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  #16  
Old 12-11-2005, 04:38 PM
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RainSong guitars are worth the money to the right person. As others have said, if you want a really nice guitar that can go and be played just about anywhere, carbon fiber is for you. They sound great un-plugged and even better plugged in. Oh, I own a RainSong WS-1000. It goes everywhere with me. Vacations too. I would replace it if something ever happened to it.

Caron fiber is not for everyone and would not be a good choice for someone who only wants a traditional wood guitar sound (they would never be happy with it).
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  #17  
Old 12-11-2005, 04:45 PM
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ljguitar Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil
...Is it possible for a carbon fiber guitar to sound that good that you would pay that kind of money?


Hi Emil..
No. No carbon fiber I've played comes near the sound/resonance of a solid body guitar.

There is at least one circumstance I'd purchase or recommend one. If a person lives in a tropical environment long term (as in monsoons and rain forests), carbon fiber would be the way to go.
Hi Ljguitar..

How about the drier climates like New Mexico? Or better yet, how about bringing your guitar out side to play in warn humid air from a A/C? Or a heated home to play at a campfire gathering on a cool night?
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  #18  
Old 12-11-2005, 05:00 PM
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I find Rainsong tone impressive in a unconventional way. They're not woody, but the string-to-string balance is very good and the tonal spectrum is balanced and even.

Someone above said they're "indestructable", which is not true. They are immune to humidity, but dings results in a very ugly delamination, much like a pressure ding on a surfboard. It's very conspicuous and impossible to repair. I was about to buy one four years back until I saw one that was so affected.

Doc
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  #19  
Old 12-11-2005, 05:35 PM
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A friend of mine has an OM model, and I have played it a few times. It's a decent guitar - not my taste in tone - but he certainly gets good sounds from it and is very happy with the guitar. I don't find the neck at all uncomfortable to play BTW.
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  #20  
Old 12-11-2005, 06:13 PM
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I like the tone of Rainsong guitars, I had two of them but I cannot adjust to the neck's feeling.
I don't like the flat frets, and the neck is too thin for my taste (I have big hands and play fingerstyle therefore I often fret the low E with the thumb, and I like fat necks like Martin OM guitars or similar).
However, I like carbon guitars because I can always leave them around in the house with no need to put them in the case and to refill the humidifier every few days in winter.
Here in Michigan you can have a very humid summer and a very dry winter.
If you have a carbon fiber guitar, you can always leave it on a couch, always available to be played.

gerardo1000
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  #21  
Old 12-11-2005, 06:25 PM
GibsonGuy GibsonGuy is offline
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Default Rainsong

Forget the "indestrucible" aspect, it just sounds good!
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  #22  
Old 12-11-2005, 07:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike o
How about the drier climates like New Mexico? Or better yet, how about bringing your guitar out side to play in warn humid air from a A/C? Or a heated home to play at a campfire gathering on a cool night?
Hi Mike...
I have a Seagull for those situations you spoke of, which I bought off e-bay for a small fraction of the cost of a Rainsong.
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  #23  
Old 12-11-2005, 10:21 PM
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For those that remember me saying that Ovations are not my favorite guitars, better sit down. For my particular knock around, bad environment situations, one day I'm going to buy a nice used Ovation. Yes, it still has a wood top, but is relatively inexpensive, sounds good plugged in, and seem to hold together in campfire situations pretty well.

I've only auditioned a few Rainsong guitars, but I honestly didn't care for either the sound or the feel for what I do. If someone else loves them, that's fine by me. But since you asked for opinions, you now have mine.

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  #24  
Old 12-12-2005, 07:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc
I find Rainsong tone impressive in a unconventional way. They're not woody, but the string-to-string balance is very good and the tonal spectrum is balanced and even.

Someone above said they're "indestructable", which is not true. They are immune to humidity, but dings results in a very ugly delamination, much like a pressure ding on a surfboard. It's very conspicuous and impossible to repair. I was about to buy one four years back until I saw one that was so affected.

Doc
Are the new epoxy coated tops just as impossible? These are the ones that don't show the carbon fiber weave.
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  #25  
Old 12-12-2005, 09:57 AM
gerardo1000 gerardo1000 is offline
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The new epoxy coated tops are only used in the new Advanced Series guitars, if I am not wrong. These are less expensive than the classic Rainsong s. I had one for a while and the top looked very resistant. It was painted like "a car", with a glossy paint.
By the way, the Advanced Series guitars are not bad at all. Very balanced sound, with the signature ringing trebles of Rainsong. Just two negatives for my taste: the volume of the Advanced Series is not at all as high as the volume of the classic Rainsong.
The neck is super thin, almost like and electric. A lot of people would like that, I don't.

gerardo1000
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  #26  
Old 12-12-2005, 12:08 PM
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Hi cotten,

Have I got a deal for you!

Just kidding...I've owned two Taylors and still have one of them. Even though it's not a one their high end models, I like it very much. However, I still own the two Ovations I've purchased, a 1983 Legend and a recent Elite LX. The Legend is a pretty good guitar, very nice Sitka spruce top and detailing, deep bowl, good tone and projection. The vintage type V-neck is not to everyone's liking, but for those that favor it, it's a classic shape. I'm always glad it's an Ovation when you get up from a chair and hit the back on the edge of the table, and check the table for damage!
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  #27  
Old 12-12-2005, 01:51 PM
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I wasn't impressed with the one I tried, but there are others on the 'net that seem to like Rainsongs.
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  #28  
Old 12-12-2005, 10:17 PM
makikogi makikogi is offline
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I guess I'll chime in.....I can attest to the fact that it is near impossible to get fixed if there is something wrong with it. Most repairs folks/lutheirs have almost zero experience with carbon fiber so they don't even want to try and experiment with a customers guitar. In terms of sound....no, carbon fiber cannot replicate a "woody" sound but also there's no combination of wood that can reproduce the sound that you get from carbon fiber. I've owned my guitar since february of this year, and my experience with my guitar went as follow....

Intially when I first played it at the store I thought it sounded terrible...but for me getting a carbon fiber was a must, because of the nature in which I play my guitar (weekly worship sets living in MD) As I owned it longer and played it more I fell in love with the sound and swore I would never buy a wood guitar again. Eventually that changed because I started to grow tired of the sound that my guiar made and I missed hearing a woody sound. I owned a 314-ce prior to my rainsong.

Then something interesting happened. I sent my guitar to rainsong to get the finish fixed (it started bubbling) and my awesome friend was gracious enough to lend me his 814c (indian rosewood w/sitka top) while my guitar was getting fixed....As I had possession of the taylor for about a month and a half the sound of the "woody" guitar started to grow tiresome to me and I started to really miss the sound of my rainsong. Interestingly enough for a couple weeks I had the 814c and my rainsong in my possession and I found myself reaching for the rainsong far more then the taylor.

Now, this may have been attributed to the fact that I started missing the sound of rainsong hence me reaching for my rainsong more then my friends 814, but since then the sound of my guitar has not grown "tiresome" to me. I decided that a dread would join my ws-1000 so I'm currently in a pickle decided to go with a x10c or a CA bluegrass.

Sorry I couldn't be more decisive for ya, but I hope my experience helps you out. G'luck.

mark
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  #29  
Old 12-13-2005, 07:23 AM
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I owned a WS-1000 for awhile and was really pleased with the sound after the initial setup.... I just couldn't get past the ugly!

If they could tone it down some in appearance I would have liked it better.
I absolutely hate the sharks on the fretboard.
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  #30  
Old 12-21-2005, 12:04 AM
MJH MJH is offline
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I played several the other day as I began my search for a Rainsong.

I really liked them. The OM was actually my favorite and I prefer bigger guitars. The WS was very nice and I guess NOS. It was made in Hawaii. Every other one the dealer had was from the WA plant. Does anyone know when they stopped producing them in Hawaii?

The dread didn't float my boat quite as much. I guess they can vary in sound much like wood guitars. The jumbo was a cannon and had a great sound. I loved the 12 string and would seriously consider one if I didn't have a great 455 rosewood.

I also played a couple of the advanced series. I really did not like the sound as much as the original series.

The setup was good on all of the guitars, so the lack of a truss rod doesn't bother me.

If I sell my 415, I will buy one, probably the OM.
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