# [NGD] MY AGILE INTREPID PRO. LET ME SHOW U IT.



## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Just arrived this morning...

The box is in good shape, so it's unlikely that there's any shipping damage.






The unboxing vidstory:

Here it is next to my only other maple-fretboard guitar, my Ibanez 442R. You can see that proportionally, the Intrepid looks great, but it is "a size or two" larger than a normal guitar. The 442R is also perhaps a half size smaller than most as well, so the difference seems even more pronounced.





The electronics cavity is very clean and tidy. The solder joints look good, and there's a good coat of conductive paint in there. Lots of room for additions, too! The 18v mod is first on my list. The cavity cover is also lined with aluminum shielding tape.





This is a really nice detail i like on the body... the tummy cut extends all the way along the upper horn.





Quick first impressions: 

The instrument is quite impressively light and resonant. The strings all have a great "piano-like" chime to them, no doubt because of the extended scale length. Overall quality and workmanship appears to be very good, but there are a few minor flaws, which i'll get to shortly. 

The neck profile is perfect. Not too thin, not too thick, nicely rounded without a pronounced "flat spot" in the middle. Fretwork appears to be good overall. I haven't even really run up and down the neck yet, but the action feels quite good, and there's only minimal buzzing in the lower register which can probably be dialed out.

The body is quite big, but it looks in perfect proportion to the scale length and neck width. The upper horn extends almost all the way to the 12th fret, so it hangs nicely on a strap. But it is a big body for sure, and looks a little goofy on a skinny guy like me. 

Now a few minor issues:

There are a few of these marks in places on the body. At first i was a little concerned because the most visible one is right over the control cavity, where the wood is quite thin. They look like cracks, but on closer inspection, i'm pretty sure these are just peculiar "fissures" in the wood grain. They don't appear to be actual cracks. *[EDIT: Upon further inspection under good light, i believe these are surface scratches or cracks in the wood, under the finish. The finish is perfectly flat, but these marks catch the light in particular directions.]*





The bridge is pretty scraped up under the saddles. Intonation was obviously set with the strings on and at full tension. They could have at least positioned the saddles _almost_ into position before tweaking the final intonation. I'm not too thrilled with these long scrapes right through the finish on the bridge. But it's just cosmetic.





This is an odd white mark right near the body wing joins the neck, just behind the bridge. I'm not sure if this is a wood flaw or maybe some glue or filler that made it onto the face of the guitar.





Three tiny little dents on the back of the neck, right behind the 9th fret.





This strange little bump on the upper horn near the strap button appears to be a little knot in the mahogany that was difficult to sand and/or finish. 





A small ding on the lower rear edge near the control cavity.





Overall, nothing major... just some fairly minor cosmetic issues. I'm still very impressed with the features, hardware and build quality for what we're paying for these. 

... more to come!


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## Kronpox (Sep 5, 2008)

You're a dick.


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## FortePenance (Sep 5, 2008)

Glancing at the avatars I thought Darren had just called himself a dick.


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## ohio_eric (Sep 5, 2008)

I did to. But yes Darren is a giant back of dicks for such a misleading thread title.


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## ogisha007 (Sep 5, 2008)

Oh, no, now I'll have to refresh this topic every five minutes. 

No thanked posts for you until you show some more pics.


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 5, 2008)

WHY CAN'T IT BE THE 10TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Groff (Sep 5, 2008)

I should neg rep you for this! 

But i'm too nice. 

.... of the guitar out of the damn box!!



Kronpox said:


> You're a dick.



For some reason reading this after that pic made me lol


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## technomancer (Sep 5, 2008)

Then again we've already seen pics of the pro, so not that big a deal


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## Chris (Sep 5, 2008)

Epic Dickbaggotry.


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## TimSE (Sep 5, 2008)

u huge ball sack


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## D-EJ915 (Sep 5, 2008)

darren takes it to the next level


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## Niels (Sep 5, 2008)

Oooh, that's way to cruel Darren.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

I wanted to get SOMETHING up! (aside from my "dickbag" rep count) 

The first post is now updated... the unboxing vidstory is uploading to YouTube as we speak.


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## noodleplugerine (Sep 5, 2008)

It looks awesome.

Shame about the dents etc - I wouldn't care personally, its still far better than you would normally get for £400. I want one 

How does it play then?


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Yeah, the minor little dings and stuff i'm not really all that concerned about. But i wanted to make sure that a full and accurate account was taken when i unboxed it.

The guitar plays incredibly well. It's loud and clear (i haven't even plugged it in yet) and the neck is just... perfect. I'm having no trouble adapting to riffing and chording on the lower strings. I've left it in standard tuning for now, but i'm going to start experimenting with dropped tunings shortly.


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## playstopause (Sep 5, 2008)

The Creator gets his 8! Happy, I presume? 


...

All of the little cosmetic flaws remind me of my custom Septor. It pisses you off at first... Then you take the instrument and play it and think "wow, all of this for that price?" and then, you just get over it. I would not for a 2k$ guitar, but these are not.


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## TimSE (Sep 5, 2008)

now for video


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Exactly. None of it is deal-breaker stuff. I can't WAIT to get my Standard!


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## st2012 (Sep 5, 2008)

love the look of these. Cant wait to see the other models.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Oh, and the two mismatched walnut strips was a bit of an odd thing as well. The bass-side one fades from dark brown to medium-brown on the front and the back. On the front, it's lightest right over the body. On the back, it's lightest along the neck. If it'd been flipped over, the front of the body would look symmetrical. It just looks a little weird/unique the way it is now.


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## TimSE (Sep 5, 2008)

darren said:


> Oh, and the two mismatched walnut strips was a bit of an odd thing as well. The bass-side one fades from dark brown to medium-brown on the front and the back. On the front, it's lightest right over the body. On the back, it's lightest along the neck. If it'd been flipped over, the front of the body would look symmetrical. It just looks a little weird/unique the way it is now.



ah ya
hadnt noticed that 
strange! (in a cool kinda way  )


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## B Lopez (Sep 5, 2008)

Outside pics please


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Uh, no... it's overcast and showering out.


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## TimSE (Sep 5, 2008)

where be this video then?


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## Ishan (Sep 5, 2008)

Congrats


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

The video took ages to upload to YouTube. I've got a wicked-fast cable connection, but upstream is incredibly slow. I've added the vidstory to the first page, but it's still processing on YouTube's end. It should appear soon.


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## Chris (Sep 5, 2008)

Good looking from 10 feet away, shame it showed up so beat like that. :\


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## Drew (Sep 5, 2008)

I call the Standard if you decide two 8's is more than you need.  

Still sorry I missed those...


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

It looks to me that any of the dings are actually in the wood... the finish appears to be in okay condition, which suggests that it got a few dings in it prior to finishing.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 5, 2008)

i would´ve changed one thing on this guitar. the headstock. i would´ve reversed it, so that the shape flowed better with the tuner heights and stuff. not that it really matters, but if you´re looking for perfection, that´s about it 

and DAMMIT i want one! i´m considering getting one from the next run, with the few bugs ironed out etc.

i need to fix my RG up so i can sell it!


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Yeah, i probably would have changed the headstock a bit as well. I do like that it's very compact, and the strings do pull perfectly straight off the nut, so to get the aesthetics right, i'd probably have to make it a bit longer.


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## Zoltta (Sep 5, 2008)

That thing looks sexy. As for the cosmetic problems, thats pretty lame. Could is possibly be from shipping? Oh well for the price you are paying, id be happy either way. Its no 5k Les Paul so i dont think a few little dings would matter


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

The unboxing vidstory is up. 

You get to hear first-hand my initial impressions and my reaction to seeing the different shades of walnut on the neck stringers.


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## B Lopez (Sep 5, 2008)

Nice video. You sound exactly like I would expect


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## Used666 (Sep 5, 2008)

Very nice man.

PM me if you decide to sell


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## Mattayus (Sep 5, 2008)

Dude nice! Are you the first to get yours??


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## JJ Rodriguez (Sep 5, 2008)

The thing that would bug me most is the mismatched colours on the wood. Other than that it looks pretty sweet. What was the price on these again? $699?


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Nope, i'm not the first. Demiurge had his arrive yesterday.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> The thing that would bug me most is the mismatched colours on the wood. Other than that it looks pretty sweet. What was the price on these again? $699?



$650 for the maple-board Pro.


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## D-EJ915 (Sep 5, 2008)

looks great man, a shame it's not mint but whatever looks nice anyway.


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## Metal Ken (Sep 5, 2008)

That control cavity is amazingly clean!


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## Project2501 (Sep 5, 2008)

Very nice. 

I hate you!!


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## JJ Rodriguez (Sep 5, 2008)

darren said:


> $650 for the maple-board Pro.



Was there an ebony/rosewood option?


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## Groff (Sep 5, 2008)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Was there an ebony/rosewood option?



The standard model has an ebony board.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Sep 5, 2008)

Damn, that's the thing with Agile  Maple board is a deal breaker for me, so is bolt on  Every time they do a run of Interceptors or anything there's always 1 spec that'sa deal breaker for me.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

Both the Pro and Standard models were available with ebony boards for $50 more. Both of the ones i ordered were maple boards.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Sep 5, 2008)

Ah, so maybe I was right in thinking it was $699. Been awhile since the order was going around. Something to think about next time there's a run of these...


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## TomAwesome (Sep 5, 2008)

Very nice! I can't wait for the second run of these things.


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## Elysian (Sep 5, 2008)

could i see a closeup of the entire bridge? it looks offcenter compared to the neck blank


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## Kronpox (Sep 5, 2008)

darren said:


> Both the Pro and Standard models were available with ebony boards for $50 more. Both of the ones i ordered were maple boards.



When were the Pros offered with ebony boards? I thought it was just the Standards.

also since I didn't put in any comments aside from calling you a dick, you're A DICK. I have some serious gas happening right now and it's your fault. The mismatched walnut stringers is weird but kind of neat, the headstock looks way better than I thought it would, seeing an actual video of it is great as you can really get a feel for the shape and construction of it, and overall you are the man.

What's the heel like? It seems to be a bit lumpy, but it might feel good to actually get your hand in.


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## Splees (Sep 5, 2008)

At first glance I didn't even notice the lighter stripe. It looks good though.


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## cataclysm_child (Sep 5, 2008)

Very nice pictures!


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## MerlinTKD (Sep 5, 2008)

Damn that's nice!!! 

Tho watching the video, I had the strange sense of watching amateur porn... 


Umm... not that I... I mean, so I hear... 



Aaaaanyway, beautiful guitar! Gratz! 

Now get us some fucking CLIPS!!!


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## Wolfv11 (Sep 5, 2008)

MerlinTKD said:


> Tho watching the video, I had the strange sense of watching amateur porn...



Especially when he kept saying how hard it was to do with only one hand.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

CLIP!
Soundclick: Intrepid Pro 8 test track

Don't judge me too harshly... having never really played an 8 much, this was the most intelligent sounding thing i could come up with on such short notice. 

I've got it tuned DAEADGBE on this track. Makes for really easy 8-string barre chords, which you'll hear right at the end of the track. 

The heel is a bit on the chunky side, but it's totally smooth, and getting up to the 24th fret isn't too hard if you have big hands. The cutaway access is great.

The bridge is a tiny bit off centre with the neck blank, but so is the fretboard. There's a tiny bit more "neck" on the bass side of the fretboard than on the treble side. But the string alignment to the fretboard is pretty spot-on.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

darren said:


> There are a few of these marks in places on the body. At first i was a little concerned because the most visible one is right over the control cavity, where the wood is quite thin. They look like cracks, but on closer inspection, i'm pretty sure these are just peculiar "fissures" in the wood grain. They don't appear to be actual cracks.



On further inspection, these look like surface scratches in the wood, under the finish. They definitely catch the light, and the one in the control area is pretty noticeable. But the finish is totally smooth over top of the mark.


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## TomAwesome (Sep 5, 2008)

Nice clip! That sounds even clearer than I expected, especially tuned all the way down to D. I'm no longer worried about my low Eb working on this guitar.


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## darren (Sep 5, 2008)

I suspect the EMG has a lot to do with the clarity. I'm going to pick up some 9v battery clips tomorrow and do the 18v mod.


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## yevetz (Sep 5, 2008)

Congrats and awesome vidstory

TRUST ROAD!!!!!!!!!!


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## MerlinTKD (Sep 5, 2008)

Sounds fantastic, especially down that low! 


Now... MOAR CLIPS!!!


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## El Caco (Sep 6, 2008)

Congrats Darren and thanks for the clip, vid, pics, EFFORT  I can't understand how your not upset over the defects though, I'd be pissed if my new guitar arrived looking like that.


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## drawnQ (Sep 6, 2008)

to be honest if those cosmetic issues were not caused by shipping i'd be pretty unhappy.


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## CaptainD00M (Sep 6, 2008)

GAS GAS GAS GAS GAS GAS GAS...

Ok Ok... seriously thinking of droping a spare £300 or £400 or something on a fanned fret 8 string... Kurts on here right?

Or though the Rondo site?


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## Ishan (Sep 6, 2008)

fanned fret is not an option, far too complicated for the factory IMO.


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## darren (Sep 6, 2008)

I've just updated the clip with a couple more clean tracks to add more texture and ambience. I also double-tracked the main "chug" riff the same way i did the breakdown bit.

(I'm using Line6 GearBox into GarageBand... on the heavy guitars, the left side is a Recto patch, and the right side is an AC-30... two of my favourite amps, which complement each other nicely in a layered guitar situation.)

Soundclick: Intrepid Pro 8 test track


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## TomAwesome (Sep 6, 2008)




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## Pauly (Sep 6, 2008)

For what you paid you got a sick instrument by the look of it, great clip too. I really want an 8!


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## eegor (Sep 6, 2008)

That clip sounds really muddy to me.


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## darren (Sep 6, 2008)

Well, it was completely unrehearsed, sloppily played, recorded hastily and not mastered properly. 

BUT 8 STRINGS!!!1!ONE1!!!


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## playstopause (Sep 6, 2008)

eegor said:


> That clip sounds really muddy to me.



 Come on.

Did you read Darren's previous posts?


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## eegor (Sep 6, 2008)

To be honest, no. I just clicked the "last page" button. I guess I'll go read them.

Edit: Just read the post with his first clip, and I understand now. One thing I did notice is that it was lower than even Mesuggah played their 8's, then I read his tuning, and holy crap! That's pretty fucking low.


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## bulletbass man (Sep 6, 2008)

Pretty low?

My bass isn't currently tuned that low.


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## darren (Sep 6, 2008)

Heh. Even the bass player in my band doesn't regularly tune down that low, though for certain songs, he does flip into drop-D or even down to C# for one tune.

That said, he has been looking for a 5- or 6-string bass with 34" scale (or less) and a nice narrow neck.


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## Demeyes (Sep 6, 2008)

Well done on the quick turnaround on the vids/pics/clips. You must be fairly happy to see this come to life after all the work you put into the design and stuff. Well done.
I really wish I'd gotten in on that first run too now.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 6, 2008)

i´d love to have gotten in on it too, but to be honest i´d rather wait for the second run. minor details will have been adressed, and i´d rather have that than a unique instrument wih a couple of bugs. though if i had the oppurtunity and stuff, i´d get one... just because it´s so damn tempting! 

here´s to praying for cash for a second run intrepid! 

i´d do .52+.42-.09 and then a .74 elixir bass string for the low string, tuned to drop E... mmm...


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## TomAwesome (Sep 6, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> i´d love to have gotten in on it too, but to be honest i´d rather wait for the second run. minor details will have been adressed, and i´d rather have that than a unique instrument wih a couple of bugs.



That's exactly why I decided I'd rather wait and get in on the second run. It looks like the second run might have some improvements on it as well, so I'm doubly happy that I waited, even if these pictures and clips are making me wish I had one in my hands right now. My 30" scale 6 will tide me over for now, though.


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## technomancer (Sep 6, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> i´d love to have gotten in on it too, but to be honest i´d rather wait for the second run. minor details will have been adressed, and i´d rather have that than a unique instrument wih a couple of bugs. though if i had the oppurtunity and stuff, i´d get one... just because it´s so damn tempting!
> 
> here´s to praying for cash for a second run intrepid!
> 
> i´d do .52+.42-.09 and then a .74 elixir bass string for the low string, tuned to drop E... mmm...



I don't know that there's anything on these instruments that I'd consider bugs... It'd be nice if the bridge pup was a bit closer to the bridge, but it certainly doesn't seem to have a negative effect on sound or playability. 

Also Elixir doesn't make a 74 bass string, it's 70 or 75.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 7, 2008)

well, 75 then 

and by bugs, i mean things that need tweaking, like the bridge needing more intonation range. and the bridge pup being closer to the bridge isn´t needed, but it makes it sound more bridge-like with that pup. i just like it like that haha


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## darren (Sep 7, 2008)

Actually, after having a conversation with Mike Sherman last night (who has quite a bit of experience installing Hipshot bridges) he suggested to me that the bridge has plenty of range on the base plate, and that the treble side saddles likely just need longer screws and the bridge could be mounted a bit further back on the body to increase the intonation range for the lower strings.


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## plyta (Sep 7, 2008)

darren said:


> Actually, after having a conversation with Mike Sherman last night (who has quite a bit of experience installing Hipshot bridges) he suggested to me that the bridge has plenty of range on the base plate, and that the treble side saddles likely just need longer screws and the bridge could be mounted a bit further back on the body to increase the intonation range for the lower strings.



 Exactly what I&#8216;ve written here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1204523-post1581.html


plyta said:


> ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## darren (Sep 8, 2008)

So i took my Intrepid Pro to rehearsal last night and ran it through its paces briefly in a band context. It worked amazingly well. Some of my low/medium gain patches sounded a bit more harsh (likely due to the EMG), but the cleans and high-gain patches sounded great through my GT-6 and my Crate and Mesa Thiele cab held up pretty well with the low notes. I may have to do a bit of patch tweaking for songs that i might be using this guitar on.

I tweaked my tuning a bit, as i found DAEADGBE was just too low and loose on the bottom end, so i'm now trying EBEADGBE which seems to be working out well. It allows me to do similar voicings as i do on my 7-string in drop-A tuning, but one string over. 

That tuning lets me play a full 8-string barre chord using an "E" formation. And that open E sounds "disemboweling" to paraphrase our drummer. But for this reason, i probably won't be able to use it on everything... a lot of material i've written my parts specifically for drop-A, and i suspect there will be other material that i'll be writing 8-string parts for.

I have to reiterate that the neck is absolutely phenomenal on these instruments. It's incredibly comfortable, and i have absolutely no hand fatigue, even after playing a lot of chords up and down the neck. It's perfect. At least, it is for me. 

I was expecting the instrument as a whole to be quite heavy. I was surprised at how light and resonant it is. It's very loud and clear when played unplugged, even down to the bottom string. Note separation is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to getting my Standard and seeing how the two instruments compare. It should be arriving on Wednesday. Unfortunately, i left my Line 6 DI box at our rehearsal space, so i won't be able to do comparison tracks until Friday.

Cosmetic flaws aside, i'm still very impressed. It's a fraction of the price of any other 8 on the market, and with these being the first ones, i'm pretty much looking at mine as a prototype. Nothing i've encountered so far has affected the tone or playability of the instrument.


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## Drew (Sep 8, 2008)

darren said:


> I've just updated the clip with a couple more clean tracks to add more texture and ambience. I also double-tracked the main "chug" riff the same way i did the breakdown bit.
> 
> (I'm using Line6 GearBox into GarageBand... on the heavy guitars, the left side is a Recto patch, and the right side is an AC-30... two of my favourite amps, which complement each other nicely in a layered guitar situation.)
> 
> [media]http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/Agile_Intrepid_Pro/l8test.mp3[/media]



That's pretty comically low, dude.  

I think 1.) tighter doubletracking, and 2.) less gain for a bit more clarity, and you'll have a winner there. Also, were those chimey clean chords from the Agile? That was a great tone...


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## darren (Sep 8, 2008)

Yeah, after trying the DAEADGBE tuning with my regular rig, i found it to be a little too low. I'm now using EBEADGBE, essentially the "drop-D" of 8-string tunings, and i really like it much better. Chords ring much more true, and it's not as flabby down low.

Yeah, my double-tracking is pretty sloppy, mainly because i was rushing to get it done, and was playing a completely new, completely unrehearsed track. I literally went, "WTF am i going to record?" and came up with a few simple parts to layer together, recording and mixing it all in about an hour. I'm also not accustomed to doing much recording on my own, so i definitely need more practice. 

Everything but the percussion on that track is the Agile. The chimey chords were a Twin model with some analog chorus and compression and then a super-long cavernous reverb and a ping-pong delay. The first section with the single-note natural harmonics also uses this same sound. To do the chimey chords, i fretted full 8-string barre chords, and instead of strumming or plucking the chords, slapped the edge of my right index finger across all strings simultaneously over a fret where some natural harmonics of the chord would be found. That gives a combination of fundamental tone and harmonic chimes that bloom and sparkle.


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## Splees (Sep 8, 2008)

^^^^

barre chords on this is amazing. did you get your standard?


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## darren (Sep 8, 2008)

Estimated delivery is September 10. It's coming by FedEx Ground, so it's taking its sweet-ass time. It's currently in Syracuse, NY.


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## s_the_fallen (Sep 9, 2008)

darren said:


> Yeah, after trying the DAEADGBE tuning with my regular rig, i found it to be a little too low. I'm now using EBEADGBE, essentially the "drop-D" of 8-string tunings, and i really like it much better. Chords ring much more true, and it's not as flabby down low.


  I also did the same tuning test and EBEADGBE was better.


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## darren (Sep 11, 2008)

So as the euphoria wears off from finally receiving my instrument after hatching this idea nearly two years ago, i'm in a bit of a predicament. Here's my situation:

I like the look and feel of my Pro better than my Standard (inconsistencies and blemishes aside), and amazingly, it actually weighs about a pound less than the Standard. According to my digital bathroom scale, my Pro is 7.5 lbs. vs. 8.6 lbs. for the Standard.

But i am increasingly disappointed that my Pro arrived in B-Stock/Blem condition when i paid for something new. I don't buy new gear very often. Prior to my Intrepids arriving, i have owned exactly TWO new guitars in my life. I don't mind blemishes or slight defects when buying something used. But when i buy something new, i expect it to arrive in "new" condition. 

My disappointment is compounded by the feeling that as i see others getting their instruments, it seems like i got the worst of the first run of Pros. Others that have arrived have had better-looking woods, better-matched neck stringers and fewer blemishes. I haven't asked for anything in return throughout this process... it was fueled pretty much by complete self-interest in wanting an affordable 8 to experiment with before taking the big-dollar plunge with a custom. Just being able to get the instrument i wanted was sufficient reward for all the work i've put in to this project. At the very least, i would have hoped that i'd get a hand-picked one from the first run that was as good as it could possibly be. That would have been a nice gesture. 

I'm not as angry as some people seem to be about this (zimbloth, Chris, etc.). My guitar was not "beat to shit" and it's not an absolute travesty that has transpired. As is my nature, i'm taking a calm and analytic approach to the issues, coming to terms with them and deciding how i'm going to move forward. But yes, i am disappointed.

While none of the issues affect the tone or playability, they're not things one likes to see in a new-out-of-the-box instrument at any price:


dings in the neck behind the 9th fret
scratches in the bridge base plate
hairline cracks in the body wood
blemishes on the upper horn
dings on the lower edge of the body by the control cavity
pickup, bridge, fretboard and truss rods not centred on the neck blank
visibly mismatched walnut neck stringers

If this guitar were in a retail store, it would probably be fairly steeply discounted due to the condition it arrived in.

My dilemma is that i love it, but i'm not entirely happy with it, if that makes any sense. So as much as i love it, i think i need to return it to Rondo. I'm undecided as to whether i'll order another Pro in the next run, or if i'll just put money aside to order a Sherman or an Oni. I'm leaning more toward plan B.

I thought about just selling it privately, as there's no doubt big demand right now from people who did not get in on the first run. But on principle, i think Kurt needs to get this back and examine the issues with it more closely so they can be addressed with the factory. 

So for those of you who might be interested in picking one of these up, stand by... there may be a B-Stock/Blem Intrepid Pro coming up for sale on the Rondo site soon. 

I'll likely hang on to the Standard for the time being until i decide what my next move is going to be.


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## TomAwesome (Sep 11, 2008)

Another option could be to wait to see what Kurt ends up offering people who got damaged/flawed guitars, or talk to him personally about it. If he ends up offering replacements, then you could have your perfect Pro. I know it's fairly unlikely that he'll offer to replace all of these, but in his place I'd try to make an exception for you after all you've done to help realize a product with so much demand.


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## nuclearvoodoo (Sep 11, 2008)

Darren, yeah that does suck about your pro :/ We are very greatful for your work on this project, and I'm sure Kurt is too from the sales point of view. I definately feel your disappointment and agree that you should've got the pick of the run (although I dont think i've seen one Pro that is perfect or even near-perfect yet). Hopefully it'll work out for you in the end and I do hope Kurt does something to compensate for the blemishes/flaws on the pros.


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## darren (Sep 11, 2008)

The thing is, there aren't really any "replacements" available right now. As far as i know, no instruments were ordered for inventory... every one ordered was sold, so a replacement would have to come out of the next production run. I'm not sure i want to wait six months and have potentially similar results.


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## msherman (Sep 11, 2008)

How many were built in the first run?


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## darren (Sep 11, 2008)

As near as i can tell, 10-12 Pros and 10-12 Standards were made in the first run. But that's just a guess on my part based on who responded to that poll. Kurt would know for sure.


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 11, 2008)

darren said:


> As near as i can tell, 10-12 Pros and 10-12 Standards were made in the first run.



Wow, that few, now I feel really special.


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## TimothyLeary (Sep 11, 2008)

i feel sad for you darren. I understand when you say that you pay new and get a used guitar. It piss me off too, when happens. Talk with kurt just to let him know that you could be more happy if the guitar will be in top notch condition. 

Cheers for you man.


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## darren (Sep 11, 2008)

I've already told Kurt pretty much everything i've posted here.


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## TomAwesome (Sep 11, 2008)

darren said:


> The thing is, there aren't really any "replacements" available right now. As far as i know, no instruments were ordered for inventory... every one ordered was sold, so a replacement would have to come out of the next production run. I'm not sure i want to wait six months and have potentially similar results.



That's why I figured replacements would be unlikely. Hopefully something satisfactory gets worked out.


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## Stitch (Sep 11, 2008)

Darren, you're voice is immensely hot.

Nice guitar too btw. Shame about the damage, but your point about letting Jurt see it is rather valid IMO.


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## Sevenstringer (Sep 11, 2008)

Where are these guitars made? China? Korea?
Also, cheap guitar or not......I am not too sure "Joe Public" would want a guitar with dings, chips, paint defects, scratches trem base when intonated, not to mention offset and what appear to be improperly routed truss rods. 
Just my .02
Maybe I am too picky when spending cash on new gear....That aside, they look ok


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## Shawn (Sep 11, 2008)

Very nice.  Cool vid too. 

Sorry to hear about the flaws, they seem to be very minor though. That is a beautiful guitar. Congrats!


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 12, 2008)

Sevenstringer said:


> Where are these guitars made? China? Korea?
> Also, cheap guitar or not......I am not too sure "Joe Public" would want a guitar with dings, chips, paint defects, scratches trem base when intonated, not to mention offset and what appear to be improperly routed truss rods.
> Just my .02
> Maybe I am too picky when spending cash on new gear....That aside, they look ok



Korea.

Price = QC


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## darren (Sep 12, 2008)

I dunno... $650 puts you squarely in the midrange category in Korean instruments, which tend to be VERY good. I've played some $400 Korean instruments that were very impressive. 

Yes, these were more or less a "trial" run, but if you ask me, this is the time for the factory to PROVE to the paying customers that they can deliver a quality product. I could see ONE guitar having the kind of problems we've seen. But a dozen?

That being said, the Standards all seem to be arriving in excellent condition. They probably have different teams building the neck-thru and bolt-on instruments.


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## Splees (Sep 12, 2008)

that's what I was thinking.. probably explains the 007 and 008 serial numbers.


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## nuclearvoodoo (Sep 12, 2008)

darren said:


> I dunno... $650 puts you squarely in the midrange category in Korean instruments, which tend to be VERY good. I've played some $400 Korean instruments that were very impressive.
> 
> Yes, these were more or less a "trial" run, but if you ask me, this is the time for the factory to PROVE to the paying customers that they can deliver a quality product. I could see ONE guitar having the kind of problems we've seen. But a dozen?
> 
> That being said, the Standards all seem to be arriving in excellent condition. They probably have different teams building the neck-thru and bolt-on instruments.



My Ibanez S2170FB Prestige is made in Korea and that was $2800... and i've also got an AXS32 ibanez.. korea also.. Excellent quality. I haven't really seen a dodgy korean made guitar, but i guess it comes down to quality control and I guess Ibanez QC is pretty strict.


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 12, 2008)

nuclearvoodoo said:


> My Ibanez S2170FB Prestige is made in Korea and that was $2800... and i've also got an AXS32 ibanez.. korea also.. Excellent quality. I haven't really seen a dodgy korean made guitar, but i guess it comes down to quality control and I guess Ibanez QC is pretty strict.



I've seen plenty of problems with S2170s. I'm not just talking about scuffs, serious problems like trems being routed improperly, neck pockets too shallow, pickups at an angle. Hit up the Ibby forums for some horror stories. There are some great Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian guitars, it's not a myth. Though QC is always gonna be an issue.


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## nuclearvoodoo (Sep 12, 2008)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I've seen plenty of problems with S2170s. I'm not just talking about scuffs, serious problems like trems being routed improperly, neck pockets too shallow, pickups at an angle. Hit up the Ibby forums for some horror stories. There are some great Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian guitars, it's not a myth. Though QC is always gonna be an issue.



Scary shit! You'd be horrified if you paid that much for a guitar and it had serious problems like that


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## CrushingAnvil (Sep 14, 2008)

Are you from 'Uraguay', Darren? I think you are...yes, yes I do


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## darren (Sep 14, 2008)




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## bulletbass man (Sep 18, 2008)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Wow, that few, now I feel really special.


 
Quite frankly that dissapoints me more. Than means like a 1/4 of those who ordered the standard got the wrong guitar.

I also thought it was really strange daren did get one of the least appeasible guitars out of all of them. Hell for the work he put into this he should've gotten one for free in my book. Atleast the nicest one they made.


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## yellowv (Sep 19, 2008)

bulletbass man said:


> Quite frankly that dissapoints me more. Than means like a 1/4 of those who ordered the standard got the wrong guitar.
> 
> I also thought it was really strange daren did get one of the least appeasible guitars out of all of them. Hell for the work he put into this he should've gotten one for free in my book. Atleast the nicest one they made.


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## MoNsTaR (Sep 21, 2008)

how does it play compaired to a seven string, no shop around me has any 8 stringers, and a bass isnt quite the same as actualy trying one out, so is it a big difference?


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## darren (Sep 22, 2008)

The neck is about the same width as a 6-string bass. It's pretty wide. It makes my sevens feel small! But the playability is great. I really like playing mine.


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