD and 2004 Taylor 654 LTD ... if anyone is interested). The RainSong OM1000 looks to be the same build quality/same price and if it sounds anything like my WS1000 all I can say is, IMO the choice is a no-brainer. If you buy new you get a lifetime warranty