#1
|
|||
|
|||
Help with Rainsong choice....
Hello all, I have been lurking now for some time, great forum. I am interested in a Rainsong, but having a hard time picking the right model. Originally, I was thinking jumbo JM 1000. I need something to keep up with loud strummers....I'm more of a lead player with a slightly lighter touch. Not having a cut-away worries me a little. Then looked at the WS 1000, has cut-away, but a little less boom as I was told. Well...then you all have been raving about the shorty. This is something I could see using a lot, especially for my solo wine bar type gig's. Nice and small, looks comfortable. I do not have any dealers around Cleveland here.....any input would be appreciated. Do you think a Shorty would keep up with a Dread style Taylor, that was being strummed hard ???? Thanks again...
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Frankie,
I live in NW Ohio and had the same problem. Ted from LA Guitar Sales answered all my questions and when I couldn't choose between the Rainsong OM and Dread, he had someone play both of them to me over the phone. I was able to choose my H-DR1100 N2 and haven't regretted it since! Give Ted a call - he's a great sounding board and extremely helpful both before and after the sale. Plus, he's one of the sponsors here and will give you a member discount...
__________________
RW Skaggs, the tinman : Acorn House Custom by Chris Kenney:Tinman "Heart Guitar" SJ McKnight Mini-Mac V; Madagascar RW, Italian/Carpathian top; exquisite! John Helton Custom OM; Honduran Mahogany Burl "the Growler" Rainsong H-DR1100N2 Journey travel guitar in Nashville high tuning "The music lives in the musician; not the instrument." |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
I'd concur with calling Ted and taking his advice to the bank, so-to-speak...
__________________
Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Fender Robert Cray Stratocaster Martin D18 Ambertone Martin 000-15sm |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Frankie, welcome to the "other side of the fence" (poster vs "just" lurker!). Nothing to add - I got my Rainsong from Ted and was very happy with the process, price, and persons involved as well.
Do let us know what you end up with, and how it works out in both venues. Best, Phil |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks you guys....just talked to Ted, he was very helpful, and seemed like a real cool guy too. He was kind of swaying to the WS 1000. He said it was the most versatile of the bunch. I do like a cut-away, but not sure if I want to compromise the loudness factor.....wish I could hold them both in my hands !
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
I do solo gigs with my JM1000 Jumbo, and have been very happy with it. If you play amplified, the extra natural acoustic volume of the jumbo body size probably doesn't matter, and if you play lead, the lack of a cutaway can be a limitation. Still, I have found mine to work well for both amplified and unamplified uses; I usually don't play extensive lead lines high on the neck on it, and it makes for a fine strumming or fingerpicking instrument. If you'll be playing lead in an unamplified context, I'd think you'd want the most volume possible, especially if, as you indicate, you are competing with loud strumming from other instruments. If those are jumbos or dreads, my guess is that leads played on an orchestra or grand auditorium body would not be sufficiently audible; you would probably do better with a jumbo or dreadnaught-sized instrument which would also perform well for you in a solo context.
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
About a year ago, I played a COWS1000N2. Loud, with a sound as close to wood as you can get (I attribute that once again to the unidirectional top). Very comfortable to play.
__________________
Lisa Phoenix Guitar Co. Custom Classical Guitar Rainsong Shorty FLE Pre Peavey Cargo |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
If I were to get a smaller Rainsong it'd be the CO-WS1000N2. It's warm and plenty loud enough to play lead.
__________________
Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
All good choices indeed...
__________________
YUP.... Emerald: X-20, Center hole X-10 (Maple) and X-7 (redwood), Spalted Chen Chen X 10 level 3, CA: Early OX and Cargo McPherson: Early Kevin Michael Proto Some wood things by Epi, Harmony, Takamine, Good Time, PRS, Slick, Gypsy Music, keyboards, wind controllers.. etc |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I have a JM1000 (old hawaiian one). Used to have a WS1000 (one of the old hawaiian ones also....)
The Jumbo is quite a bit bigger in sound and would make a great strummer. Also the carbon fiber looks great across the back of that large jumbo body! |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
I've been looking into rainsong guitars myself after playing one at my local gc.(not sure the exact model but was close to 3k) They really need a dreadnaught cutaway in their less expensive studio or hybrid series... still scratching my head as to why they don't offer one...
|
#12
|
||||
|
||||
I know that Guitar Center has Rainsongs on their website but didn't realize they were stocking them at their stores. Rainsongs (and maybe other CF guitars) are like tube amps in that the size/wattage is greater than that of wooden guitars/solid state amps. Admittedly my experience is limited to the comments of others and my own experiences with Rainsong HS-OM and S-OMs which have a really full-sound that belies their size. As to the lack of a cutaway dread, maybe they figure that a dread player is going to stick to cowboy chords....
__________________
Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Fender Robert Cray Stratocaster Martin D18 Ambertone Martin 000-15sm |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
If and when I can afford a 2nd RainSong, it will be a Shorty. It's such a great shape and a comfy guitar, and I would love the short scale neck. But, I owned a RainSong OM for a number of years and although I loved the size and playability, I was always a bit jealous when I would play my friends Taylor dread because it had a stronger low end and more power when strumming. This was the case whether acoustic or amplified. When I was shopping for a new RainSong this past summer, I found the WS to get me closer to that low end power that I found lacking in the OM. I compared the WS and OM on 2 occasions and while YMMV, the WS was the clear choice for me and 6 months later, I remain thrilled with my new H-WS1100N2. Now that I have a WS, a Shorty OM would be the perfect 2nd guitar, but if I could only have one, it definitely would be the WS.
|