NGD - What would you do?

[Dbone]

Just received my Rainsong today...

The good news:

I actually didn't realize how good of a guitar player I have become...LOL...This thing literally plays like a dream, and I have definitely come to the realization that my progress has been getting held back by my cheap Aria guitar that I have been using to this point. I cannot believe how easy this new RainSong is to play in comparison. It's like the guitar is out of the way now, and I can start focusing on playing only. That is how I would summarize the feeling I have playing this guitar. Just wow...

The bad:

I'm not sure if this is an expectations problem on my part relative to the carbon fiber world, but for a 3800 CND after tax guitar I was expecting better fit and finish.

I picked it up from Long and Macquade this morning. As soon as I opened the box there was an 8 inch deep scratch in the top of the case (not the end of the world, but not a good start either). See pic.

Then upon inspection of the guitar I was quite shocked on what I saw on the back of the guitar (see pics). There is not damage on the guitar from shipping or anything like that. You can tell that everything is manufacturing related. You can see a fairly significant imperfection on the left side of the back of the guitar. You can see that they used some sort of filler. This does not look great in person at all, let me tell ya...lol...not impressed, and a bit surprised...

Then on the top you can see a somewhat significant imperfection on the edge of the top (see pic). This looks a lot worse in the picture than it does in person I would say. How noticeable it is depends on the angle and type of light hitting it...Certainly doesn't bother me as much as the issue on the back.

To complete the loop there are lots of little imperfection and "nicks" around the topside edge. They are not greatly noticeable, but they are there, and when you run your finger around the edge you can feel them for sure...There are some other very small similar nicks under the finish on the back at the base of the neck.

That's about it.

----

In any case, I just wanted to get your guys' thoughts? What would you do? I have never purchased a carbon fiber guitar before. This seems weird to me, and I just wanted to hear what you folks have to say.

I inspected it about 20 mins after receiving it from Long and Mcquade and then sent them some pics. Based on the pics they seemed to not be overly impressed either. I will let them inspect it in person a couple days from now.

Bah...Not really sure what to do...Gonna sleep on it...It seems a bit off to me...

Bit of a pain. This was built to order, and I had to wait a good 6-8 weeks for it.

[tommyld]

Wow. I've had a handful of Rainsongs, and none have had those level of finish mistakes.

[Mbroady]

The Bad
Yep, that looks like subpar work or something happened after the build. I would return it with either a full refund and/or wait another six weeks for a replacement,

The Good
Carbon fiber/Rainsong guitars are consistent and any replacement will sound and most likely play exactly the same. And in the scheme of things 6 six weeks is not all that long. I also believe Rainsong are Forum sponsors. Perhaps they can be contacted directly in order to expedite the exchange.

[David Eastwood]

Not acceptable - if it was mine, I'd be doing exactly what you're doing and talking to the dealer.

Regardless of what it's made out of, those defects just don't belong on a custom-made, brand-new instrument.

That being said, tales like this about Rainsong are few and far between - I'm quite sure they'll do the right thing.

[RP]

Originally Posted by tommyld

Wow. I've had a handful of Rainsongs, and none have had those level of finish mistakes.

I agree with Tommy......

[Dbone]

Yeah, okay, I didn't think I was being picky...I would appreciate any other comments others have on the situation...

I'm sure they will see things my way...I sent them an email and was fairly direct about the fact that I was not impressed that they shipped this guitar out to me...

I think I'm gonna definitely have them deal with it and build me another. The thing on the back...I must say, it is pretty bad in person...Looking at it you can tell that there is some sort of filler there, and the left side is actually made of 2 pieces of carbon top to bottom...The seam for these 2 pieces around where the patch/fill presents is quite evident...That looks a bit less than great too...

Glad to hear you say they are consistent in play because, my god, I'm loving the feel of this thing...Love the neck, effortless playing...I just hope they let me keep this one while I'm waiting for my replacement because it is absolutely going to kill me going back to that Aria knowing what I know now ;-0

I dare say this guitar plays better than anything I have ever played before in terms of feel...I'm that blown away by it...I'm not exaggerating...For me it is that much of a standout...I did not expect that...I figured it would feel good, but this part of things has certainly exceeded my expectations...

I was gonna pass my Aria to my son to learn on but I think I will "junk it" and get him something decent in the 300-400 dollar range...It has a small crack in the fret board anyway... I didn't really realize how bad this Aria was...lol...It is an impediment to learning for sure....lol...Like any guitar, I'm sure it could be improved by a setup, but I literally think the cost of a setup would be approaching its value...Not making a lot of sense...

[kramster]

Also contact RainSong directly they are most excellent

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by kramster

Also contact RainSong directly they are most excellent

They seemed pretty cool when I talked to them on the phone in the past. I called today and their message on the answering machine said they are shutdown until the New Year.

As I said, I sent them an email with the pictures and informed them that the Long and Mcquade manager would be contacting them. He is saying it is completely unacceptable in his view as well, and this is without even having seen it directly in person yet...

Things happen...It will all come out in the wash...

I must say, I don't recall hearing a lot of people on here complaining about the delivery of their Rainsongs, as was mentioned...Must be a one-off weird situation going on here...

[steelvibe]

Just unacceptable really.

My Journey came to me with some questionable issues but I bought it used, and a great deal. and with the agreement that those issues existed (i already discussed and put pics in about a year ago regarding finish issues).

However, the stuff going on with Emerald and even RainSong? I know, blah, blah....customer service will take good care of you. I'm going out on a limb here as a lover of these brands and a CF enthusiast. I understand they are super expensive, hard to make..........

And?

These instruments should be sold as B-Stock period. If I bought a guitar near the $2K price point that looked like that I would be !!! .

Honestly I've never seen a RainSong like that and mine was just perfect from any issue like that. I understand the unidirectional tops can have some variations and some look better than others (at least in my opinion), but this is just sub par for RainSong. Geez

[Ceabeceabe]

Return for full refund or replacement.

There appears to be consensus here. Keep us posted.

[jdinco]

I've owned 3 RS guitars, never anything to complain about...actually pretty high quality. They're a good company, so you won't be out anything but time.

[casualmusic]

I'd send it back. None of this was on any of the seven Rainsongs I've played (all played as well as you described so don't worry about that one sounding much superior to any others). Maybe this is why this guitar is languishing in inventory?

In addition, Long and McQuade should discuss with Rainsong about returning it to the factory. Both are good companies and mgmt will take care of it.

If you search 'rainsong' with 'long mcquade' you'll get a page with the 11 models they are offering to customers. The price you paid is not special. You can order another from stock in another store, or from mfr in about 5-6 weeks.

Just did a customer search for stock and got:

H-WS - Kamloos
CH-OM - N.Van, Tor.Bloor, Win.Pembina
CH-WS - Edm.South, N.Van, Win.Pembina
BI-WS - Bedford, Edm.South
CH-PA - Edm.South, Tor.Bloor
BI-JM - no stock
BI-OM - no stock
CO-DR - N.Van
CO-JM - no stock
CO-OM - no stock
CO-WS - no stock

Cheers.

[Dbone]

As someone said, this is a B stock at best...I will be pressing for a replacement for sure. I definitely want this product.

I definitely did not get a special price. I paid full price. Long and Mcquade has exclusivity on RainSong in Canada. There is nobody up here besides them to buy them from. I suspect this was why there was no movement on price. I get the impression they are not selling a lot of them. They had none of this model in my signature in stock when I ordered...thus the need to build to order right from the factory...

The other thing that surprised me is the amount of micro marring and light scratches all over the place for a unit that was supposedly built to order. This is the least of the issues, but it is something else I noticed...especially around the bridge, but also on the back...Anyone else notice that on their Rainsong units?

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Dbone

As someone said, this is a B stock at best...I will be pressing for a replacement for sure. I definitely want this product.

I definitely did not get a special price. I paid full price. Long and Mcquade has exclusivity on RainSong in Canada. There is nobody up here besides them to buy them from. I suspect this was why there was no movement on price. I get the impression they are not selling a lot of them. They had none of this model in my signature in stock when I ordered...thus the need to build to order right from the factory...

The other thing that surprised me is the amount of micro marring and light scratches all over the place for a unit that was supposedly built to order. This is the least of the issues, but it is something else I noticed...especially around the bridge, but also on the back...Anyone else notice that on their Rainsong units?

Can't speak to your specific questions, but from the photos you posted, there are some pretty ugly artifacts around the rosette as well. You are quite justified in being upset.

I'm sure you'll be well looked after. QA for small manufacturing companies must be a real challenge, and every so often, one will slip the net.