#1
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Medium gauge strings on Rainsong.
I read some past posts about questions and/or concerns about switching from light gauge to medium gauge strings on a Rainsong guitar and I would like to share my experience: I have a very recent (2022) Rainsong Concert dreadnought with uni-directional top, 12th fret to the body, 24.9 inches scale. No electronics. I switched from the factory installed Elixir nanoweb bronze light, to the same strings but in medium gauge. I measured the neck relief and the action at the 12th fret: so far (three days) I did not notice a noticeable difference in the strings action and in the neck relief. I.e. I am still happy with the factory set up. No concerns about the top bulging under higher pressure, or about the neck necessitating an adjustment in relief.
In terms of sound, I noticed maybe a very slight increase in volume, no major changes in tone, including the bass strings. But I like the increased tension when I play fingerstyle with my bare fingers, the added resistance of the strings help me to play cleaner and louder. |
#2
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Quote:
Put what you want on it. I had talked to RainSong a few years ago, and the gentleman I talked to said there is no concern about the string gauge. He even said it's more than likely no truss rod adjustment would even be necessary. I've put 9/45 to 14/59 on my RainSong, amd never had to change a thing on it. |
#3
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Gerardo1000, how are you liking the tone on your Rainsong?
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#4
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I've never heard of any concerns with heavier gauge strings on RainSong or any carbon fiber guitar. Of any material used to make a guitar I would think that carbon fiber would withstand relatively minor string tension changes better than anything else!
I have been using John Pearse PB New Mediums on both my RainSongs for quite some time and noticed no changes in string action or neck relief and certainly no changes to the top. Bulging? On a CF guitar? Doubtful. At least, that is my experience. I recently put some JP 80/20 lights on my Nashville Shorty as I had them laying around and wanted to test out 80/20 for the wood-infused top. And while I do like the tonal improvement, I'll be going back to the New Mediums (in 80/20) as I much prefer the tension over the lights. |
#5
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I do use 13-56 gauge strings for my custom Leviora guitar, think that's the perfect gauge for it. However, the tension is a bit harsh at standard tuning, I then detune half step for comfortability.
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Leviora A1 Fan Fret Martin OMC28BLJ ArchAngels Wings (Dreadnought) Grace Felix L.R.Baggs Mixpro Zoom A3 Trace Elliot TA40CR Henriksen the Bud ten |
#6
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I switched to medium-gauge strings on a Classic Series RainSong DR1000 N1 I had a decade or so ago--No Probems! The neck-relief acquired a bit more bow (maybe .001" to .002"), and the action increased maybe .002" more in height. I heard the tone as being more immediate and fuller.
The nice thing about using medium-gauge strings with the newer N2 neck is that a player can return the neck relief to what it was if desired when light-gauge strings were on the guitar. Also, any slight increase in action height will also be returned to what it was when light-gauge strings were on the guitar just by making that neck-relief adjustment (you know what I mean).
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 Last edited by SpruceTop; 10-03-2022 at 07:39 AM. |
#7
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I have tried and/or owned several acoustic carbon fiber guitars (McPherson Sable, Emerald X20 and X30, Rainsong WS Black Ice, Rainsong Concert OM)). The are/were all great, but the Rainsong Concert (uni-directional top) dreadnought that I currently have is my favorite. It has a warm but still clear sound, it is loud and balanced. It is the first carbon fiber guitar that I have that, in my mind, can fully compete with a beautiful Guild dreadnought that I own since several years. My Rainsong is also a special model, i.e. with 12 fret to the body, and a scale of 14.9 instead of 15.5. This allows me to use medium gauge strings and still feel that the guitar is very playable. Even if it is a dreadnought, I use it mainly for fingerstyle, I play with bare fingers, no nails, no fingerpicks.
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