NCFGD......

RP · #1 04-13-2021, 05:41 AM

Well, she arrived yesterday - my new Rainsong CO-JM3100NT. She plays (action is perfect), looks and sounds amazing. The logical question from CF fans will be, "How does a jumbo CO Rainsong 12-string compare to an Emerald X20-12?" Despite the obvious similarities, the two are very different. Yes, they both are made from carbon fiber and have 12 strings, but that's where the similarity ends. I'm going to leave my answer to that question hanging in the air for a bit so that I can do a proper A-B comparison.

This Rainsong was my birthday gift to myself, and I really couldn't be more pleased. It's without a doubt everything that I think a 12-string guitar should be plus it thumbs its headstock at humidity and temperature changes...

rmp · #2 04-13-2021, 06:00 AM

ouuuhh I like that!

congrats!

Waiting for a full review..

Mr. Paul · #3 04-13-2021, 06:02 AM

Nice!

I was in the hunt for a 12 string about 3 years ago and I recall Rainsong had discontinued their 12 string offering. Is this a recent introduction?

rpmguitar · #4 04-13-2021, 06:39 AM

Awesome! That looks great, and I'm sure it sounds great, too!

Mr. Paul: Rainsong recently made 12-strings available again.

mountainmaster · #5 04-13-2021, 06:49 AM

Congrats!

Rainsong did reintroduce 12-string guitars recently. Their website however only shows the 12-string jumbo under the Nashville series, while this appears to be a Concert series jumbo.
So a very special guitar indeed.

boneuphtoner · #6 04-13-2021, 07:06 AM

Looks awesome, many congrats!

I'm curious to hear your comparison with the Emerald also. In comparing my 6 string jumbos, I certainly heard many tonal similarities, but many differences also. I can't imagine how great the sound must be on this thing - the 6 string is awesome in its own right.

Let us know how it goes and congrats again!

Captain Jim · #7 04-13-2021, 07:08 AM

Congrats on the new arrival! You are certainly well-equipped for an interesting A/B comparison; I look forward to hearing your take on each. Enjoy!

steelvibe · #8 04-13-2021, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

Well, she arrived yesterday - my new Rainsong CO-JM3100NT. She plays (action is perfect), looks and sounds amazing. The logical question from CF fans will be, "How does a jumbo CO Rainsong 12-string compare to an Emerald X20-12?" Despite the obvious similarities, the two are very different. Yes, they both are made from carbon fiber and have 12 strings, but that's where the similarity ends. I'm going to leave my answer to that question hanging in the air for a bit so that I can do a proper A-B comparison.

This Rainsong was my birthday gift to myself, and I really couldn't be more pleased. It's without a doubt everything that I think a 12-string guitar should be plus it thumbs its headstock at humidity and temperature control...

Cool guitar RP, Congrats! I wish they would make other models without cutaways- especially the OM. Love the look!

RP · #9 04-13-2021, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainmaster

Congrats!

Rainsong did reintroduce 12-string guitars recently. Their website however only shows the 12-string jumbo under the Nashville series, while this appears to be a Concert series jumbo.
So a very special guitar indeed.

Thanks guys, and it is a Concert series jumbo. As nice as Rainsong guitars are, I believe that the company does a very poor job of letting prospective customers what options are possible. I defy anyone to look through their website and find evidence that it's possible to order a CO-JM 12-string guitar with a Tobacco Burst finish and no electronics...

Frettingflyer · #10 04-13-2021, 10:33 AM

Awesome guitar and looks like a nice addition to the herd. Enjoy.

RP · #11 04-13-2021, 01:38 PM

COMFORT
The Emerald is hands-down the more comfortable of the two, but let me make clear that this is not to say that I find the Rainsong to be uncomfortable because for me it is not. The Emerald's X20 body with its great curvature probably falls somewhere between a Taylor Grand Auditorium and a Grand Concert so you don't so much hold an Emerald as you embrace it. The Rainsong is a jumbo so it's pretty Rubenesque which I don't find uncomfortable but it's obviously more of a standard wooden guitar shape, and a large one at that.

PLAYABILITY
The Emerald probably gets a slight edge because of the qualities named in COMFORT. Although I'm pushing 71, I don't have an issue playing large guitars so for me, the Rainsong is a very, very close second in the playability department. Adding to this is the fact that it came extremely well set up with superb action. I don't know if this was due to set-up done by Rainsong or Avenue Guitars. Even barr chords on the first fret don't seem problematic.

TONE
These two 12-string guitars sound very different, due to sound hole placement, fairly dead strings on the Emerald, differing shape, manufacturing methods/materials or all of the above. Every Rainsong I've owned and played has sounded brighter - not TOO bright, just brighter - than every Emerald I've owned. FWIW I've owned numerous Taylors and always appreciated the sound of Taylors. The Emeralds I've owned, including this 12 string, have by and large seemed to have warmer tones. Within the limits of reason, because the nature of 12 string guitars is that that they have a brighter tone than an otherwise comparable 6-string model, I'd say that both have terrific tones, just different. I wouldn't call the Rainsong's tone "jangly" but I would say that it sounds closer to what I remember my Taylor 458 sounding like. The Emerald's tone is a more focused and probably more balanced. I'd also say that the Rainsong projects more than the X20-12 which is a more intimate guitar.

OPTIONS
Emerald clearly gets the nod as to how creative the buyer can get. Let's face it, if you can dream it up and pay for it, Alistair and his band of craftsmen can probably do it. I'd also add that while I didn't consider my new Rainsong CO-JM3100NT to be very customized, I don't believe that there's any indication on Rainsong's website that the few features I requested (12 string, no electronics and Tobacco Burst finish) are even available so I'm going to give Rainsong a demerit for that while Emerald gets a bonus point for its can-do attitude when it comes to encouraging customization of its products.

I'll be adding to this, but that's all for now...

#12 04-13-2021, 02:55 PM

Nice review of general features. I am looking forward to your reports about a month or so down the line, after you have had a chance to get over the honeymoon and see what it's like to comingle on a day-to-day basis.

David Eastwood · #13 04-13-2021, 04:45 PM

Thanks, RP, for a very balanced and objective comparison. You make both guitars sound equally desirable.

It’s great to have choices. If Rainsong could just spend a bob or two on their website and close that gap, it would clearly help - I find it almost indecipherable.

RP · #14 04-13-2021, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatswodo

Thanks, RP, for a very balanced and objective comparison. You make both guitars sound equally desirable.

It’s great to have choices. If Rainsong could just spend a bob or two on their website and close that gap, it would clearly help - I find it almost indecipherable.

Thanks for that. I think both are very desirable 12-string guitars and clearly have their individual strengths with no weaknesses that I can detect after 24 hours. However, in all fairness, a better comparison would be between my Rainsong CO-JM3100NT and an Emerald X30-12 because as several AGF folks told me several years ago, when it comes to 12-string guitars, size really does matter...

David Eastwood · #15 04-13-2021, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

Thanks for that. I think both are very desirable 12-string guitars and clearly have their individual strengths with no weaknesses that I can detect after 24 hours. However, in all fairness, a better comparison would be between my Rainsong CO-JM3100NT and an Emerald X30-12 because as several AGF folks told me several years ago, when it comes to 12-string guitars, size really does matter...

So you know what you have to do, don’t you?