[steelvibe]

I haven't even played a WS RainSong much less owned one in order to A/B the OM and WS bodies side by side- whether temporary or otherwise. Technically speaking, based upon specs alone, you can expect more bass from the WS than the OM (Smokey vs. Shorty in this case) and you should expect more projection and power. With the Shorty (as you have heard- and liked), you will get less projection and less bass response, but the pros here are that you get a balanced guitar across the spectrum. While you might lose projection, you gain a more immediate response to your playing dynamics. I love the Shorty's mid-range punch and find it great tonally for my style of play and it is super comfortable. Being the owner of a Shorty, I find that I just love OM guitars- it is my favorite body type.

So, what works best for you? You really have to weigh many things and it would be best to actually play both guitars before pulling the trigger on either one;

-What kind of tone do you want? If you want a more present strummer, the Smokey might be the ticket- you have 1" more body depth than with the Shorty and a bigger chamber. I've already mentioned why I like the Shorty and what it's strong points are.

-What kind of electronics package are you looking for? Most Shorties that I know of have Fishmans built in, whereas the Smokey's have L.R. Baggs? Do you even want electronics- my Shorty is an SGA (no factory installed electronics).

-Does one look better to you? Since they both rock in the tone department, I think looks are kind of important in this particular case.

One last thing that has yet to be mentioned that I personally think is a very important difference both tonally and aesthetically; the Shorty comes with a unidirectional top- none of the Smokey models do!

Hope that gives you some ideas!