take advantage of the rigid and resonant
nature of carbon fiber in a lot of different
ways. RainSong uses its strength-to-weight
properties to forgo top bracing—a design
measure that allows the top to vibrate more
freely without sacrificing structural integrity. And the RainSong does feel rock solid.
The finish—or non-finish really—isn’t
exactly a tactile joy. It’s unpolished and has
a raw, almost fibrous-feel under the fingers
that’s tricky to get used to—especially on
your forearm, where you’re in contact with
the guitar most. But there’s not much you
can do—short of dragging the Studio OM
behind a Dodge—to ding, scratch, or cut
this thing. But even then, it might just
emerge ready to rock a hootenanny.
RainSong’s N2 neck, devised with input
from John Bolin and guitar-slinger Steve
Miller, also lends a lot to the sense of solidity
you experience with the Studio OM in hand.
Given Miller’s input in particular, it’s no surprise that it’s a hefty-feeling, almost U-shaped
slab that would be at home on a mid-century
Gibson or Kay—lending a classic feel that’s
perfect for digging in to blues bends and gripping big, first-position chords. The N2 neck
also comes equipped with a truss rod. And
while that might seem counterintuitive on a
carbon-fiber guitar, it enables adjustments for
neck relief. With a Tusq nut and saddle, the
RainSong is adjustable for action and relief
preferences in all the ways a wood guitar is, while being a lot more predictable and stable.
Carbon Shades
There’s no denying that the RainSong’s tone
is unique. But it is not, by any means, inorganic, harsh, or unpleasant. The most discernable differences seem to be in the low-mid range, where the RainSong has a liveliness that can color whole chords in a cool
way, even if individual notes—particularly
the fourth and fifth strings around the first
five frets—sound a little less wooden and
warm. It’s still a very musical tone, and is
particularly effective in fingerstyle contexts
where picking dynamics are key, because
the notes ring with sustain and clarity.
Notes on the high end of the spectrum
are similarly lively, but have a more bell-like
complexity that sounds beautiful in muted,
octave chord settings and super-articulate
in flatpicked arpeggio phrases. And 2-string
blues slides are suited to the RainSong’s
fine, note separation.
Individual note definition is a strength
of the Studio OM and it’s apparent in
both quiet-fingerpicking pieces and heavy-strumming environments. Note clarity in
the latter application, in particular, makes
this a great guitar for vocalists and singer-songwriters. Though these types of players
will also benefit from the Studio OM’s
responsiveness to picking dynamics. This
guitar really can go from quiet to a roar that
sounds much bigger than the average OM,
without any considerable loss of detail.
The onboard Fishman Prefix Plus-T
system works to the RainSong’s strengths
as well. Played through both a Fishman
Loudbox Mini and a Radial DI into
Yamaha PA, the RainSong proved to be
pretty resistant to feedback, which made
it easier to take advantage of the guitar’s
robust, low and low-mid range. Working
through a few tunes that required a heavy
and rhythmic strumming approach, the
Rain Song retained the clarity of individual
notes. Its dynamic nature—even with driving strums that were heavy on sustained,
bass tones—rang with colorful overtones
rather than blooming into feedback. I rarely
used the notch filter to fight bass rumble
and really only needed the Brilliance control to add high-end definition in quieter
passages, for the Studio OM tends to have
plenty of high-mid definition without it.
The Verdict
The merits of the RainSong
S-OM1000N2 Studio Series OM are
many. This is a guitar that can stand up
to anything. And if you’re a performing
artist that flies or drives to shows with any
frequency, it will alleviate the inevitable
stress of handing a guitar over to a team
REVIEW > RAINSONG GUITARS
Rating:
Buy If...
the road is your home and you’re
unwilling to compromise on playabil-
ity or performance flexibility.
Skip If...
you’re an unwavering purist.
RainSong Guitars
Street $1499
rainsong.com
or use a mobile device to hear
audio clips of the guitar at
CLICKHere…
premierguitar.com/dec2011
of baggage-handling gorillas or making a
mid-summer dash across the Great Plains
with your guitar in the trunk. Even if you
aren’t a professional road-dog, you can
sound great around a campfire, by the
lake, on a boat, or in the snow for that
matter, without having to worry about
much other than wearing out your strings.
If you’re the kind of tone obsessive that
claims to hear every nuance and difference
between Indian and Brazilian rosewood,
you probably won’t have five seconds for
the Studio OM. But if you have more of
an open mind about what a good-sounding
guitar is in the context of a song, it’s easy
to get past the less-woody aspects of the
low-mid range. At the end of the day, the
Studio OM is a guitar that can do a lot of
things well, from the recording studio to
the ski cabin. At nearly $1500 bucks, it’s
not the cheapest guitar you can buy. But
given what you’ll save on maintenance
alone could pay off the difference over the
long haul. And for an acoustic guitar that
has so much going for it—even from a
purely sonic and playability perspective—
that’s math worth doing.
