Rainsong worth the money?

Emil · #1 12-11-2005, 04:21 AM

I´ve never played one so i´m interested to hear about your opinion.
Is it possible for a carbon fiber guitar to sound that good that you would pay that kind of money?

What´s your excperience?

Jarvis · #2 12-11-2005, 04:43 AM

played several last year..you are better off with an all solid wood guitar

Brackett Instruments · #3 12-11-2005, 06:30 AM

Rainsongs, and other composite guitars are basically indestructable. Humidity has no affect on them. I'm not crazy about the Rainsong sound but different people like different things. CA guitars are composite and they sound a little more traditional. To my ear a Rainsong sounds kinda like a piano but like I said tone is subjective.

jackweasel · #4 12-11-2005, 06:37 AM

Tried a couple in a shop in Atlanta a couple of years ago and I was really disappointed. To me, the neck felt more like a ball bat and the tone was, again my opinion, "artificial." My pal in Wilmington swears by his, and I'll admit that he makes his sound good plugged in, but nothing special. I prefer wood guitars but, like most of us, wish they weren't so fragile.

GibsonGuy · #5 12-11-2005, 08:22 AM

I guess I am prejudiced since I own a WS-1000 and, simply put, love the sound. I also own a 1963 Humminbird and a J-185EC which I also love but as a fingerstyle guitar, the Rainsong sings like a bell. I will admit that the neck took some getting used to but, like anything else, different strokes......

Another thing, the Rainsong is LOUD.

Andromeda · #6 12-11-2005, 08:32 AM

I never played a Rainsong, but I have played a CA. The sound was very good and I liked it but for me I am going to stick with an all solid wood guitar. Why you may ask? I used to own a Custom Legend Ovation and that had a very nice tone to it also. But like the CA, and I'm sure Rainsong, the sound was good but not a "woody" sound. After about 5 years of that guitar I really missed the tone of an all wood guitar.

gerardo1000 · #7 12-11-2005, 08:55 AM

If you like the tone (I do, especially for fingerstyle) and like the advantages of having a guitar which is almost indestructible and totally impervious to climate changes, yes the Rainsong is worth all the money you pay for it.
If you want to spend less money for an all carbon guitar, you can consider also Emerald Guitars (www.emeraldguitars.com), especially the Opus models. They are made in Ireland, sound very good and cost one third less than top of the line Rainsong and CA.

gerardo1000

MJH · #8 12-11-2005, 09:35 AM

Granted, you have to have the money to spend, but isn't a Rainsong, CA, or Emerald the ultimate "beater."

I am selling 2 of my Taylors in order to fund a Rainsong. I haven't played one yet for any real length of time, but did like the one I played a couple of years ago.

Please no flames about a $2000 beater. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford it, if I sell the other 2 guitars.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I go to friends' houses for parties, etc., I sometimes get, "Oh, did you bring your guitar?" I love to play whenever I can, but don't want to be so pretentious as to bring a guitar and then bring it in the house, "just in case." But I won't leave my Taylor out in the car for 4 hours while I attend a party. A composite guitar could handle that, right?

Just my opinion. I don't think I would ever have a composite as my only guitar. But what a nice thing to have for what I have been talking about.

Fngrstyl · #9 12-11-2005, 10:30 AM

I played one, and it was terrible. The neck was so bad on it, and it needed a truss rod adjustment... If only they had truss rods.. I'll stick with Wood!

astrummer · #10 12-11-2005, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fngrstyl

I played one, and it was terrible. The neck was so bad on it, and it needed a truss rod adjustment... If only they had truss rods.. I'll stick with Wood!

There is a newer model with a truss rod......

http://www.rainsong.com/models/aws1000.asp

my recollection from trying one at Elderly is the particular one I played had a relatively weak midrange.

MikeD · #11 12-11-2005, 11:07 AM

I use my rainsongs for gigging and for general "Extreme Beater" situations... mid winter bonfire get togethers (as low as -10*F a few times), gigging in hot summer conditions (100*F, intense sunlight & 98% humidity) and kicking around on a boat with friends (its got splashed quite a few times btw). Sorry, but a wood guitar would have died a hundred deaths in those conditions. No, they don't sound like a super-duper handmade acoustic, but they're not designed to. They serve a great purpose and fit into a niche in the market, especially if you happen to be a person that is looking for a guitar you can use to paddle a canoe with and then play it when you get to your destination... you might want to change the strings once you get there, though.

Fngrstyl · #12 12-11-2005, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrummer

There is a newer model with a truss rod......

http://www.rainsong.com/models/aws1000.asp

my recollection from trying one at Elderly is the particular one I played had a relatively weak midrange.

Thats good...!! Thanks.. They probably realized the importance of one..

Bobalouie3 · #13 12-11-2005, 11:16 AM

I thought their 12 string model sounded good when I played it...just wasn't willing to pay that much money for an all-graphite guitar.

ljguitar · #14 12-11-2005, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emil

...Is it possible for a carbon fiber guitar to sound that good that you would pay that kind of money?

Hi Emil..
No. No carbon fiber I've played comes near the sound/resonance of a solid body guitar.

There is at least one circumstance I'd purchase or recommend one. If a person lives in a tropical environment long term (as in monsoons and rain forests), carbon fiber would be the way to go.

NJay · #15 12-11-2005, 12:38 PM

I like the idea of an almost "indestructible" guitar. If you live in the NYC area, Mandolin Bros. on Staten Island always has a good selection in stock. I understand that they are one of the highest volume sellers of Rainsongs in the US.

They take some getting used to because the necks have a different feel to it, compared to a Taylor for example. The unamplified sound I thought was pretty good, though maybe a bit twangy on the high end. Maybe it was the strings. The lack of a truss rod is a minus IMO. That's one part of a traditional setup where you have to accept the factory's built in setup. The lower priced Advanced Series does have a two-way truss rod though. The Classic Series are pricey. I guess you really have to want one.