Rainsong Shorty/ Martin 000-28ec + a dozen of guitars

[ipman88]

Hi all! I've been playing the guitar for 15 years now..
Last weekend, my buddy and I spent the whole Saturday at testing out a dozen of fine guitars in a dedicated acoustic showroom. My buddy was looking for a GA/mini jumbo to complement his Gibby Hummingbird and I had high hopes trading-in one of my Martins to a Rainsong OM guitar after reading a few Rainsong Shorty reviews.
To cut the long story short, my buddy went home with a Furch G22SR but I was surprisingly disappointed with the Rainsong H-OM1000n2. It sounded thin and overly bright, the stereotypical negatives of a CF guitar(Short summary of all guitars we've played below).

On the other hand, I tried the other Rainsong available which is the latest parlor, wow! remarkable, great example of a bluesbox!
My question is:
a: Just how much better can I expect of the Rainsong Shorty compared to the H-OM1000n2?
b: if blindfolded, how does it compare to a Martin 000-28ec in terms of feel and sound? I mean specs wise are similar, 000 body, 1-3/4" short scale, except for the 12 vs 14 fret body.

Please don't get me wrong, not trying to start a troll/comparison thread here. I just trying to gather general opinions because I'm really curious and never gotten to A-B or try both the Rainsong Shorty and 000-28ec before(both I've heard great reviews)

Now, for the short one liner summaries.. I won't be describing the Gibsons and Taylors too much as there are more accurate reviews in this forums
1. Furch G22SR: responsive,balanced and rounded.
2. Taylor 814ce : quite similar to the Furch but brighter and slightly lighter built.
3. Taylor 514ce: very rounded and full sounding, the difference of the cedar top is very audible.
4,5,6,7. Gibson j-45, j-45tv, j-200 standard, L-00 legend. All had the unmistakable Gibson vibe and tone, matches the descriptions in this forums to a Tee.
8. Collings custom OM koa and D2h(I think some of you are going to kill me for saying this): IMO, they capture the sound and feel that's quite similar to my martin D-28 and OMs to a certain extent but the Collings feels much lighter built and sounds slightly more balanced than my martins.
9, 10. Goodall TROM & Concert Jumbo: Oh my god, these I like, very remarkable, piano-like tone and boutique feel.
11. Rainsong Parlor: remarkable blues box, very open and balanced sounding for a parlor but still had the blues box feel and sound, excellent playability!! Due to the CO unidirectional top maybe?
12. Last but not least the the Rainsong H-OM1000n2: open and balanced OM but kinda thin and overly bright for me.

[jgillard]

I love my rainsong shorty. You can hear some clips of some things I recorded here (http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...ainsong+shorty). I sold a Martin om-21 special to get the rainsong shorty. I much prefer the rainsong.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

First of all welcome to the forum ipman88, you will find it a friendly place with lots of knowledgeable folks to chat with. As to your question of which Rainsong will come closest to the Martin 000-28EC, to my ear, this one.



Because of the different material you will need to try different body shapes and sizes if you are looking for a certain tone. A carbon OM will not sound like a Wood OM. The above guitar is a custom Jumbo with the 12-fret neck configuration, the first one ever built by Rainsong at my request and to date it is the closest you will get to that Martin tone, but it's not a Martin nor is it a Gibson, Taylor or anything else because unlike some boutique builders who have made a good living chasing someone else's tone, Rainsong isn't trying to be anything but a Rainsong.

Rainsongs are carbon fiber so you will get more clarity than with a wood guitar which might be too much for some folks. You will also get added responsiveness and projection, and you will be able to leave them in your car indefinitely or out in the wood shed for that matter so they have their advantages. I love them but I own them in addition to my Martins not in place of.

[Claytone]

First a big hello Ip the 88th man...you are among friends!!! Good review on the various guitars Amigo...The only Carbon Fiber that I have is an Emerald X-20OS that I'm still on a honeymoon with, so your insights are intriguing...Welcome to the AGF!!!

[ipman88]

Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales

Because of the different material you will need to try different body shapes and sizes if you are looking for a certain tone. A carbon OM will not sound like a Wood OM. The above guitar is a custom Jumbo with the 12-fret neck configuration...

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Oh Ted! I'm in awe that you actually read my mind because I was also wondering whether because of the different material, I needed to look at a different body shape to match the tone I'm looking for..

I totally understand Rainsong and CF guitars have their own unique tone. When I tried the Rainsongs, it was obvious during strumming, I could hear the uncompressed chord, very strong fundamental tones initially but afterwards having very lush overtones during the sustain..
I can imagine how big and nice the jumbo will sound like! but my frame and aching shoulder disapproves it.

Ted, what about the H-WS1100n2? Which wood guitars would it come closest to?

[Dave H]

I've been looking for the right CF guitar for a few years now and just ordered a Rainsong Parlor. I live close to MacNichol Guitars and over the years have played the Rainsong Shorty, Bluegrass, various OM's, Jumbo as well as the CA GX, OX, GXi, Cargo, Legacy, the Emerald Chimera (awesome) and Blackbird Lucky 13 and others I'm sure.

One thing I can say about all of these is they are quality built instruments. As far as the two you're concerned with, you can't go wrong with either. The Shorty is a great sounding and popular choice for good reason. For me I found the comfort and the tone of the Parlor more to my liking. One thing I've noticed about a lot of CF guitars is a kind of boxy or hollow sound, a brightness and loudness that just never suited me. The Parlor has none of this. The Parlor is probably as loud as my OM and with the PB strings sounds a good as any of my wood guitars. It's going to be a great all around guitar; couch, travel, whatever...

As far as anything sounding like a Martin...better hang onto one of your Martins. That doesn't mean you can't get a CF that sounds like a high quality wood guitar. For that, without a doubt the CA GX stands out in my mind. I would have bought one on the spot but the cutaway just didn't appeal to me. I'm drawn more toward the traditional body styles. Another one I played a few days ago was a 2013 CA GXi. Wow, one of the best sounding CF guitars I've played. Again, the styling is not my cup o tea, but whoever is considering one of these guitars will definitely NOT be disappointed!

Sorry that's more info than what you were probably looking for but I hope it helps.

P.S. I highly recommend MacNichol Guitars. Michael a great guy and is a forum sponsor and one of the best in the business. Very knowledgeable and has specialized in CF for many years. Ted is great too! Never heard a complaint about either one of them...

[ipman88]

Originally Posted by Dave H

One thing I can say about all of these is they are quality built instruments. As far as the two you're concerned with, you can't go wrong with either. The Shorty is a great sounding and popular choice for good reason. For me I found the comfort and the tone of the Parlor more to my liking. One thing I've noticed about a lot of CF guitars is a kind of boxy or hollow sound, a brightness and loudness that just never suited me. The Parlor has none of this. The Parlor is probably as loud as my OM and with the PB strings sounds a good as any of my wood guitars. It's going to be a great all around guitar; couch, travel, whatever...

As far as anything sounding like a Martin...better hang onto one of your Martins. That doesn't mean you can't get a CF that sounds like a high quality wood guitar. For that, without a doubt the CA GX stands out in my mind. I would have bought one on the spot but the cutaway just didn't appeal to me. I'm drawn more toward the traditional body styles. Another one I played a few days ago was a 2013 CA GXi. Wow, one of the best sounding CF guitars I've played. Again, the styling is not my cup o tea, but whoever is considering one of these guitars will definitely NOT be disappointed!

Sorry that's more info than what you were probably looking for but I hope it helps.

Theres no need to be sorry DaveH! That was really helpful and constructive!
After owning more than dozen of guitars in a span of 15 years, I too, value build quality more than anything else. Quality built = perfect playability and intonation!! not to mention the flawless fit & finish that gives you a good night sleep after NGD.
And yes, I'm drawn more toward traditional body styles too. But the Rainsong Parlor even with the cutaway, is just awesome isn't it? Can't help but make you think that could actually be the ultimate example of a Parlor guitar..( even though not many are playing blues on a CF guitar, even on youtube)

[Dave H]

The cut-away on the Parlor is a bit of a departure for me, but it just looks right on that guitar. It should help seeing as I ordered the 12 fret. All in all it's just too good to pass up. Good luck ipman with your search and have fun!

BTW, Michael had a Lucky 13 set up for slide and I have to say it sounded pretty good!

[Doubleneck]

Was on a trip and went into a Guitar Center and they had two Rainsongs. They were both WS1000s, a all carbon Black Ice and a hybrid. The Black Ice blew me away and I own a BIJM1000? Maybe it was the new 80/20 Elixir strings but it just boomed. Could be it was in the small acoustic room? No guitar there could compete.

I agree with the above on the Parlor, it has become my at home, travel guitar, it is just a little gem, that simple.

[Finger Stylish]

I own a 1975 D28
1995 Taylor 410
Rainsong HDR 1000

In a blind taste test (with new strings) the Martin and Rainsong are difficult to distinguish.
The big difference is the sustain on the Rainsong.
Playing with thumb and finger picks they sound more alike, playing with no picks the Rainsong has a better delivery of sweet acoustic sound.
Once the strings are more than 2 weeks of playing, the Martin begins to fade. It still sounds great, it just becomes somewhat cloudy in comparison.
BTW the taylor is a great playing & sounding axe, it's just a step behind the Martin & Rainsong

[buzzardwhiskey]

They're wonderful instruments, but if the Martin sound is your goal, Rainsongs wouldn't my first choice amongst the current CF crop. The CA GX and GXi are closer.

That said, MacNichol had taken a glossy Rainsong parlor and swapped out the graphite saddle for a fancy Obbligato hybrid number... that guitar sounded "like a parlor".

[Kindness]

My Rainsong Shorty with Polyweb Elixir medium strings is incredible. I am all about a Martin sound and feel it is quite close.

String tests with CF guitars is critical. It's a cheap enough experiment. Modifications like going with an Obbligato saddle also, I hear, are having tremendous impact on the sound.

[cep55]

The Shorty, I've gotta say, is pretty darn good. I just got the limited gloss model from Ted a few weeks ago. I'm in paring-down mode, after acquiring a few too many guitars the last couple of months, but I keep passing over that one when I decide what to sell. It's not the best guitar I own, but it's so unique, and it has a really nice liveliness to it, and is SO easy to play. And it sounds really good. It has its own sound, for sure, but it's really great, and far warmer than I expected. It's fairly comparable to any of my top-end wood guitars, yet I don't find myself comparing it to them, if that makes any sense?

It's really fun to play, and very satisfying sonically. I'm looking forward to experimenting with strings and I'm going to try a bone saddle. I think it can sound even better, but it's really a great guitar right out of the gate, and I'd put it up against ANY guitar in its price range.