A new Rainsong at home...

gerardo1000 · #1 05-17-2007, 07:48 PM

After a great experience with a Rainsong jumbo JM-1000, I finally bought a second Rainsong guitar: the OM.
Yes, you can tell that I am a fan of composite guitars and it is true.
I like their sound and the fact that I don't have to control every day the humidity level or the lack of it ( I am in Michigan and every guitar player who lives in Michigan does probably understand what I mean).
The Rainsong jumbo has a powerful, deep, loud , sound.
I was expecting more balance with the OM, but at the same time I was worried that I was going to miss the low end. Boy, was I wrong. This small sweet guitar not only has sublime trebles and mids, it also has good, warm and clear basses. I had read a couple of old reviews (Harmony Central) where some Rainsong owners liked the sound but complained about a certain lack of low end. Well, perhaps Rainsong has changed something in the OM's design,
I don't know, but this guitar is perfectly balanced.
As usual, the factory set up is flawless. I am very picky with the action, the neck relief, the nut slots depth etc..., and the Rainsong Jumbo and OM are the only guitars I owned where I did not feel the need to adjust the set up (together with a Taylor 314 that I owned five years ago and a CA Bluegrass performer that I owned two years ago).
I play mainly fingerstyle and this new Rainsong OM really matches the kind of music that I like to play.
Last but not least, I must give credit to Musicians friend, where I bought the guitar. The instrument arrived in a few days, in perfect condition and visibly untouched. I like to buy from them when I am looking for an expensive guitar because I can pay a small amount per month with no interest for 12 months.
Well thank you for your attention, I have to go back to the sofa and play a bit more my new guitar.

Gerardo1000

esundell · #2 05-17-2007, 07:53 PM

I could not agree with you more!!! I also have an OM and I truly love it. I am in Minnesota (very similar climate) and my Rainsong is perfect when I do not want to get too worried about taking my Taylor out in the elements.

My OM is a perfect compliment- and your description of tone is right on. My friends have the JM and WS- so when all three are together it is a pretty cool look and sound.

Go Sharks!! Gotta love the inlays.

Enjoy your new canoe paddle......

I mean OM Rainsong.

Eric

stuartb · #3 05-17-2007, 08:23 PM

I don't mind fighting the battle with humidity, but I would like a guitar I could drag into algonquin park and I do look forward to trying a Rainsong. Think I would go used. Have never had the opportunity to play one.

Congrats on the new guitar,

Stuart

PTL · #4 05-17-2007, 11:16 PM

So, do you like the OM more than the JM1000? I see that you sold the Jumbo Rainsong which was previously your all time favorite composite guitar. Is the OM now your all time favorite composite? And over their best selling WS1000 too I presume?

Would love to hear more of your observations.

PTL

gerardo1000 · #5 05-18-2007, 04:40 AM

I had to put the jumbo on sale in order to buy the OM. I would have liked to keep both. But I cannot afford it. Also, I do not play so often and I am not such a good player to justify too many guitars around my home. I loved the jumbo, it is one of the best guitars I had the pleasure to own. I wanted to try the OM because I play mainly fingerstyle, mostly unplugged, and I play only for myself, sitting on the sofa. I wanted to see if a smaller Rainsong, more confortable to hold, could fit my needs even better than the Jumbo. So far I am very happy, the guitar has such a sweet and balanced tone. But I need to keep it and play it longer before saying that it is my 'all time favorite'.

MissouriPicker · #6 05-18-2007, 09:45 AM

Rainsongs are very nice. I sold my WS1000 because I've drifted back to the "wood" sound. However, Rainsongs are "top notch" guitars. I suspect that they're tone/volumn/sustain are more than literally any "wooden" guitar you will find. I certainly do not rule out someday getting another one. They are very well-made and extremely strong......Good luck with your's. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

gerardo1000 · #7 05-18-2007, 11:09 AM

Eric,

I sent you a private message with a technical question about your Rainsong OM.
Thanks !

dreamwarrior · #8 05-18-2007, 12:04 PM

Any sound clips of your Rainsong's?

I've never seen any in the shops around here to play or hear.

gerardo1000 · #9 05-18-2007, 12:11 PM

I don't know how to record and post sound clips, however: if you go to
www.guitargal.com
and click on Rainsong, you can hear beautiful sound clips of a Rainsong WS-1000 and a Rainsong OM-1000.

Cheers.

gerardo1000 · #10 05-19-2007, 11:35 AM

Unfortunately, I discovered an annoying flaw in the guitar. There is an excessive "drop off" at the highest frets (from where the fretboard meets the body up to
the last frets close to the sound hole). The fretboard becomes gradually thinner, and this create a sort of "dip" at very last frets. I know that in some guitars a little drop off of the fretboard at the highest frets is acceptable, but in my new guitar I believe that the dip is too much. As a consequence of that,
the action after the 15th frets becomes too high and the notes become almost unplayable. Which, I think, defeats the purpose of having a cutaway. My Rainsong Jumbo's fretboard also has a little drop off at the highest frets, but is is very small, barely visible. I called the customer service but I did not get a response that I judge satisfying.
Well, unfortunately this Rainsong was not meant to be my "all time favorite".
I sadly returned it to Musicians Friend. Hope I will have better luck next time.

exhaust_49 · #11 05-19-2007, 01:32 PM

I don't own a compisite guitar and have never played one but one thing I would miss compared to a wood guitar is the slight change in sound you hear as you play the guitar. With a compsite, what you hear is never gonna change or become any better sounding than it does in the store when you buy the guitar.

MissouriPicker · #12 05-19-2007, 04:03 PM

exhaust, you make a very good point. However, the other side of that argument is that no matter where you are and no matter what the conditions, the Rainsong is likely to sound the same. It is an acquired (and very pleasant) sound. It's literally always very clear and projecting. Also, when I played my Rainsong in church it really did sound different. The sound (unplugged) could be heard all over the building. Even down the hallways.....Yet, I still like the wood sound more, and again, that's just me. It doesn't mean the sound of a wooden guitar is better. And a wooden guitar is certainly not louder or clearer.

cotten · #13 05-19-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

...I sadly returned it to Musicians Friend. Hope I will have better luck next time.

I do, too, my friend. After such a glowing first impression report, I can imagine how disappointing it must be to have to return it. Do you think the problem is common to all Rainsong OMs, or just this particular one?

cotten

gerardo1000 · #14 05-19-2007, 06:29 PM

Cotten, I do not know because this is the one and only Rainsong OM that I had the opportunity to play.
However, I must say that even If I had to return the guitar because it had what I considered a flaw, I cannot generalize and say that all Rainsong are defective.
I respect Rainsong and believe that they make outstanding guitars. Perhaps I just got a bad apple. I had a WS 1000, a Jumbo and also an Advanced series, and I did not find a defect in any of them. That is why I was a bit disappointed when the Rainsong customer service told me that "every Rainsong has a dip at the end of the fretboard". This is not what I have seen based on my experience.
Musicians Friend offered me to replace the guitar with another Rainsong OM, but I refused. I think that next time I want to play and see the guitar first, I don't want anymore to buy an expensive guitar unseen.