My Rainsong WS3000 12 String!

[Mark L]

Not an NGD report by any means, rather an “NTN” - No Tuning Necessary.

Since I last uncased this guitar it has been in many >100F days and recently several nights in the 30’s. It sits in an average of 20-30%RH, with swings both ways, at about 6000’ above sea level.

A 12 string loving friend has requested that I play it today. I pulled it out yesterday to get ready and......it was in perfect tune! Knowing this instrument I was only moderately surprised, but nevertheless thought it worthy of mention.

Now I suppose I could interject a 12 string joke about how I planned for that by putting it away with every string out of tune, but I won’t. Or did I just?

Anyway it’s an amazingly good sounding and playing instrument. I’ve enjoyed it quite a while and will continue to do so. It’s every bit the equal of my Emerald X20-12 (s). Too bad they’re discontinued.

Rainsong makes some great guitars, the stability of the CF design and construction vaults them into a special niche.

[SpruceTop]

The RainSong WS3000 12-String I bought new had an offset headstock. Does yours? If you look down the guitar's neck from the headstock toward the soundhole, you may see the headstock is tilted 3 degrees to 5 degrees a toward one side (bass-side if I remember correctly), and you may also see the nut is vertcally thicker on one side than the other. I never asked RainSong if this was a construction variation that was incorporated in 12-string construction that they felt may be necessary to offset the extra tension of more strings. Anyway, the guitar played and sounded great but that construction quirk or error made it easy to trade-in the guitar when another ax caught my ear and eye. Thanks for any feedback you can give me.

[Mark L]

Will have a look and report back.

[Mark L]

Well Sprucetop, I spent some time eyeing my WS3000 for the above mentioned anomalies. I think I understand what you’re referring to for the most part, although I’m not exactly sure what “vertical thickness” Of the nut means. I’m guessing height?

Anyway, I found no perceptible “offset” in the headstock, when viewed as you suggested, sighting down the neck from the headstock toward the soundhole. I also looked carefully straight on from the front (fretboard) and the back of the neck, as well as laterally from bass to treble and vice versa. I laid a straight edge as well as I could from what I perceived as the middle of the fretboard to the midpoint of the headstock crest. I saw no evidence of asymmetry.

The nut seems fine as well.

The saddle is notably higher on the bass E course than the treble side, and compensated on the b string course. It arcs upward slightly from the bass course, peaking in height over the A, D and G courses. This appears all original, and by design. There are no buzzes and the guitar plays cleanly and functions well in all regards.

Hope that addresses most or all of your points. Do you have photos of the “offset headstock” by chance? Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way? Did you contact Rainsong, if so how did they respond?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Mark L

Well Sprucetop, I spent some time eyeing my WS3000 for the above mentioned anomalies. I think I understand what you’re referring to for the most part, although I’m not exactly sure what “vertical thickness” Of the nut means. I’m guessing height?

Anyway, I found no perceptible “offset” in the headstock, when viewed as you suggested, sighting down the neck from the headstock toward the soundhole. I also looked carefully straight on from the front (fretboard) and the back of the neck, as well as laterally from bass to treble and vice versa. I laid a straight edge as well as I could from what I perceived as the middle of the fretboard to the midpoint of the headstock crest. I saw no evidence of asymmetry.

The nut seems fine as well.

The saddle is notably higher on the bass E course than the treble side, and compensated on the b string course. It arcs upward slightly from the bass course, peaking in height over the A, D and G courses. This appears all original, and by design. There are no buzzes and the guitar plays cleanly and functions well in all regards.

Hope that addresses most or all of your points. Do you have photos of the “offset headstock” by chance? Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way? Did you contact Rainsong, if so how did they respond?

Thanks, Mark! It looks like you got a "normal" RainSong WS3000. Mine was purchased around 2011 if I remember correctly and I didn't notice the anomaly at first and never contacted RainSong on this matter. As mentioned, the guitar played well and sounded great but being a machinist/toolmaker, things like this bother me, and I got rid of it. I don't have any photos but if your WS3000 had the same problem as mine did, you'd have noticed it for sure. Thanks, Again For Checking!

[Melt in the Sun]

SpruceTop - sounds like the neck had a twist, but it was functionally corrected (by releveling the fretboard/nut) before it left the factory. CF necks can twist when they are "fresh" then be completely stable afterwards.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Melt in the Sun

SpruceTop - sounds like the neck had a twist, but it was functionally corrected (by releveling the fretboard/nut) before it left the factory. CF necks can twist when they are "fresh" then be completely stable afterwards.

Thanks, Melt, and you're likely correct. I've owned a dozen RainSongs and that WS3000 was the only only one that had that headstock slight rotation anomaly.

[Earl49]

I've never heard of such an issue, but also never owned a WS-3000. I wanted one, but by the time I was able to justify that kind of money for a twelve string, they had stopped making them. I eventually ended up with an Emerald X20-12, the only production carbon fiber twelve string on the market now.

[AZLiberty]

Mine is straight as well. Only issue I have is lack of truss rod.