I had my mind set on a J-45, but then.. Rainsong happened

[Ds114]

I had it set in my mind that my next guitar could very well be a J-45 Standard VS. So I went to my local GC and played it and was thoroughly underwhelmed. It was perfectly comfortable for me, but tonally was rather flat/dead sounding. Not "blanket over a speaker" bad but dynamics were minimal. It could have been the strings or the specific example, but it did nothing to inspire me.

My next stop was to a local M&P shop who had a Rainsong WS Black Ice, cutaway with onboard electronics. I've never even considered a CF guitar, but it was quite an incredible instrument. The only real knock on it was it felt ever so slightly neck heavy.

I did not want to like it but I played it and now need to make a decision: Do I give up the "dream" idea of the J45 from my one isolated experience without trying others, or do I jump on the guitar that spoke to me, but I never had any intention of getting?

I can get a J45 sight unseen from a large online retailer for $2700 out the door, or the Rainsong for $3100.

I would appreciate any input that anyone may have on either instrument itself or in an apples to oranges comparison of 2 very different guitars.

Decisions, decisions

[SpruceTop]

I'd go for the RainSong BI-WS1000 Black Ice as it's the purest carbon tone you're likely to find in a carbon guitar. I've had and played nice-sounding Gibson J-45 guitars but I think what you appreciated when playing this your first carbon guitar was the crystalline shimmer of the upper mid-range and trebles along with strong bass. I'm assuming you already have one or more nice wooden guitars so why not get something different that has a great and pleasing tone of its own? This is like getting a tonal and materials variation of a luthier-built guitar for a fraction of the cost along with no humidity or temperature concerns.

[davidd]

My J45's sound fantastic but I've never played one at GC that did. Who knows what the factors are? Bad room acoustics, dead strings, bad setup, lousy guitar? What I can tell you is the predominant tone signature of a J45 is somewhat dry, having less overtones and less highs than you would hear from something like a Martin D18. They are great for people that want that which many do including myself. I think deciding what you are after tonally is the priority when deciding on any guitar.

[Rogerblair]

J45 all day long. But that’s just one guy’s opinion. When you play a great J45, it’s appeal becomes apparent immediately.
Rb

[Cuki79]

Gibson J-45 can be all over the place tonewise.

Take good headphones and watch this

https://youtu.be/LRTQ4_8Y-bQ

[davidd]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Gibson J-45 can be all over the place tonewise.

Take good headphones and watch this

https://youtu.be/LRTQ4_8Y-bQ

IMO The Acoustic Letter does some of the lamest reviews out there. Let's just hit some cowboy chords as loud as possible.

[TBman]

I'd check out more J45s first.

[SpruceTop]

... then there's the possibility that the RainSong BI-WS1000 Black Ice had less than fresh strings on it too even though it sounded better to the OP than the J-45 ...

[davidd]

I wonder how good that Rainsong will sound in 30 years when the Carbon Fiber ages and opens up...

[K20C]

I had a nice sounding J45 many years ago. Wish I still had it. While I haven’t played that particular model of Rainsong, I’ve played several over the years and all sounded and played very good. I currently have a Rainsong APSE which I love.

If you didn’t already have nice wood guitars I’d say get the J45, but since you do, I’d go with the Rainsong. In addition to the Rainsong playing and sounding great to you, not having to worry about humidity on an expensive guitar is such a nice feeling.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by davidd

I wonder how good that Rainsong will sound in 30 years when the Carbon Fiber ages and opens up...

The RainSong will likely have the same great tone that has now.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Rogerblair

J45 all day long. But that’s just one guy’s opinion. When you play a great J45, it’s appeal becomes apparent immediately.
Rb

I’ll second that opinion.

[SpruceTop]

Only the OP can know what he felt and heard in comparing both the RainSong BI-WS1000 Black Ice and the Gibson J-45. The cool thing is that hopefully both these models will be around for years to come and he should be in no rush to decide what to buy. In the meantime, the OP could consider ordering direct from RainSong the limited-time availability Original 1999 WS1000 Classic Reissue model WS1000 for $1999 which has the same onboard pickup/preamp as the more costly RainSong BI-WS1000 Black Ice model and will sound and play the same, and all for $1100 less in price. Original 1999 WS1000 Classic Reissue

[Ds114]

So, I went back and played the Rainsong again. I still really liked it and enjoyed playing it, but the novelty of the first session was not there. Also I learned it was the N2 neck and the lower profile would probably be a better fit.

Given that it wasn't what I had originally set out to get and was > $3K I decided to let it go for now. If I keep thinking about it, I know where I can get it, or another copy. I will instead continue my quest for a J45.

Thanks all for your input, much appreciated

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Ds114

So, I went back and played the Rainsong again. I still really liked it and enjoyed playing it, but the novelty of the first session was not there. Also I learned it was the N2 neck and the lower profile would probably be a better fit.

Given that it wasn't what I had originally set out to get and was > $3K I decided to let it go for now. If I keep thinking about it, I know where I can get it, or another copy. I will instead continue my quest for a J45.

Thanks all for your input, much appreciated

The RainSong Classic WS-1000N1 for $1999 in this promotion has the lower-profile N1 neck! You'd order direct from RainSong this limited-time availability Original 1999 WS1000 Classic Reissue model WS1000 for $1999 which has the same onboard pickup/preamp as the more costly RainSong BI-WS1000 Black Ice model and will sound and play the same, and all for $1100 less in price. Original 1999 WS1000 Classic Reissue