Rainsong WS 1000 Acoustic

Late 2000 Purchased new from Elderly Intruments and returned for an exchange. Tried several at local stores and fell in love with this model. The size, stability and light weight plus the tone of this cabon fiber instrment sold me. The hardware and pickups are first rate as others have described.

The sound is very bright and full with tones that are unique to this material. I'm running it through a Carvin 100D amp and it works well.

There were four problems with my guitar which led me to send it back for an exchange. First of all, I had my set up expert check out the action for buzzy frets and we found the follwing: The neck was warped and has a hump at the heel, The frets had a flat spot around the 7th fret, there was a nick in the neck behind the 7th fret(like a knife cut), and the srew holding the strap pin at the heel was very rough and damaged. The action was set higher than I like and because of the neck problem we decided to send it back to Elderly Instruments.
They were very nice about it and professional, I eagerly await my new guitar.
I went back to my local store to look at the same model with a similar serial number and it was fine. So maybe I just got a lemon.
I really like these guitars and I plan to keep mine forever, I just want others to check on the quality control before purchasing an expensive instument.

N/A yet

Rainsong was very nice and responsive to my inquery. The responded within 24 hours. They would have required me to ship it to Hawaii for warranty work if I hadn't returned it for an exchange from the retailer.

I've played off and on for 9years. The only bad one I've seen was the one I received so I think that these are generally consistantly good guitars. I would buy one again if it were stolen. I have a
1981 Ibanez GB-10. I love the light weight and the tone of these guitars. I felt comfortable mailordering one because there is no wood in them and they should all be the same right?

This is a new, made-in-September model. Mail order, sight unseen from Elderly in Michigan. Came with the best hardshell case i have ever had. Made by TKL which i never heard of. Does not have a pickguard. Only thing that is wood i beleive the pins. I registered online and received a response within hours about the date of manufacture.

Sound...I play elec and acoustic in a church Praise team with piano, synth, flute, V-drums, bass and several vocalists. The first night I played with the Rainsong, the bassist stopped and asked what the sound was in his headphones, he thought it was another piano! Cleanest plugged in acoustic sound and sustain you can imagine. Does not have the typical piezo harshness. Lots of cool overtones, put your ear next to the body, and strum... it just doesn't stop ringing.
Doesn't have the bass of a D-28 but plenty for a balanced tone. Every string is distinct, and i will probably have to use a mute, since this thing is so loud.

Electric action, I may lower even a bit more. Great finish quality
looks kind of like my graphite/kevlar tennis raquet. fretwork very clean. it is a deep guitar and takes some getting used to since i usually play a Tele. Back is flat, however...i hated the Ovation backs. The Fishman setup is great with easy battery access. Stays in tune well even with brutal strumming.

It came with light Elixir strings which are my favorites. I mainly bought this guitar to withstand the extremely dry hot conditions of the Arizona desert. One of my wood acoustics basically blew up in my closet, and of course, i now keep my others in their cases with humidifiers. Hardware is solid as is the finish.

lifetime warranty.

I have owned Martins D-28 and custom 000-18, Guild D-50 which are all superb guitars. I would rate this higher than any guitar i have ever owned or played based on the durability, playability, and unbelievable electric and acoustic sound. As far as the beautiful look of maple, rosewood and ebony, this ain't your dad's guitar. For me however, I found the guitar I have been looking for for the last 30 years of my life.

Made in Maui fom carbon fibre, this guitar is very light. The neck is very slim with 3/4" at the nut. The strings fit very good in the nut, a little more than half way. The frets are medium -jumbo and are easy on your fingers. The fret ends are nicely rounded and do not stick out as on wooden guitars where the wood fingerboard has shrunkened. The fingerboard, in fact, the entire guitar is made of carbon fiber. When I first bought it, I thought that the action was a little high for me. After shaving a little less that 16th inch from the bottom of the saddle it plays to my liking. It does not rattle or buzz and has 12-52 Elixer strings on it which somehow do not feel heavy at all. The body is shaped like a 0000 Martin but is thicker. It also has a small cutaway and a black pickguard. Instead of the usual dot inlays there are abalone sharks and the RainSong logo at the 12th fret. The body meets the neck at the 14th fret. The round abalone circle around the slightly larger soundhole is beautifully done. The top has these parallel lines on it but you cannot feel it. The sides have a diagonal pattern to it but still you cannot feel it. It's a nice touch, sort of custom looking. This guitar does not have any binding like on regular guitars. The top is squared at the edges and the back is slightly rounded. Overall it has a very smooth, shiny finish and looks cool in the lights. The tuning keys are Gotoh and seem adequate, I don't think it needs changing to anything else. The carbon bridge is very ebony-looking and is shaped beautifully and even rounded on the edges. The bridgepins are rounded also and fit low in the holes so nothing is sticking up like on regular guitars. The electronics are Fishman with a transducer at the bridge saddle and an internal mike. I plugged it in the other day and after notching out any feedback or howlin got a good sound. It could use a little more bass but I am sure with a little more practice I can get it sounding real good. It came with a custom SKB wooden case with crushed blue-velvet which is real heavy duty.

Here's the real deal guys...This guitar stays in tune. It played in tune right out of the case. I live in the desert. In fact the other day I played it indoors @67D then stepped outdoors in my backyard for 30 minutes @105D, back into the air and it still stayed in tune. I've had big-buck Martins that have fallen apart and cracked on me. This guitar is a dream come true for us who live in the ever-changing temperatures of the desert. It uses Elixers strings which are known to stay in tune for weeks. I just gave my 912 Taylor away to a friend and I'm using this instead. I've had it up to my neck with wooden guitars. Here it can get as hot as 118D down to 28D which is tough on wood guitars. The sound, well, it is very clear in fact it takes some time at first when you hear it. You can hear every note whether high or low and they seem to be at the same volume. The neck is 3/4 at the nut but is shaped very slim. The fingerbrd is very flat. I think it has a 20" radius. You have to use a classical capo on this guitar cause it is very flat. I love it and can't put it down. I also bought a new Gibson L5 at the same time as the RainSong but play this guitar more than the L5. It sounds so clear and warm to me. I have been playing it around the house acoustically and I like the sound that I hear. Electrically, plugged it in and got a good sound which is easy to get. Remember, it stays in tune and is ultra-light. It's a good recording guitar.

After I shaved a bit from the bottom of the saddle it plays better to me. It does not have an adjustable trussrod but then again maybe it does not need it. This is built with different technology so although it has a built-in bow my fingers don't seem to have trouble with it. The finish is pretty smooth to me and boy is it shiny. I really like the abalone inlays on it althought he headstock looks plain. Sort of shaped narrow like an old Martin. Like I mentioned before the heaver strings do not feel as tight althought this has a 25 1/2" scale.

A strap button is attached to the heel and the endpin. The jack is also located at the endpin. This guitar seems very durable although I still would treat it carefully. It is something that is new being built from carbon fibre, seems strong to me. I would play this without a backup.

Registered this online and received snail mail thanking me for my purchase. That's nice hearing from the company but then again it's the Aloha spirit. I've had no problems so far. I actually wanted to buy the JZ1000 jazz guitar but that has been discontinued. I'll try to find a used model if I can. They have a lifetime warranty to the original owner. I've talked with them on the phone in the past and they are helpful.

I've been playin for 40 yrs and have owned the best Martins. This guitar is a very good working axe and it stays in tune. It plays good with the action I have on it now. No buzzs or rattles like on a wood guitar. I compared it to my Taylor 912C which I gave away. I'd rather have this guitar. I play in a show 4 nites a week for the last 10 yrs and want a guitar that'll stayin tune during the show. Guys, this is it! I'm gonna try to find a JZ1000 jazz guitar and maybe I'll sell my L5 and pocket the extra cash. RainSong WS1000 has a flat radius neck so you have to use a classical capo cause the others will buzz. Blame the capo not the guitar. With this guitar you conceintrate more making music than fighting the guitar to get it to play right. I don't worry much about the electric sound cause I know that the stuff on this is "top-of-the-line. Fantastic value..way less than I Marin D45 without electronics. This guitar is made to be played on stage..in the bright lights. Remember..stays in tune.

NEW GRAPHITE MODEL FROM RAINSONG. COMES WITH A FISHMAN PICKUP. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A TUNER BUILT IN WITH THE PICKUP LIKE THE TAKAMINE HD 90.COMES WITH A NICE CASE. THE BODY IS A CUTAWAY ACOUSTIC THAT IS DEEPER THAN A STANDARD ACOUSTIC AND IS WELL PRPORTIONED. THE FINISH IS A GLOSSY ACRYLIC WHICH WAS NEAR PERFECT. THE GRAPHITE MATERIAL HAS SOME IMPERFECTIONS WHICH TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO. WHEN YOU PAY THIS MUCH FOR A GUITAR YOU WANT IT TO BE PERFECT BUT I MUST ACCEPT THE FACT THE GRAPHITE IS LIKE THIS-EVEN ON BICYCLES MADE OUT OF IT.

IT REALLY DOES SOUND AMAZING.I PLAYED IT AT MCABES IN SANTA MONICA AND HAD TO HAVE IT EVEN THOGH I PAYED A LITTLE TOO MUCH--$1871. I THINK IT CAN BE BOUGHT FOR AROUND 1500 FROM ELDERLY. THE VOLUME IS LOUD AND THAT IS WHAT IS MOST STRIKING AT FIRST. THE NEXT THING I NOTICED WAS HOW ALL THE NOTES OF A CHORD COULD BE HEARD AS WELL AS THE OVERTONES. IT HAS VERY FULL HIGH NOTES AND LOW NOTES.I PLAY BLUES AND AM LEARNING BE BOP AND THIS GUITAR REALLY DOES SOUND AMAZING. I HAVE A MARTIN D42 AND THE RAINSONG IS SO MUCH CLEARER SOUNDING. THE ACTION ON THE RAINSONG IS PERFECT. NO FRET BUZZES ANYWHERE.

THE GUITAR WAS SET UP PERFECTLY.IT COMES WITH GORE TEX COATED STRINGS WHICH SOUNG GREAT AND REALLY DO LAST LONGER.THE FINISH FLAWS WERE VERY MINOR AND I OBSESSED FOR ABOUT A WEEK OVER THEM. I COULDN'T STOP PLAYING THIS GUITAR-IT SOUNDS THAT GOOD.

THIS GUITAR WILL BE THE ONLY THING LEFT ON EARTH AFTER THE "BIG ONE" EXCEPT FOR MAYBE COCKROACHES. THE TUNING MACHINES AND STRAP BUTTONS AND FINISH ARE VERY WELL MADE AND APPEAR LIKE THEY WILL LAST. I WOULD USE IT ON A GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP NO PROBLEM.

HAVEN'T HAD TO DEAL WITH THE COMPANY AND HOPEFULLY WON'T HAVE TO EXCEPT FOR REGISTERING IT ON LINE.

I HAVE LOTS OF GUITARS AND CAN'T STOP PLAYING THIS ONE.I WISHED I GOT IT ON LINE FROM ELDERLY BUT THE FLIP SIDE IS IT REALLY SOUNDED SO GOOD I HAD TO HAVE IT. IT IS STRIKING HOW GOOD THIS GUITAR SOUNDS-IT IS ONE OF THOSE EXPERIENCES THAT WE'VE ALL HAD THAT NO AMOUNT OF WORDS CAN CONVEY-ONCE YOU HEAR THE SOUND YOU CAN'T UN-RING THE BELL.

All carbon fiber body and neck, with Fishman Prefix Onboard Blender. It has 21 frets, abelony inlays around the sound hole and on the fret board shaped like sharks, "Rainsong" is also inlaid at the 12th fret position. Tuners are Gotoh. Finsih is gloss of course. The body has a cutaway and it's(body) depth is deeper than a normal dreadnaought. The neck is very thin also and the guitar is very light in weight. The guitar came with a hard shell case, Elixir strings and a set of picks. They also included some stickers, whoopee.

This guitar has a very bright sound and it is also loud. It has good note seperation and the trebles have the bell like quality that the company claims to have. The projection is exellent and so is the balance. When plugged in this is one sweet sounding accoutic. The Fishman Prefix Onboard Blender system has to be one of the best or not the best for capturing that accoustic sound plugged in. The bass on the guitar could use a little more tone but other than that it's loudness makes up for it.

The finih is very nice and has a high tech look to it. The guitar looks of very good cratsmanship. The action is low and the neck is very thin. Overall the guitar feels very comfortable and looks well made.

I think this guitar will last a thousand years. It's made of carbon fiber.

Haven't delt with them yet.

I've been playing for about 15 yrs. If this guitar was stolen or lost I would get another one. Becuase the sound is very impressive, the guitar is very well made. I have an Ovation and Gibson And this guitar just out performs them both. I've played Tacomas and Martins and every guitar has it's own unique sound. The sound from the Rainsong just happens to be the sound that I am looking for. Overall with the carbon fiber, feel, and sound this guitar fits me just fine.

Built in 1999 in Kihei, Maui, HI. Hand crafted. 14 fret neck - 22 total Patented Tuned projection layering top. Dual pick up Fishburn Electronics. Piezo under bridge and microphone in body. All Carbon Fiber. With incredibly rich wood tonalities. Cut away body Schaller tuning Thin neck Case included

As a former Martin D-35 owner, I am constantly impressed with the warmth and resonance in this guitar. Fantastic for classical finger pickin' tunes. The sound is bright without being brassy, very well balanced. Precise bass notes, a bit less BIG on the bass than a D-35. but bvery impressive.

Perfect action. Best miked instrument I have ever heard!! Perfect workmanship. The people at Rainsong take great pride in handcrafting this instrument.

This guitar is almost indestructable. Carbon fiber neck, body, etc. Let it rain during the gig (no problem) Not affected by temperature or moisture.

Dealt with Rainsong personally while they were building the guitar. Very helpfull and friendly Lifetime Guarantee, Have not and probably will not need to have it repaired ever!

Have played for 18 years. This guitar since January 1999. The first one of the new Projection tuned layering sold on Maui.