Issue with neck on RainSong guitar

seannx · #1 04-09-2021, 08:53 AM

While I really enjoy my RainSong 12 fret OM, there’s an issue with the neck. It looked a little off, but wasn’t a problem until I needed to play notes of a new song on the frets closest to the sound hole.

What’s going on is that the fret board starts bending downward after the extension joins the body, which makes it increasingly more difficult to press the strings down, and get a clear note

I’m back in Tucson for the "delayed due to Covid" 2021 gem show, and took it to Rainbow Guitars where I bought it, when I went to last year’s show.

It’s one of my favorite music stores, and has been closed for a year, but they do curbside pickup and were very helpful. After careful analysis and trying all of the standard setup procedures, they determined that it was a net set issue. They called RainSong, explained the situation, got a warranty return authorization, and are sending it back to RainSong on my behalf. I really appreciate their very considerate and conscientious customer service, as well as RainSong's response.

I’m curious if anyone else has had a similar problem with a RainSong guitar. The photo below shows what’s going on. I placed the edge of a sheet of white paper touching the frets on the left side of the fretboard to make a strait edge, and it shows how the right side curves downward towards the sound hole.

#2 04-09-2021, 09:04 AM

Interesting. And great service responses. Thanks for the report.

rpmguitar · #3 04-09-2021, 09:48 AM

I read somewhere (can't remember where...I do waaay too much internet reading on guitars...might have been in a blog where a guy was refretting his guitar) that someone had a similar issue and was told that it was the "fall off" or "fall away", something like that, and was a normal part of their design. I think mine has the same thing, but somehow I think it's a good thing as I don't spend a lot of time above the 12th fret and it probably allows the strings to vibrate more freely up there with the fall away present when you play open chords aggressively since half of the string length is where the strings displace the most.

Rick

rpmguitar · #4 04-09-2021, 09:52 AM

Yeah, Google Rainsong neck fall away...several links come up, not just related to Rainsong, but the refret link is there.

Rick

seannx · #5 04-09-2021, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpmguitar

Yeah, Google Rainsong neck fall away...several links come up, not just related to Rainsong, but the refret link is there.

Rick

Could be the case, but the fall away is pretty pronounced on mine. Rainbow Guitars explained the conditions on mine to RainSong, and they said to send it in on warranty.

steelvibe · #6 04-09-2021, 10:58 AM

I had the same thing with the Shorty I once owned but never thought of it as an issue. I did not play the guitar much past the 12th fret though. As long as my action was nice and low I was happy (which it was).

Glad RainSong is going to take care of you. Your fall away looks more drastic than mine did.

rpmguitar · #7 04-09-2021, 12:35 PM

I can see how that would be more of an issue on a 12 fret guitar, as you would need more of the over-the-body real estate than you would on a 14 fret guitar. It's hard to tell how much your fall away is compared to mine, but I just wanted to point out that in general it is not an anomaly for the fret board to start bending downward after the extension joins the body. That was something that I was not aware of until a few weeks ago when I read that re-fret blog.
I'm glad to hear that your guitar will be taken care of under warranty.

Rick

seannx · #8 04-09-2021, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpmguitar

I can see how that would be more of an issue on a 12 fret guitar, as you would need more of the over-the-body real estate than you would on a 14 fret guitar. It's hard to tell how much your fall away is compared to mine, but I just wanted to point out that in general it is not an anomaly for the fret board to start bending downward after the extension joins the body. That was something that I was not aware of until a few weeks ago when I read that re-fret blog.
I'm glad to hear that your guitar will be taken care of under warranty.

Rick

Yes. On mine, it’s hard to get a clear note on the high e at the 15th fret, and combining it with one on the b string at the 17th fret isn’t possible.

On my short scale Emerald X20, the fretboard is flat and playable on all the upper frets, with no fall away.

If it’s not possible to improve mine, I’ll just adjust. Thanks to all for the helpful posts!

MiG50 · #9 04-09-2021, 02:27 PM

Yeah, definitely looks like typical fall away. Not a Rainsong issue, it's a pretty standard method of compensating for fret buzz on higher frets:https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare...66Xo1BG05SfhIE
All my acoustic guitars have this, not just my Rainsongs. Without that subtle S-curve to the fretboard, you'd run the risk of strings buzzing against the upper frets, especially when using low action.

seannx · #10 04-09-2021, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiG50

Yeah, definitely looks like typical fall away. Not a Rainsong issue, it's a pretty standard method of compensating for fret buzz on higher frets:https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare...66Xo1BG05SfhIE
All my acoustic guitars have this, not just my Rainsongs. Without that subtle S-curve to the fretboard, you'd run the risk of strings buzzing against the upper frets, especially when using low action.

With mine it’s really extreme. If you adjust the truss rod so it’s subtle, the action is way too high. That’s why Rainbow Guitars concluded it couldn’t be set up properly. There’s no visible fall away on my Emerald X20, it has the same scale length and more frets, is set up with low action and doesn’t buzz.

The fall away is worse than it looks in the photo.

rpmguitar · #11 04-09-2021, 09:56 PM

I looked at mine and it's much more gradual and not as much, so it's good that they are taking care of it.

seannx · #12 04-09-2021, 10:46 PM

Yes. Rainbow Guitars went right into action, diagnosed the problem, and called RainSong to explain. It’s refreshing to get such conscientious, professional support.

jonfields45 · #13 04-10-2021, 06:14 AM

That geometry is normal for all RainSong's. The top is not braced and that is how it reacts to string tension. Wood guitars have a fairly massive brace across the top at the end of the fretboard which is missing from the RainSong design.

seannx · #14 05-21-2021, 09:31 AM

Got my guitar back, and here’s what happened.

After talking with Stefin of Rainbow Guitars and Dave at RainSong, my guitar was shipped to RainSong's headquarters for evaluation. Dave called last week to let me know the guitar was ready, and I sent a prepaid shipping label. He said they had done some fret work, and adjustments to the saddle.

While there still is some fall off, it looks a little less than before, and is mostly on the last two frets. The action is the lowest I’ve ever seen on an acoustic, with no buzzing even with full on strumming. It feels more like an electric, is a dream to play, and sounds fantastic.

Although I needed to pay shipping both ways, I’m very satisfied with the result, and it was well worth the cost. Customer service from Rainbow Guitars and RainSong was excellent all though the process.

mikealpine · #15 05-21-2021, 11:31 AM

I had a similar support experience with Rainsong. I paid shipping, but they took care of my issues, replacing the saddle that a local tech sanded too low and doing whatever else they did. At the time I wasn't thrilled with nearly $200 in shipping, but that was easily forgotten when I got it back and it was better than new.