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Old 06-23-2022, 08:12 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Default RainSong Nashville Shorty Custom at the beach - plus, new strings content!

I've now made my way back to (nearly) all CF guitars in my stable with the recent additions of a RainSong Nashville OM Shorty custom and a RainSong Black Ice Dread custom. The LR Baggs StagePro systems that both have (one Element, one Anthem) sound great amplified and I've been extremely happy with their gigging performance. While they don't have that 'wow' factor from a visual standpoint nor the comfort levels of all the curves and bevels of a nice Emerald Woody (my previous all-CF stable of guitars) they do sound better acoustically and much better amplified, at least to me.

We finally had a chance to take a much-needed, week-long vacation at the beach with the whole family and I took the Nashville OM Shorty along since it's the smaller of the two. It was marvelous to have a guitar at the beach house to pick up and play as desired. Even with three small grandbabies tearing around the house I felt no trepidation with having the guitar laying around. My middle daughter was also there from NYC so it was great having the guitar as she's a singer and we played and sang outside on the deck every morning, much to the delight of the little old ladies that lived in the nearby houses.

I also recently made a change to the strings I use on the Nashville which I thought was worth sharing for those that have or are thinking of the RainSong 'Vintage' line of guitars. These are the RainSong's that have incorporated a thin layer of spruce wood fused into their carbon fiber tops. Unlike the Emerald Woody's, which do this primarily for looks, the RainSong infused wood is a little thicker and used primarily to 'tone down' the bright CF sound as well as provide a more normal (similar) look to an all-wood guitar. The trade off is that the tone is a little darker, warmer and loses a little volume.

I had been using John Pearse #710 PB New Medium strings for quite a while now and they work great on the Black Ice dread as provides a little warmth to the bright CF sound. I was also using them on the Nashville which was in need of a string change. I had a few sets of John Pearse 80/20 Lights as those are the recommended strings for the Froggy Bottom I own so I decided to try them out on the Nashville to see if they brightened up the darker sound a little bit and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they did indeed do just that.

The downside is that they also have a little less tension on the already short scale that is the 'Shorty'. But this is actually working out well as I've begun to need to learn to play with a much lighter touch since going over to the Evolve 30M amp which with its subwoofer really highlights low-end mistakes and string dampening. So in the end it is a win-win for me. Anyway, thought I'd share with the hivemind as there is always someone coming along that finds these posts informational eventually!
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Old 06-23-2022, 08:14 AM
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A carbon fiber guitar is made for playing at the ocean! (See photos below! Thanks, Kevin!!)

Last edited by Methos1979; 06-23-2022 at 03:04 PM.
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Old 06-23-2022, 08:23 AM
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KevinH KevinH is offline
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Here you go. Thought you might like to stand up .

Looks like fun. Nice that you can play/sing with your daughter.

m1.jpg m2.jpg
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Old 06-23-2022, 08:44 AM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Originally Posted by Methos1979 View Post
A carbon fiber guitar is made for playing at the ocean! (Not sure why these are sideways - that's a first...)



It SOUNDS as if your vacation went well, but it LOOKS as if your trip went sideways. HHHHMMMMMMM!

I agree that your OP contains information that could very well help somebody in the future. Thanks for taking the time.

Tony
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Old 06-23-2022, 08:59 AM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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You gotta love a guitar that is impervious to the elements, sounds great, and you can play laying down or standing.

And yes, on the right guitar 80/20 strings can be right at home.
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Old 06-23-2022, 09:58 AM
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That Nashville Shorty is a beauty - congrats on your goal to go all-carbon...
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Old 06-23-2022, 10:06 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Originally Posted by KevinH View Post
Here you go. Thought you might like to stand up .



Looks like fun. Nice that you can play/sing with your daughter.



Attachment 76440 Attachment 76441
Thanks for the fix! I've never had that problem before and nothing has changed in the way I take or post photos so not sure what the deal was.

Attachment 76440 Attachment 76441

Last edited by Methos1979; 07-24-2022 at 06:55 AM.
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Old 06-23-2022, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Methos1979 View Post
Thanks for the fix! I've never had that problem before and nothing has changed in the way I take or post photos so not sure what the deal was.
FYI: If your AGF pictures show up sideways, the following should straighten them.

1. Download them to your computer's DOWNLOAD file

2. Rotate them in the DOWNLOAD file.

3. Delete the sideways pictures from your existing AGF post.

4. Upload the straightened pictures to your AGF post from your computer's DOWNLOAD file.
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Old 06-23-2022, 12:07 PM
Fixedgear60 Fixedgear60 is offline
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Congrats on the shorty!!! I stopped by my local guitar shop and played a vintage parlor and loved it. Owned one (all carbon) back in the day and was just a little too jangly (if that is a word) and sold it. The addition of the spruce really sweetened the sound and now is haunting me. They are pricey little critters.
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Old 06-23-2022, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Fixedgear60 View Post
Congrats on the shorty!!! I stopped by my local guitar shop and played a vintage parlor and loved it. Owned one (all carbon) back in the day and was just a little too jangly (if that is a word) and sold it. The addition of the spruce really sweetened the sound and now is haunting me. They are pricey little critters.
I agree about the 'sweetened' tone of the Vintage models and the non-Vintage being 'jangly' - that's an apt description. My Black Ice Dread is very bright and jangly but I bought that one specifically for that feature as it is used primarily for my acoustic-only (non-amplified) gigs. That brightness helps the delicate fingerstyle songs to really pop more than the Nashville. Also agree the Vintage line is their most expensive but they've all gone up the past few years. I have not been disappointed with either purchase.
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Old 06-23-2022, 05:13 PM
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Man I love the burst on that Shorty! Looks like a fun time at the beach.
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Old 06-23-2022, 05:21 PM
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Man I love the burst on that Shorty! Looks like a fun time at the beach.
Thanks! It was a one-of-a-kind when I bought it. The first Vintage shorty they had made in the Nashville finish, or so the RainSong rep told me when I reached out to them with questions. I'm sure they have had more custom orders since. It's a great little guitar that holds up as one of my primary gigging guitars.

The beach was a blast. Our children surprised us at Christmas with it as a retirement gift. We were blown away. We had all the kids and grandkids and the weather was absolutely perfect every single day. We lucked out. The house was right on the beach, back far enough to have plenty of sand even at high tide. Lots of eating and drinking. I gained ten pounds.
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