That's where Rainsong comes in. Because they are made out of graphite, Rainsong guitars are nearly impervious to changes in temperature and humidity. Anyone who owns a high-end wood guitar knows the importance of avoiding rapid changes in temperature and constantly monitoring humidity levels so that the wood will not shrink or swell. Rainsong makes that a non-issue. Want to leave it out on a guitar stand all the time? No problem. And because the neck is also graphite, it does not react the same way as a wood neck does when the tension of the strings is increased or decreased. So the guitar tends to stay in tune, and is terrific for players like me who like to use a variety of alternate tunings.

In fact, it was largely due to fact that two of my favorite guitarists, Al Petteway and David Wilcox (both of whom are known for using myriad tunings), began playing Rainsong guitars that I decided to give them a try. These are world-class players who are used to playing guitars made by Kevin Ryan and James Olson... and if they thought Rainsongs sounded good, I knew there must be something to them.

Of course, I'm always concerned about good tone when buying a guitar... and I'll admit that I was skeptical when I first heard about guitars being made out of graphite. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the difference between Rainsongs and traditional wood guitars wasn't as drastic as I expected. Yes, they do sound different... especially because I'm used to the warmer, woody tone and generous overtones of cedar tops. I expected Rainsongs to sound bright and harsh, but found that not to be true. The sound is very pleasant... and it definitely still sounds like a guitar--a guitar with a fantastic, ringing sustain. I've heard a few people say that Rainsongs sound "piano-like," and I think it's probably this sustain that leads them to make that comparison.