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View Poll Results: What is your take on the RainSong N2 neck
I love the N2 neck 27 44.26%
I adapt to all kinds of necks- never a problem for me 21 34.43%
The N2 neck is the weirdest/oddest neck I've ever played 13 21.31%
Voters: 61. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 08-25-2019, 07:16 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Default RainSong necks

Okay, an interesting thing happened to me today. I was spending time in Breckenridge CO with family and saw a rare sight indeed; a busker playing some good fingerstyle and with decent vocals on....a RainSong.

I heard him from 50 feet away before realizing he had a RainSong and walking up from behind him I could see the weave back and sides. I love RainSong guitars and immediately approved of his choice of instrument. I was close enough to determine that it was an H-OM1000N2. it had to have been around awhile because the saddle and nut were really darkening to a dark cream patina. The guitar likely sported a Fishman Prefix +T and he was plugged in to a Roland AC60 RW. He had a clothes hamper for a tip jar labeled "401K". Gotta love a guy who dreams large!

He was friendly and took my compliment on his playing as a way to explain how the blues song he was riffing out wasn't from Robert Johnson but rather had likely been ripped off a couple times before really being made famous by Johnson (I've since forgotten the names he mentioned but he knew his stuff).

It sounded fantastic and filled the open ambience adequately from a good 25-30 feet.....outside. It made me realize how good RainSong guitars sound standing in front of them. I wasn't ever able to hear others play my Shorty when I had it because right after I bought that guitar my life had changed significantly with personal problems with loved ones close to me. My Shorty did make it to a couple jam sessions and open mics but that was about it- and it was always me playing it. I don't know if others were afraid to play a modern age material guitar or what. Weird I tell ya, because if I'd never seen a RainSong in the wild and a friend or family member brought one to a party I'd certainly at least ask if I could give it a spin.

It made me miss my Shorty for the first time (similar guitar really that one would be hard pressed to tell the difference amplified and outside). Both OM bodied, only mine was equipped with a K&K.

But come on RainSong....that neck! I do prefer the N2 over the N1. It is a polarizing neck, oddly comfortable in the first positions, might be one of my favorites in that area. I wanted to like it RainSong...I really did. The string spacing was nice at 1.75, but combined with the heft of the modified "U" it really made it feel even wider somehow, and narrower in other respects. Just an oddball neck and even harder trying to articulate thoughts about it in writing. This heft was especially noticeable past the 5th fret and exaggerated as you moved higher up. The cutaway really didn't matter with the awkward neck heel, and combined with that crazy heft you feel like you have to "fight" to get notes to ring clear up there.

The threads have been numerous and there was even another today speaking about this very thing. Make a middle-of-the-road neck between the N1 and and N2 and you have a winner; I almost could guarantee it. You might even get me to purchase again and many forum members I'm sure would agree. You might be able to bang out the chords to Steve Miller's "The Joker" on these necks but try playing anything with appegiated chords and a 4 fret stretch. Good luck!
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Last edited by steelvibe; 10-31-2021 at 05:43 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-25-2019, 07:20 PM
bsman bsman is offline
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I actually find the N2 neck on my Shorty SG supremely comfortable, but agree it might be a good marketing opportunity to offer an “N1.5” neck.
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Old 08-25-2019, 07:53 PM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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If I play it long enough it feels fine to me. I find it hard to appreciate all the discussion of neck profile and nut width.

Also I've been playing my CH-PA almost exclusively for two years and it really sounds good to me (and better than the "other guy's guitar"). I'm thinking that is two years of ear training on what a guitar should sound like...the one I play everyday.
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Old 08-26-2019, 04:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
If I play it long enough it feels fine to me. I find it hard to appreciate all the discussion of neck profile and nut width.

Also I've been playing my CH-PA almost exclusively for two years and it really sounds good to me (and better than the "other guy's guitar"). I'm thinking that is two years of ear training on what a guitar should sound like...the one I play everyday.
There's a lot to be said for that within reason...

Quote:
Originally Posted by steelvibe View Post
...But come on RainSong....that neck! It is a polarizing neck, oddly comfortable in the first positions, might be one of my favorites in that area...
Maybe that's why I find the Rainsong neck very comfortable and surprised at the seeming dislike of it......
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Last edited by RP; 08-26-2019 at 04:48 AM.
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  #5  
Old 08-26-2019, 07:42 AM
jricc jricc is online now
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I really like the neck on my CH-OM, I find it very comfortable.
Love my Rainsong!
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  #6  
Old 08-26-2019, 09:36 AM
MiG50 MiG50 is offline
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In a perfect world, they would make 12- and 14-fret necks in several profiles, including the oft-discussed return of a 12-string. But, as we've discussed many times, it's pretty expensive to engineer molds for new necks, and Rainsong is still a (comparatively) tiny company working in space-age materials. It took some adjusting to get used to my Shorty (the gateway drug), and now that I'm comfortable on it, the necks on my CH-WS and CH-PA both feel like home. I think if I'd started with an N1 neck version, I might have just adjusted to that neck. But as with all things guitar, YMMV. I still can't play on any sort of V-neck, not with any level of comfort anyway.
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Old 08-26-2019, 10:02 AM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
If I play it long enough it feels fine to me. I find it hard to appreciate all the discussion of neck profile and nut width.

Also I've been playing my CH-PA almost exclusively for two years and it really sounds good to me (and better than the "other guy's guitar"). I'm thinking that is two years of ear training on what a guitar should sound like...the one I play everyday.
I think you are right on with the ear training. I have (and play) a variety of guitars, and each has a different sound. When we are out and about for several months at a time, I find the sound of the guitar I am traveling with becomes "the right sound"... and then have fun when we get home, exploring the sounds of the others again.

Neck profile and feel is more than just getting used to something. I have no issues with scale or nut width, as long as they aren't extreme in either dimension, but I find the thicker profile necks give me hand cramps after an hour or so of playing. And given that there are other profile choices that don't cause that cramping, I prefer to play something comfortable.

The first two years I had the Shorty, I played that pretty much exclusively, especially when traveling. I then bought another Taylor Grand Concert (close to the Shorty in all dimensions except neck thickness) - much more comfortable, but it didn't have that "carbon crispness" I had come to appreciate. Then, the first of my Emeralds... it brought together the sound, comfort, and ease of owning. It took me a short time to warm up to the non-traditional look, but I could play that guitar for hours with no hand cramping. I really came to appreciate what that non-traditional soundhole shape and position brought to the player's perspective.

For me, it isn't just a matter of getting used to something, it is finding the guitar that "brings it all together." It sure isn't like I didn't give that Shorty plenty of playing time - I simply found a different guitar that suits me better.

When vehicle shopping, people wouldn't buy a car that didn't have enough headroom, with the hope that they would get used to a cramped neck. Comfort matters.
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Old 08-26-2019, 12:32 PM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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The bottom line is RainSong uses pretty expensive tooling to make a relatively short list of different guitars in a pretty consistent manner. We are used to even the biggest guitar factories having a small team with draw knives to make anything we want, for a price. Emerald seems to have mastered customization in CF but again it is not inexpensive.

Lately RainSong has been skipping NAMM and I suspect is hitting the upper limits of revenue and margin their product line is capable of producing. This limits what they can invest in tooling and possibly their major distributors are not looking for more options to stock anyway.
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Old 08-26-2019, 05:17 PM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
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I had no issue with the 1 3/4" nut width on the WS1000N2 when I had it. While I do have guitars with 1.72", 1.725" and 2 with 1 3/4" my preference is the 1 3/4". String spacing at the nut is of course is another factor which rarely comes up as a topic. That would be easily remedied with a nut with different spacing. The issue I had with the Rainsong N2 neck was due to my own playstyle. I use my thumb a lot on the low e string and even though I have big hands I used to get fatigued easy with that chunky neck.

Of all my years of playing guitar the N2 neck profile was the most unique neck I ever came across. I never played any guitar that I would compare its neck profile to. I'm not saying it's a bad design or anything just that it's too chunky for me. I loved the tone from that WS1000N2 and would still have it only for the neck. This topic does come up a lot on here so I at least know that I'm not the only one who don't jive with the N2 neck. That being said I really think Rainsong should revisit that neck design and/or offer another one in addition to it.
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Old 08-26-2019, 08:23 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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N2 neck is fine.

Would I rather have a Larrivee or Martin profile, sure. However, I still find it more comfortable than the N1, a V neck, or Emerald's standard neck carve.
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Old 08-26-2019, 09:00 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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I introduced a poll to this thread just to see what happens. There are most certainly variables left out but just to keep it simple I left it to 3 choices.

Since the introduction of the N2/NS neck, and in threads over the last couple days, I can identify at least 6 AGF members who have commented unfavorably about this neck. Thus the poll.

Even if everyone voted it would leave out the vast majority of buyers of RainSong guitars - those who are not AGF members. I wonder what the tally would be if they cast votes too?
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Old 08-26-2019, 09:37 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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I'd have to go with "none of the above" on the poll. It don't love it; tried to get used to it, but didn't; and it isn't the weirdest neck I've ever played. That last one would be this old rock 'n roller trying to play a classical guitar (that had a neck like a surfboard).
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Old 08-27-2019, 03:59 AM
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I don't think of myself as having monster hands, and just played my three Rainsongs with the notion that some folks see the necks as big and chunky. Maybe because I primarily play on the first five frets, but I just can't see their necks as anything but really comfortable. If anything, I find it easier to wrap my left hand around the neck and play barre chords than on my Taylors...
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Old 08-27-2019, 08:04 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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People, I'm not crazy and I'm standing by my story. So I have personally documented at least 6 people who have complaints about the N2 and only 5 votes saying so (and one of them is my own). And this includes only participating members on this forum! There has to be more out there who agree. I mean the 3rd category isn't even "I hate it". We have 5 votes saying it is the weirdest/ oddest...ever. That is a strong statement and I don't think I have ever heard of a more polarizing neck in all my years of playing.

Doesn't matter though. Not a slight at all on RainSong. I'm still a fan but at least I've learned a lesson if for nobody else but me- neither the N1 or NS will work for my style of play. Should they ever revisit that design I may consider a purchase as I think RainSong make some of the nicest guitars in carbon fiber.

Cheers AGF'ers!
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Last edited by steelvibe; 08-27-2019 at 11:10 PM. Reason: added info
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Old 08-27-2019, 08:15 PM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
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I picked option 3. I don't mean it in a hateful way I just couldn't adapt to that neck for my playstyle.
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