I've never written to a company before concerning their products but I simply had to write to you about the excellent A-WS1000 I recently purchased.   I'm a struggling songwriter (aren't we all "struggling"? lol).  In truth, I thought I wanted a Taylor.  I wanted to get away from the bass-heavy tones of the Martins and even the Gibsons I'd grown up with.  I must have tried out fifty different Taylors in the last six months.  I loved their sparkling, brilliant high notes but they all seemed to lack the warmth I demanded from the low tones.  Then one day I walked into a local store and the owner, after listening to what I was looking for, talked me into sitting down with this black guitar that he said was made of graphite.   "Graphite?!?!" Okay.... Well, I sat down with it and played for thirty minutes straight before I remembered to try it out plugged-in.  After another thirty minutes, I was on my way home to get the cash to buy it!  There was no doubt in my mind.  This was THE GUITAR I'd been searching for!  I usually think about buying a guitar for several weeks before I finally do it.  Not this time!  I HAD to have this Rainsong and I HAD to have it NOW!

Well, that was two weeks ago.  In the meantime, my Rainsong has scarcely left my hands during my waking hours.  I simply LOVE IT!  It records exactly the way it sounds live and it sounds the same whether it's plugged-in or not - a true feat of guitar engineering because most acoustic/electrics that sound fabulous unplugged simply can't deliver the same rich tone and clarity when they are plugged-in.  I can't thank you enough for such a wonderful guitar.  I tend to be something of a purist and I never dreamed a guitar made from graphite could stand up to (much less surpass) my old Martins.  But Rainsong does it with flying colors.  I'm going to start saving now for a 12-string.  You can bet it will be a Rainsong.

You know, after you have most things for a while, they become "the norm" ... you just get used to them.  Much to my delight, this has not been the case with my WS1000.  I hear more in it, appreciate it and love it even more after a year of being together.  It's a joy - a year after bringing it home - to still be "knocked out" by how beautiful it sounds, how great it looks, and how well it plays.  Thank You from the heart, for all you do.

I was in the process of replacing the faithful old Epi FT350 BL and Alvarez 5021 that had seen me through two marriages, many fishbowl gigs in nasty little Nevada bars, and many TDY's as baggage on transports or as luggage, stuffed in the nose of an RF-4. I thought it was time to upgrade a little, and maybe put some pizazz back into the learning process.

I shopped and played and compared and had many bubbles burst in music stores and little sound rooms. Somehow, I became aware of some nut in Hawaii who was building graphite guitars. One day, I played one. The creator of RainSongs went from 'nut' to 'genius' in an instant, and became the equal, in my mind, of Hobie Alter, one of this boy's heroes.

One thing led to another, nature took its course, and I put a RainSong Jumbo on layaway, which was delivered in early April, 2002. Meanwhile, my dad, who knew of my Strategic Guitar Upgrade Plan, gave said plan a kick in the shorts by having a RainSong WS-3000 delivered to my door in early March, 2002.

I am more impressed with that guitar the more I play it. It has a whole array of sounds and tones, depending on how it is played. It can sound like a piano, played loudly and with the right picks. It can sound sweet and almost like an electrified gut-string, played barefooted and with a little finesse. It can sound like the 12-string on any Rolling Stones album, plugged in. So, even though I just met her, the RainSong WS-3000 is my favorite 12-string. I would have a sentimental place for it, anyway, considering who gave it to me. But it is nice that it turned out to be a 'Sierra Hotel' guitar!

After I wrote this, the Jumbo arrived, and I was taken by storm again. That is another story...

Wow! I played a dreadnaught Rainsong today and it knocked my socks off! I have been looking for a new and great sounding acoustic/electric guitar (I have several Ovations), and I have to say you have made it to the top of my list in the 15 minutes it took to get it off the wall and play my favorite song on it :-)

Needless to say, as soon as I can afford it (not bitching about the price - it's worth it), I am going to get one. I have never been moved to actually email someone about a product before, so this is a totally out of the ordinary thing for me to do :)

I was introduced to Australia's most respected luthier and technician. Having been warned that he says what he feels, when he said, "Let's look at these 'plastic guitars'," I studied his reaction carefully.

He played the WS1000 and said, "Not what I was expecting it to sound like!"
He played it again and said, "These harmonics are amazing!!"
He played it again and said, "I really like this guitar!!!"
He played it again and said,
"This guitar would have to be the best-sounding stage guitar on the planet!!"

I presently own 4 guitars. This is the one I enjoy the most. This is the one I have no qualms when I hand it to someone and say "Here, try this".

Approximately 6 months ago I saw the first ad for RainSong Guitars in Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Before retiring from NASA, I did a bit of work with graphite epoxy structures for aerospace applications. My first reaction to the ad was, "These folks can't be serious". I have been playing a Martin J40 and a Taylor 355 - 12 string for about 3 years, and I knew that guitars had to be built from wood...

Yesterday I walked in for my weekly lesson, and I saw all of the sales people and several of the instructors gathered around a black guitar. It sounded beautiful. My instructor handed it to me and said, "Let's use this today and your J40." I kept going back and forth between the J40 and the WS1000. I was thunderstruck at the beauty of the instrument, the quality of the construction, and against all common sense, the wondrous sound coming from this instrument. And it fit my hand so beautifully, the strings just seemed to be right where I reached. I did not want to let it go.

Before I left the store, I had worked out a deal for the instrument. I then went to the Credit Union, and was back within an hour cash in my hot, sweaty hand to liberate the instrument. It now lives with me and it is very happy here.

Forgetting the levity, what really astounds me is that as a buyer, I tend to be very conservative. I usually mull over major purchases for several weeks. I was so impressed with this instrument, that I could not wait to purchase it. My congratulations for producing (against all tradition) such an incredible instrument. Thank you.

I chose to play my new WS1000 in a small church service yesterday morning. When I arrived (late... which was my fault) I was horrified to see that they'd only set up one microphone. I prefer an SM-58 for vocals & an SM-57 for my guitar. What to do??? :-)

I decided to use the mic for vocals, and let the RainSong fend for itself. (That's the opposite of what I would do with -any- of my other guitars). No time to think! Time to play!

After the service, one of the ladies thanked me for turning up my guitar's volume, so that "I could hear every note, even though one of my hearing aids isn't working."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd played it straight acoustic! LOL!

This is the most highly detailed and expressive guitar I have ever heard. I have owned many guitars. I retain a nice Martin dreadnaught 12 I purchased new in 1965. The Martin plays and sounds quite nice after all these years, but there is no comparison to the new JM3000. This wonderful new addition to the RainSong family is in a league of its own and outstrips my nice old Martin and every other 12 I've ever played in every way. I have auditioned most of the big name 12 string guitars and hands down the JM3000 is clearly the new king of 12 strings...

I picked up my RainSong WS 1000 on 11/5/03. Thank you for your thoughtful advance work regarding the electronics; I really appreciate your personal attention! A few thoughts ...  (feel free to incorporate any of these into any "testimonial" type promotion that you may do)

I have owned many fine guitars (Gibson, Martin, Guild) in the 38 years that I have been playing (jazz, classical, country) and songwriting.  My notion of what a fine guitar is supposed to sound like ... was changed forever the first time I heard a RainSong.

Prior to buying my WS1000, I played them off and on for nearly two years.  I remain captivated by what is the most astonishingly "complete" acoustic guitar sound I have ever heard.  I believe that if any serious player were to play a WS1000 for a week; no other acoustic guitar would ever sound right again.  The instrument is beautiful and (obviously) very carefully crafted ... it is genuinely inspiring to play.  It is drop dead gorgeous ... in a delightful "black leather jacket ... with a pearl necklace" kind of way.

In all, I am thrilled with my WS1000 and proud to be a RainSong player.  I'll be hitting the Greater Boston "open mike" circuit soon and I plan to release a CD next year ... I will speak very highly of RainSong to anyone who will listen!

You don't even mention one of the best attributes of rainsongs in your ads or website.  I just recently acquired a DR1000 w/ a Fishman blender. I used to play a Yairi w/a Fishman pickup and supplement it with an external AKG C1000s condensor mic. .... the RainSong responded to external micing FAR better than my dreadnought Rosewood Yairi.  You could get MUCH more mic in the mix without feeding back! ( I assume because of the extra volume), plus, with the balanced tone of the Rainsong, you didn't have to roll off the bass like a Rosewood dread.

My artist Mi'chel just signed with a record label and as a signing gift they told her to pick out her dream Guitar.  So they just bought her a brand new DR1000 6-string dreadnought non-cutaway acoustic-electric.   Great Guitars!!

So -- I've got a passel of guitars, 4 Collings and a couple of Taylors, and really enjoy my OM1000, in large part because I don't have to worry about its stability and robustness.  It's loud, and has its own personality.  It also has awesome action and a fine neck -- I feel like I'm just easy pickin' on it -- never fighting -- when I pick it up, which is often, since it's always out!  Thanks to all the folks who build 'em and make them available.

Hello!  I have been playing my new A-WS1000 for a few weeks now and absolutely love it.  The playability alone has actually taken the level of my playing up a notch.  It's just so easy now ... also the natural volume and sustain are awesome.  Thanks for the great guitar.  This one will probably be the main instrument on the next CD. 

I purchased a WS3000 from a dealer in Upstate New York in November 2003.  I am thoroughly happy.  Living in the desert (Las Vegas, NV), with its attendant low humidity, has wreaked havoc with the wooden necks of other acoustic guitars.  Constant tuning is a fact of life ... my other 12 string, a '49 Guild, is an inside the house only guitar.  Happily, my RainSong has proved impervious to both low humidity and heat.  I left it on a guitar stand on the patio yesterday for 3 hours ... some of that time in direct sunlight.  The temperature was a balmy 106 degrees and the relative humidity 12%.  The guitar was still in tune ... I sat on the patio and played a bit ... went inside the house where air conditioned temp is 78 degrees ... set the RainSong on a stand ... picked it up two hours later & it was still in perfect tune.

It May Be Manufactured Somewhere Else, But Rainsong was MADE for the Prairie Winter!

I am writing from Winnipeg Manitoba Canada on the western Canadian prairie.  We look forward to our four distinct seasons in these parts, but our 2003-2004 winter was a nasty one.  Days and days of temperatures in the minus 40s (with wind chill values often in the minus 50s).   Almost record snowfall, combined with crisp dry air made even the most hearty soul look forward to spring.

Little did my Rainsong WS1000 know what lay in store when it arrived by air from Vancouver two Christmases ago.  It had yet to face the severity of this past winter but did get her in time to 'test its mettle' (graphite) for most of the previous one.

You could call the prairie winter the ultimate 'torture test' for wood and laminate instruments.  I don't know a player, no matter how carefully he/she stores it, who doesn't need a guitar adjusted and set up at least a couple of times a year.

Not so for the WS1000.  It is simply amazing.  It is absolutely and utterly unaffected by the elements, no matter the season.  I have not touched the pegs since my last set of Elixir strings were put on, and that was months ago.  It is sitting next to me now in my (gasp!) basement!

The Rainsong was MADE for the prairies.

The RainSong sits next to the D28 I've owned for 20 years. It's the first guitar in that time that has been impressive enough to gain that spot. The RainSong is now my primary working guitar.

Great sounding guitar. It's amazing that there's not a grain of wood in it. For a joke, you should make one with a wood inlay!!

I don't like black & I don't like sharks

I'm looking forward to 25-30 years of enjoyment.

This is truly a "top of the line" instrument.

THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORT IN PRODUCING A GREAT "NEW" INSTRUMENT ON THE GUITAR SCENE.

I bought this guitar for durability, found the playability and sound to be amazing.

I tried it out last Saturday and went back this Saturday to see if my 2nd impression was as favorable as the first - YES. I bought it.

I can't wait to record with it.

I have owned 9 Taylors, 10 Gibsons and Lots Martins, Your guitar Moves Me!!!!!!!

Very nice tone and balance.

I was in love with it as soon after I started to play it. I drove a total of 150 miles just to try one.

I HAVE 2 MARTINS (A D18VM AND A D40QM), AND WAS SURPRISED OF THE SOUND COMING OUT OF THIS RAINSONG. CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE IT TO MUSIC FESTIVALS.

I just received your package yesterday and drove 80 miles to one of the three dealers here in California and bought the WS1000 after playing it for about a half hour. It inspired me to write a very nice ballad tonight. I would love to send you a copy. Thanks for the great guitar, I absolutely love it. PS! I have owned several vintage Martins and currently own a couple of high end Taylors and this new guitar is right up there with those, maybe even higher.

THIS GUITAR IS A DREAM! AFTER ONE WEEKEND OF PLAYING THE WS2000 I BELIEVE MY TAYLOR 855 WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RETIRED.

I'm pleased that with proper care, this guitar will play as well 100 years from now as it does today.

The guitar is the most amazing guitar I have ever played!!

The best part of this whole experience was when I talked to the dealer on the phone. The salesperson had never looked at the RainSong closely. He was an expert in all classic wood guitars. On the phone he picked up the RainSong and started playing so I could hear it. One could hear in his voice the absolute surprise when he said, "It sounds good, real good." He wasn't expecting to hear good acoustic music before plugging in. His ears told him the sound was similar to a top line Martin; I have to agree. I was sold sight un-seen.

This is the first investment I've been totally satisfied with... I also own 4 Martins and my new WS1000 rates right up there with them. I will be in Kihei in August and will play your 12 string. If I like it as much as I think I will, I will order one from my dealer.

I bought my WS-1000 in March of last year. I fly Citation and Lear Jets for a living and needed a guitar that could not only hold up to the rigors of daily travel, but to be able to withstand extremely cold temperatures. Most of the time, there is not enough room inside the cabin for my guitar so it has to be stowed in the outside baggage hold where the temperatures are regularly 40 to 50 degrees below zero for as long as five hours at a time. I spoke directly with Ray Allen, RainSong's marketing and customer service honcho, who said they would stand behind their warrantee under those conditions. I'm told that the carbon graphite compound used in its construction is shipped to the factory in dry ice. I am here to tell you that the carbon graphite construction holds up so well that I don't even detune the instrument prior to loading and when I get to my hotel room, it's still in perfect tune. I am careful not to open the case until it reaches room temperature so that the condensation doesn't affect the electronics. I brought the guitar in to the Woodinville, Washington factory a couple of months ago where Ray Allen and Ashvin Coomar, the president and CEO, looked it over. They were very pleased to find that _ after more than 50 flights -- the instrument looked showroom new with just a tiny scratch in the finish (which Ray promptly buffed out). I must warn you that heat is still the enemy of this guitar, and like any high-end guitar, you don't want to leave it in the trunk of your car on a hot summer day. The series 3 and 4 guitars are cured at a higher temperature and these are the preferred instruments. As far as playability is concerned, the set up from the factory is as good as those from Taylor, meaning they are comfortably low without any string buzz. My WS-1000 has the 1 _" nut width but the neck is thin enough that many electric guitar players find it comfortable. And what about the sound? I brought my RainSong to several of the Acoustic Guitar Magazine open mic gatherings last year and many felt its sound was one of the best there. In Livermoore, California at the Fretted Friends event, everyone commented on how good it sounded when plugged in. It has the same on-board Fishman blender that Taylor uses with an under saddle pick up and inside microphone. In Valparaiso, Indiana at the Front Porch Music gathering, it was also very well received. One very accomplished player who owns a fleet of fine all-wood guitars, said, "I really didn't want to like this guitar." It was hard to get it back from him so that I could take my turn at the mic.

A fine all-wood guitar is known for not only the sounds it projects, but for the sounds it absorbs. I own a Collings D-2H for flat-picking along with my Martin HD-28, a Lowden F-32 for fingerstyle along with my Martin 000-28EC, and a Taylor 355CE Special Edition 12-string, so I can appreciate the rich sound that those great guitars can make. When I play my all-wood guitars I hear warmth. When I play the RainSong I hear a slightly more bell-like tone where the highs shimmer. That's not to say they don't have any warmth! I'm talking subtleties here. When you think of the RainSong WS-1000, think of a piano. When you envision the jumbo JM 1000, think Grand Piano. I know of several artists who are more impressed with the plugged in sound than unplugged. I needed one guitar that could withstand extreme cold and could handle both the subtleties of fingerstyle and the demands of flatpicking. My WS-1000 not only does that but it has the playability and tone equal to many high-end instruments.

I don't work for RainSong, nor do they pay me for an endorsement, but I can highly recommend their instruments.

... slickest sounding playing acoustic/elec.  I have ever played
I think I'm in love all over again. :-)