Bought a used Rainsong online - what to check for?

JDelage · #1 10-29-2016, 02:23 PM

All - I bought a Rainsong on the Guitar Center website. I have 0 experience with acoustic guitars - esp. carbon fiber ones. I have tried several in shops around here so I know how they sound and feel in the hand. What I'm curious is what I should look for when I get to see it (should be Wednesday)? Anything I should pay careful attention to?

Many thanks,

JD

NoodleFingers · #2 10-29-2016, 03:44 PM

Normal stuff, mostly—scratches, scuffs, stuff rattling around. Check the action, see how you like it.

CF guitars aren't indestructible, but they're much tougher than wood guitars. If the listing said the condition was excellent, it's probably true. With CF there would be very little chance of structural problems... warping, bridge lifting, etc.

It has barn door electronics, so you'll want to make sure everything's tight there. Sometimes a loose screw can rattle or buzz sympathetically (with wood guitars, too).

About the action: RainSong uses a stock Tusq saddle for Taylors with a 16" neck radius. RainSongs have a flatter 20" radius. So you can probably get the action on the middle strings lowered a bit if you have a luthier put in a bone saddle.

P.S. And you should definitely plug it in and make sure the onboard pickup and preamp sound OK.

SpruceTop · #3 10-29-2016, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoodleFingers

About the action: RainSong uses a stock Tusq saddle for Taylors with a 16" neck radius. RainSongs have a flatter 20" radius. So you can probably get the action on the middle strings lowered a bit if you have a luthier put in a bone saddle.

Pretty much everything NoodleFingers wrote but also check the neck angle as it can vary somewhat guitar-to-guitar. This neck angle won't change over the years so it's not as big a deal as it can be on an all-wood guitar.

I have a theory as to why RainSong uses a 16-inch radius saddle for their 20-inch radius fingerboard. RainSong guitars, have a thin top that tends to go concave from the end of the fingerboard to the bridge, and from the sides inward to the bridge. This gives a bit of a concave radius to the top and the 16-inch radius bridge saddle helps make up for this concave top radius by slightly raising the central strings on the bridge saddle to effectively impart a 20-inch radius string-curve in relation to the fingerboard's 20-inch radius. Every one of the dozen RainSongs I've owned over the last decade has had this concave top to varying degrees with the most concaveness being found in the unidirectional top in the Concert Series models.

I've suggested to RainSong that they develop their process to ensure a bit of convex curvature to their tops to make them more aesthetically pleasing. From what I understand, Emerald Guitars is able to craft their guitars with a convex radius, so it's possible to do it.

JDelage · #4 10-29-2016, 05:11 PM

Thank you.

Steve Christens · #5 10-29-2016, 06:08 PM

IIRC the first Rainsongs did not come equipped with truss rods, and if yours is one of those, be sure to check the neck relief, as you won't be able to change it. Other than that, when you check the electronics, be sure to check the balance of the strings, which can be off if the saddle is not flat. For that matter, loosen the strings and remove the saddle to check the bottom for flat and square.

Earl49 · #6 10-29-2016, 06:26 PM

The ad lists it as an N2 so it will have a truss rod. But still check the relief and the neck angle. With a CF guitar, they won't ever change, but if it is not right now it can never be fixed either.

If you sight down the plane of the frets or use a straightedge, the bottom of the straightedge should hit no higher than the top of the bridge. And no more than one quarter of the way down from the bridge surface toward the top itself. Also check to see that at least 1/8" (roughly) of saddle is protruding above the bridge surface. If there isn't that much, it may have been sanded down too far in an effort to improve the action.

If you don't know how to check the setup, neck angle and relief, take it to an independent luthier for evaluation. RS does not have a known history of neck angle problems like the original Composite Acoustics (Pre-Peavey) did the last year of production.

JDelage · #7 10-29-2016, 09:06 PM

Great info, thank you.

guitararmy · #8 10-30-2016, 04:15 AM

Congrats on your Rainsong acquisition! I used to have an original WS1000, and still have a Jumbo.

Mine likes Martin Retro strings....

slewis · #9 10-31-2016, 09:23 AM

If it has a pickup system in it, be sure and check the sensitivity/output (volume) on each string. I had low-output issues on the B string of two Rainsongs.

Earl49 · #10 10-31-2016, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slewis

If it has a pickup system in it, be sure and check the sensitivity/output (volume) on each string. I had low-output issues on the B string of two Rainsongs.

That is a potential issue with any under-saddle transducer. I watched my luthier pull the saddle and sand / file certain sections to get the pressure even across all the strings. Then the tone matched. It is fixable.....