Guitar Review: Rainsong Black Ice Jumbo (BI-JM1000N2)

Black Ice Jumbo

This review of Rainsong’s Black Ice series jumbo guitar is my fifth review of a Rainsong guitar.  I now own three Rainsong guitars — all jumbo bodied models.  The purchase of the Black Ice jumbo took place in May, 2023, and was my retirement gift to myself after working 38 years as a clinic pharmacist (good bye corporate, allopathic medicine!).

Rainsong has four series of guitars.  Two series have a spruce sound board fused to the carbon fiber top (essentially two sound boards fused together).  The two series with this spruce fusion are the Nashville and Vintage series.  The two series with all carbon fiber construction are the Concert and Black Ice varieties.  Concerning the Black Ice series, Rainsong offers this comment:

When players picture a Rainsong, they’re often thinking about the Black Ice series.  Not only are they breathtaking to view, but every soundboard is individually conceived with its own unique appearance and signature tone.

When I tell my guitar playing friends I have become a fan, advocate, and devotee of Rainsong guitars (and carbon fiber guitars in general) I encounter raised eyebrows and the comment of “really?”  Yes, really.  The vast majority are curious and ask more questions.  Some — a minority who are guitar luddites  — just shake their heads in disbelief.  These “Doubting Thomases” need to know that any and all carbon fiber guitars stand within the “tradition” of the acoustic guitar.  Any tradition must be living to be valid — otherwise tradition becomes a dead “traditionalism.”  That is, there must be a “creative faithfulness” to the established, ongoing tradition.  Hence, each new generation must both live within the established tradition, and express the tradition with a new, excited, and winsome voice.  To hear and to play any carbon fiber changes minds (a recent tryout of a used Composite Acoustic proved to be very pleasing), and proves they stand solidly within the acoustic guitar family.

Nashville jumbo

Additionally, carbon fiber constructions offers advantages over the wooden acoustic guitar.  First, these guitars are structurally solid and extremely stable.  You have no worries about changes in humidity, seasonal temperature shifts, or stress of string tension on any part of the guitar.  They are not indestructible, but the  material advantages of carbon fiber are superior to wood in every aspect.  The second advantage of carbon fiber is that there is no worry about diminishing supplies of tone woods, and no stress upon tone wood species and ecosystems.

Tone.  What about tone?  Rainsong guitars sound like an acoustic guitar should sound.  There is nothing “artificial” or “industrial” about a carbon fiber guitar’s tone.  Added to this, these guitars are not clones:  they all have different characteristics and tonal qualities.  I will give a subjective comparison of the Black Ice jumbo and my Nashville jumbo (N-JM1100N2).  Both are light weight and both yield great volume, sustain, and tonal nuances.  However, the Black Ice jumbo has a more “muscular” voice than the Nashville, and offers slightly more volume more readily than the Nashville model.  For amplification, it comes with an L. R. Baggs Stage Pro Element which consists of volume, notch, phase, bass, mid, and treble controls.  The Black Ice jumbo’s Stage Pro Element also has an on board tuner.  As with its Nashville sister it is very playable (as are all Rainsongs).

Rainsong guitars are very well made, and will easily last a player’s lifetime and the lifetime of his / her children and grandchildren.  But purchasing one has become an issue for someone who wants to try one out in a the brick-and-mortar shop.  Earlier in 2023, Rainsong changed its method of sales.  Soon, a Rainsong guitar must exclusively be purchased from the company directly.  Distributing shops still carry remaining inventory, and usually at a discounted price, but this will end in the near future.  I have contacted Rainsong’s Woodinville, Washington office, and production is ongoing.  Further, you can order any model in stock, or order your custom made model with a 30-day trial period (rainsong.com).

I would encourage you to consider these fantastic acoustic guitars.  Such a musical expedition will be worth your time and money.

Keep on playing,

Fr Irenaeus