Here are the comments made by buzzardwhiskey in another thread.

----------------------------------

I've had the RainSong Hybrid model that's bound for the road
now for about a week, and I've been playing it against my CA GXi back
and forth...  it's is a nice guitar.  The shape of the neck has grown on
me - maybe that's the most startling thing - how much I like the neck
now.

There's a lot to like.  The playability is really good... pretty near
the top.  The workmanship overall is beautiful - if/when other CF
guitar manufacturers are born, this is the bar as far as I can tell. 

Mike put mediums on it, thankfully, cause the crazy thing needs some
kind of weight.  :)   Everytime I pick it up I marvel.  The heavier
strings help bring out some sweet tones.  I've really enjoyed finger
picking on it and individual note picking (with a pick).  For heavy
handing strumming, it gets a little blurry.

All in all, this should sell well.  Good price point, good tone,
great quality.

PS: The electronics are pretty upscale (Prefix Plus T).  It's a
"blender" system that sounds very passable through my Schertler Unico.

I'm set up for the middle of May or so (only two weeks away? eek!) and excited to try it.  If it can't handle heavy strumming, I probably wouldn't want one for keeps, but I bet I'll have a lot of fun fingerpicking it.

After some extensive "research" I have come to a conclusion: The rainsong HWS-1000 is a mighty fine guitar.  Is it perfect? Pretty darn close.

Let me start by saying I had my doubts with the fiberglass/ carbon fiber combo, on paper it doesn't add up.  Just wait until you pick it up feel the quality that went into this guitar and pluck that first chord , carbon sweetness.

I played it next to my black ice back to back and to be honest the volume difference is very very subtle. The volume projection is about the same, although it does have a much warmer, traditional(wooden) tone.

Chords ring out so beatifully when you play, the notes sing. yes, sing with such clarity, you are instantly transported to ______ (insert your paradise here). Your fingerplucking will be met with what seems to be infinite sustain. 

This guitar is made for any style, it does not discriminate. Although hard strumming can overwhelm it, it takes alittle practice to get the strumming down pat, every thing else will feel as natural as breathing.

You may ask yourself is just just a guitar or something better? But don't be silly of course its still a guitar but it is a top notch guitar that is pretty darn affordable considering what some wooden guitars go for.

I know I have converted a few traditional guitarist to "carbonians".

The guitar will be heading to Mr. Jesse tommorrow. I can't wait to see what everyone else on the trip thinks of it.

Carbon fiber and Fiber glass: Who knew it was such a good mix?

The Drunk

Thanks for the comments on the hybrid. From all the praise about the guitar I have seen on  the forum it looks like Rainsong has hit a home run with this line of guitars. It may be the addition they needed to their catalog to help them reach a wider market. It certainly sits at a competitive price point. I wish them much success.

jkwrpc, are you on the roadtrip?

The Drunk

No I passed on this one, I am waiting for the one with new Emerald X7. I have become a real of fan of Emerald. However, I am following the reviews of the new Rainsong hybrids closely. It appears they may have hit gold and may well be worth a closer look.

 I must have forgotten is this Rainsong an OM size?

John,

The Rainsong hybrid is, per the RainSong website, offered in both their Classic size (the one that is out on the current Road Trip), . . . . which is comparable in dimensions to a CA GX or a Taylor Grand Auditorium, . . . as well as in an OM size, which is a bit smaller.    The RainSong website has a page that list out the specs / dimensions.

I have briefly played the Classic size RainSong hybrid at a SE Michigan dealer, . . . and was favorably impressed.  I have not played or seen the Hybrid OM model in person, . .  . . have only seen pictures.   The LA Guitar Sales web page has a good set of pictures on the Hybrid OM.

Best regards,

Jim K

Jim

Thanks for the added info. I will take a look at the websites. It appears that Rainsong may have found the answer to the CA RAW models but with an overall higher quality of finish. I hope they have set the price point at level where they will not lose money. The absolute last thing we need is another carbon guitar company to fail.

I have an OX but I would consider replacing it with another, the GX seemed like it might have been a good replacement choice but CA closed. For that reason I am closely following the posts on the hybrid. I am curious to see how the hybrid is received by those who have been longtime fans of CA.

Jim K,

Would you PM me the name of the SE Michigan dealer and whether or not they may have had the new hybrid drednaught?

Thank you,

Ray

"I have an OX but I would consider replacing it with another, the GX
seemed like it might have been a good replacement choice but CA closed.
For that reason I am closely following the posts on the hybrid. I am
curious to see how the hybrid is received by those who have been
longtime fans of CA."

John,  I had a CA legacy and currently own a raw Cargo (unmiked).  I demo'd the remaining OX's and GX's at the music store where I tried the Hybrid WS1000.  The CA's had somewhat boomier, but less well defined bass than the H. I think the CA's sounded  a little more bass-heavy than the H, which sounded more evenly balanced across the strings. The H seemed to have better definition than the CA's in terms of separation of notes.  In general, the H is closer to the CA sound that you lliked than the original WS1000; there's more CA-like warmth to the H; but with better definition.   If you mainly do "boom-chuck" strumming, the CA's or maybe a Rainsong Jumbo would be more to your style. If you like fingerstyle, I think you'll love the new H.

dave_elliott

dave_elliott