Tried a Shorty SG...

[tbeltrans]

...and didn't like the fretboard. The guitar is so nice that I was sorely disappointed that the fretboard just didn't work for me. I have been hoping to eventually replace my wood guitars with CF so I don't have to worry about humidifying them in the Minnesota winters. Other than the fretboard, that guitar was perfect. I could have paid cash for it and sold off one or more of my wood guitars.

I am not knocking Rainsong guitars. Every one that I have seen and played has been of very high quality and sounded quite good. If anything, I WISH that the necks were more suitable for what I am looking for.

A local shop, Vig Guitars got in a Rainsong Shorty SG on consignment at what I would consider a good price. I saw the ad in Craigs List, so I went to check it out. However, the problem I have with this guitar is the same I generally seem to have with Rainsongs. for me (certainly not for most folks apparently), the fretboard just feels a bit too narrow and the strings too close together. I believe this guitar has a 1 3/4" nut, but I didn't measure it or the actual string spacing at the nut or the saddle. The action was also a bit high.

My Huss & Dalton is a custom that I likewise got used. It has a short scale, much like the Shorty and 12 frets and a small (00) body. But the string spacing, neck shape and width, are perfect for me.

The nut is 1 7/8", with the sting spacing at the nut being 1 3/4" from center to center of the 6th and 1st strings. The saddle string spacing is 2 5/16". I wouldn't be surprised if the original owner had a strong background in classical guitar, as I do.

I am sure I could order an Emerald and ask for that, but I really have to try before I buy to really know that all the little things came together for a truly well fitting guitar, and I wouldn't want to waste Emerald folks' time and money by having to go back and forth until the guitar suited my needs.

So a CF version of my Huss & Dalton would be perfect. In essence, my Huss & Dalton is pretty much a steel string version of a classical guitar.

The fretboards on my Cargos are near perfect, if they could just be a bit wider, but are certainly playable as is. They are keepers, but not a replacement for the Huss & Dalton because of that fretboard width and string spacing.

I have yet to play a Blackbird, so it may well be that they have a more suitable fretboard. Unfortunately, 1 7/8" nuts on steel string guitars seem to have gone out of vogue since a banjo player requested that Martin build a 14 fret with a relatively skinny neck back in 1920s or 1930s. There are still some parlor guitars with a 1 7/8" nut and a wider saddle string spacing, so maybe one of the CF builders will attempt a parlor guitar like that someday.

Tony

[Kindness]

This is the beauty of the carbon fiber world, there are a lot of offerings. While I love my Cargo and Shorty, I am dying to try the Savoy and hear what this special blend of CF offers. Emerald is putting out some fantastic guitars (OMG the X30 is to die for). The Emerald necks on each guitar do have a different feel, but I have to say they are all comfortable.

Have fun with the search!

[tbeltrans]

Thanks Lisa! I played both an Emerald X7 and an X10 a long time ago when Emerald was still very new in the market and McNichol was still in full swing. I didn't care much for the sound , which I understand has greatly improved, but I do seem to remember the necks being more comfortable to me than those of the Rainsong.

Willie's American Guitars, over in St. Paul, seems to have Blackbird products from time to time, usually ukuleles. Maybe they will have some guitars to try at some point.

Tony

[Kindness]

Ted has a 3 day return policy if that helps if you want to try anything he has. Or come to Arizona and see if you can try the Kramster collection, lol!!