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#1
03-05-2019, 03:19 PM
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Rainsong Build
Been looking for some time to get what would be my perfect festival, travel and rv guitar that would be impervious to bad conditions such as heat, and low humidity specifically because in the summer months it gets hot in fairgrounds in Or. Wa. Id. and Ca. and I have on more than one occasion run into under 5% humidity. Scary for my expensive wood guitars. Saw a Martin lose it's bindings at one show.
I knew I wanted another CF guitar. I just sold my Shorty here a couple of months ago, I liked it and used it for a year but just didn't have the volume I needed acoustically. And the other thing I didn't care for was the trap door electronics, which I never used. I have had 4 Rainsongs and 1 Emerald X7 in the past. Also had a Lucky 13 for a year and a McPherson travel model. Tried the collapsable Journey as well, so have had a pretty wide selection and experience with CF. All had one thing in common as far as traveling, NO worry, but not all were acceptable in the music settings I play. The one thing about the Rainsongs is the neck, for me, the fastest and most comfortable playing neck I have used, extremely easy to play and I really love the 12 fret short scale. I don't care for the triple O or OM size however, need more out front punch and I like the comfort of a traditional dreadnought, my arm rest's just perfect on the top. I as already stated hated the trap doors. I don't like Sharks much either I prefer the traditional dots for markers. The other thing I don't care much for is the Black look, I like a sunburst or natural. Natural obviously not an option on CF. So rather than buy any more ready mades and keep selling them I decided to order one to my personal likes. I considered the RS Dreadnought as it comes but full length scale anymore kills my hands, a Gibson short scale or Martin at 24.9 is perfect for me. I find the full scale tension hard on my old hands, short scale in combination with SCGC low tension strings are just the perfect mix allowing me to practice mu usual four hours a day without consequence in the form of pain or overuse issues. I play as my main music Bluegrass Fiddle Tune leads and my secondary music choice on guitar is Spanish music. My favorite of all time Maria Elena, and similar tunes which require great sustain so CF is perfect for that. The K&K will probably enhance it nicely thru my acoustic amp or sound system as well. So I with the help of Ted and Helena at LA sales and Dave at Rainsong ordered a Hybrid Dreadnought with Uni Derectional top and the satin back and sides and neck finish, the 12 Fret Neck in Short Scale, 2 3/16" spacing, 1 3/4" nut width, in Tobacco Sunburst finish and a K&K mini thrown in for possible amplified gigs and traditional dot markers. I think this guitar is going to hit all the bells and whistles I am after. I considered the Emerald X30 but the non traditional look in my world doesn't work for me to well and at Twice the price! The rainsong came in Way under 2K so it doesn't hurt as bad. When I had my APLE which was a great guitar be it a bit small many times people thought it was wood due to the Sunburst finish and I came to like it. Still out a month or so but anxiously waiting for what I hope to be a winner, if not I'll try again!  Jerry
Last edited by JerryM; 03-05-2019 at 08:45 PM. 
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#2
03-05-2019, 03:25 PM
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wow, I called Rainsong the other day and they wouldn't even take the darn sharks of Concert for me.... how did you get so lucky. The person at Rainsong said they do not do customs.
__________________
revj, Kronbauer DRN Adi/HOG Kronbauer DRN Adi/RW Taylor 510 Limited 2003 Taylor 320e Limited Baritone 2014 RainSong Shorty SS 12fret RainSong CO-DR1000NT Mainland Ceder/RW tenor Uke. Outdoor tenor Uke Heywire Custom Swamp ash Strat
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#3
03-05-2019, 04:06 PM
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Rev, give Ted @ LA Sales a holler, he and Dave at Rainsong are very accommodating and will work with you. They gave me exactly what I was after. They actually used to make a Bluegrass Special guitar a dreadnought which would have been perfect for me but it is no longer made. I just took what I liked from it and applied the same configuration to the CH Dread. If what you like can be done Ted will certainly help you out. And he is always fair with price, highly recommend. Jerry
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#4
03-05-2019, 06:12 PM
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That custom build sounds like a winner! Maybe they could make it a signature model and add it to their roster...
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#5
03-05-2019, 07:04 PM
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Wow, sounds like you did a lot of work and experimenting to figure out exactly what you need. Congrats, and I hope the wait is short. I second the Ted recommendation. Top quality people.
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John
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#6
03-05-2019, 08:25 PM
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Quote:
You can get an N2 or NS neck You can get your choice of 3 different pickups or none. You can get several different burst finishes. That's about it. They generally won't take off the sharks from a model that has sharks or add them to one that does not, or otherwise change the fretmarkers. Much like I can go to a Ford Dealer and order a new Mustang. I can have cloth seats, or a convertible, but Ford refuses to allow me to order a drop top with cloth seats.  Jerry ordered a Hybrid series which has big giant white fret dots, which is how he avoided the sharks. Personally I like the Sharks. To each his own. And absolutely call up Ted and Helena and see what they can do for you.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music
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#7
03-05-2019, 08:44 PM
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A lot of people like the Sharks, being into traditional music they and the exotic shapes don't do it for me. I like a guitar that looks like a traditional guitar but made of the non traditional materials.
IF and that'a a big IF McPherson ever puts a short scale neck on the Sable I will most likely buy one, but as of last contact no plans to do so. I like everything they do on their Sable with that exception. All my Rainsongs have been very good players and with the truss I have been able to get super easy actions.
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#10
03-05-2019, 10:30 PM
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Will do, I have high hopes for this one, if it plays as well as my Shorty GS did and adds the projection and bass I'm seeking for leads I will be ecstatic! It should be here soon enough for the festival season starting in May so will give it a workout!
I will be running it thru my Bose L1 system with the T mixer and with that setup and the K&K passive it should sound awesome. My other amp is a 50W Marshall I have been using for the Shorty and it was nice as well. Only like to carry one setup though for ease of transport...the Bose has been an amazing setup for me.
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#13
03-06-2019, 12:24 PM
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Wow, that's pretty cool Jerry! I didn't know RainSong would do a one off. You say there is a model number though, like a production guitar?
Looking forward to your thoughts when it arrives.
__________________
Don't chase tone. Make tone.
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#14
03-06-2019, 12:27 PM
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The old orig. RS's had a N1 neck with no truss rod and thicker profile.
NS is a 12 fret with truss rod performance profile N2 is a 14 fret with truss rod performance profile All RS models have the same profile neck shape, a very good one for me at least , easy on the hand and very fast playing. Their fret work is outstanding. The model number shows all the options but they will make you one if you ask, it is not listed in the catalog but available, They are all standard options just put together in a different way which will make it unique in that respect. I only found out about the option thru Ted to begin with, he had one similar but with marker dots on the fret board and a trap door.
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#15
03-06-2019, 03:22 PM
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Nice, Jerry! The RS 12 fret dreds are fantastic.
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