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

Posted: November 21, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

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

Guitar Review: Rainsong 12 String Acoustic Guitar (CO-JM3000T)

Posted: October 11, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Music and Guitars | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 12 string guitar — whether acoustic or electric there is something wonderful about the shimmer, chime, chorusing and overall tones that come from them.  They are a delight to hear, but not always to play.

There are complaints about the species, and there are many humorous comments about them.  This is my favorite:  “A 12 string guitarist spends half his time tuning one, and the other half playing out of tune.”  The complaints and jokes can still hold true, but all are more accurate for 12 string guitars constructed of wood.

Rainsong CO-JM3000T

Of course, the wooden guitar is a beautiful instrument, but it comes with innate problems.  Wood is structurally susceptible to damage from both excess atmospheric humidity and dryness.  It is susceptible to extremes of temperature.  It is susceptible to damage from the incredible tension put on the entire instrument by its strings, and this is even more true for the 12 string guitar.  The tension brought about by 12 steel strings demands a formidable construction.  The formidable feature is the neck.  It is wider (12 strings take up more room than six strings), and it is stouter — the circumference is larger than almost any six string acoustic guitar.

Enter carbon fiber/graphite.  The material is not susceptible to heat, cold, or any atmospheric condition.  Carbon fiber has the strength to withstand the pressures of 12 steel strings that no wooden guitar could withstand. In this review I will compare the characteristics of a Rainsong Concert Series Jumbo 12 string neck to that of an Eastman jumbo 12 string neck, and discuss the Rainsong’s great playability and tone.

Nut Width:

Rainsong CO-JM3000T:  1.875 inches, or 4.125cm

Eastman AC530:  1.875 inches, or 4.125 cm

Distance Between Strings at Nut:

Rainsong CO-JM3000T:  1.75 inches, or 3.85 cm

Eastman AC 530:  1.75 inches, or 3.85 cm

So far, identical measurements for both guitars.

Neck Circumference at Nut:

Rainsong CO-JM3000T:  5.41 inches, or 11.9 cm

Eastman AC-530:  5.64 inches, or 12.4 cm

The advantage goes to the Rainsong.

Neck Circumference at 12th fret:

Rainsong CO-JM3000T:  6.5 inches, 14.3 cm

Eastman AC 530:  6.91 inches, 15.2 cm

Again, the advantage goes to the Rainsong.

I am familiar with both guitars.  The ease of play with the Rainsong is very noticeable, is clearly superior to that of the Eastman.  The playability advantage that goes to the Rainsong is attributable to only one thing:  the smaller dimensions of the Rainsong’s neck.  This smaller dimension is due to the carbon fiber construction’s superior strength and stability.

Eastman AC530

Back to the joke quoted above regarding tuning stability.  To its credit, the Eastman generally stays in tune between “play dates” (if not detuned after play), but not to the degree that is found with the Rainsong.  With my Eastman I had to think about the potential to retune — I generally detune down by at least a whole step after playing it to preserve the integrity of the guitar.  So, do I want to take the time to tune it, or pass.  I’ll pass.  No need with the Rainsong — it can withstand the pressure of 12 strings at standard tuning at all times!

Unfortunately, a carbon fiber guitar is a non-starter for many acoustic guitar traditionalists.  The conceptual objection centers around tone:  How can a carbon fiber guitar possibly sound as good as a wooden guitar?  Subjectively, I find the “Rainsong tone” to be exceptionally pleasing.  A Rainsong guitar’s tone sounds like a guitar should sound — there is nothing foreign or alien about it.  In fact, I own two Rainsong’s myself, a Nashville series jumbo N-JM1100N2 (see the review:)  which possesses a thin spruce layer infused onto the carbon fiber top, and now the 12 string jumbo CO-JM3000T.  The complexity of tones that come from these guitars are both wonderful and differ from each other — Rainsong guitars are not clones.  (And remember, every wooden guitar also possesses differing qualities that effect tone, and some of them not at all pleasing).

The Rainsong Jumbo 12 String

A Rainsong guitar is inimitable:  it cannot be copied due to its qualities of design and construction.  I own a number of wooden acoustics, and on any given day I will choose to pick up one of the Rainsong guitars — they are the ones I pick up time and time again.  Regarding this jumbo 12 stringer, it is nearly as easy to play as any 6 string acoustic, and there is no hesitancy to play it due to the issue of necessary tuning and fine tuning that would come with the Eastman AC530.  The Rainsong CO-JM3000T is truly a winner and a keeper.  I give a “hats off” to the Rainsong guitar company (rainsong.com), and am thankful to discover and own my two treasured guitars.

Keep on playing!

Fr. Irenaeus