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  #16  
Old 04-23-2019, 07:28 AM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Great choice and congrats on your new CF. RainSongs are super cool...

And great review too!
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Last edited by steelvibe; 04-23-2019 at 07:34 AM.
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  #17  
Old 04-23-2019, 09:52 PM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BoneDigger View Post
I put in a Fishman Matrix Infinity. I realize some people don't like those, but it works well for me!
The Matrix Infinity is great, just needs tweaking like any UST. One came installed on my Eastman, and it’s great, with an Aura it’s increidble.
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  #18  
Old 04-24-2019, 05:01 AM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
I gig with a Mi-Si Trio. It is similar to a Baggs Element in overall performance as it is based on the same UST. It is a very minimal footprint inside your guitar but you do need to charge it periodically. I did test mine once letting a charge go 4 weeks and then see how long it would run. It seemed to easily exceed the promised 18 hours. None the less I keep the charger cable slung over the guitar's case so that I remember to charge before leaving the house. It works well with Tonedextor if you need to tweak to perfection.



I've got another nearly identical guitar with a passive soundboard transducer. I have the Schatten HFN instead of the AGF standard K&K. It can be EQ'ed to a much better acoustic tone than the Mi-Si, but is unusable without EQ for me (a K&K sounds fine to me without EQ). Its big advantage over the K&K is ease of installation with no cyanoacrylate glue required. The HFN is good enough that Tonedextor is probably a much slighter improvement.



I use a Schatten BB-03 for a volume control on the guitar when I feel I need one. It is internally a 500K ohm log taper POT and will work with the HFN or the Mi-Si. I made a low impedance version (25K) that in theory is a better choice for the active Mi-Si but in practice makes no difference.

I’m again floored by your generosity & knowledge. If everyone acted more like, the world would be a better place.

The Schatten pickups are excellent, I used to have one in a Larrivee.

Have you ever tried the Mi-Si Motif? They’re calling it a “condenser” UST, but I don’t know what the actual mechanism is.

Thanks again!
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  #19  
Old 04-24-2019, 05:48 AM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g.macdonnell View Post
Have you ever tried the Mi-Si Motif? They’re calling it a “condenser” UST, but I don’t know what the actual mechanism is.
The owner of Blue Star Music stocks all the Mi-Si options and might be able to give you some useful feedback on the Motif. The designer of Tonedextor is a frequent contributor to the Amplification section of the AGF. He often states that the characteristic tone of a UST is due to its placement and not the specifics of its implementation. Any statement that attempts to generalize on the AGF will get challenged :~), but I think he is correct.

One more opinion not requested, since most pickups won't last as long as the guitar (become obsolete, fail, or the owner is fickle) and you can't use a razor blade to remove a super glued PUP from CF weave, I would not put a K&K in a CF guitar (again...I've done it twice).
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Last edited by jonfields45; 04-24-2019 at 06:18 AM.
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  #20  
Old 04-24-2019, 08:12 AM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
The owner of Blue Star Music stocks all the Mi-Si options and might be able to give you some useful feedback on the Motif. The designer of Tonedextor is a frequent contributor to the Amplification section of the AGF. He often states that the characteristic tone of a UST is due to its placement and not the specifics of its implementation. Any statement that attempts to generalize on the AGF will get challenged :~), but I think he is correct.

One more opinion not requested, since most pickups won't last as long as the guitar (become obsolete, fail, or the owner is fickle) and you can't use a razor blade to remove a super glued PUP from CF weave, I would not put a K&K in a CF guitar (again...I've done it twice).
Again, I agree & appreciate that. I’m inclined to agree about under saddle transducers. I’ve heard all the prominent ones, many of the more esoteric ones, (B-Band, PUTW, Shadow, Shertler, Takamine’s Palathetic, etc.)

There are definitely subtle differences in responsiveness, and whether they respond to percussive techniques. Some, like Takamine’s are more responsive at loud levels, without feedback. But they all share much of the same characteristics. I suspect much of the difference we hear is simply the preamp.

I’ve had great success with an Aura Spectrum DI, which is why the Tonedexter is so intriguing. It seems to promise greater accuracy and more flexibility for not much more expense.

I will check out Blue Star, thanks for the heads up. Mi-Si also has a MEMS microphone unit, which is promising. I don’t know why, or if they aren’t offering it with the Motif yet.
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  #21  
Old 04-24-2019, 09:28 AM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g.macdonnell View Post
Again, I agree & appreciate that. I’m inclined to agree about under saddle transducers. I’ve heard all the prominent ones, many of the more esoteric ones, (B-Band, PUTW, Shadow, Shertler, Takamine’s Palathetic, etc.)

There are definitely subtle differences in responsiveness, and whether they respond to percussive techniques. Some, like Takamine’s are more responsive at loud levels, without feedback. But they all share much of the same characteristics. I suspect much of the difference we hear is simply the preamp.

I’ve had great success with an Aura Spectrum DI, which is why the Tonedexter is so intriguing. It seems to promise greater accuracy and more flexibility for not much more expense.

I will check out Blue Star, thanks for the heads up. Mi-Si also has a MEMS microphone unit, which is promising. I don’t know why, or if they aren’t offering it with the Motif yet.
The Mi-Si preamps are cool definitely a great technology for those of us who do not like to use batteries. That UST though, the Motif, is still a UST and they all sound very similar and show their true character while strummed. Some people like that sound while others do not. UST's do serve a purpose though and nowadays with Tonedexter you can get them to sound natural enough.

I'm still a fan of SBT's and the Schatten HFN is getting all my love right now for it's ease of install and mic like sound. It's feedback resistance is really good for a SBT.
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  #22  
Old 04-24-2019, 09:31 AM
k_russell k_russell is offline
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"The unidirectional top reminds me of Obsidian Falls in Oregon, water running over black rock. The result combined with the weaved back & sides is stunning." - g.macdonnell



I look at one of these guitars where one small rectangle is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the other striations. Do you see this on your guitar?
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  #23  
Old 04-24-2019, 04:02 PM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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I don’t see anything like that on mine- is it on the top, neck, back or sides?

My top does have some gentle “ripples,” almost like bear claw spruce, but the grain is all in one direction.

Perhaps someone else will chime in who’s seen the same thing
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  #24  
Old 04-25-2019, 08:10 PM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuitarLuva View Post
The Mi-Si preamps are cool definitely a great technology for those of us who do not like to use batteries. That UST though, the Motif, is still a UST and they all sound very similar and show their true character while strummed. Some people like that sound while others do not. UST's do serve a purpose though and nowadays with Tonedexter you can get them to sound natural enough.

I'm still a fan of SBT's and the Schatten HFN is getting all my love right now for it's ease of install and mic like sound. It's feedback resistance is really good for a SBT.
I agree, I think even the best UST’s, by themselves, are far less “acoustic” than a good SBT. K&K, Schatten, PUTW, are all great. Trance Audio is phenomenally

But for convenience & feedback resistance UST’s are great, especially with an Aura or Tonedexter.
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  #25  
Old 04-26-2019, 06:42 AM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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Some of my duo's favorite songs to play are R&R power trio classics and other guitar centric tunes where I play guitar against his bass. When I boost my guitar to cover one of Clapton's or Knopfler's leads I find I get a tone I like (enough sustain but still acoustic-guitar-like) that I can only do with my UST (even running the UST through Tonedextor screws it up). There are times when a really good acoustic guitar tone is too shrill or too short of sustain. I'm still gigging with my Mi-Si since those lead moments mean more to me than how my strumming sounds behind two vocals. If I was a solo act I'm sure I would be carrying my other guitar.
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Last edited by jonfields45; 04-26-2019 at 07:42 AM.
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  #26  
Old 04-27-2019, 05:55 PM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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That’s a great point, and a big reason why Takamine’s have remained popular so long. They have a pretty fat UST tone. I suppose with a Tonedexter or Aura you could turn it off for those solo breaks.

I think I’ll go with Mi-Si since I can’t bear to add much weight to this guitar.
Now, I’ll have to budget for a Tonedexter!
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  #27  
Old 08-03-2019, 10:28 AM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Thumbs up

I wrote so much about the sound & feel of the guitar earlier, & that all still applies, so I wanted a little update on the benefits of having a Rainsong.

The honeymoon is over & I still love this guitar. I haven’t gotten around to installing a pickup, or my fancy Gotoh carbon tuners(!), due to lack of time. The guitar hasn’t lost an ounce of its charm. In fact, it’s just grown on me. It’s been a hot summer, & the Rainsong has spent much in brutal conditions.

The Rainsong has spent hours on a black tar roof, over
110°, or in a 140°+ parked car. I just bring it everywhere, & when it’s lunchtime, or work is done, I’ve got a fantastic instrument to enjoy. Friends & family's kids & pets have knocked it over a few times, only onto grass or carpet, but a similar fall last year resulted in a weeklong nitro repair.

I’v taken it on a couple overnight hikes, (unfortunately, any full size guitar is too big & heavy for real hiking,) and a short canoe trip. What a beautiful thing, to have an instrument in nature, without worry.

My only concern has been whether I should waterproof the interior label!

I’ve been playing nickel strings, lately the new D’addario set. You lose some harmonic content, but they sound a bit richer & warmer. Don’t know if I like them better than PB, though.

Funny thing is, the nickel & Monel strings maintain their pitch in heat better than PB strings. I thought I was crazy, but the thermal expansion properties of the string winding makes a significant difference, (not during use, but sitting in heat.)

I’m going to be traveling soon & it’s great to know the Rainsong will be along for the journey.
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  #28  
Old 08-03-2019, 10:33 AM
g.macdonnell g.macdonnell is offline
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Default OOO TSA-Lock Case?

P.S. I always try to avoid checking, but just in case. does anyone know of a decent, lightweight TSA-locked OOO case? Hopefully under $200?

I’d trust the Rainsong in a Godin Tric, but most airlines would argue it’s not a “hardshell” case.

The OEM case is great, but plywood & tolex don’t hold up as well to baggage handlers as molded cases. Ironically, the guitar would probably survive better than the case!
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  #29  
Old 08-03-2019, 11:45 AM
kramster kramster is offline
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If I still lived in Jersey I would have a RainSong. I thought about the labels as well... not made to last as long as the guitars 8 to 500 thousand years
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  #30  
Old 08-03-2019, 11:57 AM
jricc jricc is offline
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Great review, thanks. I too have a CH-OM and it is such a joy to play. I also gig outdoors a lot, so there's that too.

All the best with your new Rainsong!
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