They are not indestructible

[Earl49]

FWIW, here are my notes made soon after doing comparison playing of the various Blackbird models:

Lucky 13 was a “small box” guitar, a bit louder, fuller and more bassy than a CA Cargo Raw, but overall more similar than different in tone. It was extremely comfortable to hold and play, even without a strap, and the neck feels great (satin finish on the back of the neck). It could be accurately described as a “papa bear” Cargo scaled up. Playing both side by side did not feel that different, but the Cargo was on a strap.

Super OM is louder, brighter and generally fuller sounding than Lucky 13 (plus a bit larger) and very much like the Rainsong, and would therefore basically be redundant to my WS-1000.

El Capitan is larger (but not as large as expected – maybe 000 or Seagull mini-jumbo body). It sits comfortably on the left leg too, due to the tight waist. It looks and sounds the “woodiest” of the three, pretty close to my Taylors.

Hope this helps..... BTW, having owned a WS-1000 for 15 years and a CA Cargo for 2-3 years, I have ordered a Lucky 13 to round things out in my CF world.

[Captain Jim]

Not so lucky for that 13.

Sorry to hear about this... made my hind end pucker when I saw the photos. It hurts to see a nice instrument meet its demise.

Good luck with the search for the next one - tough way to look forward to a NGD.

[slopeshoulder]

Wow! Condolences. I am glad to hear there is insurance coverage. BTW, I know a guy with an awesome set of tools.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

So this is what happens when.....someone decides that they need to move the car......don't ask

How fast were you going?

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by ewalling

What don't you like about it?

Hey ewalling:
I find it to be a bit sterile, compared to other carbon fiber guitars I have played, including other non hybrid Rainsong guitars. Though, truth be told I have been playing it for the last couple of days and have begun to appreciate it again for what it is. A new set of 80/20 and she is singing nicely. But the lucky 13 had such a warm depth to the sound that the Hybrid lacks, to my ears

I am interested in trying out the ALPE Shorty....one day.

I do have some GAS but For now I will be patient.

Originally Posted by Barb1

Hi Matthew,
Wow! So sorry to see your Lucky 13 in pieces!
Have you tried the Super OM? If you'd like to try mine let me know.
Barb

Thanks Barb:
I am not crazy about the esthetic of the super OM, but would be curios to try yours out. Shoot you an IM sometime next month. Thanks, and thanks for letting me try your Lucky 13. It is a great sounding guitar.

[Finger Stylish]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

Not so lucky for that 13.

Sorry to hear about this... made my hind end pucker when I saw the photos. It hurts to see a nice instrument meet its demise.

Good luck with the search for the next one - tough way to look forward to a NGD.

Didn't need that visual.
What is that Jim, proctology humor?

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

Hey ewalling:
I find it to be a bit sterile, compared to other carbon fiber guitars I have played, including other non hybrid Rainsong guitars. Though, truth be told I have been playing it for the last couple of days and have begun to appreciate it again for what it is. A new set of 80/20 and she is singing nicely. But the lucky 13 had such a warm depth to the sound that the Hybrid lacks, to my ears

I am interested in trying out the ALPE Shorty....one day.

Hey Mbroady, I too love warm tone in a guitar and spent literally hours before pulling the trigger on any CF based on that bias. I'm just curious how much you might be motivated by aesthetics, not that this is bad because I'm also biased in my search for guitars- Let me explain:

While I haven't played a Lucky, your description of the tone you appreciated about that particular guitar could be more closely emulated by a different Rainsong than an APLE. As you likely already know, he APLE is full carbon weave with a unidirectional top whereas the regular Shorty is hybrid back and sides with a unidirectional top. Rainsong claims that the hybrid material when paired with a unidirectional top and a 12 fret design offers the warmest Rainsong tones to date. Now I understand that tone is entirely subjective, but I really did read that in multiple places when deciding to purchase a Shorty, including statements from Ted at LA guitars, Michael at Macnichol G&M, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

On a Shorty have found that 80/20 strings are the poorest fit for the guitar that I've ever tried on it- and I've tried a lot. They were overwhelmingly bright, and would think this even more true on a WS body. What I'm trying to imagine is having your Rainsong right next to my Shorty while both strung up with new 80/20 strings. In an a/b comparison I would imagine your WS sounding relatively similar to the tone of the Shorty (bright powerful tone that comes from hex core 80/20 strings with lots of volume and a cutting treble just way louder.

Just musing out loud though. It sounds like you are a jammer and need to cut through a mix of voices and other music and pick a string based on those needs. I'm more of a fingerstyle guy that wants a good warm tone for solo work. Admittedly, one thing I do compromise by going with round core or monel strings is volume.

It is also one way I'm trying to justify to myself (and will eventually try to justify to my wife) the need for another CF guitar- you know, a different tool for a different job

[mot]

Mbroady,

Sorry for your loss. Ouch! Salvage what you can.

Wish you were a bit closer then you could come by and test drive my X20 and/or spend a few minutes with a surrogate L13 to say a proper goodby.

I thought long and hard about this, but if my house was on fire and I could only grab one guitar I would probably take the X20 and sadly leave the L13 behind. It took me over a year to figure this out. The X20 is definitely louder and more versatile over all, but the L13 is just so much fun to play. The X20 also is more comfortable sitting or standing IMO. They both take up about the same amount of trunk space when we go somewhere even though the X20 sounds like a bigger guitar and is slightly longer.

Now if I want to get some jangly blues sounds, then L13 is the one I would likely reach for.

Hope you have a fun and successful hunt.

Cheers,
Tom

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Hey Mbroady, I too love warm tone in a guitar and spent literally hours before pulling the trigger on any CF based on that bias. I'm just curious how much you might be motivated by aesthetics, not that this is bad because I'm also biased in my search for guitars- Let me explain:

While I haven't played a Lucky, your description of the tone you appreciated about that particular guitar could be more closely emulated by a different Rainsong than an APLE. As you likely already know, he APLE is full carbon weave with a unidirectional top whereas the regular Shorty is hybrid back and sides with a unidirectional top. Rainsong claims that the hybrid material when paired with a unidirectional top and a 12 fret design offers the warmest Rainsong tones to date. Now I understand that tone is entirely subjective, but I really did read that in multiple places when deciding to purchase a Shorty, including statements from Ted at LA guitars, Michael at Macnichol G&M, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

On a Shorty have found that 80/20 strings are the poorest fit for the guitar that I've ever tried on it- and I've tried a lot. They were overwhelmingly bright, and would think this even more true on a WS body. What I'm trying to imagine is having your Rainsong right next to my Shorty while both strung up with new 80/20 strings. In an a/b comparison I would imagine your WS sounding relatively similar to the tone of the Shorty (bright powerful tone that comes from hex core 80/20 strings with lots of volume and a cutting treble just way louder.

Just musing out loud though. It sounds like you are a jammer and need to cut through a mix of voices and other music and pick a string based on those needs. I'm more of a fingerstyle guy that wants a good warm tone for solo work. Admittedly, one thing I do compromise by going with round core or monel strings is volume.

It is also one way I'm trying to justify to myself (and will eventually try to justify to my wife) the need for another CF guitar- you know, a different tool for a different job

Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the mix between the Hybrid back and unidirectional top of shorty. This is something I will have to look into. i like the idea of the shorter scale for more warmth.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by mot

Mbroady,

Sorry for your loss. Ouch! Salvage what you can.

Wish you were a bit closer then you could come by and test drive my X20 and/or spend a few minutes with a surrogate L13 to say a proper goodby.

I thought long and hard about this, but if my house was on fire and I could only grab one guitar I would probably take the X20 and sadly leave the L13 behind. It took me over a year to figure this out. The X20 is definitely louder and more versatile over all, but the L13 is just so much fun to play. The X20 also is more comfortable sitting or standing IMO. They both take up about the same amount of trunk space when we go somewhere even though the X20 sounds like a bigger guitar and is slightly longer.

Now if I want to get some jangly blues sounds, then L13 is the one I would likely reach for.

Hope you have a fun and successful hunt.

Cheers,
Tom

Thanks Tom
How old is your Lucky 13. Was it purchased prior to the revoicing. I found it to be very versatile and more then a blues box. I have never seen The X 20 or any of the variations in the shops around my way but the vids I have hears sound really good. It it's something I will consider

[mot]

How old is your Lucky 13. Was it purchased prior to the revoicing.

L13 is a new one. I got it almost exactly 2 years ago new. I can't say enough good things about the X20. The bad is that I had to order it blind because I couldn't find one to play near me. It came in a woefully beat up cardboard box after a month or two in the mail systems and customs. Still was perfectly in tune when I unzipped the gig bag.

[nhbiker1961]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

So this is what happens when you have a bunch of folk camping, and drinking till the wee hours while passing around songs all night, then someone decides that they need to move the car......don't ask

The good part is it will be covered by insurance ( a good chunk of it)
The bad part is GAS all over again.


As much as I loved the sound I might look for something that has a bit more volume to keep up in big jams

[IMG][/IMG]

Wow that is bad!I feel better now.

[Liquidayno]

Whoah! Everything has its breaking point I guess!

[Earl49]

As with many bad / tragic situations in life -- "beer was involved".

I still think it is worth sending photos and talking to Joe at Blackbird to see if there is any chance of repair, even if it cannot be made cosmetically perfect. The body looks pretty intact, so a new top (which is half off already) and a new neck would fix it right up. But I am far from expert on the feasibility of repairing CF guitars with this much damage. It may be genuinely totaled.

[LSemmens]

You could always turn it into a headless guitar......

Seriously, Bugga, I had a guitar stolen which I managed to recover but only after some idiot put a chair leg through the soundboard. Fortunately it was repairable (I sent it back to Maton) so I still have it. It's bloody hard saying goodbye to an old friend.