Dave, you can order any Rainsong without electronics, hence avoiding the barn door. That would be the WS-1100. They just are not usually stocked that way. Rainsongs are consistent enough in build quality and set-up that ordering sight unseen is not much of a risk. N2 refers to the newer neck shape, with a truss rod. N1 is the original slimmer neck shape, w/o truss rod. The mold wore out, as I understand it, plus they were getting requests for truss rods.
They are labor intensive and the carbon fiber materials are more expensive than the wood parts that goes into even Martin guitars. Plus the necessary molds and tooling are quite expensive too. When I bought my WS-1000 it was the most I had paid for a guitar at that time. But it was well worth it, since I lived in Alaska (extremely dry winters, widely variable temperatures). It was the only guitar that could be left out on a stand for handy play.
IMO, CF guitars would be far more popular despite the price if they were stocked by more dealers. But just like you, many players have never met one in person.
Last edited by Earl49; 04-27-2016 at 09:01 AM.
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