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Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | Has anyone tried one of these grapite wonders? I've been seeing them in the GC, or Elderly's catalog for years now, and I've only just tried one at Elderly's the other day. It was a major disappointment. No low end, very pinched sound, not much volume (or maybe I'm spoiled by Ovations abundant volume - I dunno). Anyhoo, I'd much rather pay that big price for an Adamas, or something like that.
Having said that, I still have never played an Adamas, but I'm sure it's WAYYY better than the RainSong. Has anyone been able to A/B compare the two? |
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Posts: 338
Location: Toronto | I tried a rainsong @ Ed Romans and it was pure crap, no comparison, nothing to A/B it from since the rainsong couldn't come close to providing even a point of reference. It sounded tinny (worse than my old Martin backpacker), was uncomfortable, had no volume and looked rather unattractive. Now my adamas re-issue is just pure heaven! |
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Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | I think of Rainsong's piece of the market pie much like I view Ovation's. Never gonna be mainstream because it's not all-wood. Having said that, I'll bet you that...just like Ovation...they have no trouble selling every guitar they can produce.
I AM absolutely in love with a certain Rainsong at my nearby mom 'n pop store. It's a 12 fret parlor-sized guitar (I forget if it's a slothead) with Graphite top and laminated Rosewood back and sides, Fishman preamp. This is the sweetest sounding small-bodied guitar I've ever heard. That's hard for me to say 'cause I have a '97 Collectors' that is very special to me.
The owner wanted one and when he called Rainsong they said they didn't make them any more, but they had 6 left in the warehouse...so he bought all 6. I have a dream that I'll squirrel away enough to buy the last one before it's gone. John <>{ |
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Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | Rosewood back and sides? Maybe that's why it sounds better than the one that I played.
I really do root for these alternative methods of guitar construction. I'm not a tree-hugger, but if someone can get close to that sound, and save a tree in the process - more power to ya.
The RainSong that I played was the more expensive - all graphite model and, being that it's much more expensive, I had huge expectations for this instrument, and was mightily disappointed.
I can't WAIT to wrap my mits around an Adamas! |
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Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Like every other manufacturer Rainsong has high-end and low-end models, and one would expect the performance of the guitars to follow this curve.
I've only played Rainsongs in the shops, but the higher-end ones sounded pretty good to me and I think the graphite tops are kind of cool looking. I also like the "shark" fret markers.
From reading on other forums the Rainsong jumbos are supposed to be the loudest unplugged guitar out there. Also I think Rainsong is aiming at a nitch market; the all-weather nearly-indestructable guitar. I think tone is a secondary consideration for them behind toughness. |
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June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | One of the guitar players in my worship band plays an all graphite Rainsong. Now this is a guy who has a lovely Taylor 514 and a vintage Martin (I think D-28). Plays the Rainsong in worship band consistently. Oh, the wood boxes have shown up on occasion, but he brings the Rainsong almost all the time. The odd thing is that I have never asked him why he prefers it. He bought it at Mandolin Brothers out on Staten Island. He went there and played a bunch of guitars and fell in love with the Rainsong. I have played the instrument and it frets easy and has sustain to die for. Full of harmonics, but not warm sounding acoustically. Plugged in it sounds fine. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | They Suck.
next? |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Well, that pretty much cinched it . . . . |
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Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | What CWK2 said-- and they're way overpriced for what they are. The one I heard sounded like one of those old plastic toy Mattel "Mousegetars." |
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March 2002
Posts: 255
| I was wondering if anyone can remember the tuning for RAINSONG???? I havent played it in years but thought about it the other night.. Its a simple song if the guitar is tuned properly but what a amazing song!!!!..
Jimmy Page-- So primitive but yet so complex |
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June 2006
Posts: 6
Location: Hazlet, NJ | If I remember correctly, Rainsong is tuned to Open G. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Led for the Head
More Led
Here's a couple. It is a dropped tuning. I know a progression in standard tuning as well.
Maybe with one of those British Cappoes! |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | bauerhillboy,
How much were they asking for the parlor rainsong? |
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March 2002
Posts: 255
| AWESOME! THANKS!!!!!!!!! Cant beat the original tuning!!!
Hey Bill , didnt Jimmy have a Ovation early on??? But he complained about it sliding off his knee???? Just curious because i heard that plus i saw a picture in the oldest manuals of who I thought looked like jimmy.. |
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Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | "PUSH PUSH PUSH...."
Sorry. I was doing my Robert Plant impersonation. |
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Posts: 4413
| Rainsongs are a waste of graphite. You could make a lot of really nice pencils..... |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Gee whizzy.....I've A-to-Bed Adamas and Rainsong at Elderly....there are not so hot Rainsongs, but there are also some that are quite good. I don't know the model, but the one I tried was an all-CF 000 cutaway, something like that....it was very much to my taste. I played it and a W597 at the same time, same room. I liked both. The W597 had more of a "natural" sound, I thought. But I liked the tone of the Rainsong. That particular model also had a very slim neck, very easy to play.
I played the Rainsong parlor at Elderly and it was one of the ones that I thought was not so hot. I remember the price as around $600-$700.
I remember someone on the OFC BB having a Rainsong a couple of years ago; the CF neck warped in the heat when he left it in his car on a hot summer day....it was NOT covered under warranty, and was NOT repairable.
Roger |
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Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | The one I heard sounded like one of those old plastic toy Mattel "Mousegetars." Geeze, I can't believe what I'm hearing from the people on this board.
People who live in glass houses......... |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . use a lotta' Windex?? |
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Posts: 4413
| :D |
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Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | I just thought, in light of the sensitivity that some folks have to all the "tupper-ware", "salad-bowl", and "plastic guitar" comments, that we would be the last ones to hurl insults at another synthetic guitar.
And I know I'm gonna catch it for saying this, but every single Celebrity I have ever heard or played sounded pretty weak and thin in comparison to the higher end stuff. We dont want the all-wood-box-crowd judging Ovations based on a couple minutes spent in GC with a Celebrity do we?
That's what I meant by the "glass houses" remark. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | And people in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones is the one I heard.
Brian's right, you should all be ashamed of yourselves. I wouldn't mind taking a factory tour to see how they assemble them.
I still reserve the right to be an Ovation snob though. |
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March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | I haven't played one myself (yet), but I have it on good authority that These Don\'t Suck . From what I have heard myself, they're a "little too Taylor-like" for me. Wood box or not, that's not the sound I'm into. Jeff's Lowden on the other hand... :D |
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June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | I'm with Brian.
I think we can agree that Celebs, and certainly Applause don't stack up to the U.S. Ovations generally for sound and workmanship (although the Ute debacle might blur that distinction based on the number that were sent back to the mothership to be made "right"), but occasionally there may be a really fine one. All of us Adamas wanks certainly ought to be slow to toss around the "they suck" moniker for a kindred graphite axe.
Some Rainsongs sound fine, some don't - same as every other manufacturer including Ovation. What happened to "different flavors of ice cream is OK"? |
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August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | Okay-- so Brian T.; you quoted me (not by name) and then made the "glass houses" comment. Not quite sure how to take that. Is the intimation that I have crappy guitars? Since I'm not fortunate enought to own an Adamas or an Elite but only a lowly Balladeer, Pacemaker and CS 257 that I should take my inferior toys and go home? Maybe I will. Maybe I should. For the record though, this guy was playing a RainSong JM 1000 through a Trace Elliott acoustic amp. The RainSong was a jumbo, I think it's toward the top of the line. The amp was a really good amp. He had plenty of volume and projection, but the tone was lousy. He fought it all night, put a processor on it, tried everything. No luck. The best he could do was this "plinky, plinky, plinky" sound-- which reminded me of nothing more than the sound those little toy Mattel guitars made when you strummed the little monofiliament strings. The way that RainSong sounded, I'd put up my lowly, crappy Balladeer and CS 257 against it any day. I didn't make the connection about the "plastic guitar" thing until somebody mentioned it in a later reply. I guess I can see how people might be touchy about that, but-- that's worse than saying "they suck?"
You know, we're commenting all the time about "wooden guitar snobs" and how they don't give Ovation owners a fair shake. And yet we make comments among ourselves like, "I think we can agree that Celebs, and certainly Applause don't stack up to the U.S. Ovations generally for sound and workmanship..." No snobbery there? I'm surprised you tolerate us peons who don't own top of the line "O's."
Then again, maybe you don't.
Talk about "glass houses!" |
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RainSong anyone???
