Rainsong 12 fret? How do they sound?

ahorsewithnonam · #1 02-01-2014, 09:48 PM

Curious..... Would be a great guitar to take back and forth to Florida.

jdinco · #2 02-01-2014, 10:50 PM

My reply is biased since I own 2 Rainsongs.. The Shorty (OM) 12 fret is very good, a nice sweet OM voice and a joy to play. A very intimate sound that can get loud if needed. Great feel. It is my "travel" guitar. If you have never played one, they are well worth finding.

The Rainsong Parlor is one of the best sounding "small" guitars I have heard and played. I do not own one.

Something that has caught me off guard is how dull my wood guitars sound after playing the Rainsongs for an extended period. My ears do adjust back as long as I don't pickup the Rainsong, but that is VERY hard not to do. Sorry if my answer is over the top, but I LOVE my Rainsong CO-WS1000N2, it is one of the finest guitars I have owned or played, I sold off several very highly regarded wood guitars after getting it. Due to lack of play time for them! I am miffed at why they are not more popular, lack of exposure i would guess.

May want to ask this in the "Carbon Fiber" area....

ahorsewithnonam · #3 02-01-2014, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdinco

My reply is biased since I own 2 Rainsongs...but a 12 fret WS would be wonderful! The Shorty (OM) 12 fret is very good, a nice sweet OM voice and a joy to play. Great feel. If you have never played one, they are well worth finding, I would put my CO-WS1000N2 up against any guitar out there. Not saying it's better, but it sure does compete. And I have sold off some very good wood guitars after purchasing the WS Rainsong.

The Rainsong Parlor is one of the best sounding "small" guitars I have heard and played.

Something that has caught me off guard is how dull my wood guitars sound after playing the Rainsongs for an extended period. My ears do adjust back as long as I don't pickup the Rainsong, but that is VERY hard not to do.

May want to ask this in the "Carbon Fiber" area....

I forgot we had a Carbon Fiber section!!!!! I'll walk on over there right now....

slimey · #4 02-01-2014, 11:52 PM

Nice tone, strings make a big difference, a set of Pearse pb's really mellows out the tone a reduces the treble, I'm not overly fond of very bright sounding instruments.
We've been having a very cold winter in the Midwest, my Rainsong has saved me as I'd not take one of my wood instruments out of the house with these -30 f temps we keep having. Obviously the Rainsong doesn't care.
I have the Parlor 12p which is a very flexible instrument, handles most styles of playing and even open tunings. It's been a great addition to my quiver and has more than paid for itself this winter.

jdinco · #5 02-02-2014, 12:01 AM

I do not like bright guitars either, though I had never been an Elixir fan, I found the Poly 80/20's to work very well on the Shorty. I will try the Pearse! Thanks

I rarely take the RS out of the house in the winter, but with the wood stove burning and super low humidity, it's nice to be able to leave a guitar out for playing anytime I get the urge while the woodies are all safe in 45% humidity.

AZLiberty · #6 02-02-2014, 12:58 AM

Like most 12-frett designs it sacrifices some overtones for the fundamental.

Mine was a bit overly bright until I replaced the Elixirs with EXPs. Might try PB Elixirs next.

Playing mine (Rainsong Shorty) a couple months ago at a Sci Fi Convention:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26RumjHN76E

Doubleneck · #7 02-02-2014, 05:39 AM

Have the 12 fret Parlor, amazingly full sounding for its size and is my travel guitar. Right now I am just enjoying the heck out of my JM1000 Jumbo, just booms and you can lay it out in the Ohio winter. These guys wrote the book on quality control as well.

dkoloff · #8 02-02-2014, 08:30 AM

The Shorty is a great mix of sound and playability....and the JP strings make for a really good match.

Captain Jim · #9 02-02-2014, 10:43 AM

Shorty 12-fret owner here. Very comfortable guitar, plays sweet, and sounds great. Definitely a different sound from my wood guitars; I've heard it described as more "piano-like" and I get that.

We travel a lot; generally by boat or RV. Right now, we are in the desert in the Phoenix area... and my Shorty is out on a guitar stand. The humidity is forecast for 29% today. The guitar is happy. I am happy. No humidifiers. No fuss.

I thought there might be a trade-off in sound for the ease of carbon fiber. The sound is different, but not a trade-off. This guitar is a keeper.

Captain Jim