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.
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