# The Official Agile ERG Thread



## darren

So it never hurts to have options, right? 

The interest in 8-strings has been heating up quite considerably, but for most of us, price is a big barrier to adopting an extended-range instrument. Most of us haven't played an 8, and dropping $1000+ on an instrument without knowing whether it's something we can get along with is a big investment in what is essentially an experiment.

Naturally, i thought of approaching Kurt and Rondo Music about the possibility of adapting an existing guitar or bass design to an 8-string guitar. After thumbing through just about every page of their online catalog, i came across the Brice Defiant 6-string bass... i thought it was pretty much the perfect platform to start modifying. The shape is superStrat-esque with some unique but still aesthetically pleasing twists, and i dig the overall look.

I've mocked it up with some proposed specs, for your perusal... it's shown white here just to get the shape across. It would likely use similar woods and finish as the Defiant 6-string bass.

I've opened a discussion with Kurt about it, and as we all know, Rondo is VERY receptive and responsive to customer requests. If you guys are interested in something like this, chime in and maybe Kurt can make it happen.

*[EDIT: Since nobody wants to read through 200+ pages of posts to find the latest, i'm adding a FAQ here - darren. FAQ Updated 2009.01.10]**First, a disclaimer: I DO NOT WORK FOR RONDO MUSIC! I cannot answer any questions about production, sales, inventory, or anything other than the design and specifications.* I'm a player and designer who just happened to work with Rondo to make this instrument a reality. 

DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES WITH THE QUESTIONS BELOW (OR QUESTIONS RELATED). DOING SO WILL RESULT IN YOU GETTING NEGATIVE REP. Sorry, folks, but that's the way it's gotta be. Please direct all questions to Kurt.

The FAQ below should answer any remaining questions...

*Q: Are these still available?*
*A:* The easiest way to find out is to go to Rondo's site and look for yourself. They're usually on the last page of the electric guitars section. If you don't see them there, then the answer is no, there are none currently available for ordering.

*Q: When will the next run be? *
*A:* If you want to be alerted as to when the next run is available for ordering, the best thing to do is to sign up for the Rondo mailing list. Advance notice goes out to all list subscribers before the ordering page hits the site for the general public. 

*Q: Will the Intrepid become a regular stock item at Rondo instead of being produced in small manufacturing runs?*
*A:* The only person who can answer questions about future product plans is Kurt at Rondo Music. If you want an answer to this question, please email him at [email protected] instead of asking in this thread for the ELEVENTY-BILLIONTH TIME.

*Q: How much?*
*A:* Current pricing (as of Fall 2008) for the Intrepid Pro (maple/walnut 5-piece neck thru body with mahogany wings, maple fretboard, Hipshot bridge and EMG 808 pickup) is USD$675 plus shipping. Pricing on the second run of Intrepid Standard models is USD $535. The Intrepid Dual Standard 8 is $625. A 50&#37; non-refundable deposit is required at ordering time, with the remainder due prior to shipping. Pricing and payment policy may change in the future, but i'm not going to keep updating this FAQ with the pricing for every run.

*Q: How long are pre-orders being accepted?*
*A:* Intrepids are being ordered from the factory in relatively small runs, and all instruments were pre-sold through the pre-order process. The first run was apparently 50 instruments, and those sold out within days. Orders are usually taken until a production target is met or an ordering cutoff date is reached. We do not know if Rondo Music plans to order additional units for inventory.

*Q: When are these coming in?*
*A:* Estimated ship date for the second run is March 3rd, 2009. You will be contacted directly by Rondo Music when these come in, as the balance of your payment will be due before your guitar ships out.

*Q: Is there a hardshell case available?*
*A:* Yes. Baritone Case

*Q: Can you make me a mockup for a custom shop model i want to order?*
*A:* No. I don't work for Rondo Music, and can't respond to every single request for a custom mockup. If you have questions about other products from Rondo, please contact Kurt directly.​*[EDIT: Just so nobody's confused, i'm updating this post with all of the prototype concept mockups to date. - darren, 2008.04.05]*

Just to recap the evolution:

*October 4, 2006*






*October 5, 2006*





*December 19, 2006*





*May 4, 2008*





*May 4, 2008*





*Updated 2008.08.11*
... with production pics! 

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld

The first batch is expected around September 1. Here are some pics of a maple-fretboard model:


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## Mykie

Dood, Hell Yeah, i would be all over that, nice design too


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## Donnie

Hmmm... good idea and nice design.  I'm not to big on anything more than 7 strings these days, but if this sees the light of day and is at a reasonable price, I just might pick one up for the hell of it.


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## nyck

I'd be interested if it had a maple fretboard, and the price was reasonable: $500/600? Is that even possible?


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## Jason

the defiant is a very cool shape.  I would like one of these.


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## Papa Shank

That almost looks good to go imo, although an option to add Lundgrens might be nice and I think the headstock would do well from having an inline setup, inline reversed??? 

EDIT - Actually, if the body were to be more like an RG but keep the horns the same as in the above design I'd be pretty happy.


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## Ror3h

Thats gorgeous!
I want one...
That looks awesome in white with ebony board, even if it is just to get the shape across haha.
If these get made and are at a decent price id HAVE to get one!


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## Adam

Wait does it say 38.625" scale length on it? Cuz if itt does tuning it for a high A instead of a low F# will be almost impossible


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## darren

I don't think an inline headstock is practical. A 4+4 headstock keeps it from being too neck-heavy, and keeps the overall length a bit more reasonable. As it is, with the 28 5/8" scale, you're probably going to have to carry it around in a bass case, unless the neck and bridge are set further back in the body.

BTW, i chose that scale length so that the overall fret spacing is familiar above the 2nd fret... 28 5/8" is a fairly standard baritone scale, equivalent to a 25.5" scale guitar with two frets added at the nut end of the neck. Tuning up to A would be pretty tricky on this instrument, but i figure MOST people are going to want to tune down, so it's designed to make that the optimal configuration.

All of Rondo's instruments are priced extremely competitively, and just about every review i've read of instruments from their various brands indicates that the quality is top-notch. The idea here is to put together a well-designed and well-built 8-string at a reasonable price. By building as much as possible off an existing design, the development costs can be minimized and the price kept down, so those of us who are interested can give it a try, then possibly commission a custom 8 with more exotic and unique options (like fanned frets) down the road from any of the growing number of small custom shops that are tooling up for 8-strings. (Oni and KxK come to mind.)


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## nyck

I can vouch for Rondo's quality and service. Excellent company.


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## Mykie

I never owned an Agile since I am to drawn to Ibanez, but I was thinking about getting a Brice 5-String bass since I heard so much about it...

I think this 8 idea can draw me away from Ibanez as far as 8s go.

I wanted an 8 for the longest time...


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## nyck

I forgot to ask, how is an 8 string graphtech nut going to be made possible.?


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## Nik

Hell yeah  

I've been vouching for a Rondo 8-string for quite some time, but I figured I was one of a few people interested.

If Rondo makes an 8-string for a reasonable price (maybe a bit more than the 7 sceptors) I'd be all over it.

Any chance of having a 27" scale, though? That way, us lesser-mortal with medium-small hands can play it, and also people like Yngwie can use Garry's strings to tune with a high A.

In any case, good job on the design, it looks awesome


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## Durero

Nik said:


> Any chance of having a 27" scale, though? That way, us lesser-mortal with medium-small hands can play it, and also people like Yngwie can use Garry's strings to tune with a high A.


Garry has strings which will tune to high A at 30" so that's not an issue - but yeah everyone's going to have personal preferences for scale length; personally I like Darren's choice.


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## Shannon

Keep it to 27" or lower and I think we have a winner.


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## David

an 8 string? for a reasonable price? if it were around $500-600, count me in!


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## Mastodon

Woah, David where the hell you been?


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## Jason

Mastodon said:


> Woah, David where the hell you been?



doin school work something you aren't doin


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## David

work, school, girlfriend... not much time for replies! I guess I don't post much do I? hahah, I've looked on here everyday tho, so I haven't missed any of you.



.jason. said:


> doin school work something you aren't doin


bingo


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## Jason

David said:


> work, school, girlfriend... not much time for replies! I guess I don't post much do I? hahah, I've looked on here everyday tho, so I haven't missed any of you.
> 
> 
> bingo



I figured you were back to school.. better doing that than being on here.


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## Nik

Shannon said:


> Keep it to 27" or lower and I think we have a winner.



+1000

If you want it to sell, then you should make it a reasonable scale length. I mean, not everyone has huge hands, and not everyone likes the feel of bass guitars. An extremely long scale length may put off potential buyers. Keep in mind this is a guitar, not a bass.

Personally, I'd prefer an 8-string with a high-A (so I can expand my solos and have almost the same range as a piano...).

Of course, fanned frets are always an option. Was the license fee for fanned frets $40? Cause that's pretty reasonable...


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## Metal Ken

27-28.65" scale is fine by me.


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## Metal Ken

Nik said:


> Of course, fanned frets are always an option. Was the license fee for fanned frets $40? Cause that's pretty reasonable...



75$. 

I'd personally _LOVE_ a guitar with fanned frets, but i dont think thats the majority concensus here.


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## darren

I'd love a guitar with fanned frets as well, but it's not just the $75 license fee you have to consider. If the factory isn't set up to install and dress fanned frets, you're looking at significant development time for programming the machines and training the workers how to properly finish the frets. All that adds $$$ to the final price.

If you don't like 28 5/8", put a capo at the first fret and it's about 27", and at the second fret, it's 25.5". 

It's meant to be a good _eight string_ guitar, and shorter scale lengths are considered to be inadequate by those who have experience with them. If you've got small hands, i would imagine the width of the neck will be more of an issue than the spacing of the bottom two frets.


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## Loserchief

if that gets made, i want one for sure. The design looks great.


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## Veronica

Wow, an 8-string. Geez, I have a hard time playing a 7, I got small hands.

I think that would work out good if they made 8-string for you guys at a good price. Then other people beyond this site might even buy them too when they find out about them. Rondo will make a killing off of them. Would this be the first production 8 string if they do make it? Mean first 8-string to be sold in a store (or online) that is not custom made.


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## XEN

I'd grab one up for sure. The design looks freakin' great man! 

I've been playing the 28 5/8" scale for over 2 years now and love it so that's the scale length that gets my vote. Anyone who thinks having small hands will hurt or hinder, don't worry. It is very easy to get used to and Darren is right, the capo idea gives you the 27" and 25.5" scales as well, I guess kinda like that new Steinberger TransScale 28 5/8" thing.

Lundgrens would be nice, but at $420 for a pair I think the price point would be shattered. 

Halo is already bringing the 8 within reach. It would be sweet as hell to see the price of an 8 drop even lower than $1k.


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## Bassies7string

If this could be done for around $600 / $800 I'm in!


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## metalfiend666

I'm very interested as long as it's a reasonable price. The specs you proposed are fine with me, but I would _prefer _a 27" scale. I'll probably just capo the first fret if not, so it's not a deal breaker. I think it looks very cool in white too!

One more point, you might want to list the specs in the first post, they're very hard to read in the image. I had to save it to my pc and enlarge it, even then I could only just make some parts out.


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## Scott

metalfiend666 said:


> One more point, you might want to list the specs in the first post, they're very hard to read in the image. I had to save it to my pc and enlarge it, even then I could only just make some parts out.



You sir, need some fucking glasses


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## darren

Maybe the optical care in the UK is as good as the dental care. (I kid!)

*Brice Defiant8 concept*

Proposed Specifications:

*Body*
Alder body, bubinga top

*Neck*
5 piece maple/rosewood laminate
Bubinga laminate on headstock face

*Fretboard*
Ebony, 16" radius
2 1/16" at the nut
No face inlays (side dots only)

*Scale length*
28 5/8"

*Frets*
Jumbo

*Electronics*
Active humbuckers neck/bridge (EMG 45DC or similar)
Three-way toggle
Master volume, concentric treble/bass EQ (active)

*Hardware*
Hipshot 8-string fixed
Strings through body
Sealed 18:1 tuners
GraphTech nut

*Strings*
.009 to .070 (based on low F# tuning)


Somebody asked about a GraphTech nut, and i don't think it's much of an issue... if they make them wide enough for 6-string basses, that same size should work for an 8-string guitar.


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## metalfiend666

Thank you Darren.



Scott said:


> You sir, need some fucking glasses


 
Must be my screen. I had my eyes tested a couple of months back and apart from one eye being fractionally (and I mean only very slightly) longsighted I have 20/20 vision.


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## Cancer

Interesting specs.....looks like 2007 is going to be the year of the 8. Get the design under 750$, and I'm in.


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## Elysian

yeah you can buy 2.5" graphtech nut blanks...


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## XEN

I guess my 10 will have two nuts... 

Oh, on a serious note, I would consider a 20" radius rather than 16", but now I'm splitting hairs (as well as nuts)...


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## Drew

Hell, if Agile makes that, I'm in. 28.5" is seriously long, but you need that sort of length for F# tuning, I gather. 27-28.5 would be the range I'd consider ideal. 

Also, I seriously like the looks of that. With a bubinga top, however, this almost HAS to come in a natural oil finish.  

I think expecting a $400 set of lundgrens on a guitar that's targeted as a budget 8 and will probably list between $500-600 is probably a little extreme. EMG's as it is would be pushing it, but might be cheaper than developing anything in-house. 

Also, while I'd love a maple board, I could probably live with ebony - compromise is the spirit of something-or-other, fellas.


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## Nik

Well, I suppose maybe a poll, like for the SS.ORG Agile 7, to determine specs might be best.

Let me just say that, while right now I'm seriously interested, a 28 5/8" will make me *NOT* buy one. I'd end up getting a Schecter C-7 instead. I'm sorry, but IMO, seeing as how not everyone will be tuning to F#, 27" seems to me like a nice compromise scale between 25.5" and 28 5/8", and it can hold both a low F# and a high-A, while not being too over-the-top for the average guitar player.

My 2 cents.


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## Roundhouse_Kick

^Completely agreed  

I am very interested in an 8 string in the near future but would almost certainly be going with the high A. Low F# would be fun for a bit, but it doesn't suit my style of rhythm playing (tight and fast), and I thinkthe novelty (for me) would wear off fast. I'd rather have the A as a natural extension of lead playing.

If the scale length is kept reasonable there will be a lot more takers including myself!


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## XEN

I'm sure it would be possible to have two versions of the guitar, but it would not necessarily be economical. If it comes down to a vote, I'd say a poll would be in order, but I agree wholeheartedly with Darren on this one: 28 5/8" is the right scale for a new instrument not just a 7 or a 6 with one or two strings added for effect. 

The fact remains that even on the longer scale you can tune up to A. I may do that anyway, but the open string would not be A, the 2nd fret would. Low A to high G. Why not tune it one whole step down so that it would be standard at the 25.5" 2nd fret position? Why not? Who says a guitar has to be tuned a certain way anyway? This is the same philosophy of approach for 9 strings and up. Tune it however you want but get the range you need to play ANYTHING that comes to mind, any time.

No arguing, mind you, just offering more useless opinions....


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## Nik

urklvt said:


> I'm sure it would be possible to have two versions of the guitar, but it would not necessarily be economical. If it comes down to a vote, I'd say a poll would be in order, but I agree wholeheartedly with Darren on this one: 28 5/8" is the right scale for a new instrument not just a 7 or a 6 with one or two strings added for effect.
> 
> The fact remains that even on the longer scale you can tune up to A. I may do that anyway, but the open string would not be A, the 2nd fret would. Low A to high G. Why not tune it one whole step down so that it would be standard at the 25.5" 2nd fret position? Why not? Who says a guitar has to be tuned a certain way anyway? This is the same philosophy of approach for 9 strings and up. Tune it however you want but get the range you need to play ANYTHING that comes to mind, any time.
> 
> No arguing, mind you, just offering more useless opinions....



I see your points dude, and I see where you're coming from 100%, and I see why you would want the longer scale. All I'm saying is that apart from some of you fellas on this forum, a lot of average players like me would be put off  

A capo would confuse me  I like having those nice dots to help me instantly jump from one part of the fretboard to another, so I don't want to make amends with a capo (and end up having less frets). And I doubt that we'd be able to convince Kurt to make more than one type of 8. I mean, making just one model 8-string is already quite an undertaking.

I don't like going lower than A--that's just bass territory. As someone said, it might be fun to go to F# for a little bit, but I personally would tune mine like:

A D G C F A D G thus expanding both my lower range and higher range and coming close to the range of a piano


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## BrianCarroll

Going shorter than 28" for an 8-string with a low F# is pointless - even with huge strings (i mean .085 or .090) intonation would be a nightmare and such a big string would be quite disturbing for most of us...
28 5/8" seems to be interesting but 30" is probably the best.
I'm not afraid of long scales - my hands are very large


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## Desecrated

I think it looks sweet, and the specs are fine, if this is cheaper then the halo I will buy it, beacuse the halo is one of the ugliest guitars I´ve ever seen.


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## Adam

BrianCarroll said:


> Going shorter than 28" for an 8-string with a low F# is pointless - even with huge strings (i mean .085 or .090) intonation would be a nightmare and such a big string would be quite disturbing for most of us...
> 28 5/8" seems to be interesting but 30" is probably the best.
> I'm not afraid of long scales - my hands are very large


The people who are complaining about the scale length such as me are referring to th scale being too long for a high A, but I agree with you that it would be a good scale length if everyone was to tune to a low F#, but I personally wouldnt want anything lower than the low B, and as someone else said you almost have the range of a piano with a high A which appeals to me.


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## darren

As has already been stated, strings DO exist that will allow you to tune to high A on long scale lengths.

I'm puzzled why guys who are concerned about scale lengths longer than 27" aren't also concerned about a neck that's over 2" wide at the nut. If your hands are small, an 8 might be out of the question anyway.

My thinking was to offer something different. The Halo 8 will be 27" scale with a Kahler trem. This guitar will offer a different scale length and will be a hardtail with a different aesthetic. Choice is a good thing. I don't think these two models should compete with each other. Each will offer something different and each will have its fans.


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## noodles

darren said:


> Each will offer something different and each will have its fans.



I thought neither of them was going to have fanned frets? 

nyuck nyuck nyuck...


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## Nik

darren said:


> I'm puzzled why guys who are concerned about scale lengths longer than 27" aren't also concerned about a neck that's over 2" wide at the nut. If your hands are small, an 8 might be out of the question anyway.



I've played 6-string basses before, so I know my hands can cope with the width. However, I don't like the feel of bass guitars, this is why I play *guitar* and not bass. If anything comes out of this Rondo run idea, I don't want a Brice bass with 8-strings and a slightly shorter scale--I want a *guitar.*

In any case, I'm just citing my opinion, I don't care quite that much. All I'm saying is that if the scale is over 27", I'm not buying one, and I'll just stick to 7s, and I'm sure there are many others who feel the same way. No hard feelings or anything, but the scale length is inversely proportional to the sales numbers, IMO


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## darren

Heh. I'd love for it to have fanned frets, but i'm concerned that it would inflate the price out of the range that would encourage people to give an 8-string a try. If the choice is fanned frets or an instrument that most people will actually be able to afford, i'd choose the latter.



Nik said:


> In any case, I'm just citing my opinion, I don't care quite that much. All I'm saying is that if the scale is over 27", I'm not buying one, and I'll just stick to 7s, and I'm sure there are many others who feel the same way. No hard feelings or anything, but the scale length is inversely proportional to the sales numbers, IMO


There's probably an equal number of guys who feel that 27" is only barely acceptable for an 8-string, and would prefer a longer scale.

Kurt is very aware that this needs to be a playable instrument. Hopefully this will move forward into the prototyping stage, and issues like scale length can be worked out.


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## Metal Ken

Nik said:


> I've played 6-string basses before, so I know my hands can cope with the width. However, I don't like the feel of bass guitars, this is why I play *guitar* and not bass. If anything comes out of this Rondo run idea, I don't want a Brice bass with 8-strings and a slightly shorter scale--I want a *guitar.*




thats a bit of a difference. most 6 string basses are 34-35" scale. Thats a BIG difference between 28.6", almost half a foot, dude.


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## b3n

Darren that's just cool. I've been curious about 8s for a while now so if this does happen at a reasonable price I'm definately interested in it. At either scale.


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## kurtzentmaier

To comment on the quested Specs:

*Brice Defiant8 concept*

Proposed Specifications:

*Body*
Alder body, bubinga top

Kurt> Alder or Mahagony - no problem either way. Tops should be no problem

*Neck*
5 piece maple/rosewood laminate
Bubinga laminate on headstock face

Kurt> Do-able

*Fretboard*
Ebony, 16" radius
2 1/16" at the nut
No face inlays (side dots only)

Kurt> No chance - not in the target price range (<$600) - getting a good quality ebony board that's wide enought for an 8 string is going to cost much more - price of guitar would be more like $999 I think rosewood or maple should be possible.


*Scale length*
28 5/8"

Kurt> 27" or 28 +- is no problem

*Frets*
Jumbo

Kurt> No problem - but fanned could add at least $100+ to the price ($75 for the license alone)

*Electronics*
Active humbuckers neck/bridge (EMG 45DC or similar)
Three-way toggle
Master volume, concentric treble/bass EQ (active)

*Hardware*
Hipshot 8-string fixed


Kurt> EMGs would probobly be too expensive.

Strings through body
Sealed 18:1 tuners
GraphTech nut

*Strings*
.009 to .070 (based on low F# tuning)


Kurt> Getting a bridge for an 8 string is another problem - we would probobly use individual saddle tuners like we use on the Prestige Z bass. Or possibly use a combination of a guitar bridge on the guitar strings and individual bass saddles on the bass strings. If we did not use fanned fets, some kind of compensated nut or multi-nut system would probobly need to be used to keep intonation correct between the 1st and 8th strings. 


Kurt


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## Drew

Nik said:


> Let me just say that, while right now I'm seriously interested, a 28 5/8" will make me *NOT* buy one. I'd end up getting a Schecter C-7 instead. I'm sorry, but IMO, seeing as how not everyone will be tuning to F#, 27" seems to me like a nice compromise scale between 25.5" and 28 5/8", and it can hold both a low F# and a high-A, while not being too over-the-top for the average guitar player.



I'm actually surprised there's even a handful of you pushing a high-A here. Personally, I've never wanted to go higher than the available range on a 6 and I've never gotten the handful of people who have. 

Also, owning two 26.5" guitars and stringing them with .68 B's, I don't really think a .70 at 27" is going to cut it for F#. I can tune my Schecters down to A comfortably - Ab's a bit iffy, but G is borderline at best. F# would require a significantly bigger guage, and I don't think .02mm and .5" are going to make that much a different. 27" is, like I said, the LOWEST I'd even consider, but I don't think it'd be ideal.

And on the other side of the coin, tuning a .08 or .07 up to A on a 25.5" scale neck is almost unusuably tense and incredibly prone to breakage. Gary Goodman has, I believe said he's been able to get his strings up to A on a 32" neck with no problems, so either way you're probably going to require special strings if you're going to tune up - another inch or inch-and-a-half ont he scale doesn't change that. 

And ultimately, the real benefit here isn't the extra 5 notes an extra string will afford you - rather, it's the extra five notes in any given scale position. The added range an extra string gives you going from a 24-fret 7 to a 24-fret 8 is negligable, it's the flexibility that makes an instrument.


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## NewArmyGuitar

Looks good to me. I'd buy an 8 like that.


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## Metal Ken

kurtzentmaier said:


> Kurt> Getting a bridge for an 8 string is another problem - we would probobly use individual saddle tuners like we use on the Prestige Z bass. Or possibly use a combination of a guitar bridge on the guitar strings and individual bass saddles on the bass strings. If we did not use fanned fets, some kind of compensated nut or multi-nut system would probobly need to be used to keep intonation correct between the 1st and 8th strings.




Individual saddles are AWESOME. Do it.


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## Drew

...also worth noting is that low-F# seems to be gradually becoming accepted as standard tuning for an 8, just as low-B has become accepted for a 7 after some flirtation initially with the idea of tuning up. 

Basically, I don't see a high-G or -A tuning cutting it on anything longer than 25" without special strings, while low F# is much more feasible.


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## Drew

kurtzentmaier said:


> Kurt> No chance - not in the target price range (<$600) - getting a good quality ebony board that's wide enought for an 8 string is going to cost much more - price of guitar would be more like $999 I think rosewood or maple should be possible.
> 
> Kurt> No problem - but fanned could add at least $100+ to the price ($75 for the license alone)
> 
> Kurt> Getting a bridge for an 8 string is another problem - we would probobly use individual saddle tuners like we use on the Prestige Z bass.




I'd definitely prefer individual saddles. For one, it looks sexy as hell. For another it gives you a bit more intonation flexibility in the design, and by not doing a split bridge it weakens the "guitar with three bass strings" associationes - I think it makes more sense to think of it as one instrument, and not two stuck together. 

I'd LOVE a maple board by the way. Say you did this with a maple board, fanned frets, and individual saddles - what sort of price point do you think we'd talking? Say, a 25" to 28" fan - this should keep both the high-A and low-F camps pretty happy, and I believe is still within the realm of feasibility, in terms of fanning.


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## darren

Thanks for your feedback, Kurt!

If there are ways to economize, such as a maple board and a plain alder or ash body, generic pickups/electronics and off-the-shelf hardware like the individual bridges, hopefully that would make something like a fanned fretboard feasible within a reasonable price point. A 25" to 28" fan sounds like it'd work very well for everyone. And fanned frets look frickin' cool. 

I wouldn't be averse to a generic soapbar pickup setup as long as it's got an active treble and bass boost/cut and a sweepable midrange boost/cut. This should allow people to zero in on the perfect tone in the absence of going through a whole R&D and custom fabrication process to make purpose-built 8-string guitar pickups.

The specs i've proposed are not set in stone, so it's great to see lots of discussion happening.


----------



## Shorty

Id buy that in a heartbeat (with Drews suggestions of maple board with single saddles)!


----------



## FredGrass

Man, reading this thread makes my heart skip beats. A ~$600 8-string?? Jesus. I'd be in the first set of orders, undoubtedly. Especially with the 28-5/8" scale.


----------



## noodles

Drew said:


> Also, owning two 26.5" guitars and stringing them with .68 B's, I don't really think a .70 at 27" is going to cut it for F#. I can tune my Schecters down to A comfortably - Ab's a bit iffy, but G is borderline at best. F# would require a significantly bigger guage, and I don't think .02mm and .5" are going to make that much a different. 27" is, like I said, the LOWEST I'd even consider, but I don't think it'd be ideal.



I bet you don't have any problems with mud from the larger string gauge, either, do you?

[action=Noodles]is tired of people telling him that heavy strings can't sound bright and punchy.[/action]


----------



## bostjan

Man, if I were to buy one, I would gladly add $100-$200 for the fret fanning.

As far as scale lengths go, and string gauges, .070" at 28.5ish" at F# is the same tension as a .070" at 25.5" tuned to Ab, but with a little less mud. Some people like their strings that floppy, certainly, so it shouldn't be a universal problem. Tuning a store-bought .008" to high A will lead to a broken string for sure, that is neither an option at 25.5" nor 28.5" but believe it or not, a .010" reinforced will stand high A at 26", but it feels like a cheese slicer.

Garry Goodmans string hold up to high tensions at light gauges, but AFAIK, they are yet unavailable to the public.

High A is a bit of a problem, so just tune down a whole step to G.


----------



## metalfiend666

At this point, let me (re)introduce you to a beast of a guitar, the Blackmachine 884. It's a 25.5" to 28" fanned fret 8 string with EMG 45DC's. I played this back to back with their regular 8 string which is a 30" non fanned scale with EMG 40CS's.

First off the 30" scale is horrible to play unless you want a bass, it was way to much of a stretch at the lower frets. The upper frets were ok, but down at the first 5 or so it was just unmanageable. Also the string tension on the upper strings is ridiculous.

The 884 felt perfect. Ok, 28" is a bit of a stretch but it still feels like a guitar. The fanned frets not only aided reasonable string tension on all strings but also added clarity. Both guitars were run through the same Diezel amp on the same setting, roughly akin to the voice of satan himself, and the 884 trounced the regular 8. 7 Dying Trees played it straight after me and we both agreed that the fanned frets made a very big difference to note clarity. Without question it was the clearest guitar I've ever played, but in no way was it overly bright.

So what am I getting at here? Firstly, 30 inches is out. Completely OTT. 28" ish is about perfect for the low F#. Secondly fanned frets are a big plus for playability. I realise that for this instrument they're most likely out as they'd have a big increase on price. Thirdly, EMG 45DC's are excellent pickups for an 8 string.

As a test I detuned my RG7421XL a forth. For those who don't know the XL has a 27" scale. My guitar is fitted with a set of .010 to .056 Ernie Ball Slinky's and it is now tuned F#, B, E, A D, F#, B. It works, but the strings are understandably very floppy. I think a .070 could work as a low F# at a 27" scale, but I think a .074 would be better or a .070 at 28". Also the Blaze Bridge my guitar's fitted with sounds great at those tunings.

On more thing, maple has similar tonal properties to ebony when used as a fretboard doesn't it? If so, maple's fine with me.


----------



## bostjan

Well, keep in mind that the Blackmachine is a monster, too.

The thing about heavy gauges is that increasing the guage yields less and less benefit as the strings get really fat. Increasing the scale length increases the tone without breaking down at some point. But I agree that many players would be put off by anything like 30", even though I still think 30" is ok.


----------



## XEN

I'm cool as hell with the 30.325" scale, that's my next project, but the Blackmachine, as freakin' awesome as it is, is not at most of our price points. I wish it were 'cause damn! I'd love one.


----------



## Nik

Metal Ken said:


> thats a bit of a difference. most 6 string basses are 34-35" scale. Thats a BIG difference between 28.6", almost half a foot, dude.




I know. I've played guitars of various scale lengths, so I have some idea of how it goes, and I personally find 27" to be the perfect extended scale length. Leviathan 8-strings are 27", Halo 8s are gonna be 27", etc. I mean, people have successfully tuned to F# on a 25.5" scale (I think it was Donnie's 8-string... ?) so I don't see a big deal about *having* to go with 28 or above.

Drew--first of all, I'll probably tune to A-standart with a high D  But the extra string on top isn't necessarily for the added high notes. If I had an extra high string, this would put more notes in my fingertips when it comes to improvising and soloing, allow for expanded arpeggios for sweeping, etc... there are many applications of an added high string. I mean, I could make the argument that tuning as low as F# is silly, too, I mean, being bass territory and all...

Anyway, I'd even be willing to settle for a Rosewood fretboard, etc., if it'll get costs down to around $600.


----------



## metalfiend666

One other thing I've just remembered is the Blackmachine 884 has an active 2 band EQ as well. It's one hell of a guitar and if the price Doug quoted me at the time is still good it's great value, well for the UK. £2300, depending of course on woods and electronics.

I'm one player who's seriously put off by the suggestion of a 30" scale, although I realise that was just one persons suggestiong. I'm sharing my experience of the large scale 8's for information.


----------



## Drew

noodles said:


> I bet you don't have any problems with mud from the larger string gauge, either, do you?
> 
> [action=Noodles]is tired of people telling him that heavy strings can't sound bright and punchy.[/action]



Well, it's more complicated than a simple yes/no. Unquestionably, thinner strings sound brighter and snappier than thicker strings. However, on the other side of the coin, I wouldnt' say a thicker string sounds more "muddy" - it's darker, but there's a world of difference between dark and muddy (and, like anything else on a guitar, "mud" depends on like 18 other factors as well). 

The way I see it, though, is I still get a plenty tight and chunky low-B tone, and at the same time I've got the timbral variety of having a given note played on a .68-guage string or on a .32 or something. They sound different - that's sort of a good thing, isn't it?

[action=Drew]notes that the fact that he tends to use pretty dark, low gain amp settings also doesn't make him the ideal thick-guage clarity person. [/action]

But in short, I agree - thick-strings=mud is crap. Talk to SRV.


----------



## Drew

Nik said:


> If I had an extra high string, this would put more notes in my fingertips when it comes to improvising and soloing, allow for expanded arpeggios for sweeping, etc... there are many applications of an added high string.



Um,. that's just as true for an added low strings... 8 strings are 8 strings, regardless of what you tune them to, and there's no unwritten law that you can only solo on like the top three strings...


----------



## metalfiend666

Doesn't TDW tune to low F on a 56 gauge?


----------



## Nik

Drew said:


> Um,. that's just as true for an added low strings... 8 strings are 8 strings, regardless of what you tune them to, and there's no unwritten law that you can only solo on like the top three strings...



I don't think I ever said that you only solo on the top 3 strings, all I said is that an extra high string would expand your possibilities when it comes to soloing and leads, etc.  

And in any case, if you improv a solo on the low F# with some F# rhythm chugging in the background, it's guaranteed to sound like ass.

Don't get me wrong, if I buy one, I'll probably try F# tuning, too, but I'll try all sorts of other stuff, too.


----------



## Drew

Nik said:


> I don't think I ever said that you only solo on the top 3 strings, all I said is that an extra high string would expand your possibilities when it comes to soloing and leads, etc.
> 
> And in any case, if you improv a solo on the low F# with some F# rhythm chugging in the background, it's guaranteed to sound like ass.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, if I buy one, I'll probably try F# tuning, too, but I'll try all sorts of other stuff, too.



 Oh, well you don't have to hit the open string - playing a line on the low F# string in the 12th position is going to put you in what would be like the 2nd position on the low E string, without moving out of range to go up to the high E 12th fret. That's a HUGE intervallic range for one position, hence my excitement here. 

Anyway, would you also be ok with a 25.5"-28 fan?


----------



## Drew

metalfiend666 said:


> Doesn't TDW tune to low F on a 56 gauge?



TDW also gets no respect.


----------



## bostjan

Or Dick Dale and his fricken .016" high E. Keep in mind that SRV usually tuned down a half step, too, making the tension a little more manageable.

Here's the way I interpret things:
Ultra Light Strings: Great for ultra-lite touch playing, but they sound wimpy clean.
Extra Light Strings: Seems to be what most beginners like. Middle of the road tone and easy to bend.
Hybrid Light Strings: Thin highs but reasonable lows
Light Strings: More well-rounded sound. Great for many styles.
Medium Light Strings: Beefy lows and round highs.
Mediums: Great clean sound. Beefy overdriven sounds with low gain, turns to mud with high gain/heavy distortion.
Heavy Strings: I never saw a use for them, personally. If you play your guitar with a nickel instead of a pick or if you tune down, they work fine.


----------



## Drew

My take, Bostjan, is that the heavier the string, the more compressed its attack is. This is why a peizo on an electric never sounds quite like an acoustic unless you run heavy strings. 

This kind of leads indirectly to what you're talking about - a sharp, snappy attack really helps you cut through heavy gain, whereas a more compressed attack gives you a richer, more balanced clean tone, but won't jump out of a high gain tone as much.


----------



## Nik

Drew said:


> Oh, well you don't have to hit the open string - playing a line on the low F# string in the 12th position is going to put you in what would be like the 2nd position on the low E string, without moving out of range to go up to the high E 12th fret. That's a HUGE intervallic range for one position, hence my excitement here.
> 
> Anyway, would you also be ok with a 25.5"-28 fan?



Yeah, that's something I wouldn't mind trying out, but the fanned frets would make it more playable than a non-fanned 28".

I know what you're saying, though, and I agree those possibilities are cool too. I'm just saying that, since we'll all be messing around with different tunings, and 8-string tunings are open to interpretation, then the scale should be a compromise and not something extreme  

And I can't imagine tuning to F# with a 56. I have a 56 for my low B and flops like no other...


----------



## XEN

We didn't really talk about this but are we talking 24 or 26 frets? At 28 5/8" my vote is for 26 especially for those who are used to the 24 frets on a 25.5" scale neck. I have 24 on my 28 5/8" just because it replaced a 22 fret S7420 neck, but would have preferred the extra 2. Also, I like the thought that on an 8 tuned to somewhat standard guitar intervals (eg. F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E) the highest note would be the same as the lowest. Any thoughts?


----------



## bostjan

Very true, Drew. The thicker the string, the heavier the damping. But even on a properly set up guitar with extra heavies, the tone can get a bit mushy. You have to go pretty darn heavy, though. If you ever played steel guitar, you would notice how there is a balance point were the strings sustain longer, but still have a nice singing upper midrange tone for cleans. This is usually around medium to medium heavy gauge (.011" or .012"). But if you ever try .013" on a les paul, tuned standard, you might notice that the beefy tone start shifting into a more rubbery sound. Or try .014"s on anything tuned standard. What happens at that point is that the tone of the string becomes shaped by the thickness instead of purely the length, especially on the lower strings.

I say the more frets, the better, but the higher the fret is, the less often I'll use it. 26 might be nice to extend the entire range five octaves in standard tuning.


----------



## b3n

bostjan said:


> Man, if I were to buy one, I would gladly add $100-$200 for the fret fanning.



+1

As Darren said it would be nice to save money in other areas by going for more 'generic' components & woods, thus keeping the fanned frets within the same price range.

[action=b3n]thinks that as the specs in the other Rondo thread aren't going his way, this looks like a very interesting option for his next axe.[/action]


----------



## Nik

urklvt said:


> We didn't really talk about this but are we talking 24 or 26 frets? At 28 5/8" my vote is for 26 especially for those who are used to the 24 frets on a 25.5" scale neck. I have 24 on my 28 5/8" just because it replaced a 22 fret S7420 neck, but would have preferred the extra 2. Also, I like the thought that on an 8 tuned to somewhat standard guitar intervals (eg. F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E) the highest note would be the same as the lowest. Any thoughts?



lol, here we go with the extra frets again  

I'd generally prefer 24 frets, but if you guys really want extra frets, I don't care, *as long as it doesn't raise the price!* Keep in mind we're shooting for a really cheap, no-frills 8-string.

b3n - I also don't like where that thread went, but this sounds more interesting anyway


----------



## XEN

Nik said:


> lol, here we go with the extra frets again


Just curious, what do you mean by _extra_ frets? How many is an instrument _SUPPOSED_ to have?  As if 8 strings means 2 _EXTRA_ strings. 

An 8 string 26 fret 28 5/8" scale guitar has nothing extra on it if it has 8 strings, 26 frets, and has a 28 5/8" scale.


----------



## Nik

urklvt said:


> Just curious, what do you mean by _extra_ frets? How many is an instrument _SUPPOSED_ to have?  As if 8 strings means 2 _EXTRA_ strings.



It's just a reference to the other Rondo thread where a couple of people were going crazy over the prospect of having a 27-fret guitar.  While there is no truly established fret-number, 24 is nice because you get exactly two octaves per string.

As I said, I don't have anything against the idea of 26 frets as long as it doesn't really add to the cost of the guitar. I can see, from a theory standpoint why you'd want those two extra frets in there.


----------



## XEN

Range! Give me more range!!!!  I would pay for range. That is why my 10 will have 38-39 frets depending on the tuning I choose.


----------



## keithb

I'd definitely be in on the first order.

Fanned frets would be a big plus, but not having them isn't a deal-breaker.


----------



## darren

Here's my second cut at it, based on feedback from Kurt and the discussion so far.

I've now added the woods to the rendering, so we get a bit clearer picture for how it could look. The body is ash, the neck maple/walnut (with the stringers showing through the finish on the headstock) and a mild honey/caramel burst.

The fretboard is now maple, and has a fan of 28" to 25.5", with the 9th fret at 90°. Pickups are generic, and i've added a concentric midrange control.







And here it is in white and black:











... and what the heck... a blueburst one, too:


----------



## FredGrass

Bummer. Fanned frets are basically a dealbreaker for me. Looks gorgeous, though.

God, I want an eight.


----------



## Nik

That looks really nice, awesome job Darren  

Any possibility on not having the pick-ups angled, or is that a retarded idea? I don't know how that changes the sound, but it looks better. Rusty's fanned-fret 9 doesn't have angled pick-ups:






EDIT:  The blueburst!


----------



## darren

Keeping the bass end of the pickups (especially the bridge one) helps keep the low end clear and articulate. Aesthetically, it looks a little neater with the pickups perpendicular to the strings, but i think sonically, it may work better with them aligned to the scale length.


----------



## Scott

Not to hi-jack this thread, but seeing how there is probably no chance in hell of a left handed version of this, and since kurt is monitoring this thread, I just want to chime in with.....

Make this available in a lefty. I hate cherry finishes on a double neck 
http://www.rondomusic.net/valkyriedoublehcwc.html

Oh, and if I were a righty, I would pick the blue burst, followed by white


----------



## Adam

Those are much better, the fanned side with 25.5" is enough to accomodate a high A, while the other side with 28" is enough to accomodate a low F# best of both worlds and everybody wins.

Now all we need is an accurate price and it will be perfect.


----------



## bostjan

Lookin' good, Darren. Good idea putting a copyrite on the pictures. I really dig the carmelburst.


----------



## NewArmyGuitar

All four of those look great!


----------



## Roundhouse_Kick

I'm liking where this is going!Darren those renderings look great!

I would also pay $100+ for the fanned frets.

And I'd MUCH rather have fanned frets and be able to upgrade the pickups than have good pickups but an instrument thats too difficult to play properly.


----------



## Papa Shank

darren said:


> Here's my second cut at it, based on feedback from Kurt and the discussion so far.
> 
> I've now added the woods to the rendering, so we get a bit clearer picture for how it could look. The body is ash, the neck maple/walnut (with the stringers showing through the finish on the headstock) and a mild honey/caramel burst.
> 
> The fretboard is now maple, and has a fan of 28" to 25.5", with the 9th fret at 90°. Pickups are generic, and i've added a concentric midrange control.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... and what the heck... a blueburst one, too:


Ding Dong, how about a kind of pearl redburst paintjob? That would be instant sex.


----------



## Karl Hungus

Wow, I would seriously be interested in one of those!

Redburst would definetly be awesome, but either way, I'd still want one.


----------



## NewArmyGuitar

As far as finishes go, personally I don't mind black, but I know a lot of people do. So if a black finish ends up being an option, how about a flat, matte black instead of a glossy black? After all, there are a lot of Meshuggah fans on here.


----------



## VforVendetta00

i'll take one of darren's design in any color, those are tight! if its fanned frets im all over it.


----------



## Nik

So I guess the question now becomes, how cheaply is it possible to make one of these?


----------



## Jason

Those look great..and these are kurt aproved?


----------



## Adam

I hope so at possibly half the price these look like a great alternative to the Halo 8'sand look much better.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Why can't people just settle on what they can get. If you want an affordable production eight, you shouldn't be going all out on the construction. I love the first design. I've tuned my 25.5" 7-String to F# with a fucking .70 with an Invader pickup, and it sounded perfectly fine. It sounded fine on the stock neck pickup. In all honesty, a 27" or 28 5/8" scale would be fine. I don't want to pay extra for fanned frets. On top of that, I don't like maple boards. I wouldn't buy that second design for anything, unless it was SUPER cheap. But with all the crap you guys are doing to it, I'll end up spending more for the Halo 8 or something.


----------



## technomancer

.jason. said:


> Those look great..and these are kurt aproved?



Nope Kurt specifically said fanned frets weren't realistic...


----------



## Nik

NegaTiveXero said:


> Why can't people just settle on what they can get. If you want an affordable production eight, you shouldn't be going all out on the construction. I love the first design. I've tuned my 25.5" 7-String to F# with a fucking .70 with an Invader pickup, and it sounded perfectly fine. It sounded fine on the stock neck pickup. In all honesty, a 27" or 28 5/8" scale would be fine. I don't want to pay extra for fanned frets. On top of that, I don't like maple boards. I wouldn't buy that second design for anything, unless it was SUPER cheap. But with all the crap you guys are doing to it, I'll end up spending more for the Halo 8 or something.



I'd also prefer a 27" to fanned-frets, but some people seem bent on having an extra inch-and-a-half added to the scale, so the fanned-fret was supposed to be a compromise. If Kurt says no to fanned frets, then the argument starts again 

I think, just like in the other thread, a *poll* is in order...


----------



## technomancer

NegaTiveXero said:


> Why can't people just settle on what they can get. If you want an affordable production eight, you shouldn't be going all out on the construction. I love the first design. I've tuned my 25.5" 7-String to F# with a fucking .70 with an Invader pickup, and it sounded perfectly fine. It sounded fine on the stock neck pickup. In all honesty, a 27" or 28 5/8" scale would be fine. I don't want to pay extra for fanned frets. On top of that, I don't like maple boards. I wouldn't buy that second design for anything, unless it was SUPER cheap. But with all the crap you guys are doing to it, I'll end up spending more for the Halo 8 or something.



Ok I'm with you except for the maple board. I would much prefer the maple board to rosewood, which are the options according to Kurt. Actually except for the fanned frets everything in the second design is realistic according to Kurt.


----------



## darren

Kurt didn't say fanned frets were unrealistic, just that they'd add at least $100 to the price. Depending on where the rest of the specs bring the price in, it still may be feasible.


----------



## TMM

Damn... that looks amazing. I'd buy it if it was $1500 or under.


----------



## metalfiend666

Darren, you're new designs are looking awesome! Brilliant work.  The *only* point I will raise is the pickups need to be angled inline with the fan, ie the bridge pickup must be angled more, to keep the sound the same as a regular guitar. If not you are effectively angling the bass side of the pickup towards the neck. Other than that I'd say they are perfect.

Having played a 25.5 to 28" fanned 8 it really is the best compromise for those wanting it to still feel like a guitar and not a bass. It also has a surprisingly good effect on note clarity. If you've never played a fanned fret instrument before the angled frets mean the "clang" tones of each string at a given fret position are different, making the individual notes much easier to identify in complex chords. I know what you're probably thinking, it's bullshit. So did I until I played one.


----------



## b3n

Very nice Darren. You're not helping my Wallet here...


----------



## XEN

NegaTiveXero said:


> Why can't people just settle on what they can get. If you want an affordable production eight, you shouldn't be going all out on the construction. I love the first design. I've tuned my 25.5" 7-String to F# with a fucking .70 with an Invader pickup, and it sounded perfectly fine. It sounded fine on the stock neck pickup. In all honesty, a 27" or 28 5/8" scale would be fine. I don't want to pay extra for fanned frets. On top of that, I don't like maple boards. I wouldn't buy that second design for anything, unless it was SUPER cheap. But with all the crap you guys are doing to it, I'll end up spending more for the Halo 8 or something.


I am totally with you man. I'll be getting the Halo anyway, but would have preferred it to be 28 5/8". For that reason I love Darren's first design. It is PERFECT. It has a sufficiently radical design and all the basic features that any of us would need. And I'm saying that even though *I* designed the damn Halo 8! But honestly, you can't get a fucking 6 string anywhere with those additional features for the price we want to pay, let alone a 7 or an 8, so a little reality check might be in order.


----------



## Hexer

personally I wont buy an 8 anytime soon so my opinion isnt worth much in this thread but I really like the looks of that. personally I would preffer an ebony fretboard, but what the heck...
about the scale: I would prefer a fairly long scale, but not VERY long and I'd really like to try fanned frets. I'd think something around 28" would be a good idea at least for the low-end (if we're talking fanned). I mean: I have tried playing that Carpenter 27" 7-string and I hardly felt any difference to 25.5"....

but I wont be getting any of those 8s anytime soon so dont listen to me


----------



## Jason

TMM said:


> Damn... that looks amazing. I'd buy it if it was $1500 or under.



Gurantee it will be I'd be suprised if it was over $799..the most expensive guitar I have seen rondo sell is $529 or $629

in regards to neg zero and urklvt...if you don't like it don't buy it..


----------



## Jeff

I'm totally in, with only one requirement: That it's 28" scale. Anything else, I don't give a shit for a ~ $600 8-string.


----------



## Mykie

I'll get it no matter what, as long as I can get low and dirty. 28" is good for me.


----------



## Drew

technomancer said:


> Nope Kurt specifically said fanned frets weren't realistic...





kurtzentmaier said:


> [*]*Frets*
> Jumbo
> 
> Kurt> No problem - but fanned could add at least $100+ to the price ($75 for the license alone)



I'd say while that's not approval, per se, that's also DEFINITELY not a "that's not feasible." 

So far we have two guys who wouldn't buy it if it's fanned, as opposed to maybe 8-10 changing their boxers over the prospect of an affordable fanned fret 8. From a marketing perspective, fanned frets probably make sense.


----------



## Mykie

I would say no to fanned frets, but what the heck, it's trying something new.

What exactly do fanned frets do anyway? Pardon me asking...


----------



## XEN

.jason. said:


> Gurantee it will be I'd be suprised if it was over $799..the most expensive guitar I have seen rondo sell is $529 or $629
> 
> in regards to neg zero and urklvt...if you don't like it don't buy it..


Did you even read my post, or zero's for that matter?  I've been agreeing with Darren from post one. I even said it was PERFECT.  Maybe I'm too old for this contemporary form of logic.... Besides, there is no _*IT*_. There is no one design that everyone has agreed on and there never will be.

All of the other design options introduced after design one are gorgeous, but be realistic here. How many of those different designs will actually see the light of day? One? Two, maybe?

Ultimately this will not end up in a consensus, and a poll will serve only to reflect the division of opinions in the matter. However, this is not _*OUR*_ design. Darren may have asked for input, but ultimately the design is his, and the final details will be worked out between him and Kurt whether we like them or not. It will not please everyone, but whether I like the final outcome or not I still hope against hope that this actually happens.

1. Darren is a great designer and deserves to see his designs come to life
2. We need more than one option for a production model 8 string guitar on the market
3. The guitar playing world needs more than ever to realize that the standards (6 strings, tuned E to E) set by our forerunners are in serious need of review
4. 7 strings are not enough; we have 10 fingers, damn it!


----------



## b3n

Drew said:


> So far we have two guys who wouldn't buy it if it's fanned, as opposed to maybe 8-10 changing their boxers over the prospect of an affordable fanned fret 8.



Since seeing the last design I've taken to not wearing any boxers  I find it's easier this way.


----------



## Jeff

Drew said:


> I'd say while that's not approval, per se, that's also DEFINITELY not a "that's not feasible."
> 
> So far we have two guys who wouldn't buy it if it's fanned, as opposed to maybe 8-10 changing their boxers over the prospect of an affordable fanned fret 8. From a marketing perspective, fanned frets probably make sense.



I'd prefer it, simply because the prospect of playing 8 sounds challenging enough, why not make it more interesting with fanned frets? 

Besides, the theory behind really makes sense with an 8.



Urklyt said:


> 7 strings are not enough; we have 10 fingers, damn it!



Well, not to split hairs or anything, but we have 8 fingers, 2 thumbs. That being said, I find myself using my thumb a lot for muting the low B on my 7, which is quite handy and comfy too.


----------



## XEN

Mykie said:


> I would say no to fanned frets, but what the heck, it's trying something new.
> 
> What exactly do fanned frets do anyway? Pardon me asking...



Fanned frets allow you to retain a uniform string tension over a broader range without having to drastically alter your string gauges.

This is especially true in the case of guitars with more than 6 or 7 strings. Some would disagree, but to tune a 25.5" scale 8 string guitar to low F#, the string for the F# has to be quite thick to keep it from being floppy, and that usually means a loss of clarity and a severe disparity in string gauges between adjacent strings. If you fan the frets so that the low end is wider you can use a slightly thinner string tuned to the same note, retaining clarity and uniform tension across the fretboard.

There is generally a minimal amount of adjustment to be made to your playing technique, but it is a factor to consider.

I personally am sticking with standard frets because of my particular technique. To ensure that I do not suffer with tension issues I will be using string gauges that are more adapted to the scale length that I prefer rather than just using standard sets.



Jeff said:


> Well, not to split hairs or anything, but we have 8 fingers, 2 thumbs.


----------



## Jeff

urklvt said:


>



Ew. Just. Ew.


----------



## keithb

Drew said:


> So far we have two guys who wouldn't buy it if it's fanned, as opposed to maybe 8-10 changing their boxers over the prospect of an affordable fanned fret 8. From a marketing perspective, fanned frets probably make sense.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Fanned frets for the win, if not, then 28 5/8 is good. Darren, do you build guitars? All the designs I see you come up with kick ass. I know this was just a modified bass, but the idea and specs were pretty sweet.


----------



## darren

I built one guitar about 16 years ago. I've been designing instruments as a hobby/obsession ever since, but haven't built anything for lack of a shop space. That hopefully should be changing in the not-too-distant future.


----------



## technomancer

Drew said:


> I'd say while that's not approval, per se, that's also DEFINITELY not a "that's not feasible."
> 
> So far we have two guys who wouldn't buy it if it's fanned, as opposed to maybe 8-10 changing their boxers over the prospect of an affordable fanned fret 8. From a marketing perspective, fanned frets probably make sense.



Ok, when EMG pickups have been ruled out as 'too expensive' I'd say a fret option that adds a $75 per instrument license fee and which the factory that will be building the instrument is probably not tooled to handle is probably realistically not an option. I could be wrong, in fact for those that want fanned frets I hope I am, but at the same time I don't want to see this turn into a $1000+ instrument.


----------



## bostjan

Ok, ok, let's think a little more clearly about this.

Think of how a jig cuts fret slots, now think of how you can do that to get fanned frets? It's apparent that the cost in production is greater than the cost in licensing.

Do fanned frets have advantages? Certainly they do! Better intonations easier tuning, less radical string gauges, and better harmonics. To top it all off, it becomes possible to get more uniform pick attack and palm muting on all eight strings. If the cost of all of this is $100, the only way you could say no is if you don't have $100. 

But honestly, have you ever seen a mass production fanned fret guitar? I don't think Dingwall is automating their production, and you just don't see that many instruments from them. If Kurt can find a way to add fanned frets to automated production or even just to a large scale manufactured guitar, then it would be a breakthrough. Unless he's got something in mind, I fear we won't see it happen.

As far as maple versus rosewood fretboards, I think it would look and sound much better with maple. You have every other guitar in the universe that you can get with a rosewood board, so I don't really see the problem there.


----------



## keithb

I think we really need to hear some "real talk" from Kurt about the possibilities here - we may just be pissing in the wind on the fanned fret issue 

(yes, I read Kurt's post earlier in this thread)


----------



## NegaTiveXero

.jason. said:


> Gurantee it will be I'd be suprised if it was over $799..the most expensive guitar I have seen rondo sell is $529 or $629
> 
> in regards to neg zero and urklvt...if you don't like it don't buy it..




I'm pretty sure that was my whole point. I don't like it, and I'm not going to buy it.


----------



## Drew

bostjan said:


> But honestly, have you ever seen a mass production fanned fret guitar? I don't think Dingwall is automating their production, and you just don't see that many instruments from them. If Kurt can find a way to add fanned frets to automated production or even just to a large scale manufactured guitar, then it would be a breakthrough. Unless he's got something in mind, I fear we won't see it happen.





kurtzentmaier said:


> [*]*Frets*
> Jumbo
> 
> Kurt> No problem - but fanned could add at least $100+ to the price ($75 for the license alone)



I'm not saying I didn't find his answer surprising either, but let's not discount the possibility until he DOES specificaly tell us it's not an option.


----------



## Nik

Am I correct in understanding from this thread that you don't need a license to do fanned frets anymore?

thread:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15508&page=3


----------



## Loserchief

Those second designs are awesome. I'd definitely buy one if it gets made like this- Fanne frets would be cool but if not the 28 5/8 will do for me. This seems promising.


----------



## darren

I know that dan (Oni guitars) is having his fretboards laser-cut for the fanned fret slots.

Interesting... i hadn't read that about Novax's patent expiring. There no longer appears to be anything on his site about licensing, so i can only assume it's true.

So it looks like fanned frets... er... a multi-scale fretboard  just got $75 more feasible.


----------



## Loserchief

darren said:


> Interesting... i hadn't read that about Novax's patent expiring. There no longer appears to be anything on his site about licensing, so i can only assume it's true.
> 
> So it looks like fanned frets... er... a multi-scale fretboard  just got $75 more feasible.



that make it even better. I'm really looking forward to seeing what's gonna happen about this guitar, and the fact that it would have to be prototyped/made first would also give me some time to save up


----------



## Mykie

Is Rondo officialy gonna try this out?


----------



## nyck

Depending on how much cash I have to throw around, I would really like to get this. One thing I don't like though is the resell value it will have.



I also want to say I want a maple fretboard!!!


----------



## darren

Mykie said:


> Is Rondo officialy gonna try this out?


We'll have to wait for official word from Kurt.


----------



## VforVendetta00

i must say that people around these parts almost want a free guitar. wtf? it isn't enough that its a small builder and that it is a weird guitar for which costs will be higher to make than a simple strat copy. if i was a small builder i'd be pissed that people are such brand whores. i personally would be willing to pay 1K for a fanned fret 8 with good pickups and quality on par with a RG7620. that sounds fair to me.


----------



## Scott

I don't want to piss on the idea, because it's cool and all. But am I the only one who thinks that an 8 string with fanned frets might be a bit advanced for whatever factory builds the Rondo guitars? I mean, I can forcee something going wrong, because extended range and fanned frets aren't what they specialise in, like Dan with Oni does, or Conklin for example.


----------



## nyck

I really don't think fanned frets would be a good option for a factory guitar. That 28" scale would be fine with me.


----------



## Nik

Scott said:


> I don't want to piss on the idea, because it's cool and all. But am I the only one who thinks that an 8 string with fanned frets might be a bit advanced for whatever factory builds the Rondo guitars? I mean, I can forcee something going wrong, because extended range and fanned frets aren't what they specialise in, like Dan with Oni does, or Conklin for example.



You may very well be right, but fanned frets are so damn cool (and it's looking like they're about $75 dollars cheaper now...), but let's just first hear what Kurt has to say about it.


----------



## technomancer

VforVendetta00 said:


> i must say that people around these parts almost want a free guitar. wtf? it isn't enough that its a small builder and that it is a weird guitar for which costs will be higher to make than a simple strat copy. if i was a small builder i'd be pissed that people are such brand whores. i personally would be willing to pay 1K for a fanned fret 8 with good pickups and quality on par with a RG7620. that sounds fair to me.



Keep in mind that Rondo is NOT A BUILDER. They sell guitars built for them at a Korean factory. Also keep in mind that the upper end of Rondo's line is ~$500, so building a $1000 fanned fret 8 string that will require a retool at a factory they don't own is assinine. If the factory is set up to do it and it can be done in line with Rondo's price ranges that's cool, but to expect anything more is ridiculous.

Now we just need to wait to hear from Kurt 



Scott said:


> I don't want to piss on the idea, because it's cool and all. But am I the only one who thinks that an 8 string with fanned frets might be a bit advanced for whatever factory builds the Rondo guitars? I mean, I can forcee something going wrong, because extended range and fanned frets aren't what they specialise in, like Dan with Oni does, or Conklin for example.



+1 it's also worth noting that there is NO production guitar with fanned frets available to my knowledge.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

That's what I've been getting at all along. The multi-scale fretboard idea is just completely unfeasible.


----------



## technomancer

NegaTiveXero said:


> That's what I've been getting at all along. The multi-scale fretboard idea is just completely unfeasible.



I'm betting that as well, but like I said, we need to wait for a final say-so from Kurt.


----------



## dpm

darren said:


> I know that dan (Oni guitars) is having his fretboards laser-cut for the fanned fret slots.
> 
> Interesting... i hadn't read that about Novax's patent expiring. There no longer appears to be anything on his site about licensing, so i can only assume it's true.
> 
> So it looks like fanned frets... er... a multi-scale fretboard  just got $75 more feasible.


 
Actually Darren I'm not. I did have a sample done, and I was planning on having one cut by laser for an instrument I'm working on, but after the trouble I had with the templates I've decided against it. Laser has certain issues with tolerances that are hard to predict in various materials, wood being particularly difficult.

The real problem with fanned fret production is that there is no way (that I'm aware of, or can come up with) to make more than one at once. With a standard fretboard a big factory can slot _many_ in one go. How many? Well, they have a long saw shaft with multiple blades that cut all 21, 22, or 24 slots at once. Depending on how they're set up they could potentially run those blades through dozens of boards in one pass. 
With multi-scale production even if you can come up with some kind of machine that cuts 24 slots at once, which would be a tricky piece of engineering in itself, you'd still only be able to cut one board with it. And the alignment is critical.
From Sheldon Dingwall
"We have a couple of ways of doing it. For production we use a sliding compound miter saw with a custom cutter. The head floats over the already radiused fingerboard tracking the radius. The neck sits in a custom fixture with index holes for lining up under the blade.

For custom work we program the CNC and use a .025" bit to cut starter slots to be chased by hand afterwords."

Sheldon's method is still one slot at a time, but it's an indexed machine so fairly quick compared to lining it up by hand. My current method is to have my CAD layout printed full scale which I glue onto the fretboard then line up what is essentially a hand mitre saw type setup to each slot. I'll get something custom made eventually.


----------



## XEN

Occam's razor.


----------



## dpm

Whilst investigating wtf Occam's razor is I came across this beautiful quote from Leonardo do Vinci 

_"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."_


----------



## XEN

dpm said:


> Whilst investigating wtf Occam's razor is I came across this beautiful quote from Leonardo do Vinci
> 
> _"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."_



Awesome! And so true.


----------



## bostjan

Thanks Dan, that was very interesting.

Does anyone else find it odd at all that the first eight-string guitars appearing in the mass market are all running in the at or under $1000 range? Galveston and now Halo and Agile, perhaps one or two more. Looks like the big name companies of the nineties all lost their edge now.


----------



## Karl Hungus

bostjan said:


> Thanks Dan, that was very interesting.
> 
> Does anyone else find it odd at all that the first eight-string guitars appearing in the mass market are all running in the at or under $1000 range? Galveston and now Halo and Agile, perhaps one or two more. Looks like the big name companies of the nineties all lost their edge now.



Galveston have an 8 String? Linky?


----------



## dpm

8 string bass that I know of. They're all over ebay. Made by a korean factory I can't quite remember right now.

Ah, here it is http://www.unsung.co.kr/


----------



## Karl Hungus

Ah yeah, I've seen the 8 String basses alright. I think I'd draw the line at 6 strings for bass, as I have rather small hands, 6 is the most I can play comfortably with.


----------



## bostjan

Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot that they are basses only. I never played one, only saw them all over ebay. I played a Hamer 12 string bass once, it was a four course bass with three strings per course tuned in octaves over the course and fourths between courses. Pretty monstrous sound, but equally beastly to play.

I agree that six strings on a bass is just about right for me, too, but I'd like lighter strings and a longer scale: 40.5" or so


----------



## Karl Hungus

They're damn cheap though, and I _have_ had a bit of an itch to get a new bass for recording purposes. I was thinking 6 Strings, but who knows, I might be perfectly at home with 8 strings?


----------



## Nipples

Id like to chime in on this as well.

I would grab one of these 8s asap. Fanned frets or not, I would kill to have an affordable 8. (as already stated) The cost for making a fanned fret guitar would probably be too much to go through though  

The only thing that I havent seen that Id like to put out there is *stainless steel frets.*

Dont want those guys to wear out on us


----------



## dpm

Ah see here's another problem. Big factories are moving more and more towards _soft_ fretwire because it's far easier, quicker and cheaper to install. Stainless wire is hard stuff.


----------



## Nipples

I see where you're coming from, and its harder on tools 

Business is business I guess.

I wouldnt mind putting in the stainless steel ones myself if I had to though.


----------



## GiantBaba

I'd be all over this 8-string if we can make it happen.

Absolutely stellar idea Darren, I hadn't even considered asking Kurt about an 8-string. I recently emailed him about an AL with a Wilkinson, and that seemed a bit out there to me. I should get my mind right.


----------



## Jeff

dpm said:


> 8 string bass that I know of. They're all over ebay. Made by a korean factory I can't quite remember right now.
> 
> Ah, here it is http://www.unsung.co.kr/



It is suspected that this is the factory that makes Agile, though Kurt has never confirmed it.


----------



## heavy7-665

28 /58" or 30" scale is the way to go! most of us "youngins" wont want fanned frets or high A.fanned frets are just ugly and i'm a meshuggah fan.But i would be more than happy to get this 8.Go Rondo!!!!!!!!


----------



## Papa Shank

heavy7-665 said:


> 28 /58" or 30" scale is the way to go! most of us "youngins" wont want fanned frets or high A.fanned frets are just ugly and i'm a meshuggah fan.But i would be more than happy to get this 8.Go Rondo!!!!!!!!


You've got to be kidding! An 8+ string guitar/bass without fanned frets is like sex without foreplay!!!

If the option of fanned frets was availible cool beans, if not then that's cool aswell.


----------



## David

heavy7-665 said:


> 28 /58" or 30" scale is the way to go! most of us "youngins" wont want fanned frets or high A.fanned frets are just ugly and i'm a meshuggah fan.But i would be more than happy to get this 8.Go Rondo!!!!!!!!


god fucking damn it!!!! I hate when people say this.


PERFORMANCE OVER LOOKS. Sheesh.


----------



## keithb

David said:


> god fucking damn it!!!! I hate when people say this.
> 
> 
> PERFORMANCE OVER LOOKS. Sheesh.



 

Plus, as for aesthetics, part of the visual appeal of an 8-string (at least to me) is "Whoa, do I count 8 strings?" and I think that fanned frets just add to the "wow" factor


----------



## XEN

Papa Shank said:


> You've got to be kidding! An 8+ string guitar/bass without fanned frets is like sex without foreplay!!!


That's a bad thing?


----------



## bostjan

I don't think he said it was a bad thing. From the analogy, I understood that one is better but the other is good.


----------



## Nik

Visual department < Playability

Any day.

Although Darren's renders look amazing, as well as functional.

Anyway, I was listening to the Darth Anchorhead Darth Metal Shredisodes on myspace today, and it's seriously making me GAS for a 8-string


----------



## GiantBaba

Nik said:


> Visual department < Playability
> 
> Any day.
> 
> Although Darren's renders look amazing, as well as functional.
> 
> Anyway, I was listening to the Darth Anchorhead Darth Metal Shredisodes on myspace today, and it's seriously making me GAS for a 8-string



Oh, wow, I'd never heard of Darth Anchorhead and checked it out because of you post. Really cool stuff, thanks.

I keep on reading this thread and looking at the pics over and over, I think I'm obsessed


----------



## Nik

Hey guys, I have a question:

I want to get a feel for your much-coveted 28" scale to see how it feels. Since there's no way in hell I'll find a 28" baritone anywhere nearby, I'm gonna borrow my bassist's bass this weekend.

What fret on a 34" bass is the same as the first fret on a 28" guitar? What about a 35" bass (I'm not sure what scale his bass is...)? Is it like 7 or 8th fret or something? I really want to be sure I can play comfortably something with a 28" scale.

Thanks!


----------



## bostjan

The third fret would be about 28.5" and the fourth is about 27" the fifth fret is 25.5" like a standard guitar. Try the 25.5" to see how much it feels like a regular guitar before you draw any conclusions.


----------



## Nik

bostjan said:


> The third fret would be about 28.5" and the fourth is about 27" the fifth fret is 25.5" like a standard guitar. Try the 25.5" to see how much it feels like a regular guitar before you draw any conclusions.



Thanks!

Is this for a 34" or a 35" bass? Since he plays a 5-string, I think it may be a 35" scale...


----------



## keithb

So any news from anyone? Should I just let my dreams of a sub-$1000 eight die?


----------



## darren

I would imagine Kurt's looking into the feasibility of an instrument with the features and specs we've been discussing... just give it a bit of time... these things don't happen overnight.


----------



## Jason

any news darren?


----------



## darren

You mean since my post from about 24 hours ago? No. I haven't contacted Kurt to get a status update. I would imagine that when he's got something to tell us, he'll tell us here. I don't want to pester him... he's a busy guy.


----------



## Vegetta

Shorty said:


> Id buy that in a heartbeat (with Drews suggestions of maple board with single saddles)!




Ditto

Id be all over that


----------



## Nik

BTW, since good, but affordable pick-ups, are the biggest issue with 8-string guitars, I've been giving it some thought. Anyway, here's a bass-style pick-up configuration I drew today (just a quick sketch I did):







By using two 6-string pick-ups, you cut down on costs, plus this works real nicely with fanned frets becase the rhythm end of the pick-ups can be further back. Good idea/bad idea?


----------



## Adam

Only problem I can find is there is no room for a Neck p/u, but other than that pretty nice, I like it


----------



## metalfiend666

Another possibility with that arrangement is the use of two different pickups for better note definition, or even a bass pickup for the low strings and a guitar pickup for the higher strings.


----------



## Desecrated

I like that arrangement. I would defintly want to try that.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I wouldn't want 2 pickups, even if they are the same, because then you have 2 pickups for the middle strings, and one for the top/bottom strings. It wouldn't sound even at all, and it would be obvious if your sweeping or something.


----------



## XEN

It would not be necessary to do that if we were willing to use bass pickups. 5-6 string Bartolini soapbars would do the job just fine.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I'd like to have Bartolini, or EMG if the cost would be too high for the Bartolini's.


----------



## Nik

Yeah, I know that, but how do bass pick-ups sound in a distorted-guitar context?

I've heard both good and bad things. If a production 8 does come around, it should come with at least decent pick-ups since most people won't be switching them out.

Just an idea


----------



## Desecrated

Deliver it without pickup, let people deside what they want ?


----------



## Metal Ken

i like Nik's idea, except i'd use single coils and have 2 sets of 2 SC pickups.


----------



## bostjan

I'm tempted to start making my own pickups, since the actual construction is easy on a smal-scale level. The trick is getting them voiced right.

Once you get down to low F#, you have a string that a) is bigger and makes more EMF and b) is really deep. I wouldn't think that using two six string pickups would get a balanced sound, but it would be cheap.

Most smaller manufacturers will be able to make eight string pickups in small quantities. The big companies don't seem to want to bother. But if you want to make like 48 of these guitars, maybe a smaller company would be able to do it. It's better to have things done right.


----------



## Nik

Does Rondo qualify as a small company, and if they made a run of 8s, is 48 a realistic production number?

Cause if it does happen, that's pretty cool--I mean, talk about exclusivity 

In any case, I would personally prefer two, big 8-string pick-ups, I was just tossing the 6-string pick-ups idea out there as a last resort, if nothing else seems to work.

The issue is that making good 8-string pick-ups is tricky, so I dunno...


----------



## Jeff

darren said:


> You mean since my post from about 24 hours ago? No. I haven't contacted Kurt to get a status update. I would imagine that when he's got something to tell us, he'll tell us here. I don't want to pester him... he's a busy guy.



Well? Did you hear anything yet, Darren?  

*ducks flying crap being thrown at him across N. America*


----------



## metalfiend666

Nik said:


> Yeah, I know that, but how do bass pick-ups sound in a distorted-guitar context?


 
EMG 45DC's sound amazing for a distorted 8 string.

Another posibillity is that Bare Knuckle will wind 8 string versions of all their pickups if you supply the bobbins. Unfortunately they're rather pricey for anyone not in the UK.


----------



## darren

Seymour Duncan wound 8-string versions of their Screamin' Demon pickup for LGM to use in the Leviiiathan 8-string. $200 a pop, though.


----------



## Digital Black

News? 

(yeah, I'm interested-and I'm not even a fan of Rondo-but I might be if this is everything it's cracked up to be!)


----------



## darren

I've just emailed Kurt to inquire about the 8-string project... i'll keep you posted.


----------



## Nik

darren said:


> I've just emailed Kurt to inquire about the 8-string project... i'll keep you posted.



   

I've got my hopes up (probably not a good idea, though)... That blueburst


----------



## nyck

Man, if it's a maple fretboard, and a white finish, I would be instantly sold. I think a single pickup is a good way to cut costs down aswell.


----------



## darren

I got a reply back from Kurt:



Kurt said:


> It's going to be a very slow process, I would not expect much until 2007 -
> 
> Kurt


Patience, gentlemen! These things don't happen overnight. I'm going to forward the revised specs and mockups to him, probably with a straight scale length option of 27" or 28".


----------



## nyck

darren said:


> I got a reply back from Kurt:
> 
> 
> Patience, gentlemen! These things don't happen overnight. I'm going to forward the revised specs and mockups to him, probably with a straight scale length option of 27" or 28".


Awesome dude! thanks for talking to Kurt for everyone.


----------



## Nipples

darren said:


> I got a reply back from Kurt:
> 
> 
> Patience, gentlemen! These things don't happen overnight. I'm going to forward the revised specs and mockups to him, probably with a straight scale length option of 27" or 28".


ilu. 

Well, now I can go ahead and buy stuff in the meantime cuz it'll be a while


----------



## Nik

Sounds good -- I'm not gonna have the cash for a new guitar till 2007 anyway.  27" 8-string FTW...

So does this mean that things are actually moving?


----------



## Jerich

it would be great to purchase the guitars without pickups or Pots or a jack but all holes made.. so that would cut the price down alot...and it would satisfy all purests..........


----------



## Drew

Jerich said:


> it would be great to purchase the guitars without pickups or Pots or a jack but all holes made.. so that would cut the price down alot...and it would satisfy all purests..........



Couldn't work, dude. No one's agreed on a single set of specs. Half the people want EMG bass pickups, half want side-by-side singlecoils, half want 8-string sized passives, and half are wondering how the fuck this is all working out mathematically as they read this. 

Basically, they have to ship with something, because you gain nothing by going pickupless, and if you routed but didn't supply youd be tying everyone to one particular design anyway.


----------



## heavy7-665

dude thanks for talkin to him for us Darren u rule!


----------



## keithb

Just a bump to keep the dream alive - after seeing pics of Bulb's 8, and seeing Eric Clemenzi's band _Storm's Approach_ last week, I'm gassing for an 8


----------



## Jason

Any word Darren?


----------



## Nik

I wouldn't expect anything before NAMM. Not only does this take time, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kurt is keeping an eye out at NAMM to see if anybody releases a production 8 (if Ibanez release an 8, that might encourage him, etc.--there's a potential market).

Having said that, this thread needs to be stickied or something, cause if this happens, it will kick so much ass  

If they do release an 8, I hope they do before next summer 

EDIT: This sort of 'forest-green' finish would absolutely kill on Darren's design:


----------



## Ishan

darren said:


>



If this thing come out I'll buy one in a heart beat, everything is just perfect!
I wouldn't mind it having only a bridge pickups and beign a straight 28" if it could cut costs. As for the pickups, they should be in a standard form factor like EMG45 or some bartolini so we could swap them latter if necessary 
Same goes for the EQ system, if it's too pricey it could be simplier.
Fingers crossed hehe 

anyone know how to calculate the scale for each individual string? as I've found with a 9/70 set it should feels like a 9/42 on a 25.5" scale in standard tuning.
I'm positive the string set should be optimised, if not it'll feel bad.


----------



## Durero

Ishan said:


> anyone know how to calculate the scale for each individual string? as I've found with a 9/70 set it should feels like a 9/42 on a 25.5" scale in standard tuning.
> I'm positive the string set should be optimised, if not it'll feel bad.


Yup!
use these sites:

http://www.fretfind.ekips.org/2d/nonparallel.php

http://www.pacificsites.net/~dog/StringTensionApplet.html


----------



## Ishan

ok, so I calculated most of the tensions, the set should be a standard 9-42 set + 52 and 70 (GHS Boomer, cheap and 70 is available) and it should be good  the fanning will even make the higher strings (standard 6 strings) tensions better than on a 6 strings 
I'm hoping it'll be fanned, nice wow effect


----------



## The Hiryuu

I don't know if I'd ever be able to get used to fanned frets. And I'd definitely rather a high A than a low F#. Although either would be cool. 

My opinion's fairly irrelevant, though, I wouldn't have the cash to snag one in any scenario.


----------



## Nik

The Hiryuu said:


> I don't know if I'd ever be able to get used to fanned frets. And I'd definitely rather a high A than a low F#. Although either would be cool.



You can't have a proper 8-string with a high A without fanned frets. You can go to low F# with straight frets, but not up to high-A (unless you want to tune to low B on a 23.5" scale  )

I wouldn't worry--I've heard fanned frets are extremely easy to get used to. Plus, if Rondo release an 8, it'll be straight-fret anyway (albeit a longer scale).


----------



## XEN

Check out Garry Goodman's posts about his high A strings. You can have way higher than just A with standard frets if you want it.


----------



## darren

I sent updated specs to Kurt today with a few more mockups.


----------



## skinhead

^ But i do, 'cuase the argentinian economy didn't let buy some expensive guitars.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Darren how do you make those mocks up/


----------



## goth_fiend

I that blue one ever comes out I will own one, plain and simple, not a fan of the maple board, but thats fine with me


----------



## darren

Well, the maple is more a matter of economics. It's likely the most reasonably-priced hardwood to get in pieces wide enough to make fretboards. But i like how it looks, and it should give the guitar a nice growl and bite.


----------



## Project2501

SOOOOOO FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!!!!!


----------



## darren

NickCormier said:


> Darren how do you make those mocks up/


I do them all in Adobe Illustrator. All the elements are isolated on their own layers. This particular mockup has 19 layers, four of which are the different transparent finishes above. I've been designing with Illustrator as my main tool for coming up on 15 years, which is how i have a good sense of how to make stuff look pretty realistic.

This pic will give you a peek into how the files are built. The only thing in the mockups that are photographic are the wood textures. Everthing else is vectors, gradients and transparency.


----------



## Ishan

If they do it 28" scale, I'll buy one even if I do get my custom 
what are the pickups form factor? EMG40? If not, it should be, so we could swap pickups latter


----------



## SnowfaLL

wow that does look quite complex.. I mess around with Photoshop and edit things on the JCF editor, such as inlay designs, but nothing that complex..

How long does it take you to make one?


----------



## XEN

I'm still hoping you'll consider the 28.625" scale. I absolutely love it.


----------



## Ishan

Yea, I do like the 28.625" scale too, it's not harder to play and at least it's "standard". I'd love that


----------



## kruneh

I´ll put down a deposit today if it helps to get the wheel turning, those look awesome. (yeah, I know my deposit wont help..)


----------



## Nik

I am utterly speechless darren--amazing work, as always! I really hope this sees the light of day, I'll pick one up for sure 

My only comment: didn't we rule out Hipshot 8-string bridges because they're too expensive? I think everyone agreed that individual saddles would be both cheaper, and cooler looking.


----------



## darren

When i proposed 28.625" scale, half of the people moaned that it was too long. So i suggested 27" and 28" to Kurt as a compromise.

I think the individual bridge idea came about because of the fanned frets. Kurt may be able to get a better OEM deal on Hipshot bridges, rather than the $90 retail price we see. But he may have access to all kinds of hardware through his connections, so these aren't "set in stone" specifications, more like "suggested" specs. 

I've left a fair amount of flexibility in the specs so he can figure out what works best with the factory and his suppliers.


----------



## Daniel S

wow
these look so nice,
hopefully they come out before febuary,


----------



## XEN

darren said:


> When i proposed 28.625" scale, half of the people moaned that it was too long. So i suggested 27" and 28" to Kurt as a compromise.



I feel your pain.... I guess size does matter after all.


----------



## Nik

Daniel S said:


> hopefully they come out before febuary,



Probably not gonna happen.

Is the difference between 28" and 28.625" really that significant? That's like this much:

-



-

length  

Anyway, I think a forest-green-burst would look totally hot on one of these


----------



## Ishan

beleive it or not but that small difference will make the F# sound better, more piano like. Tensions will be better too.


----------



## XEN

Also from the second fret on up you have the exact same fret spacing as on a 25.5" scale neck. You could put a capo at the 2nd fret and play standard scale. It's the same concept used on the new Steinberger TransScale guitars, which I will some day add to my collection, oh yes I will.


----------



## metalfiend666

Good point Eric, and good work on those concepts Darren


----------



## darren

I sent the new specs and images off to Kurt yesterday and got the following reply:



Kurt said:


> Look great Darren
> We will try to make this a reality this year



Sounds promising!


----------



## jim777

Does indeed! I'd rather the fanned frets and individual saddles, but it's still an inexpensive step into the gr8 beyond. Awesome news!


----------



## Ishan

I had hoped for fanned frets too but halas it won't happen  I'm still hoping for the 28 5/8" scale thow


----------



## theunforgiven246

i dont want fanned frets simply because if they come out and are good, i'm going to buy (or 2 if i have the money) and 1 (or 2) kahlers and have them put on. mmmm.... 8 string tremolo...


----------



## maliciousteve

Looks awesome to me. I'd probably get one


----------



## Durero

theunforgiven246 said:


> i dont want fanned frets simply because if they come out and are good, i'm going to buy (or 2 if i have the money) and 1 (or 2) kahlers and have them put on. mmmm.... 8 string tremolo...


I'm working on a prototype design with fanned-frets & a Kahler 8-string trem. I think the Kahlers could be fairly easily adaptable to fanned frets because of the modular roller saddles, but I'll find out for sure when I get to the building stage.


----------



## Drache713

You know...the more I think about this, the more I want it to happen. I want the Ibby 8, but I don't really wanna have to hassle with a FX Edge bridge...if these come in at around 27" scale length, with individual saddles or a fixed hipshot, and EMG's then you can count me in. I'm not really particular about straight frets or fanned frets, but anything to keep the price reasonable and I'm for it. I'd perfer an ebony or rosewood board over a maple board, but beggers can't be choosers!


----------



## Nik

Drache713 said:


> You know...the more I think about this, the more I want it to happen. I want the Ibby 8, but I don't really wanna have to hassle with a FX Edge bridge...if these come in at around 27" scale length, with individual saddles or a fixed hipshot, and EMG's then you can count me in. I'm not really particular about straight frets or fanned frets, but anything to keep the price reasonable and I'm for it. I'd perfer an ebony or rosewood board over a maple board, but beggers can't be choosers!



For the record, if one of these ever comes out, I'll definitely be getting one as well  

Just curious though, what's the problem with FX edge bridges? My understanding is that they're basically a fixed bridge with fine-tuners


----------



## Drache713

Nik said:


> For the record, if one of these ever comes out, I'll definitely be getting one as well
> 
> Just curious though, what's the problem with FX edge bridges? My understanding is that they're basically a fixed bridge with fine-tuners


Nothing "wrong" with them at all by any means, it's just personal preference on my part. I'd like to have full range for drop d, alternate tunings, or whatever on the headstock tuners and not have to do it on the fine tuners.


----------



## nyck

Drache713 said:


> Nothing "wrong" with them at all by any means, it's just personal preference on my part. I'd like to have full range for drop d, alternate tunings, or whatever on the headstock tuners and not have to do it on the fine tuners.


You can leave off the locking nuts or leave off certain ones. That's the beauty..


----------



## Drache713

nyck said:


> You can leave off the locking nuts or leave off certain ones. That's the beauty..


 

<------DUMBASS!


----------



## darren

Personally, i'd prefer a regular nut with locking tuners, but a lot of locking tuners won't accommodate strings over .060" without modification. I also don't want to have to pull out an Allen wrench every time i need to change a string.


----------



## Drache713

darren said:


> Personally, i'd prefer a regular nut with locking tuners, but a lot of locking tuners won't accommodate strings over .060" without modification. I also don't want to have to pull out an Allen wrench every time i need to change a string.


That's part of my personal preference for not having a locking nut also.


----------



## darren

I just thought i'd chime in here on the issue of scale length...

The other day, i was in a music store that had an Ibanez Mike Mushok model hanging on the wall. I hadn't tried one before, but knowing that it has a 28" scale length, i thought i should give it a try, just to see what the playability was like, even though it _only_ has six strings.

To be honest, i didn't find it awkward at all. Some chords with a very wide spread were a BIT more of a reach down in the lowest position, but not uncomfortably so. Considering 28" is about a fret and a half longer than a 25.5" scale instrument, i don't think it will negatively affect the overall playability further up the neck, either. Once you get re-oriented, it shouldn't be a problem.

One thing i really liked is that they set the bridge further back in the body, so the overall instrument length wasn't impacted very much, and the lowest frets weren't a further reach. The only drawback is that more than 22 frets would require a VERY deep cutaway, which would throw off the balance of the instrument, both in terms of the visual balance and the mass distribution. But i'm rarely up at the 22nd fret (or above), so this isn't an issue for me.

Overall, i don't think 28" scale is a huge drawback. I'd rather have a longer scale and better tone and intonation on the low strings than to compromise in the other direction for the sake of the few players who will want to put on a high A.


----------



## Jason

Scale length has never bothered me..I can bounce around from 24.5'' to 27''


----------



## Nik

darren said:


> I just thought i'd chime in here on the issue of scale length...
> 
> The other day, i was in a music store that had an Ibanez Mike Mushok model hanging on the wall. I hadn't tried one before, but knowing that it has a 28" scale length, i thought i should give it a try, just to see what the playability was like, even though it _only_ has six strings.
> 
> To be honest, i didn't find it awkward at all. Some chords with a very wide spread were a BIT more of a reach down in the lowest position, but not uncomfortably so. Considering 28" is about a fret and a half longer than a 25.5" scale instrument, i don't think it will negatively affect the overall playability further up the neck, either. Once you get re-oriented, it shouldn't be a problem.
> 
> One thing i really liked is that they set the bridge further back in the body, so the overall instrument length wasn't impacted very much, and the lowest frets weren't a further reach. The only drawback is that more than 22 frets would require a VERY deep cutaway, which would throw off the balance of the instrument, both in terms of the visual balance and the mass distribution. But i'm rarely up at the 22nd fret (or above), so this isn't an issue for me.
> 
> Overall, i don't think 28" scale is a huge drawback. I'd rather have a longer scale and better tone and intonation on the low strings than to compromise in the other direction for the sake of the few players who will want to put on a high A.



You know, while I was opposed the idea of 28" at first, I've been playing my dad's 6-string Douglas bass, and I've been thinking that actually, I'd be fine with 28". I'd still prefer 27", but I'd be willing to go with 28" as well, if Kurt would only want to make one scale-length production run. I don't think I'd go over 28" though  

TBH I just want to see this happen so I can snap one up 

As for setting the bridge further back, that'd be cool, but wouldn't that force guitarists to change their picking positions?


----------



## darren

Would you rather adjust your picking hand a little further back, or would you rather reach further with your fretting hand? I think moving the bridge back is better ergonomically, but it would make 24 frets a bit of a challenge.


----------



## Ishan

Amen (I hope Rondo will consider 28" 5/8 as it'll feel more standard IMHO, but that's just me  )


----------



## Nik

darren said:


> Would you rather adjust your picking hand a little further back, or would you rather reach further with your fretting hand? I think moving the bridge back is better ergonomically, but it would make 24 frets a bit of a challenge.



How about a combination of the two... ? I don't know if that's possible or not, but I think having the neck extend slightly further, and having the bridge further back (rather than having one exclusively) would probably be the best idea.

I figure that if Ibanez can make a 30" 8-string with 24 frets, having a 28" with 24 frets shouldn't be a problem in the comfortability department.


----------



## Ishan

A combination of the 2 would be best IMO


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Actually I find guitars with bridges further back harder to play on, much easier for me to adjust my picking hand.


----------



## XEN

Every shape calls for its own playing style so this might be a hair splitter of a discussion topic. If Rondo produces an inexpensive 8, I'm sure everyone will do whatever it takes to get used to it no matter the setup. Your designs are tight Darren! No need to nitpick.


----------



## Aghorasilat

maple neck ebony fretboard 27"scale EMGs
Mahogany Body & Flame Maple Top 

Count me in....


----------



## darren

You should read the thread all the way through, Aghorasilat.

Ebony won't happen. It's extremely expensive, and getting pieces big enough for an 8-string fretboard will price this instrument well out of the entry-level price we're targeting.

Mahogany body, maple top and EMGs are also expensive options. Ultimately, i decided simpler was better. An ash body will give good frequency response for an extended range instrument, and should balance the instrument nicely.

Nothing is set in stone until Kurt starts the development process with his factory, so these are just "suggested" specs.


----------



## Aghorasilat

darren said:


> You should read the thread all the way through, Aghorasilat.
> 
> Ebony won't happen. It's extremely expensive, and getting pieces big enough for an 8-string fretboard will price this instrument well out of the entry-level price we're targeting.
> 
> Mahogany body, maple top and EMGs are also expensive options. Ultimately, i decided simpler was better. An ash body will give good frequency response for an extended range instrument, and should balance the instrument nicely.
> 
> Nothing is set in stone until Kurt starts the development process with his factory, so these are just "suggested" specs.




ah yeah but......tone will suffer greatly. You could try a combination fretboard like the ones conklin used to make with various pieces of woods as the fretboard. 
Ebony & Mahogany are like Bone & bone Marrow you just can't live with out them when it comes to tone.

Ok I will settle for other pick ups instead of EMGS but get some eb & Mahog and we are in business.


----------



## Nik

Aghorasilat said:


> ah yeah but......tone will suffer greatly. You could try a combination fretboard like the ones conklin used to make with various pieces of woods as the fretboard.
> Ebony & Mahogany are like Bone & bone Marrow you just can't live with out them when it comes to tone.



Yeah, but again, the whole point of this is to make an *affordable* 8-string. When you're making something affordable, some compromises have to be made. You can't expect to build the custom-quality guitar of your dreams for a tiny price.

I'm perfectly happy with ash. Hell, I'd be happy even with a *basswood* 8-string. Tone is subjective, and I absolutely love the tone I get out of my basswood RG1527.


----------



## Project2501

God damn this thread is teasing the Hell out of me... I hate all of you numb fucks who post and then I think there is some new news ... oh wait...


----------



## dpm

Aghorasilat said:


> ah yeah but......tone will suffer greatly. You could try a combination fretboard like the ones conklin used to make with various pieces of woods as the fretboard.
> Ebony & Mahogany are like Bone & bone Marrow you just can't live with out them when it comes to tone.
> 
> Ok I will settle for other pick ups instead of EMGS but get some eb & Mahog and we are in business.


 

riiiiiiiight  what are you smoking? and would you care to share?


----------



## Ishan

Maple fretboard and ash body will sound really good, basswood is out of the question for me...


----------



## Scott

I think people should see this as an intro to an 8 string. Worry more about liking the feel of it, and go custom from there if you desire more than it has to offer.

Don't try to make this the 8 string to end all 8 string purchases, but the 8 string to start all 8 string purchases.


----------



## Drache713

Scott said:


> I think people should see this as an intro to an 8 string. Worry more about liking the feel of it, and go custom from there if you desire more than it has to offer.
> 
> Don't try to make this the 8 string to end all 8 string purchases, but the 8 string to start all 8 string purchases.


----------



## XEN

Scott said:


> I think people should see this as an intro to an 8 string. Worry more about liking the feel of it, and go custom from there if you desire more than it has to offer.
> 
> Don't try to make this the 8 string to end all 8 string purchases, but the 8 string to start all 8 string purchases.



Hear hear. Very well said.


----------



## dpm

Indeedy, well said Scott


----------



## Aghorasilat

Nik said:


> Yeah, but again, the whole point of this is to make an *affordable* 8-string. When you're making something affordable, some compromises have to be made. You can't expect to build the custom-quality guitar of your dreams for a tiny price.
> 
> I'm perfectly happy with ash. Hell, I'd be happy even with a *basswood* 8-string. Tone is subjective, and I absolutely love the tone I get out of my basswood RG1527.



Ok what about Alder? That would be better than basswood.

cheaper than mahogany? Epiphone tends to make cheap gear with Mahogany that in some cases doesn't sound that bad and certainly is better than basswood. I have recorded bands that have cheap ass epiphones who tend to have decent tone simply cause the wood is mahogany on their axes.



dpm said:


> riiiiiiiight  what are you smoking? and would you care to share?



deffinetly not smoking anything related to Basswood.


----------



## Project2501

Aghorasilat said:


> Ok what about Alder? That would be better than basswood.
> 
> cheaper than mahogany? Epiphone tends to make cheap gear with Mahogany that in some cases doesn't sound that bad and certainly is better than basswood. I have recorded bands that have cheap ass epiphones who tend to have decent tone simply cause the wood is mahogany on their axes.
> 
> 
> 
> deffinetly not smoking anything related to Basswood.



It's not so much the actual cost of the woods, but their effect on the cutting bits of the machines. Basswood is soft so a company can get more life out of their tools.


----------



## Aghorasilat

Project2501 said:


> It's not so much the actual cost of the woods, but their effect on the cutting bits of the machines. Basswood is soft so a company can get more life out of their tools.



that makes total sense


----------



## dpm

Aghorasilat said:


> deffinetly not smoking anything related to Basswood.


 
lol, good  I'm not at all a fan of basswood either  

Epiphone's (and other brands) 'mahogany' is not true mahogany. In terms of look it bears a passing resemblance, so they get away with it. Tonally, most of the mahogany replacements (there's several) are nothing like the real thing.

Very soon (in fact starting now) there won't be _any_ true mahogany in use because it is now highly endangered and trade is strictly controlled. The exceptions will be those companies who have it stockpiled, and those who are willing to pay enormous sums to get hold of it with certification that it was logged pre-restriction. My local wholesale lumber merchants no longer have 2" stock, and are selling out of 1". After that - nothing.

As Project2501 rightly points out, basswood is exceptionally easy on tools, and doesn't tend to tear out like other woods so there won't be as many reject bodies per production run. It's also cheap, plentiful, relatively consistent, and stable.


----------



## Jeff

Aghorasilat said:


> Ok what about Alder? That would be better than basswood.
> 
> cheaper than mahogany? Epiphone tends to make cheap gear with Mahogany that in some cases doesn't sound that bad and certainly is better than basswood. I have recorded bands that have cheap ass epiphones who tend to have decent tone simply cause the wood is mahogany on their axes.
> 
> 
> 
> deffinetly not smoking anything related to Basswood.



Epiphone guitars are mostly mahogany plywood, i.e. many pieces of low grade mahogany glued together. 

Not what I call good tone producing.


----------



## Bassies7string

This makes me shiver to think what kind of mahogany is used for the new s7


----------



## darren

One of the reasons i specified ash is because Jim Soloway, a very accomplished 7-string jazz player who has also launched his own line of boutique instruments, has done a lot of experimentation, and he feels that ash is the best choice for clarity and articulation across the guitar's sonic range. If Jim says it's good, i'm inclined to believe him.

With an 8-string, i think it's essential to get that bell-like "piano" tone out of the lower strings. The higher strings may be very bright, but i think it's easier to warm up a bright guitar with pickups and electronics than it is to try and brighten up a warm/dark/muddy instrument.

And as Scott so articulately put, this is meant to be an entry-level production instrument, not a custom. If you want mahogany, ebony and EMGs, feel free to contact any number of skilled boutique luthiers who will be happy to make you the guitar of your dreams for 3-4x the price ++.


----------



## Project2501

darren said:


> One of the reasons i specified ash is because Jim Soloway, a very accomplished 7-string jazz player who has also launched his own line of boutique instruments, has done a lot of experimentation, and he feels that ash is the best choice for clarity and articulation across the guitar's sonic range. If Jim says it's good, i'm inclined to believe him.
> 
> With an 8-string, i think it's essential to get that bell-like "piano" tone out of the lower strings. The higher strings may be very bright, but i think it's easier to warm up a bright guitar with pickups and electronics than it is to try and brighten up a warm/dark/muddy instrument.
> 
> And as Scott so articulately put, this is meant to be an entry-level production instrument, not a custom. If you want mahogany, ebony and EMGs, feel free to contact any number of skilled boutique luthiers who will be happy to make you the guitar of your dreams for 3-4x the price ++.



Dude I would be happy to just see it come into production. My only one true wish is for a Maple fretboard. That would make me one happy camper and I hate bears!


----------



## Hexer

who was talking about basswood anyway??? wasnt the suggested body-wood ash in the first place??? sounds like a good choice to me, but this is only based on the info I got from the web, not from personal experience (have never used/owned an 8 or an ash-guitar)


----------



## Jeff

Hexer said:


> who was talking about basswood anyway??? wasnt the suggested body-wood ash in the first place??? sounds like a good choice to me, but this is only based on the info I got from the web, not from personal experience (have never used/owned an 8 or an ash-guitar)



I had the swamp ash N4, and it was snappy as fuck, in a good way. So articulate it didn't hide any screw ups. I miss that guitar so very much. 

If I were to ever get a Warmoth baritone 7, it'd be swamp ash.


----------



## Ishan

Ash, alder, maple, all those are cheap so no worries. No need for basswood or whatever dead sounding wood.
Just think about it guys, even for an entry level guitar if it sucks, it sucks.
Rondo (Agile) are doing their best to get the price down with a good design and woods choices, they are not Epi or Squier for god sakes.


----------



## theunforgiven246

any updates?


----------



## BrutalExorcist

n00b user here, but I'm just chiming in to say that I'd definately consider an 8-string from Rondo. I'm not Kurt Zentmaier, but I wouldn't be surprised if he could pull it off for under $500, depending on the demand.


----------



## Nik

Project2501 said:


> God damn this thread is teasing the Hell out of me... I hate all of you numb fucks who post and then I think there is some new news ... oh wait...



QFT^




For the record, I'm starting to slowly lose interest. I need a back-up guitar, and if this doesn't happen before summer, I'm getting a Schecter


----------



## Drew

Aghorasilat said:


> Ebony & Mahogany are like Bone & bone Marrow you just can't live with out them when it comes to tone.



Personal taste, dude. I'd vastly prefer ash or alder with a maple board to mahogany and ebony.  

And I actually rather like the sound of basswood. Again, it's not the be-all, end-all, but for certain applications it's a pretty appropriate tone.


----------



## darren

Nik said:


> For the record, I'm starting to slowly lose interest. I need a back-up guitar, and if this doesn't happen before summer, I'm getting a Schecter



Okay, time to put this in a little perspective:

We are consumers. We are in NO POSITION to make demands of a retailer or manufacturer with regard to their product plans. We've all expressed an interest, which is fine. But if you're saying, "If they don't bring this out by summer, i'm buying something else," then that's certainly your perogative. It's not like you've put down a deposit on an instrument that has an announced release date. If you're growing disinterested and would rather put your money toward a Schecter 7-string, then so be it. Nobody here, not me, not Kurt, has made any promises at all about when this product _may_ be available, _if it even makes it to production._

I floated an idea to Kurt, and he's responded favourably, but he's a business man, and running his day-to-day business of managing the manufacture and sales of volume instruments will no doubt take priority over one request for a very _niche_ product. 

And as much positive response as this project has received on this board, ss.org members also have a relatively poor money-to-mouth ratio. If 1/4 of the people who have said "i'll buy one" actually put their money on the table, i'd be surprised. And i don't mean that as a slag of anyone... we all make lofty statements, yet most of us are also perpetually broke (or have more pressing commitments for our money).

So i'm not about to start hassling Kurt, asking him when we're going to see the 8-string. But i will send him a message just to inquire if it's made it any further down the development path.

Be patient.

Or i'll kick your ass.


----------



## Nik

darren said:


> Okay, time to put this in a little perspective:
> 
> We are consumers. We are in NO POSITION to make demands of a retailer or manufacturer with regard to their product plans. We've all expressed an interest, which is fine. But if you're saying, "If they don't bring this out by summer, i'm buying something else," then that's certainly your perogative. It's not like you've put down a deposit on an instrument that has an announced release date. If you're growing disinterested and would rather put your money toward a Schecter 7-string, then so be it. Nobody here, not me, not Kurt, has made any promises at all about when this product _may_ be available, _if it even makes it to production._
> 
> I floated an idea to Kurt, and he's responded favourably, but he's a business man, and running his day-to-day business of managing the manufacture and sales of volume instruments will no doubt take priority over one request for a very _niche_ product.
> 
> And as much positive response as this project has received on this board, ss.org members also have a relatively poor money-to-mouth ratio. If 1/4 of the people who have said "i'll buy one" actually put their money on the table, i'd be surprised. And i don't mean that as a slag of anyone... we all make lofty statements, yet most of us are also perpetually broke (or have more pressing commitments for our money).
> 
> So i'm not about to start hassling Kurt, asking him when we're going to see the 8-string. But i will send him a message just to inquire if it's made it any further down the development path.
> 
> Be patient.
> 
> Or i'll kick your ass.



Please re-read my post with care.

1. I am not hassling Kurt.

2. I am not trying to force anybody into doing anything.

3. You just wasted your time writing that long post. If you read my post carefully, you'll note that I don't say anything like "OMG Kurt hurry up lolZz!!". I was merely making amends to my earlier statement that I'll buy one for sure, and I was merely making a _statement_ that I'm slowly starting to lose interest. That's fact, and I don't see the tiniest hint of me implying that someone has broken a promise to me or whatever. I realize this takes time, but another thing to remember is that people's tastes change with time  Read it as you will.


----------



## axechain

very interested in the project, it looks very nice (better then others i saw)
and i think it will be a blast in the market because of the price...
whaiting for it to come out


----------



## Justin Bailey

I hope this happens, damn.


----------



## darren

I did email Kurt a few weeks ago just to keep it top-of-mind, but haven't received a reply from him, so i currently don't know the status of the project or even if it's in his product plans for this year.

I'll keep you posted if i hear anything further.


----------



## axechain

so nothing for now?


----------



## Cancer

darren said:


> Okay, time to put this in a little perspective:
> 
> We are consumers. We are in NO POSITION to make demands of a retailer or manufacturer with regard to their product plans.



Not trying to augumentative, but as consumers we are DEFINITELY in a position to make demands. After all, they want our money, RIGHT???? Products are made for the sole purpose (ultimately) of being sold to us, when a manufacturer makes, or a retailer finds, something they think we will buy, we definitely have a say, and we speak in a language called money. I know we live in culture right now that is desperately trying to pervert this, but that's the truth. If one feels that a manufacturer, or a retailer, doesn't "do right by them" is our responsibility to take our money elsewhere.

I bring this up only because, lately, it seems like I've been seeing alot we this "we serve the corporations" mentality around this board, and as guitar players, or musicians, or artists it seems to be a dangerous place to me, especially since we're supposed to be "enlightening the masses" so to speak.


----------



## skinhead

psyphre said:


> Not trying to augumentative, but as consumers we are DEFINITELY in a position to make demands. After all, they want our money, RIGHT???? Products are made for the sole purpose (ultimately) of being sold to us, when a manufacturer makes, or a retailer finds, something they think we will buy, we definitely have a say, and we speak in a language called money. I know we live in culture right now that is desperately trying to pervert this, but that's the truth. If one feels that a manufacturer, or a retailer, doesn't "do right by them" is our responsibility to take our money elsewhere.
> 
> I bring this up only because, lately, it seems like I've been seeing alot we this "we serve the corporations" mentality around this board, and as guitar players, or musicians, or artists it seems to be a dangerous place to me, especially since we're supposed to be "enlightening the masses" so to speak.



Yeah, you'r right on what you are saying about that we are consumers and they the producers, but think that we are not in an = position, they decide what the fuck they want to sell and what it's going to have exit, so they have to think clearly and don't do the thing that only 1 customer it's saying.

But if here the people start sending mails, calling, etc, they really are going to start thinking about it.


----------



## Ishan

Anything new on this? I'm still hoping


----------



## Eddie Loves You

I recently emailed Rondo about the status of the 8 string and was told:





> Thanks Eddie
> Production has stalled due to lack of available parts
> 
> Kurt


----------



## Ishan

too bad


----------



## GiantBaba

Bummer. I'm still looking forward to these being available someday

Maybe we could do the legwork and find a parts/hardware supplier for Kurt to get this done. Perhaps someone could ask him exactly what he needs


----------



## Ishan

I guess he need a cheap 8 string bridge. Everything else should be easy to find.


----------



## slake moth

8 String Fixed .125 Guitar Bridge Chrome

too expensive?

Allparts has monorails, but they're $25 each.


----------



## forelander

I think I'd buy one if the price was right, as the Ibanez rg2228 has made me curious and I don't have $3000 AUS to buy one with.


----------



## darren

I'm sure there are cheaper mono-rail bridges avaialble in Asia.


----------



## Eddie Loves You

I would definitely buy one. If everyone would keep emailing Kurt maybe he'd see that there is a lot of interest in such a guitar and it would sell well.


----------



## darren

At this point, i think that's probably a good idea. I've been acting as a middleman to try and get this process rolling, and Kurt has visited here a few times to get input, but maybe it's time to have everyone interested contact him directly just to express interest. 

I think there has been a huge upswing in interest in 8s now that the RG2228s are showing up and people are seeing and hearing them. But their high price and constrained availability could be an opportunity for companies like Halo and Rondo.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> At this point, i think that's probably a good idea. I've been acting as a middleman to try and get this process rolling, and Kurt has visited here a few times to get input, but maybe it's time to have everyone interested contact him directly just to express interest.
> 
> I think there has been a huge upswing in interest in 8s now that the RG2228s are showing up and people are seeing and hearing them. But their high price and constrained availability could be an opportunity for companies like Halo and Rondo.



e-mail address ?


----------



## Jason

[email protected]

I really think If alot of guys email kurt we can get this done. We got a 7 right?


----------



## Justin Bailey

I emailed him last night, about producing a very, very simple eight string. Just on pickup and one volume, some type of oil finish. I said that maybe the pickup could be an 808... anyways this was his reply...

I don't think EMG would approve selling a lower priced 8 String like that, so the problem remains finding pickups and also an 8 string bridge at a reasonable price.

kurt

so we need to find him bridge and pickup suppliers... lets get on this shit.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Tell him to get two six-string bridges and cut the fuckers up into 4 each and bolt them together, boom.

As for pickups, wasn't Halo dealing with Tesla before EMG? Call them up. Either way, has he even talked with EMG, I mean, he has them on some of his Agile 7s.


----------



## Justin Bailey

NegaTiveXero said:


> Tell him to get two six-string bridges and cut the fuckers up into 4 each and bolt them together, boom.
> 
> As for pickups, wasn't Halo dealing with Tesla before EMG? Call them up. Either way, has he even talked with EMG, I mean, he has them on some of his Agile 7s.



basically what I was thinking. I mean he already has emgs on some of the agiles. Not only that but I dont think EMG gives a rats ass what guitar their pickups are going into, I mean look at all the kirk hammet signatures, they just want the coin. Fuck they could just ship them without pickups, I betcha they'd sell the same.


----------



## TomAwesome

Well, he's probably figuring that they might have that opinion if he makes the super stripped down barebones guitar that was suggested, which they might. Didn't he have a similar issue with DiMarzio a while back that caused him to switch the pickups in the formerly DiMarzio equipped guitars?




Justin Bailey said:


> Fuck they could just ship them without pickups, I betcha they'd sell the same.



Would that be an option? I don't think he'd go for it, but I'd probably buy a barebones 8 with no pickups if it was still routed for 808's... Or even if it just had some crappy pickup in there that took up the same amount of space so I could switch it out.


----------



## Justin Bailey

TomAwesome said:


> Well, he's probably figuring that they might have that opinion if he makes the super stripped down barebones guitar that was suggested, which they might. Didn't he have a similar issue with DiMarzio a while back that caused him to switch the pickups in the formerly DiMarzio equipped guitars?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would that be an option? I don't think he'd go for it, but I'd probably buy a barebones 8 with no pickups if it was still routed for 808's... Or even if it just had some crappy pickup in there that took up the same amount of space so I could switch it out.



I'm not sure about the dimarzios. That could be the case. I understand what he was saying, but I think emg would be fine with it, I mean its another platform to market their 808. 

Yeah I dont think he'd go for that. I'd be satisfied with some cheap pick up, as people would probably swap pick ups around no matter what he puts in it.


----------



## bostjan

Who's making all of this cheap eight-string hardware? I don't think anyone is.

Buying two six string bridges and cutting them to be machined together is not really any more economical than buying decent hardware to begin with. They'd be better off to machine their own bridges. You can buy individual saddles, so you'd just have to punch out the plates to house them together. That'd be expensive for just one guitar, but it'd still be better than chopping up a bunch of six string bridges.

How many of these do you think would be made in a batch? I'd imagine several dozen would be made in a single run. The economics of making special pieces of hardware for a single run of low-cost highly specialized guitars is just really iffy right now.

It's the world's most depressing paradox. No one will make eight string guitars until everyone else is. We're really lucky to have Ibanez and Halo trying to make some. I think the incredible demand for Ibanez RG2228's and Halo Octavias will be the start of everything, but I highly doubt we'll see anyone rushing to the factory to produce these instruments and selling them for no profit.


----------



## Groff

Couldn't they just use individual saddles mounted right onto the body?


----------



## darren

It probably wouldn't be too hard to make a baseplate to hold 8 Wilkinson saddles. I'm pretty sure i've seen people do that before.


----------



## Justin Bailey

darren said:


> It probably wouldn't be too hard to make a baseplate to hold 8 Wilkinson saddles. I'm pretty sure i've seen people do that before.



blackmachine, and zachary guitar come to mind.


----------



## slake moth

Isn't that what Blackmachine does?


----------



## darren

Justin Bailey said:


> blackmachine



THAT's where i remember seeing it. Thanks!


----------



## Justin Bailey

darren said:


> THAT's where i remember seeing it. Thanks!



no problem, man.


Anyways, back on topic. kinda. I just think it'd be amazing if we saw these in production. It'd be a great day in human history.


----------



## Eddie Loves You

8 String Fixed .125 Guitar Bridge Chrome

What do you think bulk pricing on something like that would be?


----------



## Ancestor

Cancer said:


> Not trying to augumentative, but as consumers we are DEFINITELY in a position to make demands. After all, they want our money, RIGHT???? Products are made for the sole purpose (ultimately) of being sold to us, when a manufacturer makes, or a retailer finds, something they think we will buy, we definitely have a say, and we speak in a language called money. I know we live in culture right now that is desperately trying to pervert this, but that's the truth. If one feels that a manufacturer, or a retailer, doesn't "do right by them" is our responsibility to take our money elsewhere.
> 
> I bring this up only because, lately, it seems like I've been seeing alot we this "we serve the corporations" mentality around this board, and as guitar players, or musicians, or artists it seems to be a dangerous place to me, especially since we're supposed to be "enlightening the masses" so to speak.


----------



## Jason




----------



## EverDream

I just wanted to let it be known that I am also interested in getting an 8 string for $800 (that's the most I can afford really). It might take a year before I'm doing better with my credit card debt, but then I definitely would most likely end up buying one! 

The only small request I have is that it at least have side dots. Other than that I'm pretty flexible, I do prefer passive pups but it's not a huge issue if they are active. Hopefully I don't even have to worry about it being any less than at least 27" in scale length. Anyone who thinks they need shorter scale for high A should talk to Garry Goodman who sells plain strings that are way thinner AND way stronger than plain strings currently on the market. His website for this is www.octave4plus.com.

Anyway, I just wanted to show my interest. Later!


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

so what the status on this,i just found this thread and i'l be honost, i didnt read all 31 pages, but i'd totally be on board for one of these, shit, even if emg(i'm not sure what they would care) wont sell them to rondo, you can buy one direct for them , and hell, i'd even drop the money on a lundgren for the 8's


----------



## Ishan

EMG and Duncan sell to Rondo so no problem here, status is we have to mail the guys at rondo to tell them WE REALLY WANT IT! But I guess it wouldn't be for me as I refuse to buy anything shorter than 30" scale


----------



## Scarpie

i'll second that notion. 
i just can't find it reasonable for my finances to deviate from a 30" scale


----------



## darren

I emailed Kurt over the weekend to inquire about the status of this project and got the following response:



Rondo said:


> It's sort of on the back burner, developing more varieties of 7 strings now


----------



## HighGain510

Design = awesome. White text on a bluish/grayish/white background = eyestrain! I can't read the specs.


----------



## darren

If you click on the bar above the image, it expands a bit. I don't find it any harder to read than the text you're reading right now.

If people are still interested in a budget 8-string, i would like to encourage you all to email Kurt and express your desire/intent to buy/support for a Rondo-built 8-string. Hopefully we can get the same kind of momentum that the Agile Interceptor Pro 27 project is getting.

Now that the Ibanez and Halo 8s are starting to get into people's hands, i think there may be more desire building for these. I know personally that playing an RG 2228 really whet my appetite for an 8.

Here are the specs:


*Brice Defiant8 concept*

Proposed Specifications:

Body
Ash
Neck
5 piece maple/walnut laminate
Fretboard
Maple, 16&#733; radius
2.0625&#733; at the nut
No face inlays (side dots only)
Scale length
27&#8221; or 28&#733;
Frets
Jumbo
Electronics
Active humbuckers neck/bridge (EMG 45DC or 808?)
Three-way toggle
Master volume
Concentric active treble/bass boost/cut
Concentric midrange boost/cut with sweep
Hardware
Flat-mount 8-string bridge (Hipshot or equivalent)
*or* 8 individual bridges
Strings through body
Sealed 18:1 tuners
GraphTech nut
Strings
.009 to .070 (based on low F# tuning)


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

that sucks that its a backburner project for him, but i cant argue with the fact that hes working on new 7's


----------



## darren

Here's a nice big rendering for you guys to salivate over.


----------



## HighGain510

Ah see with the bigger size it's much more easily read. The small size and the font color + background color made it harder to read I guess.  When I maximized it, it was still tiny. Light font on dark background or dark font on light background works best (at least for me) than light on light.  That design (and color scheme) is awesome Darren. I don't think I could get an 8 as I don't think I'd truly utilize the lowest string but if I were going to it would be something like that.


----------



## darren

I don't know what you're talking about with a "background colour"... it's a transparent PNG that should show the page colour as the background. Unless you're using some kind of wonky browser that doesn't display PNGs properly.

It shows as white text on dark gray for me.


----------



## HighGain510

Internet Explorer isn't that wonky of a browser, is it?  I don't know, maybe it's just something that isn't registering with IE, it's showing up as a super-light color like I said before... a bluish white. Dunno, maybe it's just the version of IE they use at work. I'll check it on my PC when I get home and let you know if it's the same there.  I have a PC with XP and old IE and a brand new PC with Vista and whatever the newest IE version is, as well as Firefox.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

Rondo said:


> It's sort of on the back burner, developing more varieties of 7 strings now






sorry about that.


----------



## technomancer

HighGain510 said:


> Internet Explorer isn't that wonky of a browser, is it?  I don't know, maybe it's just something that isn't registering with IE, it's showing up as a super-light color like I said before... a bluish white. Dunno, maybe it's just the version of IE they use at work. I'll check it on my PC when I get home and let you know if it's the same there.  I have a PC with XP and old IE and a brand new PC with Vista and whatever the newest IE version is, as well as Firefox.



IE doesn't support transparent PNGs properly, so it's the browser you're using. I think the latest version of IE might have fixed it...

And Darren that design is really sweet, using the Brice Defiant body design was a stroke of genius


----------



## TomAwesome

Rondo said:


> It's sort of on the back burner, developing more varieties of 7 strings now



Well that sucks, but that's as good a reason as any! I'm still hoping for that 27" pro with a trem...

That guitar looks fantastic aside from the short scale


----------



## HighGain510

technomancer said:


> IE doesn't support transparent PNGs properly, so it's the browser you're using. I think the latest version of IE might have fixed it...
> 
> And Darren that design is really sweet, using the Brice Defiant body design was a stroke of genius



100% correct sir. Came home, checked my older XP laptop and it was the same as work. Got on my desktop now (Vista-loaded + newest IE) and it shows up how Darren explained it. Just so you're aware D not everyone has the most up-to-date browser, I'm not crazy!  I can't update it at work because it's whatever corporate dictates as the "official" version we're allowed to use.


----------



## Seedawakener

That brice would kick some major ass.... If they made that guitar they would sell loads of them! I haven't read through the whole thread, but what price would we be looking at?


----------



## darren

I don't think PNG support is exactly a "cutting-edge" feature. Safari and Firefox (and probably Opera as well) have supported it for years. It's only Microsoft that has lagged behind.

I think the target price was around $600-800, but i don't think Kurt even got that far in its development to let us know if this would be possible.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I don't think PNG support is exactly a "cutting-edge" feature. Safari and Firefox (and probably Opera as well) have supported it for years. It's only Microsoft that has lagged behind.
> 
> I think the target price was around $600-800, but i don't think Kurt even got that far in its development to let us know if this would be possible.



+1 it's not Darren's fault MS sucks


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

TomAwesome said:


> Well that sucks, but that's as good a reason as any! I'm still hoping for that 27" pro with a trem...
> 
> That guitar looks fantastic aside from the short scale




so order a custom one. 

ordering on with a different scale should only be a slight (maybe $100?) upcharge.



darren said:


>




 

make it a blueburst, and i would totally lay down money for it!


----------



## HighGain510

$600 for an 8-string (assuming they could put together something of decent quality, and I don't doubt it) is a great deal for you 8-string guys. You should see if you could get enough people to justify it. Kurt is doing it for 8 7-stringers to make a full run, why not try it for 8-stringers?  See if you can stir up enough people... it's like half the cost of the Ibanez 8!


----------



## TomAwesome

ShawnFjellstad said:


> so order a custom one.
> 
> ordering on with a different scale should only be a slight (maybe $100?) upcharge.



I've been thinking about it. If, when I have the cash, there is no Pro 27, and the upcharge isn't too bad, that's probably what I'll end up doing... unless, of course, this 8-string is looking like it's about to happen by then.


----------



## theunforgiven246

If I had enough extra money around when/if that comes out, I'd get one (27" scale), but I doubt I'll ever be able to save up that much extra cash


----------



## Eddie Loves You

I am definitely on board for one of these. I'll even put up the money now!

I'd like to point out to Kurt that almost any 8 string that gets put up on ebay end up closing for a pretty high price. Take those 2 that were recently on there; the luthier was an unknown, but they still fetched like ~$1500 each. There would definitely be demand for these. 

Plus, how many people browsing the Rondo website would see that an 8 string is available and, without ever considering it before, decide to order one based on its affordability and Rondo's reputation for quality instruments?

Longer scale though! (at LEAST 28 5/8")


----------



## TomAwesome

Eddie Loves You said:


> Longer scale though! (at LEAST 28 5/8")


----------



## technomancer

28" scale works fine, 28 5/8" would be nice as well


----------



## Shannon

My old 25.5" 8-string worked just fine, so I'm down for a non-baritone version.


----------



## technomancer

Shannon said:


> My old 25.5" 8-string worked just fine, so I'm down for a non-baritone version.



Worked tuned to what?


----------



## Variant

technomancer said:


> 28" scale works fine, 28 5/8" would be nice as well



Yeah, a 26 fret 28 5/8" +2 scenario would be cool...


----------



## skinhead

Any real and concrete news on this 8 string guitars?


----------



## lintuxvi

Damn, it's been almost a year and no real development?


----------



## Metal Ken

Shannon said:


> My old 25.5" 8-string worked just fine, so I'm down for a non-baritone version.



i agree with shannon here. Not all of us who want to try an 8 string want to tune to F#.

(I realize on page 3 of this thread, i thought 28" or whatever was cool, but that was a year ago, and i realized i'd rather tune higher than lower)


----------



## Shreddy Krueger

Ditto that...

An extra high string would be the balls..


----------



## Desecrated

I also want with a high a-string, it seams like gary's strings are coming with a ball-ends now so a fixed bridge would do.


----------



## darren

From my correspondence with Kurt on September 16/18:



Kurt said:


> It's sort of on the back burner, developing more varieties of 7 strings now.





darren said:


> Is a short production run possible if enough people are interested?





Kurt said:


> The obstacle is availability of reasonably priced parts.


----------



## Jason

Darren any new emails? No?


----------



## evilscribbler

would love to get an update on this ... mock up picture was sssssssseeeeexxxxxxyyyyyyy!


----------



## technomancer

Honestly I don't see this happening because minimum

Hiposhot fixed 8 string bridge = $104
EMG 808 = $110 each

so you're looking at $324 just for bridge and two pups which is probably WAY more than Rondo wants to pay for guitar parts. There just aren't any cheap eight string parts out there (cheap as in I would guess Rondo pays 1/3 of that or less for the parts on their current guitars/basses).


----------



## guitar_player4_2_0

Perhaps a single pickup model would reduce the cost a bit?


----------



## darren

Kurt knows we're interested, and he knows what price point he needs to hit in order for this to be successful and profitable for him, so as far as i'm concerned, he'll let us know when it will happen.

And if i hear anything, you guys will be the first to know.


----------



## thadood

Wow, I'm late to the part on this one. The mock up guitar on the first page is fucking gorgeous. I'd definitely want to buy one if the price is right.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

someone should make 183763812376 more mockups of these so i can GAS until they're put into production. plzkthnxbai!


----------



## canuck brian

technomancer said:


> Honestly I don't see this happening because minimum
> 
> Hiposhot fixed 8 string bridge = $104
> EMG 808 = $110 each
> 
> so you're looking at $324 just for bridge and two pups which is probably WAY more than Rondo wants to pay for guitar parts. There just aren't any cheap eight string parts out there (cheap as in I would guess Rondo pays 1/3 of that or less for the parts on their current guitars/basses).



The lowest level of dealer account (which I have) for Hipshot is literally half the price. Not sure of the markup on the EMG's though.


----------



## Ishan

I can see a simplier version of this being produced @ a reasonable price. Like 28" 5/8 scale maple neck throught with maple or rosewood fretboard (no dots, less work, cheaper), ash body wings (ash is cheap and would work great), a single 808 and 1 volume + 1 tone (it'll do clean quite well with the added tone knob) and hipshot bridge.
We'll see


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i can't even express how bummed i'd be if this came out without a neck pickup.


----------



## muffgoat

I would buy it either way, a 8string for that cheap would be the perfect culprit for turning into frankenstein project guitar. Mess around with pickups, tunings and bridges etc..

I would buy it either way, a 8string for that cheap would be the perfect culprit for turning into a frankenstein project guitar. Mess around with pickups, tunings and bridges etc..


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i suppose i could order a custom one and throw in a neck pickup.
now i have serious GAS for one of these.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i want an eight string.


----------



## Ishan

Too bad this project seems pretty dead  I gotta go custom made me think.


----------



## Jason

darren said:


> Kurt knows we're interested, and he knows what price point he needs to hit in order for this to be successful and profitable for him, so as far as i'm concerned, he'll let us know when it will happen.
> 
> And if i hear anything, you guys will be the first to know.



No more news I presume?


----------



## Apophis

nope


----------



## darren

No new news. 

However, given that ESP is now making two three production 8s that use the Hipshot bridge, maybe the price of that component will come down enough to make it viable.

I may drop Kurt a line soon.


----------



## Apophis

it would be really nice, cause parts for 8 strings are to much expensive to make a nice, cheap 8 string guitar


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

i must have missed it, they have a sc 8 and a f 8 or something, the weird bat shape, whats the 3rd darren?


----------



## Ishan

FM-408, SC608B, and Stef-B8


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

whats the diff with the stef to the sc? is one ltd and one esp or something?


----------



## Ishan

SC608B is LTD and mahogany body, Stef-B8 is ESP and alder body.


----------



## technomancer

This would even be cool in the same body materials / natural finish as the Defiant 6, which would further cut costs 

Alder + Bubinga top + maple board and same neck construction as the Brice would = WIN IMHO


----------



## darren

I just sent an email to Kurt with a couple of suggestions... 

I suggested that he make it exactly like the new Septor 727 (purple quilt, neck-thru, maple board) with the Hipshot bridge and EMG 808s.

We'll see what his response is.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

i havnt read this monster thread , but was there a reason why this idea fell through on rondo's end?


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I just sent an email to Kurt with a couple of suggestions...
> 
> I suggested that he make it exactly like the new Septor 727 (purple quilt, neck-thru, maple board) with the Hipshot bridge and EMG 808s.
> 
> We'll see what his response is.



Holy crap that would freaking rule


----------



## darren

Kurt @ Rondo said:


> The obstacle is availability of reasonably priced parts.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## Edroz

dammit 

i'm running out of guitars to sell


----------



## darren

I still can't figure out how he can make and sell the Septor 727 for $519. Even if he had to pay full retail for the Hipshot bridge and EMGs, that would only push the price up by about $300. I don't know about you guys, but i think $819 is still a pretty awesome deal if you compare it to the LTD FM408 at $999.


----------



## Groff

In the interest of cutting costs, I'd say to shave $110 off the price and put only a bridge pickup in it, but I don't know how many people would go for that.


----------



## darren

Personally, i'd have a hard time using a guitar with only a bridge pickup. I need just a bit more versatility than that.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> Personally, i'd have a hard time using a guitar with only a bridge pickup. I need just a bit more versatility than that.



It's pretty easy to install a neck pickup to a guitar if it has a black finish. Let the neck pickup be a price to pay for those who want it.


----------



## opprobrium_9

Papa Shank said:


> That almost looks good to go imo, although an option to add Lundgrens might be nice and I think the headstock would do well from having an inline setup, inline reversed???



I think the headstock looks FIT as is! But i do agree that i would look absolutely fantastic with a birdeye maple board, and a white paintjob as above


----------



## darren

Another thing i suggested to Kurt was that there could be potential cost savings with going to an oiled mahogany finish without an exotic top. I'd be all over that, personally.


----------



## Edroz

i can deal without neck pickups as long as i have a tone knob. i would LOVE to see an 8 string Agile similar to the Septor 27" .


----------



## technomancer

Yeah seriously $819 for an eight string version of the 727? Where and when, I'm in and my credit card is sitting here. 

Green or purple color preferred, but blue would work as well.

Would that be an 828


----------



## darren

Actually, it would probably be an 827.


----------



## Ishan

And preferably a longer scale  830 for me


----------



## Qucifer

I'd most likely be all over one of these if the scale were at least 27". I second the oiled mahogany finish. It almost doesn't matter what the options are, as long as they're reasonable. I'd be ecstatic if it came with a maple fretboard.


----------



## Edroz

if this 8 string can be spec'd out for around $800, i'm game.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Actually, it would probably be an 827.



Nah, if it's under 28" I'll drop the extra for the custom I was quoted by a builder 

Your original idea of 28.625" is just about perfect 

(Ok, that's probably a lie, I'd probably still buy one at 27" but I'd definitely prefer 28" or 28.625")


----------



## Justin Bailey

I think everyone is asking far to much. I mean, yes it'd be awesome to have an agile 8 speced out just like the new 727 or pro, but it's be to costly, and what we want out of an agile 8 is affordability. I think the best way to go would be simple, simple simple, alder body, maple neck, rosewood board, one pickup, one volume, maybe a tone also, and some kind of oil finish, if you want a neck pickup, you can install it, if you want a pink one with an inlay of bob saget then you can do that on your own. I think some people are missing the point, which is for this to be 'cheap' and be moderately speced. Just my


----------



## technomancer

As someone who actually has the money to buy one, I can say I wouldn't buy the guitar you propose but I would certainly buy a Septor 727 style guitar with 8 strings for ~$850 (which given that the hipshot bridge and two emg 808s total about $300 retail is NOT unreasonable give that the 727 was $519)


----------



## TimSE

Count me in for a 28" i think would be groooovey
plain black inlayless fretboard an' all

Hell id be more than happy even with a white one! and i hate white guitars and im yet to find a 8 string i liked the look of ...
and that thing even as a basic design is stunning

DO IT DO IT DO IT
MAKE EM MAKE EM MAKE EM 


... That is all


----------



## Justin Bailey

technomancer said:


> As someone who actually has the money to buy one, I can say I wouldn't buy the guitar you propose but I would certainly buy a Septor 727 style guitar with 8 strings for ~$850 (which given that the hipshot bridge and two emg 808s total about $300 retail is NOT unreasonable give that the 727 was $519)


----------



## technomancer

TimSE said:


> Count me in for a 28" i think would be groooovey
> plain black inlayless fretboard an' all



If it happens it won't have an ebony board, as pieces of ebony big enough for an eight string board are too expensive... I believe darren posted that somewhere earlier in the 8000 pages of the thread


----------



## TomAwesome

I'd be perfectly happy with maple or even rosewood.


----------



## Justin Bailey

as long as it has eight strings I'd be happy with nearly anything rondo puts out.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I wonder if he's ever considered Cocobolo. It's exotic, looks pretty as fuck, and it's also dirt cheap. It's cheaper than maple.

EDIT: Here's some pics for those not familiar with it.


----------



## theunforgiven246

Did everyone decide on a scale yet? I personally think 27" or 28.whatever" will work for me.


----------



## Justin Bailey

as long as it isnt 24.75 or something


----------



## ibznorange

cocobolo (mexican rosewood pretty much) is also quite toxic to mill


----------



## msherman

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I wonder if he's ever considered Cocobolo. It's exotic, looks pretty as fuck, and it's also dirt cheap. It's cheaper than maple.
> 
> EDIT: Here's some pics for those not familiar with it.



Cocobolo is definately not cheap my friend. It`s around $25-$30 per bd. Ft. here in the states


----------



## Blood Tempest

Agile should definitely do an Interceptor 8 string, reversed headstock, string thru, EMG 808 pickups, Mahogany body, Ebony or Maple board, black hardware, black headstock, and be available in a quilted top, white finish. Talk about sexy.


----------



## Justin Bailey

I think a 4x4 headstock would be cooler.


----------



## ibznorange

Blood Tempest said:


> Agile should definitely do an Interceptor 8 string, reversed headstock, string thru, EMG 808 pickups, Mahogany body, Ebony or Maple board, black hardware, black headstock, and be available in a quilted top, white finish. Talk about sexy.


string through inline headstock?
thats some SERIOUS string length
oh kinda like the fucking stef 7's 
i wonder how well that works out really


----------



## Shawn

darren said:


> I've opened a discussion with Kurt about it, and as we all know, Rondo is VERY receptive and responsive to customer requests. If you guys are interested in something like this, chime in and maybe Kurt can make it happen.



This looks slick, I really like this design.


----------



## Ishan

Yea it's about perfect, I'd have it with one pickup, oiled/waxed finish, and rosewood or maple board to cut the cost even more.


----------



## Desecrated

Ishan said:


> Yea it's about perfect, I'd have it with one pickup, oiled/waxed finish, and rosewood or maple board to cut the cost even more.



And a 30" scale on that.


----------



## Splees

They make 28" scale agile six strings, seems like a 28" scale eight string is definitely possible now. Hopefully within the year. We all know the 808s and the hipshot bridgers are available, those were one of the biggest concerns that held this project back. Now that ESP and Ibanez have gotten them into production mode, one would assume they're going to be cranking out a lot of them to keep up with demand. 

_If_ they dooo make an eight, there is always the "custom" shop. I'd like to get the Defiant design mixed with the new purple 727.  I'd settle for a plain jane though. Transblack would be alright, not too sure on solid black. I'm getting sick of black guitars. (that means someone should make *a lot* of new mockups)


----------



## Apophis

I really would like to see how it's going to end


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

msherman said:


> Cocobolo is definately not cheap my friend. It`s around $25-$30 per bd. Ft. here in the states



 

At lmii.com for the 1st grade Cocobolo boards it's cheaper than maple, and not the birdseye boards, just the regular maple boards. The regular guitar sized ones are like $8 for Cocobolo, which is cheaper than maple, and the Indian rosewood, and only a little bit more expensive than the 2nd grade Honduran rosewood.


----------



## Apophis

^^  In Poland cocobolo is also more expensive than maple


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Well, maybe I'm reading something wrong here. I don't know why lmii can sell the Cocobolo boards cheaper. Go there and see for yourself. I thought that was part of the great thing about Cocobolo, that it was cheap, any time I've ever seen anyone talking it up that's one of the first things they say.


----------



## darren

Kurt still thinks $100 for the Hipshot bridge is too much. I don't know if he's contacted them about getting an OEM deal, though.

He wants to keep the selling price for an 8-string closer to $500. 

I think that's a pretty aggressive price point, but it some ways it does make sense, because it puts the guitar more into "impulse buy" territory. The Septor 727 was priced so perfectly that four of you guys didn't think twice and pulled the trigger immediately. So obviously that's a pretty sweet price point.

If anybody has any other ides about how Kurt could get a cheap 8-string bridge, i'd love to hear it!


----------



## msherman

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Well, maybe I'm reading something wrong here. I don't know why lmii can sell the Cocobolo boards cheaper. Go there and see for yourself. I thought that was part of the great thing about Cocobolo, that it was cheap, any time I've ever seen anyone talking it up that's one of the first things they say.



My guess is that they aren`t selling well for them, and they have been sitting on that stock for a while, and trying to blow it out.
In my lifetime, I have never seen rosewood prices cheaper than maple
and LMI is known for expensive pricing.
I just sourced some coco for a few builds and my cost was $18.00 per bd. ft.(wholesale).


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

msherman said:


> My guess is that they aren`t selling well for them, and they have been sitting on that stock for a while, and trying to blow it out.
> In my lifetime, I have never seen rosewood prices cheaper than maple
> and LMI is known for expensive pricing.
> I just sourced some coco for a few builds and my cost was $18.00 per bd. ft.(wholesale).



What does that equate to per guitar? What's the dimensions per board foot? Like 1 inch thick, x inches wide and a foot long or something?


----------



## msherman

Basically, 144 cubic inches in volume equals 1 board Ft., so it`s length x width x thickness, divided by .144 to determine bd. Ft.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Kurt still thinks $100 for the Hipshot bridge is too much. I don't know if he's contacted them about getting an OEM deal, though.
> 
> He wants to keep the selling price for an 8-string closer to $500.
> 
> I think that's a pretty aggressive price point, but it some ways it does make sense, because it puts the guitar more into "impulse buy" territory. The Septor 727 was priced so perfectly that four of you guys didn't think twice and pulled the trigger immediately. So obviously that's a pretty sweet price point.
> 
> If anybody has any other ides about how Kurt could get a cheap 8-string bridge, i'd love to hear it!



Well, given that the bottom level Hipshot dealer account is a 50% price break, I'd say he should be able to work something out to get the bridges for ~$50. He obviously has a deal with EMG as he's using 707s, so I'd assume he should be able to get 808s cheaper as well  

I doubt $500 is possible, but depending on the kind of deals he can work for parts he could probably squeeze something out in the upper range of his prices ($599 - $699). I mean hell I've already said I'd go $800 - $900 for an 828 with a Hipshot and 2 x EMG 808s and specs otherwise in line with the 727 (I've emailed Kurt this as well).


----------



## Blood Tempest

ibznorange said:


> string through inline headstock?
> thats some SERIOUS string length
> oh kinda like the fucking stef 7's
> i wonder how well that works out really



 How about the stef 8's? They're inline too  I think it would look pretty killer.


----------



## Ishan

I've listed a few ideas to lower the price in another thread, here's a quote :


Ishan said:


> There's a few factors to consider to lower the price and still have a fun and playable instrument :
> - MIK
> - KISS principle, the instrument should be stripped down to its simplest expression (neck trough with one or 2 pickups, 1 vol 1 tone)
> - Cheap and available wood (namely alder, ash or mahogany for the body, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard. There's other cheap exotic wood that could be considered like bubinga)
> - No complex construction (no carved top, no wood cap, no complex shape, etc...)
> - Cheap hardware (cheap but good Gotoh tuners, graphite nut, hipshot bridge should be available in korea as they now produce at least 3 8string, etc...)
> - A cheap pickup (808 are a bit pricey for such a low end guitar, maybe an EMG40 sized korean passive pickup)
> - at least 28" 5/8, it would depart form the 27" scale standard and give a choice to the many waiting for a long scale 8 string (preferably 30" scale) hence would gives a market to it.
> 
> For all those screaming about the 30" scale, just try to play a Squier bronco bass, it's 30" scale and you'll see it's VERY easy to play.



I pretty much think it's doable under 800$ if someone come up with a solution for the hipshot bridge (still too pricey IMO)


----------



## TimSE

technomancer said:


> If it happens it won't have an ebony board, as pieces of ebony big enough for an eight string board are too expensive... I believe darren posted that somewhere earlier in the 8000 pages of the thread



Daaaang
ah well
the body shape of that alone would be bitchin'


----------



## sepherus

would individual saddles be an option to combat the hipshot price? i don't know how much they go for so i can't really say.


----------



## Apophis

it's going to be interesting


----------



## technomancer

I thought I'd copy my email to Kurt and his response on the 828 



technomancer said:


> BTW I'm one of the guys from sevenstring.org and if you can turn out a Septor 727 style guitar in an eight string (say an 828) for between $800 and $900 I think you could probably sell a small run. I would think it would be doable given that retail for a Hipshot 8 string fixed bridge and two EMG 808 pickups is ~$300 and the current Septor 727 was $519. I know I'd order one in a heartbeat, especially if it was Tribal Purple or Tribal Green or Tribal Blue.
> 
> 
> Kurt @ Rondo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks - yes getting lots of requests for that lately.
> It is a possibility.
> 
> Kurt
Click to expand...


Not holding my breath, but it sounds like he's at least considering it


----------



## MF_Kitten

about string length and in-line headstocks @ 30" scale etc, i don´t think it would be a problem, i did a quick measure with my guitar strings and my bass, and the string is long enough to be used on all but one string on the bass, one of the tuners is just barely too high up...

measured them, and the strings are 41.5" long... i think that´s pretty much standard length for strings 

so basically, no problem! 

i´d still rather have a 4X4 headstock


----------



## Ishan

If it's a possiblity we should vote on a scale length, I'd say between 28" and 30" (preferably 30", I like thin strings  )


----------



## Blood Tempest

I vote for 30" scale.


----------



## Desecrated

Some nice and cool mod should make a poll about this, so that we can see where people stand.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

As long as it's 27" or above I'd consider getting one. Longer the better, though 30" may be too much.


----------



## technomancer

28" or 28.625" is pretty much ideal. When you get beyond that the timbre of the higher strings tends to start changing.


----------



## TimSE

id say 28"
and 4on4 headstock - think 8 inline would be a bit much for string lenths hah
I think price wise id eaily consider one for $800-$900 
and im not a huge 8string fan


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

4 + 4 headstock as well here, just for balance issues and aesthetics.


----------



## Justin Bailey

28 inch scale sounds like a good safe medium to me. If it is made I'm hoping it has the more jackson/esp style body that the other interceptor pro had.


----------



## Blood Tempest

I think I'm the only crazy bastard that would like an inline 8 headstock. Just like the one that interceptor pro has now. I think it would look so bad ass. But I'm a weirdo like that.


----------



## TimSE

i was REALLY digging the original post design body shape 
28" is a good scale lenth i think with the 4X4 headstock
no inlays 
in tribal green
holy crap


----------



## darren

I honestly don't think a poll is going to tell us anything more about people's preferences than what we've learned in the 43 pages of this thread.


----------



## TimSE

darren said:


> I honestly don't think a poll is going to tell us anything more about people's preferences than what we've learned in the 43 pages of this thread.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> I honestly don't think a poll is going to tell us anything more about people's preferences than what we've learned in the 43 pages of this thread.



no, but it will summon it up a little.


----------



## Justin Bailey

ok, this is a very quick and dirty photoshop, but to me this is what the agile 8 should look like... if it is ever made...







nice and simple, so it's cheap, and easy to mod for all the people that want a neck pickup or some nice maple top.


----------



## Ishan

I still think 28" 5/8 is a good middle point for everyone.


----------



## darren

That's pretty sweet, Justin. I was going to mock up something similar. Maybe with a mahogany or ash body, though.


----------



## TomAwesome

technomancer said:


> 28" or 28.625" is pretty much ideal. When you get beyond that the timbre of the higher strings tends to start changing.





Justin Bailey said:


> 28 inch scale sounds like a good safe medium to me.





TimSE said:


> i was REALLY digging the original post design body shape
> 28" is a good scale lenth





Ishan said:


> I still think 28" 5/8 is a good middle point for everyone.




Although...



darren said:


> I honestly don't think a poll is going to tell us anything more about people's preferences than what we've learned in the 43 pages of this thread.


----------



## darren

I still stand by my suggestion of a 27" scale. Most people seem quite pleased with the RG2228's scale length and sound. I for one was quite impressed with its overall clarity and playability.

But i am open to suggestions, and i think if Rondo has guitars in their lineup that are both 27" and 28", then they're obviously set up to do both.

Submitted for your perusal:


----------



## skinhead

Darren, that mockup rules


----------



## Desecrated

Wont a 7-piece neck thru raise the price significantly?


----------



## Blood Tempest

skinhead said:


> Darren, that mockup rules



+1. I LOVE it.


----------



## technomancer

I'd drop the two extra pieces in the neck and just do a 5 piece. Also, I don't think they have a single guitar in their entire catalog that's oiled. Clearcoat is cheaper and easier to do.

Anyways if that could be done for say $700 in a 28" scale I'd be in, though I'd still obviously prefer a Septor 828  

Also note that this design would probably require more tooling as it's changing a bolt on body to a neck through design.


----------



## Blood Tempest

Septor 828 ftw!


----------



## theunforgiven246

Ok, here's my thoughts, scale should be either 27" or 28ish" and instead of the 808's why not go cheaper and go for 2 of those passive bass pups? and if someone wants to get 808's then they can just upgrade? Otherwise I couldn't care less about anything else.


----------



## Desecrated

theunforgiven246 said:


> Ok, here's my thoughts, scale should be either 27" or 28ish" and instead of the 808's why not go cheaper and go for 2 of those passive bass pups? and if someone wants to get 808's then they can just upgrade? Otherwise I couldn't care less about anything else.



I don't think going with a cheaper pickup on a cheap model is a good idea. Having a good pickup is always a good idea.


----------



## Desecrated

technomancer said:


> I'd drop the two extra pieces in the neck and just do a 5 piece. Also, I don't think they have a single guitar in their entire catalog that's oiled. Clearcoat is cheaper and easier to do.
> 
> Anyways if that could be done for say $700 in a 28" scale I'd be in, though I'd still obviously prefer a Septor 828
> 
> Also note that this design would probably require more tooling as it's changing a bolt on body to a neck through design.



+1 on the polyurethane Finish.


----------



## darren

I've updated the mockup and the specs. 

By the way, it's not a Septor... it's a Defiant. 

828 or 827 has yet to be determined.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I've updated the mockup and the specs.
> 
> By the way, it's not a Septor... it's a Defiant.
> 
> 828 or 827 has yet to be determined.



Hehe yeah I know the mockup is a Defiant, I have a Brice Defiant Six 

So does that mean Kurt is actually going ahead with this


----------



## Jason

I would say swap the mahogany out to alder  To help that low F# out


----------



## technomancer

Jason said:


> I would say swap the mahogany out to alder  To help that low F# out



Or even better, use the same alder body and bubinga cap as the Defiant 6 

The bubinga looks SWEET in person


----------



## Splees

Desecrated said:


> I don't think going with a cheaper pickup on a cheap model is a good idea. Having a good pickup is always a good idea.






Plus the price would only be a small drop, so EH, might as well spend a little bit more for something that'll sound great.



That new Defiant mockup is great. I hope Rondo can do something with that.


----------



## Desecrated

Jason said:


> I would say swap the mahogany out to alder  To help that low F# out



The wood used in the body doesn't affect the tone as much in a neckthru as it will in a bolt on, and some luthier swears by having mahogany wings even on basses. 
Or so I heard.


----------



## Jason

I agree. I like the schecter bass with mahogany body


----------



## Ishan

If it's 27" scale I'm clearly off, I don't understand that fear of the long scale. I've played 30" scale bass guitars and it was easy to play, even doing chords. But well whatever, I'll find something else


----------



## TomAwesome

Ishan said:


> If it's 27" scale I'm clearly off, I don't understand that fear of the long scale. I've played 30" scale bass guitars and it was easy to play, even doing chords. But well whatever, I'll find something else



The concern is more with the high strings. Yeah, 30" works great for F or F#, but what about that high E? If you're not taking the high strings into consideration and are only concerned about the low strings, there's really no point to having an 8-string, and you may as well get a 30" 6-string.


----------



## darren

I've just sent the new mockup to Kurt.


----------



## Jason

darren said:


> I've just sent the new mockup to Kurt.


----------



## ibznorange

schwing


----------



## Ishan

TomAwesome said:


> The concern is more with the high strings. Yeah, 30" works great for F or F#, but what about that high E? If you're not taking the high strings into consideration and are only concerned about the low strings, there's really no point to having an 8-string, and you may as well get a 30" 6-string.



If I wanted a 30" scale 6 string I would have gotten it by now... I personnaly can deal with a little tone loss on the high string (I like the way Meshuggah clean high strings sound, even if it's heavily processed). That's also why I think 28" 5/8 would contempt anyone, you got your clear high string and low strings (.070 to F, that's what I'd be aiming at this scale length).


----------



## TomAwesome

Ishan said:


> ...That's also why I think 28" 5/8 would contempt anyone...



Ah, so you had said! I even quoted you but apparently forgot  I thought that you were saying if it wasn't 30", it wasn't worth it. My bad, I s'ppose.


----------



## Ishan

Well 30" scale would be better for me as I'd like to go Meshuggah low, like low E or drop D tunings (as heard on catch 33 if I remember well) but I'd be fine with a 28" 5/8 tuned to F for some Rational Gaze style groove hehe  I'm a Meshuggah fanboy, I won't deny it 
About Darren's mockup, it justs looks awesome! I'd change the neck to a 3 pieces maple to reduce cost a little (but maybe it doesn't really matter when you look at those cheap Brice bass with 5 pieces necks and exotic top )


----------



## Justin Bailey

That mockup was awesome, but the body and headstock just aren't my thing. It would require a little more tooling than just a straight ahead superstrat style guitar, still, as long as another guitar company gets on the 8 string band wagon, I'll be happy.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i think 29" would be a happy medium, as it´s longer than 28", but shorter than 30"...

and i did a quick test wit my bass, and guess what, you could string a 34" bass with ordinary strings, except one of the tuners on my 5 string is just out of reach, so it´d have to be a 4 string... but still, 34", and it works... so there, no string length problems


----------



## Groff

MF_Kitten said:


> i think 29" would be a happy medium, as it´s longer than 28", but shorter than 30"...
> 
> and i did a quick test wit my bass, and guess what, you could string a 34" bass with ordinary strings, except one of the tuners on my 5 string is just out of reach, so it´d have to be a 4 string... but still, 34", and it works... so there, no string length problems



I think 28" 5/8 is better than having a 29" scale, because IIRC someone would be able to slap on a 25.5" neck onto it if they wanted to say... Tune it B - A.


----------



## MF_Kitten

TheMissing said:


> I think 28" 5/8 is better than having a 29" scale, because IIRC someone would be able to slap on a 25.5" neck onto it if they wanted to say... Tune it B - A.



that´s a good point, that is!


----------



## darren

Justin Bailey said:


> That mockup was awesome, but the body and headstock just aren't my thing. It would require a little more tooling than just a straight ahead superstrat style guitar, still, as long as another guitar company gets on the 8 string band wagon, I'll be happy.



The idea has always been to use an existing body and headstock shape to minimize or eliminate the need for new tooling. The design is based on the shape of the Brice Defiant bass, which Rondo doesn't seem to have any of in stock right now, except for a lefty 6-string.

One of the objectives with this project is to try and use as much existing tooling/CAD programming as possible, to minimize additional work, in an effort to get the price down as low as reasonably possible while still having a great product. The 27" and 28" scale lengths have been proposed for that reason, because Rondo is already making instruments with those scale lengths.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

TheMissing said:


> I think 28" 5/8 is better than having a 29" scale, because IIRC someone would be able to slap on a 25.5" neck onto it if they wanted to say... Tune it B - A.



Not if it's neck through, which I think is what we're looking at for specs right now.


----------



## Apophis

this mockup looks killer


----------



## Ishan

I did a gauge calculation with D'Addario strings for a F @ 28" 5/8 scale :

len 28.625"
Eb .009" PL == 14.74#
B,b .011" PL == 12.36#
G,b .016" PL == 16.48#
D,b .024" PB == 19.05#
A,,b .032" PB == 19.24#
E,,b .042" PB == 18.86#
B,,,b .056" PB == 18.3#
F,,, .080" PB == 19.1#

I'd have to deal with a .080 but that's not to bad  28" means one pound less tension, it's beguining to feel like a 9/42 @ 25.5" which is a bit too soft for me.

28" 5/8 or 29" and I'll be happy


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Ishan said:


> I did a gauge calculation with D'Addario strings for a F @ 28" 5/8 scale :
> 
> len 28.625"
> Eb .009" PL == 14.74#
> B,b .011" PL == 12.36#
> G,b .016" PL == 16.48#
> D,b .024" PB == 19.05#
> A,,b .032" PB == 19.24#
> E,,b .042" PB == 18.86#
> B,,,b .056" PB == 18.3#
> F,,, .080" PB == 19.1#
> 
> I'd have to deal with a .080 but that's not to bad  28" means one pound less tension, it's beguining to feel like a 9/42 @ 25.5" which is a bit too soft for me.
> 
> 28" 5/8 or 29" and I'll be happy




You might want to change the calculation to using Nickel Wound instead of Phospher Bronze (change PB to NW). The tensions are going to drop.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I decided to make an equal tension (or as close to it as possible) using standard tuning. Here's what I came up with:



Code:


len 28.625"
E .009" PL == 16.55#
B, .012" PL == 16.52#
G, .015" PL == 16.25#
D, .022" NW == 16.81#
A,, .030" NW == 17.71#
E,, .042" NW == 18.61#
B,,, .056" NW == 18.64#
F,,,# .074" NW == 17.95#

total == 139.04#


Keep in mind, this is standard tuning, working with available gauges in the single strings D'addario section of juststrings.com. I know the tension drops on the low F# a little bit, but it was either that or go to an .080 which would have been WAY out of whack.


----------



## Ishan

ha? I forgot about that 

edit :


Code:


len 28.625"
Eb .009" PL == 14.74#
B,b .011" PL == 12.36#
G,b .016" PL == 16.48#
D,b .024" NW == 17.7#
A,,b .032" NW == 17.71#
E,,b .044" NW == 18.07#
B,,,b .059" NW == 18.5#
F,,, .080" NW == 18.61#
total == 134.18#


it should be fine for me with a .044, .059 and .080 

edit2: your F# is not too far off, it should be fine really, 28" 5/8 FTW!!


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Ishan said:


> ha? I forgot about that
> 
> edit :
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> len 28.625"
> Eb .009" PL == 14.74#
> B,b .011" PL == 12.36#
> G,b .016" PL == 16.48#
> D,b .024" NW == 17.7#
> A,,b .032" NW == 17.71#
> E,,b .044" NW == 18.07#
> B,,,b .059" NW == 18.5#
> F,,, .080" NW == 18.61#
> total == 134.18#
> 
> 
> it should be fine for me with a .044, .059 and .080
> 
> edit2: your F# is not too far off, it should be fine really, 28" 5/8 FTW!!



You really should change that 11 to a 12, look at the tension difference between your unwound strings.


----------



## Ishan

Yea, I know, but that's from a standard 9/42 set  go tell that to D'addario then


----------



## Ishan

I did a few calculations at 28" scale with a 10/46 style ramp up tension in mind:
*Standard tuning :*


Code:


len 28"

E   .009" PL == 15.83#
B,  .012" PL == 15.8#
G,  .016" PL == 17.7#
D,  .024" NW == 19.01#
A,, .032" NW == 19.02#
E,, .044" NW == 19.41#
B,,, .060" NW == 20.6#
F,,,# .080" NW == 19.98#
total == 147.36#


*F tuning :*


Code:


len 28"

Eb   .009" PL == 14.11#
B,b  .012" PL == 14.08#
G,b  .016" PL == 15.77#
D,b  .024" NW == 16.94#
A,,b .034" NW == 18.91#
E,,b .046" NW == 18.78#
B,,,b .060" NW == 18.35#
F,,, .085" NW == 19.82#
total == 136.76#


This show the 5/8 inch added really do make a difference as the gauge went up from .080 to .085 for F tuning.


----------



## technomancer

At 28" I'd likely be using



Code:


len 28.0"

E   .009" PL == 15.83#
B,  .012" PL == 15.8#
G,  .015" PL == 15.55#
D,  .026" N == 22.19#
A,, .036" N == 23.55#
E,, .049" N == 23.73#
B,,, .065" N == 23.97#
F,,,# .085" NW == 22.25#
total == 162.89#


I'd be using Elixirs and the 65 and 85 would be bass strings, making this an expensive beast to string up


----------



## darren

We're gradually moving forward!

I sent Kurt a PDF of the latest spec sheet, and got the following response:



Kurt @ Rondomusic said:


> That's very helpful - ok will work on it with the factory



It looks like things are inching closer and closer to this potentially becoming a reality!


----------



## Ishan

So what did you tell him about the scale length?


----------



## darren

The spec sheet suggests 27" or 28". We'll see what the factory says.


----------



## Ishan

damn, I'm doomed to use a .085 then


----------



## Desecrated

This pretty much shows that a 8-string without fanned fret is a little bit over the top.


----------



## darren

Or you could always NOT BUY ONE and go with a custom-made instrument built to exactly your own specs. 

Seriously, guys... every time we start talking details, the same old arguments keep coming up. I've played an RG2228 with EMG 808s, and was really impressed with the tone and playability. I think 27" scale is sufficient and will make the instrument more accessible to more people who might be playing an 8 for the first time.

The whole point of this exercise is to create a good entry-level 8-string to introduce as many people as possible to playing an 8, not the ultimate instrument for every player. We're not going to be able to satisfy everyone's individual needs and preferences, but at the very least, we should be able to appeal to a certain "base line" level of specs.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Or want a high A. I'd prefer the 28 5/8" scale, but I could live with 27 if this is going to be inexpensive. Like Darren said, if you want something built to your exact specs, you need to go custom.


----------



## Ishan

Well if I had the money I wouldn't be here  Let's hope for 28" scale then


----------



## TimSE

id more than happily stick with 27" anyday if it means gettin it into production


----------



## technomancer

If there is a choice between a 27" and a 28" I think the majority of people that spoke up would prefer 28". Let's face it, the last two runs of extended scale guitars have sold almost exclusively to ss.org members and the 8 is likely to be a small run that will get bought up by people here as well.

Since Rondo has guitars in both scale lengths I doubt it would make any difference in production 

Just because I'm curious what the results will be:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/49977-rondo-8-string-scale-length-poll.html


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> I still stand by my suggestion of a 27" scale. Most people seem quite pleased with the RG2228's scale length and sound. I for one was quite impressed with its overall clarity and playability.
> 
> But i am open to suggestions, and i think if Rondo has guitars in their lineup that are both 27" and 28", then they're obviously set up to do both.
> 
> Submitted for your perusal:



Awesome specs. But 2 pickups and 28"


----------



## Qucifer

darren said:


>



I'd buy that in a heartbeat.


----------



## Ishan

It's seriously sexy, I concure


----------



## Desecrated

Okay with a 27 scale tuning it down one step with one high string and one low string. using garry goodmans 007 to tune to G: 

len 27" == 27.0"

G .007 PL == 12.59# ( 0.0019gm/cm 392.0hz )
D .010" PL == 14.43# ( 0.0040gm/cm 293.7hz )
A3 .014" PL == 15.87# ( 0.0078gm/cm 220.0hz )
F3 .018" PL == 16.53# ( 0.0128gm/cm 174.6hz )
C3 .026" NW == 16.38# ( 0.0226gm/cm 130.8hz )
G2 .036" NW == 17.38# ( 0.0428gm/cm 98.0hz )
D2 .050" NW == 18.2# ( 0.0798gm/cm 73.4hz )
A1 .066" NW == 18.25# ( 0.1427gm/cm 55.0hz )
total == 129.64#


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Desecrated said:


> Okay with a 27 scale tuning it down one step with one high string and one low string. using garry goodmans 007 to tune to G:
> 
> len 27" == 27.0"
> 
> G .007 PL == 12.59# ( 0.0019gm/cm 392.0hz )
> D .010" PL == 14.43# ( 0.0040gm/cm 293.7hz )
> A3# .013" PL == 15.36# ( 0.0067gm/cm 233.1hz )
> F3 .018" PL == 16.53# ( 0.0128gm/cm 174.6hz )
> C3 .026" NW == 16.38# ( 0.0226gm/cm 130.8hz )
> G2 .036" NW == 17.38# ( 0.0428gm/cm 98.0hz )
> D2# .046" NW == 17.46# ( 0.0682gm/cm 77.8hz )
> A1 .064" NW == 17.13# ( 0.1339gm/cm 55.0hz )
> total == 127.27#
> 
> or a little stiffer on the lowest two:
> 
> len 27" == 27.0"
> 
> G .007 PL == 12.59# ( 0.0019gm/cm 392.0hz )
> D .010" PL == 14.43# ( 0.0040gm/cm 293.7hz )
> A3# .013" PL == 15.36# ( 0.0067gm/cm 233.1hz )
> F3 .018" PL == 16.53# ( 0.0128gm/cm 174.6hz )
> C3 .026" NW == 16.38# ( 0.0226gm/cm 130.8hz )
> G2 .036" NW == 17.38# ( 0.0428gm/cm 98.0hz )
> D2# .048" NW == 18.91# ( 0.0739gm/cm 77.8hz )
> A1 .068" NW == 19.33# ( 0.1511gm/cm 55.0hz )
> total == 130.92#
> 
> This is somewhat doable.



Why do you have the low D and high a sharp?

And also, if you guys didn't have such a fascination with huge ass strings (which, I admit, I used to as well) this shouldn't be such an issue. I mean, I use 9-52 on my 7321 right now and it sounds amazing. Guitars sound better with thinner strings I think.

I'd probably use 9-54 with a 72 for the F# on a 27" or 28" scale.


----------



## Desecrated

NegaTiveXero said:


> Why do you have the low D and high a sharp?
> 
> And also, if you guys didn't have such a fascination with huge ass strings (which, I admit, I used to as well) this shouldn't be such an issue. I mean, I use 9-52 on my 7321 right now and it sounds amazing. Guitars sound better with thinner strings I think.
> 
> I'd probably use 9-54 with a 72 for the F# on a 27" or 28" scale.



hahahahahaha. sorry I made a typo. I fixed it now.


----------



## Desecrated

NegaTiveXero said:


> Why do you have the low D and high a sharp?
> 
> And also, if you guys didn't have such a fascination with huge ass strings (which, I admit, I used to as well) this shouldn't be such an issue. I mean, I use 9-52 on my 7321 right now and it sounds amazing. Guitars sound better with thinner strings I think.
> 
> I'd probably use 9-54 with a 72 for the F# on a 27" or 28" scale.



I think guitar is easier to play with thin strings, But only if those thin strings still have some tension. And that is why people have long scale and thin strings. The smaller the scale the thicker the string to achieve the same tension. 
But everybody has there own way of doing it.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I bounce back and forth between the 2. I like the snappy attack of thinner strings, I like the fuller sounds that thicker strings have, and for picking, I guess I prefer thicker strings, although I generally adapt to whatever is on my guitar. I WAS running 11-70 tuned standard, now I've been running optimum tension sets, right now I've got 10-65 tuned half a step down. This is why the spring tension adjustment screws on my trem claw are damn near stripped


----------



## darren

yevetz said:


> Awesome specs. But 2 pickups and 28"



Well, if you read a couple of pages back, you'll see that it was suggested to make it a bare-bones single-pickup instrument with an oil or satin polyurethane finish, so those who want a neck pickup (like me) can add one at minimal cost and without too much work. I thought it was a good suggestion, so i modified the proposed specs to include it. It'll drop the initial price down a bit, which should hopefully increase the chances of Rondo actually making it.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Not only that, but it seems to be this is just a guitar to get a taste of what an 8 string with a bit of a longer scale than standard would be like, and whether or not you'd want to stick with it. The cheaper the better.


----------



## darren

Cheap is good, but only to a point. I think if it were made of crap materials, with crap hardware and crappy sounding pickups, it might turn more people off if they can't get it to intonate properly, can't get it to stay in tune and/or can't get a decent sound out of the thing.

I think Kurt has really hit the sweet spot with the bang-for-the-buck of the latest stuff he's been making. I'm hoping this instrument will carry on that fine tradition. 

I think sticking with a flat-top design in more basic materials and finish to start is probably going to be a good idea. The more i think about it, the more i'm also convinced that going neck-thru with mahogany wings is (in theory) going to work out well for the tone and stability of the instrument. The maple will make it crisp and punchy with a tight growl, and the mahogany should warm it up and keep it from sounding too brittle. 

If this does come to pass and the initial run sells out, maybe it will give Kurt the confidence to pursue a more exotic model like a Septor with a carved exotic top and sexy transparent finish. But first things first... we've gotta get this one built. 

I'm still blown away by the fact that the Septor 727 has, in my opinion, a more beautiful finish on the quilted top than every single EBMM Ball Family Reserve i've seen (and i've now seen about 5 or 6 of them in person, every single one of them disappointing). And those cost almost 6x what the Septor sells for.


----------



## Drew

darren said:


> I still stand by my suggestion of a 27" scale. Most people seem quite pleased with the RG2228's scale length and sound. I for one was quite impressed with its overall clarity and playability.
> 
> But i am open to suggestions, and i think if Rondo has guitars in their lineup that are both 27" and 28", then they're obviously set up to do both.
> 
> Submitted for your perusal:



Of course it's too early to say if this will go through or not, and of course it's WAY too early to start talking prices, but if this is about as affordable as the Interceptors, I might actually grab one of these.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Flat top is cool, a lot easier to route out for a Kahler or something if you need a trem.


----------



## Drew

Oh, and darren, you have good taste, sir.


----------



## Drew

would a tone knob be too much to hope for though, as a concession for those of us who won't be using it for metal rhythm? This could be a pretty badass instrument for jazzy stuff, but you'd need a tone knob to tame that bridge pickup a bit.


----------



## darren

You could just head over to EMG and pick up any of their active tone modules and you're good to go. I'd be tempted to even get a BQC, which is designed for bass, but has active treble and bass, plus a sweepable midrange control. I was thinking this might be a good way to extract maximum tone for such a unique instrument.

I went back to the beginning of this thread (October 2006!) to track the evolution of the ideas and feedback, and a few things struck me as funny: 

I initially proposed a 28.625" scale length, and immediately, most of the feedback was, "Make the scale length 27" or less and i'm in." 

Then we dabbled around a bit with the idea of fanned frets, but i think the upshot was that it just wasn't practical at the price point we're looking at. There'd be just too much manual labour involved.

So we reverted to a straight scale, and now everyone wants it to be 28", or back to the original idea of 28.625" or even 30". There's just no pleasing you guys sometimes!

Just to recap the evolution:

*October 4, 2006*






*October 5, 2006*





*December 19, 2006*





*February 25, 2008*





You know, as much as i think the earlier, more exotic versions are cool, i'm really digging the more utilitarian, "workmanlike" nature of the latest mockup.


----------



## technomancer

Darren that was also before the production 27" Ibanez came out and people got to play it. I've played both a 27" and 28" scale 8 string, and personally I prefer the 28" 

I also have the bias that Elixir doesn't make a 90 string, which is what I'd need for the tension range I like at 27" for an F# 

I'd also still love to see the Bubinga cap from the Defiant 6 on this


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I just like to argue, I don't know about the rest of you


----------



## Drew

darren said:


> You know, as much as i think the earlier, more exotic versions are cool, i'm really digging the more utilitarian, "workmanlike" nature of the latest mockup.



I actually prefer the newest, too. 

If the Ibanez is 27", that's the scale I would prefer, personally, but if I'm outnumbered so be it.


----------



## darren

technomancer said:


> Darren that was also before the production 27" Ibanez came out and people got to play it. I've played both a 27" and 28" scale 8 string, and personally I prefer the 28"
> 
> I also have the bias that Elixir doesn't make a 90 string, which is what I'd need for the tension range I like at 27" for an F#
> 
> I'd also still love to see the Bubinga cap from the Defiant 6 on this



Well, Shannon was one of the early pioneers on this board and actually had an 8-string made long before any of us were even considering it seriously. His was 25.5" scale, and he actually found it quite playable, with not too much compromise in the tone.

That's the main thing... it's a balance between playability and tone. A lot of you guys are saying that 28" or longer is an absolute necessity to get the tension and tone you want out of the low strings. That's all fine, but that's not going to work for everyone.

I've played the RG2228, and found it to be a pretty perfect balance in tone and playability. My bias comes from being a rhythm player and i actually do play a lot of low chords on my 7, and i think anything longer than 27" would compromise the playability for me. And i have pretty wide hands and long fingers.

BTW, i've made the mockup a bit higher resolution (1280 wide now). Please protect your keyboards from drool before clicking to enlarge it.


----------



## technomancer

So Darren who is this mythical "everyone" you keep talking about? The Septor 727 was a run of four guitars, all four of them were bought by people here. The Interceptor Pro 25 was a limited run, also with most of them going to guys here. The Interceptor Pro 27 is ANOTHER limited run, which will likely also be going to guys here. I own one of each currently.

The people on this board are the ones that will be buying thess for the most part, and the majority of us want a 28" scale  Honestly if you want a 25.5" or a 27" you can already go buy an ESP or an Ibanez.

Will I still buy one if it comes out as a 27"? Maybe, but it had better be cheap as the sacrifices are adding up (no neck pup, no tone control or eq of any kind, shorter scale length).


----------



## darren

My mythical "everyone" can beat up your mythical "majority of us". 

That said, i'm quite surprised at the outcome of the poll. I'm wondering how much of people's scale length preference is based on playing experience or just all the talk that longer scale lengths get. You're probably in the distinct minority of people who have played both. I haven't played a 28" scale 8, but based on my brief experience with the RG2228, i'm not sure i'd be comfortable going longer.

However, for the sake of marketability of the instrument, it does look like 28" is probably going to be the way to go, and i've communicated this to Kurt.


----------



## Blood Tempest

I'm with Technomancer on the price issue. Lots of things are disappearing on it, so the price should be pretty decent. 

I actually like the looks of the first mock up


----------



## darren

As i said before, Kurt really likes to keep these instruments around the $500 mark, because it's a pretty consistent psychological price threshold for impulse buying.

If this happens, i have a feeling it's going to end up closer to $500 than to $900, but that's just a complete guess.


----------



## Ishan

That would be great


----------



## Metal Ken

Drew said:


> would a tone knob be too much to hope for though, as a concession for those of us who won't be using it for metal rhythm? This could be a pretty badass instrument for jazzy stuff, but you'd need a tone knob to tame that bridge pickup a bit.



Yeah, and those of us who are, we need a place to put the killswitch ;p


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

darren said:


> As i said before, Kurt really likes to keep these instruments around the $500 mark, because it's a pretty consistent psychological price threshold for impulse buying.
> 
> If this happens, i have a feeling it's going to end up closer to $500 than to $900, but that's just a complete guess.



Well for a fancier 8 string, there's always the 827/28 possibility that was getting discussed else where.


----------



## technomancer

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Well for a fancier 8 string, there's always the 827/28 possibility that was getting discussed else where.



God would I love an 828 to go with my 727 

That being said if this clocks in the $500-$600 range I'd buy one in a heartbeat.


----------



## darren

Well, i think this is going to be a trial run for more ambitious things.

I've suggested to Kurt that Defiant 828 would be a pretty killer name for it. 

Maybe there will be a Septor 828 down the road.


----------



## Blood Tempest

technomancer said:


> God would I love an 828 to go with my 727
> 
> That being said if this clocks in the $500-$600 range I'd buy one in a heartbeat.



Absolutely! If the price is right, an 828 would be amazing next to my Interceptor Pro and (if I order it this summer) my Agile custom.


----------



## technomancer

Hehe yeah it's definitely looking like it could be really cool. It'll look nice between my Defiant 6 and my Septor 727 

Wonder how soon we could see this if it goes through... fall maybe 

So about that bubinga cap


----------



## darren

Well, we are trying to keep it simple. Let's wait and see what the basic mahogany version comes in at, mmkay? 

Actually, i just had an idea. 

Instead of "Defiant", why not "DEVIANT"?

Any of you familiar with LGM will probably know what's coming next.

DE*VI*ANT - 6-string

DE*VII*ANT - 7-string

DE*VIII*ANT - 8-string

This is identical to the naming scheme i came up with for LGM's LEVIATHAN line. (Jeremy came up with the Leviathan name, i saw the "VI" and developed the whole "VI" "VII" and "VIII" naming concept.)

Just a thought.


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> Well, if you read a couple of pages back, you'll see that it was suggested to make it a bare-bones single-pickup instrument with an oil or satin polyurethane finish, so those who want a neck pickup (like me) can add one at minimal cost and without too much work. I thought it was a good suggestion, so i modified the proposed specs to include it. It'll drop the initial price down a bit, which should hopefully increase the chances of Rondo actually making it.



Thanks


----------



## technomancer

I figure it can't be much, it was on the Defiant 6 with an active eq and that was only $299 

Then again mahogany is hot


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> Well, we are trying to keep it simple. Let's wait and see what the basic mahogany version comes in at, mmkay?



Sorry maybe I miss something.....I can't read all that......but is there some reasons to wait? I mean is Agile already said that they will do 8 string?


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

my eight string GAS just went through the roof with tha last mockup.
IMO, ash would be better tha mahogany for an eight string. the majority of the people who want one of these will probably tune it with the low f#, and i think ash would be a lot more clear on that end of things.


----------



## technomancer

Keep in mind it's a neck through so the maple in the neck will provide a large amount of the tonal properties.


----------



## darren

yevetz said:


> Sorry maybe I miss something.....I can't read all that......but is there some reasons to wait? I mean is Agile already said that they will do 8 string?



I've been in contact with them since late 2006 about this idea. It seems to be building momentum finally, and Kurt is working with the factory to see if it's possible to do this at the price point he's aiming for.


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> I've been in contact with them since late 2006 about this idea. It seems to be building momentum finally, and Kurt is working with the factory to see if it's possible to do this at the price point he's aiming for.


----------



## Ishan

I'm all for the DEVIIIANT name


----------



## forelander

I'd totally buy one.


----------



## Drew

Dude, if this comes in around $500, I'd probably throw one on the trusty Amex just for kicks. Again, I'd prefer two pickups, a tone knob, and a 27" scale, but if it's cheap enough I'd totally just chance it.


----------



## loktide

For 500-600$ i would definitely grab one of these


----------



## Ishan

Would a de facto 18v mod be a good idea? I know it's subtle with 808 but it costs nothing more than 9v.


----------



## Justin Bailey

what if it was a bolt on instead?


----------



## Ishan

It could makes it a bit cheaper but not by much I guess.


----------



## TimSE

Justin Bailey said:


> what if it was a bolt on instead?



it mus'nt be ANYTHING like the new schecter 8string thingy
i forget the name
the bolt on block on the back was horrific


----------



## Justin Bailey

^ that was some custom shop guitar btw

meh I'd rather have a neckthrough anyway.


----------



## TimSE

ahhh thought it was a production model

id prefer a neck throoo myself


----------



## Ishan

NTB for me too as it would be my first hehe

I did a tension calculation aiming at something close to the tension of a 10/46 set on a 25.5" scale sixer but in a more consistent ramp up fashion :



Code:


len 28"
E        .009" PL == 15.83#
B,       .012" PL == 15.8#
G,       .015" PL == 15.55#
D,       .022" NW == 16.08#
A,,      .030" NW == 16.94#
E,,      .040" NW == 16.21#
B,,,     .054" NW == 16.36#
F,,,#    .072" NW == 16.35#
total == 129.14#

It should feel slightly lighter than a 10/46 set.
So @ 28" scale we are in the 9/70 range from the specs, pretty good 

Same for F tuning with a steeper ramp up :


Code:


len 28"
Eb       .009" PL == 14.11#
B,b      .012" PL == 14.08#
G,b      .016" PL == 15.77#
D,b      .024" NW == 16.94#
A,,b     .032" NW == 16.94#
E,,b     .044" NW == 17.29#
B,,,b    .059" NW == 17.71#
F,,,     .080" NW == 17.8#
total == 130.63#

It should feel like a progressive 10/46 set.
It costs 15&#8364; per set @ saitenkatalog.de including shipping if you buy 4 sets, not too bad for custom sets of D'addarios


----------



## darren

Just so you guys know, Kurt really liked the idea of the 28.625" scale, especially when i explained to him that it's essentially 27" at the first fret and 25.5" at the second fret. So that's one of the options he's exploring with the factory.


----------



## Ishan

That's great news  I'll update my hypothetic strings sets based on 28" 5/8 scale. This means even thinner strings, rejoice!


----------



## Variant

darren said:


> Just so you guys know, Kurt really liked the idea of the 28.625" scale, especially when i explained to him that it's essentially 27" at the first fret and 25.5" at the second fret. So that's one of the options he's exploring with the factory.



My Steinberger Synapse is a 28.625" scale, and while pretty much nothing feels big in my hands (as half of the time I'm playing my Conklin GTBD7 bass), it does feel noticeably longer than a conventional 25.5" Where the additional length of the 27.0" of the RG2228 is subtle, the effect is simply more pronounced in with a true baritone scale. That said, it's not that difficult to get used to, you really just need to play it a bit, and adjust the string gauges a good bit in the lighter direction to get the same feel you'd get on a 25.5"


----------



## Ishan

The same set can be used @ 28" 5/8 with a little more tension:


Code:


len 28.625"
E     .009" PL == 16.55#
B,    .012" PL == 16.52#
G,    .015" PL == 16.25#
D,    .022" NW == 16.81#
A,,   .030" NW == 17.71#
E,,   .040" NW == 16.94#
B,,,  .054" NW == 17.1#
F,,,# .072" NW == 17.09#
total == 134.97#


F tuning :


Code:


len 28.625"
Eb     .009" PL == 14.74#
B,b    .012" PL == 14.71#
G,b    .016" PL == 16.48#
D,b    .024" NW == 17.7#
A,,b   .032" NW == 17.71#
E,,b   .044" NW == 18.07#
B,,,b  .059" NW == 18.5#
F,,,   .080" NW == 18.61#
total == 136.53#


Same set, better tension.

EAEADGBE tuning :


Code:


len 28.625"
E     .009" PL == 16.55#
B,    .012" PL == 16.52#
G,    .015" PL == 16.25#
D,    .022" NW == 16.81#
A,,   .030" NW == 17.71#
E,,   .040" NW == 16.94#
A,,,  .059" NW == 16.49#
E,,,  .080" NW == 16.58#
total == 133.84#


----------



## darren

If i were to start playing an 8 regularly in conjunction with my sevens, i'd probably go with the EAEADGBE tuning.

I already drop my 7th string down to A, so making the 8th string E just keeps that relationship consistent, and i find that playing a lot of barre chords, it reduces the amount of stretching i have to do in order to play simple chords.


----------



## Ishan

Exactly, we should point out to Kurt the tuners must handle at least .080 so we have more tunings options (it shouldn't costs much I think)


----------



## Jason

Why did we switch from ash or alder to mahogany?


----------



## Ishan

good question  I'd be ok with either of those myself.


----------



## JimboTheHobo

swamp ashes for 8s!


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Just so you guys know, Kurt really liked the idea of the 28.625" scale, especially when i explained to him that it's essentially 27" at the first fret and 25.5" at the second fret. So that's one of the options he's exploring with the factory.



28.625" would be sweet 

As for the body wood, keep in mind it's a neck through design guys, so most of the tone is going to come from the maple/walnut in the neck and the wings just color it. Also take a look at the Rondo catalog and note the woods used. If it's not already on an existing model it will raise the price or may not even be available 

Personally as long as it's not basswood I'm cool.


----------



## Ishan

Exactly my thought, you read my mind!


----------



## Ishan

Out of curiosity I tried to do a set for E tuning:


Code:


len 28.625"
D    .0095" PL == 14.64#
A,   .013" PL == 15.38#
F,   .017" PL == 16.57#
C,   .025" NW == 17.09#
G,,  .034" NW == 17.6#
D,,  .048" NW == 18.94#
A,,, .062" NW == 18.16#
E,,, .085" NW == 18.46#
total == 136.84#


.085 might be hard to get, even online (I'm not sure D'addario even make those)


----------



## technomancer

I know for what I'm planning I'll be using Elixir bass strings for the higher gauges. They sound just like their guitar strings and just require swapping the string ferule on those strings to a bass ferule and drilling out the tuner.


----------



## Demeyes

I'm fairly sure I'm going to end up buying one of these when it happens. An affordable 8 string, how could I say no. 
I'd probably play in EBEADGBE for some low octave stuff in E with the same fingerings that I have for songs on my 7 so a longer scale is cool.


----------



## Ishan

drop E is a cool tuning as you'll only need one big string


----------



## darren

Ishan said:


> Exactly, we should point out to Kurt the tuners must handle at least .080 so we have more tunings options (it shouldn't costs much I think)



I think this is probably another one of those requests that's better done by the end user. If standard tuners can't accommodate an .080, that means somebody at the factory is going to have to be manually drilling out the post holes (which will cost more), or they're going to have to fit a bass tuner. 

If you need to fit a .080, it's probably something you're better off doing yourself.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I think this is probably another one of those requests that's better done by the end user. If standard tuners can't accommodate an .080, that means somebody at the factory is going to have to be manually drilling out the post holes (which will cost more), or they're going to have to fit a bass tuner.
> 
> If you need to fit a .080, it's probably something you're better off doing yourself.



+1 This is something that is not hard to do yourself, but would add costs to a production run


----------



## darren

technomancer said:


> As for the body wood, keep in mind it's a neck through design guys, so most of the tone is going to come from the maple/walnut in the neck and the wings just color it. Also take a look at the Rondo catalog and note the woods used. If it's not already on an existing model it will raise the price or may not even be available





When i made the switch from a bolt-on design to a more stripped-down spec, i also switched it to neck-thru with mahogany wings. 

I opted to go with neck-thru because i think for these extended-range applications, having the strings anchored to one central "beam" will probably aid in the clarity and note definition, as well as the overall stability under tension. And based on what Rondo is able to offer at VERY competitive price points, i didn't think the incremental cost of going neck-thru over bolt-on would be very significant. 

I decided to switch the body from ash to mahogany for exactly the reason technomancer described. The maple and walnut should give the instrument plenty of "snap" and articulation, so a bit of mahogany in the wings will help warm it up a bit. Plus, oiled mahogany feels like teh secks.


----------



## Ishan

For the lowest tuner I think there's standard ones with a bigger hole. On my Schecter the lowest string as a different tuner (it has a different model number) to accommodate big strings. Anyway it was just a suggestion, as long as the lowest tuner accommodate the .070 from the specs it'll be fine


----------



## TomAwesome

darren said:


> Just so you guys know, Kurt really liked the idea of the 28.625" scale, especially when i explained to him that it's essentially 27" at the first fret and 25.5" at the second fret. So that's one of the options he's exploring with the factory.




This possible Rondo is actually turning out to potentially spec out about the same as I'd do myself with a non-fanned custom (aside from the pickups, but I can live with 808s I think)! Same with the newer 27" models. Rondo has been seriously impressing me lately! I just hope that if this 8-string happens, it doesn't end up being a limited thing so I'll be able to save up money to get one.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i would so get an eight string (provided i'm not broke at the time) from rondo if this ends up at the price kurt is looking for.


----------



## Luvuvibanez

Sign me up.


----------



## Ishan

with the current specs and supposed 28" 5/8 scale length, I'm getting one as soon as it's available  My money is waiting


----------



## Scarpie

Ishan said:


> with the current specs and supposed 28" 5/8 scale length, I'm getting one as soon as it's available  My money is waiting



i will second that notion.


----------



## darren

You'll have to stand in line behind me. I want the first one.


----------



## Ishan

Haha, I'm sure you can arrange that with Kurt


----------



## Scarpie

he does deserve it hahahah


----------



## Ishan

I want #2 BTW, as I came up with the stripped down guitar idea


----------



## Justin Bailey

as long as I get one I'll be happy.


----------



## Ishan

You should get #3 as you did the first stripped down mock up


----------



## plyta

darren said:


> Just so you guys know, Kurt really liked the idea of the 28.625" scale, especially when i explained to him that it's essentially 27" at the first fret and 25.5" at the second fret. So that's one of the options he's exploring with the factory.



Why not make it 30,3247814325693..." scale then (based on 25.5")? 

Kahler 8 string locknut

2.250" width nut and 15" radius neck so that Kahler locking nut could be instaled afterwards by teh concerned owner


----------



## Justin Bailey

Ishan said:


> You should get #3 as you did the first stripped down mock up


----------



## Ishan

plyta said:


> Why not make it 30,3247814325693..." scale then (based on 25.5")?
> 
> Kahler 8 string locknut
> 
> 2.250" width nut and 15" radius neck so that Kahler locking nut could be instaled afterwards by teh concerned owner



Scale as been decided to contempt anyone, so as a compromise it's going to be 28" 5/8 scale.
I thought about the radius but didn't post about it, we don't have final specs yet as kurt is investigating about prices/possibilities with the factory. But yea that would be a good idea to have the Kahler radius as this guitar should be highly modable


----------



## TomAwesome

Ishan said:


> Scale as been decided to contempt anyone, so as a compromise it's going to be 28" 5/8 scale.
> I thought about the radius but didn't post about it, we don't have final specs yet as kurt is investigating about prices/possibilities with the factory. But yea that would be a good idea to have the Kahler radius as this guitar should be highly modable



A bit off topic, but you keep saying "contempt" when I think (or at least hope) you mean "content".

contempt:
1.	the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.
2.	the state of being despised; dishonor; disgrace.


----------



## skinhead

Guys, doing it bolt on, it would be cheaper to ship (dissembled) and a lot cheaper for international shipping.

Just think about it. A bolt on is not that far from a neckthru, it sounds really good.


----------



## darren

I don't think Rondo ships guitars disassembled.


----------



## Jason

darren said:


> I don't think Rondo ships guitars disassembled.



I would venture to say No as well


----------



## Ishan

TomAwesome said:


> A bit off topic, but you keep saying "contempt" when I think (or at least hope) you mean "content".
> 
> contempt:
> 1.	the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.
> 2.	the state of being despised; dishonor; disgrace.



Sure, English is not my primary language man, I learned it by myself 

Bolt on wouldn't change anything IMO (beside the sound  )


----------



## TomAwesome

Ishan said:


> Sure, English is not my primary language man



Yeah, I know. Just trying to help


----------



## skinhead

darren said:


> I don't think Rondo ships guitars disassembled.



I was talking, to send the guitars to an user here, so he can disarm them and ship it to the guys in other countries.

For US guys it would be ok the shipping, but think about the 3rd world kids 

Take this like a friendly advice. Take it or not, it's ok


----------



## yevetz

For now I really don't fucking care bolt on or neck thru or set in......I want 28" scale 8 string  

any color any fucking inlays and etc


----------



## Ishan

Patience is a virtue


----------



## darren

Kurt is working with the factory to determine whether it's feasible or not. Please be patient. It'll likely take a couple of weeks (or more), because next week is MusikMesse (the European equivalent of NAMM) in Germany, so the factory guys are a little busy.


----------



## technomancer

Cool, keep us posted Darren 

My credit card awaits


----------



## loktide

darren said:


> Kurt is working with the factory to determine whether it's feasible or not. Please be patient. It'll likely take a couple of weeks (or more), because next week is MusikMesse (the European equivalent of NAMM) in Germany, so the factory guys are a little busy.



MUST.WAIT.RESIST.GAS.


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> Kurt is working with the factory to determine whether it's feasible or not. Please be patient. It'll likely take a couple of weeks (or more), because next week is MusikMesse (the European equivalent of NAMM) in Germany, so the factory guys are a little busy.



Thanks you very very very much


----------



## Jeff

skinhead said:


> I was talking, to send the guitars to an user here, so he can *disarm them* and ship it to the guys in other countries.



I'm pretty sure that regardless of the specs, the 8-string would not come packing heat.


----------



## Ishan

Exploding 8 string? sounds dangerous


----------



## saastara

Jia! If this comes through then all I need from Rondo is a strat with scalloped fretboard.. They can cure all my GAS symptoms! 

But how will I afford them all..!?  The sevens, the eights (fingers crossed), I need to buy them all before they run out! And they will..

CURSES!


----------



## Desecrated

saastara said:


> Jia! If this comes through then all I need from Rondo is a strat with scalloped fretboard.. They can cure all my GAS symptoms!
> 
> But how will I afford them all..!?  The sevens, the eights (fingers crossed), I need to buy them all before they run out! And they will..
> 
> CURSES!



A scalloped 727 with maple board 

And a fretless 6-string in 30" so we can tune it to fifths


----------



## Trespass

This is awesome!


----------



## ghoti

If he makes it and I can afford it, I'm buying it. I just wish he'd use a different body shape than the superstrat one.


----------



## Rick

Jeff said:


> I'm pretty sure that regardless of the specs, the 8-string would not come packing heat.


----------



## TomAwesome

Jeff said:


> I'm pretty sure that regardless of the specs, the 8-string would not come packing heat.



Wat? No lazorz?


----------



## josephzacker

This sounds awesome... How can I queue up for one of these...??


----------



## darren

Take a number, have a seat.

There are no guarantees this will happen, but it is looking promising.

If it does happen, the first production run will likely be small. I think Rondo usually does 4-6 instruments for these test batches. And i have a pretty good feeling that they'd all pretty much be spoken for at this point.


----------



## Desecrated

Maybe a pre-order would be a smart idea in this situation.


----------



## theunforgiven246

Desecrated said:


> Maybe a pre-order would be a smart idea in this situation.



Exactly, so then he'll know how many to make and if a lot of people pre-order one then maybe he'll just make a bunch!


----------



## darren

Let's take it one step at a time. We need to hear from Kurt whether it's possible or not, and if so, what the dollar figure is going to be. I can definitely suggest to him that a bunch of us are lined up and waiting to put our money down.

I just don't want a bunch of guys to put down deposits and then bail.


----------



## Ishan

Preorder is a very good idea, maybe it'll push Kurt to have more produced if there's many preorder


----------



## maliciousteve

If it ends up costing a tad more than the Interceptor 7, then I'd be in for one.


----------



## Ishan

I think the target price was 600-800$ or something like that


----------



## The Echthros

I think if a preoder is to be taken Kurt should do what he does for his custom intruments: half up front TOTALLY UNREFUNDABLE...that way all the people who are on the fence over this project or who are just more interested than committed to buying one will be detered from preodering only to change their minds and backing out later. This will prevent overproduction on the pilot run and will get these guitars to the guys who REALLY want them.

can I get an AMEN?


----------



## TimSE

il_echthros_777 said:


> I think if a preoder is to be taken Kurt should do what he does for his custom intruments: half up front TOTALLY UNREFUNDABLE...that way all the people who are on the fence over this project or who are just more interested than committed to buying one will be detered from preodering only to change their minds and backing out later. This will prevent overproduction on the pilot run and will get these guitars to the guys who REALLY want them.
> 
> can I get an AMEN?


----------



## darren

il_echthros_777 said:


> I think if a preoder is to be taken Kurt should do what he does for his custom intruments: half up front TOTALLY UNREFUNDABLE...that way all the people who are on the fence over this project or who are just more interested than committed to buying one will be detered from preodering only to change their minds and backing out later. This will prevent overproduction on the pilot run and will get these guitars to the guys who REALLY want them.
> 
> can I get an AMEN?



I will make this suggestion if he tells me the project will be going ahead. 

Holy crap! Over 600 posts in this thread!


----------



## Desecrated

il_echthros_777 said:


> I think if a preoder is to be taken Kurt should do what he does for his custom intruments: half up front TOTALLY UNREFUNDABLE...that way all the people who are on the fence over this project or who are just more interested than committed to buying one will be detered from preodering only to change their minds and backing out later. This will prevent overproduction on the pilot run and will get these guitars to the guys who REALLY want them.
> 
> can I get an AMEN?



Sounds good to me.


----------



## Ishan

darren said:


> Holy crap! Over 600 posts in this thread!



If it's not proving interest, what is it?


----------



## The Echthros

this project, which is still just speculative, is damn near out of control! some much ferver really that its got me wanting one...and im just barely getting acclimated to a 7! of course, If it does become available i will gladly step aside and let you fellas who have been the driving force behind the whole thing get dibs if not out of respect then for the simple fact that the sooner someone gets their grubby hands on one the sooner we get pics and reviews!


----------



## Ishan

If it ever materialize, expect an epic picstory from myself


----------



## Desecrated

if it's under 700 I'll order it without even thinking. 














 Who am I kidding, I never think.


----------



## neroceasar

I'd get one if the scale length was long enough say >27"


----------



## Ishan

It should be 28" 5/8


----------



## Desecrated

Didn't we cover the scale length already, the poll said 28 right ?


----------



## Ishan

yea but Kurt was very interested by 28" 5/8 Darren said, so we'll see how it'll turn out


----------



## Desecrated

Ishan said:


> yea but Kurt was very interested by 28" 5/8 Darren said, so we'll see how it'll turn out



O! Jolly, I missed that.


----------



## yevetz

Ishan said:


> 28" 5/8



yes yes yes faster faste faster 

AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Desecrated

yevetz said:


> yes yes yes faster faste faster
> 
> AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



To much coffee this morning?


----------



## Ishan

Certainly no sugar


----------



## yevetz

Desecrated said:


> To much coffee this morning?



I don't drink that shit


----------



## Hoff

If this turns out to be something close to the specs in the first post, then I'll definitely buy one. I've been going crazy lately because I can't decide which 7 to invest in. This may very well dispel my inability to decide. Man, I hope it works out!


----------



## Ishan

This is the current model :






The scale length is still uncertain.


----------



## Groff

yevetz said:


> I don't drink coffee, and I hate Schecter, therefore I am false



Fixed!






That guitar seriously looks badass!


----------



## MF_Kitten

Kurt offered the 28" 5/8 scale when i asked him about a slightly extended baritone, so i think h really likes that scale 

i think that´s the MINIMUM of what this 8 string should have, no 27"! boo 27"! 

what price is he thinking of now?



yevetz said:


> I don't drink that shit



it must be the hookah


----------



## Ishan

Yea Darren said Kurt really liked the 28" 5/8 idea due to the fact it's 25.5 + 2 low frets, so it "should" be that scale in the end.


----------



## Hoff

#Ishan. Thanks for the update. I think the initial model's specs were a little more appealing to me. I really liked the black & white theme plus the alder body. It still looks very good though, so I'm still very interested in how this goes. I'd vote for the 28" 5/8 scale.


----------



## darren

Well, Musikmesse just wrapped up a couple of days ago, so i'll email Kurt later this week to put the bug back in his ear.


----------



## yevetz

TheMissing said:


> Fixed!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That guitar seriously looks badass!







MF_Kitten said:


> it must be the hookah







darren said:


> Well, Musikmesse just wrapped up a couple of days ago, so i'll email Kurt later this week to put the bug back in his ear.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> Well, Musikmesse just wrapped up a couple of days ago, so i'll email Kurt later this week to put the bug back in his ear.



I really hope agile gets some european retailer. I asked some swedish company's to keep an eye out for them.


----------



## plyta

Please, make it Kahler compatible (i.e. appropriate fretboard radius and nut width)


----------



## Ishan

Yea, I thought about that, I guess a change from 16" radius to 15" wouldn't change anything price wise. The same goes for nut width. Let's wait to hear from Kurt on the project status before any request is made hehe


----------



## yevetz

plyta said:


> Please, make it Kahler compatible (i.e. appropriate fretboard radius and nut width)





Ishan said:


> Yea, I thought about that, I guess a change from 16" radius to 15" wouldn't change anything price wise. The same goes for nut width. Let's wait to hear from Kurt on the project status before any request is made hehe





PLEASE JUST MAKE IT!!!


----------



## darren

Mods, any chance of getting this thread stickied? If it reaches production, i'll start a new thread with the final specs and ordering information and we can un-sticky this one.

Just a thought.


----------



## Scarpie

this story is so damn exciting, but i am scared of the timing. i am saving up for a house, so an agile is probably the only 8 string in my cards, and probably will be so for quite some damn time. i hereby invite positive forces that may allow me to invest in this project. 







(also inviting donations for the scarpie 8 string fund)


----------



## Ishan

You know what? I'm so excited by this I'm already thinking about the mod I'm gonna do to it  I'm thinking on buying an EMG-40DC and mod the guitar to 18v (that's what this pickup is ratted for) and maybe adding an EMG BQC Control.
I'm nuts


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Ishan said:


> This is the current model :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The scale length is still uncertain.



that is the coolest fucking thing i've seen in a long time...


----------



## Ishan

Indeed, maple board FTW!!!
I noticed there's an EMG-40TW, GAS is killing me


----------



## darren

A 40-TW with a BQC would be pretty amazing indeed.

I emailed Kurt last week and he said he'd email the factory about it.

Still awaiting a response...


----------



## Ishan

darren said:


> A 40-TW with a BQC would be pretty amazing indeed.
> 
> I emailed Kurt last week and he said he'd email the factory about it.
> 
> Still awaiting a response...



OMFG!!!  That's pure wet dream! a splittable EMG with bass/treble and sweepable mid control!
These are made to run at 18v so it shouldn't be overlooked


----------



## darren

Sorry, i meant that he's contacting the factory about the 8-string in general. 

I think an EMG-40TW and BQC would be great user-installed upgrades. 

The stock guitar should be simple and straightforward. And as inexpensive as possible.


----------



## Ishan

I meant it as a DIY too but a 2 battery older could be installed at the factory (I'm not too clear at 4 in the morning hehe)
I think anything with no effect on cost but facilitating DIY mods should be done (like the 15" radius for Khaler trem hardware)


----------



## swedenuck

I haven't really put any feedback into this thread, but what has resulted over the last few months is phenominal. The concept is well laid out, cost effect from a parts perspective, and greatest of all...fucking gorgeous. If/when this happens, I'm definently onboard.


----------



## darren

I'd be fine with simply a nice big control cavity to start, but adding a separate battery box would be a relatively straightforward mod.


----------



## technomancer

Given that all of the Agiles with active pups have a battery box and this has an EMG808 why would it not just come with one to begin with?


----------



## darren

Good point. To be honest, i hadn't even considered that.


----------



## axechain

whaiting for Kurt`s feedback, very exited, will buy one


----------



## muffgoat

well... if this goes down...









IM IN!!


----------



## E Lucevan Le Stelle

I'd definitely be interested too...


----------



## MF_Kitten

if this comes out at a reasonable price before i buy my agile, i´ll get this instead haha 

i doubt that´ll happen though... i´ll probably end up with both


----------



## Sephiroth

I'm 100 percent in.


----------



## sethh

WOWAWIWA!


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

looks like its time to start saving.


----------



## Drage

That looks awesome, I'll definitely keep an eye out...


----------



## Kronpox

Since you can't have a conversation with Kurt without posting it,

I emailed him asking about the possibility of, if there wasn't going to be a production line of 8s, getting one-off customs made (specifically referring to strangling babies for a Septor 8-string), and his response was thus:



Kurt said:


> It might be possible to do a custom 1 off - price would be about $999
> What we are down to now for regular production is trying to get the EMG 808s at a good price.
> It's probobly worth the wait as I hope to have the regular production model at 1/2 that price
> Kurt



- Custom 8-strings in whatever body shape might be possible AND cheap
- Production 8 looks like it's going to happen if EMG stops douching all over the place
- $500 8 STRING? YES PLEASE


----------



## TimSE

$500
fecking heck


----------



## technomancer




----------



## ibznorange

Oh no fucking way.
thats fucking amazing


----------



## Groff

Do want for that price.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

500?!? 

holy fucking shit!
hell yes i'm in!!!

i'd like to take this time to point out how much of a badass kurt is.


----------



## ibznorange

ShawnFjellstad said:


> 500?!?
> 
> holy fucking shit!
> hell yes i'm in!!!
> 
> i'd like to take this time to point out how much of a badass kurt is.



approximately really badass


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

ibznorange said:


> approximately really badass



x like a billion


----------



## TimSE

Was jsut moochin through some of the older pages of this thread and found this:






ideal finish me thinks 

also im going against maple necks  i cant stand the sight of them 
darker the better in my books


----------



## Kronpox

TimSE said:


> also im going against maple necks  i cant stand the sight of them
> darker the better in my books





I emailed kurt back and suggested that if production goes through on the natural/maple sketch, then he also produce a darker version for us metalheads who are afraid of anything that isn't black  he seemed to like the idea.


----------



## TimSE

Kronpox said:


> I emailed kurt back and suggested that if production goes through on the natural/maple sketch, then he also produce a darker version for us metalheads who are afraid of anything that isn't black  he seemed to like the idea.



fucking super duper! 
strange
iv never really been interested in 8 string til i saw this thread
mainly the price for what it is!
Kurt sure does know what hes doing with the "keeping it cheap" thing
Got me interested enough to properly concider it


----------



## Chris

TimSE said:


> Was jsut moochin through some of the older pages of this thread and found this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ideal finish me thinks
> 
> also im going against maple necks  i cant stand the sight of them
> darker the better in my books



I'd hit that, but same as the LTD, I'd rather a 4/4 headstock. And that inlay sucks.


----------



## Ishan

ZOMG!! I remember when I said 800$ could be done with a stripped down design and many laughed at me


----------



## Desecrated

TimSE said:


> also im going against maple necks  i cant stand the sight of them
> darker the better in my books



When you say darker, are you talking about color or about tone ?


----------



## TimSE

Desecrated said:


> When you say darker, are you talking about color or about tone ?



color

call me shallow but EVERYTHING has to look right for my likingz


----------



## Splees

YES...!


----------



## Justin Bailey

awesome, I'm in thats for sure.


----------



## saastara

I'm so happy I can't stop crying.


----------



## darren

^666th post!

Kurt is indeed pretty awesome. I don't know how he makes these instruments and still turns a profit. But you know what? I don't care! As long as he keeps on doing it! 

And let's not forget how awesome the guy is who started this whole process...


----------



## Justin Bailey

darren said:


> ^666th post!
> 
> Kurt is indeed pretty awesome. I don't know how he makes these instruments and still turns a profit. But you know what? I don't care! As long as he keeps on doing it!
> 
> And let's not forget how awesome the guy is who started this whole process...



thank's buddy.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> ^666th post!
> 
> Kurt is indeed pretty awesome. I don't know how he makes these instruments and still turns a profit. But you know what? I don't care! As long as he keeps on doing it!
> 
> And let's not forget how awesome the guy is who started this whole process...



And don't forget humble 

Very cool, thanks for the hard work (or at least all the fucking around in photoshop and sending emails )


----------



## Drage

TimSE said:


> Was jsut moochin through some of the older pages of this thread and found this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ideal finish me thinks
> 
> also im going against maple necks  i cant stand the sight of them
> darker the better in my books


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> ^666th post!
> 
> Kurt is indeed pretty awesome. I don't know how he makes these instruments and still turns a profit. But you know what? I don't care! As long as he keeps on doing it!
> 
> And let's not forget how awesome the guy is who started this whole process...


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´m totally loving the thought of a 500$ 8 string... oooh yeah!

edit: what kind of time span are we talking about? because i´m totally ready to get one of these instead of the 7 i want, if it´s 28" scale... shit yeah!


----------



## Kronpox

MF_Kitten said:


> i´m totally loving the thought of a 500$ 8 string... oooh yeah!
> 
> edit: what kind of time span are we talking about? because i´m totally ready to get one of these instead of the 7 i want, if it´s 28" scale... shit yeah!



Kurt gave me a complete lack of timespan. Basically it all depends on when and if he can get the 808s and the Hipshots easy and cheap.


----------



## MF_Kitten

ah, i see... how long could that take? if you were to guesstimate?


----------



## Adam

Kronpox said:


> Kurt gave me a complete lack of timespan. Basically it all depends on when and if he can get the 808s and the Hipshots easy and cheap.



He could always go with EMG 40 Hz's in the meantime they're much cheaper, and then people can just replace it if they feel like it.


----------



## Kronpox

MF_Kitten said:


> ah, i see... how long could that take? if you were to guesstimate?



he's been trying to a year and a half and still doesn't have any details concrete 

me and my friend came up with the idea of that, since he alleges that 8-string customs are available, asking him to just ship it with no electronics. That way he doesn't have to fuss with getting 808s, and I don't have to fuss with getting rid of the 808s and putting Lundgrens in it  I think I'm going to email him about it.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Kronpox said:


> he's been trying to a year and a half and still doesn't have any details concrete
> 
> me and my friend came up with the idea of that, since he alleges that 8-string customs are available, asking him to just ship it with no electronics. That way he doesn't have to fuss with getting 808s, and I don't have to fuss with getting rid of the 808s and putting Lundgrens in it  I think I'm going to email him about it.



sounds like he´s really getting somewhere with it now though, especially as 8-strings are starting to see the light of day...


----------



## Justin Bailey

He should just get the EMG 40 Hz's they'd be cheaper,and they work. Maybe I'm just anxious for an 8 I can afford.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

If this really happens, I'm in.

I'm also down with it shipping with either no electronics or EMG HZs.


----------



## MF_Kitten

this needs to happen soon... or, we need to find out when it will happen, soon! 

WANT


----------



## Ishan

word


----------



## B36arin

I'm SOOOO getting one of these if this happens! Definitely!


----------



## darren

To be honest, guys, i don't think an EMG-HZ is going to make a huge difference in the price. They retail for $80, and an 808 retails for $100.

I'm emailing Kurt now to see if he's heard anything back from the factory, and to suggest some of the additional things that have come up here since the last specs were drafted:

- 2.25" nut width and 15" fretboard radius (to match Kahler hardware)
- dual battery box (for 18v mod)
- control cavity big enough for additional switching and controls

As always, i'll let you guys know what i hear.


----------



## darren

BTW, i've added a new thread to gauge serious interest to buy. It's not a commitment to purchase at this point, but i do ask that only those who are VERY committed to buying this add their name to the list. This is to help Kurt with numbers on an initial production run _if this comes to pass_.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...ondo-8-string-gauging-serious-intent-buy.html


----------



## ohio_eric

A second pickup would make it damn near perfect. Is it locked into one pickup?


----------



## Desecrated

I'm interested in signing up, but I'm waiting for the final scale length before I make any commitments.


----------



## Desecrated

ohio_eric said:


> A second pickup would make it damn near perfect. Is it locked into one pickup?



It's easier to add a pickup then to remove one.


----------



## Nick

id like 2 pickups as well but fuck it for that price i signed myself up


----------



## ohio_eric

I signed up to...I have no will power...


----------



## darren

Again, anything that's a relatively simple DIY mod, i would rather leave for people to do themselves, rather than adding cost upfront. 

The goal here is to get the startup cost as low as possible to hit the magic price point, so this actually sees production. Once the factory is up and running on 8-strings, it should be possible to go through Kurt for a "custom shop" option with whatever you want. 

But for this initial run, the idea is to get an affordable 8-string into the hands of as many players as possible.


----------



## TimSE

I would totally but not in that final color ... 
id prefer darker color finishes

wasnt there a thing for n00bs like me who want much darker finish?

i would prefer 2 pickups also - but do agree ppl can do it them selfs

Scale lenth - 27" or 28" not fussed


----------



## Ishan

Do we have infos on the final scale length? (hoping for 28" 5/8  )


----------



## darren

TimSE said:


> I would totally but not in that final color ...
> id prefer darker color finishes
> 
> wasnt there a thing for n00bs like me who want much darker finish?


----------



## technomancer




----------



## TimSE




----------



## Nick

the finish and shape totally sold me on it. 

Im pretty sure id buy as long as its at least 27''


----------



## loktide

Ishan said:


> Do we have infos on the final scale length? (hoping for 28" 5/8  )



+1


----------



## Ishan

darren said:


>



Damn! I thought about it but didn't had the time to post it  (work)


----------



## Ishan

Kurt should have a flight case ready when it came out too, cause I don't trust any shipping company with a cardboard box only you know  Maybe one of his bass case could work.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Adam said:


> He could always go with EMG 40 Hz's in the meantime they're much cheaper, and then people can just replace it if they feel like it.



Not sure the 40's are wide enough ?

Kurt


----------



## Ishan

the 808 is EMG-40 sized.


----------



## Adam

kurtzentmaier said:


> Not sure the 40's are wide enough ?
> 
> Kurt



They are thats what I'm currently using for my 8 string, and to add the 808's are encased in 40's. The 45's would just give too much output to the highest and lowest strings.


----------



## Groff

kurtzentmaier said:


> Not sure the 40's are wide enough ?
> 
> Kurt



They're 4" wide, does that help?(at least i think they are, the schematic on EMGs website is fuzzy) I don't know how wide an 808 is.


----------



## Adam

TheMissing said:


> They're 4" wide, does that help? I don't know how wide an 808 is. There is a EMG HZ 45 (4.5") as well.



Read above post's


----------



## El Caco

Holy crap that mock up looks awesome and if I ever do consider getting an 8 to try, it will be that.


----------



## plyta

battery box mounting: 
1) no body routing 
2) you can ditch it if you hate actives (like I do)


----------



## MF_Kitten

Ishan said:


> Kurt should have a flight case ready when it came out too, cause I don't trust any shipping company with a cardboard box only you know  Maybe one of his bass case could work.



i would love a case for it too... always makes a guitar seem more important, doesen´t it? 

and they do have baritone cases, which i think should work for this as well, assuming it works for both 6 and 7 string baritones, in both 27" and 28" scales...


----------



## B36arin

Is the mahogany body final? Mahogany has a reputation of becoming muddy with really low tunings, especially when it's not top quality mahogany(no offence, but you can't expect the wood to be top drawer on a 500$ 8-string). I've never had my Schecter lower than A, and I haven't experienced any trouble with mud. But going down to F#(I'd probably go down to F to be able to play some Meshuggah), is there a risk of mahogany getting muddier than other alternative woods? I'm asking because I have no experience with that low tunings, but I've only heard that mahogany can get muddy when you go that low.


----------



## Adam

B36arin said:


> Is the mahogany body final? Mahogany has a reputation of becoming muddy with really low tunings, especially when it's not top quality mahogany(no offence, but you can't expect the wood to be top drawer on a 500$ 8-string). I've never had my Schecter lower than A, and I haven't experienced any trouble with mud. But going down to F#(I'd probably go down to F to be able to play some Meshuggah), is there a risk of mahogany getting muddier than other alternative woods? I'm asking because I have no experience with that low tunings, but I've only heard that mahogany can get muddy when you go that low.



It's going to be a maple/walnut neck through, so the majority of the tone will come from that and not the mahogany wings. They will just merely colour the tone, which I hope will give some much needed warmth due to the bright tone of the maple fretboard the EMG and maple neck.


----------



## B36arin

Ah ok, that makes sense.


----------



## MF_Kitten

hahaha! i love that one tag on this thread! 

and i really can´t wait to see this happen, hopefully it´ll be soon!


----------



## darren

The more i think about it, the more i think it might make sense to go with an EMG-40HZ (or another passive pickup with identical dimensions). 

It'll shave a few more dollars off the materials cost, and will give everyone a bit more choice. Some people might want an 808, some might want to put in passive pickups from Lundgren or Swineshead (among others) and some may want to install a 40TW and additional EMG active circuits. Routing for a battery box (or cutting one into the control cavity cover) isn't too difficult.

What do you guys think?


----------



## Ishan

I'd say keep the double battery box and 808. Due to the price the factory is going to pay for those 808 (far lower than retail) it won't matter much in the final price I guess. We'll have to ask Kurt about this, but if it cuts another 50$ I'm in! (but keep the damn double battery box plz  )


----------



## MF_Kitten

fitting it with lundgrens or something like that wouldn´t look too good though, due to the size difference of the cavity... so some sort of solution would have to be made there, if you wanted it to be easily moddable.

i´d be fine with that emg-40 thingy though, as long as it sounds nice (which i´ve heard it does).

i´d say make the 808 first priority, and the emg-40 lower priority. if there is no way to make the 808 happen at the price you want it, then go for the 40. 

maybe include pickup rings for 8-string sized passive humbuckers, and just let users drill the tiny holes for the screws and all that to put it on?

could you produce some sort of in-house stock pickups for it maybe?

edit: and for the battery box, you could have a battery cavity that is covered by the control cavity cover, so you don´t see it unless you remove that cover. that way you wouldn´t have to put a separate cover on it. just have it a little to the side from the actual control cavity, and make the control cavity cover go over that as well...

there are lots of options, but i´d buy it anyways, as long as the price is fair


----------



## Ishan

There's many no name EMG-40 sized pickups out there but no one have tried them on an 8 string guitar


----------



## Adam

Ishan said:


> There's many no name EMG-40 sized pickups out there but no one have tried them on an 8 string guitar



For instance: Mighty Mite 5 string bas pu's $50 for a pair.
NEW MIGHTY MITE 5 STRING PASSIVE SOAPBAR BASS PICKUPS - eBay (item 380013329649 end time Apr-08-08 18:15:00 PDT)

Mighty Mite active pair for $55
Bass Pickups - 5 String Active Soapbar Pickups NEW! - eBay (item 300188274271 end time Apr-05-08 10:00:03 PDT)

Seymour duncan passive 5 string soupbar(single) for $58
S DUNCAN PASSIVE SOAPBAR 5 STRING BASS PICKUP -BRIDGE - eBay (item 250191747570 end time Apr-22-08 21:11:30 PDT)


----------



## plyta

darren said:


> The more i think about it, the more i think it might make sense to go with an EMG-40HZ (or another passive pickup with identical dimensions).
> 
> It'll shave a few more dollars off the materials cost, and will give everyone a bit more choice. Some people might want an 808, some might want to put in passive pickups from Lundgren or Swineshead (among others) and some may want to install a 40TW and additional EMG active circuits. Routing for a battery box (or cutting one into the control cavity cover) isn't too difficult.
> 
> What do you guys think?



The cheaper, the better  (passive FTW)


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´d still go with the emg-40 though, as it´s tested and tried as an 8-string pickup. 

also, more people need to see that interest-thread, and more people need to go "OMG I WANT ONE!!!"...

and Darren, could you update the mockup to say 28", since that´s what it was apparently decided on? (or 28.625", i´d want that even more )


----------



## Celiak

I agree with the 28 5/8" scale, that would be perfect.


----------



## MF_Kitten

am i the only one that keeps refreshing in the hope of more people signing up for the "interested" thread? 

i want this... and all my fellow GASers know how this feels! 

i was going to get an agile 7 string with a maple board, neck through, 28" scale, trans-black flamed maple top... now i´ll have to wait and see what happens with this, because i´d rather get this!


----------



## B36arin

MF_Kitten said:


> am i the only one that keeps refreshing in the hope of more people signing up for the "interested" thread?
> 
> i want this... and all my fellow GASers know how this feels!
> 
> i was going to get an agile 7 string with a maple board, neck through, 28" scale, trans-black flamed maple top... now i´ll have to wait and see what happens with this, because i´d rather get this!




Get both


----------



## Celiak

MF_Kitten said:


> am i the only one that keeps refreshing in the hope of more people signing up for the "interested" thread?
> 
> i want this... and all my fellow GASers know how this feels!
> 
> i was going to get an agile 7 string with a maple board, neck through, 28" scale, trans-black flamed maple top... now i´ll have to wait and see what happens with this, because i´d rather get this!



Your not the only one . I would much rather have this than the RG 2228.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

we decided on a scale length, yeah?
28" or something along that line?


----------



## darren

The specs on the mockup have now been updated to reflect the latest in our ongoing discussions.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

okay, thanks a lot.


----------



## TomAwesome

The specs are lookin' mighty fine!


----------



## Ishan

This thing is going to sound massive, I'm sure of it!


----------



## MF_Kitten

the specs... they´re... perfect!

now make it 30"!!! (i´m kidding!)

that "interested" thread is looking mighty fine now. and i´m more psyched than ever because of the updated specs too, so... now we just need some sort of intervention to make hipshot and EMG and all the other things agree on a deal with Rondo music at the same time, so this all happens right away...

i <3 RondoMusic... i really really do... it´s like GAS central!


----------



## Ishan

I think the Hipshot isn't a problem, only those 808 seems hard to come by


----------



## NegaTiveXero

If it has a maple board, I'm gonna have to pass. What is it with people and maple boards? I think they're ugly. If it had Ebony or Rosewood, I'd be fine with it.


----------



## Adam

NegaTiveXero said:


> If it has a maple board, I'm gonna have to pass. What is it with people and maple boards? I think they're ugly. If it had Ebony or Rosewood, I'd be fine with it.



I think rosewood would be best since the ebony will push the brightness up even more(talking from experience).


----------



## yevetz

darren said:


> (And in case anybody missed it, the latest discussions are that it will be 28 5/8" scale and Kurt's target price is $500, but NOTHING IS CONFIRMED YET.)


----------



## Ishan

NegaTiveXero said:


> If it has a maple board, I'm gonna have to pass. What is it with people and maple boards? I think they're ugly. If it had Ebony or Rosewood, I'd be fine with it.



I guess you're in a minority here  rosewood would've been fine too but all other production 8 are rosewood so it's a welcome change  ebony is too pricey at that size anyway


----------



## MF_Kitten

i say stay with maple fretboard, and people can custom order other fretboards if they want them, or if they eventually decide to do as they planned earlier, and make a black one as well, for all the "omg, something else than black!!!" folks, they can have that instead...

you could also just dye the fretboard black, that´s quite possible 

*wants maple!*


----------



## Celiak

I like the maple too, it's different.


----------



## gaunten

ok, so I'll ask here instead, will it be available as lefty? at the same price?


----------



## Ishan

I don't think so.


----------



## darren

As exciting as all of this is, it's important to keep in mind that this process could still take several months to complete. (Possibly as much as 6-12 months or more.)


----------



## Ishan

I just noticed the "quit whining" in the tags  that's a lot more whining to endure from 6 to 12 months


----------



## gaunten

goshdarned fucktards.... i hate being discriminated just for being lefthanded...
yea well. gonna have to stick with personalized custommade guits then.


----------



## darren

The person to ask about a left-handed version would be Kurt. None of us can speak on his behalf.


----------



## Celiak

gaunten said:


> goshdarned fucktards.... i hate being discriminated just for being lefthanded...
> yea well. gonna have to stick with personalized custommade guits then.



Back of the bus lefty!

No, just kidding


----------



## Scarpie

goddamn motherfucker shit, 40 people already signed that list. will rondo even make that many guitars for one model. i feel like i don't even stand a chance now.


----------



## darren

The list is just to gauge interest. It is not a "reservation", nor does it guarantee your "place in line" or anything of that nature. It's just to get a sense of the numbers of the truly interested and committed.

If and when the guitars are built, they'll be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

[edit]

Damn. I thought the list would be a dozen, maybe 20 people.

It's at 43 and counting!


----------



## Ishan

When I see the RG2228 literally fly of the shelves I'm not that surprised  It's even more interesting with the extended scale length.


----------



## Nick

if this guitar gets put in production any time soon there is NO WAY i will not be buying.


----------



## B36arin

If this guitar gets in production, how many do you think they will make? Darren, was it your idea to get Kurt a 50% per guitar so people would be able to sign up for one before production starts, to ensure that Kurt orders enough of them?


----------



## MF_Kitten

if one could get this custom made now, then i don´t think there´s much of a wait to be had really... hopefully... just fooling myself to hope it´ll come sooner...

i mean come on, with all those people wanting one, ya gotta put guns to foreheads and get the prices for parts down so we can all bask in it´s glory!


----------



## B36arin

MF_Kitten said:


> if one could get this custom made now, then i don´t think there´s much of a wait to be had really... hopefully... just fooling myself to hope it´ll come sooner...



Hopefully you're right, but there's a difference in timescale when you're making one instrument, and when you(if Kurt will go by demand) make 50+ instruments. It could take some time.


----------



## MF_Kitten

B36arin said:


> Hopefully you're right, but there's a difference in timescale when you're making one instrument, and when you(if Kurt will go by demand) make 50+ instruments. It could take some time.



yeah, i know, but if they configure their factories to make these, then it´ll be alot cheaper and easier. i think that´s part of what would take the most time though?

i just really really want one, and paying 999$ for something that i could have for half the price later on just isn´t for me :

oh, andKurt isn´t looking for the number of actual guitars to produce, they´re just checking to see what kind of a market there is for something like this.

and the 50% payment first is to ensure people don´t order instruments to be made, only to back out later. and if they do, they didn´t lose a whole lot of money, and could still sell the inistrument to someone else. it´s like a security policy to ensure they don´t end up losing anything on the 8 strings. i think it´s an awesome idea. 

come to think of it, if i were rich, then i´d be all over a custom one already


----------



## 74n4LL0

I'll definitely buy one when that 8 will be in production (especially with this &#8364;-$ change rate...)


----------



## plyta

What if someone made a poll 'bout fretboard wood  ? I'm on the rosewood>maple side meself (its cheap and can be dyed to look like ebony!!!) What do you think? (this question might have been discussed here, but i'm too lazy to read the whole thread )


----------



## Ishan

I remember it being discussed, I don't remember how we come to choose maple, I guess it was cheap and visually appealing to most.


----------



## MF_Kitten

the maple looks much better with the body, and if you were to use something dark instead, you´d either have a slightly off-looking guitar, or you´d have to give it another type of finish, which means moar monays...


----------



## darren

Maple is relatively inexpensive in the size of board needed to do an 8-string fretboard, and also has a really nice growl that should work very nicely in this application. Plus, blank maple fretboards are somewhat rare these days, so i think it would make for a more distinctive-looking instrument. This guitar is pretty much turning into the anti-2228. Different construction, different woods, different look.

I think rosewood would look just fine, but maple is a refreshing change.


----------



## plyta

OK, maple then


----------



## noodles

Maple > Rosewood


----------



## Ishan

True


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i am _so_ down for calling it the anti-2228.
that should be the official model name.


----------



## TomAwesome

Agile GR8882?


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

TomAwesome said:


> Agile GR8882?



fuck yes. win.

/thread


----------



## Celiak

darren said:


> Maple is relatively inexpensive in the size of board needed to do an 8-string fretboard, and also has a really nice growl that should work very nicely in this application. Plus, blank maple fretboards are somewhat rare these days, so i think it would make for a more distinctive-looking instrument. This guitar is pretty much turning into the anti-2228. Different construction, different woods, different look.
> 
> I think rosewood would look just fine, but maple is a refreshing change.



Agreed!


----------



## Cancer

Forgive if this had been answered already,or if I missed it, but whats the time table on this 8 string?


----------



## TomAwesome

Cancer said:


> Forgive if this had been answered already,or if I missed it, but whats the time table on this 8 string?





darren said:


> As exciting as all of this is, it's important to keep in mind that this process could still take several months to complete. (Possibly as much as 6-12 months or more.)


----------



## Ishan

This is nuts! We are almost at 60 intents to buy 

edit: I forgot a "t", was too excited


----------



## ohio_eric

Ishan said:


> This is nuts! We are almost a 60 intents to buy





Yeah I'm a little stunned. We're going to have a shit load of new 8 string pic stories before too long though.


----------



## Celiak

Actually at this point the amount of people that want one is getting freaky. Hopefully there will be enough for everyone.


----------



## TomAwesome

Celiak said:


> Actually at this point the amount of people that want one is getting freaky. Hopefully there will be enough for everyone.



Honestly, that's my only concern. The specs are looking great, so I'm not worried about that anymore. I just hope it's a model that gets kept around long enough for me to get one.


----------



## Groff

Celiak said:


> Actually at this point the amount of people that want one is getting freaky. Hopefully there will be enough for everyone.



Factor in the people that will bail at the last minute. But yeah, this IS looking promising.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i know that people will bail at the last minute, but either way we have a fuckton of people with serious intent to buy.
i _really_ hope this guitar sticks around for a good long while.


----------



## darren

I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of those "serious intents" to buy vapourize when it's actually announced. 

There are quite a few "i'm in, as long as [insert condition here] and i have the money."


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

at least you know some of them are truly willing to purchase it when it comes out.
i know for a fact that i'm in when its announced.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of those "serious intents" to buy vapourize when it's actually announced.
> 
> There are quite a few "i'm in, as long as [insert condition here] and i have the money."



My only condition is it's gotta be loner than 25.5" scale length(which there's a 200% chance it will be baritone of some type ). I could care less about the other details.


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

its definitely not 25.5, so you're in the clear.


----------



## darren

Well, at the very least, the amount of serious interest is about double what i thought it would be, which bodes well for us (and for Kurt) if it goes ahead.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> Well, at the very least, the amount of serious interest is about double what i thought it would be, which bodes well for us (and for Kurt) if it goes ahead.



I'm so friggin' excited too! The price range he's offering it in is phenomenal!

I'd NEVER pay the money for a 608b, or StefB8 for a guitar i'm only gonna fuck around on, but this is PERFECT!


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

i'm damn near peeing myself out of excitement for this as well.
i absolutely love that its not just another black guitar.
the aesthetics of it are just fantastic.


----------



## drjenkins

Yeah, the specs are great no doubt. And if/when they're announced I'm jumping in on it.


----------



## Codyyy

Wait, so it's white with an ebony board now?


:flacid:


----------



## ShawnFjellstad

Codyyy said:


> Wait, so it's white with an ebony board now?
> 
> 
> :flacid:




no its not. its natural with a maple board.


----------



## noodles

darren said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of those "serious intents" to buy vapourize when it's actually announced.





I'll be surprised if we get ten out of the 50+ committed people on the list.


----------



## Shannon

I had intended to buy the ESP SC-608B, but seeing as this may be a real possibility, I'm holding out for the Agile 8. I love my Pro 27, so I want this too. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get this into production. People's attention will begin to wane & I know I could be prevy to it also.

RUSH THIS INTO PRODUCTION, KIDS!


----------



## noodles

Honestly, the longer scale is what really makes this more appealing to me than the SC8. I don't think 27" is enough for a low F#.


----------



## Adam

noodles said:


> Honestly, the longer scale is what really makes this more appealing to me than the SC8. *I don't think 27" is enough for a low F#*.



In a few months that will no longer be true


----------



## B36arin

I've wanted an 8 string for ages, but I can't afford to buy an RG-2228, and I wouldn't buy any 1500$ guitar without trying it first(except if it was a custom), and I live in the Faroe Islands(same as shipping to Denmark) = NO FRIGGIN GUITARS TO TRY. Seriously, the one music shop in the capital has ONE seven string, and probably 2 guitars with actives... This guitar looks freaking amazing, and 500$ is absolutely nothing here with the current exchange rates. Compared to the exchange rates before 9/11, 500$ is worth as much in our currency now as 300$ was back then. And it'd be even easier if it's 2x250$, with a deposit first., I'd seriously jump over it. I've been having wet dreams about this thing since I read through the entire thread a couple of days ago, and there's nothing in the world that's going to stop me from getting one when/if Kurt starts producing it(except if it's sold out within an hour).


----------



## plyta

I really hope this goes somewhere, or I'll buy a resonator and start playing blues with one finger in open tuning 
:moneyrippingmewalletwantsomthin'new:


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´m buying an agile, and it´s either this 8 string when it´s announced, OR it´s a seven string... either way i need a new guitar, and hopefully the 8 string will come out soon enough that i can use my other guitar while waiting


----------



## darren

Codyyy said:


> Wait, so it's white with an ebony board now?
> 
> 
> :flacid:



Just so nobody's confused, i've updated the first post in the thread with the ongoing evolution of the design.


----------



## darren

noodles said:


> I'll be surprised if we get ten out of the 50+ committed people on the list.





I didn't want to sound overly pessimistic, but when i said "at least half" i really meant "maybe one in four will put their money where their mouth is".


----------



## darren

Adam said:


> In a few months that will no longer be true





Do you know something we don't know?


----------



## Adam

darren said:


> Do you know something we don't know?



Yes, but I'm not permitted to say anything more, but I will say this, scale length will soon be a matter of preferance, not a requirement.


----------



## TomAwesome

I wonder if there are some new kinds of strings coming out or something..


----------



## Scarpie

Adam said:


> Yes, but I'm not permitted to say anything more, but I will say this, scale length will soon be a matter of preferance, not a requirement.



hey man i hope i am not speaking for myself here, but what?


----------



## TimSE

Adam said:


> Yes, but I'm not permitted to say anything more, but I will say this, scale length will soon be a matter of preferance, not a requirement.



oooooooooooo!


----------



## Adam

TomAwesome said:


> I wonder if there are some new kinds of strings coming out or something..


Maybe, you'll just have to wait.



Scarpie said:


> hey man i hope i am not speaking for myself here, but what?



Like I said I'm not permitted to say anything more.


----------



## Scarpie

gotcha, awesome avatar by the way.


----------



## Hoff

I usually prefer a ton of controls and tonal variations but the simplicity of the current model is growing on me. It might be somewhat of a "metal only" guitar but hell, at that price I'll have money left to buy another guitar if I need it. Or maybe somewhere in the future I'll drag my Agile 8-string along for funky disco shit  Imagine...


----------



## Shannon

Hoff said:


> I usually prefer a ton of controls and tonal variations but the simplicity of the current model is growing on me. It might be somewhat of a "metal only" guitar but hell, at that price I'll have money left to buy another guitar if I need it. Or maybe somewhere in the future I'll drag my Agile 8-string along for funky disco shit  Imagine...



Well, it's simple for 2 reasons.
1) Keep costs down
2) Buyers can mod them anyway they want. 

You're only stuck with the essentials for the guitar to work. Everything else will be up to you.


----------



## Drow Swordsman

Only downside for me is the lack of a neck pup. Why'd they take that off?

The string set shown is also ridiculously low, but most people with 7 and 8 strings will use a custom set anyway.


----------



## Desecrated

Drow Swordsman said:


> Only downside for me is the lack of a neck pup. Why'd they take that off?
> 
> The string set shown is also ridiculously low, but most people with 7 and 8 strings will use a custom set anyway.



It's cheaper

yes, custom stringset is the only way to go.


----------



## Metal Ken

Adam said:


> Yes, but I'm not permitted to say anything more, but I will say this, scale length will soon be a matter of preferance, not a requirement.




Steinberger's already beat you there, chief;p


----------



## Adam

Metal Ken said:


> Steinberger's already beat you there, chief;p



?


----------



## Desecrated

Adam said:


> ?



Steinberger had a guitar where you could move the nut.


----------



## darren

Drow Swordsman said:


> Only downside for me is the lack of a neck pup. Why'd they take that off?



Shannon summed it up nicely:



Shannon said:


> Well, it's simple for 2 reasons.
> 1) Keep costs down
> 2) Buyers can mod them anyway they want.
> 
> You're only stuck with the essentials for the guitar to work. Everything else will be up to you.







Drow Swordsman said:


> The string set shown is also ridiculously low, but most people with 7 and 8 strings will use a custom set anyway.



By "low" do you mean "light"? 

Normally, i prefer heavier gauges, but in this case, it's a matter of balancing out the string tension vs. keeping the gauges manageable so that a) we can still use guitar strings, and b) the bottom 1 or 2 tuners don't need to be drilled out.

Also keep in mind that the proposed scale length is 28 5/8", so you'll need far less string mass to get the same tension as you're accustomed to on a 25 1/2" scale instrument.


----------



## Adam

Desecrated said:


> Steinberger had a guitar where you could move the nut.



Oh that, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with that. No special instrument will be required.


----------



## darren

I'm guessing a Meshuggah signature model is coming out that has a longer scale?

Scale length is already a matter of choice with the LTD FM-408, which is 25.5" scale, and the SC-608 and RG2228 which are 27".


----------



## Adam

darren said:


> I'm guessing a Meshuggah signature model is coming out that has a longer scale?
> 
> Scale length is already a matter of choice with the LTD FM-408, which is 25.5" scale, and the SC-608 and RG2228 which are 27".



Nope, and no instruments with baritone scale lengths/short scale bass are required either.


----------



## TomAwesome

Desecrated said:


> Steinberger had a guitar where you could move the nut.



That's still making it a different scale length, though, and wouldn't that throw off all the frets? Or was it a fretless?


----------



## darren

The Steinberger was 28 5/8" scale and had an integrated sliding capo that let you set it to different "zero" frets.

But let's start another thread if you're interested in discussing something other than the Rondo 8-string.


----------



## Shannon

darren said:


> But let's start another thread if you're interested in discussing something other than the Rondo 8-string.


[mod mode]
Agreed. 
[/mod mode]


----------



## ibznorange

darren said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of those "serious intents" to buy vapourize when it's actually announced.
> 
> There are quite a few "i'm in, as long as [insert condition here] and i have the money."



Exactly why i didnt put my name on the list 
really, i could probably scrape the funds together to buy one, and would love to buy one when/if they come out. but not quite with the surity that i feel comfortable putting my name on the list


----------



## TomAwesome

^ Same here. If I have the spare money when it's available, I will definitely get one. But that's a big if.


----------



## Scarpie

now i am curious if they will be "custom" basis or if they are actually going to have a picture on their website as a guitar anyone can just put in their cart and "checkout"

cause i for one would like to know when i can get one, and not like the purple 7 where i found out they were available after they sold out.


----------



## darren

Kurt has said that he will entertain the idea of doing custom "one off" 8-strings, but they will cost much more... I've heard the $999 figure mentioned by others who have inquired.

The goal when i started this process was to have it be a production instrument at a more reasonable price.


----------



## ibznorange

and it seems to be headed in the right direction


----------



## sakeido

I'd seriously buy it. I just wish we could get some definite word. This is the internet! Things need to move faster!


----------



## jatspic5

It might be in one of these 82 pages,but I'm asking anyway,has anyone asked about this guitar in a lefty.I am looking at getting another custom 8 string and even if it is $999 I would buy one.


----------



## supertruper1988

sakeido said:


> I'd seriously buy it. I just wish we could get some definite word. This is the internet! Things need to move faster!


----------



## MF_Kitten

jatspic5 said:


> It might be in one of these 82 pages,but I'm asking anyway,has anyone asked about this guitar in a lefty.I am looking at getting another custom 8 string and even if it is $999 I would buy one.



if you´re paying 999$ for it, you´ll get it as lefty as you want, seeing as it´s a custom. Darren said that if you wanted a lefty, you´d have to go custom for the moment.


----------



## darren

MF_Kitten said:


> if you´re paying 999$ for it, you´ll get it as lefty as you want, seeing as it´s a custom. Darren said that if you wanted a lefty, you´d have to go custom for the moment.



When did i say that?

What i did say about lefties is that he should contact Kurt for a definitive answer. 

Rondo has been pretty good about doing lefty versions of a lot of their instruments, so i'm sure at some point after all the tooling is done, doing a lefty version would potentially be a consideration.


----------



## MF_Kitten

darren said:


> When did i say that?
> 
> What i did say about lefties is that he should contact Kurt for a definitive answer.
> 
> Rondo has been pretty good about doing lefty versions of a lot of their instruments, so i'm sure at some point after all the tooling is done, doing a lefty version would potentially be a consideration.



oh, sorry, i thought you said that somewhere along the line 

well, you have to contact kurt anyways 

i think someone said you´d have to go custom though...

but yeah, darren said "contact kurt", you guys! 

which i just did. ordered me a custom guitar


----------



## B36arin

Is it an eight string?


----------



## yevetz

B36arin said:


> Is it an eight string?



no we talk about 9.5 strings Fender Stratocaster 


















































sorry


----------



## Ishan

I think he was talking about MF_Kitten custom guitar


----------



## yevetz

Is there was any talk about case for it ?


----------



## MF_Kitten

i ordered a 28.625" scale septor 7 string, and the septor 727 is maple neck-through with mahogany body wings. and i linked the pic of the current 8 string mockup to show him how i wanted the finish to look and stuff, just raw... and then Kurt said "so you basically want a 7 string version of the Defiant 8?" and my brain exploded, because i hadn´t thought of that 

so now it´s going to be like the current mockup, but with a TOM string-thru bridge, standard direct-mounted humbuckers, and a reverse in-line headstock.

Darren, your mockup is kinda going to become reality here, so you´ll see what it will look like in real guitar form! 

just waiting for the email back, now that i´ve confirmed the order


----------



## Celiak

Mmmmmmmm... Sexy, I can't wait to see it .


----------



## darren

Cool. The Defiant's body shape is a little different from the Septor, but with the longer neck, it might work. Or do you still want the Septor's body shape but Defiant 8 specs?

BTW, Kurt and i did a bit of back-and-forth on the model name for the 8, and came up with something we both kinda like. I'm not sure if he wants to let the cat out of the bag just yet, so i'll keep that one under my hat for now.


----------



## MF_Kitten

it ended up as a "Defiant 7" with all the same specs, except a TOM bridge and 2 passive pups, direct mounted.

also, now i gotta go to my bank and get a checkbook... i didn´t know people still payed with checks, but apparently you americans do! 

Kurt wanted the deposit sent by mail in the form of a check... kinda weird, but if i want it, i´ll have to go to the bank and ask them if it´s possible to get a check in norway


----------



## Desecrated

MF_Kitten said:


> it ended up as a "Defiant 7" with all the same specs, except a TOM bridge and 2 passive pups, direct mounted.
> 
> also, now i gotta go to my bank and get a checkbook... i didn´t know people still payed with checks, but apparently you americans do!
> 
> Kurt wanted the deposit sent by mail in the form of a check... kinda weird, but if i want it, i´ll have to go to the bank and ask them if it´s possible to get a check in norway



Thats actually a good question, I don't know if we still have a check system over here.


----------



## darren

Do your post offices not do money orders?


----------



## yevetz

yevetz said:


> Is there was any talk about case for it ?


----------



## MF_Kitten

darren said:


> Do your post offices not do money orders?



no... and not checks either... believe it or not 

i COULD order an american checkbook, but the price of the checkbook and then all the added costs that they pin on you for using a check, is too much to be worth it, so... looks like i´m not going the custom path with agile... had i known that there would be a requirement for payment via check, i wouldn´t have gone through all the trouble. not for myself, but for kurt, that is, but he said he understood though...

so it looks like i´m buying a production line Agile... because i still love agile


----------



## Kronpox

MF_Kitten said:


> no... and not checks either... believe it or not
> 
> i COULD order an american checkbook, but the price of the checkbook and then all the added costs that they pin on you for using a check, is too much to be worth it, so... looks like i´m not going the custom path with agile...



I've definitely never heard this one as a dealbreaker on getting a custom guitar  Nothing against you, it's just rare to hear "yeah, I'd buy this- if I had some way of getting the money to you!"

ITT we take the technologies of the 21st century for granted

I'm wrapping up talks with Kurt about something that I believe most of the people in this thread would find extremely interesting. I don't want to give out any details for the time being but once everything's confirmed and the build is started I'll spill the beans for you guys.


----------



## MF_Kitten

yeah, but i only have so much money, and when the expences of paying becomes so large i can´t actually make the payment, then i´m not up for it. i love agile and all though, so i´ve ordered meself a nice un´


----------



## Hoff

Kronpox said:


> I'm wrapping up talks with Kurt about something that I believe most of the people in this thread would find extremely interesting. I don't want to give out any details for the time being but once everything's confirmed and the build is started I'll spill the beans for you guys.



There's too many secrets in this thread!


----------



## Auyard

Since I'm (very) late to this thread and theres 84 pages can someone tell me:is this going to happen?


----------



## darren

It's looking very promising, but at the moment, Kurt is in discussions with the factory to see if the parts are available to be able to build it at the "around $500" price point.


----------



## Zoltta

God i will buy one right away if this happens lol


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ishan said:


> This is the current model :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The scale length is still uncertain.



Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?

Kurt


----------



## Justin Bailey

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



set neck version sounds good too.


----------



## sakeido

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



I'd be interested in the one for $650 for sure, I'm sure there would be a market for the set neck version too.. but I would be more interested in seeing the neck-through version with Agile passives in it bridge & neck so that we can swap them for more expensive passive pickups.


----------



## Auyard

What would the neck be on these wide and flat or chunky like a Gibson LP?


----------



## plyta

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



Yes


----------



## kurtzentmaier

sakeido said:


> I'd be interested in the one for $650 for sure, I'm sure there would be a market for the set neck version too.. but I would be more interested in seeing the neck-through version with Agile passives in it bridge & neck so that we can swap them for more expensive passive pickups.



We are pretty much committed to the neck through version with the EMG 808s to start with. Depending on how that comes out we can make variations. 

Is there a market for an 8 string bridge in the $50 range? Since there appears to be so much interested, we are probobly going to develop out own over time and could sell them seperatly.

Kurt


----------



## sakeido

kurtzentmaier said:


> We are pretty much committed to the neck through version with the EMG 808s to start with. Depending on how that comes out we can make variations.



Is there any timeline on when the 8 string will be ready for sale? What scale did you settle on? 
I will put in a deposit for one right now if its only a couple months out.


----------



## Desecrated

I'm interested in them both, the cheaper the better but a neckthrough with an emg sounds tempting to. 

Is setneck cheaper then bolt on ?


----------



## Groff

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



Hardware can be updated.

$499.99 is fuckin' nice. Set neck does not bother me one bit.

But personally... The neck thru would be the way to go  Even for $150 more.


----------



## TemjinStrife

The real question is, would you be willing to take payment in deposits/installments like suggested in the "interest" thread? Because if you are able to do that, $325 x2 is much more palatable than $650x1.


----------



## Qucifer

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650



I'm definitely in!



kurtzentmaier said:


> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



I have more interest in the neck-through/hipshot/808 version.

Thanks! Just let me know when I can place an order!

Q


----------



## wes225

please make it 499$ !!!! ill so buy this if its 499$ even if i need a amp more then anything. hah.


----------



## Splees

wes225 said:


> please make it 499$ !!!! ill so buy this if its 499$ even if i need a amp more then anything. hah.



just save up a little more, I think there is more than enough time for that.


----------



## The Echthros

So it's going to happen. eh?! HOTTDAMN! Since interest is being gauged for the 499 "base" model, Id be in...pending a couple of things.

Since we are looking at a 2ND possible 8 now, can we actually get it in different finish besides natural? some basic solid or transparent colors, maybe(black, red, white, silver, green, blue; trans black, red, blue, green)?

And since we have one all but set in stone as being an active pickup model, is it possible to have this new model a passive pickup model? Im in favor for a passive pickup with a more traditional, to use the term loosely, routing than the EMG bass casing. This would provide a few more options should the consumer decide to modify.

Whatcha think, Kurt?


----------



## Splees

il_echthros_777 said:


> So it's going to happen. eh?! HOTTDAMN! Since interest is being gauged for the 499 "base" model, Id be in...pending a couple of things.
> 
> Since we are looking at a 2ND possible 8 now, can we actually get it in different finish besides natural? some basic solid or transparent colors, maybe(black, red, white, silver, green, blue; trans black, red, blue, green)?
> 
> And since we have one all but set in stone as being an active pickup model, is it possible to have this new model a passive pickup model? Im in favor for a passive pickup with a more traditional, to use the term loosely, routing than the EMG bass casing. This would provide a few more options should the consumer decide to modify.
> 
> Whatcha think, Kurt?



I'd second that. I dont know for sure but do you think they'd have to make their own pickups?


----------



## Hoff

I'd cast my vote for the 650$ neck-thru/EMG 808. And I'd like to hear more about possible future models and colors too. I'm so glad that this is happening!


----------



## wes225

8 string V (drools)


----------



## Desecrated

sakeido said:


> Is there any timeline on when the 8 string will be ready for sale? What scale did you settle on?



+1


----------



## theunforgiven246

I'm good with the 650 version, but would prefer one with passives and maybe your bridge (as long as its still well built) especially if that'd bring the price down a bit like even to 600/599. For the set neck version, should the body wood be different like alder or something?


----------



## Groff

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there a market for an 8 string bridge in the $50 range? Since there appears to be so much interested, we are probobly going to develop out own over time and could sell them seperatly.
> 
> Kurt



I'd say so. That's cheaper than a hipshot 6 string bridge.


----------



## The Echthros

> I'm good with the 650 version, but would prefer one with passives and maybe your bridge (as long as its still well built) especially if that'd bring the price down a bit like even to 600/599. For the set neck version, should the body wood be different like alder or something?



Thats something that may need to be adressed i would assume. a set maple neck is not going to bring the same tonal properties as the already proposed neck-thru maple neck on the higher end model. Alder may be a good balanced option, but what about giving swamp ash a go? i think a swamp ash version with this finish would be pretty rad:
SX PBG2 Pirate Bass at HomeOld

i like the raised grain look


----------



## Desecrated

il_echthros_777 said:


> Thats something that may need to be adressed i would assume. a set maple neck is not going to bring the same tonal properties as the already proposed neck-thru maple neck on the higher end model. Alder may be a good balanced option, but what about giving swamp ash a go? i think a swamp ash version with this finish would be pretty rad:
> SX PBG2 Pirate Bass at HomeOld
> 
> i like the raised grain look



I think alder is cheaper. ?


----------



## The Echthros

I guess a cost vs. cost comparison is very important and I'm sure youre probably right about swamp ash being more exspensive than alder. another question would be is swamp ash, or just regular old generic ash, more expensive than the already proposed mahogany?
maybe it is im not to in the know of market availability or demand on the tone woods in question. Ultimately what ever tone wood chosen for this application is fine as long as it maintains the responsiveness and clarity inherent in the original neck-thru design.


----------



## Celiak

I'm going for the 650 one, because I really want the neck-thru. To me I don't really care about the pickups being EMG. Actually, I would prefer they weren't so I could have an option to swap them out. It isn't a big deal to me though, the neck-thru is the most important thing.


----------



## TomAwesome

I don't think it's going to have neck-thru responsiveness and clarity regardless of the wood choice, but at that scale length, I don't think it's much of an issue (not that I'm claiming to have an expert opinion). Swamp ash would probably be a pretty nice choice, but alder would be quite good, too. Hell, basswood would probably still work pretty well at that scale length. The 2228s sound really great at only 27". Mahogany is about the only wood I'd be a little iffy about on a bolt-on, but that might even work just fine.

That said, I'm still personally more interested in the neck-thru version.


----------



## The Echthros

for the love of god....NO BASSWOOD!

i currently still have a basswood Ibanez RG7 and ive owned a schecter hellraiser. If I had a choice to do it all again...i would never have bought the Ibanez. Basswood is just awful...mahogany was just beautiful


----------



## Desecrated

il_echthros_777 said:


> for the love of god....NO BASSWOOD!
> 
> i currently still have a basswood Ibanez RG7 and ive owned a schecter hellraiser. If I had a choice to do it all again...i would never have bought the Ibanez. Basswood is just awful...mahogany was just beautiful



I kinda understand you, I myself have no problem with basswood, but I know that some people have, BUT, a 8string baritone neck is so wide that even with basswood in the body it will have better tone then a standard basswood 7-string. 

IMO. 

But I would vote for alder in a setneck edition. 

BUT, Let's just try and get the neckthru version on the market first, we have had a long thread/journey and many votes and a lot of people have decided on the specs that kurt has agreed on.


----------



## The Echthros

^+1 and an AMEN!


----------



## TemjinStrife

What is all of this stuff about set-neck vs neckthrough changes in tone and definition? A good setneck will sound as good as a good through-neck. The only difference is you'll get more "body wood" tone... and we're veering very far into guitar "voodoo" right now as is...

i.e., you're starting to sound close to Mr. Ed Roman, and his idea that set necks rob all kinds of tone from a guitar because glue doesn't resonate like wood.


----------



## bostjan

Neck-through versus set-neck is mainly a feel sort of thing IMO.

Any scale length can be tuned to any tuning, but the scale length is pretty important in detrmining the tone.


----------



## Desecrated

TemjinStrife said:


> What is all of this stuff about set-neck vs neckthrough changes in tone and definition? A good setneck will sound as good as a good through-neck. The only difference is you'll get more "body wood" tone... and we're veering very far into guitar "voodoo" right now as is...
> 
> i.e., you're starting to sound close to Mr. Ed Roman, and his idea that set necks rob all kinds of tone from a guitar because glue doesn't resonate like wood.



I was under the impression that with a neckthrough you would get more tonal character from the wood in the neck then with a setneck, where the body determines the tonal character more.


----------



## Kronpox

I'm interested in this Agile 8-string bridge. If we could get a mockup or even a description of it that would be cool.


----------



## Shannon

$650 for a neck-through 8? I'm in. I guess I know what I'm spending some of my tax return on! Soooo.....I wanna know when this'll be available!

And like another person said, any change of different finishes? If not, I'm still cool with natural! I can't wait to get one of these!


----------



## NegaTiveXero

I'm interested in the specs of the $500 one.

Is it essentially the same thing with a set-neck, Agile pickups and bridge?

You should make it with a different fretboard too.

Also, the Agile pickups, they going to be passive?


----------



## darren

Well, i'm pretty pleased with how this is turning out. Now, instead of having ONE entry-level 8, we're possibly going to have TWO! So people will have a choice.

I've suggested to Kurt the following distinctions:

*Agile [model name] 828 &#8211; $499*
- bolt-on or set-neck maple/walnut 5-piece neck
- maple fretboard
- ash body
- charcoal gray stain with satin poly finish
- Agile passive pickup
- Agile bridge

*Agile [model name] Pro 828 &#8211; $650*
- neck-thru maple/walnut 5-piece neck
- maple fretboard
- mahogany body wings
- tung oil or satin poly finish
- EMG-808 pickup
- Hipshot bridge

I'm waiting to hear from Kurt if the name we've talked about is finalized yet and if i can reveal it to you guys.  

I've also asked if the Agile passive pickup will be an open-coil passive type or if it will be in an EMG-style housing. I've expressed a preference for the former in a passive pickup, since a lot of you guys will want to drop in a Swineshead or Lundgren M8.

Once i've got the answer to these questions, MOAR MOCKUPZ!

My last remaining question to Kurt is about a hardshell case to fit this monster. 

He mentioned that pre-orders _could be starting_ as soon as early May. Stay tuned for more details!


----------



## Shannon

darren said:


> My last remaining question to Kurt is about a hardshell case to fit this monster.



Well, I'm using one of his baritone cases for my Agile Interceptor Pro 27. That's a 27" scale with a 7-inline headstock. Since the proposed 8 is 28 5/8" w/ a 4+4 headstock, it seems to me that the same baritone case would most likely work just fine. I think the 8 would be the same overall length as the mentioned Pro 27.


----------



## darren

Cool... i didn't know he had baritone cases available! That should work!


----------



## Shannon

darren said:


> Cool... i didn't know he had baritone cases available! That should work!


Without the picture, it's a bit hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure this is the one I have. 
Douglas 7 String and Baritone Case at HomeOld


----------



## technomancer

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



$650 model all the way... and definitely prefer a satin poly finish to tung oil... tung oiled mahogany is just asking for trouble.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Perhaps something other than charcoal grey as the finish on the ash bolt-on/setneck? I've got plenty of black/gray guitars... a trans blue, green, or red finish on ash is pretty nice-looking...


----------



## Cancer

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok guys. - Looks like the above can be done for $650
> Would there be any interest in a set neck for $499.99 with Agile pickups and bridge ?
> 
> Kurt



Agile pickups and bridge, maybe/yes. Set neck? No, at least not on the first run. Kurt, at this price point you are kicking the crap out of ALL the current production 8 strings just on specs alone.



....oh and put me down for one.


----------



## darren

TemjinStrife said:


> Perhaps something other than charcoal grey as the finish on the ash bolt-on/setneck? I've got plenty of black/gray guitars... a trans blue, green, or red finish on ash is pretty nice-looking...



... even if it looks something like this?






*DISCLAIMER:* This is a concept drawing only. The guitar and its hardware may not appear exactly as shown in the final model.​
I like it because it's simple, clean, classy, looks hot in a utilitarian way (reminds me of Meshuggah's customs) and it totally sets off the maple fretboard.

I'd love to see Kurt do a bunch of colours, but i want to focus on getting this first one out, simple and naked. 

That said, i'd love to see something like this:






*DISCLAIMER:* This is a concept drawing only. The guitar and its hardware may not appear exactly as shown in the final model.​


----------



## theshred201

Looks like I'm going to have to look into one of these when they are released--my question though--what is the likelihood of a shorter scale length 8 for those of use who want a high A? Probably already brought up, but I don't want to read this entire thread....


----------



## maliciousteve

These are giving me GAS more and more


----------



## El Caco

theshred201 said:


> Looks like I'm going to have to look into one of these when they are released--my question though--what is the likelihood of a shorter scale length 8 for those of use who want a high A? Probably already brought up, but I don't want to read this entire thread....



A custom is $999, you can order now and get whatever specs you want within reason.


----------



## Desecrated

Why not this top for the setneck: 






An alder body with a maple top, would get it bright and pretty cheap. maybe get an end tag of 549 dollars or so. 

The one he did with the maple neck looked fucking awesome.


----------



## Scarpie

wow. pretty freakin exciting. i'd be a shoe in for the either model. i'd prefer a set neck but at the neckthru specs with woods and whatnot and pickups, haha but yeah if pre orders start in early may that'd be incredibly fulfilling.


----------



## TomAwesome

Wow, that $499 model is looking pretty damn nice, too. I love that they've got non-EMG sized passives. I may actually have some thinking to do once I have some money! 

Both of these guitars are looking like they'll kick the crap out of every other production model 8 out there! There are only three I'm aware of, but especially considering the differences in price, I can't help but be really impressed every time there's an update on this thread.


----------



## Desecrated

I keep looking at this and it just looks so damm cheap, I know that it is a better wood then alder but it looks like a toy/furniture more then an instrument.

Edit: 

I just remembered that it doesn't really mater what top/paintjob it has, That's one of the easiest things to mod. I still think the maple top looks better but I can always add a maple veneer later.


----------



## Desecrated

I just thought of something, is there still enough interest to do one 28.625" pro model and one 27" model ?
Or will it cost to much to develop two different 8-string necks ?


----------



## darren

TomAwesome said:


> I love that they've got non-EMG sized passives.



*THIS HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED YET!*

That's why i put the big disclaimer on the images. I'm still waiting to hear from Kurt whether he's talking about developing an open-coil Agile 8-string pickup or if it will be a covered unit like the EMGs.

Keep in mind that adding things like maple tops are going to push the price up again. Kurt really wants to have a model under the $500 price point.

As for the 27" scale thing, who knows? There are already other 27" scale options on the market.


----------



## Niels

Most awesome initiative darren, seriously, thanks a lot


----------



## B36arin

I like the passive option very much! Somehow the ash body set neck sounds like a safer bet than the maple neck thru with mahogany wings, don't ask me why. The 828 wood combo just sounds a bit experimental. And for pretty much the same price(50-100$ more) you can get the 500$ model and get a Lundgren in the bridge.

What would the heel of the set-neck be like? I have 2 set-neck guitars, one of them has a very clear heel that's quite annoying if you want high fret access, and one of them is a Schecter C-7 Blackjack which feels like a neck-thru.


----------



## MF_Kitten

the trans black alder set-neck model looks like sexual pleasure... this means i´m getting one 

it looks like the 7 string i wanted, but that got sold out (limited run septor 727)...

it´ll go well with my newly purchased agile 28" baritone 6 string (on it´s way now!) and my 7 with the sherman neck... yeeeeah! 

whether the pickup is the EMG or the passive open coil-type (if they can make one that is), then i don´t really care which it is, as long as it sounds nice. the open-coiled one looks better though 

i´m glad this is nearing a conclusion 

(after this, i won´t ever be able to play a standard-size instrument ever again! most of my instruments are going to be longer than 27" now, and then there´s nothing in between, just straight 25.5"-28+" )


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> *
> As for the 27" scale thing, who knows? There are already other 27" scale options on the market.*


*

yeah but it costs 4 times more hahahaha *


----------



## Justin Bailey

I'd like to see the second non neckthrough version be a bolt on that way we have two, more oposite ends of the construction spectrum represented. plus a lot of people prefer the tone of a bolt on to a set neck. I'd also like to see the bolt on/set neck version, with a different board, maybe rosewood, too keep with the darker look.

also I apologize if I wasnt very clear, I just woke up, and my eyes are still half shut, hahahaha.


----------



## TemjinStrife

I will admit that charcoal black looks nice, but at that point you might as well SCREAM that "I'm getting an 8 string cause I love Meshuggah!" Don't get me wrong, they do great and innovative stuff, but there's more to do on an 8 string than just "what Meshuggah does."

So, I'm kind of opposed to it on that basis, and also on the fact that black and grey are kinda overdone to me. Ash looks great in other colors too, anyways.

Granted, this could be academic as I might be willing to shell the extra $150 out for the neckthru depending on the setneck's specs. (a Lundgren 8-string pickup will cost half of what the guitar costs, whereas the EMG might well be quite passable for me tone-wise)


----------



## Ishan

An open coil passive would be cool, I could have it rewound by BKP


----------



## Desecrated

TemjinStrife said:


> I will admit that charcoal black looks nice, but at that point you might as well SCREAM that "I'm getting an 8 string cause I love Meshuggah!" Don't get me wrong, they do great and innovative stuff, but there's more to do on an 8 string than just "what Meshuggah does."
> 
> So, I'm kind of opposed to it on that basis, and also on the fact that black and grey are kinda overdone to me. Ash looks great in other colors too, anyways.
> 
> Granted, this could be academic as I might be willing to shell the extra $150 out for the neckthru depending on the setneck's specs. (a Lundgren 8-string pickup will cost half of what the guitar costs, whereas the EMG might well be quite passable for me tone-wise)



There is a lot of people on this site who's been screaming for a meshuggah signature ibanez so I don't think it's a bad idea to do a meshuggah wannabe rondo guitar, Maybe even go 30", with a passive.


----------



## darren

*On the case issue:*

One of Rondo's design objectives is for this instrument to fit in their Baritone scale case, so there will be a hardshell case available.

*On the passive pickup issue:*

Can any of you guys that have Lundgren M8s in your 8s (Dendroapsis, Crucified?) please send me dimensions of the base plate/body cavity so Kurt can see if he can build a passive pickup that can easily be swapped out for some other aftermarket options?


----------



## Kronpox

TemjinStrife said:


> I will admit that charcoal black looks nice, but at that point you might as well SCREAM that "I'm getting an 8 string cause I love Meshuggah!"



That's exactly why I want one and I'm not afraid to say it


----------



## Niels

Me neither, I love Meshuggah, I love black/grey/charcoal guitars and I don't care I'm part of a crowd xD
Though I like the looks of the neck-thru version with a 5-piece maple/walnut neck as well.


----------



## B Lopez

I've liked all the mock-ups I've seen so far but...



darren said:


> *DISCLAIMER:* This is a concept drawing only. The guitar and its hardware may not appear exactly as shown in the final model.​



This. Rules. So. Hard.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> *On the case issue:*
> 
> One of Rondo's design objectives is for this instrument to fit in their Baritone scale case, so there will be a hardshell case available.
> 
> *On the passive pickup issue:*
> 
> Can any of you guys that have Lundgren M8s in your 8s (Dendroapsis, Crucified?) please send me dimensions of the base plate/body cavity so Kurt can see if he can build a passive pickup that can easily be swapped out for some other aftermarket options?



What kind of dimension does those cases have? 

And can you do a mock up with a flame maple top just like the interceptor, just to see how sexy it looks ? Pretty please with e-rep and hugs.


----------



## TomAwesome

darren said:


> *THIS HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED YET!*
> 
> That's why i put the big disclaimer on the images. I'm still waiting to hear from Kurt whether he's talking about developing an open-coil Agile 8-string pickup or if it will be a covered unit like the EMGs.



I know. I was just expressing that I liked it. It leaves a lot more options for aftermarket pickups, especially when/if DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan start making 8-string pickups.


----------



## The Echthros

on the topic of pickups, I know quite a few people are looking to replace the stock pickup on the 650 model and the 500 model. Upon research I've discovered that the swineshead pickups are actually a direct replacement for the EMG 808 as stated on their site. So those who are opting for the 500 version because it may be passive have an option of both models. sure, it would mean changing out existing wiring and components to switch over to passives on the 650 but IT IS DOABLE. As for the Lundgren that others are considering, just check out kevin's Ibanez 8...the lundgrens look to fit fine to me.

It appaears that maybe with 8 string pickups the gap in size between passives and EMG pickups inherent in 7 string pickups has grown much smaller or all together non existant: theyre damn near the same size if not the same size.

while on the topic of pickups...Kurt has been this badass in helping design this instrument couldnt we take a bit more time to design an in house pickup? If we could collaborate on this as group with kurt like we have done for this instrument we may find we can come up with something comporable or better. it is going to take TIME TIME TIME though and most of yall seem to want this guitar yesterday rather than wait tomorrow...


----------



## Ishan

Here's the Swineshead schematic for a bridge pickup :





I don't think they are the same as lundgrens but it's still an option.
I think we can ask Lundgren himself for his pickups dimensions, he have potential customers waiting


----------



## TemjinStrife

il_echthros is right. The Swineshead 8-string pickups have deliberately narrowed ears and are the same dimensions as the EMG (EMG 808 is 102mm x 38mm x 19mm, while Swineshead are 100.8mm x 37.6mm). The only issue is that there will be gaps above and below the pickup "ears," but those can be easily covered by a custom pickup ring or simply ignored.

Swineshead Pickups - Eclipse 8 String Humbucker - Perfect for blues, jazz and rock guitar
Swineshead Pickups - Apex 8 String Humbucker - Perfect for blues, jazz and rock guitar

However, at 79-99 pounds a pop, these are not cheap pickups. However, it does show that routing for an 808 is not the end of the world.

EDIT: Ishan beat me to it.


----------



## Ishan

I just checked on BKP, their 8 pickups have a 73mm string spacing, just slightly bigger than Swineshead.


----------



## Desecrated

I wonder if lundgren can make pickups that are the same measurements that EMG, I'm going to e-mail him an ask.


----------



## bostjan

Swinesheads are good pickups, but I don't think the price would be so great, and they are custom made to order, so I'm not so sure they could handle the bulk so easily.

To be realistic, EMG would probably be the only company able to do aftermarket eight string pickups in large quantities in a short amount of time.


----------



## Desecrated

bostjan said:


> Swinesheads are good pickups, but I don't think the price would be so great, and they are custom made to order, so I'm not so sure they could handle the bulk so easily.
> 
> To be realistic, EMG would probably be the only company able to do aftermarket eight string pickups in large quantities in a short amount of time.



My impression of rondo is that they often just do small quantities, Right now there is 73 people on the list, I would be surprised if even 10% went through with it, so if rondo makes 8 guitars to start with, I think any pickup brand is on the target. 

BUT I'm very pleased with the emg and think they are a good idea to start with.


----------



## darren

B36arin said:


> I like the passive option very much! Somehow the ash body set neck sounds like a safer bet than the maple neck thru with mahogany wings, don't ask me why. The 828 wood combo just sounds a bit experimental.



Both options are pretty much "classic" in terms of their construction. Boutique guitar and bass builders have been using maple and mahogany together for years, for guitars and basses.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> Both options are pretty much "classic" in terms of their construction. Boutique guitar and bass builders have been using maple and mahogany together for years, for guitars and basses.



+1 

There has been a lot of hate on mahogany on this site, but with this wood combination and scale length, I don't think there will be a problem.


----------



## TomAwesome

bostjan said:


> Swinesheads are good pickups, but I don't think the price would be so great, and they are custom made to order, so I'm not so sure they could handle the bulk so easily.
> 
> To be realistic, EMG would probably be the only company able to do aftermarket eight string pickups in large quantities in a short amount of time.



I don't think the idea is for the guitars to ship with Swinesheads. They're just looking up measurements so Kurt has more information to work with if they decide to design some Agile passives.


----------



## darren

About the only thing i can suggest is that the pole piece alignment on the passive pickup match the string spacing of the bridge. Aside from that, any particular preferences?


----------



## Ishan

in term of specs:
- around 18-20k
- ceramic magnet for maximum clarity
- double screw or hex pole piece so it's adjustable to the radius
- black bobins

In term of size there's a problem as any manufacturer do things differently, I'd say if string spacing from the hipshot bridge is compatible with the Lundgren M8 we should use the M8 measurements, as it's going to be the most popular replacement pickup.


----------



## Desecrated

Ishan said:


> in term of specs:
> - around 18-20k



That's pretty much, isen't the x2n something like 16 ?


----------



## bostjan

Yeah, aren't Lundgrens around 13kOhms?


----------



## TomAwesome

Yes, but the Swineshead Apex 8 is 19.1k. I think anywhere between 16k-20k would work pretty decently.

Edit: If the Lundgren is 13k, I guess it could easily go lower. Maybe something around 16k.


----------



## ibznorange

Uh, yeah, 20k is pretty fucking hot. like ridiculously so 
clearly other things contribute to heat along with the resistance, but thats just sorta a good indicator. id say shoor around 14-16k


----------



## bostjan

Just my opinion, but Pickup impedance seems to have more to do with low-mids than overall power...as long as the magnets are ceramic.

To get a hotter output, you'd almost definately have to change the magnets.

I don't see what would be wrong with something around 16kOhms with ceramic magnets, though.


----------



## TomAwesome

bostjan said:


> I don't see what would be wrong with something around 16kOhms with ceramic magnets, though.



That sounds pretty good to me.


----------



## ibznorange

bostjan said:


> Just my opinion, but Pickup impedance seems to have more to do with low-mids than overall power...as long as the magnets are ceramic.
> 
> To get a hotter output, you'd almost definately have to change the magnets.
> 
> I don't see what would be wrong with something around 16kOhms with ceramic magnets, though.



i agree with what your saying with the impedance. youre dead on in that, but it does help gauge how hot it is, to an extent. not exactly though.

the magnets on the other hand seem to be even less involved in how hot it is. switching a5 from ceramic really doesnt lower output much. its less cutting, which could make it seem less hot i guess, but really just as loud.


----------



## bostjan

well, your amp will make it loud or not loud.[/sarcasm]

Different magnets work best with different number of winding. Rare earth magnets, like NdFeB or SmCo, will give a higher resonant frequency (more upper mids, providing more cut) with larger number of winds (and thus a higher Z) as opposed to ceramics with a high Z.

It's really just a matter of taste. I'm sure I prefer brighter tones than most of you guys...but it still ought to be important in determining what to use for an ERG, since the tones are a little more touchy.


----------



## Ishan

Don't forget it's an 8 strings pickup, ie : more DC rating (resistance) doesn't means more output. A X2N-7 might be 16k but it's a 7 string pickups, on 8 string pickups bobins are longer so the rating is higher for the same amount of turns.
But yea, something around 16-18k would be ok I guess (heck, even 12-13k would be much clearer but would need some form of boost).
Another thing, the bigger the pole pieces, the bigger the bass. That's why BKP use those big alen bolt on the Warpigs which is very bass heavy.
So to keep things tight, some small alen screws and ceramic magnet should work.


----------



## ibznorange

but, since hottness is actually measured in voltage under the same frequency of the same string etc, more winds will still raise the output voltage. just how electricity works dude


----------



## Ishan

Exactly, but more winds means less highs and basses, hex screws should help with the basses and ceramic with the highs  It's a balance to keep, I'm no pickups expert


----------



## drjenkins

Is there any way that Kurt would let us do a down payment on these so we can be guaranteed a guitar? It could be non-refundable, and that way he knows that what he's ordering from the factory is already accounted for? Just an idea.


----------



## Desecrated

should we shake on 16k ?


----------



## Desecrated

drjenkins said:


> Is there any way that Kurt would let us do a down payment on these so we can be guaranteed a guitar? It could be non-refundable, and that way he knows that what he's ordering from the factory is already accounted for? Just an idea.



I kinda like that idea to, because it makes it easier to raise money that way to


----------



## drjenkins

Desecrated said:


> I kinda like that idea to, because it makes it easier to raise money that way to


----------



## bostjan

Yeah, but an M8 is an eight string pickup.

Output voltage is more than just the number of winds. There is bias field, proximity, magnetic susceptibility of the strings, and placement of the pickup that are also very important.

Just saying you won't want to overdo it.


----------



## Auyard

drjenkins said:


> Is there any way that Kurt would let us do a down payment on these so we can be guaranteed a guitar? It could be non-refundable, and that way he knows that what he's ordering from the factory is already accounted for? Just an idea.



I agree. I am ready to do that at this very moment.


----------



## darren

drjenkins said:


> Is there any way that Kurt would let us do a down payment on these so we can be guaranteed a guitar? It could be non-refundable, and that way he knows that what he's ordering from the factory is already accounted for? Just an idea.



Once Kurt has all the parts and is ready to start production, he will be taking 50% non-refundable deposits. He will make an announcement here when that's ready to happen.


----------



## drjenkins

darren said:


> Once Kurt has all the parts and is ready to start production, he will be taking 50% non-refundable deposits. He will make an announcement here when that's ready to happen.



Thanks for the info!


----------



## Scarpie

awesome. i hope they prepare themselves sufficiently to handle all the orders they get. cause i want in and fast.


----------



## Drow Swordsman

I know this is just wishful thinking, but $500 and $650 aren't very far off in my opinion...

I still think with a less expensive model, a neck pickup could be had on the more expensive model and the price upped a little?

I know it's to keep the price down, but I really don't know if I would call routing an 8 string active neck pup an easy DIY job.

I may in the end go for a custom with Rondo (and getting the money by selling my UV), I'm trying to get used to the idea, but I just use my neck pickup too much I think to not have one. =/.


----------



## Desecrated

Thats not a bad idea. A cheaper model with darker style a neck pickup and a bolt on.


----------



## Drow Swordsman

Desecrated said:


> Thats not a bad idea. A cheaper model with darker style a neck pickup and a bolt on.



Oh no, I wanted the neck pup to be on the more expensive model since I want to go all out now, haha!!

I figured it may give more incentive for people to spend the extra $$$ for the more expensive 8 string other than it being neckthru.


----------



## dpm

Just a warning in case one of these ends up as a neck through or set neck single pickup model - adding 2nd pickup could be a total PITA. Remember that the cable has to get from the pickup to the control cavity! Depending on the position and shape of the cavity this can be extremely tricky. Easy on a bolt on because you can remove the neck and drill straight to the bridge pickup cavity.


----------



## daemon barbeque

The Output level (measured with Volts) can be changed with :
1)String material
2)PU height
3)Picking power
4)The number of Pots used
5)The resitance of Pots
6)The lead material etc...

The DC resitance can be low ,but you can still get higher volumes if:

1)The magnet type is right
2)The wire is right 
3)the pole pieces (or like X2N ,the magnet bar) os right etc....

My SD PATB-2 reads 18 Kohm ,and it drives my amp more than my EMG 60(Wich has the highest output in EMG line)...And still lesser than the X2N (16ish)wich has the same magnet type ,but different winding material and turns.


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> Once Kurt has all the parts and is ready to start production, he will be taking 50% non-refundable deposits. He will make an announcement here when that's ready to happen.



Does anyone know if it will be possible to pay the deposit with paypal?


----------



## MF_Kitten

Hoff said:


> Does anyone know if it will be possible to pay the deposit with paypal?



this needs to be done... for customs as well!


----------



## Desecrated

+1


----------



## MF_Kitten

as for my Agile Baritone that´s on the way:


Apr 13, 2008 12:45 AM 

In transit 

PARIS FR


----------



## plyta

darren said:


> ...
> *Agile [model name] 828 &#8211; $499*
> - bolt-on or set-neck maple/walnut 5-piece neck
> - maple fretboard
> - ash body
> - charcoal gray stain with satin poly finish
> - Agile passive pickup
> - Agile bridge
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## muffgoat

I would def be selling gear... my ass.... uuuuhhh  anything i can lmao this would be an aweosme guitar for modding, stage use or even as a studio guitar. god damn... i thought the gas cap would continue to last


----------



## ibznorange




----------



## darren

Keep in mind that the $499 model may not be coming for a while. The $649 neck-thru model will be built first, and depending on response, Kurt will proceed with the more economical model.


----------



## MF_Kitten

my Agile is in norway now... just gotta wait for it to be shipped on to this part of the country, and it´ll be miiiiine 

and again, the 499$ 8 string is looking hot as hell, for some oddball reason... like it´s a bastardized version of the other one


----------



## Kronpox

I get a laugh out of the need for a more 'economical' 8-string than $649 

I mean I like the idea and I can totally understand why there would be the second model but this is like finding someone who could build you a Ferrari for a grand and asking him to give you a deal on it


----------



## TimSE

Count me in for the Agile [model name] 828 &#8211; $499


----------



## MF_Kitten

well, remember how 7-string guitars were really costly in the beginning, but now you can get them for really cheap... so why should an 8 string cost so much more? it´s a little more wood, and then the fact that it´s bit of a rarity, and then you´re also paying for a well designed instrument...

but other than design and stuff, an 8 string is still made from the same gunk as other guitars: wood, plastic, metal and some electronics... that´s it... so if you can get guitars as low as 100$, then 8 strings don´t need to be 10 times that price all the time... it´s a production line guitar as well, remember 

i really like it when companies are being realistic, and actually MORE than just realistic about pricing. Agile has really surprised me in that department


----------



## B36arin

The black one looks extremely sexy, and if both of them hit the market at the same time, I'd have a hard time deciding which one to get. But if the neck-thru 650$ version comes our first, I'll sure as hell be getting one. And if it's really, really good I might just get the black one as well.


----------



## Desecrated

Kronpox said:


> I get a laugh out of the need for a more 'economical' 8-string than $649
> 
> I mean I like the idea and I can totally understand why there would be the second model but this is like finding someone who could build you a Ferrari for a grand and asking him to give you a deal on it



Not everyone has the ability to come up with 649 dollars without making some sort of downpayment, I usually take out stuff on 6 months downpayment or longer.


----------



## darren

It's funny, the ash one is actually closer to the original vision i had for the instrument, if you go back to the start of the thread. Bolt-on, ash body, etc. But i think the neck-thru mahogany one is going to be great.

The neck-thru is going to be built first, and depending on response, Kurt will proceed with the set neck/bolt-on version.

Ibanez did a lot of R&D and makes their own bridge for the RG2228. That all costs money that gets rolled into the final price of the instrument. They also use two EMGs, and build the guitar in Japan, which is more costly. And they include a custom case in the price as well. Rondo is building using off-the-shelf components in a Korean factory, and they don't have huge marketing costs or endorsement deals to pay out. 

There are reasons guitars cost what they do, and most of it has to do with labour costs, R&D and marketing. You can't just judge it on the cost of materials alone. Somebody has to turn those materials into a playable instrument.


----------



## Drow Swordsman

More people (including myself) seem to be more excited about the looks of the lower priced 8 string, rather than the $650 one.

I suggest we change the color of the more expensive one to one more people like, there's no point in paying for a more expensive guitar if the looks aren't as good as the less expensive model. 

That's what Ibanez does a lot of times and feel free to ask the people at Jemsite, many people hate it!


*still rooting for neck pup on more expensive model*!!


----------



## Desecrated

Drow Swordsman said:


> More people (including myself) seem to be more excited about the looks of the lower priced 8 string, rather than the $650 one.
> 
> I suggest we change the color of the more expensive one to one more people like, there's no point in paying for a more expensive guitar if the looks aren't as good as the less expensive model.
> 
> That's what Ibanez does a lot of times and feel free to ask the people at Jemsite, many people hate it!
> 
> 
> *still rooting for neck pup on more expensive model*!!



We could do a poll for color and wood. I still cheer for a maple veneer 

But I think the clear coated one looks better then the black ash. The photoshop version of the black ash looks really good, but if you look at it on a real guitar, it doesn't look so good. IMO


----------



## drjenkins

Desecrated said:


> But I think the clear coated one looks better then the black ash. The photoshop version of the black ash looks really good, but if you look at it on a real guitar, it doesn't look so good. IMO



+1


----------



## Hoff

Drow Swordsman said:


> More people (including myself) seem to be more excited about the looks of the lower priced 8 string, rather than the $650 one.
> 
> I suggest we change the color of the more expensive one to one more people like, there's no point in paying for a more expensive guitar if the looks aren't as good as the less expensive model.
> 
> That's what Ibanez does a lot of times and feel free to ask the people at Jemsite, many people hate it!
> 
> 
> *still rooting for neck pup on more expensive model*!!



I'll be sad if they switch the natural finish for a black one. I like the maple board better with a lighter body, but that's just my opinion. If it has to be finished in some other color then i vote for green  There's enough black guitars in the world already 

I'm with you on the neck pick up, but I don't think that's going to happen, since it will probably add about 100$ to the price. And I can understand that most people will prefer a lower priced guitar that they can modify themselves.


----------



## darren

Guys we're REALLY close and can't keep switching up the specs ad infinitum. The thing will NEVER get built. 

What looks "better" is purely a matter of opinion and personal taste. We'll never please everyone with just one guitar. We've had over 70 "intend to buy" responses based on the neck-thru + mahogany specs. I'm confident that if this model goes into production, it will sell out quickly and open the door for Kurt doing all kinds of other variations of body wood and finish. 

Let's just get the first one built, and _then_ start making requests for variations. Please? Just because you like the ash version better, or you want a green guitar, isn't a good reason to derail the whole process with further polls, discussion and debate over the specs.

We could be a matter of _weeks_ away from the neck-thru version going into production (which Kurt seems very much committed to at this point), so let's keep this moving forward.

And for the record, the ash one isn't black. It's charcoal gray with black grain filler. It will look a LOT different from the cheap black "ash" coffee tables you see at Wal*Mart.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i say stick to "budget" and "pro" (not actual terms, i know ), as that seems like a really really sure plan.

i´d focus on deciding on the pickups that will go in them, like deciding on it being in-house or some sort of EMGs 

the whole thing is really taking shape now, isn´t it?


----------



## B Lopez

darren said:


> Guys we're REALLY close and can't keep switching up the specs ad infinitum. The thing will NEVER get built. We've had over 70 "intend to buy" responses based on the neck-thru + mahogany specs. I'm confident that if this model goes into production, it will sell out quickly and open the door for Kurt doing all kinds of other variations of body wood and finish.
> 
> Let's just get the first one built, and _then_ start making requests for variations. Please? We'll never please everyone with just one guitar.



Seriously.

I mean, we'll be able to get a nice 8 string at a touch more than 1/2 the cost of the nearest competitor. I'll take what I can get. 

I just want the thing.


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> Guys we're REALLY close and can't keep switching up the specs ad infinitum. The thing will NEVER get built.
> 
> What looks "better" is purely a matter of opinion and personal taste. We'll never please everyone with just one guitar. We've had over 70 "intend to buy" responses based on the neck-thru + mahogany specs. I'm confident that if this model goes into production, it will sell out quickly and open the door for Kurt doing all kinds of other variations of body wood and finish.
> 
> Let's just get the first one built, and _then_ start making requests for variations. Please? Just because you like the ash version better, or you want a green guitar, isn't a good reason to derail the whole process with further polls, discussion and debate over the specs.
> 
> We could be a matter of _weeks_ away from the neck-thru version going into production (which Kurt seems very much committed to at this point), so let's keep this moving forward.
> 
> And for the record, the ash one isn't black. It's charcoal gray with black grain filler. It will look a LOT different from the cheap black "ash" coffee tables you see at Wal*Mart.



I think "derail" is a little harsh, but I get your point and I agree. Keep moving Kurt...


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> We've had over 70 "intend to buy" responses based on the neck-thru + mahogany specs.



Thats a really solid point, best one yet. 



> And for the record, the ash one isn't black. It's charcoal gray with black grain filler. It will look a LOT different from the cheap black "ash" coffee tables you see at Wal*Mart.



I was referring to the black ash bass that rondomusic sells. And the ones that meshuggah has, (not sure if thats ash, but charcoal gray) Since does are the two black/gray ash/something guitars that have been mentioned in this thread.


----------



## The Echthros

I say lets keep pushing for an in house 8 string pickup. there may be a bit of design still ahead, but i think economicaly it would bring a much better outcome. The value of in house products may be prove of great value as this instrument becomes more popular(8 string guitar)

Kurt is already in the works of developing a hipshot style bridge which he would sell at 50 bucks as opposed to the 100 bucks for hipshot's offering. This is probably for the best and with perfect timing with ESP using this bridge on their new 8s the availability of said bridge will become increasingly more scarce. just look at what happened to the OFR7 when the Loomis model went into production....

I fear the same may bid true for the current 8 string pickup offerings. Almost every 8 available is using the EMG pickup. The others are boutique instrument makers and they use their own in house product. With all production 8s using the EMG though supply is going to become scarce, at which point the general rule of "supply+demand" will come in to effect and the 808 may prove not to be the best option.

If the Agile/Rondo instrument is to be a viable competitor in the 8 string market i feel it imparative to produce in house components. If this is not possible, it is still perfect time to establish relations with other up and coming product manufacturers. One of particular interest may be Nordstrand Bass and Guitar Pickups out of sunny SoCal. I know that Mr. Sherman has had some business pairings with him so far and that our own Kevin(Crucified) will be letting us know whats up with this manufacture soon here


----------



## Desecrated

Should we perhaps shake on devoting this thread to the pro model and when that's released we can make a new thread about the cheaper model ?


----------



## The Echthros

Id say that would be most appropriate. Would it also be a good idea to go ahead and start that thread now so we dont keep flooding this thread with not so objective input in relation to this particular product? Because this second proposed product is just that: A SEPERATE PRODUCT. I move that we do so and began production discussion there.

what you fellas think?


----------



## Hoff

Desecrated said:


> Should we perhaps shake on devoting this thread to the pro model and when that's released we can make a new thread about the cheaper model ?



I think we should. I guess Kurt just wanted to probe and see if the interest in a future budget model is there. And it seems so, so let's focus on getting the pro model done. That'll probably bring people the budget model faster too...


EDIT: and I also agree with the above......... I agree with everyone!!!


----------



## Desecrated

il_echthros_777 said:


> I say lets keep pushing for an in house 8 string pickup. there may be a bit of design still ahead, but i think economicaly it would bring a much better outcome. The value of in house products may be prove of great value as this instrument becomes more popular(8 string guitar)
> 
> Kurt is already in the works of developing a hipshot style bridge which he would sell at 50 bucks as opposed to the 100 bucks for hipshot's offering. This is probably for the best and with perfect timing with ESP using this bridge on their new 8s the availability of said bridge will become increasingly more scarce. just look at what happened to the OFR7 when the Loomis model went into production....
> 
> I fear the same may bid true for the current 8 string pickup offerings. Almost every 8 available is using the EMG pickup. The others are boutique instrument makers and they use their own in house product. With all production 8s using the EMG though supply is going to become scarce, at which point the general rule of "supply+demand" will come in to effect and the 808 may prove not to be the best option.
> 
> If the Agile/Rondo instrument is to be a viable competitor in the 8 string market i feel it imparative to produce in house components. If this is not possible, it is still perfect time to establish relations with other up and coming product manufacturers. One of particular interest may be Nordstrand Bass and Guitar Pickups out of sunny SoCal. I know that Mr. Sherman has had some business pairings with him so far and that our own Kevin(Crucified) will be letting us know whats up with this manufacture soon here



Sort of a response to that post;

Has anyoen tried the agile pickups, are they any good? 
Because I've had bad experience with cheaper pickup brands, and at some point even while everybody aren't totally in love with them, EMG are pretty good pickups, they are at least built sturdy. 

And as darren pointed out before, we have 70 buyers on the emg version, BUT we can always do a poll.


----------



## darren

Kurt suggested that he wanted to consider the option of doing an Agile 8-string pickup to get costs down for the "entry level" model. I suggested that going with an open-coil design might meet with some positive response from those who might want to swap out for a Lundgren or Swineshead or similar, rather than the "soapbar" EMG type. 

My thinking is that it's mainly meant to be a pickup that will be included so the guitar makes sound out of the box, and that most people buying this instrument will likely swap it out for something else. 

The only problem is that there are no real "standards" for 8-string passive pickup specs.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> Kurt suggested that he wanted to consider the option of doing an Agile 8-string pickup to get costs down for the "entry level" model. I suggested that going with an open-coil design might meet with some positive response from those who might want to swap out for a Lundgren or Swineshead or similar, rather than the "soapbar" EMG type.
> 
> My thinking is that it's mainly meant to be a pickup that will be included so the guitar makes sound out of the box, and that most people buying this instrument will likely swap it out for something else.
> 
> The only problem is that there are no real "standards" for 8-string passive pickup specs.



That's why I e-mailed lundgren to get his specs and to maybe get him to come here and post some of his ideas. 

If agile can do a pickup that sounds good I think it's worth it, but if it turns out to be a pickup that sounds like let's say ibanez stock pickups, where you have to change the pickup to get a decent sound of it, I think I'll vote for a EMG, in the long run that will be cheaper. 

I don't think it's a good idea to make an 8-string that sounds bad, because not only does it hurt agiles reputation, it hurts the extended range reputation, just look at halo and their products.


----------



## The Echthros

> My thinking is that it's mainly meant to be a pickup that will be included so the guitar makes sound out of the box, and that most people buying this instrument will likely swap it out for something else.



I understand that it may be general production practice to do this with a "base" model instrument. Every manufacturer under the sun has this practice.

I just think with a company, such as Agile, who so readily puts out products with direct input from their customers would be up to the task of creating a pickup with customer input. Working with Kurt to put out his own QUALITY pickups would be a good idea...for him and us

I personaly HATE HATE HATE the idea of companies puting a product out knowing that it is complete and utter shit...which is a common problem in STOCK PICKUPS. I honestly think putting money into creating a quick and cheap pickup is a serious waste of money and resources


----------



## darren

The reason EMGs aren't an option for the low-cost model is that they're just not cost-effective. These are not (and will likely never be) really high-volume instruments, so i can't see the price getting lower based on volume.

To be honest, i don't think anyone expects a lot from the stock pickups in a $500 guitar. They may not sound spectacular, but i doubt it will sound "bad" (which again, is a bit of a subjective thing). 

We're not trying to make the ultimate guitar for all players here. Developing an in-house Agile pickup and bridge allows Rondo to ship a working instrument at an entry-level price and still protect their margins. As long as it can be easily modified, i think a lot of guys here are going to be happy. (Hence, modifying the specs to make a Kahler bridge and nut swap more feasible.)


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> The reason EMGs aren't an option for the low-cost model is that they're just not cost-effective. These are not (and will likely never be) really high-volume instruments, so i can't see the price getting lower based on volume.
> 
> To be honest, i don't think anyone expects a lot from the stock pickups in a $500 guitar. They may not sound spectacular, but i doubt it will sound "bad" (which again, is a bit of a subjective thing).
> 
> We're not trying to make the ultimate guitar for all players here. Developing an in-house Agile pickup and bridge allows Rondo to ship a working instrument at an entry-level price and still protect their margins. As long as it can be easily modified, i think a lot of guys here are going to be happy. (Hence, modifying the specs to make a Kahler bridge and nut swap more feasible.)



I do agree with you somewhat, but let's say the guitar costs 500 dollar with bad pickups, and then I have to buy lundgren that costs 350 dollars and then I have to pay somebody to install them and that will be an additional 80 dollar, plus shipment that's on 78 dollars. Now the guitar costs; 1000 dollars. 

Then I rather pay 650 dollar for a guitar with EMG's. But maybe that's just me.

BUT I'm just assuming that the agile pickup sounds kinda bad, until somebody who have tried one of the 7-strings with the agile stockpickups can post it's just speculations. I think the schector stock pickups sounds good enough to use and their 7-string costs 450 dollars.


----------



## Qucifer

Desecrated said:


> I do agree with you somewhat, but let's say the guitar costs 500 dollar with bad pickups, and then I have to buy lundgren that costs 350 dollars and then I have to pay somebody to install them and that will be an additional 80 dollar, plus shipment that's on 78 dollars. Now the guitar costs; 1000 dollars.
> 
> Then I rather pay 650 dollar for a guitar with EMG's. But maybe that's just me.



Agreed. We should just stick to the $650/Pro model as-is. That's what I declared my interest in, on the other thread. If we change it, we might as well throw that thread away and start over again...


----------



## Metal Ken

Desecrated said:


> I do agree with you somewhat, but let's say the guitar costs 500 dollar with bad pickups, and then I have to buy lundgren that costs 350 dollars and then I have to pay somebody to install them and that will be an additional 80 dollar, plus shipment that's on 78 dollars. Now the guitar costs; 1000 dollars.
> 
> Then I rather pay 650 dollar for a guitar with EMG's. But maybe that's just me.



Thats your prerogative though, you could have the stock pickups re-wound or hit up the duncan custom shop and come out ahead, especially if you can install them yourself, which isn't hard. Just break out your soldering iron. Its an hour or two of work tops if you have to rewire the whole guitar (unlikely) and totally not worth spending 80$ on.


----------



## The Echthros

> I do agree with you somewhat, but let's say the guitar costs 500 dollar with bad pickups, and then I have to buy lundgren that costs 350 dollars and then I have to pay somebody to install them and that will be an additional 80 dollar, plus shipment that's on 78 dollars. Now the guitar costs; 1000 dollars.



This is exactly the kind of thing I'm worried about. i know you cannot expect alot of a pickup from a guitar of 500 bucks...but I shouldn't have to buy the guitar knowing it has subpar pickups and knowing i will be spending in the hundreds to get a decent set of 8 string pickups...and sometimes that much for just a single pickup!

I understand that for most this is a guitar with great after market modification possibilities, the 650 model anyway. For the base model though I think we should just stick with the plug and play. That means INEXSPENSIVE but QUALITY products from the only man on the planet to be able to do it : KURT and AGILE


----------



## darren

I don't know many people who would put a $350 pickup in a $500 guitar.

In fact, i don't think i know _anyone_ who would spend $350 on a single pickup, _period!_

Rondo is not out to compete with Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, etc. They're in a totally different segment of the market, and they seem to be filling the niche quite nicely. I think some of us need to adjust our expectations accordingly.


----------



## drjenkins

Desecrated said:


> BUT I'm just assuming that the agile pickup sounds kinda bad, until somebody who have tried one of the 7-strings with the agile stockpickups can post it's just speculations. I think the schector stock pickups sounds good enough to use and their 7-string costs 450 dollars.



I've got one of the Septor 727's with the stock pickups still in it. I haven't really wanted to swap them out so far. My only complaint with them is that the neck is a little too hot for my tastes. And pickups, just like anything in your tone chain, are so subjective. But I can't see that people would automatically throw out the stock Agile pickups like most do with New 7's.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> I don't know many people who would put a $350 pickup in a $500 guitar.
> 
> In fact, i don't think i know _anyone_ who would spend $350 on a single pickup, _period!_
> 
> Rondo is not out to compete with Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, etc. They're in a totally different segment of the market, and they seem to be filling the niche quite nicely. I think some of us need to adjust our expectations accordingly.



^^^


----------



## Desecrated

Metal Ken said:


> Thats your prerogative though, you could have the stock pickups re-wound or hit up the duncan custom shop and come out ahead, especially if you can install them yourself, which isn't hard. Just break out your soldering iron. Its an hour or two of work tops if you have to rewire the whole guitar (unlikely) and totally not worth spending 80$ on.



So then I have to buy the soldering iron and the unit that runs that, and that will cost too. Plus if I fuck it up I will have to pay repair on both the pickup and a new installment. That doesn't sound like a guitar for everybody. 
Whats the point in building a guitar that's only worth buying if you have a small guitar repair unit at home ? 



darren said:


> I don't know many people who would put a $350 pickup in a $500 guitar.
> 
> In fact, i don't think i know _anyone_ who would spend $350 on a single pickup, _period!_
> 
> Rondo is not out to compete with Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, etc. They're in a totally different segment of the market, and they seem to be filling the niche quite nicely. I think some of us need to adjust our expectations accordingly.



There are a lot of people who have lundgrens on this site.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Keep the $650 neck-thru with EMG/Hipshot. We like it, have decided on it, and have expressed interest in buying it. 

Plus, with such high-quality components out of the box, with any luck, the only things that might have to be replaced by people looking for a real pro axe are the tuners and possibly the nut... and frankly I myself wouldn't bother unless the tuners are real junk, which I highly, highly doubt.

BTW, guys: this is why custom shops hate guitarists. We can never decide on one set of specs.

EDIT: Desecrated, a soldering iron is $30 at Radio Shack. Look up some tutorials... and it's very hard to actually damage said pickup with a soldering iron because all you are dealing with is some long lead wires. Plus, your techs charge $80 for a pickup install? What a ripoff. The local store does it (assuming no coil-tap or other tiny wire soldering) for around $20-30.

Basically, practice with some blank wire... but a single pickup/single volume/jack setup is perhaps six solder joints at the most. And how is this any different from any other guitar where the stock pickups are not up to your expectations?


----------



## Desecrated

TemjinStrife said:


> Keep the $650 neck-thru with EMG/Hipshot. We like it, have decided on it, and have expressed interest in buying it.
> 
> Plus, with such high-quality components out of the box, with any luck, the only things that might have to be replaced by people looking for a real pro axe are the tuners and possibly the nut... and frankly I myself wouldn't bother unless the tuners are real junk, which I highly, highly doubt.
> 
> BTW, guys: this is why custom shops hate guitarists. We can never decide on one set of specs.
> 
> EDIT: Desecrated, a soldering iron is $30 at Radio Shack. Look up some tutorials... and it's very hard to actually damage said pickup with a soldering iron because all you are dealing with is some long lead wires. Plus, your techs charge $80 for a pickup install? What a ripoff. The local store does it (assuming no coil-tap or other tiny wire soldering) for around $20-30.
> 
> Basically, practice with some blank wire... but a single pickup/single volume/jack setup is perhaps six solder joints at the most. And how is this any different from any other guitar where the stock pickups are not up to your expectations?



The cheapest soldering iron I was able to find was 99 us dollars over here. Not everyone has the luxury of the american market  

"And how is this any different from any other guitar where the stock pickups are not up to your expectations?"

Since their is a little bit more variety with non 8-string guitars you can almost always find a guitar that lives up to your expectations. But if the idea is to make an affordable 8-string, going with something that don't have to be moded might be a good idea. 

But this is just my personal thoughts, I'm just voicing some concerns I have, I'm not really arguing or trying to prove a point, just thinking about the subject from different directions.


----------



## Niels

I think some are forgetting the point of this whole guitar.
And that´s an 8-string guitar for bottom prices...

And darren is right, Rondo isn't Ibanez guys, they're aiming for people who wouldn't want
to buy something for a thousand dollars without trying it.
I know... 'try it at a guitardealer...' well, most guitar dealers dont have 8-string guitars
in-stock...

Bolt-on, simple finish, standard nut and a cheap bass pup would suit me fine...


----------



## Desecrated

Niels said:


> I think some are forgetting the point of this whole guitar.
> And that´s an 8-string guitar for bottom prices...
> 
> And darren is right, Rondo isn't Ibanez guys, they're aiming for people who wouldn't want
> to buy something for a thousand dollars without trying it.
> I know... 'try it at a guitardealer...' well, most guitar dealers dont have 8-string guitars
> in-stock...
> 
> Bolt-on, simple finish, standard nut and a cheap bass pup would suit me fine...



Their is going to be guitar for a bottom price later on, right now we are discussing the pro model of the cheap line :lol

If we just wanted the cheapest possible guitar we could have done a plywood body with spraypaint, but since we choose a 5piece neck-through I'm assuming that we are going for a little better then just "the cheapest possible".


----------



## bostjan

Desecrated said:


> The cheapest soldering iron I was able to find was 99 us dollars over here. Not everyone has the luxury of the american market
> 
> "And how is this any different from any other guitar where the stock pickups are not up to your expectations?"
> 
> Since their is a little bit more variety with non 8-string guitars you can almost always find a guitar that lives up to your expectations. But if the idea is to make an affordable 8-string, going with something that don't have to be moded might be a good idea.
> 
> But this is just my personal thoughts, I'm just voicing some concerns I have, I'm not really arguing or trying to prove a point, just thinking about the subject from different directions.



 $99 for the cheapest soldering [email protected]

I bought a pretty decent one for $25. My first soldering iron was $7.95

I wish there was an easier way to fit different sized pups in each guitar. That'd make things really easy.

Help! I'm being attacked!


----------



## darren

Desecrated said:


> There are a lot of people who have lundgrens on this site.



... and at retail (from Conklin) they cost $400 for a pair, not $350 each.


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> ... and at retail (from Conklin) they cost $400 for a pair, not $350 each.



On the lundgren.se site they cost 195 euro each which is 308 us dollar.

I guess we where both wrong.


----------



## dpm

How about those pickups Halo was using? They're Korean made, I think. The issue with developing a passive pickup in adapted standard humbucker dimensionsis that someone somewhere has to come up with dies for injection molding the bobbins etc.


----------



## Desecrated

dpm said:


> How about those pickups Halo was using? They're Korean made, I think. The issue with developing a passive pickup in adapted standard humbucker dimensionsis that someone somewhere has to come up with dies for injection molding the bobbins etc.



Was it tesla they where called ?


----------



## darren

Just to be clear:

The specs on the neck-thru model are a done deal. That's what everyone agreed on (based on 2.5 years of input and discussion) and what everyone has expressed an interest in actually buying

Kurt talked to the factory and built his pricing based on that spec sheet, and he is now in the process of gathering parts and materials.

Anything further is all speculative at this point. The $499 model will likely happen only if Kurt can have an 8-string Agile bridge and passive pickup made that can make that model possible at that price.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> Just to be clear:
> 
> The specs on the neck-thru model are a done deal. That's what everyone agreed on (based on 2.5 years of input and discussion) and what everyone has expressed an interest in actually buying
> 
> Kurt talked to the factory and built his pricing based on that spec sheet, and he is now in the process of gathering parts and materials.
> 
> Anything further is all speculative at this point. The $499 model will likely happen only if Kurt can have an 8-string Agile bridge and passive pickup made that can make that model possible at that price.


----------



## Metal Ken

Desecrated said:


> So then I have to buy the soldering iron and the unit that runs that, and that will cost too. Plus if I fuck it up I will have to pay repair on both the pickup and a new installment. That doesn't sound like a guitar for everybody.



Borrow one from a friend or something. I jacked my dad's a few years ago, he never used it. I've installed several sets of pickups with it. its probably a 10-15$ iron anyway. Get one on ebay, or something? 
Shit, its not _that_ hard to install, either. If you wanted to be REALLY lazy, you could get by just but slicing out the current pickups with enough lead left on all the switches/etc, and just tie the pickups on and seal it off with electrical tape. Not the best choice, but shit, you cant really fuck up a pickup installation. If worse comes to worse, de-solder everything and start over. Hell, if you cant figure it out, take it to a store. They'll probably charge less since you'd have done all the hard part of getting the pickups in .


----------



## Desecrated

Okay since we are on the topic of the 499 model, yes put passives in it. and bolt on.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Meh, I'd go either way on bolt-on or set-neck. Ash with maple bolt-neck is traditionally a very punchy, twangy combination (EVH, many Fenders) and I've played a custom-built bolt-neck one (granted, with EMGs) that had stupid amounts of definition and clarity (read: icepicky if used wrong...), so perhaps a set neck might be interesting.


----------



## Drow Swordsman

Well, I guess I'll live without the neck pup for $650. 

I can't say I see myself using an 8 string for lots of cleans and solos anyway, and for recording I can always use my Interceptor Pro.

Once I sell my UV and this bad boy is up for preorders, I'm in.


----------



## The Echthros

I took initiative to open a second Agile 8 thread, this one pertaining to the base model suggested by Kurt recently. I didnt find it among the recent thread(kinda strange really) but a search for the title brought it up:

Rondo/Agile $499 "Base" Model 8 String 

I hope this helps streamline the happenings on this thread and keeps it from being bogged down by wishful and fervent suggestions. I am ready for the original model as much as anybody see no sense in having endless banter about specs that have allready been finalized. It is time to wait and anticipate the fruits of labor by such gents as Darren and Kurt and everybody else who poured their input into this instrument. it's finally looking to be a reality!

it's time to start looking ahead, though, So that is the intent of said new thread.


----------



## maliciousteve

Sorry if this has been asked already guys. But when this all gets confirmed. How do we pay?


----------



## Hoff

I just received an e-mail from Kurt. I had asked him whether it will be possible to pay the 50% deposit with 'paypal' and he said yes. There might be other ways also but I don't know about that.

He completely ignored my other question about how many guitars are being built though (650$ model). So if anyone knows, please do tell.


----------



## darren

Considering this is something completely new, my suspicion is that the initial run will be quite small, just to work out any kinks in the production, then followed up by a few slightly larger runs. 

If i recall, the first run of Interceptor 7's was quite small. Like 12 guitars or less.

When he's ready to take pre-order deposits, Kurt will post here with the details. It will only be posted here, and will not be linked on Rondo's main site, so forum members will get first crack at them.

[EDIT: 1000 replies to the original post! Woot!]


----------



## B36arin

Argh, I know it would probably be impolite, but it should be possible to call dibs on these guitars already, I have the cash ready to pay as soon as they are released. And I waaaaaants one!


----------



## darren

"Calling dibs" will happen when the pre-order deposit process is opened up. It'll be first-come, first-served. I don't know if it will be a limited number available at first, or if Kurt will be using the pre-orders to determine the size of the first run.


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> "Calling dibs" will happen when the pre-order deposit process is opened up. It'll be first-come, first-served. I don't know if it will be a limited number available at first, or if Kurt will be using the pre-orders to determine the size of the first run.



That's the only fair way to do it . I hope it'll be the second option, so that everyone will get a chance though. 

I also hope that the "kinks" mentioned are not going to be present in any way on the actual guitars. 

Oh, and it seems I made reply #1000.... my greatest achievement ever.... really.


----------



## TomAwesome

Actually, post 1000 is reply 999


----------



## Ishan

So that means the awesome Darren got the 1000th reply 
I checked back the specs on both Rondo 8, I think I'll maybe end up getting both  maybe a standard "pro" and a custom 30" scale "cheap"  (for low E tuning 60's goodness, you know)


----------



## loktide

darren said:


> When he's ready to take pre-order deposits, Kurt will post here with the details. It will only be posted here, and will not be linked on Rondo's main site, so forum members will get first crack at them.



sorry, i got lost somewhere along the last few thread pages... is this the mahagony neck-through or for a small batch of the 499$ ash 8 -string?


----------



## B36arin

This is the 650$ pro model. I guess I'll just have to check the site every 10 minutes until Kurt starts taking orders


----------



## loktide

B36arin said:


> This is the 650$ pro model. I guess I'll just have to check the site every 10 minutes until Kurt starts taking orders



wasn't the other thread with the list meant for that?


----------



## Desecrated

loktide said:


> wasn't the other thread with the list meant for that?



That was just to see if anybody was interested in maybe buying it.


----------



## loktide

so that list has nothing to do with who gets first dibs?


----------



## Desecrated

loktide said:


> so that list has nothing to do with who gets first dibs?



I don't think that was the original idea. BUT

I can't make the call, but why not follow that list. Seams fair to me at least.


----------



## Kronpox

Desecrated said:


> I don't think that was the original idea. BUT
> 
> I can't make the call, but why not follow that list. Seams fair to me at least.



Not really, anyone can post their name on a list on the internet. Let the first guitars go to those who have their money in first  seems like common sense to me.


----------



## loktide

well, the list was meant for people with 'serious intent to buy' and darren said something about first come first served... 

anyway, there's no point in opening a discussion since obviously all people would argue depending on their position on 'the list'.


i just hope the 'high-end' eight gets built at all


----------



## darren

I said straight up on the first page of the list discussion that it was only to get a sense of how many people might _seriously_ commit to buying one. I wanted to make it a list rather than a poll because i didn't want it to be anonymous (signing your name to something makes it a slightly more personal commitment than just checking a box). 

It's not a pre-order list, or any kind of "reservation" list. Just a straight count of how many people are interested. I'd rather not try to contact each person on the list to see if they're going to follow through. The only truly fair way to handle the orders is for people to show up with money in hand.

However, even if the first run is fairly limited, i think we can feel fairly certain that if they sell out, response will be strong enough that additional runs may be possible.


----------



## Celiak

I hope this is the first of many. Although I really want one of these first runs.


----------



## B Lopez

darren said:


> However, even if the first run is fairly limited, i think we can feel fairly certain that if they sell out, response will be strong enough that additional runs may be possible.



...and they won't take as long to pump out.


----------



## Shannon

Finally, this thread just got stickied.


----------



## Desecrated

Nice


----------



## ibznorange

Shannon said:


> Finally, this thread just got stickied.



i can never find this thread, i dunno why, but i always have to look for like, 2 or 3 fucking minutes 
and now, i couldnt find it again, when it said the newest post in ERG was in this thread, and it was gone. i thought i was going crazy. Thank you. I really needed this to be sticked, pretty badly 
[action=ibznorange]is aware that it sounds like hes being sarcastic, but hes totally serious. He can never find it[/action]

With the carvin going here, i think ill try and pick one of these up.

Im pretty sure i read it in here before, but i cant seem to find it, or if it was left undefined, but what exactly is the timetable on this?
sorry Darren, i know youve probably posted it like 10 times, but i cant seem to find it.
And just cause it hasnt been said that ive seen much, thanks a ton for working on this so much man.


----------



## darren

All i know is that the pre-orders could be happening in early May. I haven't heard what the production timeline will be like after that. Probably at least 2-3 months, if i were to hazard a guess.


----------



## ibznorange

so you think like 3 or 4 weeksish till it would be time to shut up and put money on the table?
Thats more what im looking at, as opposed to when they ship out and such


----------



## tofumannen

Sorry found this thread kinda late and its a little too much to read +100 pages.
Where do you sign up for one of these suckers?


----------



## wes225

tofumannen said:


> Sorry found this thread kinda late and its a little too much to read +100 pages.
> Where do you sign up for one of these suckers?


there not takingg orders yet. so. no-where. lol


----------



## darren

Kurt said he'd probably have the parts and materials together by "early May" and that he'd post here as soon as pre-order deposits are being taken.


----------



## tofumannen

Cool. Thanks


----------



## maliciousteve

Should hopefully have the money for this by the end of next week. I've got money coming my way but also selling one of my strat's just incase I don't get it in time. So hopefully one of my two plans will let me put the money down for it


----------



## Randomist

damnit i wish i had the money right now if its that close, hopefully there'll be at least a few runs of these things....


----------



## Hoff

Do you guys think that there will be some sort of producton errors on these guitars? It all looks very good on paper, and I've got the money ready. My only concern is whether the guitar will suffer from being the first of it's kind...


----------



## darren

Hard to say. Apparently the first run of Agile Interceptors had a few issues, but Kurt was right on top of it and subsequent runs had the issues corrected. I'm sure if there are any problems with the first production run, Kurt will go out of his way to make it right.


----------



## Ishan

Well, after my experience with a Brice bass I'll wait for the next batch before getting one. I can't send back the thing in case of problems so it's the best way for me, even if waiting some more months are going to be tough


----------



## TimSE

Ishan said:


> Well, after my experience with a Brice bass I'll wait for the next batch before getting one. I can't send back the thing in case of problems so it's the best way for me, even if waiting some more months are going to be tough



i have the same concerns actaully
being in the UK and all


----------



## Ishan

I don't say Agile are bad, for those wondering, it's just an assurance for me that the guitar will be good out of the box. They seem to be a bit lazy in the QC department which is common with those "cheap" brand.


----------



## Kronpox

I'm concerned a bit about QC as well, seeing how my 8 string is going to be the first 8 string that company produces. I'm just hoping that since it's a custom they can take their time on it and get everything right


----------



## stux

Man I would love one of these when they get made, maybe the cheaper second one that was proposed so I could drop in an m8 (if thats still being done, i was reading back a bit!).

How much would it take to get one over to the uk though


----------



## Hoff

I have no way of returning it either if it isn't good, so I'll probably wait until the first reviews are out before buying. I'll still get my Rondo 8- eventually


----------



## kurtzentmaier

B36arin said:


> This is the 650$ pro model. I guess I'll just have to check the site every 10 minutes until Kurt starts taking orders



We are getting closer now. I will post on here a week before we start taking the orders so hopefully no one will "miss it" - if orders out strip the intial run, I will simply increase the intial run. I don't know what that number will be yet - that's up to you guys. We will do some number of Intrepid "Pro" models with the EMG 808s, Hip Shot Bridge and neck through and some number of "Standard" models with Agile Pickups and Bridge, and set neck or bolt on.

Kurt


----------



## Desecrated

kurtzentmaier said:


> We are getting closer now. I will post on here a week before we start taking the orders so hopefully no one will "miss it" - if orders out strip the intial run, I will simply increase the intial run. I don't know what that number will be yet - that's up to you guys. We will do some number of Intrepid "Pro" models with the EMG 808s, Hip Shot Bridge and neck through and some number of "Standard" models with Agile Pickups and Bridge, and set neck or bolt on.
> 
> Kurt



Will you marry me ?


----------



## darren

kurtzentmaier said:


> Intrepid "Pro"



And that, folks, is the new model name! 

Agile Intrepid.

So named for the aircraft-carrier sized fretboard. 

And wow... both models at once? It's going to be so hard to choose! But personally, i think i'm going for the Pro.


----------



## ibznorange

darren said:


> Hard to say. Apparently the first run of Agile Interceptors had a few issues, but Kurt was right on top of it and subsequent runs had the issues corrected. I'm sure if there are any problems with the first production run, Kurt will go out of his way to make it right.



I've heard excellent things about kurt here replacing anything/everything faulty.
Heres to hoping i get that new job


----------



## Desecrated

darren said:


> And that, folks, is the new model name!
> 
> Agile Intrepid.
> 
> So named for the aircraft-carrier sized fretboard.
> 
> And wow... both models at once? It's going to be so hard to choose! But personally, i think i'm going for the Pro.



My dictionary says that intrepid means fearless, I think that's a fitting name for a 8-string


----------



## Hoff

ibznorange said:


> I've heard excellent things about kurt here replacing anything/everything faulty.



Then maybe I don't have to be so worried anyway. 

And yeah, with both models at once it's gonna be tough to choose!


----------



## Demeyes

This sounds good, I'm going to get in on the first batch of the pro models if I can. I take it that these don't come with a case or any case option?


----------



## darren

One of Kurt's objectives with the final specs on the design is that it must fit into their baritone case. You can order the case when you order the guitar.


----------



## Kronpox

I'm hoping my custom fits in that case- the headstock might add like an inch of length that could make or break it depending on how big the case is. would kind of suck to have the guitar be damaged in shipping


----------



## darren

A short-scale bass case (or even a full-size bass case with some additional padding) would also probably work.


----------



## TimothyLeary

Anyone already knows what will be the money differences between the standard and the pro model?


----------



## darren

As has already been posted:

Standard: $499
Pro: $649


----------



## darren

Desecrated said:


> My dictionary says that intrepid means fearless, I think that's a fitting name for a 8-string



Also see: USS Intrepid (CV-11) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Cancer

kurtzentmaier said:


> We are getting closer now. I will post on here a week before we start taking the orders so hopefully no one will "miss it" - if orders out strip the intial run, I will simply increase the intial run. I don't know what that number will be yet - that's up to you guys. We will do some number of Intrepid "Pro" models with the EMG 808s, Hip Shot Bridge and neck through and some number of "Standard" models with Agile Pickups and Bridge, and set neck or bolt on.
> 
> Kurt




Excellent. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Groff

This is exciting!!

I can't wait to put some monies down! I'm gonna scrape up all I can.


----------



## stux

I am so going for one of the standards once I have some cash. Seriously thank you for making it possible for us to (soon) own good quality 8s that dont cost a bomb!

Does anyone know how much is charged extra for the shipping to the uk?


----------



## tofumannen

Im actually considering getting one of each


----------



## Desecrated

tofumannen said:


> Im actually considering getting one of each



Not a bad idea, I can always buy one of them second hand if you don't like it, the shipment won't be to bad


----------



## Ishan

That's exactly what I was thinking  getting one of each... or waiting a little and order a custom


----------



## Desecrated

Ishan said:


> That's exactly what I was thinking  getting one of each... or waiting a little and order a custom



why not all three ?


----------



## Hoff

Does anyone know the wood and color specifications for the standard model?


----------



## TomAwesome

Hoff said:


> Does anyone know the wood and color specifications for the standard model?





darren said:


> *Agile [model name] 828  $499*
> - bolt-on or set-neck maple/walnut 5-piece neck
> - maple fretboard
> - ash body
> - charcoal gray stain with satin poly finish
> - Agile passive pickup
> - Agile bridge
> 
> *Agile [model name] Pro 828  $650*
> - neck-thru maple/walnut 5-piece neck
> - maple fretboard
> - mahogany body wings
> - tung oil or satin poly finish
> - EMG-808 pickup
> - Hipshot bridge



Not 100% finalized on the $500 model.


----------



## tofumannen

Sorry if this question has allready been answered but its a loooong thread so:
What about international shipping and customs and taxes? In my case to sweden.


----------



## Desecrated

tofumannen said:


> Sorry if this question has allready been answered but its a loooong thread so:
> What about international shipping and customs and taxes? In my case to sweden.



78 dollars for shipment, custom might go up to 25% if they catch it.


----------



## supertruper1988

Is the deposit going to be 1/2 1/2 when its done?


----------



## Ishan

yes


----------



## Auyard

What is the neck going to be like? I'm kind of hoping for wide and flat like an 8string version of the Washburn WG587. Anyone know?


----------



## Kronpox

Auyard said:


> What is the neck going to be like? I'm kind of hoping for wide and flat like an 8string version of the Washburn WG587. Anyone know?



If it's anything like my 727 (God willing!) then it'll be a little slimmer and rounder than the WG587. I find the playability of the 727 worlds ahead of the WG587 so


----------



## Scarpie

sorry if this is redundant guys, but i just got back from a vacation trip, and i had no internet access for the past 8 days. and honestly it isn't till yesterday that i was able to read new posts. and as strange as it is, within the past 24 hours i have done a complete 180 regarding which rondo model i am going for. now that i have a new passion for the swamp ash $500 model, i have been looking for the mockup of the grey model, and CANNOT even find it. am i delerious and looking for something that doesn't even exist, i could have sworn i saw one back when i was interested in the 650 "pro" model


----------



## Groff

Scarpie said:


> sorry if this is redundant guys, but i just got back from a vacation trip, and i had no internet access for the past 8 days. and honestly it isn't till yesterday that i was able to read new posts. and as strange as it is, within the past 24 hours i have done a complete 180 regarding which rondo model i am going for. now that i have a new passion for the swamp ash $500 model, i have been looking for the mockup of the grey model, and CANNOT even find it. am i delerious and looking for something that doesn't even exist, i could have sworn i saw one back when i was interested in the 650 "pro" model



All the mockups Darren has made are on page 1.


----------



## TomAwesome

Apparently you didn't look that hard 



darren said:


>


----------



## darren

Proposed specs on the first page have been updated to reflect the latest info:

*May 4, 2008*





*May 4, 2008*


----------



## TemjinStrife

Ooo.... "Intrepid" is it? Works pretty well... in line with the "Interceptor" in terms of alliteration, and is nicely indicative of Rondo forging their way into a new market. I like. 

(might want to check spelling on the "standard" name though... that kind of stuff bugs me a bit)


----------



## Scarpie

being that now agile is releasing two different models at the same time, i thought that the swamp ash body would suit me best cause i am not a fan of bright bodies. now from my understanding, the $650 pro model is going to be rather "bright" sounding being it's tone is mostly influenced from the maple neck. and i just read that swamp ash is actually brighter sounding than alder. so my question to you guys with experience is which would be a darker sounding guitar, a maple neck thru with mahagony wings or a swamp ash body with maple neck set, or bolt on neck? decisions decisions


----------



## Ishan

I'd say the ash model will be a wee bit brighter. those specs are mouth watering! the balanced strings set is a nice touch.


----------



## darren

TemjinStrife said:


> (might want to check spelling on the "standard" name though... that kind of stuff bugs me a bit)



Fixed. Thanks for catching that... Illustrator was being a bitch earlier, and i was in a hurry doing the export.


----------



## Desecrated

When do we know if the ash has bolt on or set neck?


----------



## darren

I'm guessing Kurt will let us know around the time that he opens up the ordering.


----------



## Desecrated

Excellent.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Honestly, a bolt-on ash body will be bright... but then again so will a maple neck-thru with EMG. Given the same pickups, the ash body one will probably be brighter; however, the EMG will likely make the neck-thru the brighter guitar out-of-the-box.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Who cares if it's bright? You can dial out brightness, it's hard to add it back in though.

Hopefully he'll be taking orders after I get a few paychecks from my new job and can afford it. I want one so bad.

Speaking of which, how would you guys suggest dyeing a maple fretboard darker.


----------



## darren

Maple fretboards are usually sealed, if not clearcoated. To dye it darker, you'd have to remove the frets and strip the finish.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

darren said:


> Maple fretboards are usually sealed, if not clearcoated. To dye it darker, you'd have to remove the frets and strip the finish.



Balls. Magic Marker it is, then.

I guess I'll just live with the maple fretboard.


----------



## Desecrated

NegaTiveXero said:


> Balls. Magic Marker it is, then.
> 
> I guess I'll just live with the maple fretboard.


----------



## darren

And to the question of "brightness"...

What i was trying to achieve through the specs was an overall _balance_ to the tone, but with a primary focus on excellent clarity in the lower register. Most people will be using these for low tunings, and if they aren't clear down to the lowest notes, then we've missed the mark. The main factor in both the Standard and Pro models is the 28.625" scale length. That's going to really help keep things clear and tight down low. 

Ash + maple is a pretty bright and snappy combination. Most of the time it's associated with Strats. But throw a nice beefy humbucker in the mix, and you'll likely hear the "twang" turn into a really nice, articulate growl, especially tuned low.

The neck-thru model will indeed get a good chunk of its tone from the maple neck running through the body, and the EMG 808, which in basswood, i found to have a very nice "stringy" and articulate sound. The mahogany wings should help warm things up a bit.

As NegaTiveXero said, it's easier to tame a bit of extra high end than it is to try to get articulation and note definition out of a muddy sounding instrument. I'm pretty confident that the parts and materials chosen for these guitars will work out nicely. I'm already thinking of adding an EMG BQC active EQ to mine (active treble, bass and sweepable midrange) and running at 18v, just to zero in on that perfect tone with the single pickup.


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> I'm already thinking of adding an EMG BQC active EQ to mine (active treble, bass and sweepable midrange) and running at 18v, just to zero in on that perfect tone with the single pickup.



I really like the idea of an EQ on the guitar. Personally I think I'd prefer some internal solution if that's possible with the EMG pickup. Just to keep things "clean" on the outside.


----------



## Ishan

A transparent color on the fretboard would have been cool  I guess someone will do this on a custom


----------



## TemjinStrife

You know, I think I will really appreciate a large bass-sized body on one of these. One of the reasons I like my Explorer so much is that, sitting down, the extra body width below the strings really pushes the neck up into a more comfortable range for playing.

Granted, I also like the way that the Explorer doesn't put much body between you and the strings on the top... but just chiming in on one of the strengths of the design.

Dammit, I can't wait to hear more about these... I've had general GAS for quite some time now, and I can afford to get myself a graduation present... so the waiting is somewhat painful!


----------



## Kronpox

Kurt emailed me today asking if I want to go through on the ebony fretboard on my custom (as opposed to rosewood) for a decent upcharge. He says if I want ebony, he'll order 50 pieces of it and start a production model with ebony to sell off the stock.

So who's interested in a blacker-than-the-blackest-of-black Intrepid 8?


----------



## TemjinStrife

Kronpox said:


> Kurt emailed me today asking if I want to go through on the ebony fretboard on my custom (as opposed to rosewood) for a decent upcharge. He says if I want ebony, he'll order 50 pieces of it and start a production model with ebony to sell off the stock.
> 
> So who's interested in a blacker-than-the-blackest-of-black Intrepid 8?



That's pretty cool that he's willing to do that. Sadly, I have one ebony fingerboard guitar, and that's enough. I'm sick of dealing with it cracking, even if I take good care of it.


----------



## wes225

how much do you think id cost extra for a kahler or some other trem in it?


----------



## loktide

Kronpox said:


> So who's interested in a blacker-than-the-blackest-of-black Intrepid 8?


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Kronpox said:


> Kurt emailed me today asking if I want to go through on the ebony fretboard on my custom (as opposed to rosewood) for a decent upcharge. He says if I want ebony, he'll order 50 pieces of it and start a production model with ebony to sell off the stock.
> 
> So who's interested in a blacker-than-the-blackest-of-black Intrepid 8?



ME!!!!!


----------



## DyvimTvar

Well, I've had the monies in the bank for ages now, I'm hovering round waiting to click that "Buy" button hehehe! 

The grey ash one is stunning, glad to see a passive in there!


----------



## eightballhemhorrage

i must say i am quite excited about this as well. just waiting on a buy button to appear.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Yeeeessss.... you all jump on the grey ash one with the passive.... yeeeeesss....


----------



## Våd Hamster

I'd hit it 

It would be so nice to see an affordable 8 for a change.... and one that looks sweet too


----------



## eightballhemhorrage

OOHH no sir!!! i am ALL about the pro model.


----------



## DyvimTvar

Well, I wouldn't even mind the ash one in the grey with an EMG, I just think it's really pretty, but having the passive would be awsome, I'd be straight in contact with BK or get an M8.


----------



## Ishan

Thinking about the ash Intrepid with a BKP cPigs is not helping my GAS


----------



## TemjinStrife

DyvimTvar said:


> Well, I wouldn't even mind the ash one in the grey with an EMG, I just think it's really pretty, but having the passive would be awsome, I'd be straight in contact with BK or get an M8.



My problem with both of those solutions is that they cost a LOT in the US. I also really like actives anyways... and not having to mod the 8 string right out of the box is very appealing.

Not that I won't be 18V-ing it and possibly adding locking tuners, mind you.


----------



## loktide

arghhhh.... the GAS!!!!!! 



make it stop!


----------



## DyvimTvar

Hell, they cost a bloody fortune here as well! It's just nice to see the possiblility of having a lovely 8-string without the big holes from EMGs when you swap over to passives. I don't mind either way, I put up for an Agile 8 and I have the monies in the bank, I'm just hoping they can do it, it'd be made of win.


----------



## Ishan

I don't know if this has been asked before but what's the final neck construction for the ash one? Bolt on or set neck?


----------



## darren

I think Kurt is leaning toward set-neck.

As sexy as the ash model is, i'm going for the pro version. I'm almost certainly going to be going with an 18v setup and putting in an active EQ.

Hang in there, guys... ordering is coming soon... _real_ soon.








EDIT: Woohoo! I got the 1100th reply, too!


----------



## Ishan

I'm just thinking on ordering a custom based on the ash model  Set neck would be a good option for me. I'll have to ask on a quote.


----------



## Justin Bailey

can't wait to see these, even if I'll just end up going with a custom Agile 8 anyways.


----------



## TemjinStrife

If Kurt made the ash model bolt-on, and the necks were awesome, I can imagine people buying the things and parting them out...


----------



## Kronpox

TemjinStrife said:


> If Kurt made the ash model bolt-on, and the necks were awesome, I can imagine people buying the things and parting them out...



Why bother? What would you rather put the neck on, a basswood RG body?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

darren said:


> I think Kurt is leaning toward set-neck.
> 
> As sexy as the ash model is, i'm going for the pro version. I'm almost certainly going to be going with an 18v setup and putting in an active EQ.
> 
> Hang in there, guys... ordering is coming soon... _real_ soon.
> 
> Ok I will post up the link to start taking orders on the neck thru-version on Tuesday this week (5-13). The set neck or bolt on maybe a week or two after that. Will be asking 1/2 down and 1/2 when the guitars are ready to ship. I am hoping for a ship day sometime in August.
> 
> Kurt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Woohoo! I got the 1100th reply, too!


----------



## Ishan

WOOOT!!!


----------



## maliciousteve

Looks like I will deffinatly have the money by the 20th (ish). Just waiting for some money to clear into my account


----------



## Timmm

hey Kronpox

this idea with the ebony fretboard on the normal model is a great idea!
this would make the guitar perfect looking.
I´d order it then , too!


----------



## Ishan

Ebony is out of the picture as it costs too much in those sizes.


----------



## Demeyes

I'm going to order one of these when they come out. I was all set on the pro model but the Standard looks good and the pickup options make it an interesting alternative.
I should have the money when the orders start coming. Anyone have a notion on how long after the orders are made it will take for them to be built and shipped? My bandmates have been hounding me since I mentioned this thing!


----------



## Kronpox

Ishan said:


> Ebony is out of the picture as it costs too much in those sizes.



An ebony fretboard would be an upcharge of around $100. That's worth it for me


----------



## Ishan

100$? DAMN! I just asked a quote, I guess I'll have to update it when I get a mail back  totally worth it!!


----------



## TemjinStrife

Ishan said:


> 100$? DAMN! I just asked a quote, I guess I'll have to update it when I get a mail back  totally worth it!!



See, that's where you guys differ from me. My experience with ebony as a fingerboard wood has been spotty; I love the feel, don't mind the look, but HATE its cost and tendency to crack. Where I live, the climate changes enough that it's impossible to keep the board split-free... and my poor SLSMG has had its fingerboard repaired twice now only to reopen with the next season.


----------



## Ishan

Well, I've had an ebony fretboard 6er for a few years now and still, no crack  frets tend to pop out a little but nothing my luthier can't cure.
I'm still not sure about an ebony FB on my custom but it would be better with the look I'm aiming at. Maybe a trans black satin coated maple board could work, I'll have to wait Kurt mail to find out


----------



## Kronpox

I won't lie, my main motivation for wanting an ebony board is because this guitar is going to be blacker than the blackest of black 

I like the way ebony feels compared to rosewood but it's not like a rosewood fretboard would hinder me enough to discredit it in any kind of practical sense. I'm just a sucker for black!


----------



## TemjinStrife

The only ebony fingerboard I've owned that has never cracked (knock on wood) is the one on my cello... but that one is 1" thick at the middle with a large compound radius.

And, people, THAT's why classical instruments are so damn expensive.


----------



## plyta

Rosewood is the way to go, because it can be dyed, like ,for instance in this fresh thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/st...2-got-ebonized-56k-not-tall-enough-enter.html


----------



## TemjinStrife

plyta said:


> Rosewood is the way to go, because it can be dyed, like ,for instance in this fresh thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/st...2-got-ebonized-56k-not-tall-enough-enter.html



Except that many don't appreciate the tonality of rosewood, especially for situations that require clarity in the bass. It gives a nice warm sound, which is great for Strats and Les Pauls, but (in some people's opinions) not so great for extended-range instruments in higher gain applications.


----------



## eightballhemhorrage

is there any way to have a def. on the setneck/bolt-on question on the ash model by the time pro model ordering starts. i would def drop that money on a setneck but prob not a bolt-on.


----------



## Ishan

Well bolt-on got 60% votes right now so... I guess it'll be bolt on


----------



## eightballhemhorrage

WEAK!!! guess it IS the pro model for me then!!


----------



## darren

I'm pleased that the bolt-on neck option is winning out. To me, having a neck-thru model and a bolt-on model gives a more diverse range of choices. Neck-thru and set-neck wouldn't be different enough in my mind to make them interesting choices.


----------



## forelander

During consideration of tuners, has any thought been given to the gauges of strings that are likely to be used? It'd be nice not to have to do any drilling to get a .70+ string through the tuner.


----------



## tofumannen

Very good point


----------



## Shannon

forelander said:


> During consideration of tuners, has any thought been given to the gauges of strings that are likely to be used? It'd be nice not to have to do any drilling to get a .70+ string through the tuner.



Just a thought, although I'm not sure if anyone wants to go through any design changes....

If we went with a 8-inline reversed headstock, the Low F# tuner would be far enough away from the nut that only the taper of the string would go through the tuner. Not the full width of the string (.070+). Plus, I'd kill for a reverse 8-inline.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Good point. However, I believe that we're too far in the design process to change the production model; that said, I know that Kurt appears to be pretty open to new ideas for custom guitars.


----------



## Shannon

Yeah, I'm still gonna buy whatever comes out.


----------



## forelander

Shannon said:


> Just a thought, although I'm not sure if anyone wants to go through any design changes....
> 
> If we went with a 8-inline reversed headstock, the Low F# tuner would be far enough away from the nut that only the taper of the string would go through the tuner. Not the full width of the string (.070+). Plus, I'd kill for a reverse 8-inline.



The only problem I see with that, and with the scale I'm already worried, is the balance - the 27" interceptors used to (might not anymore) dive and I'm sure it was coz of all the length on the end with the extended scale and inline headstock. 

On that note, has anyone thought been given to strap button placement for balance, considering the extended scale? Might not be a problem, might be worth while. Again, just throwing it out there.


----------



## Demeyes

forelander said:


> The only problem I see with that, and with the scale I'm already worried, is the balance - the 27" interceptors used to (might not anymore) dive and I'm sure it was coz of all the length on the end with the extended scale and inline headstock.
> 
> On that note, has anyone thought been given to strap button placement for balance, considering the extended scale? Might not be a problem, might be worth while. Again, just throwing it out there.



The body seems like its going to be pretty big, seeing as its a bass body so maybe the neck dive won't be as bad that way.


----------



## Hoff

For those interested: I e-mailed Graphtech regarding whether it is possible to install a piezo in an 8 string and here is the reply I got:
*
The Acousti-Phonic board will handle input from eight strings (or more). It will be necessary to increase the number of plug-in connections available for pickups by adding an extra Summing Board, and daisy chaining the two Summing boards together with an extra Dual Connector Cable Assembly:

BE-5017-00 Summing Board $4.22
BE-5021-00 Dual Connector Cable Assembly $2.46*

I don't know if any of the graphtech piezo saddles will fit in the hipshot/rondo bridges though???


----------



## darren

The Import Strat saddles are a direct replacement for the Hipshot saddles.

An 8-string GraphTech piezo setup is definitely on my list of "OMG I WANT IT" mods for the Intrepid.


----------



## Kronpox

In the spec sheet shown it says it's calling for a low 72, so I'm hoping that that is thought of when the tuners are picked- at the very least, when they're at the factory trying to string them up, they'd go "HURRR ITS NOT GOING IN" and fix it.

I totally want to get a synth rig happening in mine but it's not worth the cost. Piezo could still be cool though.


----------



## metalhead6061

Ahh I said this in the thread with the poll but nobody answered me. But don't you think 15" radius is really round for an 8?


----------



## Ishan

It's 15" because it's what Kahler 8 string trem are made for.


----------



## metalhead6061

I thought that the kahler trems could be adjusted to any radius?


----------



## darren

15" is still pretty flat. It's not like it's a very Strat-like 8" or 9" radius. Yes, it's a little rounder than the RG2228, but still not what i'd call a "really round" radius.

Kahler bridges can be adjusted to just about any radius, but the nut is designed for a 15" radius.

With a 15" radius at the nut, it's probably not worth the time and expense to do a compound radius to 18" or 19" at the bridge. On a 28.625" scale instrument, that'd be a really subtle difference.


----------



## metalhead6061

Ehh... I see where your coming from.


----------



## GiantBaba

Darren, I just want to say thanks for starting and sheperding along all of this. You're the coolest and you have great taste in music (Sylvian/Fripp, Mick Karn)


----------



## wes225

is anyone planning to put the kahler 8 in this?


----------



## Splees

wes225 said:


> is anyone planning to put the kahler 8 in this?



I think there are a three people interested in going through with it. 
...just kidding. 

I'm thinking about doing it. I've never tried a kahler before, but I'm pretty sure it's reversable... right? Meaning I can take it off in case I don't like it.


----------



## wes225

Splees said:


> I think there are a three people interested in going through with it.
> ...just kidding.
> 
> I'm thinking about doing it. I've never tried a kahler before, but I'm pretty sure it's reversable... right? Meaning I can take it off in case I don't like it.


yeah, via a bridgeplate. kahlers feel like air. the bar gets in the way i think....


----------



## darren

Splees said:


> I've never tried a kahler before, but I'm pretty sure it's reversable... right? Meaning I can take it off in case I don't like it.



Well, anything is reversible... but the Kahler does require a small cavity routed in the top of the guitar, which is easily covered with a plate if you remove it.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Well, anything is reversible... but the Kahler does require a small cavity routed in the top of the guitar, which is easily covered with a plate if you remove it.



You could also leave it on, and turn the set screw that converts it to a fixed bridge and not use the bar


----------



## TemjinStrife

My problem with Kahlers is that they a)require you to solder your strings to prevent breakage (something I learned the hard way when playing with a store model) and b)go out of tune after bending... something that can usually be solved with a quick dive bomb, but precludes the use of the locking feature.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Here we go


Agile Intrepid Pro 8 

Kurt


----------



## GuitarG2

Absolute pwnage!


----------



## TemjinStrife

SWEET! Deposit made. Now we play the waiting game.


----------



## darren

Enjoy, fellaz!


----------



## Kronpox

Cheers boys 

can't wait to see the onslaught of NGD threads!


----------



## TemjinStrife

Darren, it won't let me rep you again


----------



## TomAwesome

Kronpox said:


> Cheers boys
> 
> can't wait to see the onslaught of NGD threads!



Not me, 'cause they're going to be pissing me off until I get one.


----------



## Justin Bailey

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwsome!


----------



## Ishan

Don't forget the "quit Whining" tag guys


----------



## TomAwesome

Who, me? I'm not whining. Quite to the contrary, I'm just reeeally looking forward to this!


----------



## Desecrated

kurtzentmaier said:


> Here we go
> 
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8
> 
> Kurt



Absolutely amazing.


----------



## eightballhemhorrage

how long will you be taking deposits for?


----------



## technomancer

Hehe until about ten minutes ago if the site is correct. It's showing as sold out


----------



## DyvimTvar

Out of stock nooooooo


----------



## Hoff

Uhm, is this some sort of mistake??


----------



## Splees

try it, it says it's all sold out.


----------



## Doddus

Will there be a re-run anytime soon?


----------



## TomAwesome

Doddus said:


> Will there be a re-run anytime soon?



Dude, the first run is still three months away! I'm almost positive he will do multiple runs of these. From a business perspective, he'd be a fool not to.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´m probably going to get on the next batch of these, getting the "standard" model. right now i gotta build my rig


----------



## TemjinStrife

That was fast... I wonder how many are in this first run...


----------



## Doddus

TomAwesome said:


> Dude, the first run is still three months away! I'm almost positive he will do multiple runs of these. From a business perspective, he'd be a fool not to.



Absolutely, i totally agree. It was a little bit early in the morning for me too be posting, what i really meant to say was... When do you think they'll start taking orders for the next run??


----------



## AudiodesignNYC

Didn't I read somewhere that they would build the order with the factory based on how many pre-orders they received? I coulda swore I read that somewhere. If that is the case, why would it be sold out? Anyone know the real deal?


----------



## Doddus

AudiodesignNYC said:


> Didn't I read somewhere that they would build the order with the factory based on how many pre-orders they received? I coulda swore I read that somewhere. If that is the case, why would it be sold out? Anyone know the real deal?



No, but i'd really like to know right about now.
Darn 8 Strings are too exciting.


----------



## Hoff

kurtzentmaier said:


> We are getting closer now. I will post on here a week before we start taking the orders so hopefully no one will "miss it" - if orders out strip the intial run, I will simply increase the intial run. I don't know what that number will be yet - that's up to you guys. We will do some number of Intrepid "Pro" models with the EMG 808s, Hip Shot Bridge and neck through and some number of "Standard" models with Agile Pickups and Bridge, and set neck or bolt on.
> 
> Kurt



Here it is.


----------



## Groff

I'm going to have to wait for the second run, which should give me time to get the money back together. The $$$ I did have saved for this went towards getting my motorcycle back on the road so I kinda got screwed.

But I really want in on an Intrepid Pro.


----------



## Kronpox

Kurt's telling me that he can make more now but he's reluctant to until he gets feedback from customers about the first batch of them. So, barring e-mailing kurt and asking him to make an exception for you, it looks like everyone's up the creek until August 

(now watch as 60 people e-mail kurt asking to get in on the first batch)


----------



## darren

If i were in Kurt's shoes, i'd be inclined to do the same. The first Interceptors had some issues, and user feedback was essential in helping to get them right. With the 8-string market being fairly new, this is a bit of a risky endeavour, and i'm sure he doesn't want to build 60 (or even 30) instruments that may have some issues.


----------



## Kronpox

I can definitely see it too. In the end, everyone will be happier, despite having to wait an extra 3 months. 

I just hope that the first batch don't have that many issues. Would suck to get my 8 and have it unable to be set up and played properly


----------



## DyvimTvar

Aye, that's fair enough really, I don't mind waiting a while longer.


----------



## Ishan

I got a quote for my custom which is basically a standard Intrepid Pro but with a 30" scale  (my previous idea didn't turn out to be very doable haha)
The price is right so I'm gonna go for it, I can't wait


----------



## Shannon

DAMN! I missed it already?


----------



## Scarpie

i just bought a house, so looks like i am waiting for the next batch. all good things to those who wait i am told.


----------



## Kronpox

Scarpie said:


> i just bought a house, so looks like i am waiting for the next batch. all good things to those who wait i am told.



You picked a house over an 8 string?!

get off of my forum


----------



## Demeyes

I gotta say, I'm disappointed that I have to wait so long for one of these now. Will the next run be done quicker? I'd imagine it would be.


----------



## Scarpie

Kronpox said:


> You picked a house over an 8 string?!
> 
> get off of my forum



well an 8 string in my current living environment would be useless. for i can never play. roommates/landlords all up my ass. but no more. now i have my own rehearsal space, so i can start a band, no one to tell me to turn it down, the freedom to play guitar at any damn hour of the day i please, and the space to put all equipment, 8 string guitars i please. (i have been living without my halfstack and 3 guitars for almost a year now) plus i keep my sanity, cause i was just way to damn sick of living with people.


----------



## Kronpox

Scarpie said:


> well an 8 string in my current living environment would be useless. for i can never play. roommates/landlords all up my ass. but no more. now i have my own rehearsal space, so i can start a band, no one to tell me to turn it down, the freedom to play guitar at any damn hour of the day i please, and the space to put all equipment, 8 string guitars i please. (i have been living without my halfstack and 3 guitars for almost a year now) plus i keep my sanity, cause i was just way to damn sick of living with people.



Buddy it was a joke! 

congrats on the new living/metal administration quarters


----------



## Scarpie

very cool of you kron thank you sir !!


----------



## plyta

Ishan said:


> I got a quote for my custom which is basically a standard Intrepid Pro but with a 30" scale  (my previous idea didn't turn out to be very doable haha)
> The price is right so I'm gonna go for it, I can't wait



I've just send an email asking for a quote for customised Intrepid as well. Waiting for reply. Fingers crossed.


----------



## FortePenance

Kronpox said:


> Buddy it was a joke!



No, no it wasn't. 







> I gotta say, I'm disappointed that I have to wait so long for one of these now. Will the next run be done quicker? I'd imagine it would be.



Ah mate, there was all the planning and stuff that had to go into it. Personally i'm really appreciative of Rondo taking the time to listen to customers and all. It's amazing.


----------



## technomancer

Demeyes said:


> I gotta say, I'm disappointed that I have to wait so long for one of these now. Will the next run be done quicker? I'd imagine it would be.



Well, you could always go buy one of the other eight strings with a similar quality level and price... oh wait, there are none. Also the runs always take about the same amount of time from order to delivery.

After thinking about it I completely understand why Kurt is doing this the way he is. If there are problems with the initial run, he doesn't want to have to replace 50 guitars. This is the first time the factory has ever done an eight string, so he's being cautious.


----------



## Demeyes

technomancer said:


> Well, you could always go buy one of the other eight strings with a similar quality level and price... oh wait, there are none. Also the runs always take about the same amount of time from order to delivery.
> 
> After thinking about it I completely understand why Kurt is doing this the way he is. If there are problems with the initial run, he doesn't want to have to replace 50 guitars. This is the first time the factory has ever done an eight string, so he's being cautious.



I know its probably going to end up better for us because any bugs will be sorted. And I totally appreciate the work and time put into making these. Rondo are doing a great job for us. Its just that realistically it could be another 6 months before I'd be able to play one of these, and I'm seriously gassing for one!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Shannon said:


> DAMN! I missed it already?




I put a very small additional quantity back on the site. Just FYI. But after these are sold I really want to wait for customer feedback before we build more.

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld


----------



## s_the_fallen

woo hoo! I'm now on the list

thanks Kurt!


----------



## wes225

i dunno. but it looks awful to me. You can get it in another color right?


----------



## Ze Kink

Sorry, haven't been following this so sorry if I'm asking a question that's been asked a million times already. What about the cheaper bolt-on model?


----------



## TemjinStrife

Ze Kink said:


> Sorry, haven't been following this so sorry if I'm asking a question that's been asked a million times already. What about the cheaper bolt-on model?



$500, bolt-on maple neck, ash body w/charcoal grey stain, Agile 8-string bridge and Agile passive pickup. Will be available for order in VERY limited quantities (if the Pro is any indication) for the first run sometime in the next few weeks.


----------



## Shannon

kurtzentmaier said:


> I put a very small additional quantity back on the site. Just FYI. But after these are sold I really want to wait for customer feedback before we build more.
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld



Sorry Kurt, 
I've been doing a lot of soul searching as of late. As great of a deal as this is, 27" really is my limit on what I can comfortably play as a main axe, so I reluctantly have to pass.

If you ever do a 25.5" or 27" 8-string Interceptor w/ an 8-inline headstock, I'll be all over it.


----------



## Doddus

I have no idea if this has been discussed, as much as i have been following this thread and have read close to all the pages i cant remember if it has been so i'll bring it up anyway.

I just thought it would be cool and very sevenstring.orgesque if Kurt was to take some pics of the models in production and put them up on the site as the blocks of wood evolved in to monstrous 8 strings or something like that. I understand if its to hard but it would be off its head! if it was possible. 
Anyway what do you guys think?


----------



## tofumannen

Yeah that would be very cool indeed


----------



## Splees

kurtzentmaier said:


> I put a very small additional quantity back on the site. Just FYI. But after these are sold I really want to wait for customer feedback before we build more.
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld



DAMNIT. 

I hate my job. I can't believe I missed out again.


----------



## technomancer

Doddus said:


> I have no idea if this has been discussed, as much as i have been following this thread and have read close to all the pages i cant remember if it has been so i'll bring it up anyway.
> 
> I just thought it would be cool and very sevenstring.orgesque if Kurt was to take some pics of the models in production and put them up on the site as the blocks of wood evolved in to monstrous 8 strings or something like that. I understand if its to hard but it would be off its head! if it was possible.
> Anyway what do you guys think?



Considering that the guitars will be built in a factory in Korea which Kurt doesn't own, and that Kurt is in NH (IIRC) I really don't see this happening.


----------



## Wolfv11

technomancer said:


> Considering that the guitars will be built in a factory in Korea which Kurt doesn't own, and that Kurt is in NH (IIRC) I really don't see this happening.



Yea but he could always ask someone over there at the factory to snap a few pics and send em to him


----------



## darren

Right. The factory workers probably make a fraction of what you do on a weekly basis, and taking pictures of guitars in progress isn't likely a part of their job description. Anything that slows down the process, taking more productivity out of the factory, will increase the cost. 

Wishful thinking, but i don't think it's going to happen.


----------



## Scarpie

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand they are sold out again AWESOME!!!            



So is kurt still doing the bolt on $500 model or is that waiting till august pending customer feedback on first batches of intrepid pro's?


----------



## TemjinStrife

Scarpie said:


> So is kurt still doing the bolt on $500 model or is that waiting till august pending customer feedback on first batches of intrepid pro's?



I believe he still is... orders will be coming within the next few weeks. Again, the number will be VERY limited.


----------



## darren

I just got a couple of emails from Kurt about the Standard 8 model.

It is confirmed to be a bolt-on model now.

However, there will be a couple of minor spec changes:

The ash body is a more expensive proposition than Kurt originally thought. Probably $50 to $75 more. However, he can also drop the neck construction to a 3-piece maple laminate, which he feels will still be a stable neck (and i agree) to get the price down to *$525*. BTW, both models will have dual truss rods, which should also make the necks more stable and tweakable.

You guys okay with that?

Ordering should be coming soon.


----------



## XEN

Dude, it sounds fine to me. As long as that ash is still getting that sexy gray stain I'm all over it.


----------



## TomAwesome

Sounds great, Darren!


----------



## plyta

darren said:


> I just got a couple of emails from Kurt about the Standard 8 model.
> 
> It is confirmed to be a bolt-on model now.
> 
> However, there will be a couple of minor spec changes:
> 
> The ash body is a more expensive proposition than Kurt originally thought. Probably $50 to $75 more. However, he can also drop the neck construction to a 3-piece maple laminate, which he feels will still be a stable neck (and i agree) to get the price down to *$525*. BTW, both models will have dual truss rods, which should also make the necks more stable and tweakable.
> 
> You guys okay with that?
> 
> Ordering should be coming soon.



Its good as long as it has angled headstock and bigass volute


----------



## Desecrated

Wouldn't it be better to change the body to alder then ?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Will target to start takings orders on the intrepid STD as of Wed next week 5-28

Kurt


----------



## technomancer

Desecrated said:


> Wouldn't it be better to change the body to alder then ?



I'm with you, I'd prefer the better neck construction with an Alder body, but I'm assuming it's a little late in the game to get that changed, and I'll probably order one either way.


----------



## TemjinStrife

kurtzentmaier said:


> Will target to start takings orders on the intrepid STD as of Wed next week 5-28
> 
> Kurt



Great news for Drew and/or anyone else that wants a Standard/ missed out on the Pro.


----------



## Stitch

Any idea on how many will be available, Kurt?

Also, dual truss rods is GREAT news!


----------



## technomancer

Stitch said:


> Any idea on how many will be available, Kurt?
> 
> Also, dual truss rods is GREAT news!



Probably the same as the Pro, not many 

The flip side is there will be more runs unless something goes wrong with them


----------



## Wound

Does anyone know if you can get a case with any of these?


----------



## darren

No case is included, but it will fit in Rondo's baritone case, which you can order separately.


----------



## Ishan

I hope the baritone case will fit my custom 30" scale Intrepid Pro  it's worrying me a bit  Kurt says there is no case available for it right now but maybe latter.
I have a 4 months wait time so it should be ok I guess...


----------



## TomAwesome

^ A 6-string bass case would fit it just about right, wouldn't it?


----------



## Ishan

Maybe, but it's more like a short scale bass so I don't know. I guess I'll ask Kurt to try a few cases when he'll get the guitar from Korea.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok Here we go:

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal 

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst 

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal / Ebony 

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst / Ebony 


Kurt


----------



## supertruper1988

Damn i wish i had the cash for the ebony burst one


----------



## theunforgiven246

Ok I was thinking today, I know thats a bad idea but anyway, I was thinking that since kurt has the abilities to make his own hardware, why not if the 8 string model goes well then maybe look into making his own 8 string tremolo?


----------



## Wound

just placed an order for the Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal / Ebony :-D


----------



## XEN

Damn you people snatching up all the ebony models!!!


----------



## ajdehoogh

urklvt said:


> Damn you people snatching up all the ebony models!!!


 
 I like my ebony.


----------



## Ishan

WHHYYYYYY HOOOO WHYYY THE GGASSS???  I'll have to buy that ebony/burst standard after I get my custom!!


----------



## XEN

ajdehoogh said:


> I like my ebony.


 Reminds me of John Carpenter's Vampires


----------



## El Caco

Wow, maple ones seem to have gone already.

It's funny I don't even want an 8 string guitar and I've been tempted to pull the trigger on one of these.


----------



## techjsteele

About to pull the trigger on the Charcoal/Maple fretboard one.


----------



## Groff

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok Here we go:
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal / Ebony
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst / Ebony
> 
> 
> Kurt



What will the neck bolt joint be like? Tapered square with a plate, or more Ibanez like?


----------



## Ishan

I guess Ibanez like...


----------



## techjsteele

I pulled the trigger! I got the Charcoal / Maple one.


----------



## Svartmetall

Any idea how much shipping to the UK would work out at on top of the (extremely reasonable) price of the instrument...?


----------



## Ishan

I'd say 80$ or something close


----------



## darren

I've ordered a Pro and a Standard. 

I gave Kurt a sunburst mockup on a lark, but was quite surprised when he actually put it into the first run. I couldn't resist. 

With a pair of single coils, the Standard model could be a Strat-like 8-string blast to play. (Drew, are you reading this?)

I may only end up keeping one of these, but who knows? Maybe i'll become an 8-string convert and will be selling off all my sevens in a few months' time!


----------



## TomAwesome

Those ebony ones are very nice! That charcoal/ebony one just begs to churn out unbridled brutality. Too bad they'll be gone by the time I get one, but the maple ones are still quite nice as well.

[action=TomAwesome]sits and waits for picstories[/action]


----------



## Ishan

I hope Kurt'll do runs and runs of these in the future, they deserve to be widespread to the world


----------



## Scarpie

they are very nice but why are the prices just getting higher and higher everytime i check this forum. thought the standard was supposed to be 500 bucks now they are up to 625.


----------



## TomAwesome

It's only up to $525, which is pretty reasonable. The ones with the ebony fretboards are $625.


----------



## Scarpie

ah didn't even notice, i was drawn to ebony. and didn't even look at maple standards being we've seen em already. my bad. thanks tom


----------



## Svartmetall

Come on, it's still stupidly cheap really


----------



## darren

Wow... the ebony is a $100 upcharge? I like the maple ones even more now! 

And Svartmetall has hit the nail on the head. I defy you to find another 8-string guitar on the market that has these specs for anywhere close to the price Rondo is selling these for.


----------



## techjsteele

darren said:


> Wow... the ebony is a $100 upcharge? I like the maple ones even more now!


----------



## Ishan

100$ for an ebony board is very reasonable in my book


----------



## techjsteele

Ishan said:


> 100$ for an ebony board is very reasonable in my book



True, ebony isn't exactly a cheap option these days, but for me, IMO, getting the maple fretboard option for $100 cheaper was awesome, as I wanted a guitar with a maple fretboard for a while now, and saving money on top of it is an extra added bonus.


----------



## Ishan

I wanted a maple board too so you know...


----------



## techjsteele

Hey, get one of each! Best of both worlds. 

Though I'm not sure if there are any left......


----------



## Splees

soooo, does anyone know where I can order some parts to upgrade my Standard?  locking tuners to be more specific.


----------



## Wound

Svartmetall said:


> Any idea how much shipping to the UK would work out at on top of the (extremely reasonable) price of the instrument...?



Well shipping to Norway was 95 $ so i would say around that area


----------



## Ishan

Splees said:


> soooo, does anyone know where I can order some parts to upgrade my Standard?  locking tuners to be more specific.



Sperzels are your best bet as they take up to .079 strings  as for the pickup I don't know on what it was modeled so I guess you'll have to wait till you have the guitar and use a ruler  There's many otpions : BKP (any pickups they make can be an 8 string one), Swineshead (they do 2 set of humbuckers), Lundgren (the famous M8), and many custom company like Haussel, Nordstrand, etc...


----------



## Ishan

techjsteele said:


> Hey, get one of each! Best of both worlds.
> 
> Though I'm not sure if there are any left......



I'm SERIOUSLY thinking on getting an ebony board one after I get my Intrepid Pro, damn, the GAS is killing me


----------



## Splees

AH RIGHT. I forgot about Sperzel. now I just have to find a place to get eight of them. 
Yeah I'm definitely going to wait on the pickup... since I have no idea how it's going to sound. It could be nice, who knows. 

I know what you mean. I was going to go the custom route, but the standard hit me hard. It was too good of a deal to pass up.


----------



## Wound

I wonder how the bridge is on the standard model, anyone got a clue?


----------



## Ishan

No one knows, it's certainly a simpler copy of the Hipshot bridge.


----------



## Wound

Proly eventually uprade it to a Hipshot, put on some Sperzel and an M8 and we´re off!


----------



## darren

It looks like there may still be burst models available. HURRY!

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst at HomeOld

Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Dark Burst / Ebony at HomeOld

BTW, just so you guys know, i do NOT get any commission on these. 

I just want them to be successful so everyone who wants an affordable 8 can get one.


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

YAY! I just ordered one of the Ebony models   very excited. Has anyone else from Australia ordered a rondo 8 string yet?

Is there any idea on the timeframe of when more Pro's will be available? I missed out on one of these and would love to get one too


----------



## TomAwesome

It'll probably be at least a few more months before the next run.


----------



## Zepp88

So, this has to happen right when I have no spare cash to spend!


----------



## darren

Kurt is waiting to see if there are any production issues with the first batch. Anything that needs to be modified and/or corrected will go into the next run, which won't be until after the first ones arrive, so likely in the August/September time frame to take orders, and shipping 3 months after that. Hopefully arriving in time for Christmas!


----------



## NegaTiveXero

It really sucks I didn't have the money to get these this time, but I know if anything is wrong with these it'll be fixed for sure for the next run, which I'm saving up for. I may pick up an Interceptor to hold me over though.


----------



## wes225

sadly by time i have money to buy one the first batch will be sold im sure of it. but whateva i can wait


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

wow... ONE ebony burst left..

and.... 2 burst maples.


----------



## techjsteele

I'm surprised there are any left! Well, now would be the time to get them.


----------



## darren

I'm not entirely surprised the burst ones weren't as popular. It's a much more traditional-looking finish.


----------



## Shannon

techjsteele said:


> I'm surprised there are any left! Well, now would be the time to get them.


Well in my case, I'm holding out for 25.5 or 27" model. 28.625" is just way too long for me when it comes to my main player guitars. The current scale length has entered novelty territory. Plus, that scale length does change the tonal aspects of the higher strings. I also know that I'd unfortunately end up selling it due to lack of comfort. 

25.5" FTW! Click to see my old 25.5" 8-stringer.


----------



## Ishan

Shannon said:


> Well in my case, I'm holding out for 25.5 or 27" model. 28.625" is just way too long for me when it comes to my main player guitars. The current scale length has entered novelty territory. Plus, that scale length does change the tonal aspects of the higher strings. I also know that I'd unfortunately end up selling it due to lack of comfort.
> 
> 25.5" FTW! Click to see my old 25.5" 8-stringer.



I don't see Rondo producing anything shorter than 27" scale, the market just isn't there...


----------



## techjsteele

Shannon said:


> Well in my case, I'm holding out for 25.5 or 27" model. 28.625" is just way too long for me when it comes to my main player guitars. The current scale length has entered novelty territory. Plus, that scale length does change the tonal aspects of the higher strings. I also know that I'd unfortunately end up selling it due to lack of comfort.
> 
> 25.5" FTW! Click to see my old 25.5" 8-stringer.




That 8-string is awesome! I'd be happy if I could get my hands on a second 8-string that was 25.5" scale so I could tune it BEADGBEA. If Kurt makes a 25.5" scale run, I'll probably pull the trigger on it. Having a F#BEADGBE tuned 8-string and a BEADGBEA 8-string would cover pretty much all of my needs, and I could sell off the rest of my guitars. 

So, how different is the tonal change of the higher strings for a 28.625" scale guitar? Thanks for any help you can offer in this area.


----------



## Shannon

Ishan said:


> I don't see Rondo producing anything shorter than 27" scale, the market just isn't there...


Oh well.... 
If we can play 25.5" 7-strings, I just don't see the point of stretching out a scale length over 2" just to get 5 more notes from an 8th string. 

Believe me, 25.5" works just fine.



> So, how different is the tonal change of the higher strings for a 28.625" scale guitar? Thanks for any help you can offer in this area.



The higher strings tend to loss that "zing" that you get from standard scale. It's a duller, flatter tone overall. Longer scale yields more of a bass guitar tone. My 30" baritone I had sounded radically different from my 7-string & that has the same tunings. I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from on that. I guess I want my guitar to sound LIKE A GUITAR & if you go to far w/ the scale length, you're getting into bass territory.


----------



## NegaTiveXero

Shannon, I completely agree with you that 25.5" works fine, I have a Dean Avalanche in F# and my other guitarist has a RG7321 in F# right now for a new song we're doing. We only have those to work with right now, so we can make it work.

That said, it's not ideal. I think 27" is, however. Your whole thing about there being no point in extending 2" for 5 notes completely misses the point. It's there to make the 24 notes on that string not sound like anus.


----------



## Splees

Shannon said:


> Oh well....
> If we can play 25.5" 7-strings, I just don't see the point of stretching out a scale length over 2" just to get 5 more notes from an 8th string.
> 
> Believe me, 25.5" works just fine.
> 
> 
> 
> The higher strings tend to loss that "zing" that you get from standard scale. It's a duller, flatter tone overall. Longer scale yields more of a bass guitar tone. My 30" baritone I had sounded radically different from my 7-string & that has the same tunings. I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from on that. I guess I want my guitar to sound LIKE A GUITAR & if you go to far w/ the scale length, you're getting into bass territory.



I was also in the small pool of people that didn't want the eight over 27" but I can definitely understand why we didn't go that route... since there are three production eights with a 27" and one with a 25.5" the next logical step would be to _Spinal Tap_ the eight string community.. 

It will be a nice guitar, no doubt. so i'm not complaining. I know I'm going miss how the higher notes will sound, but that's what all my other guitars are for. 



NegaTiveXero said:


> *Shannon, I completely agree with you that 25.5" works fine, I have a Dean Avalanche in F# and my other guitarist has a RG7321 in F# right now for a new song we're doing. We only have those to work with right now, so we can make it work.*
> 
> That said, it's not ideal. I think 27" is, however. Your whole thing about there being no point in extending 2" for 5 notes completely misses the point. It's there to make the 24 notes on that string not sound like anus.



same here, I've learned to use my 25.5" in F# and yes, it did sound funky. but honestly, it wasn't that bad at all.


----------



## technomancer

Splees said:


> I was also in the small pool of people that didn't want the eight over 27" but I can definitely understand why we didn't go that route...



Actually we didn't go that route because a poll was posted and the overwhelming response was for 28"+

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/49977-rondo-8-string-scale-length-poll.html

I do however agree that an additional model eventually with a 25.5" or even 25" scale length would be cool to allow an additional high string


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

Just a minor cosmetic question... What will the logo on the peg head look like? And will it be inlay'd, sticker, or painted ? Cheers


----------



## XEN

Shannon said:


> Believe me, 25.5" works just fine.


Agreed. Even at 24.75" the low B is fat and full on the AX7521, but I do have a 28.625" scale 7 and it is not muddy or "bassy" as suggested. I think anything from 25.5" to 30" can be made to work just fine for an 8.


----------



## Hoff

urklvt said:


> Agreed. Even at 24.75" the low B is fat and full on the AX7521, but I do have a 28.625" scale 7 and it is not muddy or "bassy" as suggested. I think anything from 25.5" to 30" can be made to work just fine for an 8.



I agree. The nicest seven I've played yet was a custom shop Mayones with a 25.4" scale, and the B string didn't warble at all! 

I think that it's a good choice to go with a longer scale for the Agiles though. Guess theres a better chance of getting clarity F# string this way.


----------



## Splees

technomancer said:


> Actually we didn't go that route because a poll was posted and the overwhelming response was for 28"+
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/49977-rondo-8-string-scale-length-poll.html
> 
> I do however agree that an additional model eventually with a 25.5" or even 25" scale length would be cool to allow an additional high string



ACTUALLY that's what I was talking about. I probably just should have talked about the poll directly though but like I said I don't care too much since I've never played anything over 27".

except for how those higher notes might sound. I love the extra space to move around up there but I'm not too sure about how it sounds. DAMN PHYSICS.

I hope rondo releases the eight string it other scales too.


----------



## darren

nuclearvoodoo said:


> Just a minor cosmetic question... What will the logo on the peg head look like? And will it be inlay'd, sticker, or painted ? Cheers



I'm guessing the headstock will look something like the one on this:







As for the logo, i could care less. It could be scrawled on there with a red Crayola for all i care.


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

I'm thinking of buying a Swineshead APEX pickup for my Agile Intrepid Standard as a replacement for the Agile brand pickup. Would there be any issues with this? Or should it fit nice and easy (no gaps etc) ?


----------



## technomancer

Considering that the Swinesheads are sized the same as an 808 while the pups in the Standard look to be more 'normal' sized passive pickups it would probably not fit without routing.


----------



## darren

I think the Swinesheads are meant to match the mounting screw placement on the 808, and to fit inside the same cavity. Because they still have mounting tabs, they'll have gaps around the shoulders when placed in an 808 cavity.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Agile passive pickup is close to or identical to the Swineshead dimensions, since we provided those to Kurt as an example of what he could do in order to give people aftermarket options.


----------



## Kissa3

IF THE PRICE AND QUALITY IS RIGHT !!!! WHOA im seriously gettin' some hardass orgasms now !


----------



## HellMinor

ok so seriously when will we know if this is happening....I REALLY want one!


----------



## technomancer

HellMinor said:


> ok so seriously when will we know if this is happening....I REALLY want one!



Actually pre-orders have already been taken for both the Pro and Standard and both models are sold out for the initial run. There should be another run of them assuming there are no problems with the initial builds. IIRC the first run is being delivered around August, so I would guess orders for the second run would be taken in September.


----------



## Drage

Looks like I need to keep some spare cash around once September comes....


----------



## Splees

I almost bought a new amp today. I remembered about upcoming final payment for the eight string shortly before I sent the cash for said amp. PHEW.


----------



## B Lopez

Splees said:


> I almost bought a new amp today. I remembered about upcoming final payment for the eight string shortly before I sent the cash for said amp. PHEW.


Haha, I do that like every day. I tell myself "I want a new surfboard!  Oh wait, I have a guitar to pay for "


----------



## techjsteele

Splees said:


> I almost bought a new amp today. I remembered about upcoming final payment for the eight string shortly before I sent the cash for said amp. PHEW.



Good save!


----------



## Splees

...actually I couldn't resist. I'm so weak. You can expect a NAD from me in about a week.


----------



## TimothyLeary

I wan august so much!!


----------



## Kronpox

It occured to me the other day that next check or the one after will be final payment time.

It's going to be so good to be so broke


----------



## Shannon

Finally retitled this massive thread to something more appropriate.


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## WillingWell

Once I see some reviews on these things I think that will decide whether I buy one or not. I have a real desire for an 8 string for many reasons (novelty, instigation, meshuggah-wannabe) and the Agile is a lot more price friendly than any of the LTDs or Ibanez.


----------



## B Lopez

Im getting ants in my pants for this now.


----------



## DagMX

technomancer said:


> Actually pre-orders have already been taken for both the Pro and Standard and both models are sold out for the initial run. There should be another run of them assuming there are no problems with the initial builds. IIRC the first run is being delivered around August, so I would guess orders for the second run would be taken in September.


hmm, just out of curiosity, seems the september run are also sold out? or is the site just taking me for a ride?

sigh, i just got a nice wad(can you call a cheque a wad really?) of birthday money that needs spending...and financing an 8 string is top of my list..

if the september run is over, any idea when the next run is available? I really want to get my hands on the charcoal standard...


oh and obvious question, anyone got any of the first run yet? any views?



Psychotic note: why the hell am I reading everything on this site in a Scottish accent in my head?


----------



## TimothyLeary

any news?


----------



## darren

If you try to add the product to your cart, you'll see this:



> Product: Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal
> Sorry, this item is currently out-of-stock. Check back often.



No guitars have been delivered yet (to my knowledge) and the next run has not been announced yet.


----------



## Ishan

I'm pretty sure I'll end up ordering another custom based on the charcoal/ebony standard, certainly 30.5" scale neckthrough, passive pickup, 1 vol, hipshot bridge. This with a Lundgren and you can't get any nearer to a Meshuggah LACS 
I'm kidding, I honestly don't know what I'll do but if my custom pro is as good as it's supposed to be, I'll be soooo glade I'd known about this very early on


----------



## TemjinStrife

I can't wait. We're creeping up on August!


----------



## HotRodded7321

Ooh! I vant vone!


----------



## twiztedchild

I want this one 







also does anyone know if they are going to make more?


----------



## TemjinStrife

If anyone actually READ the thread, even the posts a few above yours, you would see that there is INDEED the plan to make more AFTER the initial run makes it through QC and player feedback.

Seriously guys, the info's not hard to find.


----------



## El Caco

Does anyone know if they will make any more of these?


----------



## Ishan




----------



## s_the_fallen

From an e-mail Kurt sent to me on sat


> They are shipping Monday or Tuesday.
> I expect them to arrive to us by the end of August.


----------



## Wound

was that the pro models?


----------



## s_the_fallen

yes


----------



## Kronpox

Kurt officially received my deposit 4 months and 4 days ago. Where's my bloody guitar! 




[action=Kronpox]understands that there is no time guarantee on this process and building 8-strings is a lengthy process but he just really wants his guitar[/action]


----------



## Zepp88

Patience grasshopper. I think my KxK is an urban legend, but it will come true one day.


----------



## darren

Kronpox said:


> Kurt officially received my deposit 4 months and 4 days ago. Where's my bloody guitar!
> 
> [action=Kronpox]understands that there is no time guarantee on this process and building 8-strings is a lengthy process but he just really wants his guitar[/action]



It's probably on the boat with the production ones.


----------



## Kronpox

I counted wrong. It's only been 3 months and 4 days. GAS is perpetual!

Also darren I know it's coming with the first batch of productions but when you say 'on the boat' do you mean like it's literally on the boat right now or was that a figure of speech


----------



## plyta

I hope there will be some people (ones who ordered more than one Intrepid) who&#8217;ll want to sell me their Standard.

Or at least Rondo will make another run of these asap after them first ones get delivered. 

Damn, I wish they&#8217;d ship to where I live


----------



## darren

I was sure that in s_the_fallen's post above, Kurt said they were shipping from the factory this week. Assuming that, it would mean probably a couple of weeks to get to Rondo, where they'll be set up and inspected, then shipped to customers late in August.

plyta: I've ordered one of each, but will probably only keep one of them. Not sure if i'd ship to Lithuania, though... it might be prohibitively expensive.


----------



## plyta

I'd be really glad if I could snatch one of ebony Standards from some fellow forumite.

Standard as being a bolt-on guitar can be shipped disassembled &#8211; less expensive and safer (kind of)


----------



## Ishan

HAAAAAA I want to order another custom already  waiting till October is going to be a torture.


----------



## theshred201

darren said:


> I've ordered one of each, but will probably only keep one of them. Not sure if i'd ship to Lithuania, though... it might be prohibitively expensive.



If you won't ship to lithuania then DIBS!!!! though I may have to wait till october or december to actually pay for it in which case you could probably sell it before hand (and should)....just saying that I'm interested too.....


----------



## TemjinStrife

I have a feeling that if any of the Intrepids make their way onto the For Sale forums, there will be a bit of a bidding war...


----------



## hmmm_de_hum

I am seriously feeling the need to get one of these during the next batch, or even if one goes for sale on the forum. Does anyone off hand know the shipping costs to the UK?


----------



## xJawsh

When will rondo stop taking the 350.00 deposits? 
Because I trying to save for my Interceptor Pro right now as well.

and will there be a hardcase for this?
this is way to beautiful to ship without a case.


----------



## darren

The first run is sold out and deposits are no longer being accepted. The second run has not been announced yet.

They're being designed to fit in Rondo's baritone hardshell case.


----------



## Randy

I'm sure it's been mentioned before a million times, but 132 pages is a lot to read through...

When are the first batch shipping, you think?


----------



## darren

They're expected sometime in August for the Pro and September for the Standard.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Darren... maybe we should have you edit the initial post to include a FAQ. This is getting kind of ridiculous.


----------



## xJawsh

just to be sure, it's gonna be designed to fit in this?
Baritone Case


----------



## darren

xJawsh said:


> just to be sure, it's gonna be designed to fit in this?
> Baritone Case





darren said:


> They're being designed to fit in Rondo's baritone hardshell case.



Reading his hard.


----------



## darren

TemjinStrife said:


> Darren... maybe we should have you edit the initial post to include a FAQ. This is getting kind of ridiculous.



That's a really good idea.


----------



## s_the_fallen

from Kurt


> We have no case for it currently - cases are being built at another factory - should be in this fall
> 
> kurt


 Darren did Kurt say it would fit in the Baritone case?


----------



## darren

Back in April, i got the following in an email from Kurt:



> Target is to have it fit our Baritone 28" scale case.
> If not, we will have cases made for it. But as Cases generally come from China - and the basses from Korea - timing will be off for sure.



So if he's telling you cases aren't available, i'm guessing that the goal of having it fit in their baritone case was not achievable and they're making a custom case for it.


----------



## s_the_fallen

Yeah, that sucks. Hate not to have a case for it when it arrives.


----------



## darren

See if you can find a short-scale bass case for it.

Even my Strat VII doesn't fit in a regular hardshell guitar case... i use a bass gig bag for it.


----------



## Shannon

darren said:


> Even my Strat VII doesn't fit in a regular hardshell guitar case... i use a bass gig bag for it.


I use an Agile Baritone case for my Strat VII. Works just dandy.


----------



## Cameron

When the next batch of 8s comes in, will it be posted in this thread? I missed the last one and I want to be sure I order one next time around. Thanks.


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm sure all updates will be promptly posted here. Darren has been pretty good about that. I think there's going to be a little while between the shipping of the first batch and the production of the second batch, though. IIRC, most of the reason for the limited quantities in the first place is that Kurt wanted to get some feedback from the first batch before making more of them.

Patience, friend.


----------



## theshred201

I assume also that if the reviews/response is good, the 2nd batch will be a bit larger (hopefully)?


----------



## TomAwesome

It stands to reason that that would be the case.


----------



## darren

There are a _lot_ of assumptions right there.


----------



## Cameron

Thanks. My friend emailed kurt and he said the next batch is coming in september and will ship in december. I'll have it just in time for christmas.


----------



## Kronpox

Has anyone gotten any updates on the first batch beyond "sometime in august"?


----------



## TimothyLeary

Kronpox said:


> Has anyone gotten any updates on the first batch beyond "sometime in august"?



I'd love to hear something about it!


----------



## Ishan

got this about the pro model :


> Should get the first ones in just before the end of the month
> 
> Kurt


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I emailed Kurt and he said they will be avalable for order in september or october!.....Does anyone know how many will be in the first batch.


----------



## darren

Kurt would be the one to ask.

My guess is that he's having them built in batches of 10 or 12. According to the poll we did after the ordering for the first run took place, it looks like there are about that many of the Standard and Pro models in the first run.

I can't lie to you guys... i've been thinking of little else for the last couple of weeks. I can't wait to mess around with tones, riffs and tunings on one of these beasts!


----------



## st2012

I'm desperately waiting on the picstories for these guitars.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I can't lie to you guys... i've been thinking of little else for the last couple of weeks. I can't wait to mess around with tones, riffs and tunings on one of these beasts!

i can definetly agree with that i have been desperatly waiting for an agile 8 since i found em unfortunatley that was like two weeks after the first run of intrepids were sold. i am very exicted to mess with tunings and riffs with this. Hopefully i dont turn into a crappy Meshuggah ripoff!


----------



## Anthony

I can't fucking wait to see some real pictures!


----------



## Ishan

Mine is coming mid October, this is killing me


----------



## TimothyLeary

final we can see some real pictures, go to Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld

hot!!


----------



## El Caco

That looks fucking awesome.


----------



## 70Seven

Thanks for the link to the pic, looks awesome !! love that price, I'll be trying to put a deposit down when the second run comes along, hope I can get my hands on one, looks like there won't be many made and more people are "in the know". Anyone know if the second run will be exactly like the first or if modifications will be made?


----------



## cev

Wow, that looks GREAT!


----------



## B Lopez

ooooooh baby, its getting close

got the email from kurt

due around september 1st

he wants the rest of my money now


----------



## Groff




----------



## B Lopez

TimothyLeary said:


> final we can see some real pictures, go to Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld
> 
> hot!!



Oh wow. AWESOME.


----------



## Used666

Looks great, its making me debate getting a custom intrepid and just wait out for the next run at a much lower price....

If anyone gets cold feet and decides they dont want their pro when they are ready PM me. Ill gladly buy it out from you


----------



## B Lopez

Used666 said:


> Looks great, its making me debate getting a custom intrepid and just wait out for the next run at a much lower price....
> 
> If anyone gets cold feet and decides they dont want their pro when they are ready PM me. Ill gladly buy it out from you



You can have first dibs on mine if I dont like it.


----------



## Used666

B Lopez said:


> You can have first dibs on mine if I dont like it.



Definitely let me know


----------



## Cameron

Used666 said:


> If anyone gets cold feet and decides they dont want their pro when they are ready PM me. Ill gladly buy it out from you



Same. I'll pay full price.


----------



## Zacplays

3rdsies.

I will pay full price or whatever. 

So mad I missed this


----------



## elrrek

I don't normally use this phrase but on seeing those pictures ... Oh. My. God.


----------



## DagMX

Makes me consider saving up and buying the Pro. I have such a weakness for natural finishes....

I hope there might be a third or fourth run in that case...I have no clue when I might get myself a job to pay for all the (amazingly sexy and awesome) crap that I want. Oh GAS and college in a new city don't mix.


----------



## Apophis

I like it, really nice looking guitar


----------



## techjsteele

at the Pro model pics!

Man, I can't wait to see the pics of the Standard models.


----------



## B Lopez

I just want to play it


----------



## st2012

Holy fuck those look great. Need pics of the ebony now


----------



## chimp_spanner

Holy shit....that looks fantastic. The price has GOT to be a stitch up lol I'm broke, and I'm seriously considering finding a way to get one...


----------



## Kronpox

holy balls gas attack

can't wait for my custom


----------



## chimp_spanner

Gas attack indeed. I wonder if they do basses....I think I need a bass more...


----------



## B Lopez

chimp_spanner said:


> Gas attack indeed. I wonder if they do basses....I think I need a bass more...



This guitar is actually based off a bass at rondo, the Brice Defiant 6.


----------



## Ishan

Holy atomic pile, Batman!  
It looks so great, waiting till mid October is going to be a real torture 
I WANT MINE NOW!! 

edit : I can't stop looking at it, it's just... WOW!!


----------



## SevenDeadly

Ishan said:


> Holy atomic pile, Batman!
> It looks so great, waiting till mid October is going to be a real torture
> I WANT MINE NOW!!
> 
> edit : I can't stop looking at it, it's just... WOW!!



ok, ok, ok, so you've ordered yours apparently. When are they going to be available for deposit and preorder again? Any guesses? I have the cash now


----------



## Kronpox

september allegedly


----------



## Demiurge

I just got the email requesting the final payment- anyone else? ETA is 9/1 according to the email- I can hardly contain myself...


----------



## TemjinStrife

I can't wait either... sending my final payment now. 

Holy crap these look AMAZING.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

any pics of the standard version??


----------



## darren

Whoa!

I've been offline most of the weekend, and just saw the email and pics on the Rondo product page! Wow! It looks pretty much *exactly* as it was designed. The body looks a wee bit big, though.

I cannot wait to get my hands on mine!

I can't wait to see the ebony-board models. With the black hardware, i bet they're going to look *amazing*.


----------



## Kronpox

I actually thought the body looked smaller than I imagined...

edit and I'm getting anxious now because people are getting notified to send in their final payments and I haven't heard a single word about my customs! Blast!


----------



## TemjinStrife

I actually prefer the larger body... it makes it look more well-proportioned to the huge neck.


----------



## B Lopez

Kronpox said:


> I actually thought the body looked smaller than I imagined...
> 
> edit and I'm getting anxious now because people are getting notified to send in their final payments and I haven't heard a single word about my customs! Blast!



Sucker.

Mines all paid for. Waiting game goes into the 4th quarter now.


----------



## Ishan

I'm too waiting for final payment of my custom, I think Kurt is dealing with those as they are done by the factory.


----------



## slake moth

A few rough estimates based on pickup width:
OAL: 40"
Body width 13.3"
Body length 20"


----------



## Kronpox

I talked to Kurt and apparently my customs were done, but he rejected them due to 'Neck issues'. So he sent them back with markings on them to show the Koreans exactly what the problems were and what to fix. They should be making another asap and sending it along by air (not boat!) and I should still have mine before you production model schmucks. 

gloating to come soon

Cheers once again to Kurt and his incredible customer service.

edit; lmao doublepost win


----------



## darren

Kronpox said:


> I should still have mine before you production model schmucks.


NO FAIR! I was supposed to get the first one!


----------



## Ishan

I'm going to be last, so don't complain 
and remember the tag before "rondo" at the bottom of this page


----------



## darren

Heh. I WROTE those tags! 

Updated the first post with production pics.


----------



## TimSE

holy balls that looks cool
will be awesome when there are some dark burst ebony pics


----------



## darren

I was just thinking that it was a shame these didn't make it into production earlier... it would have been cool to launch them on 08/08/08.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> I was just thinking that it was a shame these didn't make it into production earlier... it would have been cool to launch them on 08/08/08.





Nice avatar btw


----------



## darren

Fanx!


----------



## technomancer

Hey Darren, do you know anything about this 'Cepheus' bridge on the standards? Is it going to be a straight swap for a Hipshot?


----------



## Ishan

it's supposed to be an hipshot clone.


----------



## E Lucevan Le Stelle

If any of the Pro guys feel like trading theirs for my Standard + some cash... PM me.


----------



## ibznorange

holy shit!


----------



## Kronpox

darren said:


> I was just thinking that it was a shame these didn't make it into production earlier... it would have been cool to launch them on 08/08/08.



When me and my buddy were ordering our customs we were in a rush to get the specs finalized because not only did we totally want to have these guitars by 8/8/08, but we had a show the next day that we could have played them at! 



Around the beginning of the year I prophesized that 2008 would be the year of the 8. Didn't know why or how, but alas, it's happening


----------



## Wolfv11

Wow, this really came out nice. Is there any word or hint whatseover as to when the second run is gonna go down??? After seeing this im getting some extreme GAS attacks


----------



## CaptainD00M

Wow...
Gas attack!

Do want fanned fret 24-27" scale...
I gotta talk to Kurt.



Kronpox said:


> When me and my buddy were ordering our customs we were in a rush to get the specs finalized because not only did we totally want to have these guitars by 8/8/08, but we had a show the next day that we could have played them at!
> 
> 
> 
> Around the beginning of the year I prophesized that 2008 would be the year of the 8. Didn't know why or how, but alas, it's happening


 
You have invoked the higest level of prophesy... THE CALL


I bow to your wisdom...
Till someone better comes along.


----------



## ubarhax

Is there a price for these yet? I'm not looking through 140 pages haha


----------



## B Lopez

ubarhax said:


> Is there a price for these yet? I'm not looking through 140 pages haha



Are you kidding?


----------



## Desecrated

ubarhax said:


> Is there a price for these yet? I'm not looking through 140 pages haha



Look at the first page.


----------



## darren

Pricing information added to the FAQ.


----------



## TomAwesome

Oh wow, they came out looking really great!


----------



## twiztedchild

OH man I need to get one of these if I can.


----------



## Zoltta

Why did i have to get layed off. These things look fucking insane


----------



## Ishan

Am I the only one noticing the pickup is a bit far from the bridge? It shouldn't affect the tone much but it looks a bit odd  I'd like to know if that was a random choice or not...


----------



## Wolfv11

Ishan said:


> Am I the only one noticing the pickup is a bit far from the bridge? It shouldn't affect the tone much but it looks a bit odd  I'd like to know if that was a random choice or not...



Yea I was thinking the same thing, however, it looks similar to the distance on the fm-408











Shouldnt be too much of an issue, if its similar to the 408, shouldnt be a problem, as the 408 sounded and played incredible the last time i tried one.


----------



## TemjinStrife

It looks centered on the laminates to me. The string spacing might be slightly uneven to compensate for the huge amplitude of string vibration on the low .072.


----------



## darren

One thing you have to keep in mind is that the saddles on the RG2228 and other Floyd-based bridges have a lot of metal in front of the point where the string breaks over the edge of the saddle, compared to a regular fixed bridge like the Hipshot. 







So while it appears that the pickup is further than normal from the bridge (which i suppose it is), it's not really further from the _saddles_.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Best looking production 8-string  If the custom shop was still open I would be tempted to order a 7-string version of that


----------



## darren

Yeah, a seven-string version of it would be pretty sweet.


----------



## Wolfv11

Yea the bridge thing looks more noticeable I guess do to the colour, and because Im soooooo used to seeing 8 strings in black, lol, Ibanez, Esp, Meshuggahs customs. it just seems more apparent on the intrepid.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

The more I look at it, the more I want one!!!!


----------



## eegor

So, why is there only one pickup? I'm on the fence about ordering one (when they're made available, of course) and if it had two pickups I wouldn't be giving it a second thought.


----------



## TemjinStrife

eegor said:


> So, why is there only one pickup? I'm on the fence about ordering one (when they're made available, of course) and if it had two pickups I wouldn't be giving it a second thought.



We were being very price-conscious with this one. Adding a second EMG would have brought it into the $700+ range, which is a bit much.


----------



## TomAwesome

Yes, it's a price issue. However, it has been routed with extra space in the electronics cavity to make it easier to install another pickup as an aftermarket mod.


----------



## Ishan

The big cavity as been done to allow adding more pots (like a preamp, switches, etc...). Adding a neck pickup could be done by a luthier I guess.


----------



## HighGain510

OM NOM NOM!  That body contour looks fantastic!


----------



## darren

Don't forget there's space for the 18v mod and for piezo electronics, too!


----------



## Ishan

which piezos saddles do fit the hipshot bridge? I'd like that option but how do you send the piezos cables to the control cavity?


----------



## 70Seven

I don't think anyone would need a piezo on an 8 string. With an 8 string your probably playing Meshuggah inspired riff. A killswitch could be usefull..


----------



## darren

70Seven said:


> I don't think anyone would need a piezo on an 8 string. With an 8 string your probably playing Meshuggah inspired riff. A killswitch could be usefull..



Well, i think you're grossly misjudging the market and musical breadth and depth of the people on this forum. I, for one, plan on using the 8 about as much clean as i do distorted, and i hope to eventually add piezos to most, if not all of my guitars. I find them indispensible for getting absolutely huge clean tones that can be blended with clean or distorted electric tones.

I believe the routing for the wires from the saddles into the control cavity is fairly straightforward. Just drill holes in the base plate, and route a small channel for the wires, then either drill a hole into the bridge pickup cavity and run into the control cavity from there, or drill directly through to the control cavity on an angle from under the bridge.

See Dendroapsis' RG7321 piezo install for a pretty amazing guide for how it can be done:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-org-workbench/7162-tech-rg7321-piezo-install.html


----------



## gaunten

sorry if I'm a bit late about this, haven't been keeping so updated on this guitar and I won't be arsed going through this 142 page thread, but anyways: has anyone here got it and played it yet? (as if you'd get it and not have played it yet)


----------



## TomAwesome

gaunten said:


> sorry if I'm a bit late about this, haven't been keeping so updated on this guitar and I won't be arsed going through this 142 page thread, but anyways: has anyone here got it and played it yet? (as if you'd get it and not have played it yet)



Darren has been updating the original post with updates and a FAQ. I'm pretty sure nobody has gotten theirs yet, though, as I'm sure there will be lots of posting, picstories, and clips when they do.



darren said:


> *Q: When are these coming in?*
> *A:* When orders were taken, estimated turnaround time was approximately three months. The first run of Intrepid Pros are expected sometime in August, and the first Standards are expected in September. You will likely be contacted directly by Kurt when these come in, as the balance of your payment will be due before your guitar ships out.


----------



## gaunten

oh ok, well I just got to the last page when I clicked this thread and my connection and computer at work are teh fail so... thanks tom, you're awesome


----------



## B Lopez

darren said:


> Well, i think you're grossly misjudging the market and musical breadth and depth of the people on this forum. I, for one, plan on using the 8 about as much clean as i do distorted, and i hope to eventually add piezos to most, if not all of my guitars. I find them indispensible for getting absolutely huge clean tones that can be blended with clean or distorted electric tones.
> 
> I believe the routing for the wires from the saddles into the control cavity is fairly straightforward. Just drill holes in the base plate, and route a small channel for the wires, then either drill a hole into the bridge pickup cavity and run into the control cavity from there, or drill directly through to the control cavity on an angle from under the bridge.
> 
> See Dendroapsis' RG7321 piezo install for a pretty amazing guide for how it can be done:
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-org-workbench/7162-tech-rg7321-piezo-install.html



Im considering doing this, even if I hardly ever use it.

Plus that guide is fun to look at even just for the hell of it.


----------



## Kronpox

I'm thinking of piezo-ing mine, then later down the road scraping together the money to convert it into a synth rig.

All I want in the whole world is to be able to hold a massive 8-string chord and have a symphony and choir backing me up. Is that so much to ask?!


----------



## Ishan

remember only 6 strings can be used with a MIDI converter. You'll have to choose which 6 strings you're going to use, or add a second hexa plug, split the strings between the 2 (you're choice here) then use 2 converters...


----------



## DagMX

Kronpox said:


> I'm thinking of piezo-ing mine, then later down the road scraping together the money to convert it into a synth rig.
> 
> All I want in the whole world is to be able to hold a massive 8-string chord and have a symphony and choir backing me up. Is that so much to ask?!



You know i'ts fnny you say that because that was what I had wanted on my dream guitar: 8 string baritone + Active Pickups + Piezo + MIDI + A variax engine for whatever strings possible with a breakout box a la the Gibson one....

But insead of a synth, I'd want to use the MIDI to drive a virtual drum set. You know, set up the bottom two strings to the drums.


----------



## Kronpox

DagMX said:


> But insead of a synth, I'd want to use the MIDI to drive a virtual drum set. You know, set up the bottom two strings to the drums.



I would DEFINITELY do that while writing stuff. I'd set up a drum beat to just be hihat and snare in 4/4 (or chinas or rides or whatever) and make it so that every note I hit triggered kick drums so I could hear as I'm playing what it would sound like as a polymeter with drums behind it. 

Ishan I know that hex converters can only take 6 inputs atm, I'm going to figure out a way around it but right now it's such a far off plan that I can't decide what would be more effective. I'd probably end up splitting strings, or not using the 8th, or something.


----------



## DagMX

A little off-topic, but is there a technical limitation why MIDI pickups are limited to 6 strings or is it just because there isn't a demand for more strings being supported?


----------



## Ishan

The Roland GK standard is for 6 strings max. (13 pins connector, 6 lines, 6 grounds and 1 control line if I recall)


----------



## Kronpox

It probably won't be long before someone, somewhere, somehow develops a MIDI system for more than 6 strings. The kind of people that want MIDI guitars seem like the same kind of people that want ERGs as well.


----------



## Ishan

I won't bet on this myself.


----------



## Drew

darren said:


> Well, i think you're grossly misjudging the market and musical breadth and depth of the people on this forum. I, for one, plan on using the 8 about as much clean as i do distorted, and i hope to eventually add piezos to most, if not all of my guitars. I find them indispensible for getting absolutely huge clean tones that can be blended with clean or distorted electric tones.



 I'm not so much into the peizo thing, myself (I like darker, rounder clean tones), but I was a little bummed to have missed the Standard order because I think an 8 would be a blast for touchstyle.


----------



## Justin Bailey

wow, these came out far better than I could have ever hoped, thanks so much Darren.


----------



## B Lopez

Now Im tempted to see if Kurt will overnight it to me when he gets it LOL.


----------



## darren

If anybody gets theirs before me, i'll be a sad panda.


----------



## Ishan

I can't wait for all the pic stories


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Hey does any have any more info on will they will be taking deposits on the next run of Intrepids besides just sometime in the fall? Thanks


----------



## st2012

No word yet on the next run. Kurt plans on seeing how the build quality is recieved on the initial orders before he plans another run I think. I cant wait...


----------



## darren

It's all in the FAQ on the first page.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Under a week to go! 

(Hopefully... we don't have a firm date, but damn would I like to see an "Order shipped" confirmation email!)


----------



## B Lopez

TemjinStrife said:


> (Hopefully... we don't have a firm date, but damn would I like to see an "Order shipped" confirmation email!)



Fo' reals.

I check my email every morning hoping for that Rondo Music one. 

Then I get his mailing list email, get excited then realize what it is.


----------



## theshred201

Can't wait to see reviews...though I also can't wait for a pic of the standard.


----------



## HighGain510

theshred201 said:


> Can't wait to see reviews...though I also can't wait for a pic of the standard.



+1, since he has a picture of the mahogany one already, does Kurt happen to have any pics of the ash model? I don't even have an order in for one, I'd just like to see it! 

Andy, you better bring that over on the chop-chop when you receive it sir.


----------



## TimothyLeary

my order is ready to ship!! weeeeeeeee


----------



## B Lopez

TimothyLeary said:


> my order is ready to ship!! weeeeeeeee



MINE TOO!


----------



## Demiurge

I got my notification for the Pro, too, but also that I still owed the remaining balance that I paid earlier this month.

So help me God, VISA, don't fuck me over!!!


----------



## TimothyLeary

Now I hope that I don't have to wait 2 extra months to get it.  Because the laws of my country.. fuckin shit. :|


----------



## TimSE

TimothyLeary said:


> Now I hope that I don't have to wait 2 extra months to get it.  Because the laws of my country.. fuckin shit. :|



man that would suck so much balls!

i sent my final payment 2day! so waiting for that READY TO SHIP email now
to see SHIPPED one would make me sex wee


----------



## TemjinStrife

What do people think? Kurt has said that it loosely fits in their bass case (width is okay, but body is 2" too short) and he can add it for $50. 

Is this a good idea, and do we think he will make sure it can't bang around in shipping?


----------



## Wound

TemjinStrife said:


> What do people think? Kurt has said that it loosely fits in their bass case (width is okay, but body is 2" too short) and he can add it for $50.
> 
> Is this a good idea, and do we think he will make sure it can't bang around in shipping?



Sorta wondering that myself...I did order one, cause I figured it would be safer travelling to Norway in a case rather than a cardboard box. But I hope it doesn´t bang around...


----------



## darren

BTW, if anyone wants to use this as their avatar...





Copy the URL below and paste it into the field on your "edit avatar" screen:

If you are permitted a 100-px avatar:


Code:


http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/AIOC_888_avatar_100.png

If you are permitted an 80-px avatar:


Code:


http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/AIOC_888_avatar_80.png


----------



## Kronpox

Beats my eye in the triangle. Thanks Darren!


----------



## darren

Why does yours have a white background?

If you used the URL in the code box above, you should get this:


----------



## Kronpox

Beats the hell out of me. I kind of like it though.

could it have something to do with it getting resized?


----------



## darren

Yeah, quite possibly. Don't resize it. The file at the URL i posted is sized to work as an avatar. Please use the correct version.


----------



## TomAwesome

darren said:


> BTW, if anyone wants to use this as their avatar...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Copy the URL below and paste it into the field on your "edit avatar" screen:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/AIOC_888_avatar_100.png



Nice! Hopefully I'll get in on the next run.


----------



## Kronpox

darren said:


> Yeah, quite possibly. Don't resize it. The file at the URL i posted is sized to work as an avatar. Please use the correct version.



 I pasted the link you posted into the URL field and hit submit. I didn't manually resize it, I'm assuming the server did, because I don't have your 100x100 limit. And when websites resize gifs with transparent areas they sometimes turn white. 

I can manually resize it and keep those areas transparent if you want, but that's technically farther from your 'correct' version than using your link and having it be white!


----------



## darren

Aha!

I didn't realize there was a different size limit for different users. I'm guessing "contributors" get 100-px avatars?

Try this link:



Code:


http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/AIOC_888_avatar_80.png


----------



## Ishan

Yea, contributors have a bigger... avatar 
I upped the logo on my sig to my photobucket, so no strain on your transfer limit Darren


----------



## Kronpox

'eres the goodun. Thanks again Darren!


----------



## darren

I'm guessing we're all in the "calm before the storm" mode... it's been pretty quiet for the last couple of days!


----------



## TemjinStrife

I'm definitely waiting with bated breath...


----------



## Ishan

I'm waiting for a NAD so I'm not too much on edge waiting for my custom


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I'm guessing we're all in the "calm before the storm" mode... it's been pretty quiet for the last couple of days!



More like quietly cursing waiting for a guitar that's been 'ready to ship' for a week to actually finally ship


----------



## DyvimTvar

It's like the feeling before a first date mixed with massive frustration, my fingers are tingling, must play 

I'm so excited, first time I've had a new guitar in about 2 years, I just need to think up a name for her!


----------



## technomancer

DyvimTvar said:


> It's like the feeling before a first date mixed with massive frustration, my fingers are tingling, must play
> 
> I'm so excited, first time I've had a new guitar in about 2 years, I just need to think up a name for her!



How about Flamefang


----------



## DyvimTvar

I think I might have to call her "War Bastard" in honour of the great t.v. show "Spaced" hehehe!


----------



## Ishan

I should call mine "Twist" then


----------



## B Lopez

technomancer said:


> More like quietly cursing waiting for a guitar that's been 'ready to ship' for a week to actually finally ship



Fo' reals.

Though I asked how they were when he sent out the "ready to ship" notice and he said he didn't have them yet.


----------



## technomancer

B Lopez said:


> Fo' reals.
> 
> Though I asked how they were when he sent out the "ready to ship" notice and he said he didn't have them yet.



Yeah in this case I think ready to ship actually means 'payed for' as opposed to the guitar is ready to roll


----------



## B Lopez

technomancer said:


> Yeah in this case I think ready to ship actually means 'payed for' as opposed to the guitar is ready to roll



Yeah has to be. I asked him why it said "waiting for check" again after I gave the final payment and he said there wasnt a "paid for, but not shipped" option on his order status thing.


----------



## darren

*JUST GOT MY SHIPPING NOTICE!*

Let the countdown to epic NGD begin! 



Code:


Sep 3, 2008 	 8:02 AM	Package data transmitted to FedEx


----------



## Ishan

Congrats


----------



## techjsteele

Congrats!


----------



## DyvimTvar

Just got mine 10 mintues ago, now I'm REALLY excited!


----------



## technomancer

Didn't get a shipping notice email... but hit the status page and it's showing shipped


----------



## guitarplayerone

DyvimTvar said:


> Just got mine 10 mintues ago, now I'm REALLY excited!


----------



## darren

guitarplayerone said:


>



Here ya go!


----------



## TomAwesome

guitarplayerone said:


>



You want pictures of his confirmation email? 

Edit: Darren was faster


----------



## technomancer

[action=technomancer]totally regrets not upping his shipping to two day... especially since my wife is out of town Friday and Saturday so I could sit and do nothing but play guitar [/action]


----------



## darren

Being in Soviet Canuckistan, i didn't have any shipping options. FedEx International Economy. Chances are, some of you guys will get your guitars before i will. In which case, i demand that you forward them directly to me.


----------



## TimSE

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
being shipped 2day

being in the UK youz guyz will get urs before i will 
but saying that my interceptor only took 2 days to get to the UK
fedex took long to get it to my house than rondo did to get it into the country!


----------



## TimSE

darren said:


> Here ya go!



?!?! jeeeeeez only 14lbs?? mine is 28lbs! haha i gotta case with mine tho


----------



## darren

With mine being 14 lbs., i'm guessing that the Standard and Pro are not shipping together. I was kinda hoping both would arrive together.


----------



## TimSE

darren said:


> With mine being 14 lbs., i'm guessing that the Standard and Pro are not shipping together. I was kinda hoping both would arrive together.



ya guess so
i would imagen they would still both arive together tho
ul have to do epic comparisons
with mucho pics and lengthyo vids


----------



## techjsteele

I just saw that mine shipped out as well! This place is going to explode with NGD pics and vids in the next few days.


----------



## Desecrated

techjsteele said:


> I just saw that mine shipped out as well! This place is going to explode with NGD pics and vids in the next few days.



Which is just fine, we can always need more GAS.


----------



## TimSE

Desecrated said:


> Which is just fine, we can always need more GAS.


----------



## B Lopez

Fuck you guys.

Mine's still "Ready to ship"


----------



## Ishan

Mine is... not even made


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

My dark burst/ebony has been shipped! Can't wait


----------



## TimSE

hey Darren
any idea how many of these have been made all together?
like how many pros and how many standards? regardless of colours etc


----------



## darren

As far as i can tell, there were between 10 or 12 of each made for this first batch. I don't know how those break down in terms of maple/ebony or the two finish options for the Standard models.

Kurt would obviously know, but i'm not going to bug him, as he's likely VERY busy this week.


----------



## jim777

Congrats guys!


----------



## TemjinStrife

Yay! It has been shipped!

EDIT: Only 23 months and 1500 posts from start to near-finish!


----------



## darren

Code:


Sep 3, 2008 	 2:18 PM	In transit	MISSISSAUGA, ON 	Paperwork available for non-FedEx broker 	
		 2:10 PM	Picked up  	LEBANON, NH 	
		 8:02 AM	Package data transmitted to FedEx


----------



## Ishan

it smells like a pic story for tomorrow


----------



## darren

I doubt it will arrive tomorrow. All that "In transit" means is that the customs info was transmitted ahead of the physical package, so it can clear customs before it actually gets there. It'd be awesome if it arrived tomorrow or Friday, but i'm not holding my breath... especially since i'm not going to be home on either of those days.


----------



## Demiurge

Projected delivery date tomorrow, but with UPS, that means I'll have it Monday.


----------



## B Lopez

Finally got the shipping notice. Can't wait till UPS tells me it will be 9 days in transit. 

Then reschedule for 14.

Any takers?


----------



## COBHC

Cant wait for next run , would be awesome if they do go through with burst colors. Passives on the pro would be awesome also.

Waiting for epic pic stories next week.


----------



## Splees

WHOO HOOOOO!


> Sep 3, 2008 7:00 PM Left FedEx origin facility LEBANON, NH



WHOO HOOOOO!


> Sep 3, 2008 7:00 PM Left FedEx origin facility LEBANON, NH


----------



## Jzbass25

I have never even though of buying an 8 string since I really don't need it but these are SOO nice looking that I would buy one, no lie.

I would like to see this in a 7 string too with a floyd 

Edit: forgot to ask, Do you think alt tunings would be fine on it? Just change string gauges to accommodate for different notes?


----------



## TemjinStrife

Mine will be here tomorrow... I guess it occasionally pays to live in Vermont, being next to New Hampshire and all that.

EDIT: Post #1500 in this thread! Holy crap that's a lot...


----------



## B Lopez

TemjinStrife said:


> Mine will be here tomorrow... I guess it occasionally pays to live in Vermont, being next to New Hampshire and all that.
> 
> EDIT: Post #1500 in this thread! Holy crap that's a lot...



I dislike you.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Well, UPS works in weird ways. My package went south, checked into the hub at Chelmsford, MA (which is further away from me than its origin point in Keene, NH) and then it will head _back_ up north to the hub in Williston, VT, before it finds its way to me. 

I should have had them ship it to me at work... it would have gotten to me around noon instead of like 6pm. Granted, I have a wedding rehearsal tomorrow immediately after work, so at best I'm gonna get to unwrap it, look at it, then pass out before early work, the actual wedding, and then mucho partying. So, probably no NGD thread for a while... someone would probably beat me to it anyways.


----------



## techjsteele

Mine shows up on the 10th.  Oh well, better late than never!


----------



## darren

Apparently my Standard has shipped as well!

For some strange reason, my Pro shipped FedEx International Economy, and my Standard shipped FedEx Ground. I don't recall specifying FedEx Ground, as i had a bad experience with them once, and tend to avoid them wherever possible.

Pro is expected to arrive on Friday... Standard is projected for Monday delivery.


----------



## TimSE

mines expected for the 9th


----------



## Wound

TimSE said:


> mines expected for the 9th



Cheer up...mine is expected the 16th...i'm gonna go crazy with all the GAS when everyone gets theirs before me hehe


----------



## darren

Code:


[b]Sep 4, 2008	8:50 AM	Arrived at FedEx location	NEWARK, NJ[/b] 	
Sep 3, 2008	7:00 PM	Left FedEx origin facility	LEBANON, NH 
		2:18 PM	In transit			MISSISSAUGA, ON 	Paperwork available for non-FedEx broker 	
		2:10 PM	Picked up  			LEBANON, NH 	
		8:02 AM	Package data transmitted to FedEx


Looks like it'll be on a flight to Toronto today, likely on a truck tomorrow. Hopefully it'll arrive tomorrow, if not, it'll be a sucky weekend having to wait until Monday!


----------



## ajdehoogh

According to my tracking page I should have mine tomorrow.


----------



## darren

Code:


[b]Sep 4, 2008	1:15 PM	Departed FedEx location		NEWARK, NJ[/b]
		8:50 AM	Arrived at FedEx location	NEWARK, NJ 	
Sep 3, 2008	7:00 PM	Left FedEx origin facility	LEBANON, NH 
		2:18 PM	In transit			MISSISSAUGA, ON 	Paperwork available for non-FedEx broker 	
		2:10 PM	Picked up  			LEBANON, NH 	
		8:02 AM	Package data transmitted to FedEx


----------



## Ishan

The anticipation is killing me


----------



## Demiurge

From UPS.com

SHREWSBURY,
MA, US 09/04/2008 12:23 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY 

No delivery tags on my door when I got home... UPS guy usually comes around at 5pm... waiting for the buzzer...

A wedge-shaped box has arrived... I'll try to grab some pictures...


----------



## darren

Woohoo!

Dude, it's been almost an hour... WTF?


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

if i dont get pics soon i'm gonna crush your fucking skull!


----------



## Demiurge

UPS was a li'l later than anticipated...

I am scrambling around to find my wife's digicam so I can grab some pics, but you'll all understand if I play it for awhile...

And right off the bad, the fit and finish is nearly flawless (there is one small discoloration in the maple near the bridge, but no big deal). **EDIT** apparently, the discoloration was on the surface, since while playing it- it must have buffed-out or something- I can't find it anymore.

The mahogany is very deep and rich and the maple- especially the fretboard (phenomenal grain)- looks great too (except for the mark I mentioned). 

Action is pretty good out of the box, and there is very little buzz. 

The neck is very wide, as expected but fairly thin- not Ibanez thin, but not Schecter thin. I used to have a Kramer 7 which was pretty similar, so anyone who owned one of those may see a similarity.

Fretwork is very clean, but I'll need to play it more to offer more feedback on that.

I really have to go play it to get more info on it.


----------



## theshred201

PICS!!!!




Just a note, you said Schecter thin and I think you meant thick.
1
Now that I'm seeing the potential finish options for the second batch (Ocean burst FTFW!), I'm glad I haven't bought one yet....


----------



## B Lopez

Oh come on dude, pictures.


----------



## s_the_fallen

pics!!!!!!!!


----------



## TimSE

fucking hell! get with the pics already!

EDIT: how fucking lucky are we to have a company like rondo music!
send an email asking for a completly new guitar from what they had already and they go and fecking make it for us!
rondo is the best gear company by far


----------



## Demiurge

theshred201 said:


> PICS!!!!
> 
> Just a note, you said Schecter thin and I think you meant thick.



I forgot the quotes around around "Schecter thin" but yeah, it's not like a baseball bat.

In the name of Lucifer, I vow there will be pictures this evening... anyone want to hear how it plays since it's not exactly unknown what it the Pro looks like?

The cleans are crisp, punchy, and even which is no surprise since it's a neckthru with a maple board and extended scale length. Playing chords, the low F# predictably rings out a bit louder, but it's certainly not problematic. EMG's offer a lot of headroom, so I did have to dial down the volume to get the cleans pristine and with no breakup. Chords are nice and big-sounding, and triads in the low positions fortunately don't get muddy- none of that flabby, boominess that I'm sure many were afraid of.

Distorted, I will have to admit that I will probably need to get thicker picks, since my standard Fender-Large was not exactly cutting it. First thing I did once the distortion was on was play a few Sabbath riffs transposed- it only seemed right to me. Low register, single-note riffs carry a fair amount of heft: "Into the Void" sounded great but "Electric Funeral"'s verse riff sound just plain unholy. Power chords on the lower strings sound pretty clear all the way to the open position, and I was impressed by the note separation I got with thirds and fourths in the low positions as well. Much like with the cleans, the low F# can sometimes take over chords if you're playing an open note. There is excellent note articulation and separation on the other strings as well- I have to admit, I did spend a lot of time with the lower registers just to see what it could do. In all, I like the sound of the EMG-808 and it is an excellent match for the body wood. Articulation, sustain, fullness- it's all there. I did play a bit in Drop-E and saw some drop off in clarity, but seriously...

As far as playability goes- I'm going to assume that everyone who ordered an Intrepid understood that small hands need not apply. The neck is very wide, and it took me awhile to get used to it since I haven't played a 7 in over a year so instead of a one-string jump, I was dealing with a two-string jump. Though I was still missing notes here and there, I felt pretty comfortable with it 20 minutes in. My picking hand probably went through more trauma than my fretting hand. Once again, the fretwork is clean- no snags. Intonation is good- the guitar was well set-up with just enough neck relief. Electronics worked perfectly, and the tuners are very sturdy. Any questions (other than where are the pics- I'm working on that!!!)?


----------



## TimSE

Demiurge said:


> I forgot the quotes around around "Schecter thin" but yeah, it's not like a baseball bat.
> 
> In the name of Lucifer, I vow there will be pictures this evening... anyone want to hear how it plays since it's not exactly unknown what it the Pro looks like?
> 
> The cleans are crisp, punchy, and even which is no surprise since it's a neckthru with a maple board and extended scale length. Playing chords, the low F# predictably rings out a bit louder, but it's certainly not problematic. EMG's offer a lot of headroom, so I did have to dial down the volume to get the cleans pristine and with no breakup. Chords are nice and big-sounding, and triads in the low positions fortunately don't get muddy- none of that flabby, boominess that I'm sure many were afraid of.
> 
> Distorted, I will have to admit that I will probably need to get thicker picks, since my standard Fender-Large was not exactly cutting it. First thing I did once the distortion was on was play a few Sabbath riffs transposed- it only seemed right to me. Low register, single-note riffs carry a fair amount of heft: "Into the Void" sounded great but "Electric Funeral"'s verse riff sound just plain unholy. Power chords on the lower strings sound pretty clear all the way to the open position, and I was impressed by the note separation I got with thirds and fourths in the low positions as well. Much like with the cleans, the low F# can sometimes take over chords if you're playing an open note. There is excellent note articulation and separation on the other strings as well- I have to admit, I did spend a lot of time with the lower registers just to see what it could do. In all, I like the sound of the EMG-808 and it is an excellent match for the body wood. Articulation, sustain, fullness- it's all there. I did play a bit in Drop-E and saw some drop off in clarity, but seriously...
> 
> As far as playability goes- I'm going to assume that everyone who ordered an Intrepid understood that small hands need not apply. The neck is very wide, and it took me awhile to get used to it since I haven't played a 7 in over a year so instead of a one-string jump, I was dealing with a two-string jump. Though I was still missing notes here and there, I felt pretty comfortable with it 20 minutes in. My picking hand probably went through more trauma than my fretting hand. Once again, the fretwork is clean- no snags. Intonation is good- the guitar was well set-up with just enough neck relief. Electronics worked perfectly, and the tuners are very sturdy. Any questions (other than where are the pics- I'm working on that!!!)?



NO QUESTIONS! JUST PICS! and videos 

but seriously folks....
glad to hear its a killer axe
i want someone to give a review like this for a standard model


----------



## Demiurge

Just found my wife's camera- shooting pics... uploading to photobucket... gimme 5 minutes


----------



## Anthony

!!!!!


----------



## s_the_fallen

Waiting for the pics brings me back to when I was 13 years old, wanking it to porn on dial up. 10 minutes later...WAIT...I think that's a boob loading!


----------



## Demiurge

Okay, in no particular order:
































EDIT: indeed, my photography is about as bad as my playing


----------



## B Lopez

Woo doggy.

Looks good, but turn on "auto focus" next time


----------



## Demiurge

Are these better- it's hard to tell...


----------



## Anthony

Shit, I need a Blood Red One.


----------



## TimSE

lush
*creams* wish i had been quick enough to get a pro
even tho i dont like maple necks that looks amazing with the natural neckthrough finish

so much win
cant wait to get mine


----------



## B Lopez

Im just giving you flack. Gonna be a long week waiting for mine.


----------



## TimSE

i think we dont have to "worry" about the body being too big
looks spot on to me from those pics
cant wait for mine!!!!!


----------



## Demiurge

TimSE said:


> i think we dont have to "worry" about the body being too big
> looks spot on to me from those pics
> cant wait for mine!!!!!



You're right- the body proportion is just fine.

I just sent Kurt an email letting him know how happy I am with this guitar- I know he's looking for that kind of feedback so he can make more.

It was great what Kurt was able to put together for us, and I, as someone very late to the game, owe a lot to guys like Darren and all the other folks who gave active input who made this happen.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

Demiurge said:


> Are these better- it's hard to tell...



Wow. So much GAS that I just emailed Kurt asking if he's going to sell the blemished one(s)/finish problem one(s). Damn I want an Intrepid 8 BAD!!!


----------



## darren

Wow.

Just... wow!

The woods look great... there looks to even be a bit of figuring in the mahogany from certain angles. I'm glad to hear the neck isn't too thick or too thin and that the build quality is up to expectations.

The proportions look perfect. I was a little concerned from the photos Kurt posted that the body would be too big, but these look much better.

Any shots of the back?


----------



## s_the_fallen

Awesome! Darren or someone should create a new thread for just pics


----------



## darren

I think a single thread for pics will take away from the epicness of everyone's own picstory.


----------



## st2012

That looks fucking incredible. I need to start scraping together some deposit money...


----------



## TomAwesome

I missed a big update while I was out! The picstories should come flooding in soon!


----------



## Justin Bailey

I'm not trying to steal any of Darren's mojo here, because this is, pretty much all him, but it's really cool to see something that you had a small part in (I made the first stripped down mock up) come to life.


----------



## Hoff

It looks really really good! Congratulations guys! I'm anxious for the next batch now


----------



## Wound

beautiful!


----------



## Ishan

I'm glade I gave the stripped down idea  I can't wait for mine


----------



## Splees

the pro looks amazing!

monday monday monday 



HOLY SHIT. MINE IS JUST THREE HOURS AWAY FROM ME... but I won't see it until monday.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Mine came in last night, but I didn't get to spend much time to it thanks to social necessities and work.

I agree with the previous review posted for the most part; here's my own take.

First off, the thing is beautiful. Smooth, not tremendously heavy, well-balanced, with excellent color in the mahogany and a nice clean satin finish. "Smooth" and "clean" are the operative words here, both in terms of look and feel.

Since I've been playing mainly 4-string bass and 6-string guitar for the last few months, the neck was an adjustment. It definitely felt "long," scale-wise, and the lack of inlays on the front has led to a bit of confusion as it's such a long distance from the side dots to the upper strings that at a glance it's hard to tell where you are. The neck is also brutally wide... I have average- to small-hands and I really have problems getting down to the low F# easily above the 12th fret.

The neck profile is pretty good, although I'd have appreciated a slightly thicker, rounder profile (with a bit more "V" than the "D" shape) as the width and flat back of the neck were slightly fatiguing to my hands. Fretwire is not huge... it's a "slightly larger than medium" size that is smaller than I expected but is by no means a negative aspect.

My picking hand had to get used to the wide bridge and the fact that the large body placed the strings rather high when playing on my right leg. Classical position was comfortable, though.

I need to get it set up before I can really talk about playability, as the action was a tad high for my liking. The neck was arrow-straight and the frets were clean and well-dressed, with no sharp ends. Granted, there is no climate change between New Hampshire and Vermont, so no worries there.

Sound-wise, it was very clear and piano-like. I really only got about a half hour in with the POD, and low F# power chords sang out clearly and with a lot of definition even with ridiculous amounts of gain piled on. Octave-down doomy stuff and Iron Maiden taken down a 4th was a lot of fun, as the long scale provided plenty of tension for hard gallop picking and the 808 was clear and open. Even "Bark At the Moon's" verse and chorus riffs sounded great, with plenty of midrange snarl available at the amp and lots of tightness for fast-picked muted parts.

I'll post a full review in the reviews section sometime this weekend when I have access to a camera and some time to get it fully set up.


----------



## darren

This couldn't have happened without the input from numerous folks here, so i'm glad it's making so many people happy.

Big kudos to Kurt for taking such a huge risk in bringing something so new to market.


----------



## darren

Code:


[b]Sep 5, 2008	8:35 AM	On FedEx vehicle for delivery	MISSISSAUGA, ON[/b]
		8:31 AM	At local FedEx facility		MISSISSAUGA, ON
		5:42 AM	Int'l shipment release		MISSISSAUGA, ON
		3:12 AM	At dest sort facility		MISSISSAUGA, ON 	
Sep 4, 2008	1:15 PM	Departed FedEx location		NEWARK, NJ
		8:50 AM	Arrived at FedEx location	NEWARK, NJ 	
Sep 3, 2008	7:00 PM	Left FedEx origin facility	LEBANON, NH 
		2:18 PM	In transit			MISSISSAUGA, ON 	Paperwork available for non-FedEx broker 	
		2:10 PM	Picked up  			LEBANON, NH 	
		8:02 AM	Package data transmitted to FedEx


WOOHOO!


----------



## st2012

Cant wait to see more. Looks incredible!


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Man, waiting till the 10th is going to be VERY painful. I'm anxious to see a review by someone who already uses an 8 string.


----------



## Kronpox

Still no word from Kurt about the status of mine 

I just got my wisdom teeth taken out, I was really hoping it would be here before I had the surgery so I could spend the weekend jamming instead of moping


----------



## B Lopez

Kronpox said:


> I just got my wisdom teeth taken out, I was really hoping it would be here before I had the surgery so I could spend the weekend jamming instead of moping



 Enjoy!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok - all the standard (non custom) models are shipped and on the way.
They all seemed to come out well, a few with minor finish bubbles on just 2 of them (these customers already notified). Otherwise no problems. I await everyone's comments before starting on the next round. 

Two things I would like to change going forward if possible. We will redesign the bridge to have a longer movement and allow for intonation of a wider range of string gauges. Also I will try to widen the dual trus rod so there is more freedom of motion and adjustments between the two can be made more independently. I await other comments and suggestions.

Kurt


----------



## MaxOfMetal

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok - all the standard (non custom) models are shipped and on the way.
> They all seemed to come out well, a few with minor finish bubbles on just 2 of them (these customers already notified). Otherwise no problems. I await everyone's comments before starting on the next round.
> 
> Two things I would like to change going forward if possible. We will redesign the bridge to have a longer movement and allow for intonation of a wider range of string gauges. Also I will try to widen the dual trus rod so there is more freedom of motion and adjustments between the two can be made more independently. I await other comments and suggestions.
> 
> Kurt



Hey Kurt, I haven't received mine yet, boy the 10th seems so far, lol. Though I'd like to recommend maybe a 2 pickup model. Possibly a Pro with a two passive pickups option. 

Also, once again, thanks a million for the way you handled the finish problems with mine, order 54629. I know many dealers would have just shipped and dealt with the aftermath. Can't wait to get another.


----------



## D-EJ915

that thing looks insane man


----------



## Kronpox

Kurt- Legend. Seriously legend. Any bitching any of us are doing about anything in this thread is just us whining because we've spent the last four months stoked as hell. I'm really glad to hear that they're all turning out well fundamentally (finish error? that could happen regardless of number of strings) as well constructed 8-string guitar + low price = domination of the ERG market. Congrats.


----------



## darren

My initial pics and commentary in this thread:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-ngd-my-agile-intrepid-pro-let-me-show-u.html

Yeah, my bottom string is pretty much at the back of its adjustment range (and the base got a little scraped up when the intonation was being set).

My main suggestions for the next round would be to make the body 5% to 10% smaller if possible, with the bridge a little closer to the "butt" end of the guitar. This will hopefully preserve the upper-fret access and on-strap balance, but will make the body a little less awkward.

But overall, i'm still blown away that we were able to pretty much design what we wanted (within realistic parameters) and Rondo Music built it for us. Thank you so much, Kurt, for listening to us, responding to our wants and needs, and taking a big risk on this. I'm sure the next run will be even better!


----------



## technomancer

Ok my Charcoal / Ebony Standard got here and all I can say is WOW! Unfortunately my wife is out of town and has our digital camera, so no picstory 

The guitar plays fantastic, the fret access is good (I can hit all 8 strings up to the 24th fret with no real problems) with really nice fretwork. I've been playing unplugged and the guitar is very resonant and has great sustain. The string gauges on it work, but the jump from 54 to 72 (B to F#) is definitely noticeable. I also have none of the blemishes etc Darren has on his Pro.

My only two negative comment is a minor aesthetic thing... I wish the bridge pup was closer to the bridge. There's an inch of space there that IMHO would look better at about half that.

Doing a visual comparison it looks like the BKP will fit (the coils are the same size as the stock pup) but I'll need to trim the pup tabs a bit as the tabs on the stock pup look to be really tiny.


----------



## st2012

technomancer said:


> Ok my Charcoal / Ebony Standard got here and all I can say is WOW! Unfortunately my wife is out of town and has our digital camera, so no picstory


----------



## technomancer

st2012 said:


>





Oh and the three piece neck has the same volute as the 5 piece neck on the Pro


----------



## E Lucevan Le Stelle

Just got my standard.

It plays really impressively, looks great... the tone is pretty spectacular, the combination of a hefty bolt-on maple neck and ash body really tightens up the low F#.

Also, the passive pickup! It appears to be modelled on a Lundgren M8 (if it isn't a Lundgren, on mine it looks identical to one and sounds very close to the M7 I had on a RG)... really won't be worth swapping for a BKP or anything, it's a great pickup. \m/


----------



## Wolfv11

E Lucevan Le Stelle said:


> .
> 
> Also, the passive pickup! It appears to be modelled on a Lundgren M8 (if it isn't a Lundgren, on mine it looks identical to one and sounds very close to the M7 I had on a RG)... really won't be worth swapping for a BKP or anything, it's a great pickup. \m/



Good to know! Post some pics and clips!

How is the quality of the bridge on those standards?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Just a note, it appears that there was a mixup between a few of the people who ordered the ebony vs the maple fretboards. If you got the wrong board, just email me and we can work it out.

Kurt


----------



## theshred201

Well seeing as so far the people that have gotten them seem to be pretty happy.....

Any plans on whether the next run will be more of a production model in a sense or another relatively limited run?


----------



## MF_Kitten

i hope i´m fast enough to get in on a maple board standard on the next run... seeing as i live in norway, the time will probably be way off though 

looking at the pics, i´d only shove the pickup closer to the bridge... and that´s about all i´d change as far as functionality goes 

the headstock could be flipped though, so the long part is on the lower part, and not the upper part. it would fit the tuner setup better, aesthetically.

could someone pm me in advance, like a day or two, or a week if possible, before the next run is opened up? gotta save some money now...


----------



## darren

I prefer the longer part of the headstock to be on the top, to mirror the angle of the body horns. I think i need to perhaps revisit the tuner arrangement. The headstock is nice and compact and the strings are pulling straight from the nut, but i do agree that the relationship of the tuners to the headstock's profile is a little odd. However, at the time, i was working from the existing Brice bass headstock and was trying to make as few changes as possible. I never really revisited it after the first mockup.


----------



## MF_Kitten

ah, i see. i think the only problem is that there´s a large blank space on the headstock that looks a bit... lonely 

you could easily just reverse the heights on the tuners, so the four bottom strings´ tuners are higher up, and the higher strings´ tuners are lower, so it makes more sense with the headstock shape. hope that made sense? or maybe the tuners just need to follow the shape more closely, as they seem to be arranged in a reversed "V" arrangement, like an arrow.


----------



## stux

Oh god someone post standard pictures i need to see one!


----------



## TomAwesome

stux said:


> Oh god someone post standard pictures i need to see one!



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1203420-post42.html


----------



## stux

TomAwesome said:


> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1203420-post42.html



I saw that just after I posted haha.

Now I would like to change my previous statement to "when can I order one?"


----------



## Dusty201087

Hmmm... I'd really like to see one of these come standard with an ebony board and some type of inlays (MOP Blocks anyone?) maybe even the double locking idea Ibanez had, the one I played absolutely never went out of tune while the LTD I played without the locking nut/bridge had some issues on the 8th string tuning stability. Hell, locking tuners and a locking bridge would probably be good enough. Also maybe some different finishes, I'm not a big fan of the natural look for this shape atleast. 

Oh and a stop bar bridge set up would be nice... Plus two pickups, would seymour duncan Blackouts 8 string pickups be possible? Also how about a reaper 8 string with an ebony board, EMGs, white with black bevels? That'd be sweet... *starts drooling*


----------



## Shannon

I'd love to see a 25.5" scale with a reversed 8-string headstock option.


----------



## TomAwesome

Dusty201087 said:


> Hmmm... I'd really like to see one of these come standard with an ebony board and some type of inlays (MOP Blocks anyone?) maybe even the double locking idea Ibanez had, the one I played absolutely never went out of tune while the LTD I played without the locking nut/bridge had some issues on the 8th string tuning stability. Hell, locking tuners and a locking bridge would probably be good enough. Also maybe some different finishes, I'm not a big fan of the natural look for this shape atleast.
> 
> Oh and a stop bar bridge set up would be nice... Plus two pickups, would seymour duncan Blackouts 8 string pickups be possible? Also how about a reaper 8 string with an ebony board, EMGs, white with black bevels? That'd be sweet... *starts drooling*



As this is still supposed to be at least somewhat of a budget line of guitars, most of that probably isn't going to happen. Designing and machining a double locking system like the Ibanez has, or really doing much of anything with the bridge other than what's on the current models, would drive costs up too much. The neck pickup was cut from the original design as a matter of cost, too. Blackouts would be pretty expensive right now since that would be a custom shop order, but you could easily do that yourself aftermarket.

As far as the different colors, there's another thread for that: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...gile-intrepid-fall-2008-run-colour-ideas.html


----------



## darren

I'm looking forward to hearing more feedback on the Agile 8-string passive pickups. If they sound good, it might not be too far-fetched to suggest a 2-pickup model for the next run for a modest price increase.

Locking tuners are probably best left as a user-installed modification. As Tom said, there's no way we can ask for hardware that doesn't exist (or that's only available from a competitor &#8211; Ibanez). That's a big reason why it took 2 years for this to get from concept to production in the first place. It's just not practical from a cost or time perspective.

The next run will be an evolution of these first models and may include some tweaks in the design and specifications, based on user feedback. But don't expect anything radically different. A Pro model with a figured top might not be out of the question, but the real issue is how much would people be willing to pay?


----------



## MF_Kitten

is a locking nut out of the question though? it´s not really hard to get, like a locking bridge or locking tuners. the only thing is, you´d have to get one wide enough etc.

i´d really only ask for a slight headstock revision, bridge pup closer to the bridge, and muuuch longer intonation range... then i´d definitely buy one!


----------



## TomAwesome

A locking nut with a standard hipshot bridge? And how do you propose to tune it, eh? Locking tuners would probably be the best and most cost efficient method if you really wanted something locking, but it's not that bad of an aftermarket mod to do.


----------



## COBHC

anyone know if theres anything difference between the neck profile of the standard and the pro?


----------



## MF_Kitten

TomAwesome said:


> A locking nut with a standard hipshot bridge? And how do you propose to tune it, eh? Locking tuners would probably be the best and most cost efficient method if you really wanted something locking, but it's not that bad of an aftermarket mod to do.



pretty much the same way you´d tune an ibby 8 string... it´s a fixed bridge, but with a locking nut for added stability. that way you prevent tuner slippage, and chances are it´ll stay in tune very well, since there´s not a whole lot that could bring on the actual de-tuning, other than string stretching... and most people stretch their strings beforehand anyways, so i don´t see that as being a problem either 

locking tuners might lock the strings to the tuner, but if it´s not a higher quality brand, it´s most likely to suffer on some end... you know?


----------



## TomAwesome

The Ibanez bridge has fine tuners like most trems. The one on the Intrepids does not. If you just tune it up with the headstock tuners and clamp down the nut, it's going to be a little off. Tuning stability doesn't mean as much if your tuning is off. You'd really be better off just using locking tuners. As for your concern about the quality of said tuners, that's part of why I said before that that's something that works well as an aftermarket mod.


----------



## technomancer

These actually have decent Grover tuners on them, and thus far tuning stability has not been a problem.

Also Tom is right, a lock nut without fine tuners basically means your guitar will never be in tune as locking the nut pulls the strings slightly out of tune, usually sharp.


----------



## technomancer

I'm pretty impressed with the stock pickup on the Standard, I'll have to play with it a good deal more but it is by far the best stock Agile pup I've played.


----------



## Splees

soo they shipped with .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072 right? I'm just wondering because I'm going to order some strings soon.


----------



## MF_Kitten

that´s true about the fine tuners, didn´t think of that. i guess if they are proper grover tuners, they won´t be causing any real trouble though 

i´m excited to hear what the pickup sounds like. i´m thinking i´d probably get a standard, and send the pickup to BKP for a Painkiller rewind. unless it was exceptionally good


----------



## plyta

'quit whining' says one of them tags of this glorious thread. 

Meself being one of them unlucky ones who did not manage to order guitars from the first batch I just want to get on the second run ASAP 

From what I've seen in a couple of Intrepid NGD threads IMHO there is no need to redesign the body or headstock shape.

Bridge pickup placement is not bad as well, its a one-pickup guitar after all and although there are a lot of people boasting about installing a neck pickup, IMHO only very few of Intrepids will get routed for that.







Looking at this picture (assuming intonation is set for the bridge with factory strings) I see no place for moving the 8th string saddle backwards, but there is a lot of place to move the 1st string saddle forward. Factory 1st string as i understood was .009". IMHO even if someone put there .0085" or .008" there would still be a lot of bridge plate left in front of the first saddle after setting the intonation for teh 1st string. So why not just move the bridge plate a tad towards the butt of the guitar and replace let's say first 4 saddle holding screws with some longer ones?

Anyway, just make some more ASAP


----------



## Splees

yeah. the thing is 28.625"... 80 on that seems like it would be pushing it. and the pickup seems to be in a reasonable position to offer more usable tones other than the obvious reasons why most of us bought it for.


----------



## MF_Kitten

only reason i´d move the pickup closer to the bridge myself, is because of the tone it gives, but i wouldn´t care if they didn´t touch it. of course, if they move the actual bridge further back for the intonation, i´d assume they moved the pickup along with it 

but, as Kurt said, he was thinking of redesigning the bridge so it had more intonation space. Darren´s guitar had the 8th string´s saddle tightened all the way back, apparently.


----------



## DyvimTvar

Just received mine a couple of hours ago, unfortunately I got a maple one instead of ebony, other than that it's very nice, frets need dressing though, they're a bit rough. I shall post pics and stuff later.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok, other than bridge placement / design change - looking for input / suggestions so we can start taking orders on the 2nd batch of these. Also is there an interest in the Agile Stock Pickup ? We could probobly sell them below $100 - same with the bridge.

Kurt


----------



## Wolfv11

A couple of people have gotten theirs already. Wheres all the picstories!? I know for a fact that more than two people got this instrument  .


----------



## DyvimTvar

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, other than bridge placement / design change - looking for input / suggestions so we can start taking orders on the 2nd batch of these.
> Kurt



I'll give some more later but one for now is that they could do with bigger (taller) frets imho, it'd just feel a little better.


----------



## Hoff

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, other than bridge placement / design change - looking for input / suggestions so we can start taking orders on the 2nd batch of these. Also is there an interest in the Agile Stock Pickup ? We could probobly sell them below $100 - same with the bridge.
> 
> Kurt



If Darren hasn't informed you yet, there are some color suggestions here:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...gile-intrepid-fall-2008-run-colour-ideas.html

The top three atm is blood burst, ocean burst & lizard burst.


----------



## darren

Kurt, if the Agile bridge pickup ends up sounding good, i wouldn't mind getting a neck version if that's possible. I think i'd definitely like to see the next run have two pickups, even at slight incremental cost. I think the guitar just needs that extra bit of versatility.

The neck on my Intrepid Pro is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm managing well with the scale length and the width. I thought 28.625" might be a tiny bit too long for me, but it's fantastic. 

I think the bridge design is good, but does need more intonation room. I don't think the base plate needs to be longer, but the saddles need longer intonation adjustment screws on the top 4 strings, which would allow the base plate to be moved back a bit.

I do find the body size a tiny bit big. Visually, it does look well proportioned to the neck's length and width, but playing it, it does feel a little big.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´d add "paying for custom orders with paypal" 

but really, judging from the tiny amount of kinks reported, it seems this was a really well executed first run! i´d only improve the padding in the shipping boxes, or include cases as mandatory shipping protection... guitars like these deserve that 

anyone wanna buy my RG and pedals so i can get a standard on the next run?


----------



## TemjinStrife

Here's my feedback, after a few days with the design (I have an Intrepid Pro):

Things I like:
-Body size and shape - puts the strings right where they need to be, looks proportioned, feels nice (and I am a smaller guy)
-Scale - holy crap piano like tone... takes a bit of adjustment but is really snappy and feels great
-Looks - I get all kinds of comments on this thing... people think it cost me $1300+! Absolutely beautiful.
-Tone - Incredibly clear and versatile with even response across the range (not 'scooped' at all), but the F# does overwhelm the other strings slightly. I haven't tried the 18V mod on it yet. One of my jazz-playing friends tried some slap bass stuff on it and it sounded incredible.
-Finish - Smooth and feels great.

Things I am indifferent to:
-Pickup placement (looks fine to me, tonally we're not gonna get much difference by moving it a mm here or there)
-Neck Pickup (honestly can't see much use, cleans sound great with the bridge 808 and we risk mud city with the neck pickup on the lower strings)

Things I would change:
-Bridge placement (2-3mm further back so as to allow for intonation room)
-I'd center the neck on the neck blank, so that the bridge can also be centered on the neck blank; minor cosmetic niggle really
-Truss rod placement - Mine were kind of weirdly placed, one almost to the center and one towards the bass side; I'd even them out a bit more spacing-wise
-Neck Profile: I'd take a little more of the "shoulders" off if at all possible so it has more of a "V" ish profile, but that is a personal taste thing, and may be impossible with the dual truss rods. Otherwise very comfortable, well-shaped and finished
-Slightly neck heavy. Any changes here would be great, as holding up the neck and attempting to play crazy chord voicings on the bottom strings is uncomfortable when standing. 

These are mostly minor niggles overall, so no serious complaints here. I really like it all around... it just screams "class" and "custom build" with the natural satin finish, maple board, and neck-thru construction. Great mahogany grain and incredible sound too.


----------



## B Lopez

Well, mine's in California now! 

However, it has to travel through Richmond to get to me. Pray for it. 

Also looks a day early


----------



## Splees

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, other than bridge placement / design change - looking for input / suggestions so we can start taking orders on the 2nd batch of these. Also is there an interest in the Agile Stock Pickup ? We could probobly sell them below $100 - same with the bridge.
> 
> Kurt



I really liking the pickup.  If I didn't have it already, I would definitely buy. Although... I might be looking for a neck pickup.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my standard. It plays great, feels nice... so does the bridge. I dig the body a lot. It's pretty light and it sound good. Good job.


----------



## TimSE

Im very pleased with mine

I would surgest for the next batch making the body a bit smaller and the obvious moving the bridge back for intonating 
a neck pickup would be awesome 

Blood Burst colour for the win

im very happy with everything about the neck
its perfectly thick/thin - Do not change! 
frets are perfect for me


----------



## Splees

Oh yeah I forgot about the neck. It IS PERFECT. It's so comfortable.


----------



## Ishan

I'm seriously thinking on getting a second custom Intrepid now, 30" scale blood burst/ebony  I don't have the use for a neck pickup really.


----------



## Splees

Haha I'm thinking about getting another one too. if anyone is thinking about selling their standard pickup.. PM ME.


----------



## ajdehoogh

Yeah. The pickup is surprisingly better than I was expecting. I may not change the pup either. But then again who knows?


----------



## theshred201

TemjinStrife said:


> Here's my feedback, after a few days with the design (I have an Intrepid Pro):
> 
> Things I like:
> -Body size and shape - puts the strings right where they need to be, looks proportioned, feels nice (and I am a smaller guy)
> -Scale - holy crap piano like tone... takes a bit of adjustment but is really snappy and feels great
> -Looks - I get all kinds of comments on this thing... people think it cost me $1300+! Absolutely beautiful.
> -Tone - Incredibly clear and versatile with even response across the range (not 'scooped' at all), but the F# does overwhelm the other strings slightly. I haven't tried the 18V mod on it yet. One of my jazz-playing friends tried some slap bass stuff on it and it sounded incredible.
> -Finish - Smooth and feels great.
> 
> Things I am indifferent to:
> -Pickup placement (looks fine to me, tonally we're not gonna get much difference by moving it a mm here or there)
> -Neck Pickup (honestly can't see much use, cleans sound great with the bridge 808 and we risk mud city with the neck pickup on the lower strings)
> 
> Things I would change:
> -Bridge placement (2-3mm further back so as to allow for intonation room)
> -I'd center the neck on the neck blank, so that the bridge can also be centered on the neck blank; minor cosmetic niggle really
> *-Truss rod placement - Mine were kind of weirdly placed, one almost to the center and one towards the bass side; I'd even them out a bit more spacing-wise*
> -Neck Profile: I'd take a little more of the "shoulders" off if at all possible so it has more of a "V" ish profile, but that is a personal taste thing, and may be impossible with the dual truss rods. Otherwise very comfortable, well-shaped and finished
> -Slightly neck heavy. Any changes here would be great, as holding up the neck and attempting to play crazy chord voicings on the bottom strings is uncomfortable when standing.
> 
> These are mostly minor niggles overall, so no serious complaints here. I really like it all around... it just screams "class" and "custom build" with the natural satin finish, maple board, and neck-thru construction. Great mahogany grain and incredible sound too.



Not sure if they did it like this on purpose, but I have seen guitars use off-centered/off-even truss rods to account for string tension, though generally only when abnormal string gauges are used.


----------



## Neil

As far as standards go, I would be in fo a bloody burst with ebony FB

may be wenge laminates on a pro?


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

My dark burst/ebony just arrived!!!!! (2 days early too)  Firstly... I just wanna say that this guitar is basically perfect finish-wise.. no dings/scratches that i have noticed. The playability on this thing is amazing.. and the passive pickup blew me away.. I was expecting it to be fairly average actually, but wow, lots of clarity and punch.

I'll take some pics soon (i'll be able to take some pics of it next to the RG2228 for size comparison) and i'll try and throw together a sound clip.

Well... its been in my hand a whole 5mins, and I'm loving it! 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...66831-my-agile-intrepid-dark-burst-ebony.html


----------



## st2012

Cant wait to see the ebony.....


----------



## darren

Cool! They're fanning out across the globe! 

I really can't say enough about the neck. It's just amazing.


----------



## COBHC

we need to get the next run of these going now

IMO if word gets out on 2nd run of them while these are getting hyped. Should sell quick. Meaning i can get one quicker


----------



## B Lopez

OK, fuck you UPS.

People in Alaska, the UK, and now Oz have received their guitars before me. 

FRUSTRATING.


----------



## Kronpox

And everyone will receive theirs before I get mine, which was supposed to be shipped first!

Petition to remove 'quit whining' from the tags. I need my whine fix!


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

Ok... I threw together a very quick and SLOPPY sample here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/www.nuclearvoodoo.com/agile test mix 2.mp3Agile Intrepid 8 Standard/Ebony Sound Sample

And... another one just for fun  (power chords on the 8th string sound pretty nice and clear) Agile 8 Standard Test #2

No EQ or processing on the guitars, and no bass.

Just to give a quick idea of the pickup sound... I'm loving it. Much more bite/clarity than the 808s


----------



## TomAwesome

nuclearvoodoo said:


> Ok... I threw together a very quick and SLOPPY sample here: [URL="http://www.nuclearvoodoo.com/agile%20test%20mix%202.mp3"]Agile Intrepid 8 Standard/Ebony Sound Sample
> 
> [/URL]No EQ or processing on the guitars, and no bass.
> 
> Just to give a quick idea of the pickup sound... I'm loving it. Much more bite/clarity than the 808s



Not bad at all! I'm surprised with how nice these Agile pickups turned out.


----------



## Kronpox

Sounds great!  riffs were really tasty too.

Almost makes me wish I didn't bother getting an M8 in mine and just went with a stock Agile pickup. Oh well


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

Kronpox said:


> Sounds great!  riffs were really tasty too.
> 
> Almost makes me wish I didn't bother getting an M8 in mine and just went with a stock Agile pickup. Oh well



Cheers man 

I'd love to hear a sample with the lundgren.. throw one up


----------



## Splees

Oh maaaan, nice clips!


----------



## Kronpox

nuclearvoodoo said:


> Cheers man
> 
> I'd love to hear a sample with the lundgren.. throw one up



I'll be glad to- whenever my guitar shows up!


----------



## Splees

what's the last you heard on it?


----------



## Kronpox

that it should be in my hands by september 1st

 again


----------



## whisper

Long time forum reader, new member-first time posting. 
I wonder how shredders are faring with the longer scale length, particularly Shawn Lane type stretches and sweeps.


----------



## theshred201

Well, since the neck is about 3" longer, that's like an additional 2-3 frets. So slide everything back 2 or 3 frets and that's probably close to what it'll feel like.


----------



## Wound

nuclearvoodoo said:


> Ok... I threw together a very quick and SLOPPY sample here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/www.nuclearvoodoo.com/agile test mix 2.mp3Agile Intrepid 8 Standard/Ebony Sound Sample
> 
> And... another one just for fun  (power chords on the 8th string sound pretty nice and clear) Agile 8 Standard Test #2
> 
> No EQ or processing on the guitars, and no bass.
> 
> Just to give a quick idea of the pickup sound... I'm loving it. Much more bite/clarity than the 808s



sounds good! This Agile pup is surprisingly good sounding! Can't wait to get mine...just talked to FedEx, the postal service has taken over the delivery to me, and of course they can't find a tracking number. But if I'm not mistaken I should have it tomorrow :-D Hopefully I have gotten my charcoal with Ebony...


----------



## Hoff

Damn cool clips! The last doubt in my mind just vanished, I'm getting a Standard in the next run!!!


----------



## TimSE

Iv FORGED a tune with my Intrepid Standard for those interested:

MySpace.com - Tempus Fusion - UK - Ambient / Fusion / Metal - www.myspace.com/tempusfusionband

tis the first song
all guitars are the Intrepid
no Bass
includes some leads and cleans


----------



## TomAwesome

Nice clip, Tim.


----------



## DagMX

sigh...i want one real bad....drop tune the 8th string and have a full guitar/bass range...
anyone got one in vancouver, BC? I want to play one...


----------



## ShreddyESP

In the second batch will they have more Intrepid Pro 8s?


----------



## Wound

just got my 8 string...and it´s wrong....got maple instead of Ebony....


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

Wound said:


> just got my 8 string...and it´s wrong....got maple instead of Ebony....



Damn 

Dark burst or Charcoal ?


----------



## techjsteele

Now I'm really scared. I ordered the Charcoal/Maple model, and I'm hoping I get the right one.


----------



## B Lopez

i hope my order got screwed up and i get a standard instead of a pro 

but anyways its out for delivery


----------



## darren

My Standard is also out for delivery... now begins another long wait...


----------



## TomAwesome

Rather than clutter up the feedback thread, I figured I'd ask here. Since the preorders might be starting next week, and I may not be able to get the cash together in time, is it known whether or not a third run is planned?


----------



## B Lopez

ups is here!!


----------



## darren

TomAwesome said:


> Rather than clutter up the feedback thread, I figured I'd ask here. Since the preorders might be starting next week, and I may not be able to get the cash together in time, is it known whether or not a third run is planned?



You're looking at a LONG way off, dude. I doubt even Kurt knows if he's going to do a third run, because he hasn't even done a SECOND run yet. I don't know if he might build a few more for inventory this time around, or if it's all going to be pre-order/deposit like the first run.


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, that's what I figured. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.


----------



## Splees

Has Kurt mentioned if the pickups were based off another pickup or is it there own design. I'm interested in buying two more.... ... ....seriously.


----------



## El Caco

I think if they are based off another pickup they will not announce it publicly. From what I have heard in the clips it's a pretty awesome pickup regardless of what it is a copy of or inspired by, if I was going to own an 8 I think I would be pretty happy with it 

Having said that I think if anyone here knows the speciifcs of it, it would be Darren so asking him in PM might be the best bet.


----------



## darren

s7eve said:


> Having said that I think if anyone here knows the speciifcs of it, it would be Darren so asking him in PM might be the best bet.



Incorrect! I don't know anything about these pickups. Please don't PM me about them. If you have questions about specifics related to the manufacturing, Kurt is the guy to contact.


----------



## El Caco

My bad.


----------



## Splees

I sent Kurt a message about it. we'll see what he says. I hope he's willing to sell them separately... I've got plans in motion.


----------



## technomancer

Splees said:


> I sent Kurt a message about it. we'll see what he says. I hope he's willing to sell them separately... I've got plans in motion.



Kurt already mentioned in one of these threads (might have been this one or the feedback thread) that he could probably make the pups available for less than $100 each if there was interest.


----------



## Doddus

technomancer said:


> Kurt already mentioned in one of these threads (might have been this one or the feedback thread) that he could probably make the pups available for less than $100 each if there was interest.



I second that.
Cant find the post though, way too much hype!
I hope i don't miss out on the second run.
I only waited out because I'm in Aus and if something went wrong it would have been a hassle.
Anyways, TO THE SECOND RUN!


----------



## MF_Kitten

could someone actually describe this pickup that is so well spoken of? is it bright? paf-like balanced? scooped? does it resemble anything stylistically?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok, I am going to start taking orders on the Intrepid Pro now. Lead times are really long now so target ship time will be in the end of Feb. Also I wanted to offer the pro with ebony fretboard as an option, but have not had lucking getting the ebony so far. So we will have in Maple only for now. We may add ebony n the future and if anyone wants to change over, I will try my best - but it will be at least $100 more for that. Next week hope to offer the intrepid standards again. I will try to keep the price the same as last time on those ($525 for the maple neck version)

I am going to send out an email to people shortly, but everyone here gets first dibs. Only changes this time are we are moving the bridge down 2mm and changing the headstock

Agile Intrepid Pro 8

Thanks again!

Kurt


----------



## technomancer

Damn, was really hoping for a pro with neck and bridge passives... or even just a bridge passive... ah well, at this point my credit card is safe for this run


----------



## Wound

I´ll wait for the standards...I want a passive pup. But if there is no ebony...I really wanted an ebony this round since I got maple last round...


----------



## TemjinStrife

Must... resist... urge... to... pull... trigger... again...

Seriously... why am I GASing for the same guitar I already have in a different color?

*sigh*... I'll be nice this time and let someone else snag one.


----------



## TomAwesome

I had kind of gotten my hopes up for dual passives! If it at least had a bridge passive, I'd have pulled the trigger already. Hrmm. Now I have to think about whether to wait for the next run or not since I still want one. Or maybe just get the Standard. But i really wanted the neck-through. Hrmmmmmmmm...


----------



## Wound

TomAwesome said:


> I had kind of gotten my hopes up for dual passives! If it at least had a bridge passive, I'd have pulled the trigger already. Hrmm. Now I have to think about whether to wait for the next run or not since I still want one. Or maybe just get the Standard. But i really wanted the neck-through. Hrmmmmmmmm...



Yea same here...I really want a Pro...but I want a passive....and I also want ebony heh...guess I won´t be on this run


----------



## MerlinTKD

Fuck, I have to stop reading this thread... I( have NO MONEY and want one of these SO FUCKING BAD!!!!  


Well... just have to vicariously live through the rest of you!


----------



## Kronpox

TemjinStrife said:


> Must... resist... urge... to... pull... trigger... again...
> 
> Seriously... why am I GASing for the same guitar I already have in a different color?



I've got the same feeling! That small small image of 8 strings on a red finish has my GAS engine firing up again. I haven't even received the one I have on order yet and already I want another! Lame!

The second run looks like it'll be a little more nifty with the colour options and different headstock, I just hope the factory pulls its shit together and fixes the issues they had with the first run of Pros.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I JUST ORDERED MY BLOOD BURST PRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OH YESS


----------



## Wound

gatesofcarnage said:


> I JUST ORDERED MY BLOOD BURST PRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OH YESS



niiiice...congrats!


----------



## TomAwesome

The bloodburst is supposed to be.. a burst, right? On the picture on the site, it just looks like flat trans red. I also wonder how that'll look with maple. I'll have to chop up some of Darren's mockups later. What to do?


----------



## technomancer

Hehe yeah honestly if it had the option for a passive bridge pup I would have already pulled the trigger on an oceanburst pro... but I hate EMGs so no new Intrepid for me


----------



## Wound

same here...I would have gotten the blood burst and hoped for ebony if it had a passive in it


----------



## Cameron

Ordered nattie finish!


----------



## Splees

PEWP. I SHOULD HAVE WAITED. I jumped the gun and got the ocean burst pro. I was thinking of the standard. It's alright though. I wouldn't want the same guitar in a different finish. I think I might be selling one of them after it arrives though.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Do the Blood Burst Pros have an ebony fretboard on them?


----------



## darren

Reading is hard.


----------



## TomAwesome

gatesofcarnage said:


> Do the Blood Burst Pros have an ebony fretboard on them?



Kurt himself just answered that, buddy.



kurtzentmaier said:


> I wanted to offer the pro with ebony fretboard as an option, but have not had lucking getting the ebony so far. So we will have in Maple only for now. We may add ebony n the future and if anyone wants to change over, I will try my best - but it will be at least $100 more for that.


----------



## Neil

Dammit I really wanted an ebony board, thats the only thing stopping me getting a red pro 

How is best to contant kurt? Does he read the SS PMs?


----------



## theshred201

So did the blue burst get a name change? On the Natural page it says "Ocrean burst" twice.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

TomAwesome said:


> Kurt himself just answered that, buddy.


 Sorry 'bout that i am a bit RetarTed.


----------



## gaunten

eehm, do I need glasses? "left handed natural" !?!?!
only question now is, do I wait for the standards or do I buy this one so I have the roter with lundgren, and this with active?
also, only reason I'd want a standard is that they may have ebony fretboards and charcoal finish, but I don't know which options they'll have for lefties.
just imagine, I let go of the pro, they close pre-orders, then they let out the standard, and there's like NO options for lefties....
what would jesus do? or, more importantly, what would you do?
oh, and fretless? that oughta be really cool.


----------



## darren

If Kurt can't get ebony for the Pro, he won't be able to get ebony for the Standard. There's a *chance* he might be able to get some rosewood, but for now, the only certainty is maple.

If you want a lefty Standard, EMAIL KURT.


----------



## darren

Pro natural maple:






Pro blood burst maple:





Pro ocean burst maple:


----------



## COBHC

i cant decide on blood burst or ocean


----------



## Piro

Is the Pro he mentions in the email the new one or the old one? If it is the new one how do I specify what color i want?


----------



## darren

Click through from the email and you select it from a drop-down menu on the product page.

There are no "old" ones... they're sold out. The orders being taken are for new ones, to be delivered in late February or March 2009. It's all there. Just read.


----------



## darren

Click through from the email and you select it from a drop-down menu on the product page.

There are no "old" ones... they're sold out. The orders being taken are for new ones, to be delivered in late February or March 2009. It's all there. Just read.


----------



## technomancer

Piro said:


> Is the Pro he mentions in the email the new one or the old one? If it is the new one how do I specify what color i want?



Dude hit the preorder page and READ. As it clearly says these are the new ones with revised headstocks. There's a drop down box on the preorder page where you select the color.

Reading is HARD


----------



## Piro

I read through it, but yea I dunno what happened I really didn't see it, so i clicked the link and got brought to the original intrepid pro page and thats what threw me.

But thanks for helping, me even with all my stupidity!


----------



## gaunten

I think I'll order a pro once I get the answer from kurt whether I can get the ocean or blood burst in lefty. I just came to think of the fact that all my guitars and my bass have rosewood boards, and the upcoming roter has ebony, so ONE maple can't really hurt can it? and I'd rather have a natural colored pro neckthrough than a bolt on charcoal with maple.


----------



## eegor

Are the standard models going to have the same color as the pros? I really want Ocean Burst, but I don't want an EMG.


----------



## darren

Details on the Standard offerings have not been announced.

If you want to know anything that has not been mentioned here, ASK KURT.


----------



## Hoff

Thanks for the latest mock-up Darren. It made me realize that the blood burst will look amazing with a maple board too!


----------



## Doddus

DAMNIT!

I also really want the Ocean Burst with the standard passive pickup, and an ebony board.. 
Not sure what to do...
Do i wait or do i pre-order?
hmmmmnnn


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok if it helps people to make a decision on Pro vs standard - I plan on offering the standard in:

Dark Burst, Charcoal, Blood Burst Ocrean Burst Ghost Burst based on the color survey.
(in fretted and fretless with maple board).

If ebony is not available, may consider a rosewood fretboard as an option if possible.

Kurt


----------



## dpm

They're looking great guys! Fretless too? Kurt, you are a hero 

I might even grab one myself some time


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

The Pro Ocean Burst looks rediculous!! Tempted to get another intrepid now hahaah


----------



## eegor

Oh shit - I may have to get two! Ocean Burst pro and Ghost Burst standard.


----------



## gaunten

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok if it helps people to make a decision on Pro vs standard - I plan on offering the standard in:
> 
> Dark Burst, Charcoal, Blood Burst Ocrean Burst Ghost Burst based on the color survey.
> (in fretted and fretless with maple board).
> 
> If ebony is not available, may consider a rosewood fretboard as an option if possible.
> 
> Kurt


 
great, and for lefties?


----------



## elrrek

kurtzentmaier said:


> AWESOMENESS


----------



## darren

So now that the cat's out of the proverbial bag...

Standard Dark Burst Maple






Standard Charcoal Maple





Standard Blood Burst Maple





Standard Ocean Burst Maple





Standard Ghost Burst Maple


----------



## TomAwesome

Methinks I may get a standard this round.


----------



## darren

I have to say, i'm really digging the charcoal and ghost burst with the new headstock. Blood burst also looks awesome with the maple board.

But i really don't need another 8.


----------



## gaunten

YEEHAA, I just pulled the trigger on the Pro natural lefty!!!


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> I have to say, i'm really digging the charcoal and ghost burst with the new headstock. Blood burst also looks awesome with the maple board.
> 
> But i really don't need another 8.



Hehe yeah you and me both. I keep reminding myself I hate EMGs and that I don't need a second eight that's the same as the one I have except for the paint job 

However, I just got an email from Kurt, he says he's had several requests for passives in the pro, so he might do a run like that sometime in 2009. Should that happen I believe I will be getting another 8


----------



## TimSE

i really dont like maple boards 

/pointless post 

ppl could always dye them i guess
but then again i really dont need another 8 
plus my wallet says NOOOOOOOOOO


----------



## MF_Kitten

nice! i hope to get in on the next Standard run. emphasis on HOPE


----------



## Ishan

Mmmm I hope they'll do a blood burst/ebony with 2 pickups in one run or another, I still have to get my custom pro, it should be soon now


----------



## TomAwesome

MF_Kitten said:


> nice! i hope to get in on the next Standard run. emphasis on HOPE



Kurt told me that he's making double the number of guitars on this run, so don't worry too much about the guitars selling out before you even have a chance at them.


----------



## plyta

kurtzentmaier said:


> ...If ebony is not available, may consider a rosewood fretboard as an option if possible.Kurt



That would be great


----------



## muffgoat

technomancer said:


> However, I just got an email from Kurt, he says he's had several requests for passives in the pro, so he might do a run like that sometime in 2009. Should that happen I believe I will be getting another 8



This would make me soo happy :chris: this is exactly what i want, a pro model with a passive so i can throw in a lundgren


----------



## MF_Kitten

TomAwesome said:


> Kurt told me that he's making double the number of guitars on this run, so don't worry too much about the guitars selling out before you even have a chance at them.



nice! i say "hope" because i don´t know if i´ll have the money


----------



## Wound

I wanna order a Ghost Burst with either ebony if he can get it or rosewood...for some reason i´ve really fallen for the ghost burst


----------



## Niels

Yeah, I'd like the ghost burst a lot better as well if the fretboard was rosewood


----------



## Wound

Darren....would it be possible to see a mock up of the Ghost Burst with rosewood? If it´s not too much trouble that is


----------



## Anthony

God damn. I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a Blood Pro... but the EMG kills it for me. I wanna put a Lundgren in there. Is the route similar enough?


----------



## Kronpox

They should sell guitar body skins with the different finishes on them for people who can't decide which finish to get


----------



## technomancer

Anthony said:


> God damn. I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a Blood Pro... but the EMG kills it for me. I wanna put a Lundgren in there. Is the route similar enough?



You could get a custom pickup ring made by Frets on the Net to go from an 808 to a passive eight string pup.


----------



## eegor

That sounds like a good idea, but who is Frets? How do I contact this person?


----------



## technomancer

eegor said:


> That sounds like a good idea, but who is Frets? How do I contact this person?



Frets On The Net

(You could have found this in 30 seconds with google  )


----------



## eegor

Fuck me, I always do this. Thanks for humoring me anyway.


----------



## Anthony

technomancer said:


> Frets On The Net
> 
> (You could have found this in 30 seconds with google  )



I like you.

I'm going to sleep on this.


----------



## yellowv

Is there any sort of deadline on this? I would love to get a standard, but i don't know if I can get the cash together. We just pay the deposit now and the rest before shipping right? Any word on what the deposit for the standard is yet? I would love an Oceanburst, I think it goes perfect with the maple board. I really like the ghostburst as well, but think ebony would suit it much better. Is the ghostburst a transparent finish or a solid finish? Oh and by the way if I get in on this run or not, thanks for doing all the legwork Darren


----------



## gatesofcarnage

^This run is going to double the size of the last run from what i have heard.


----------



## eegor

If everything goes according to plan, I should be ordering a Pro tomorrow and Standard next week. I'm GASing out my fucking mind right now.


----------



## COBHC

i caved and ordered a blood burst

kinda was hoping for the lizard burst but blood will do


----------



## nuclearvoodoo

COBHC said:


> i caved and ordered a blood burst
> 
> kinda was hoping for the lizard burst but blood will do



Yeah... lizard burst fuckin rules.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

eegor said:


> If everything goes according to plan, I should be ordering a Pro tomorrow and Standard next week. I'm GASing out my fucking mind right now.


 Well aren't you just the coolest


Congrats!



COBHC said:


> i caved and ordered a blood burst
> 
> kinda was hoping for the lizard burst but blood will do


 I liked blood burst alot so thats what i ordered but i really like lizard burst to


----------



## darren

As far as finishes go, we went with what was most popular in the poll. Kurt only wants to make guitars he knows he can sell, so if more people wanted Lizard burst, it would have made the short list.


----------



## technomancer

Anthony said:


> I like you.
> 
> I'm going to sleep on this.



Yeah I've been trying to decide whether I should order a Pro on this run and put a pup ring on it or hold off for the potential future run of Pros with passives


----------



## eegor

gatesofcarnage said:


> Well aren't you just the coolest



I know.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Hey - just FYI

Intrepid Passive Pickup

Put them up as cheaply as possible
Factory tells me it will be a few $ more next time, but not much (hopefully). 
I have 8 of them. From the same wire role and bobin run as this Batch of intrepid standards so sound should be identical.


Kurt


----------



## TimothyLeary

have anyone recently receive a email telling that the pre order for intrepide are open?


----------



## TomAwesome

That email went out two days ago.


----------



## TimothyLeary

I don't receive it.


----------



## technomancer

TimothyLeary said:


> I don't receive it.



Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld


----------



## TimothyLeary

thanks dude.


----------



## eegor

The trigger: it's been pulled. Ocean Burst pro.

Fuck yes.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Pro natural maple:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pro blood burst maple:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pro ocean burst maple:



This is what is available to order now? Or is there a different page?


----------



## darren

Yes, this is what's available now, here. Are you confused?


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Yes, this is what's available now, here. Are you confused?



 Nah, its just that the Ocean burst in your post looks so much more...  LOL

Its one bad ass axe and I am going to send the pic to a friend who is interested in getting one. I just wanted to make sure I send him the right pics/link.

Sorry to come off as an ass. LOL


----------



## djohns74

Just ordered my Blood Burst Pro!  I was within seconds of clicking submit on a Natural Pro yesterday, but something held me back. Seeing the shots of the custom red Interceptor that a member posted put me over the top, that color is just great and is complemented perfectly by the maple fretboard. Now begins the painful waiting game...


----------



## darren

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Nah, its just that the Ocean burst in your post looks so much more...  LOL
> 
> Its one bad ass axe and I am going to send the pic to a friend who is interested in getting one. I just wanted to make sure I send him the right pics/link.
> 
> Sorry to come off as an ass. LOL



Ah, right. When Kurt made the ordering page, he didn't have updated renderings of the colour options on the Pro. I didn't know what he was planning on offering, and he didn't ask me for mockups. 

I'm a little concerned as to how the Ocean Burst is going to look over mahogany. On a light-coloured piece of mahogany, it should look okay, but transparent blue over a darker piece of mahogany might come out a bit green or murky brown. It'll probably be fine, maybe a bit darker than what i have pictured, and not as transparent in the middle.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Ah, right. When Kurt made the ordering page, he didn't have updated renderings of the colour options on the Pro. I didn't know what he was planning on offering, and he didn't ask me for mockups.
> 
> I'm a little concerned as to how the Ocean Burst is going to look over mahogany. On a light-coloured piece of mahogany, it should look okay, but transparent blue over a darker piece of mahogany might come out a bit green or murky brown. It'll probably be fine, maybe a bit darker than what i have pictured, and not as transparent in the middle.



Actually, he liked the one pictured perfectly. Guess we'll see, he submitted his order he said while laughing in my face... (I just sold a 7stringer)


----------



## dsm3sx

How long will this order page be open? 
And how many pieces is this run of the Intrepid Pro going to include?

I want one badly, but cannot raise funds until mid next week.... Will I be out of luck by then?


----------



## eegor

Not if you settle for a Standard. I personally am not sure how many Pros are left, but I do know that Standards aren't even available till next week anyway, so you're in the clear.

Besides, the Standard has more color options.


----------



## darren

Having owned both, the Standard isn't a "settle" situation. They're both really good, and my Standard arrived with fewer flaws than the Pro.


----------



## Wolfv11

anyone order a fretless?
Fretless guitar with a maple fingerboard, not too sure how that would turn out


----------



## SnowfaLL

So lemme get this correct, the Standard one is only opening next week. the Pro model is the one open right now (neckthru)

I am really considering the blue ocean one. Maybe even fretless, but I havent decided that far yet. but from what Darren told me, it sounds definately badass.

So anyone know for sure that the "Standard" (525) model is coming next week?? And to add a neck pikup is an extra $100??

Thanks


----------



## darren

Kurt has said the Standards will be up for pre-order next week. Whether a neck pickup will be an option has not been determined yet.

Here's all that's been announced: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1216866-post1675.html

And here are the mockups: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1216993-post1681.html


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Kurt has said the Standards will be up for pre-order next week. *Whether a neck pickup will be an option has not been determined yet.*



Crap my credit card may not be safe after all


----------



## Splees

I know what you mean... I got so excited about seeing the pros up, I ordered the ocean burst. I quickly canceled it for I am going to get another standard. Now seeing the pickups are available. I'll probably order one or two of those.


----------



## eegor

A neck pickup in the Standard would be the most flawless victory ever achieved by mankind.


----------



## darren

The FAQ on the first page of this thread has been updated to reflect the latest information.


----------



## dpm

I seem to recall one or two of these making it to Australia. What was the shipping cost?


----------



## SnowfaLL

Yah.. ok. If there is a Standard Ocean blue burst with Maple next week, I'll probably take one, even though its not nessisarily needed.

I kinda want fretless, but If I recall, Standards are bolt on, right? So that means, if I really want fretless in the future, It would be easier to get someone to make a fretless neck, than a fretted neck. 

Lets wait and see what the standard is all about, hopefully it comes soon.


----------



## TimothyLeary

I've to control myself to not order a standard with two pickups and maybe a ebony fretboard? Jesus... 

I think people will begin to play 8 string and forget the 6 strings. We gonna change the world!!


----------



## Doddus

dpm said:


> I seem to recall one or two of these making it to Australia. What was the shipping cost?



You can find the info on the site (http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidpro8.html) if you just add one to your cart and calculate the shipping costs (you don't have to buy one yet).

I totalled $119.18 and the only shipping option avaliable seems to be FedEx International Economy which will take aprox. 2 to 5 days. Plus then you will have to pay customs tax . However, as long as your order is under 1000 dollars Aus it's barely a fee, if it isn't its still affordable just annoying.


----------



## darren

My understanding is that the FedEx charges include duty, taxes and customs brokerage.

Mine did.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

eegor said:


> A neck pickup in the Standard would be the most flawless victory ever achieved by mankind.



Than it shall be done !

Kurt



darren said:


> My understanding is that the FedEx charges include duty, taxes and customs brokerage.
> 
> Mine did.



That's only to Canada (see checkout page of www.rondomusic.com)

Kurt


----------



## darren

kurtzentmaier said:


> Than it shall be done !



And behold... there were mockups!

*Intrepid Standard Dark Burst 2H*






*Intrepid Standard Charcoal 2H*





*Intrepid Standard Blood Burst 2H*





*Intrepid Standard Ocean Burst 2H*





*Intrepid Standard Ghost Burst 2H*


----------



## TomAwesome

kurtzentmaier said:


> Than it shall be done !





And with this, I know which guitar I'm getting! Too bad the pros don't have dual passives, but maybe next round. 



darren said:


> And behold... there were mockups!
> 
> [awesomeness]



 So sexy! But do I want charcoal or blood burst?


----------



## dpm

The 2 pickup standard has my interest, I'll have to see how things go 

Kurt, I have a couple of questions semi-related, should I email or PM you?


----------



## eegor

kurtzentmaier said:


> Than it shall be done !



YES!



darren said:


> *Intrepid Standard Ghost Burst 2H*



*YES!*

_Please_ tell me you got your hands on some ebony for the fretboards.


----------



## technomancer

Ok, I seem to recall the truss rod placement is being straightened out on this run, and that the bridge is being moved back 2mm. Anybody know if the bridge pup placement is being moved back at all?


----------



## Doddus

darren said:


> My understanding is that the FedEx charges include duty, taxes and customs brokerage.
> 
> Mine did.



It's different for different locations, and for a purchase under $1000 Australian, it's non-existent anyway:
"All goods (except for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages) may be imported duty and tax free if their value is $1,000 or less."
Quote from http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5549 .
For anything over $1000 dollars it is a 10% charge, however, there is some terms and conditions. I suggest any Aussies looking at buying online and don't already know to go check it out.

AND:



darren said:


> And behold... there were mockups!
> *Intrepid Standard Ocean Burst 2H*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Intrepid Standard Ghost Burst 2H*



*OMG!
*I am all over that!
Exitement levels are hitting the roof!!!
When i say when!!!!??


----------



## COBHC

god damn , just ordered my pro couple days ago. Didnt think the standard would get 2 pickups. Oh well , should have waited.


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> *Intrepid Standard Blood Burst 2H*



These guitars are going to be so beautiful 

Darren, what did you imagine the second potentiometer to be for?
Personally, I'd vote for just a single volume control, and a strat type of 3 way switch (which people can easily change for a 5 way, to get additional wiring options).


----------



## darren

The way i've got it spec'd in these mockups, it's master volume, three-way toggle, and master tone, which is a pretty standard configuration for a 2-hum guitar.

I personally like having a tone control with a neck pickup to roll off a bit of treble to get a nice warm jazz tone. I also prefer toggles over blade-type switches.


----------



## lefty robb

The pro really grabbed my interest since its available in left hand, but do we know if the 2 pickup standard will be as well? I'm really more interested in 2 pickups, 1 just does not cut it for me. If so, I may hold out and wait for that instead. If the Standard isn't available in left hand I just pray the preorders for the pro will stay open until Friday, payday 

But anyways, great job!!


----------



## Hoff

darren said:


> The way i've got it spec'd in these mockups, it's master volume, three-way toggle, and master tone, which is a pretty standard configuration for a 2-hum guitar.
> 
> I personally like having a tone control with a neck pickup to roll off a bit of treble to get a nice warm jazz tone. I also prefer toggles over blade-type switches.



Ok, that's a matter of taste and usage I suppose. I'm content with both variations 
I wonder if the single pick-up standards still will be an option?


----------



## Ishan

Seeing how things are going, I'll have my perfect standard model in the third run  Blood Burst/ebony board with 2 pickups  I can't wait


----------



## bs_tritonus

Anybody thinking about the fretless yet? I am pretty interested in that one, but have no experience with fretless guitar. I am a bassplayer and have experience from fretless basses and uprights, but are a little worried about intonation problems on a smaller scale instrument.

And what are the fretboard going to be? unlined, lined, dots?

Sorry for all the questions. I have read all the information on these pages, but have not found any answers. I know I should ask Kurt, but did not want to waste his time more than needed.


----------



## MF_Kitten

any news on the standard model pricing yet? will there be both single and dual humbucker models, or dual only?

with some luck, i might actually be able to get one, seeing as you pay in two increments...


----------



## technomancer

Looks like everybody needs to email Kurt and let him know the wonky truss rod placement needs fixed. I emailed him asking about it and he said it was probably going to be the same as he had gotten no feedback on the issue.

For those who don't know, you can see the current setup in Darren's pic... basically it looks like the factory just routed an additional truss channel to the bass side of the normal channel:


----------



## eegor

Hey Darren, what are the chances of the pickup selector being moved forward, and the volume and tone knobs behind it? I use pickup selectors heavily, and if it's back there inbetween the two knobs it's going to be difficult to use.


----------



## SnowfaLL

for how often im usually obsessed with neckthru, Im totally diggin the standards much more right now. Just seems much sexier to me imo..

And kurt emailed me saying he'll probably release a 2 pickup one next week, much like he did the fretless option for the Pros. Not 100% but good chance.

I cant wait! Hope theres blue ocean burst for it also..


----------



## TomAwesome

technomancer said:


> Looks like everybody needs to email Kurt and let him know the wonky truss rod placement needs fixed. I emailed him asking about it and he said it was probably going to be the same as he had gotten no feedback on the issue.



Really? Even as far off as it was? That's troublesome. I sent an email.


----------



## darren

When i sent that Intrepid Pro back, i flagged the truss rods as an issue. 

If you want the volume knob and pickup selector swapped, you can easily do it yourself.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

This is the best! I hope the Pro looks just like this!


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> When i sent that Intrepid Pro back, i flagged the truss rods as an issue.



No idea, just telling you what Kurt said in an email this morning. I asked about the truss rod placement and if the bridge pup was being moved closer to the bridge.

Just to be clear:



Kurt @ Rondo said:


> Not sure on the final placement of the pickup nor the trus rod placement.
> Probobly nothing with the trus rod placement as I received no feedback on that issue
> 
> Kurt


----------



## darren

Here's what i wrote to him when i sent my Pro back:



darren said:


> But i am disappointed that my Pro arrived in B-Stock/Blem condition when i paid for something new. None of the issues affect the tone or playability, but they're disappointing to see in a new-out-of-the-box instrument:
> 
> - 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



I'm not sure how that qualifies as "no feedback".

That was in an email, included on the return form from the Rondo website, and was identified on Post-It tape flags i placed all over the instrument with notes to identify all the flaws when i sent it back.


----------



## eegor

darren said:


> If you want the volume knob and pickup selector swapped, you can easily do it yourself.



Are the holes the same size for the volume pot and pup selector? If that's the case, then yeah, I'll just do it myself when I get it.


----------



## darren

Pots are usually 3/8" diameter, and Les Paul-type toggles are 1/2" diameter. It's not hard to drill out a pot hole to take a toggle switch, and the washer from the pot will hold it in place in the slightly larger toggle switch hole, and the hole won't show.


----------



## eegor

Awesome. Thanks for the info.


----------



## COBHC

Anyone know if the coloured Pros will come with a gloss paint finish on the neck or a satin like on the natural? 

Might have to switch my order to a natural to get the satin finish.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Sorry, to clarify, I did not consider a single manufacturing flaw on 1 piece to be considered feedback on an overall manufacturing change. Since I received no other emails on any problems with the trus rods, I am assuming it's a one of a kind issue with Darren&#8217;s. Based on that, at this point and no change is schedule to me made. If that's not the case and if there is a systemic problem with the trus rods, I hope to hear more about it from others before we start production. I personally would not mind seeing a little more spacing between the two trus rods to achieve a bit more adjustability, but it may not be possible based on the neck thickness and clearances needed. I did not get to see everyones trus rods personally - only Darren's. So if they are all like that (off center) - let me know. One reason I did not start production or even accepting any orders on production Ver 2.0 is so any possible problems like this would be worked out before production began. Certainly it's a correctable, if in fact it is a problem. At he very least I will metion it as a issue to watch for and avoid in the next batch.

Kurt


----------



## TemjinStrife

Kurt, my Intrepid Pro has the same issue... but it has not affected truss rod functionality in any way as it is still useful in dialing in the proper relief on just that half of the neck.

Another consistent complaint was that the neck, pickup, and bridge (while all completely in line with each other) were not centered on the neck blank by ~1-2mm. This is purely aesthetic.

Those are the ONLY issues I have found with my Pro. After restringing it and setting it up, it plays beautifully and sounds great.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Wow, forum did an auto-double-post. Whee.

Also, the upper fret access is hindered slightly by the transition from neck to body starting at around the 17th fret, making it a very thick area on the neck and making it very difficult to reach up there. Not a huge deal for me, but it can be an annoyance.


----------



## MF_Kitten

don´t forget to tell the factory not to intonate the guitars with strings at tension... pretty much everyone had scratched baseplates.

and i´d say the truss rods should be evenly spaced and centred, so that they can deal out the same amount of relief on both sides. i think that´s kinda important, actually.

can´t wait to see standard pricing!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

So how bad are the EMG's?


----------



## technomancer

RomeApartJizzy said:


> So how bad are the EMG's?



I wouldn't call them bad, it's just personal preference. If you like 707s you'll probably like the 808s. Or you can just buy a bolt on standard with passives (when Kurt announces the preorders).


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Just wanted to know more about the EMG's. I always thought they were kinda thin sounding...


----------



## TomAwesome

What I've heard of the 808s really isn't as bad as, say, the standard 81. It's really not that bad at all IMO, at least as far as EMGs go, but I still prefer passives.


----------



## TemjinStrife

The 808 is definitely warm and clear... very hi-fi sounding with not a huge amount of "character" per se. It sounds "nice" but not "exceptional."


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

So how hard is it to have passives put in? Routing involved? I have always had passives, so forgive my ignorance. As Shirley Q Liquor would say, "I's ignant"


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok here you go on the standards

http://www.rondomusic.com/IntrepidStandard8.html

http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepiddualstandard8.html

If you were wondering, I still am not getting what I would say are "re-assuring" answers from the ebony people that I will be able to get good quality ebony on time for this order, so we did not put ebony as an option. But I did offer rosewood as an option on the dual pickup version. If I can get ebony in time for the Feb / March delivery, I will post a note here about it. Comments about this?

This is the only link for these current (no emails have been sent out and nothing posted on the web site). These lower priced standards sold out pretty quickly last time and I want to give everyone on the forum who participated a chance before the rest of the world finds out

Kurt


----------



## bs_tritonus

That looks great! I am not trying to complain, but no standard fretless?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

bs_tritonus said:


> That looks great! I am not trying to complain, but no standard fretless?



Trying to keep the number of variations down (and therefore costs)
What color fretless where you hoping for ? No fret lines right ?

Kurt


----------



## Ishan

kurtzentmaier said:


> If you were wondering, I still am not getting what I would say are "re-assuring" answers from the ebony people that I will be able to get good quality ebony on time for this order, so we did not put ebony as an option. But I did offer rosewood as an option on the dual pickup version. If I can get ebony in time for the Feb / March delivery, I will post a note here about it. Comments about this?



Good to know ebony is still an option, just a problem with the supplies  I might get a dual blood burst/ebony in the fourth run hehe, still waiting for my custom pro


----------



## Hoff

Ordered myself a dual bloodburst standard. What a relief


----------



## bs_tritonus

I was hoping for a blood burst fretless with fret markers on the side of the neck. No lines. How are you doing it on the pro?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

bs_tritonus said:


> I was hoping for a blood burst fretless with fret markers on the side of the neck. No lines. How are you doing it on the pro?



We got very few fretless orders on the pro - the rest of the pro models are nearly sold out - will probobly take down the Pros Tuesday.

Ok will make a fretless available in blood burst

kurt


----------



## TimSE

those look killer
im really not a fan on maple boards and as i already have one i wont be in on this run
i got my 2nd neck pickup for my stanard so i get that in asap!


----------



## TomAwesome

Rosewood is an option this run, Tim.


----------



## TimSE

TomAwesome said:


> Rosewood is an option this run, Tim.



oo didnt notice that
thats cool







Im not a fan of maple
but this thing is amazment


----------



## Ishan

True! The mockup looks so nice I can't wait to see pics of the final product!


----------



## TimothyLeary

i can't look at the dual pickup darkburst, it cause me a lots of GAS!! oh my god!


----------



## FireaL

I want both, ordered an ocean burst pro but would kill for a charcoal dual with rosewood board. I need a better job.


----------



## AgileLefty

b-stock intrepid pro available right now for $599

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2104.html


----------



## eegor

Hey darren, any chance we could get a glimpse of the Standards with rosewood fretboards?


----------



## TomAwesome

eegor said:


> Hey darren, any chance we could get a glimpse of the Standards with rosewood fretboards?



Quick 'n' dirty halfassed rosewoodification:


----------



## lefty robb

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok here you go on the standards
> 
> http://www.rondomusic.com/IntrepidStandard8.html
> 
> http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepiddualstandard8.html
> 
> If you were wondering, I still am not getting what I would say are "re-assuring" answers from the ebony people that I will be able to get good quality ebony on time for this order, so we did not put ebony as an option. But I did offer rosewood as an option on the dual pickup version. If I can get ebony in time for the Feb / March delivery, I will post a note here about it. Comments about this?
> 
> This is the only link for these current (no emails have been sent out and nothing posted on the web site). These lower priced standards sold out pretty quickly last time and I want to give everyone on the forum who participated a chance before the rest of the world finds out
> 
> Kurt




I just totally pulled the trigger on a Lefty Bloodburst. Argh!, 6 months, god that's gonna be a painful wait.


----------



## darren

kurtzentmaier said:


> Trying to keep the number of variations down (and therefore costs)
> What color fretless where you hoping for ? No fret lines right ?
> 
> Kurt



The bass player in my band was actually thinking of getting a dual-humbucker fretless in Charcoal. Ebony would be ideal for a fretless board, but rosewood would still probably be harder than maple.


----------



## darren

AgileLefty said:


> b-stock intrepid pro available right now for $599
> 
> http://www.rondomusic.com/product2104.html



That would be mine that i sent back.

If you don't mind a few cosmetic issues, it plays amazing and sounds fantastic, and only weighs 7.5 lbs, which is pretty phenomenal, given the construction and woods used.


----------



## Anthony

Uh oh. I just order a Pro yesterday, and now I see the Dual Standards! 

I sent an email to Kurt, hopefully I can get my order changed!


Edit: Please someone tell it it'll be okay!


----------



## eegor

TomAwesome said:


> Quick 'n' dirty halfassed rosewoodification:



Ugh, I'm not sure how I feel about that.


----------



## darren

I think Blood Burst and Dark Burst look great with rosewood. Charcoal isn't bad, but the others... meh, not so much. I think Ebony would look better.


----------



## Neil

Ebony would have looked AMAZING with blood burst, cant belive it wasnt available


----------



## eegor

Ocean Burst looks best with maple, so I think I'll just stick with that. If ebony becomes available, I might add it on, but maple looks pretty amazing on it.


----------



## techjsteele

TomAwesome said:


> Quick 'n' dirty halfassed rosewoodification:



Man, if I had the money, I'd go for either one of these, though the dark burst one would be my first choice. Maybe if my amp sells.......


----------



## SnowfaLL

Pulled the trigger on the OCEANBURST Standard, Single pickup.

I kinda wanted dual, but I am broke as it is. One should be fine, I always had a hardon for the look of single pickup guitars, Just like the tonal range of two pickups. But this should be fine. I also feel that, If I want fretless badly, I will get a custom neck made for it, since its easier for someone to make a fretless neck, than to make a fretted neck.

Overall, I think im pretty excited. I plan on doing a high A string =]


----------



## TomAwesome

High A on a 28.625" scale? Planning on using Gary Goodman's strings?


----------



## ibznorange

seriously


----------



## darren

"Meedly-meedly-meeeeeee*plink*"

It's also a pretty straightforward job for a luthier to pull the frets and fill the slots with maple veneer if you decide you want to go fretless down the road.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Yea im gonna look for some new strings, like that Goodman set. least I would like a High A if possible.. I dont think I have much use for a low F# or whatever.

Maybe ill experiment with other odd tunings.


----------



## TomAwesome

Thirds tuning?


----------



## ibznorange

drone tunings could be fun. like tune them all to D2 with different gauges 

:badidea:


----------



## TomAwesome

You could probably get some interesting chord shapes with a unison tuning. Or what about a chromatic tuning? Across 8 strings, you'd have the range of... 2/3 of an octave!  Well, I guess by the time you considered the 24 frets it would be almost 2 2/3 octaves.


----------



## Ishan

That rosewood dual blood burst is giving me GAS  I'll have to see how much money I have left after I get my custom and if that new baby I've ordered a few months back doesn't eat up all the money left


----------



## Wound

just ordered a ghost burst dual with rosewood...but hoping for ebony


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

I like the pro... just wish it came with passive isntead of EMG's... think there is a chance there will be any option to swap to passives before they ship?


----------



## eleven59

Any chance of a future run of the Pro with neck pickups too?


----------



## Drache713

I really want to get one of the standards...they look absolutely perfect for my needs. I just wish I had the money


----------



## MF_Kitten

sadly, my budget couldn&#180;t fit an intrepid into it... so i guess i&#180;ll have to wait until next year to get one on the third run (there WILL be one, or ELSE!)


----------



## mmotorsport

I'm kinda curious how exactly the ghost burst finish is going to be achieved. All of the other finishes seem to be like a stain or dye if you will. But what about the ghost...is it going to be painted?


----------



## QueeZeR

Damn, I really want a ghostburst with rosewood, but I would prefer only 1 pickup. (also, I lack 14$ to match the price of a dual.)

Do you think it could be arranged if I talk to kurt? If so, how do I contact him?


----------



## darren

My instructions to Kurt were that the Ghost Burst should be a metallic/pearl white with a metallic gray/dark silver burst.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> My instructions to Kurt were that the Ghost Burst should be a metallic/pearl white with a metallic gray/dark silver burst.



I personally hope the Ocean Burst looks just like this...


----------



## eegor

No joke. That picture is what sold me on it.


----------



## darren

Well, i didn't give specific instructions for the others, as they seemed pretty self-explanatory. If the factory just matches the pics, they should come out kinda cool.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

The Ocean Burst seems so... deep looking. If only the EMG was swappable... ergh


----------



## eegor

It is... with a Q-Tuner BL5, which is coincidentally the same pickup I'm putting in there.


----------



## Jzbass25

RomeApartJizzy said:


> The Ocean Burst seems so... deep looking. If only the EMG was swappable... ergh



what do you mean? you can get it for cheaper without emg


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Jzbass25 said:


> what do you mean? you can get it for cheaper without emg



Well I cant really get it - no money - but if I had the $$, I would need the neck thru... no way around it...
I tried to get into bolt ons, but it doesnt work for me.


----------



## Jzbass25

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Well I cant really get it - no money - but if I had the $$, I would need the neck thru... no way around it...
> I tried to get into bolt ons, but it doesnt work for me.



neck thru doesn't work for me lol, I can deal with either but I prefer bolt on.


----------



## FireaL

Would be overkill to order a pro and a standard?  I just want a charcoal standard with rosewood board cause im a thordendal fanboy


----------



## TomAwesome

Jzbass25 said:


> what do you mean? you can get it for cheaper without emg



That's the other model, and there are more differences than the pickups. If you get a pro, it's going to have an EMG.


----------



## technomancer

Man decisions decisions... get a Standard 2H now or wait for the potential future Pro run with passive pups. Tough call, I can't make up my mind.


----------



## eegor

FireaL said:


> Would be overkill to order a pro and a standard?



Nope.  I speak from experience.


----------



## FireaL

RomeApartJizzy said:


> I personally hope the Ocean Burst looks just like this...



If my ocean burst looks like that i will just about pass out with excitement, kurt needs to get them to make it just like that!!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

FireaL said:


> If my ocean burst looks like that i will just about pass out with excitement, kurt needs to get them to make it just like that!!




YES!! I am hunting down anyone who wants to support my poor ass to get one of these... "watch out family members, xmas is coming early bitches!"


----------



## darren

FireaL said:


> Would be overkill to order a pro and a standard?



Been there. Done that.


----------



## eleven59

Both of my guitarists are seriously considering ordering these, the GAS is pretty much torturing them  

The only issue is that Richard wants a neckthrough with two pickups.


----------



## darren

Meh. It wouldn't take a skilled luthier too much to rout for a second EMG. 

I'm having Brian cut the cavity for a neck passive in my Standard at the end of the month.

Can't wait!


----------



## eleven59

darren said:


> Meh. It wouldn't take a skilled luthier too much to rout for a second EMG.
> 
> I'm having Brian cut the cavity for a neck passive in my Standard at the end of the month.
> 
> Can't wait!



Yeah, that's what I've been telling him  If they're still available in a couple weeks he'll be ordering one. If not, next time probably.


----------



## DagMX

ooh, that B Stock intrepid pro is looking so desirable..but the new dual standards look so tempting...its a difference of $26 and a wait of 5 months but a more refined product...
aaaaahhhh...maybe as a christmas present? but I may also need a new camera...
maybe i can get a band together and earn that money in time?

Am i the only one who prefers the old headstock though?

ooh put an order for a bloodburst dual rosewood...
can't wait....


----------



## Drache713

Anybody know how long the ordering will be open for the dual standards? I have my heart set on a rosewood bloodburst dual standard, but I just need a little time to conjure up the money...


----------



## noodleplugerine

So both standards are open allready. And Pro is almost finished. Going to try sell my ibanez in time to still be able to buy one of them.


----------



## Doddus

Just ordered my Dual Pickup Standard in Ocean Burst!
Let the waiting game begin!


----------



## plyta

noodleplugerine said:


> So both standards are open allready. And Pro is almost finished. Going to try sell my ibanez in time to still be able to buy one of them.



As for now I still can see 69 Pros, 89 Dual Standards and 98 Standards left at Rondo site


----------



## darren

Where are you seeing those numbers?


----------



## nedheftyfunk

Many thanks for all your hard work Darren. You're a star. 

A star that led me to spend $337.50 earlier today. So a malevolent, evil, dark star of temptation. But a star none the less.


----------



## QueeZeR

Damn, I really want a ghostburst with rosewood, but I would prefer only 1 pickup. (also, I lack 14$ to match the price of a dual.)

Do you think it could be arranged if I talk to kurt? If so, how do I contact him?


----------



## plyta

darren said:


> Where are you seeing those numbers?



If you enter some ridiculously large number in a 'Quantity' cell in shopping cart at Rondo's, it'll say



> Product: Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8
> In stock: 89
> There is not enough of this product in stock to fulfill your order, try reducing the quantity ordered.


----------



## TomAwesome

Interesting! Good li'l trick to know.


----------



## plyta

I don't exactly say these numbers mean something  

Maybe Rondo just want to see how much of each Intrepid model they can sell in a limited amount of time and orders might get closed before all 300 Intrepids get ordered


----------



## Drache713

I hope they don't get closed soon! I'm doing my best to struggle and pull the money together


----------



## MF_Kitten

seems like i&#180;m getting rid of my eMac after all... why am i saying such ridiculous random facts you ask?

because if i get rid of it in time (before they close the run), i&#180;m getting me some intrepid action!

YEAH, BITCHFACE!!!

*praying to the rondo-gods that the run will last long enough!*


----------



## SnowfaLL

So, assuming he had 100 of each, Does that mean I am one of two that ordered a Standard (single pickup)?? Haha.. Cheapness for the win!


----------



## lefty robb

Sorry if it was mentioned before, but has anyone bought strings from these guys? 

http://www.octave4plus.com/

Looks like a high A without snapping strings may be possible after all.


----------



## darren

That's Garry Goodman's site. He's a member here, and very well-respected in the extended-range-guitar community.


----------



## lefty robb

Figured as much  So a High A is totally doable then?


----------



## darren

With those strings, yes.


----------



## lefty robb

Awesome, I think I will try it both ways


----------



## Alekke

Hello!

I hope I'm posting on the right place.

Can Agile Intrepid 8-string be shipped to Europe (Croatia) and how much would transport cost roughly? Do they come with Lundgrens M8?

Thanks a lot!


A.


----------



## Wound

Shipping costs should appear when you order a guitar. I got mine to Norway and that cost about 100$. So I'm guessing to Croatia would b no problem.

If you read the first post it should have details about the guitar. Or you could go here:

http://www.rondomusic.com/IntrepidStandard8.html
http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepiddualstandard8.html
http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidpro8.html

But it does not come with M8, the Pro model has EMG 808 and the Standard has Cepheus pickups, which are really good (at least the bridge model, haven't heard the neck yet).


----------



## plyta

Alekke said:


> Hello!
> 
> I hope I'm posting on the right place.
> 
> Can Agile Intrepid 8-string be shipped to Europe (Croatia) and how much would transport cost roughly? Do they come with Lundgrens M8?
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> 
> 
> A.



Rondo ships to countries which are only on a drop list in the shopping cart. Croatia is not on the list, thus you need a middleman in a country they do ship to.


----------



## Alekke

Oh. Right.  too bad!

I'll try to figure something out with friend from Germany if I decide to order.


Thanks for the quick replies!


----------



## raisingfear101

is the darkburst the same as the last darkburst? because in the first run it seemed to fade to red, but in the new mockups it looks like it fades to brown. im confuzzeled.


----------



## darren

The colour seems to vary a lot depending on the light and how it's photographed. The actual finish seems to be somewhere between a dark honey burst and a light tobacco burst. It's a reddish brown (or brownish-red) on the edges and back of the guitar. Hard to replicate in photographs and mockups on a computer screen.

The original mockups showed more of a black edge. The guitars came out a little browner and not as dark, so i adjusted the mockups of the v2 Intrepids to look more like what the actual finish came out like. But even that's only an approximation.

I think the pics in this thread show it pretty accurately:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/the-lounge/55392-toronto-s-s-get-together-vol-2-a-17.html#161


----------



## MF_Kitten

i&#180;m wondering about the other finishes, Darren. which finishes are gloss, and which are satin? and what will the middle of the ocean burst look like? by that, i mean will you see the wood&#180;s original color through the finish, or will it be blue-ish?


----------



## darren

Unless things change from the last run, they'll all be satin. (Even though the spec sheet for the Intrepid Standard called for a gloss finish.) I quite like the feel of the satin finishes, and i suspect that the satin they use allows them to put on a thinner finish, which contributes to the overall resonance and "liveliness" of the instruments.

I mock things up how i want them to look, but i have no control how my mockups get interpreted and the finishes executed at the factory. Remember, i'm as detached as you guys are from the production process. I have no real input other than the suggestions and images i provide to Kurt. 

If you want it to look a certain way, make sure Kurt knows it.


----------



## raisingfear101

hmm, i think i like how the mockup looks now better than the actual finish. hmm, it still nice thought. but so is ocean burst. i personally feel that ocean burst is either gonna be incredibly amazing or a complete failure, and i dont know if im willing to risk it. damn. i really need to make a decision.


----------



## MF_Kitten

the dark burst is growing on me...

and yeah, i&#180;d rather have a satin finish than glossy, no matter what color it is 

gah, i need CASH!


----------



## TimothyLeary

hi guys, I have a question for you.

When I'm playing with my intrepid I ear very much the noise that the left hand makes when move around chords and frets. Specially when I'm riffing with speed(not too much)

Do you think its a issue with electronics? Or is just a problem with my type of playing?


----------



## Kronpox

I feel the same thing. I thought it was the Lundgren in mine, but it might just be a fact of having so many strings being picked up at once.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

I am hoping Kurt has the newest Ocean Burst mock up ... 

I am reaaaaaallllly hoping he has it and gave it to the factory...


----------



## TimothyLeary

Kronpox said:


> I feel the same thing. I thought it was the Lundgren in mine, but it might just be a fact of having so many strings being picked up at once.



maybe, but when playing power chords, that are in the 3 low strings it makes a lot of "hand noise" too.


----------



## FireaL

RomeApartJizzy said:


> I am hoping Kurt has the newest Ocean Burst mock up ...
> 
> I am reaaaaaallllly hoping he has it and gave it to the factory...



I've emailed kurt and asked him how it will be and linked him the mockup, i'll let you know.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

FireaL said:


> I've emailed kurt and asked him how it will be and linked him the mockup, i'll let you know.



you sir, are on top of things.


----------



## FireaL

RomeApartJizzy said:


> you sir, are on top of things.



 well if he says it will be like the dark burst which personally i think looks like the finish you'd get on an epi les paul special 2

I'll just pay a little bit more for a transluscent finish.


----------



## Kronpox

TimothyLeary said:


> maybe, but when playing power chords, that are in the 3 low strings it makes a lot of "hand noise" too.



 could just be bigger windings on the strings, or that your hand has to reach past more wound strings (and rub against them) to get to the low power chords. Wound strings usually makes more 'hand noise' than plains.


----------



## darren

Th brightness imparted by the extended scale is also likely a factor in the amount of string noise.

Guys, do you really think i haven't already sent all of these mockups to Kurt?


----------



## technomancer

Looks like preorders for the standards are closed.


----------



## TomAwesome

technomancer said:


> Looks like preorders for the standards are closed.



Huh?


----------



## Krankguitarist

http://www.rondomusic.com/IntrepidStandard8.html

El sold out. Freakin gone. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get the chance to put in an order for a dual standard.


----------



## MF_Kitten

darren said:


> Th brightness imparted by the extended scale is also likely a factor in the amount of string noise.
> 
> Guys, do you really think i haven't already sent all of these mockups to Kurt?



i think he meant the mockup someone else did, with the oceanburst pro. the one with the deeper and darker blue and stuff.

also, i hate that these are done in "runs"... why not just have "waves"? like a small run every two months? (just so i can have one, i mean!?)


----------



## TomAwesome

Ack. A warning that preorders were going to be time based rather than stock based would have been nice. Oh well, no 8 for me.


----------



## MF_Kitten

TomAwesome said:


> Ack. A warning that preorders were going to be time based rather than stock based would have been nice. Oh well, no 8 for me.



yeah, i really don´t think the whole time based ordering thing is a good idea. what would be wrong with another bunch of orders? more business can´t be bad, can it?

Kurt! customers! over here! re-open the run! DEAR GOD, MAN!


----------



## technomancer

I'd imagine there was a cutoff to submit orders to the factory to have the run built. IIRC that was a concern for this to get materials so they could be delivered in February.


----------



## TomAwesome

MF_Kitten said:


> yeah, i really don&#180;t think the whole time based ordering thing is a good idea. what would be wrong with another bunch of orders? more business can&#180;t be bad, can it?
> 
> Kurt! customers! over here! re-open the run! DEAR GOD, MAN!



Hah, seriously! I was under the impression that he was going to be making that many guitars anyway and that any leftover would be left for stock.  The funny thing is, I spent some of today organizing things and running numbers in preparation to most likely order either tonight or tomorrow. Pretty much this same thing happened with my first Ibanez 7, too, and that's why I ended up with a used 7421 instead of a spankin' new 1077XL. Oh well. Next time!



technomancer said:


> I'd imagine there was a cutoff to submit orders to the factory to have the run built. IIRC that was a concern for this to get materials so they could be delivered in February.



That's what I'm figuring. Still, though, a warning would have been nice!


----------



## Drache713

NOOOOOO!!! I finally had got the money rounded up to place a preorder in the next couple of days and the preorders are now closed!!!


----------



## FireaL

Aww what a shame, i was pondering ordering a 2nd


----------



## MF_Kitten

dang, lots of people didn&#180;t get in on this 

remember the first run though? went like a damn freight train... within HOURS it went!

still... I WANT THIS THING!


----------



## Maggai

Ah damnit! I was had decided earlier today that I was gonna order one when I got home, and then they're gone. Oh well.


----------



## Adriatic

is there a real life pic of the charcoal intrepid somewhere... is kronpoxs brown one a charcoal?


----------



## TomAwesome

Adriatic said:


> is there a real life pic of the charcoal intrepid somewhere... is kronpoxs brown one a charcoal?



There are a few. Do a search, and they should pop right up. I don't think kronpox's is supposed to be a charcoal.


----------



## Adriatic

hooo hooooo cant wait to get mine in feb...


----------



## noodleplugerine

Was about to sell my Ibanez for this... Grrrrr.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Sorry, I had finalize our order numbers if we want to get all the parts ordered and guitars assembled in on time for the end of Feb / early March as promiced. I see there is still some additional demand so I ordered and extra 100 maple and rosewood fretboards. So if they ever show up, lead time on round 3 of these should be much shorter (hopefully).

I would like to start working on the "T-7" or whatever the next 7 string design will be. If anyone wants to shoot over to that forum and give me input

Kurt


----------



## MF_Kitten

kurtzentmaier said:


> Sorry, I had finalize our order numbers if we want to get all the parts ordered and guitars assembled in on time for the end of Feb / early March as promiced. I see there is still some additional demand so I ordered and extra 100 maple and rosewood fretboards. So if they ever show up, lead time on round 3 of these should be much shorter (hopefully).
> 
> I would like to start working on the "Texan" 8 string next if anyone wants to shoot over to that forum and give me input
> 
> Kurt



could you elaborate on what you mean? does this mean that there will be 200 intrepids in stock in addition to the pre-ordered ones? if so, that&#180;s awesome!

or do you mean that some of the materials will be ready for the third run, so we don&#180;t have to wait as long? that&#180;s awesome as well, if that&#180;s what you mean!

and could you also elaborate on this "texan" 7 string? what is this forum you speak of? it sounds very interesting!  

Edit: nevermind, i found it!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

I mean I hope to have materials on hand so the next round of orders will not have to wait so long.
But that's just a "hope" at this point. Please do not count on anything.

We hopefully there will be a new thread started on the next 7 string Agile design shortly.

Kurt


----------



## MF_Kitten

kurtzentmaier said:


> I mean I hope to have materials on hand so the next round of orders will not have to wait so long.
> 
> The T-7 http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-guitars/62208-concept-agile-tele-7-a-1.html



sounds great, kurt! by the way, i sent you some suggestions for the agile 28" baritone, the tribal green one, on a mail. just some feedback as to what could be changed to optimize it. otherwise, it´s my main 6 string now 

and when will you do custom orders via paypal?


----------



## darren

To be fair, guys, after the first run sold out, it was pretty clear that there would be a second run happening very shortly after the first ones were delivered in the August/September time frame. If you thought you might want one, you had four months to get your funds in order.


----------



## TimSE

darren said:


> To be fair, guys, after the first run sold out, it was pretty clear that there would be a second run happening very shortly after the first ones were delivered in the August/September time frame. If you thought you might want one, you had four months to get your funds in order.


----------



## Adriatic

kurtzentmaier said:


> lead time on round 3 of these should be much shorter (hopefully).
> 
> 
> Kurt


 
that would be awesome.. then the other guitarist in our band can get one not toooo long after mine arives in feb/march. so excited...although i fear i'll reject my 7's once the intrepid arrives...


----------



## noodleplugerine

darren said:


> To be fair, guys, after the first run sold out, it was pretty clear that there would be a second run happening very shortly after the first ones were delivered in the August/September time frame. If you thought you might want one, you had four months to get your funds in order.



I didn't want one untill people started getting theres, and posting picstories etc. Then the gas kicked in.


----------



## Emperoff

I'll try to get one of the "round 3" ones, but please keep the dual standard w/maple board in ocean burst finish model 

BTW, any plans of changing anything in the next run? you know, body size reduction, and that stuff.


----------



## technomancer

Emperoff said:


> I'll try to get one of the "round 3" ones, but please keep the dual standard w/maple board in ocean burst finish model
> 
> BTW, any plans of changing anything in the next run? you know, body size reduction, and that stuff.



+1 

Hopefully the body size change doesn't happen, as I'm still completely against it as it's going to throw the balance off.


----------



## Krankguitarist

darren said:


> To be fair, guys, after the first run sold out, it was pretty clear that there would be a second run happening very shortly after the first ones were delivered in the August/September time frame. If you thought you might want one, you had four months to get your funds in order.



'cept for me, that is. I just found out about the intrepid whilst browsing rondo music's site about a half a week ago. Newbie right here 

The intrepid pro was an instant WANT. I'm glad that I was able to put down the cash on that one.

Had my parents offering to front the cash for a standard dual the day before they sold out, I said "Nah, it's OK, they'll probably still be in stock by the time I get my next paycheck"


----------



## Niels

darren said:


> To be fair, guys, after the first run sold out, it was pretty clear that there would be a second run happening very shortly after the first ones were delivered in the August/September time frame. If you thought you might want one, you had four months to get your funds in order.



I agree, I don't think it's fair towards Kurt that people are now complaining, he has to draw a line somewhere, wouldn't you agree? Besides, so far the guitars have been a huge succes, I don't think Rondo would stop doing runs anytime soon.


----------



## TomAwesome

Just to clarify, I wasn't really trying to complain and say, "Kurt should've/shouldn't've blah blah," so much as just expressing my, "Aw, drat! Foiled again!" sentiment.


----------



## MF_Kitten

TomAwesome said:


> Just to clarify, I wasn't really trying to complain and say, "Kurt should've/shouldn't've blah blah," so much as just expressing my, "Aw, drat! Foiled again!" sentiment.



yeah, same here. i obviously know that kurt has to close the run in time, so he can send the info to the factory etc, but i really really wish, for the sake of fulfilling my ego´s lust for one, that the run would be open for longer


----------



## DagMX

hey, because I probably missed it, whats the word on cases?
And I can probably get away with fitting it in a standard bass hardcase right?


----------



## eegor

See the beginning FAQ at the beginning of the thread for your answer.


----------



## DagMX

eegor said:


> See the beginning FAQ at the beginning of the thread for your answer.



ah i missed that....thanks


----------



## eegor

No problem.


----------



## Kronpox

FWIW my Intrepid (even with the longer headstock) fits in my normal softshell guitar case. Not sure the brand (stock $20 one at Steve's Music) but it's not any larger than other softshells I've seen.


----------



## Giamatti

SUCKS that I missed the chance to get a deposit down, have to wait til next march to order the yoke. So it'll pretty much be this time next year by the time I have one. Lovely... 

Oh, if anyone's selling one, please PM me. :S


----------



## TomAwesome

Actually, the next run is supposed to go a bit quicker.


----------



## Giamatti

It's rock if it did, I e-mailed them today to ask, and was told March, I'll be crossing my fingers it'll be sooner, either way it's gonna probably gonna be the guts of a year before I get my hands on one, no point in holding my breath... *sigh*


----------



## darren

The Intrepid Pro i returned was up as a "B-stock" item last week... i'm guessing somebody snapped it up.


----------



## gunshow86de

I think it's funny that everyone freaked out so much about not being ready. I didn't know the new run would be happening until I got the email from Rondo. How hard is it really to get the $267.50 for deposit? I am in college and only work summers, but I managed to get $267.50. That's the same cost as going to the bar 3 or 4 nights. Not too much sacrifice for what you get in return.

EDIT: I forgot the dual and pro deposits were more expensive. But still, I am a poor college student, but I had my money right.


----------



## Giamatti

For me it wasn't a money problem at all, the $340 odd equates to less than &#8364;240, it's just I didn't realise they were taking deposits til it was too late. Live and learn I suppose.


----------



## eegor

The email took me by surprise, but in all honesty, from the time the email was sent to the time orders were closed, about a week passed by, and the Standards started about a week after the email, giving me plenty of time to get the money together.


----------



## Doddus

It seems like a fair amount of people missed out which was suprising to me seemings the last run was extremely quick. Pretty shattering really.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Doddus said:


> It seems like a fair amount of people missed out which was suprising to me seemings the last run was extremely quick. Pretty shattering really.



I was hoping that there would be some warning that orders were closing soon. The Intrepid Pro of course had the little "nearly sold out for the first half of 2009" message on it's order page. It would have been nice if there was a similar message on the standard and dual standard order pages.


----------



## Våd Hamster

Crossing fingers for a dual pup pro!

At first I thought I'd go with the standard.... But if I can get neck-through with duals, then that's for me.


----------



## Drache713

Krankguitarist said:


> I was hoping that there would be some warning that orders were closing soon. The Intrepid Pro of course had the little "nearly sold out for the first half of 2009" message on it's order page. It would have been nice if there was a similar message on the standard and dual standard order pages.


----------



## MF_Kitten

had i just gone ahead and put down the deposit now, i wouldn&#180;t have had any money to feed myself at the moment, so seriously, it&#180;s not always that easy to get the money in time.


----------



## Våd Hamster

MF_Kitten said:


> had i just gone ahead and put down the deposit now, i wouldn´t have had any money to feed myself at the moment, so seriously, it´s not always that easy to get the money in time.



The shipping must be a bitch too, getting it all the way up there... What's the tax gonna be on it?


----------



## MF_Kitten

i didn&#180;t end up buying it, i just kinda wrote it in a complicated way i guess 

the tax in norway is always 25&#37;, but sometimes they hit you with import taxes as well. it&#180;s less rare though, and it depends on the price and product type.


----------



## gaunten

that's a bitch... I don't know what we have in sweden, but when I bought my dean from US, I think it ended up at about 10&#37; or so. which is kinda much on a 1200$ guitar... especially since this was long ago, and I didn't know if there were any taxes on that sorta thing...


----------



## possumkiller

well i noticed that the custom form is up and running on the rondo site. i dont know if you can still order or not but i guess i will find out. i just paid my 10 bucks for a quote on a custom intrepid. i really hope i can get it! will be badass! only i noticed on the custom form they didnt have the intrepid headstock for an option or emg 808. so i wonder whats up with that.


----------



## COBHC

email kurt and ask him about it , he will plunk it on there most likely


----------



## charles22880

and just to think i bought a Lundgren M8 for a future 8 string


----------



## yellowv

gunshow86de said:


> I think it's funny that everyone freaked out so much about not being ready. I didn't know the new run would be happening until I got the email from Rondo. How hard is it really to get the $267.50 for deposit? I am in college and only work summers, but I managed to get $267.50. That's the same cost as going to the bar 3 or 4 nights. Not too much sacrifice for what you get in return.
> 
> EDIT: I forgot the dual and pro deposits were more expensive. But still, I am a poor college student, but I had my money right.



Well try having a mortgage, lots of bills, $500 a month fuel expense just to get to work, etc. and just being able to plunk down $300 with little notice. Since you are "a poor college student" that only works summers, and the fact you could come up with it as the sacrifice for not going out a few nights I'm gonna guess your not really so poor and that mommy and daddy foot the bill for you?

This is no way a complaint about Kurt or Rondo. The orders ended and I didn't have the money. No big deal. Hopefully next run. But to have a kid make a dumb ass comment acting like coming up with a $300 deposit in times when people are losing their homes and going bankrupt is a little stupid. I guess your major isn't economics?


----------



## whisper

On top of that, add a kid or two!


----------



## yellowv

whisper said:


> On top of that, add a kid or two!


----------



## raisingfear101

yellowv said:


> Well try having a mortgage, lots of bills, $500 a month fuel expense just to get to work, etc. and just being able to plunk down $300 with little notice. Since you are "a poor college student" that only works summers, and the fact you could come up with it as the sacrifice for not going out a few nights I'm gonna guess your not really so poor and that mommy and daddy foot the bill for you?
> 
> This is no way a complaint about Kurt or Rondo. The orders ended and I didn't have the money. No big deal. Hopefully next run. But to have a kid make a dumb ass comment acting like coming up with a $300 deposit in times when people are losing their homes and going bankrupt is a little stupid. I guess your major isn't economics?



for seriously


----------



## Ishan

whisper said:


> On top of that, add a kid or two!



Or soon 4


----------



## whisper

WOW! Congratulations man! We only have one, 2 year old boy.


----------



## Ishan

I think he(she)'ll be the last one


----------



## whisper

Dude! I just noticed "QuadX" in the rig section under your avatar. As in Carvin Quad X?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know I'm looking to sell my Intrepid Pro. It's posted in the "guitars for sale" section, but thought it would be good to go to the source and let you guys know.


----------



## Ishan

whisper said:


> Dude! I just noticed "QuadX" in the rig section under your avatar. As in Carvin Quad X?



Yes it is, my rig is Quad X Amp with a Bloody Murder in the channel 4 front loop > G Major > SS power amp > Framus 212CS with G12 Century (which I plan to mod to stereo, I already have a mono/stereo Marshall plate  ). I play with the gain on 2 and it's already borderline death metal  and to be back on topic I'll use this rig with my Agile Intrepid Pro, I feel the SS PA will work better in the low range than tubes


----------



## gunshow86de

yellowv said:


> Well try having a mortgage, lots of bills, $500 a month fuel expense just to get to work, etc. and just being able to plunk down $300 with little notice. Since you are "a poor college student" that only works summers, and the fact you could come up with it as the sacrifice for not going out a few nights I'm gonna guess your not really so poor and that mommy and daddy foot the bill for you?
> 
> This is no way a complaint about Kurt or Rondo. The orders ended and I didn't have the money. No big deal. Hopefully next run. But to have a kid make a dumb ass comment acting like coming up with a $300 deposit in times when people are losing their homes and going bankrupt is a little stupid. I guess your major isn't economics?



I don't doubt that you have more financial responsibilities than I do, but you should have a steady income if you have all of these bills to pay. And yes, mommy and daddy and scholarships pay for school. But I still pay $760 in rent plus $200 for utilities plus $100 for internet every month and then gas for a truck that gets 6-8 mpg city, with my own money. Don't try to make me out to be some spoiled kid who asked mommy and daddy to buy me a guitar. In fact, except for my first Squier, mommy and daddy have never bought me a guitar. If you couldn't come up with the $240 dollar deposit (some were more) in the 2 weeks orders were open, how did you expect to have it in just a few more days?


----------



## Giamatti

MaxOfMetal said:


> Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know I'm looking to sell my Intrepid Pro. It's posted in the "guitars for sale" section, but thought it would be good to go to the source and let you guys know.


 

Dude I'd definately be interested if it's still around, price? Colour??


----------



## yellowv

gunshow86de said:


> I don't doubt that you have more financial responsibilities than I do, but you should have a steady income if you have all of these bills to pay. And yes, mommy and daddy and scholarships pay for school. But I still pay $760 in rent plus $200 for utilities plus $100 for internet every month and then gas for a truck that gets 6-8 mpg city, with my own money. Don't try to make me out to be some spoiled kid who asked mommy and daddy to buy me a guitar. In fact, except for my first Squier, mommy and daddy have never bought me a guitar. If you couldn't come up with the $240 dollar deposit (some were more) in the 2 weeks orders were open, how did you expect to have it in just a few more days?



Of course I have a steady income. How do you pay for $1060 in expenses per month, and afford to go out and spend $300 at bars every few days with no job? I never said I expected to come up with the money in a few more days. I simply said I didn't have the money for this run. I made the post letting you know that people who live in the real world can't always plunk down $300 at the drop of a hat being that you made it seem so easy being "a poor college student". I never said you asked Mommy and Daddy to buy you a guitar. I just implied that you are using some of the money they give you for food and housing to pay for it.


----------



## whisper

Ishan said:


> Yes it is, my rig is Quad X Amp with a Bloody Murder in the channel 4 front loop > G Major > SS power amp > Framus 212CS with G12 Century (which I plan to mod to stereo, I already have a mono/stereo Marshall plate  ). I play with the gain on 2 and it's already borderline death metal  and to be back on topic I'll use this rig with my Agile Intrepid Pro, I feel the SS PA will work better in the low range than tubes



Sweet, I love the sound of the Quad-X (with cabinet voicing ON of course). It produces some great midrange-y harmonics with the neck pickup. I really hope the cepheus neck pickup in the Intrepid sounds similar, as I'm sure a custom Seymour Duncan is waaaay out of my price range. I can't even remember what made me buy this thing it's been so long! I found it used on eBay with no footswitch (which I've been looking for on the internet on and off). I also use solid state power, Carvin HT-400 - sounds kickass.
Trying not to get off topic, just shocking to find another metal guy that uses this pre-amp.


----------



## Ishan

I never use the cabinet voicing, far too dark for me, but through a good impulse cab sim it's godly! I don't have the footswitch but I don't need it, my Quad is MIDI switchable (I still need to buy a midi footswitch tho  )
On topic: you are getting an intrepid standard or dual? if you have a usable recording rig I'd love some clips through the Quad-X


----------



## whisper

I use an ADA MPC footswitch with it and it works OK, my ADA MP1 is much more MIDI friendly. I just want the whole package because that would be *sweeeeet*

I've ordered the Standard Dual, and I'll definitely have some audio & video when it gets here.


----------



## deviloogy

I am very interested in this guitar!


----------



## Ishan

whisper said:


> I use an ADA MPC footswitch with it and it works OK, my ADA MP1 is much more MIDI friendly. I just want the whole package because that would be *sweeeeet*
> 
> I've ordered the Standard Dual, and I'll definitely have some audio & video when it gets here.



The ADA is nice but I need expression pedals, I guess I'll get a FCB1010 later  I can't wait to hear your clips!


----------



## gunshow86de

yellowv said:


> Of course I have a steady income. How do you pay for $1060 in expenses per month, and afford to go out and spend $300 at bars every few days with no job? I never said I expected to come up with the money in a few more days. I simply said I didn't have the money for this run. I made the post letting you know that people who live in the real world can't always plunk down $300 at the drop of a hat being that you made it seem so easy being "a poor college student". I never said you asked Mommy and Daddy to buy you a guitar. I just implied that you are using some of the money they give you for food and housing to pay for it.



I have been working various jobs since I was 16, and then invested my money in a mutual fund, unfortunately I may end up getting fucked by all this shit going on with the stock market right now. I am certainly not an economics major, so I don't know if my mutual fund will be okay or not. (Apparently I'm not an English major either, evidenced by my terrible run on sentences ). 

I certainly didn't mean any disrespect with my comment. I have nothing but respect for a man that can take care of a family. I know I am blessed to get support from my family, I just hate being portrayed as a spoiled rich kid. And no, I don't go out to bars that often, that's part of the reason I had money to order the Intrepid.


----------



## eegor

deviloogy said:


> I am very interested in this guitar!



As you should be!


----------



## yellowv

gunshow86de said:


> I have been working various jobs since I was 16, and then invested my money in a mutual fund, unfortunately I may end up getting fucked by all this shit going on with the stock market right now. I am certainly not an economics major, so I don't know if my mutual fund will be okay or not. (Apparently I'm not an English major either, evidenced by my terrible run on sentences ).
> 
> I certainly didn't mean any disrespect with my comment. I have nothing but respect for a man that can take care of a family. I know I am blessed to get support from my family, I just hate being portrayed as a spoiled rich kid. And no, I don't go out to bars that often, that's part of the reason I had money to order the Intrepid.



No problem man. Just had to rant a little, and bust your balls some  Probably just a bit of me wishing I could back up to college and bang all that college girl ass


----------



## ibznorange

Your mutual funds should be ok. EVERYTHING is suffering, but the market always returns to value dude. Just let it sit, dont worry about it, and it will be fine


----------



## gunshow86de

ibznorange said:


> Your mutual funds should be ok. EVERYTHING is suffering, but the market always returns to value dude. Just let it sit, dont worry about it, and it will be fine



Thank you for the re-assurance. I wasn't really sure how my fund would be affected even though it is really an issue with mortgages and home loans.


----------



## gunshow86de

So, who else has the mockup of the Intrepid set as their desktop background? I get gassy everytime I see it. Can't wait until Feb/March!!


----------



## possumkiller

yes i have a custom intrepid ordered also. actually its not really custom even. just a regular intrepid pro with ebony fretboard and solid black satin finish all over the whole thing. my first 8 string also. going to be sexy. i wish LSR made tuners to fit fatter strings they would look killer on there! ill probly just get some sperzels though.


----------



## Ishan

You can get those LSR and unwrap your strings to have them fit, I do that all the time


----------



## possumkiller

really? well then VICTORY IS MINE! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## darren

Are LSR tuners available again? Last i heard, they were "in between" manufacturers.

I'm actually starting to get very interested in the Steinberger gearless tuners, as they would allow complete freedom in headstock design, as the tuners do not need to follow the perimeter of the headstock.


----------



## possumkiller

well they have some gold ones left. i emailed intertune to ask about them because esp told me they couldnt put them on my custom order and i was trying to see if i could buy them myself or something but yeah, they made improvements supposedly and are waiting for a new manufacturer to make them. i still just love the way they look. ever since i saw some on one of dave mustaines jacksons back in the 90s on some guitar world cover.


----------



## eegor

gunshow86de said:


> So, who else has the mockup of the Intrepid set as their desktop background? I get gassy everytime I see it. Can't wait until Feb/March!!



Heck yes. Every time I close a window I just stare at them for a few minutes.


----------



## Gramtron

so are the intrepid pros sold out now? i saw you can order it still, but when would the next run be availible?


----------



## Krankguitarist

Gramtron said:


> so are the intrepid pros sold out now? i saw you can order it still, but when would the next run be availible?



Dunno where you see that you can still order em, but they've been sold out for a while now. Consensus here seems to be that the next run will be somewhere around Feb/March.


----------



## Gramtron

i found the link at http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidpro8.html
It says they are sold out, but you can still put a deposit on them. I guess i'll just have to see if anyone is selling theirs.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Gramtron said:


> i found the link at Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld
> It says they are sold out, but you can still put a deposit on them. I guess i'll just have to see if anyone is selling theirs.



'cept you can't actually add them to your shopping cart. The message about taking deposits is a little misleading, I'll give ya that. But that message was there before they sold out, and it seems that Kurt didn't edit anything but the text in red.


----------



## possumkiller

lol well here is a pretty sad attempt at what my intrepid will look like


----------



## eegor

Going for a Meshuggah-style look, eh? Looks really cool with that body type.


----------



## Gramtron

Krankguitarist said:


> 'cept you can't actually add them to your shopping cart. The message about taking deposits is a little misleading, I'll give ya that. But that message was there before they sold out, and it seems that Kurt didn't edit anything but the text in red.


 
Yeah i just tried it and thats what happened. I'll just have to keep an eye out for when they come back.


----------



## twiztedchild

the next run will be after Feb of 2009 right?


----------



## plyta

twiztedchild said:


> the next run will be after Feb of 2009 right?



Yeah, February~March 2009


----------



## twiztedchild

plyta said:


> Yeah, February~March 2009



so Rondo is going to keep selling it then? and if so are they ever just going to make it available all the time like most of the other guitars on the site?


----------



## plyta

twiztedchild said:


> so Rondo is going to keep selling it then? and if so are they ever just going to make it available all the time like most of the other guitars on the site?



I really don't know exactly. I think Rondo is going to gather some customer response just when like the first time Intrepids were delivered. And then, if customer feedback is positive enough, Rondo might start constant Intrepid production. Who knows?


----------



## twiztedchild

plyta said:


> I really don't know exactly. I think Rondo is going to gather some customer response just when like the first time Intrepids were delivered. And then, if customer feedback is positive enough, Rondo will start constant Intrepid production. Who knows?



that would be awesome


----------



## Adriatic

1 more month closer to NGD....


----------



## Fred

CAN'T.
WAIT.
TILL.
MARCH.
FOR.
MY.
CUSTOM.

.


----------



## eegor

I may self-induce a coma to make this wait go by faster. It's literally annihilating my soul.


----------



## eleven59

eegor said:


> I may self-induce a coma to make this wait go by faster. It's literally annihilating my soul.


----------



## techjsteele

For those of you who can't absolutely wait for an Intrepid 8, Tim (TimSe) is selling his Intrepid 8 Standard Darkburst/Ebony. Check it out here.


----------



## twiztedchild

techjsteele said:


> For those of you who can't absolutely wait for an Intrepid 8, Tim (TimSe) is selling his Intrepid 8 Standard Darkburst/Ebony. Check it out here.



didnt he also mod the hell out of it?


----------



## gatesofcarnage

eegor said:


> I may self-induce a coma to make this wait go by faster. It's literally annihilating my soul.


 I was thinking of doing the same thing..........FUCK WAITING


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

so, i know kurt does custom orders from time to time, based on existing models...i'm wondering if it would be at all possible at some point to get an Intrepid with a rounder neck profile...like more of a C shape. anyone know?


----------



## gatesofcarnage

WarriorOfMetal said:


> so, i know kurt does custom orders from time to time, based on existing models...i'm wondering if it would be at all possible at some point to get an Intrepid with a rounder neck profile...like more of a C shape. anyone know?


 I believe that there is an option on the custom form for neck profiles so yes. Also i think he is gonna do the next custom run in Early 09


----------



## technomancer

WarriorOfMetal said:


> so, i know kurt does custom orders from time to time, based on existing models...i'm wondering if it would be at all possible at some point to get an Intrepid with a rounder neck profile...like more of a C shape. anyone know?



Out of curiosity have you played one of the Intrepids? I like rounder neck profiles and find the neck on mine very comfortable.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

technomancer said:


> Out of curiosity have you played one of the Intrepids? I like rounder neck profiles and find the neck on mine very comfortable.



i believe it was TemjinStrife's Intrepid that i tried last month....pretty nice, but the neck was too flat/thin for me.


----------



## darren

I found the Intrepid Pro had a rounder profile than the Standard, which does have a bit of a "flat" feeling in the middle of the neck.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

hm....well, i think it _was_ the Pro that i tried.


----------



## TemjinStrife

Yeah, you tried my Pro. It is flattish, I would have preferred a rounder neck profile myself... but it's by no means an Ibanez flat profile.

It's comfortable, but it is fatiguing to me after a while.


----------



## eegor

How does it compare to a Petrucci neck? After playing nothing but my JP6 since March, I'm a little uneasy about getting used to these necks.


----------



## darren

It's much, much wider than a JP6 neck.


----------



## Randy

eegor said:


> How does it compare to a Petrucci neck? After playing nothing but my JP6 since March, I'm a little uneasy about getting used to these necks.



Think 6-string bass, but maybe a _tiny bit_ smaller.

I didn't see a 7-string neck listed in your profile, but as a general rule, a flatter neck on an extended range instrument tend to soften the transition between 6's, 7's, and/or 8's.


----------



## MFB

So are the 8's gonna remain as a full time guitar or are they just a limited run?


----------



## eegor

The 8's are not yet full-time. IIRC someone said that if the 3rd run goes smoothly it might be made into a full-time guitar much like the Interceptors.

Also, Randy, I had an RG7321 for a while but sold it in May. I haven't owned one since, but I'm hoping to get my hand on a Septor 727 soon.

On another note, thanks for your responses to my question, but when I asked for comparison, I meant thickness of the neck as opposed to wideness. Is it much thicker? Will I be able to get used to it?


----------



## twiztedchild

eegor said:


> The 8's are not yet full-time. IIRC someone said that if the 3rd run goes smoothly it might be made into a full-time guitar much like the Interceptors.




I hope so. 

I want the "Oceanburst"


----------



## eegor

If the real one looks as good as Darren's mockup it may be a bestseller.


----------



## twiztedchild

eegor said:


> If the real one looks as good as Darren's mockup it may be a bestseller.



Im hoping to be able to get one if and when then become prodution models and sold all the time like the rest of the Agiles/SX/Douglas guitars at rondo  Plus the body style is so hot


----------



## remorse is for the dead

When are these getting back in stock?


----------



## darren

They're technically not a "stock" item. Ordering is opened up for a brief period, people pay deposits, then wait a few months for them to ship.

The next ordering window will likely take place after this second run has been delivered, sometime around the end of February or beginning of March.

But only Kurt knows for sure.


----------



## technomancer

remorse is for the dead said:


> When are these getting back in stock?



Read the thread. They've never been 'in stock' they've all been pre-order only. IIRC the next batch is being delivered in February / March and from what Kurt has said there will be another round of orders shortly after that. The turnaround time on the next batch is supposed to be much faster, 4-6 weeks IIRC.



darren said:


> They're technically not a "stock" item. Ordering is opened up for a brief period, people pay deposits, then wait a few months for them to ship.
> 
> The next ordering window will likely take place after this second run has been delivered, sometime around the end of February or beginning of March.
> 
> But only Kurt knows for sure.



Beat to the punch again


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Thanks guys, that's what I meant, I guess I need to rephrase my questions better. I already have money for a deposit  can't wait.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

3 more fucking months


----------



## twiztedchild

gatesofcarnage said:


> 3 more fucking months



more like 2 and a half I think.


----------



## eegor

Longer than necessary. (said tongue-in-cheek of course)


----------



## gunshow86de

gatesofcarnage said:


> 3 more fucking months



ARGGHHHH!!!! I just hope I remember to have money set aside to pay off the rest.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

twiztedchild said:


> more like 2 and a half I think.


 yeah 2and a half, 3,same thing. still is this-



gunshow86de said:


> ARGGHHHH!!!! I just hope I remember to have money set aside to pay off the rest.


 yeah i've had the money set aside since i ordered it so i am good

2000th post!


----------



## Adriatic

my fiance doesnt know i ordered mine, as i wasnt allowed to because of the amount of cash ive already spent on gear this year...... 

when it turns up.. im gonna act all surprised and thank her for buying me the guitar i always wanted.. 

teehee....


----------



## eegor

Lol, good luck with that.


----------



## QueeZeR

I've been thinking, and I'll probably want a hardcase with my intrepid.
It's supposed to be safer during shipping too right? Especially since I live in sweden.

Should I order it now or is it something I can do when the guitar is ready to ship?


----------



## Ishan

You can do it when the order is ready.


----------



## gunshow86de

Adriatic said:


> my fiance doesnt know i ordered mine, as i wasnt allowed to because of the amount of cash ive already spent on gear this year......
> 
> when it turns up.. im gonna act all surprised and thank her for buying me the guitar i always wanted..
> 
> teehee....



This is kind of what I do. My girlfriend just shows up at my apartment one day, and poof...... my gear has been switched out!!!!

She has started to catch on though, anytime she sees me browsing eBay, she knows what is about to happen.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

darren said:


> They're technically not a "stock" item. Ordering is opened up for a brief period, people pay deposits, then wait a few months for them to ship.
> 
> The next ordering window will likely take place after this second run has been delivered, sometime around the end of February or beginning of March.
> 
> But only Kurt knows for sure.



Are the Intrepids always going to work like this? Are they always going to be kind of a special order, or will Kurt ever just stock them like normal?


----------



## eegor

*sigh*

Once again, this ordering process is just because the Intrepid is a relatively new model and in the early stages of production. If enough are sold throughout a certain amount of time (an amount that I do not know), there is a possibility of Kurt making this a regular production guitar.


----------



## Chritar

omg the standard pro is one i would definately be down to buy...seeems like i cant though

buuhhhh


----------



## technomancer

Chritar said:


> omg the standard pro is one i would definately be down to buy...seeems like i cant though
> 
> buuhhhh


 
Huh? There's a Standard (1h and 2h) and a Pro. There is no Standard Pro


----------



## SnowfaLL

Im kinda regretting ordering mine now.. money is getting really tight. lol arg. Im not gonna cancel, but has there been any cases of people taking the order over from Kurt? Just curious. I'll see if I can keep it, cause I'd like to try it. but I much rather have a nice 7 instead I think at this moment.


----------



## Adriatic

what did you order?

i'll take it, if i only have to pay the final payment... lol..


----------



## SnowfaLL

lol obviously not. I got the Standard in Ocean blue + Maple fretboard.


----------



## eegor

How many pickups?


----------



## twiztedchild

NickCormier said:


> lol obviously not. I got the Standard in Ocean blue + Maple fretboard.







eegor said:


> *sigh*
> 
> Once again, this ordering process is just because the Intrepid is a relatively new model and in the early stages of production. If enough are sold throughout a certain amount of time (an amount that I do not know), there is a possibility of Kurt making this a regular production guitar.



I hope it does become production like the Interceptors


----------



## hairychris

*waiting patiently for single pickup Oceanburst Pro NGD goodness*

Although I have a custom 7 NGD before then so stress? Moi?


----------



## Chritar

anyone know when theyll make more or take more preorders? i definately want one, maple fb ftw


----------



## darren

The FAQ on the first page has now been updated with information on how to find out when the next run will be.


----------



## Chritar

^ sweet, you da man


----------



## auxioluck

What's the neck profile like on these? Every Agile I've touched has been pretty thick, but still manageable. But on an 8 string, I'm really leery.


----------



## technomancer

auxioluck said:


> What's the neck profile like on these? Every Agile I've touched has been pretty thick, but still manageable. But on an 8 string, I'm really leery.



IIRC it's thinner than the Interceptor Pro. I find the profile on my standard very comfortable.

(I also think I've posted this about 10 times in this and other threads...)


----------



## MFB

I've decided that when the next run of Intrepids is in accepting preorders, I'm putting one down

$675 for an eight string with EMG's? Hell yeah

Got the official word from Kurt this morning says February is the next pre-order


----------



## B36arin

I think it's about time that I get one too. Is the next run of standards also in February?


----------



## Yoshi

They still available to pre order? Keep getting sold out.


----------



## twiztedchild

Yoshi said:


> They still available to pre order? Keep getting sold out.



Nope. they will be in like Feb./March. its in the First post also by the way.


----------



## TomAwesome

Seriously, people, the same things keep getting asked on almost every page now. Read the thread, or at least the first page and the last several pages.


----------



## Yoshi

TomAwesome said:


> Seriously, people, the same things keep getting asked on almost every page now. Read the thread, or at least the first page and the last several pages.



I actually didn't quite understand what he meant...I was pretty tired when I read it. Sorry mates. 

Before I email him a question, do you think he could put in a Edge 3 Fixed bridge if I asked and sent him one?


----------



## COBHC

We might as well lock this thread and open a brand new one with only the original post in it. LOL


----------



## MFB

As I said in my post on the top of the page (and it's also in the first post) THE NEXT PRE-ORDERS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY

Sorry to mods who will say "no caps please" but it needed to be done in that manner


----------



## darren

Yoshi said:


> I actually didn't quite understand what he meant...I was pretty tired when I read it. Sorry mates.
> 
> Before I email him a question, do you think he could put in a Edge 3 Fixed bridge if I asked and sent him one?




The first post has an FAQ in it which answers most  if not all  of your questions.

My understanding from others who have gone the custom shop route is that Kurt doesn't like accepting pickups or hardware from people, because it then has to be sent to the factory in Korea, tracked with a specific guitar order, and the chances of it getting lost or fucked up in some way are much greater. My initial inclination is to say that no, he would not build a guitar around an Ibanez bridge.

But the best way to get a definitive answer is to email him and ask him directly.


----------



## Yoshi

darren said:


> The first post has an FAQ in it which answers most &#8211; if not all &#8211; of your questions.
> 
> *My understanding from others who have gone the custom shop route is that Kurt doesn't like accepting pickups or hardware from people, because it then has to be sent to the factory in Korea, tracked with a specific guitar order, and the chances of it getting lost or fucked up in some way are much greater. My initial inclination is to say that no, he would not build a guitar around an Ibanez bridge.*
> 
> But the best way to get a definitive answer is to email him and ask him directly.



This is why I asked. If that's the case I'll just have to wait till I get get a one off custom from him. Thanks for your help Darren.

EDIT : Just thought it might be a Good idea to put that into the FAQ in case anyone else inquires about it.


----------



## Adriatic

another day marked off the calander!!! ngd is so close... im hoping people post up pics of their bursts once they get them? i reckon they'll look quite pretty.


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm sure we'll get a flood of picstories just like we did with the last run.


----------



## MFB

What would it says if you added an Intrepid to your cart on the Rondo site? I mean the option is still there


----------



## TomAwesome

It would probably just say that there aren't enough in stock.


----------



## MFB

TomAwesome said:


> It would probably just say that there aren't enough in stock.



Touche


----------



## COBHC

cant wait for mine to arrive

itll give me an excuse to buy a better amp


----------



## MFB

Anyone care to shed some light on how the scale thing is? I mean, right now the biggest I've played is only a 26.5" so I'm sure the 28.675" is gonna be a bit of an increase. How is it playing the first 6-7 frets?


----------



## COBHC

i dont imagine itll be too bad.

Ill be going from my 25.5" scale 7 string to the 28.6" intrepid

basically like adding another fret on the end of your 26.5


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

It's like Christmas didn't even happen yet!!!!!
I can't wait to use the 888 logo in my sigs!


----------



## gatesofcarnage

CANT WAIT TIL FEBRUARY!!!!


----------



## eegor

I think when everyone starts getting their Intrepids we should make a thread dedicated to pictures of them all.


----------



## Adriatic

eegor said:


> I think when everyone starts getting their Intrepids we should make a thread dedicated to pictures of them all.


 
agreed

+1


----------



## gatesofcarnage

eegor said:


> I think when everyone starts getting their Intrepids we should make a thread dedicated to pictures of them all.


 +1


----------



## dsm3sx

+1


----------



## Dusty201087

Hey, just wondering if Agile was ever planning on making the intrepids into a full-time thing, not just a run of x amount here, y amount there, etc. etc.


----------



## Adriatic

Dusty201087 said:


> Hey, just wondering if Agile was ever planning on making the intrepids into a full-time thing, not just a run of x amount here, y amount there, etc. etc.


 
no beer + no tv make homer go.........................


----------



## TomAwesome

Adriatic said:


> no beer + no tv make homer go.........................



No, no, you're doing it wrong.

"No beer and no TV make Homer... something something."
"Go crazy..?"
"Don't mind if I do!!"


----------



## eegor

Dusty201087 said:


> Hey, just wondering if Agile was ever planning on making the intrepids into a full-time thing, not just a run of x amount here, y amount there, etc. etc.



Yeah, read the thread.


----------



## darren

Just read the first post, particularly the FAQ, which i have just updated. Again.

Please.


----------



## Våd Hamster

I was gonna order an Intrepid in February, but I guess that's not happening.


Rondo return policy said:


> Orders shipped outside of the US and Canada are not refundable.



Since I live in Denmark, he could in theory send me a sack of rocks and I would still have to pay for everything. 

And I wanted one so badly... 

/Broken dreams


----------



## Adriatic

Våd Hamster;1337097 said:


> I was gonna order an Intrepid in February, but I guess that's not happening.
> 
> 
> Since I live in Denmark, he could in theory send me a sack of rocks and I would still have to pay for everything.
> 
> And I wanted one so badly...
> 
> /Broken dreams


 

In Australia if an item is $1000+ then customs demand cash.. 

hallelujah Agile.... 
 praise...


----------



## raisingfear101

Sorry if this isnt completely on topic, but are 808s the same as the 707s in the sense that a passive replacement would be too small?


----------



## TomAwesome

raisingfear101 said:


> Sorry if this isnt completely on topic, but are 808s the same as the 707s in the sense that a passive replacement would be too small?



Yeah, EMG is still just using existing bass pickup cases.  I think Swineshead's 8-string pickups are designed to be direct 808 replacements, but there will probably still be a bit of space around the sides.


----------



## raisingfear101

Damn, oh well. Thanks for answering two of my questions so quickly lol.


----------



## eegor

You could always get a custom pickup ring.


----------



## Dusty201087

darren said:


> Just read the first post, particularly the FAQ, which i have just updated. Again.
> 
> Please.



Sorry, I had read it before you had updated it and just posted that.


----------



## raisingfear101

eegor said:


> Yeah, read the thread.




I just emailed Kurt asking if it would ever be a full on production and he had this to say. 



Kurt said:


> It's a pretty specialized instrument, so I am going to guess special runs only.
> But that really depends on the customer. If there is enough demand for regular production we can do that.
> But I really doubt it
> 
> Kurt



So it looks like it will continue in runs, unless there is a really big demand for them.


----------



## GRmaryvale

So if I put a down payment for one in feb/march when can I expect the finish product to be shipped to me?

I also know the prices are going to go up a bit for 2009. Anyone know how much?


----------



## TomAwesome

^ Those are questions best directed to Kurt. I think someone said the time between preorders and shipping was going to be a little shorter this time, but you should be prepared to wait a few months.


----------



## raisingfear101

dammit I can't wait for this shipment to come in, and I didnt even order one.


----------



## darren

Anyone who's watched Rondo's inventory over the course of a year should know that most of their higher-end stuff is ALL done in short runs and small batches that sell out. So i'm not sure what "regular production" means in Rondo terms.


----------



## hairychris

Adriatic said:


> In Australia if an item is $1000+ then customs demand cash..
> 
> hallelujah Agile....
> praise...



If ti's worth more then about 40 quid customs demand cash if you're UK based....


----------



## eegor

I'm so happy I'm in the states.


----------



## bs_tritonus

200kr before customs kick in here in Norway. That is about 30$.

And the taxes here is 25%. That's hard when you order expensive stuff. 
A 2000$ guitar suddenly becomes a 2500$ guitar.......


----------



## gatesofcarnage

eegor said:


> I'm so happy I'm in the states.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

You know... when I gets my hands up on my new bitch and abuse the piss out of it, if I like it enough to order a custom (when they are offered again), I'm thinking that bad-ass logo Darren made would be perfect for the 12th fret inlay...


----------



## raisingfear101

RomeApartJizzy said:


> You know... when I gets my hands up on my new bitch and abuse the piss out of it, if I like it enough to order a custom (when they are offered again), I'm thinking that bad-ass logo Darren made would be perfect for the 12th fret inlay...




Kurt said customs will be back in feb.


----------



## eegor

RomeApartJizzy said:


> You know... when I gets my hands up on my new bitch and abuse the piss out of it, if I like it enough to order a custom (when they are offered again), I'm thinking that bad-ass logo Darren made would be perfect for the 12th fret inlay...



I never thought about that... someone's going to have to make a mockup.


----------



## Hypothermia

Are there any Lefty versions of this guitar available thats not custom?


----------



## eegor

I think they offered it in Lefty this past run. IIRC, it was only one color.


----------



## whisper

RomeApartJizzy said:


> You know... when I gets my hands up on my new bitch and abuse the piss out of it, if I like it enough to order a custom (when they are offered again), I'm thinking that bad-ass logo Darren made would be perfect for the 12th fret inlay...



 mos def


----------



## Adriatic

it would be cool if we had an actual date that the guitars will be finished by. all this anticipation kinda eats you up inside...

once that final payment is made.. i can see my self a week later checking outside for my parcel every morning..


----------



## eegor

I'm sure by the the end of their production Kurt will have a ship date. Shouldn't be too much longer now.


----------



## Dusty201087

Ok, I know this has probably been asked a thousand times, but roughly how long are these taking from order to expected arrival date? 

Also on the last run was their any custom options you had (IE pickups, color, body woods, etc), or are they all being made to one spec and then being shipped?


----------



## gunshow86de

Dusty201087 said:


> Ok, I know this has probably been asked a thousand times, but roughly how long are these taking from order to expected arrival date?
> 
> Also on the last run was their any custom options you had (IE pickups, color, body woods, etc), or are they all being made to one spec and then being shipped?



It's 5-6 months from ordering to shipping.

There were 3 different models in the last run. The Standard Intrepid with 1 passive pickup, the Standard with 2 passive pickups and the Pro with 1 EMG pickup. There may have also been a 2 pickup Pro as well, but I don't recall there being one. The finishes for the Standard were Charcoal, Red, Blue and Sunburst. I don't remember if the new Pro's came in different finishes.

You can now order 8 strings from the Agile Custom shop too, whenever they are taking orders.


----------



## foreverburn

gunshow86de said:


> It's 5-6 months from ordering to shipping.
> 
> There were 3 different models in the last run. The Standard Intrepid with 1 passive pickup, the Standard with 2 passive pickups and the Pro with 1 EMG pickup. There may have also been a 2 pickup Pro as well, but I don't recall there being one. The finishes for the Standard were Charcoal, Red, Blue and Sunburst. I don't remember if the new Pro's came in different finishes.
> 
> You can now order 8 strings from the Agile Custom shop too, whenever they are taking orders.



I need a lefty agile intrepid pro 8. I will get one at tax time.


----------



## Hypothermia

foreverburn said:


> I need a lefty agile intrepid pro 8. I will get one at tax time.


 
I need one aswell. 

sucks that i livei in Sweden, and im broke as hell


----------



## lefty robb

Here...to tease you..(although this one is a standard, pro's didn't have 2 pickups, so I didn't get it)


----------



## Hypothermia

lefty robb said:


> Here...to tease you..(although this one is a standard, pro's didn't have 2 pickups, so I didn't get it)


 Holy shit. Thats sexxy as hell!


----------



## DagMX

Sigh...I can't wait for my intrepid dual to arrive...I really want to play Combustion...agh, the wait is killing me...but it's deffinitely worth it.


----------



## Mattayus

Well, I think I'm finally gonna jump on the 8 wagon.

Rather than trawl through 208 pages, can you guys please tell me what I've missed about this next batch of Agile 8s?

What are the colour options? Have they given different scale-length options this time? Thanks (I know there's an FAQ on the first page, but these Q's don't appear to be in it!)


----------



## eegor

I don't think there has been any speculation on either of those two options. The most I know about the next batch is the approximate time of ordering.


----------



## Mattayus

Yeah same here. But i'm not going to order one if I'm not sure what it's going to be like in terms of specs! That would be extremely silly...


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm sure specs and whatnot will be clear when the time comes. I'd imagine it will be more or less the same options as the last run, maybe with some minor changes. Kurt hasn't said anything about it yet, though.


----------



## Mattayus

I just hope 27" is an option. I'm not willing to get one if they're all 28.625 again. *crosses fingers*


----------



## raisingfear101

Mattayus said:


> I just hope 27" is an option. I'm not willing to get one if they're all 28.625 again. *crosses fingers*



Thats actually the biggest selling point for me. I would die if they lowered it lol.


----------



## Mattayus

Well yeah I'm not saying "get rid of the 28.625", i'm just saying have a 27 option as well, for those of us that don't like ridiculous scale-lengths!

I mean, I'm an avid 25.5" user for 7s. I really don't like baritone scale, but I understand its uses where 8 strings are concerned. I just know I really wouldn't like 28". 27" is pushing it as it is


----------



## TomAwesome

Actually, I'm fairly sure they'll still be 28.625". If you really want different specs, though, you could look into getting a custom Agile. I hear the prices are pretty reasonable.


----------



## darren

Want 27" scale? Capo at the 1st fret.

Want 25.5" scale? Capo at the 2nd fret. 



We went around and around and around on scale length in these now hundreds of pages of discussion during the development of the Intrepid. When i originally proposed this model, the spec i initially started with was 28.625"... it got longer, shorter, longer, and then back to where we started. 

Personally, i probably would have been happy with 27", but the majority of people seemed to think 27" was inadequate on the RG2228, so we went with the option that would sell the most guitars. 

I'd be surprised if Kurt changed it now, unless there's a LOT of demand for a short run of 27" scale Intrepids. If that's what you want to see in the next run, send him an email.


----------



## Mattayus

Ok dude thanks for the insight.

My only guess is that 28.625 is for the Meshuggah fanboys?  I can't see it yielding any great purpose over 27". 

I'll shoot Kurt an email. Thanks man


----------



## technomancer

Mattayus said:


> Ok dude thanks for the insight.
> 
> My only guess is that 28.625 is for the Meshuggah fanboys?  I can't see it yielding any great purpose over 27".
> 
> I'll shoot Kurt an email. Thanks man



Actually I was one of the advocates of it, and it had dick to do with Meshuggah and everything to do with getting good tension on a low F# without using ridiculous string gauges. Then again I typically use a 68 for B on 25.5 scale so I loves me some tight strings


----------



## darren

28.625" was chosen because it's two frets longer than 25.5" so above the second fret, it should feel familiar. Most people felt the 27" scale didn't have enough clarity on the low F# and wanted to go longer.


----------



## yellowv

Have there been any update on the ETA of run #2? I can't wait to get in on the 3rd run and am very anxious to see how the quality compares with the first run. As for the specs I think everything on the 2nd run was perfect. I love the new headstock, truss rod locations and the color choices. I just wish i had the cash at the time. That is not an issue now. I just hope all of the quality issues and mistakes we saw in the first run have been remedied in the 2nd. Also if Kurt opens the shop up for customs again I will probably just go that way.


----------



## TomAwesome

Just as before, this run should be in around February or March. Nothing more specific has been said that I'm aware of.


----------



## eegor

No updates as far as I know.

I, too, hope that the mistakes are kept to a minimum in this run (maybe even eliminate all mistakes ).


----------



## Mattayus

Got this today - 



> Hi
> Thanks - no chance on a 27" scale - at least this year.
> Custom - probobly just over $1000 for that - custom shop should open again shortly.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## elrrek

After seeing the custom that was posted by one of the members here a few months back I'd really like to know if Kurt could do an 8 string Interceptor as a production model.

If the Interceptor neck pocket could be routed out for the bolt on 8 string necks that have been produced then we'd have a chioce of 2 body shapes


----------



## Adriatic

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...lmost-ngd-day-interceptor-pro-8-string-3.html 


the interceptor looks great as an 8.. maybe one day in the future....


----------



## TomAwesome

I actually prefer the contours of the Intrepid body, but the Interceptor body works quite well as an 8, too.


----------



## Ishan

I finally made the final payment for my custom 30" scale Intrepid Pro. It's 3 months late so I got a free case for it  I should get it sometimes next week if the customs don't old it back too much, I can't wait


----------



## stuh84

I can't wait for mine now, slightly going out of my mind waiting now 

As an aside, does anyone know any pickups that can fit into the EMG route? I've got a feeling I'm not gonna like the EMG (never have like an active pickup in my life), so wondering on options. I know theres the one from Oni I think? Also, Nordstrands possibly too. Just trying to see on options.


----------



## Ishan

I ordered a custom pickup from Dan (Oni) myself, as I've tried the 808 in the RG2228 and didn't like them much. I'm not an EMG guy anyway...


----------



## raisingfear101

Ishan said:


> I finally made the final payment for my custom 30" scale Intrepid Pro. It's 3 months late so I got a free case for it  I should get it sometimes next week if the customs don't old it back too much, I can't wait



I remember you first ordering that. I think I'm almost as excited for it as you are lol


----------



## Ishan

I've waited so long already, a week or two more seems nothing to me 
I gotta try to record it with the 808, then 18v modded, then the Oni pickup with the same settings so we could compare


----------



## eegor

stuh84 said:


> As an aside, does anyone know any pickups that can fit into the EMG route? I've got a feeling I'm not gonna like the EMG (never have like an active pickup in my life), so wondering on options. I know theres the one from Oni I think? Also, Nordstrands possibly too. Just trying to see on options.



The Q-Tuner BL-5 has the same dimensions as the 808, and should fit in the route perfectly (I hope). Swineshead 8-string pickups are also designed to fit in the 808 route with no extra routing, although a pickup ring might be in order if you're not a fan of a tone of space around the pickup.

Other than those, I know of no other pickups that fit directly into the EMG route.


----------



## raisingfear101

Ishan said:


> I've waited so long already, a week or two more seems nothing to me
> I gotta try to record it with the 808, then 18v modded, then the Oni pickup with the same settings so we could compare



Definitely.


----------



## twiztedchild

Can someone tell me what Bass this was modeled after? I have never seen a bass with that shape in Rondos site.


----------



## TomAwesome

I think the body is the old Brice Defiant 6, which they don't make anymore.


----------



## twiztedchild

TomAwesome said:


> I think the body is the old Brice Defiant 6, which they don't make anymore.



ok thanks  i like that body shape


----------



## plyta

Brice Defiant 6 at HomeOld

I think its a damn shame they don't make it anymore.


----------



## eegor

Looks good. I love that neck heel.


----------



## twiztedchild

plyta said:


> Brice Defiant 6 at HomeOld
> 
> I think its a damn shame they don't make it anymore.



yeah I would love to get a 5 or 6 string Bass with that body


----------



## awesomeaustin

I want one soooooo bad!


----------



## umart666

ok guys it's my first post and i want to thank all of you to make this wonder happen.

actually i want to mod only the electrics,to add a big pig,aka big muff pi in the circuit of elecrtic in the guitar itself and to have some sort of switch to on/off it,and call it agile INTERPIG pro.

can it be done?

sorry for my bad english.


----------



## TomAwesome

umart666 said:


> ok guys it's my first post and i want to thank all of you to make this wonder happen.
> 
> actually i want to mod only the electrics,to add a big pig,aka big muff pi in the circuit of elecrtic in the guitar itself and to have some sort of switch to on/off it,and call it agile INTERPIG pro.
> 
> can it be done?
> 
> sorry for my bad english.



That's kind of random, and this thread might not be the best place to ask that, but I'd imagine it would be possible. The electronics routing is made bigger so people can add things, but if it's not big enough, you could always route it out a bit more. You might want to try it with a Mini Muff. For all the effort it would take, though, you may as well just keep it in pedal form.

Oh, and


----------



## FireaL

I'm losing patience, i anticipate the arrival everyday. If my job wasnt so boring it wouldnt be so bad.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Was thinking, it would be totally rad if Kurt took some pics of the second run guitars as they come in and postem here as a teaser...

Im gonna pull a Cartman soon...


----------



## Chymebomb

Whats up everyone! Im looking for an left handed 8 string agile guitar. Hit me up if you know any for sale. 

[email protected]


----------



## lefty robb

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Was thinking, it would be totally rad if Kurt took some pics of the second run guitars as they come in and postem here as a teaser...
> 
> Im gonna pull a Cartman soon...




Yeah, I would love to know how the run is going, are they behind, are they on schedule? I just filed my taxes (W00t $2k!) and would love to pay this thing off.


----------



## COBHC

Hopefully they're ontime. Im guessing we will be asked for final payment in about a month maybe a little more.


----------



## eegor

Hopefully a little less.


----------



## Adriatic

please let our intrepids come without flaws...


----------



## plyta

Adriatic said:


> please let our intrepids come without flaws...



I sure hope they will not mess with them orders this time and well get what weve ordered


----------



## eegor

If my Intrepids are flawed I'm going to return them and buy a custom.


----------



## Wound

just got an email from Kurt...asked him how it went with ebony for these...figured it didn happen since I hadn't heard anything...he said there was only ebony for a few of the pro natural ones...so if any of you ordered a natural pro with ebony...u might get lucky


----------



## eegor

Natural with an ebony board? Not exactly my first choice...


----------



## Adriatic

how long till our guitars are ready? an update from kurt would be much appreciated.. i would email him personally.. but im sure theres a lot of other people here wanting to know whats happening as well...


----------



## TomAwesome

Probably around March or so, as it's been said since before the preorders even started.


----------



## Adriatic

i meant to say... a specific date would be nice. march what? 1st, 31st???? (eg. when does the shop expect them ready for shipment)... 

surely these guitars arent just going to be ready "whenever". the factory must have a deadline... 

note to self. shit i must be getting impatient or something..


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

All I need is a "check out the finishes" teaser... and Im good.


----------



## Cameron

Adriatic said:


> i meant to say... a specific date would be nice. march what? 1st, 31st???? (eg. when does the shop expect them ready for shipment)...
> 
> surely these guitars arent just going to be ready "whenever". the factory must have a deadline...
> 
> note to self. shit i must be getting impatient or something..



Chances are they're going to be a few weeks late like last time, I say mid march.


----------



## technomancer

Adriatic said:


> i meant to say... a specific date would be nice. march what? 1st, 31st???? (eg. when does the shop expect them ready for shipment)...
> 
> surely these guitars arent just going to be ready "whenever". the factory must have a deadline...
> 
> note to self. shit i must be getting impatient or something..



Keep in mind these are most likely send to the US from Korea by ship and then have to go through customs. This is a complete crapshoot and times can vary by weeks with no real pattern or apparent reason.


----------



## Adriatic

technomancer said:


> Keep in mind these are most likely send to the US from Korea by ship and then have to go through customs. This is a complete crapshoot and times can vary by weeks with no real pattern or apparent reason.


 
customs lost my uv7 for two days here in australia.. so frustrating and nerve wrecking...


----------



## Mattayus

I'm perplexed as to how to order one of these suckers. i.e. when are they in stock, how are you to know, and how do you go about placing the order?

For example, I'd like an intrepid standard in charcoal. How do i make this happen? Sorry for the repetitive questions, but Kurt responds in monosyllabic emails  I'm never sure what he's got, when he's got it, and what the protocol for ordering is! 

EDIT: Sorry, referred to the FAQ on the first page, answered some of these, but not all


----------



## TomAwesome

And we won't know what color options will be available this run until the preorders start. That, or you could always get a custom with whatever options you want on it.


----------



## eegor

I hope the color options available on the next run are decided the same way as last run, which was by poll.


----------



## MFB

Will the preorders start once the current runs are sent out?


----------



## TomAwesome

Probably roughly around that time. I think that's how it worked last run.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I think it was like a week or 2 after evereyone started recieving their Intrepids that they were ordered again.


----------



## gunshow86de

Mattayus said:


> I'm perplexed as to how to order one of these suckers. i.e. when are they in stock, how are you to know, and how do you go about placing the order?
> 
> For example, I'd like an intrepid standard in charcoal. How do i make this happen? Sorry for the repetitive questions, but Kurt responds in monosyllabic emails  I'm never sure what he's got, when he's got it, and what the protocol for ordering is!
> 
> EDIT: Sorry, referred to the FAQ on the first page, answered some of these, but not all



Just be sure that you are on the mailing list. That way you know when the new run is offered.


----------



## Demerge

what is the deal with cases? will we get a chance to order one when we make our final payments? or... what? id rather splash out on a hardcase than have this thing shipped without.
i dont think im alone in that thought.


----------



## Ishan

I got mine without a case and it came perfect, but it's wise to get one yea. They should have cases ready as the new batch is.


----------



## troyguitar

gatesofcarnage said:


> I think it was like a week or 2 after evereyone started recieving their Intrepids that they were ordered again.



Yeah you have to give people a chance to receive theirs and play them, so they have a chance to order another one.

I doubt it will be an option, but if the next run has a 25.5" version I'll be buying one.


----------



## MFB

troyguitar said:


> I doubt it will be an option, but if the next run has a 25.5" version I'll be buying one.



A 25.5" 8 string? Why?


----------



## GazPots

Up tuning my good man. 

Replace the low F with a high G.


----------



## QueeZeR

I just got an email:



> Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory. You should expect to have it in about 2-3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.


----------



## stuh84

*Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory! You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.
Thanks!*



That was quite freaky


----------



## gunshow86de

stuh84 said:


> *Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory! You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.
> Thanks!*
> 
> 
> 
> That was quite freaky



Damnit, I thought I would be the first.

Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## DagMX

I got my mail today as well..3 weeks and I can't wait! Awesome


----------



## eegor

I should probably check my email.


----------



## Adriatic

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

yeeeeeeeeeeeew


that is all.


----------



## revclay

Yea, I got the e-mail as well. I got it at work and literally yelled in glee from my cubicle. I think I got some questionable looks in the process, but oh well. I am way excited for the wait to end!


----------



## Demerge

cant wait! this is it! were in the home stretch boys!


----------



## Shannon

troyguitar said:


> I doubt it will be an option, but if the next run has a 25.5" version I'll be buying one.



+1 

I don't care what anyone says. The hype about how you MUST have baritone scale length for an 8-string is ridiculous. My first 8 was 25.5" & it was awesome. With the right string gauges & setup, you won't have any problems. Extra scale length is just simply a preference, not a requirement.


----------



## eegor

Checked my email. I got excited. I came. I told my friend. I came again.

CAN'T. FUCKING. WAIT.

Btw, what's the deal with the cases? As mentioned a page or so ago, I would like to know if they'll be available at the ship date.


----------



## Anthony

So close!


----------



## MoNsTaR

was the ocean burst avaliable with the last batch? if so did anyone one order it?


----------



## eegor

Hell yes I ordered it! Standard Ocean Burst as well as a Natural Pro.

Hey, when the email said our balances will be charged soon, does that mean that we don't have to actually physically go and pay the money?


----------



## tr4c3

Ugh I want one! I need to get a credit card paid off asap.


----------



## whisper

According to the email from Rondo - my Intrepid has shipped from the factory today!  Aw Fuck Yeah!

2-3 week wait now.


----------



## darren

It's great to see everyone getting all excited about these again. 

I can't wait to see some of the new finishes.


----------



## COBHC

I got this email also. Best piece of news ive gotten in awhile. Much earlier than I was expecting. Didnt think id be seeing it till end of march-ish


----------



## Rommel

Looks like the Intrepid cases are in stock.... Baritone Case


----------



## eegor

Ah, that's good. I was wondering about that.


----------



## Total Eclipse

I got my email as well.

Yay 1st post!


----------



## MoNsTaR

Total Eclipse said:


> I got my email as well.
> 
> Yay 1st post!


 
grats
and welcome


----------



## lefty robb

OH SHIT!!! Got the e-mail I'm stoked.

</does happy dance>


----------



## Wound

got my email too...can't wait to see this batch!


----------



## Fred

You guys are all fuckers.


----------



## TomAwesome

Yay!

[action=TomAwesome]waits patiently for the picstories of the new finishes.[/action]



Are they in yet?


----------



## hairychris

CHRIS:

This is a comment regarding your order () 
from Rondo Music.

Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory. You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.
Thanks!

Current status: Special Order
Tracking number: 

Thanks,
Rondo Music


----------



## plyta

> We will be charging the balance shortly.



damn  , my debit card account is almost empty and Paypal withdraw might take almost a week. I wonder what will happen if they charge it before it's filled with money from Paypal?


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Just got my email.....2-3 weeksSo excited!


----------



## Adriatic

why is it that in the order details... our deposits have not been accounted for?

my grand total for the standard dual. is $743.58 shouldnt that be less the $431 deposit (which included shipping..)


----------



## gaunten

oh fuck, I better borrow some money from moms


----------



## hairychris

Just paid the remaining $337.50 so I'm good to go!


----------



## eegor

These last few weeks are going to be the hardest.


----------



## technomancer

Adriatic said:


> why is it that in the order details... our deposits have not been accounted for?
> 
> my grand total for the standard dual. is $743.58 shouldnt that be less the $431 deposit (which included shipping..)



If it shows 'ready to ship' IIRC that means they already charged the balance due and the whole thing is paid for. Thus the total you paid is the amount shown.


----------



## Adriatic

yeah i figured.. ahhh.. its all just so exciting...


----------



## tr4c3

Almost tempting to grab one, but I may hold off for a custom.


----------



## Mattayus

Did the arctic white + ebony board one ever come to fruition? (Aesthetically at least, not necessarily the specs)


----------



## TomAwesome

Nope.


----------



## FireaL

I just came.


----------



## Mattayus

TomAwesome said:


> Nope.


----------



## eegor

Unfortunately not, but hopefully if there is enough interest, Kurt may offer that as an option for the upcoming run.


----------



## MFB

Are there any actual shots of the ocean burst?


----------



## darren

I don't think any pics of this production run have come out yet.


----------



## MFB

Hmm, I figured Kurt would've had some pics but no biggie. Hopefully I'll see one before the pre-orders start; tempted between that or the darkburst.


----------



## TomAwesome

If he does post pics, they'll probably be here. Don't worry. As soon as any pictures are released anywhere, I'm sure they'll find their way to this forum pretty damn quickly.


----------



## eegor

I know for sure that I'll be taking pictures of mine the moment they arrive, so rest assured. You'll have your Ocean Burst pics.


----------



## MFB

eegor said:


> I know for sure that I'll be taking pictures of mine the moment they arrive, so rest assured. You'll have your Ocean Burst pics.


----------



## FireaL

I took a gamble on the oceanburst aswell, really anxious now to see how it looks. If it doesent come out great i will be pissed i didnt choose natural.


----------



## eegor

I'm just hoping it looks like Darren's mockup, because that's what sold me on it.


----------



## FilthyInsomniac

What about getting some of those killer green finishes that Rondo does so well. the tribal green on the AB3000 and AG3000 are some of the best i've seen what about making those an option other then that the next Batch coming in i'm getting one or two even their so reasonible you can get two for the price of one from any other company the Ibanez RG2228 MRSP at $1699, ESP LTD FM408 Retails for $999 and Schecter's New Hellraiser C-8 retails for $899 Rondo really has a upper hand on the competition if only they make it a standard production model ESP, Ibanez, and Schecter would really have start working to lower the price's alot. With Economy the way it is i've only been looking at rondomusic and checking out ministack amps all tube of course and there's alot of great deals from good companies with budget and quality in mind like i say don't worry about the name on the equipment just listen.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

FilthyInsomniac said:


> What about getting some of those killer green finishes that Rondo does so well. the tribal green on the AB3000 and AG3000 are some of the best i've seen what about making those an option other then that the next Batch coming in i'm getting one or two even their so reasonible you can get two for the price of one from any other company the Ibanez RG2228 MRSP at $1699, ESP LTD FM408 Retails for $999 and Schecter's New Hellraiser C-8 retails for $899 Rondo really has a upper hand on the competition if only they make it a standard production model ESP, Ibanez, and Schecter would really have start working to lower the price's alot. With Economy the way it is i've only been looking at rondomusic and checking out ministack amps all tube of course and there's alot of great deals from good companies with budget and quality in mind like i say don't worry about the name on the equipment just listen.


 Welcome


----------



## eegor

FilthyInsomniac said:


> What about getting some of those killer green finishes that Rondo does so well. the tribal green on the AB3000 and AG3000 are some of the best i've seen what about making those an option other then that the next Batch coming in i'm getting one or two even their so reasonible you can get two for the price of one from any other company the Ibanez RG2228 MRSP at $1699, ESP LTD FM408 Retails for $999 and Schecter's New Hellraiser C-8 retails for $899 Rondo really has a upper hand on the competition if only they make it a standard production model ESP, Ibanez, and Schecter would really have start working to lower the price's alot. With Economy the way it is i've only been looking at rondomusic and checking out ministack amps all tube of course and there's alot of great deals from good companies with budget and quality in mind like i say don't worry about the name on the equipment just listen.



. <--


----------



## TomAwesome

Holy run-on sentences, Batman!


----------



## whisper

*sigh* first choice was lizard burst with maple.


----------



## eegor

Lizard Burst was awesome. I hope it's available this time.


----------



## Demerge

how do i go about ordering a case and making sure my intrepid ships with it?
do i just email kurt and ask him to fire a case in there and update my total? or what?


----------



## eegor

Email Kurt and ask. That always helps.


----------



## Slayer89

Anyone have the second mockup of the oceanburst? Not the one from the Rondo page, but the one with the greener tint.


----------



## TomAwesome

This one?







It's not the original, though. I edited it to look like it has a rosewood fretboard.

Edit: Nevermind, I think you meant this one.


----------



## Slayer89

Yeah, the second one is it. Thanks a lot!


----------



## Krankguitarist

Christ, I hope mine gets here soon...I'm gonna be moving in the next few weeks :X.


----------



## Slayer89

So, I figure mine will be getting here just a bit after my birthday.


----------



## TomAwesome

Krankguitarist said:


> Christ, I hope mine gets here soon...I'm gonna be moving in the next few weeks :X.



Then you may want to email Kurt about it now and see if you need to have the address changed.


----------



## dsm3sx

I just received an email yesterday saying that my intrepid pro has shipped from the factory. I should be receiving it in about three weeks....


----------



## gunshow86de

I just got a second email update. It says it's ready to ship.

Does that mean it's already made its way stateside, or is it ready to ship from the factory?


----------



## Wound

gunshow86de said:


> I just got a second email update. It says it's ready to ship.
> 
> Does that mean it's already made its way stateside, or is it ready to ship from the factory?



Yea I got that too, I can´t remember from last time. But I think it might mean that payment has been recieved...so it´s ready to ship when it arrives rom the factory. Tho I could be totally wrong heh


----------



## darren

I think the first message is an automated one that gets triggered automatically when your order status changes in Rondo's system. I just got a second message from Kurt because the credit card i used to place the order has since expired and been replaced, so the old number didn't go through.


----------



## Krankguitarist

My account's been charged for the intrepid.


----------



## eegor

Got my "ready to ship" email.


----------



## Cameron

Just payed the second half.


----------



## hairychris

FireaL said:


> I took a gamble on the oceanburst aswell, really anxious now to see how it looks. If it doesent come out great i will be pissed i didnt choose natural.



Another UKer with an Oceanburst Pro?



Marvellous!


----------



## Sroth Saraiel

Are they taking orders now???!!!!!


----------



## Niels

Sroth Saraiel said:


> Are they taking orders now???!!!!!



No, not yet, but perhaps you could order a new brain from some medical institution, as you clearly lack one.

Anywho, I recieved a mail telling me that the guitar shipped from the factory a couple of days or a week ago, and yesterday I got a mail stating my guitar was ready to ship.
So I guess it means Rondo got the guitar in the states.

THE ANTICIPATION


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Damn it Friday, get here now!!! I hate Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until further notice.


----------



## dsm3sx

Niels said:


> No, not yet, but perhaps you could order a new brain from some medical institution, as you clearly lack one.


 


Lol


----------



## Chritar

^ that was brutal


----------



## eegor

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Damn it Friday, get here now!!! I hate Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until further notice.



What happens on Friday?


----------



## gatesofcarnage

eegor said:


> What happens on Friday?


 Yeah?


----------



## technomancer

Niels said:


> Anywho, I recieved a mail telling me that the guitar shipped from the factory a couple of days or a week ago, and yesterday I got a mail stating my guitar was ready to ship.
> So I guess it means Rondo got the guitar in the states.
> 
> THE ANTICIPATION



No it doesn't, it means you've payed the balance off and there are no holds on the order. It's somewhat misleading, and could still be a few weeks before the guitar ships.


----------



## Adriatic

and so the wait continues...


----------



## Total Eclipse

Niels said:


> No, not yet, but perhaps you could order a new brain from some medical institution, as you clearly lack one.
> 
> Anywho, I recieved a mail telling me that the guitar shipped from the factory a couple of days or a week ago, and yesterday I got a mail stating my guitar was ready to ship.
> So I guess it means Rondo got the guitar in the states.
> 
> THE ANTICIPATION



Kurt says "Theyre on the water, on the way to us for inspection. - Then out they go to you."


----------



## Sroth Saraiel

Are this guys from agile still taking orders?


----------



## TomAwesome

Sroth Saraiel said:


> Are this guys from agile still taking orders?



For the Intrepids? Read the first post. Or at least the last few pages. Seriously, this same stuff keeps getting asked.


----------



## darren

I've just updated the FAQ. Again. Hopefully for the last time.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

eegor said:


> What happens on Friday?



I gets ma money's from "the establishment" so I can pay off this beast.


----------



## possumkiller

Woo Hoo add me to the I GOTS ONE list!


----------



## eegor

RomeApartJizzy said:


> I gets ma money's from "the establishment" so I can pay off this beast.



Nice. Hope you get the money with no problems, man. That would suck for you to have to hold off for a couple more weeks.


----------



## Sroth Saraiel

TomAwesome said:


> For the Intrepids? Read the first post. Or at least the last few pages. Seriously, this same stuff keeps getting asked.




Yeap sorry 

I'm still figuring out how this thing work cause I'm too new and I could not read everything in the appropriate way with my boss on my back ... my apologies...

I already signed up in the e-mail thing to get notified for the next run


----------



## Slayer89

RomeApartJizzy said:


> I gets ma money's from "the establishment" so I can pay off this beast.



That makes two of us!



Then we shall play some brutal tunes and stick it to the man!


----------



## nedheftyfunk

New-to-Rondo-question: now that the hardcases are available, is there an easy way to add one to the order so that the guitar ships in it? On adding one to a cart in the online system, it seems to want to charge shipping separately for the case.


----------



## Wound

nedheftyfunk said:


> New-to-Rondo-question: now that the hardcases are available, is there an easy way to add one to the order so that the guitar ships in it? On adding one to a cart in the online system, it seems to want to charge shipping separately for the case.



e-mail Kurt...he could probably help you out. I got a hardcase with mine...but I asked for it when I ordered it so it was in the payment from the beginning


----------



## nedheftyfunk

Wound said:


> e-mail Kurt...he could probably help you out. I got a hardcase with mine...but I asked for it when I ordered it so it was in the payment from the beginning



That's a good suggestion, but I should have said that I had already sent customer service a question earlier today. As they haven't yet responded to a query I sent last Friday and these could be shipping these out soon (my final payment has also been made). I thought I would post here in case I was missing an obvious mechanism to amend the original order. I'll post the response once I get it.


----------



## gunshow86de

I'm getting real antsy now!!!

I got my 8 string sets in from juststrings.com and my strap-locks, now I just need my Intrepid to put them on!!!!


----------



## eegor

I need to start thinking about string gauges, too...


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I just ordered my D'Addario sets


----------



## troyguitar

MFB said:


> A 25.5" 8 string? Why?



BEADGBEA

I like meedley meedley more than chugga chugga


----------



## MFB

troyguitar said:


> BEADGBEA
> 
> I like meedley meedley more than chugga chugga


I see. I've considered doing the High A/Low B with an 8 but I'm still not sure since I don't do much lead


----------



## eegor

I agree. I'm much more into rhythm playing.


----------



## gunshow86de

troyguitar said:


> BEADGBEA
> 
> I like meedley meedley more than chugga chugga



Maybe you aren't in to chugga's, but for god sakes man, don't forget about the wuggas!!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Final payment made!!! WOOOOHOOOOOO!

I also asked Kurt if he would send out a few sample pictures of the new finishes... we'll see...


----------



## Slayer89

Payment made! Anticipation builds!


----------



## eegor

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Final payment made!!! WOOOOHOOOOOO!
> 
> I also asked Kurt if he would send out a few sample pictures of the new finishes... we'll see...



I'm glad someone did. It hasn't been mentioned that much, but I really want to see how the new headstocks came out. I hope they're close to the mockup.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

He replied and stated he only has these from the factory as of now...


----------



## eegor




----------



## gunshow86de

^
^

That looks really nice. Why didn't I get Oceanburst??????

Oh, cause I already have a blue guitar. Yea Charcoal!!!

I didn't know that the Intrepids were going to have neck binding? That's a nice little extra.


----------



## TomAwesome

Damn, I'm pleasantly surprised at how that ocean burst came out!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Yeah... doesnt look like Darrens second draft of OB... but still sweet none the less


----------



## gunshow86de

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Yeah... doesnt look like Darrens second draft of OB... but still sweet none the less



I like it better (sorry Darren). I like the more subtle burst in the production photo.


----------



## eegor

I was kind of hoping it would look like the mockup with the little bit of natural wood in the middle, but when the real thing looks as good as it does, I'm not complaining.


----------



## darren

Looks great... where are you seeing neck binding? That looks to me like a line in the grain of the fretboard or the shadow of the bottom string, and the seam between the fretbaord and neck. It COULD be binding, but i'd be surprised if they'd do that, because it involves more hand work and more care when fretting.


----------



## gunshow86de

darren said:


> Looks great... where are you seeing neck binding?



If my eyes don't deceive me, that's white binding on the freboard. Look closely in the first pic, there is just enough shadow to see the white contrasting with the maple.


----------



## TomAwesome

I think the maple used for the fretboard is just lighter than the maple on the rest of the neck. It gives the impression of binding, though, and does look nice.


----------



## darren

It looks like the shadow of the bottom string and a fretboard that's lighter than the neck wood.

I can't wait to see the headstock face... from the back, it looks like they nailed it. I like it better than the first-gen headstock.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

FUCK! I need mine now!!!! or at least pics of Bloodburst!


----------



## eegor

darren said:


> I can't wait to see the headstock face... from the back, it looks like they nailed it. I like it better than the first-gen headstock.



I agree. It flows SOOOOOOO much better with the body. It looks like one giant piece of art.


----------



## gunshow86de

darren said:


> It looks like the shadow of the bottom string and a fretboard that's lighter than the neck wood.
> 
> I can't wait to see the headstock face... from the back, it looks like they nailed it. I like it better than the first-gen headstock.



But look where they side dot markers are. It could be just a streak of white in the maple, but it looks like white plastic to me. 

But I really wouldn't expect there to be binding. Your right, it is a little too tedious of a process to put on a budget minded, mass produced guitar. That's why I was surprised to see it.


----------



## TomAwesome

I don't even think it looks white. The fretboard maple is very light. It just looks like that same shade of maple with a shadow over it. Being next to the darker maple makes it look a bit brighter in contrast. If you let your brain assume that the front of the fretboard and the back of the neck are the same color (which isn't hard to do in that picture), then the edge of the board does start to look white, but keeping the different shades in mind, it just looks like the edge of the fretboard. I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

BTW, Kurt did say he will post more pics on his site as he gets them. I'm sure due to the second run colors available, he probably knows how anticipated this run is...


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Man, that intrepid it's awesome!! I just got enough $$$ for a standard one


----------



## COBHC

Cant wait to see the bloodburst pics. Will only make the wait more painful though. Unless they end up looking like crap lol


----------



## darren

I do like the new headstock a lot better. 

The original Intrepid headstock was designed the way it was because the whole instrument was based on the Brice Defiant bass, and not knowing if this instrument was going to potentially be marketed as a Brice, an Agile, or whatever, i decided to try and keep it as close to the original design as possible, for brand consistency. In order to meet my own design goals, i simply pinched the tip to be narrower, to allow the strings to pull in a straight line from the nut to the tuners. That was the first design i came up with for it, and that's how it remained throughout the nearly 2-year development process.

After they were built, another builder voiced concerns over its passing resemblance to their own headstock shape, so it was redesigned out of respect for that builder, even though i disagreed about the suggestion that there was an infringement. Had i been thinking of an original design instead of adapting the Brice bass headstock for the Intrepid, this new headstock is probably what would have gone on these in the first place. 

So those who have Intrepids from the original run can be happy knowing they have the rare and desirable "pre-redesign" models!


----------



## TomAwesome

The new ones look so much better, though.


----------



## DagMX

ah! those pics of the oceanburst almost make valentines bareable...anyone got any luck with bloodburst pics?


----------



## lefty robb

RomeApartJizzy said:


> He replied and stated he only has these from the factory as of now...




aww they didn't move the pickup back.


----------



## MF_Kitten

damn! that looks ten times more amazing than i would have imagined! :O

the same goes for all the earlier finishes too, i was skeptical of them until they came out looking amazing 

i love the fact that these are satin finished as well, it´s like the shape is just meant to be satin 

there´s one part that bugs me just a little bit though, and that´s the bevel on the ass end. i love how it looks in most cases, but in many cases the finish is darker on the bevel, or the bevel is shadowed. this kinda creates a weird illusion of that part being much smaller than it seems, and then the bottom rear looks like it´s tumor-shaped or something. i´m thinking maybe the actual bevel could be less "steep"?

i wouldn´t be able to properly judge it unless i had one in my own hands though.


----------



## nedheftyfunk

Got mail from back from Kurt saying he can add a hardcase to the order and ship it in it. 

That ocean burst looks great, but I think it's just the fretboard, not binding.


----------



## Fred

Holy shit that oceanburst is nice!


----------



## Anthony

That looks excellent! I can't wait to see BloodBurst.


----------



## Adriatic

we want chilli willi.. we want chilli willi..


----------



## Niels

Very nice, I'm glad I got a bolt-on version, that neck-joint looks pretty yummy =p


----------



## lefty robb

Niels said:


> Very nice, I'm glad I got a bolt-on version, that neck-joint looks pretty yummy =p




Yeah, if that's how all the neck joints are going to be on the bolt-on's I'm glad I got the Standard, I was afraid of a massive heel, but these look better than the Ibanez AANJ's.


----------



## eegor

Yeah, that bolt-on does look pretty sexy, but I always like a good neck-thru heel. The smoothness is just so... smooth.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Anybody else breathing a sigh of disappointment every time rondo e-mails them and it isn't an update on their intrepid?


----------



## DagMX

Krankguitarist said:


> Anybody else breathing a sigh of disappointment every time rondo e-mails them and it isn't an update on their intrepid?



In class I randomly jump up cus I just got an email from Rondo. And then I cry when it's not about the intrepid....


----------



## Wound

That ocean burst is niiiice! Can&#180;t wait to see pics of the rest!


----------



## gunshow86de

Krankguitarist said:


> Anybody else breathing a sigh of disappointment every time rondo e-mails them and it isn't an update on their intrepid?



Yes!!

I am keeping my fingers crossed to have a tracking number by the end of this week.

But the transportation class I am taking this semester has me worried. Importing regulations can add almost a week of delivery time, with the containers sitting on the ship in port.


----------



## XxXPete

THE BOLT-ON NECK LOOKS KILLER.WHATS THE PRICE ON THOSE?


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

gunshow86de said:


> Yes!!
> 
> I am keeping my fingers crossed to have a tracking number by the end of this week.
> 
> But the transportation class I am taking this semester has me worried. Importing regulations can add almost a week of delivery time, with the containers sitting on the ship in port.




Luckily I work at the Port of Baltimore's IT Department... so... yeah... I'll be hunting for mine... LOL


----------



## gunshow86de

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Luckily I work at the Port of Baltimore's IT Department... so... yeah... I'll be hunting for mine... LOL



Do you know what a typical wait time is in Baltimore? I'm sure it's not nearly as bad as the Port of Houston. Jesus that things massive, it can take a week just to get from the outer buoy markers to actually docking. I wouldn't suspect Baltimore's to be quite as bad.


----------



## Dusty201087

Woah, oceanburst FTW!!!

If the next run has a neck-thru with two pickups stock, I'm definitely getting one!


----------



## Maggai

Yeah, neck-thru with two pickups, in oceanburst or lizard whatever the color was called, I'm in on the next run.


----------



## darren

Kurt has said that the estimated ship date (from Rondo) is March 3. If you're looking for a tracking number by the end of this week, i think you'll be disappointed.


----------



## gunshow86de

darren said:


> Kurt has said that the estimated ship date (from Rondo) is March 3. If you're looking for a tracking number by the end of this week, i think you'll be disappointed.





That makes me very sad.


----------



## TomAwesome

Patience, young padawans. You've waited this long already. A few more weeks is nothing.


----------



## darren

Kurt's not jerking your chain when he says it'll be three weeks from the factory to his own place for inspection before shipping to customers.


----------



## Anthony

In the mean time, did he get anymore models in?


----------



## DagMX

TomAwesome said:


> Patience, young padawans. You've waited this long already. A few more weeks is nothing.



ah but the wait is worst right before it comes...


----------



## Krankguitarist

darren said:


> Kurt's not jerking your chain when he says it'll be three weeks from the factory to his own place for inspection before shipping to customers.



Aye, except that's not what he said in the e-mail:



Rondo Music e-mail said:


> Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory. You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.
> Thanks!



Though, truth be told, it's not that big of a difference. One more week of my bank account hurting without the justification of an 8 string in my hands .


----------



## darren

Anthony said:


> In the mean time, did he get anymore models in?





the fucking FAQ said:


> *Q: Are these still available?*
> A: The easiest way to find out is to go to Rondo's site and look for yourself. They're usually on the last page of the electric guitars section. If you don't see them there, then the answer is no, there are none currently available for ordering.
> 
> *Q: When will the next run be?*
> A: If you want to be alerted as to when the next run is available for ordering, the best thing to do is to sign up for the Rondo mailing list. Advance notice goes out to all list subscribers before the ordering page hits the site for the general public.


----------



## DagMX

i think he meant did he get any more finished models in for our viewing pleasure


----------



## highlordmugfug

Hey everyone, first post on ss.org. Been following up on all this Intrepid NONSENSE from my seat over at UG, and I've got to say...




I sure can't wait for my Intrepid Pro Ocean Burst to get here.


----------



## gunshow86de

highlordmugfug said:


> Hey everyone, first post on ss.org. Been following up on all this Intrepid NONSENSE from my seat over at UG, and I've got to say...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I sure can't wait for my Intrepid Pro Ocean Burst to get here.




I'm right there with ya, 2 more weeks is gonna kill me!

I'm the guy that pays for overnight shipping on everything, patience is not my forte.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Anyone who got the bass case that the Intrepid fit with the first run want to let me know how it fit?  Sorry if this has already been asked/answered, btw.


----------



## Wound

highlordmugfug said:


> Anyone who got the bass case that the Intrepid fit with the first run want to let me know how it fit?  Sorry if this has already been asked/answered, btw.



It fits fine...the case is a bit longer, but no problems fitting it in at all. They do have Intrepid cases now tho...so you don't have to get the bass case


----------



## Anthony

@ Darren
No. 



DagMX said:


> i think he meant did he get any more finished models in for our viewing pleasure


Correct.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

gunshow86de said:


> Do you know what a typical wait time is in Baltimore? I'm sure it's not nearly as bad as the Port of Houston. Jesus that things massive, it can take a week just to get from the outer buoy markers to actually docking. I wouldn't suspect Baltimore's to be quite as bad.



Nah, I know Houston... we operate that one too (Ports America). 


BTW..
Just got my email from Kurt... says ready to ship... oooooooo yeah!!!


----------



## eegor

March 3... get here now!


----------



## Niels

Hey guys, look at what Kurt just send me 



 



Awesome guy, Kurt
I just sold my B8 to a guy at the local guitar store so I could order some moar Interpids as soon as pre-orders start again =p I just love these satin finishes, makes the guitar look very clean


----------



## Anthony

Is that ghost burst? Looks sick, but not what I imagined, I'm glad I changed my order.

The new headstock is perfect!


----------



## Niels

I actually like it a little better, it kinda compliments the maple fretboard now


----------



## DagMX

Niels said:


> Hey guys, look at what Kurt just send me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome guy, Kurt
> I just sold my B8 to a guy at the local guitar store so I could order some moar Interpids as soon as pre-orders start again =p I just love these satin finishes, makes the guitar look very clean


People selling B8s for intrepids makes me happy about my choice

also that ghostburst looks pretty sweet....i like it's classy understated look...

also the dual pickups balance out the look better than than the single pickup IMO.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Wound said:


> It fits fine...the case is a bit longer, but no problems fitting it in at all. They do have Intrepid cases now tho...so you don't have to get the bass case


Yeah, I knew about the Intrepid case, but not until after I mailed my final payment in...  I'll email Kurt and try to get it fixed.
EDIT: And whenever you said B8 my first thought was Blackmachine 8 and I thought a bitch slap was about to be in order. I forgot that the blackmachine model 8's are F and the seven and sixes are B.


----------



## eegor

Niels said:


> I actually like it a little better, it kinda compliments the maple fretboard now



My thoughts exactly. Plus, I think it fits the name "Ghost Burst" a little better. Less of a silverburst than the mockups were, but much more drawn back.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Looking at those pics, my pants keep getting tighter!!


----------



## plyta

Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?


----------



## Fred

highlordmugfug said:


> And whenever you said B8 my first thought was Blackmachine 8 and I thought a bitch slap was about to be in order. I forgot that the blackmachine model 8's are F and the seven and sixes are B.



Nuh-uh, only the fanned-fret 8 is an F8. As far as I am aware this is a B8:







Therefore as far as I am aware a bitchslap is still in order!


----------



## QueeZeR

plyta said:


> Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?



I ordered a Ghostburst with rosewood, though I'm not sure of it was the right choice(tonewise). I hardly knew anything about woods at the time and ordered rosewood for looks.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Fred said:


> Nuh-uh, only the fanned-fret 8 is an F8. As far as I am aware this is a B8:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Therefore as far as I am aware a bitchslap is still in order!


Black Machine I guess that one is just 8 while the fanned is F8. No slap as of yet, but just in case it'd probably be a good thing to keep your hand held back... Just in case.  If I had a blackmachine I don't think there would be anything that I would sell it to buy. Does anyone else have pics besides the ghost burst and oceanburst or is that all that anyone's seen of the second run yet?


----------



## Fred

Ah ah ah ah ah! Just got pictures of my custom:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1385375-post48.html

AHHHHHHHHHHH.


----------



## Niels

Fred said:


> Nuh-uh, only the fanned-fret 8 is an F8. As far as I am aware this is a B8:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Therefore as far as I am aware a bitchslap is still in order!



Oh noes 
Don't smack me 

I actually meant my ESP Stef B-8

If I had a Blackmachine B-8 I would never ever let it go out of my sight xDD


----------



## eegor

Fred said:


> Ah ah ah ah ah! Just got pictures of my custom:
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1385375-post48.html
> 
> AHHHHHHHHHHH.



Oh SHIT that looks nice!


----------



## highlordmugfug

Fred said:


> Ah ah ah ah ah! Just got pictures of my custom:
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1385375-post48.html


Noice.


----------



## Adriatic

plyta said:


> Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?


 

yeah i ordered a rosewood fb, charcoal dual standard.. 

might email kurt for a pic of what the rosewood looks like on them..


----------



## Galius

Adriatic said:


> yeah i ordered a rosewood fb, charcoal dual standard..
> 
> might email kurt for a pic of what the rosewood looks like on them..


 
SO are you guys talking about ordering the fretboard wood on customs? Or do you have the option of which wood on the production models?


----------



## Jzbass25

With a longer scale length like this would you need a special set of strings?


----------



## Adriatic

Galius said:


> SO are you guys talking about ordering the fretboard wood on customs? Or do you have the option of which wood on the production models?


 
theres a maple or rosewood option on production models..


----------



## eegor

Jzbass25 said:


> With a longer scale length like this would you need a special set of strings?



Depends on what tuning you're using. Standard tuning just requires that you get two bigger strings on top of a standard 6-string pack. A lot of people use a 9-46 set with a 56 and a 70 for the B and F#, respectively. It does also depend on your preference of tension and general size.

In short, no, it does not _require_ special sets of strings.


----------



## Galius

Adriatic said:


> theres a maple or rosewood option on production models..


 Oh sweet I didnt know that. It didnt say anything about it on the Intrepid page. That was going to be one of the only reasons I was thinking about a custom one. So thats on both the standard and pro I assume?


----------



## Adriatic

As far as i know, only the standards came with the f.board option... 

Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 at HomeOld

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld


----------



## highlordmugfug

Adriatic said:


> As far as i know, only the standards came with the f.board option...
> 
> Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 at HomeOld
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld


There was an option to get ebony on the pro's if it became available. You just had to talk to kurt about it. 
EDIT: And my first series of interactions with Rondo music is proving to be a good one.  I'm getting the Intrepid case now instead of the bass case.


----------



## DagMX

plyta said:


> Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?



rosewood with bloodburst dual pickup standard


----------



## Galius

Adriatic said:


> As far as i know, only the standards came with the f.board option...
> 
> Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 at HomeOld
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 at HomeOld


 


highlordmugfug said:


> There was an option to get ebony on the pro's if it became available. You just had to talk to kurt about it.
> EDIT: And my first series of interactions with Rondo music is proving to be a good one.  I'm getting the Intrepid case now instead of the bass case.


 
Well my problemn is I want either a single pickup standard or a pro with just a bridge pickup with a rosewood or ebony board. I never use neck pickups so hopefully thats not my only option when they come.


----------



## Wound

plyta said:


> Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?


 
I ordered Ghost Burst with rosewood



 



wow, did not think the ghost burst would look like this...looks nothing like the mockup. I do like it tho...but thought it would be more white


----------



## highlordmugfug

Galius said:


> Well my problemn is I want either a single pickup standard or a pro with just a bridge pickup with a rosewood or ebony board. I never use neck pickups so hopefully thats not my only option when they come.


Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal / Ebony at HomeOld
There's one option I guess. I don't really see any reason why you wouldn't be able to get what you want unless things change drastically in the next run. What do you mean you hope that's your only option... Your vagueness confuses me.


----------



## plyta

Adriatic said:


> plyta said:
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone ordered one with rosewood fingerboard besides me?
> 
> 
> 
> yeah i ordered a rosewood fb, charcoal dual standard..
> 
> might email kurt for a pic of what the rosewood looks like on them..
Click to expand...


I ordered charcoal dual standard as well. I hope there will be no fuck ups with deliveries like last time when people who ordered guitars with maple boards got them ebony board guitars and vice versa


----------



## Total Eclipse

Fred said:


> Ah ah ah ah ah! Just got pictures of my custom:
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/1385375-post48.html
> 
> AHHHHHHHHHHH.



NICE. How much?


----------



## Adriatic

Kurt replied, heres a sunburst with rosewood...
looks awesome...  im so loving the new headstock...


----------



## Wound

Adriatic said:


> Kurt replied, heres a sunburst with rosewood...
> looks awesome...  im so loving the new headstock...



That looks awesome with rosewood, in those pics it almost looks like ebony. And yea the new headstock is niice! Hopefully Kurt will send me some pics of the ghost burst with rosewood soon.


----------



## TomAwesome

I think the sunburst on the last run was better, but that's still very nice.


----------



## MF_Kitten

the "sunburst" in the last run was a tobacco burst. i think they&#180;re both nice, but different


----------



## TomAwesome

Ah. Well I still liked it better.


----------



## Anthony

I'm glad I chose rosewood.


----------



## darren

Wound said:


> I ordered Ghost Burst with rosewood
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> wow, did not think the ghost burst would look like this...looks nothing like the mockup. I do like it tho...but thought it would be more white



I'm pretty sure i sent Kurt notes about how i pictured all the finishes. Ghost burst was supposed to be a metallic white with a gray burst. That finish is nothing like that.


----------



## zimbloth

Looks nice though anyways, if I didn't already have an 8 I'd consider getting one of those. It's cool they use passives there


----------



## MF_Kitten

i think the issue with the ghost burst is that they didn&#180;t do a solid white under the burst. they just did the burst over the bare wood, it seems.

i still think they should have done the geckoburst...


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Let me be the first to put it out there...

I ordered an Ocean Burst Pro and from the looks of the first pics sent from Kurt, I might not like it as much...

If anyone has a desire to trade a Ghost Burst or a Sunset Burst for the Ocean Burst, I *might* be looking to trade out... wont know until I get my paws on the new bitch...


----------



## ShreddyESP

Post pics of the Ocean Burst!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

ShreddyESP said:


> Post pics of the Ocean Burst!



Check Page 227


----------



## ShreddyESP

That looks good man. Someone should be willing to trade!


----------



## Niels

Holy crap, that rosewood looks awesome!
Thanks Kurt, you're the man =DDD


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

ShreddyESP said:


> That looks good man. Someone should be willing to trade!



Never know I suppose. I *really* like the Standard Ghost w/ Maple or Standard Sunrise w/ Rosewood finishes better... We'll see...


----------



## plyta

One thing though, redesigned mockups showed no truss rods' covers, so they could not hide shitty alignment (like on the first batch Pros) and all the photos so far show guitars still have them.


----------



## darren

Dunno why they bother with truss rod covers. 

I also don't think doing the blue burst over mahogany was a good call on Kurt's part. Blue over brown-ish wood = poo.

But the final decisions on what products he wants to sell are his and not mine, so 

I'm pretty much out of the loop on these now.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Dunno why they bother with truss rod covers.
> 
> I also don't think doing the blue burst over mahogany was a good call on Kurt's part. Blue over brown-ish wood = poo.
> 
> But the final decisions on what products he wants to sell are his and not mine, so
> 
> I'm pretty much out of the loop on these now.



The second Mock Up you made was slick as all hell... but the way the standards came out so far look better than the Ocean Burst pic Kurt sent me...


----------



## MF_Kitten

the oceanburst was a bad idea for the pros, from the sound of it... mahogany and maple neck-through = not really that pretty for that kind of a finish 

the ash is naturally pretty and bright, so transparent/burst finishes work better with it, especially without the neck thru. i find that looks better when it&#180;s all natural.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

MF_Kitten said:


> the oceanburst was a bad idea for the pros, from the sound of it... mahogany and maple neck-through = not really that pretty for that kind of a finish
> 
> the ash is naturally pretty and bright, so transparent/burst finishes work better with it, especially without the neck thru. i find that looks better when it´s all natural.



I agree. The photos he sent were of the Standard Ocean Burst though... and I wasnt really all that psyched about it then... Now these killer pics of the Ghost Maple Standard and the Sunrise Rosewood Standard show up, and Im getting a bit of the buyers remorse...


----------



## eegor

I originally ordered an Ocean Burst Pro, but I switched it soon after for a Natural. I'm kind of glad now, because I never thought of the color/wood combination until now.

Also, did anyone order Ocean Burst Standard with a rosewood fretboard? I'm curious to see what those would look like.


----------



## Galius

highlordmugfug said:


> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 Charcoal / Ebony at HomeOld
> There's one option I guess. I don't really see any reason why you wouldn't be able to get what you want unless things change drastically in the next run. What do you mean you hope that's your only option... Your vagueness confuses me.


 
Oh sorry. I was meaning that I hope there are some cool color options for the single pickup standards. Mabey I just havent seen all the pages but from the ones ive seen it looked as if there were only a couple colors of the single standards on their own seperate pages while the dual standards had a bunch in the pop down menu on the single pages. Not too worried though because mabey a dual pickup will come in handy.

BTW how come when I google the Intrepids only the pro and one of the standards come up?


----------



## plyta

There were 4 different finish options for both single pickup and Dual Standards, except Dual Standard could be ordered with rosewood fretboard.


----------



## eegor

You know, that area of the body around the controls is much more bulbous than I remember it being.


----------



## highlordmugfug

My order has been updated:


rondomusicinmahemailbox said:


> Feb 17, 2009 7:45AM: Ready to Ship


----------



## Adriatic

so will the order status change once more... to "shipped" mines been ready to ship since feb 10th...


----------



## gunshow86de

Adriatic said:


> so will the order status change once more... to "shipped" mines been ready to ship since feb 10th...



It should. I believe Kurt said they will ship out (from his warehouse, not the production factory) on March 3.


----------



## Adriatic

gunshow86de said:


> It should. I believe Kurt said they will ship out (from his warehouse, not the production factory) on March 3.


----------



## darren

eegor said:


> You know, that area of the body around the controls is much more bulbous than I remember it being.



The lower part of the body has always had a slightly Jazz-bass-esque bulge to it. As far as i know, the body shape has not been altered from the first run to the second.


----------



## gunshow86de

Uh oh, getting antsy again. My parts have started arriving. My concentric pot and knobs arrived this morning. The Schaller lockers should be here by the end of the week. And my BKP Miracle Man is ordered.

Now I just need the actual guitar.


----------



## Galius

gunshow86de said:


> Uh oh, getting antsy again. My parts have started arriving. My concentric pot and knobs arrived this morning. The Schaller lockers should be here by the end of the week. And my BKP Miracle Man is ordered.
> 
> Now I just need the actual guitar.


 
So did you find somewhere to get the right number of locking tuners or did you have to buy 2 six string sets?


----------



## gunshow86de

Galius said:


> So did you find somewhere to get the right number of locking tuners or did you have to buy 2 six string sets?



I ordered them from Warmoth. The Schallers are the only ones that come individually from them though.


----------



## Wound

Got pics of the Ghost Burst with rosewood:


----------



## QueeZeR

Fucking sweet, that looks killer!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Yeah... Im totally in love with the Sunset Burst Rosewood Standard... I don't think I will be persuaded to like my Ocean Burst as much...  

God I hope someone wants to trade... LOL


----------



## Galius

Looks cool. As soon as I get my Intrepid I have a project in the works for modifying and refinishing my Damien 7. The only clue I can give is that I have the permission from Tom Sullivans to use his artwork. So if it comes out good I may do the same to my Intrepid.


----------



## Anthony

Wow, that is hot! Bloodburst...!


----------



## Galius

gunshow86de said:


> I ordered them from Warmoth. The Schallers are the only ones that come individually from them though.


 
Awesome thanks for the info . I will more than likely do the same thing on mine.


----------



## eegor

I think ebony would have looked better on Ghost Burst. The lack of color on the body/headstock kind of clashes (badly, imo) with the brown fretboard.

Oh well, if someone likes it, then so be it.


----------



## Adriatic

i agree.. ebony should have been an option instead of rosew. oh well.. can you die rosewood?


----------



## eegor

Oh yeah. I've seen people stain it as dark as ebony. There was a thread about a guy who did it on his UV777 not too long ago. It was sick.


----------



## gunshow86de

Adriatic said:


> i agree.. ebony should have been an option instead of rosew. oh well.. can you die rosewood?



Yes, I did it to an RG7621. It work's really well. I used the dye from Stewmac, along with some glue brushes. It's pretty simple to do overnight. All you have to do is tape off the Maple part of the neck. The dye wipes off the frets and any inlays.


----------



## Slayer89

I asked Kurt for some shots of the Pro Ocean Burst, and he sent me a front shot of the the standard  ... but a back shot of the pro.






Looks like the blue over mahogany didn't turn out too bad.


----------



## darren

It's the burst i'm more concerned about.


----------



## Slayer89

darren said:


> It's the burst i'm more concerned about.



True.


----------



## Wound

does anyone have any shots of the bloodburst? I'm really interrested in seeing how that turned out.


----------



## plyta

eegor said:


> I think ebony would have looked better on Ghost Burst. The lack of color on the body/headstock kind of clashes (badly, imo) with the brown fretboard. Oh well, if someone likes it, then so be it.





Adriatic said:


> i agree.. ebony should have been an option instead of rosew. oh well.. can you die rosewood?



You guys haven't been here when we were discussing them fretboard woods (judging by your Join Date). We had agreed that ebony is not an option, because pieces large enough to make a baritone 8-string fretboard are really rare (according Kurt) and it requires more work to process because of nature of the timber (budget was a priority while designing Intrepid).

It was pure lucky coincidence that we had some ebony fretboards in the first batch. There were only 10 or so guitars like that (if I recall correctly) and they costed $100 more then maple ones only because of the ebony fretboard.

And rosewood really doesn&#8217;t look brown in them pictures. It looks more as if it was dyed already (or maybe the pictures are somewhat overall dark )


----------



## Neil

He could have bleached the wood first, you dont know its going to come out as poo just yet


----------



## gatesofcarnage

So far most of the finishes look pretty good. 



darren said:


> It's the burst i'm more concerned about.


Yes I am wondering how the burst will look on the Bloodburst. Hopefully it is the tits.


----------



## Wound

gatesofcarnage said:


> Yes I am wondering how the burst will look on the Bloodburst. Hopefully it is the tits.



I'm wondering since the ghostburst was so much blacker then the mockup...if the bloodburst will be like that too. Hopefully there will be pictures soon.

I am so far, from looking at the pictures, really happy with how the ghostburst turned out with rosewood. I was hoping for ebony, but from the pics it looks really nice with rosewood as well


----------



## Adriatic

plyta said:


> You guys haven't been here when we were discussing them fretboard woods )


 
actually... i think i recall reading about that somewhere in the thread.. 


i would like to see a natural finish on the standards for the next run ....


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> It's the burst i'm more concerned about.



My point exactly. 
The second mock up had a lot more black in the fade towards the edges and not as much blue... 

I am totally preparing to sell it or trade it for a Sunset/Dark Burst Standard Rosewood...


----------



## hairychris

Slayer89 said:


> I asked Kurt for some shots of the Pro Ocean Burst, and he sent me a front shot of the the standard  ... but a back shot of the pro.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like the blue over mahogany didn't turn out too bad.



Oooh goody!


----------



## eegor

Slayer89 said:


> I asked Kurt for some shots of the Pro Ocean Burst, and he sent me a front shot of the the standard  ... but a back shot of the pro.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like the blue over mahogany didn't turn out too bad.


 
If the burst looks good, I may regret switching my order to a Natural Pro.


----------



## FireaL

So will the pro ocean burst have the wood stripe down the middle showing through the finish on the front?


----------



## darren

Yep.

Based on my mockup template, here's how Ocean Burst MIGHT look over mahogany:






This is why i didn't initially show this as an option. Kurt decided on his own to do this colour/wood combo. If the mahogany is really light, it might look okay. But i have my doubts, and i have a suspicion that this is also why we haven't seen any shots of the front yet.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> Yep.
> 
> Based on my mockup template, here's how Ocean Burst MIGHT look over mahogany:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is why i didn't initially show this as an option. Kurt decided on his own to do this colour/wood combo. If the mahogany is really light, it might look okay. But i have my doubts, and i have a suspicion that this is also why we haven't seen any shots of the front yet.


It's funny that you are worried about this, because this mockup is the one that finally made me decide that I was going to get an Intrepid and that it was going to be an oceanburst.  I like it.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

highlordmugfug said:


> It's funny that you are worried about this, because this mockup is the one that finally made me decide that I was going to get an Intrepid and that it was going to be an oceanburst.  I like it.



Same here! that picture never left my desktop... until recently. It has been replaced...


----------



## TomAwesome

Eh, I agree with Darren that it doesn't look quite right. There's something about having a brown undertone with a guitar finish that's supposed to be reminiscent of water that just isn't right. It's not awful, but it would look a lot better with a maple or ash veneer under it.


----------



## highlordmugfug

TomAwesome said:


> Eh, I agree with Darren that it doesn't look quite right. There's something about having a brown undertone with a guitar finish that's supposed to be reminiscent of water that just isn't right. It's not awful, but it would look a lot better with a maple or ash veneer under it.


Haven't you heard about what is happening to the environment? Thick brown water is the 'wave' of the future man.


----------



## eegor

If it had ash wings instead of mahogany I think it'd look good.

Edit: Also, lol @ Kent.


----------



## TomAwesome

highlordmugfug said:


> Haven't you heard about what is happening to the environment? Thick brown water is the 'wave' of the future man.



Yeah, well then I guess I'm old fashioned in what color I like my water to be.


----------



## highlordmugfug

This is going to be a big "first" guitar for me.
Firsts for me on this guitar (aka my first...):
Agile
neck through
active pickup
blue guitar
burst finish
mahogany 
8 string 
28.625" scale
Hipshot Bridge
Can't wait. Also,


TomAwesome said:


> Yeah, well then I guess I'm old fashioned in what color I like my water to be.


"HEY YOU DARN KIDS, GET OUT OF MY YARD! STUFF COSTS MORE! I USED TO WALK THOUSANDS OF MILES EVERYWHERE! I EAT PRUNES! WATER'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE THICK CHUNKS OF RADIOACTIVE FECAL MATTER IN IT!" <- You being old, doing old stuff. 
So march 3 is the estimated day these buggers will ship out, right?


----------



## darren

Just a wee bit of confusion. It was the "order" thread i asked to be closed, since it keeps getting bumped and it was only for the first run.

This thread is still open. 

And BTW, i'm going to start neg-repping any one who sends me private messages asking about ordering an Intrepid.

READ THE FAQ!


----------



## eegor

highlordmugfug said:


> set neck



I believe you mean neck-thru.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> Just a wee bit of confusion. It was the "order" thread i asked to be closed, since it keeps getting bumped and it was only for the first run.
> READ THE FAQ!


Sorry about that, I wasn't aware that it was only for the first run. That's my bad.


eegor said:


> I believe you mean neck-thru.


Also my bad, I have a bad habit always calling both of them set neck even though I know what the difference is. Maybe because my subconscious is dumb and likes the shorter words so that's what comes out. My bad.


----------



## eegor

It's all good. Back when I was a n00b I thought they meant the same thing because I didn't see any differences


----------



## Galius

I want one so bad right now I wan to cry. The new headstock looks so tits!


----------



## Krankguitarist

Aye, is march 3rd here yet?

Sheesh, how long can a man wait!?!?!?!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Krankguitarist said:


> Aye, is march 3rd here yet?
> 
> Sheesh, how long can a man wait!?!?!?!



I have a better shot at being a priest than waiting much longer... 

wait what?


----------



## darren

Somebody at AGF posted these...












It's the first i've seen of the "dark burst" from the second run. It looks like they lightened up a bit on the burst. The rosewood board and matching headstock are exactly right... and how they should have been on the first run, instead of black headstocks.

I think i may have to replace the fretboard on my Intrepid. The maple is nice, but the darker wood just looks so great with the bursts.


----------



## eegor

Damn, that looks nice! That headstock is truly perfect for this guitar.


----------



## highlordmugfug

My laptop is broken.  I agree about the headstock, but I would like to point out that these pics aren't exactly making the wait any easier.


----------



## Våd Hamster

Oh God... the GAS!

I might just cancel my 7string Bass, and order one against all common sense.

If the 2nd run models turn out wrecked, I can always cut my losses and I'll only have paid half.


----------



## possumkiller

does anyone else think that the new headstock, if reversed would look almost similar to a KL headstock without the 3 dimensional part? it looks awesome i love it. i really like how the tuners are farther apart. thats one thing that bothers me about mine is tuning and changing strings the tuners are so close together. mine has the tiny headstock. i love mine though. i would just prefer the new headstock. and maybe a neck pickup mod lol.


----------



## darren

I was originally trying to make the headstock as compact as possible. I like the new headstock much better as well, and it's what i would have designed the first time around had i been doing a "carte blanche" design, instead of adapting the Brice Defiant bass headstock.

Glad you guys like it!

I'd love to "trade up" my first-gen maple Standard for a new rosewood Dual Standard.


----------



## eegor

Yeah, that headstock is definitely more fitting that the other one.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

I need a full frontal of the Ocean Burst Pro. That will be the deciding factor for me for trading out for a Dual Standard Dark Burst Rosewood or a Dual Standard Ghost Burst Maple (well, there would need to be someone willing to trade LOL). 

I would totally make it an even trade. Unless I have to sweeten the deal. Anything to get my hands on one of those guitars.


----------



## gunshow86de

A new week = new hope for a tracking number!

Seriously doubt it though. I have a feeling Kurt is extremely busy trying to even get these ready for March 3rd. He hasn't responded to my email about a case yet, and he is usually one of the fastest to respond to emails.


----------



## Groff

gunshow86de said:


> A new week = new hope for a tracking number!
> 
> Seriously doubt it though. I have a feeling Kurt is extremely busy trying to even get these ready for March 3rd. He hasn't responded to my email about a case yet, and he is usually one of the fastest to respond to emails.



I'm in the same boat as you. I can't wait to get mine!!!


----------



## darren

Guys, March 3 isn't for another 8 days. You're just killing yourselves with impatience!


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Guys, March 3 isn't for another 8 days. You're just killing yourselves with impatience!



Ima pull a Cartman...


----------



## gunshow86de

RomeApartJizzy said:


> Ima pull a Cartman...



Science H. Logic!!!!! That's a fantastic idea!


----------



## synrgy

gunshow86de said:


> Science H. Logic!!!!! That's a fantastic idea!


 

hahahaha

"Logic isn't enough -- You have to be condescending and rude to everyone who disagrees with you."


----------



## Anthony

darren said:


> Guys, March 3 isn't for another 8 days. You're just killing yourselves with impatience!



That's it?!


----------



## eegor

Yeah, I didn't realize how close it is until today. But it doesn't make it get here any quicker.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

AHHHHHHH!!8 days is 8 to many. But yeah 8 days is nothing compared to 6 months


----------



## TomAwesome

gatesofcarnage said:


> AHHHHHHH!!8 days is 8 to many. But yeah 8 days is nothing compared to 6 months



'Tis true.


----------



## Demerge

8 days till the 8 string ships.... very fitting i might say


----------



## eegor

Man, when that ship date comes I'm going to be checking my tracking number every day. I'm both looking forward to that and dreading that, because I'll be so caught up in the anxiety I won't be able to do any school work.


----------



## gunshow86de

eegor said:


> Man, when that ship date comes I'm going to be checking my tracking number every day. I'm both looking forward to that and dreading that, because I'll be so caught up in the anxiety I won't be able to do any school work.



Haha, I'm the same way. The worst is when it's "out for delivery." I don't even leave my house for the entire day. Sometimes two days because the UPS guy likes to come after the apartment offices are closed, and he is too lazy to deliver them door to door.


----------



## eegor

What sucks is that I'll probably be at school when it's delivered (that's usually the case) and both of them will be sitting on my front porch until I get back.


----------



## highlordmugfug

eegor said:


> What sucks is that I'll probably be at school when it's delivered (that's usually the case) and both of them will be sitting on my front porch until I get back.


As long as it doesn't get delivered on a Wednesday I should be fine. Any other day I have a chance of being home, but on Wednesdays I'm stuck at the college for 12 hours. Kurt must be busy if he hasn't responded to your emails yet because I don't think that even 24 hours has ever passed between me emailing and him responding. Usually it's like 15mins-3hours. Maybe I just choose to email at really opportune times.


----------



## eegor

Ha, that's a coincidence because on Wednesdays I stay at school to play for my youth band. But if they get here in the same amount of time they usually take, they'll be here on the Monday after.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

I sent Kurt another email, this time asking for full frontal shots of the OB Pro... hope he sends sexy or the new bitch aint gonna last too long...


----------



## eegor

I think it'll look good. I mean, the back looked good, how different would the front be?

Also, 7 days till the ship date.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

1 WEEK till ship!!!!! Holy Ballsack!!!!


----------



## Mike_F

Are the EMG 808s in the Intrepid Pro any good?
I keep hearing they suck, any or you Intrepid Pro guys care to chime in?


----------



## Galius

Mike_F said:


> Are the EMG 808s in the Intrepid Pro any good?
> I keep hearing they suck, any or you Intrepid Pro guys care to chime in?


 
I dont own an Intrepid but I had a Schecter C-8 with 808s for a couple weeks and they sounded good through my rig.


----------



## darren

I liked the 808 for the brief time i had it, but it didn't really sway me over to the active pickup legion. I'm still a passive guy.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Galius said:


> I dont own an Intrepid but I had a Schecter C-8 with 808s for a couple weeks and they sounded good through my rig.



got rid of it already?


----------



## hotrodded_wooden_ mill

Where does the date of March 3th come from?

That doesn't comply with the e-mail:

Thursday 5th februari:

Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory! You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.


----------



## gunshow86de

hotrodded_wooden_ mill said:


> Where does the date of March 3th come from?
> 
> That doesn't comply with the e-mail:
> 
> Thursday 5th februari:
> 
> Your Intrepid has shipped from the factory! You should expect to have it in about 3 weeks. We will be charging the balance shortly.




I'm not exactly sure, but I think this is how it works. They ship from the factory in Korea, to what I assume is a warehouse or something in the US, where Kurt inspects them. Then he ships them out to individual customers from there.

I think someone emailed Kurt and he told them they will be shipped out on March 3.


----------



## darren

Well, he's now saying March 9 for the T7.

Agile T-7 Texan Sunburst 7 String at HomeOld

An email i received from Rondo on February 4 did mention March 3rd as a ship date for numerous incoming models.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

ARGH!
Well, one good thing happened... I took care of my color issue...


----------



## Galius

RomeApartJizzy said:


> got rid of it already?


 
Yeah, i_t was a pretty sweet piece but I decided that it would be in my best interest to get an Agile but it REALLY showed me that an 8 was really my thing. Im the kind of person that would rather have something simple and plain looking instead of a piece of art on stage. Both of my main guitars are just matte black and I like how the Agiles are awesome looking and plain looking at the same time. Sucks because I will have to wait to get one on the upcoming run unless someone from the run being shipped wants to pass on theirs. Even worse is all the new pictures floating around has overflowed my GAS tank._



RomeApartJizzy said:


> ARGH!
> Well, one good thing happened... I took care of my color issue...


 
How did you pull that off?


----------



## gunshow86de

darren said:


> Well, he's now saying March 9 for the T7.
> 
> Agile T-7 Texan Sunburst 7 String at HomeOld
> 
> An email i received from Rondo on February 4 did mention March 3rd as a ship date for numerous incoming models.



If I have to wait until March 9th, I just may kill someone.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

gunshow86de said:


> If I have to wait until March 9th, I just may kill someone.



I will give you the bat after I am done with it!!!


----------



## Mike_F

darren said:


> I liked the 808 for the brief time i had it, but it didn't really sway me over to the active pickup legion. I'm still a passive guy.



So would you take the Agile passive pickup over the 808?
I love the bloodburst and neck-thru on the Pro, but the best sounding guitar is my first priority.


----------



## darren

Mike_F said:


> So would you take the Agile passive pickup over the 808?
> I love the bloodburst and neck-thru on the Pro, but the best sounding guitar is my first priority.



Personally, yes.

The ash + maple + that pickup = awesome tone.


----------



## technomancer

darren said:


> Personally, yes.
> 
> The ash + maple + that pickup = awesome tone.



Having had a standard with the passive in the bridge I agree 100%


----------



## abstract reason

nice guitare!i love it!!!


----------



## Slayer89

RomeApartJizzy said:


> ARGH!
> Well, one good thing happened... I took care of my color issue...



Was this resolution based off a pic? If so, care to share?


----------



## hairychris

OK you lot, stop bitching about the wait! You'll have your guitars way before they get over to us Europeans, clear customs, etc, etc....


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

hairychris said:


> OK you lot, stop bitching about the wait! You'll have your guitars way before they get over to us Europeans, clear customs, etc, etc....



US = 
UK = 

Totally joking of course


----------



## gunshow86de

Sigh, I actually want the weekend to be over so we will be that much closer to March 3.

At least I have a camping trip this weekend to distract me from the wait.


----------



## eegor

This wait is getting ridiculous. It's almost surreal at this point. We've waited so long for this to come that it doesn't seem like it'll actually get here, but we know it will.


----------



## Rommel

Start chargin' your camera batteries. I'm looking forward to some N8stringGD's next week.


----------



## darren

Ah, this brings back memories of last October.


----------



## eegor

I remember those times, too, but this time it's more exciting because I'm one of the people getting them!


----------



## Urbane

eegor said:


> I remember those times, too, but this time it's more exciting because I'm one of the people getting them!


 

im getting excited to see them to but im waiting to get one on the next run


----------



## Adriatic

email from kurt says... our guitars will be shipped on monday and tuesday,any leftovers will be put up for sale on the rondo site.... and custom orders close on monday!!!


----------



## Urbane

Awesome


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Adriatic said:


> email from kurt says... our guitars will be shipped on monday and tuesday,any leftovers will be put up for sale on the rondo site.... and custom orders close on monday!!!


----------



## Krankguitarist

Verbage:


> Just as the swallows return to Capistrano so to have the Agile AL-2000s returned...Including several lefty models! Most pre-ordered 8 strings should ship out Monday and Tuesday and any leftovers should get put up for sale on the site shortly after that. Monday will also be the last day for putting in your custom order quotes, so if you are itching for a custom, don&#8217;t delay!


Krankguitarist is happy .


----------



## COBHC

Wonder how many extra(leftovers) he ordered . Or if its just peoples guitars who put down deposit and cant make final payment.

Might have to snap up a 2nd one if some go up for sale.


----------



## possumkiller

omg! i definitly think i will have to snag another one if he has extras! anybody want an rg2228 lol?


----------



## eegor

Urbane said:


> im getting excited to see them to but im waiting to get one on the next run



It's been said before, but there are going to be a few extras (maybe) from this run on the site next week, if I understand the email, so you may not have to wait.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Adriatic said:


> email from kurt says... our guitars will be shipped on monday and tuesday,any leftovers will be put up for sale on the rondo site.... and custom orders close on monday!!!


 Just got this email..I am so very happy


----------



## eegor

Any new pics? I'm anxious to see the front of the OB Pro.


----------



## Cameron

this past two weeks waiting has seemed longer than the entire 5 months after ordering, like, seriously.


----------



## possumkiller

well i guess since customs are closed monday i had to go ahead and put mine through. i hope it goes through. got a pretty badass specd intrepid trying to order.


----------



## Anthony

This week will be the hardest week of all of them.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

I can't wait to see if there will be any left overs.


----------



## Galius

The e-mail I got from Kurt this last Thursday in reply to my interest in any leftovers said that they will be put on the site in 2-3 weeks. Either way I can tell you I will be PISSED if I dont get my hands on one of the leftovers.


----------



## eegor

If I were you I'd be checking the site 3-4 times a day. I'll be telling my friend about this, because he really wanted one but didn't have the money at the time.


----------



## Galius

Full time jobs arent so good for keeping on top of that stuff.................


eegor said:


> If I were you I'd be checking the site 3-4 times a day. I'll be telling my friend about this, because he really wanted one but didn't have the money at the time.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Galius said:


> Full time jobs arent so good for keeping on top of that stuff.................



on the contrary, my job enables my addiction of guitar and drum porn to flourish.


----------



## eegor

I guess it depends on the job.


----------



## Krankguitarist

The time between when I receive my tracking number and when the UPS website updates with an estimated delivery date is going to be agony.


----------



## COBHC

These next couple weeks are going to suck. Fedex ground to canada, this might take awhile.


----------



## Cameron

Does anyone know if the body size was slightly reduced, or are the only changes in the headstock and bridge? I emailed kurt but got nothing.


----------



## gunshow86de

It's almost March 3!!!!!

I hope I can have mine in my hands before the end of the week.


----------



## Groff

I'll probably have mine by the end of the week! Needless to say i'm absolutely excited!!! It feels like i've been waiting forever. It'll be nice to have a new toy to play with while i'm unemployed! (And while i'm waiting for my Loomis to arrive)



Cameron said:


> Does anyone know if the body size was slightly reduced, or are the only changes in the headstock and bridge? I emailed kurt but got nothing.



That was the original plan, but Darren put it back to the original size. It just seemed to fit the instrument better.


----------



## darren

I still would have liked to reduce the body size, but Kurt was concerned that it might make it too neck heavy, and they'd have to do more work to get it balanced. So it was left as it was with the first run.


----------



## possumkiller

Honestly I think its just fine with the big body.


----------



## bs_tritonus

I understand the balance bit, but the body size was one of the reasons I did not buy one this time. It just seemed too big for the rest of the guitar. Looked "unbalanced" to me. The mockups Darren made however is perfect. Great balance between body and neck.


----------



## darren

I think the new headstock design helps balance it out a bit more visually.


----------



## Niels

Yay, got my tracking number


----------



## gunshow86de

^
I hate you.


----------



## Adriatic

mine too.. wooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo


----------



## gunshow86de

I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I will still get mine before both of you guys.


----------



## Adriatic

i actually had a dream last night that it turned up all damaged.. the headstock was completely broken off.. and the neck was all flimsy.. like rubber or something.. it was funny.. because i realised how absurd it all was and was aware i was dreaming at which point i woke up..

customs wont hold the guitar, so it might actually get here within a week..


----------



## Total Eclipse

I want my tracking #


----------



## Krankguitarist

Me too


----------



## Niels

gunshow86de said:


> I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I will still get mine before both of you guys.



That's what you hope for =p


----------



## stuh84

Got my tracking number too


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

I'm friggin out man
I need to has my axe


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I got my tracking# as well!


----------



## COBHC

So much for waiting awhile to list up spare intrepids

If anyones interested kurt has already posted up maple boarded pros on rondo

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Nat Maple FB at HomeOld

edit : nvm theres no stock on it though


----------



## Galius

Are you sure its not the page for the next run?? Either way if he puts the extra ones up on the 5th I will be happy because I have the day off and will be able to be on top of it.



COBHC said:


> So much for waiting awhile to list up spare intrepids
> 
> If anyones interested kurt has already posted up maple boarded pros on rondo
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Nat Maple FB at HomeOld
> 
> edit : nvm theres no stock on it though


----------



## TomAwesome

I know it has been brought up before, but I wonder why the pickup is so far from the bridge.


----------



## COBHC

its listed in new items section on rondo as well as under electric guitars


----------



## lefty robb

w00t got a tracking number as well, will arrive on 3/3/09


----------



## Galius

Oh I see now. I thought you just found it on google or something. Hopefully we have a preview of all the extras before they go up on the 5th then. I dont work that day so im not moving from my computer until I HAVE ONE ORDERED LOL. Im hoping I have a few different ones that I like to choose from too. Everone in my band will be so happy that I will have one in time for recording.


COBHC said:


> its listed in new items section on rondo as well as under electric guitars


----------



## revclay

I just received my tracking number as well. UPS says it should be here on the 6th. Needless to say, I am super excited!


----------



## darren

That new headstock is teh secks... if i do say so myself. 

These seem to be a really hot seller... Kurt's already gearing up for the next run! " Available for Orders Starting 2-5-2009"


----------



## Galius

darren said:


> That new headstock is teh secks... if i do say so myself.


 
Pretty much the whole thing is. I really thing the matte finishes make them look alot sexier as well. I dont understand why more companies dont use matte over gloss.


----------



## COBHC

Cant wait to try out the satin finish

Not overly fond of the gloss finish on the neck of my interceptor pro


----------



## gunshow86de

Why do I not have a tracking number yet?


----------



## raisingfear101

wait, so is that 2-5 supposed to be read as may 2nd?


----------



## COBHC

gunshow86de said:


> Why do I not have a tracking number yet?


 
Im assuming this was quite a large run. Probably still busy inspecting them. I dont have a tracking number yet either.


----------



## gunshow86de

COBHC said:


> Im assuming this was quite a large run. Probably still busy inspecting them. I dont have a tracking number yet either.



Come on Kurt!!! I ordered mine within an hour after the new run was available. Doesn't that count for anything? ARGGGHHHHGHGHGHGHHGHGHG


----------



## Galius

I think that this is a page to sell the extras though. If it were for the next run wouldnt the page only charge the deposit and list the final shipping month like the past pre-order pages?


darren said:


> That new headstock is teh secks... if i do say so myself.
> 
> These seem to be a really hot seller... Kurt's already gearing up for the next run! " Available for Orders Starting 2-5-2009"


----------



## darren

Yeah, that just occurred to me as well, that he's ordered some extras for inventory. And it does look like he got the month wrong... it should be March 5, no?

I'm really pleased that this has become such a success.

Kurt seems disappointed that the T-7 wasn't as much of a success, but among the seven string crowd, i knew it would likely be a bit of a niche guitar. However, if Kurt marketed it to a wider audience, say country players that already play baritones, he might find another sweet spot for the Texan.


----------



## Galius

I wonder if hes ordered extras of each kind. It would make sense to do that since there are always people that missed out on ordering and being such a great price you know they will sell no matter what.


----------



## Rommel

Hopefully Kurt will have an "extra" Intrepid Standard available. Color doesn't matter to me, I'd like an 8 string to round out my stable of guitars.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Woo-Hoo! Got my tracking number too!

Now comes the waiting for the "estimated arrival date" update. Sheesh!


----------



## darren

Heh. That's a great cartoon. It's funny because it's true!


----------



## possumkiller

You know just yesterday I put an Ernie Ball .075 bass string on my Intrepid. It was hours later before I noticed that the ball end didnt fit into the ferrule! lol


----------



## gunshow86de

Krankguitarist said:


> Woo-Hoo! Got my tracking number too!
> 
> Now comes the waiting for the "estimated arrival date" update. Sheesh!



Where did you find that picture of me?

At least you guys have a tracking number.


----------



## COBHC

i got mine now from fedex


----------



## Total Eclipse

Total Eclipse said:


> I want my tracking #



Got it 

AND it says scheduled delivery is for TOMORROW


----------



## djohns74

Weee, got a tracking number this afternoon! Scheduled for delivery on Thursday. 

It's funny because I ordered something from Amazon this afternoon and asked for 1 day delivery (it was cheap), so when I got this tracking number about half an hour later, I figured it was for that, and I was like "wtf? Why'd they ship it ground?"

Then, I come on here and everyone's talking tracking numbers, and my first thought was: "Why haven't I gotten one ye-- Oh, wait a minute!"


----------



## gunshow86de

COBHC said:


> i got mine now from fedex



Has anyone using UPS received their tracking number yet?


----------



## djohns74

gunshow86de said:


> Has anyone using UPS received their tracking number yet?



Yep.


----------



## Våd Hamster

Stupid question here, but it was only the 1st run that had Ebony boards, right? No 2nd runs with Ebony?

-I wanted one with ebony, so I figured I'd lurk the Rondo page to make sure I got a double standard with ebony, but if there were never any made, I might as well get in on the 3rd run


----------



## Niels

And it's off from NH =D

BTW: maybe the NGD threads should be posted in a single thread instead of flooding the forum with massive ammounts =p


----------



## Krankguitarist

Oh hell, I just realized that the scheduled delivery for my package was in the original quantum view e-mail.

March 9th. God dammit, I hate living on the west coast.

Uh...though the international bros have more to complain about than me .


----------



## Niels

Krankguitarist said:


> Oh hell, I just realized that the scheduled delivery for my package was in the original quantum view e-mail.
> 
> March 9th. God dammit, I hate living on the west coast.
> 
> Uh...though the international bros have more to complain about than me .



I live in the Netherlands and they expect mine to arrive at March 6th =p


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

Hopefully, I should be getting a track# notice too.

On a slightly different note: Would anyone know if there are any problems with 'larger gauge' strings and locking tuners like Sperzels? I was thinking of putting in locking tuners but I've never used a gauge higher than 60. Will they fit and lock? Should I post this query elsewhere?


----------



## Krankguitarist

Niels said:


> I live in the Netherlands and they expect mine to arrive at March 6th =p



Dude...California sucks.



DrunkenMonkey said:


> Hopefully, I should be getting a track# notice too.
> 
> On a slightly different note: Would anyone know if there are any problems with 'larger gauge' strings and locking tuners like Sperzels? I was thinking of putting in locking tuners but I've never used a gauge higher than 60. Will they fit and lock? Should I post this query elsewhere?



Might have to un-wind the end of the string a bit before you put it into the sperzel. I know that my old carvin 7 string with sperzels didn't take too kindly to .060 gauge strings.


----------



## TomAwesome

I think there was a thread fairly recently about how if you contacted Sperzel, they'd drill them out to accommodate up to an .080" for you.


----------



## possumkiller

I put Sperzels on my flying v and I had to drill it out to accept a .054!


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

Thanks for the advice Chaps. I guess I'll be reaming some holes soon. Hehehe.


----------



## highlordmugfug

gunshow86de said:


> Has anyone using UPS received their tracking number yet?


Yup. As of like 2pm today.
EDIT: Estimated delivery is March 5th.


----------



## Adriatic

Krankguitarist said:


> Oh hell, I just realized that the scheduled delivery for my package was in the original quantum view e-mail.
> 
> March 9th. God dammit, I hate living on the west coast.
> 
> Uh...though the international bros have more to complain about than me .


 
expected delivery is march 9th for me too...

how certain is this date? are fed ex spot on?.. because i think i want to take this day off work so i can make sure its safe...instead of it sitting outside my house..


----------



## eegor

Got my tracking number, but I think it's only for one of my Intrepids. It says it's only one package and it's 17 pounds, so I think the other will ship tomorrow. Expected delivery (according to the email) is this Friday. I hope it gets here by then.


----------



## highlordmugfug

eegor said:


> Got my tracking number, but I think it's only for one of my Intrepids. It says it's only one package and it's 17 pounds, so I think the other will ship tomorrow. Expected delivery (according to the email) is this Friday. I hope it gets here by then.


I'm guessing you didn't get a case?


----------



## eegor

Couldn't get the money in time, so no.


----------



## djohns74

Niels said:


> BTW: maybe the NGD threads should be posted in a single thread instead of flooding the forum with massive ammounts =p



Oh come on now, what fun would that be? Though I predict that there will be many who will be calling for this very thing before the end of the week. I casually refer to these people as "jealous".


----------



## highlordmugfug

eegor said:


> Couldn't get the money in time, so no.


Ah. (My weight is 27 lbs. I got a case. I figured that was the reason for the difference.)


----------



## DagMX

Yay, got tracking info today. Sweet. Should be here March 10th so in pretty much a week.
Guess the case is shipping with the guitar, or with the guitar inside it. Can't wait.



highlordmugfug said:


> Ah. (My weight is 27 lbs. I got a case. I figured that was the reason for the difference.)



Really? which intrepid did you order? Mine's 25lbs...


----------



## highlordmugfug

DagMX said:


> Yay, got tracking info today. Sweet. Should be here March 10th so in pretty much a week.
> Guess the case is shipping with the guitar, or with the guitar inside it. Can't wait.
> 
> 
> 
> Really? which intrepid did you order? Mine's 25lbs...


Oceanburst pro with the Intrepid case (not the bass case that fits the Intrepid. I got the one specifically for the Intrepid).


----------



## Slayer89

Mine is scheduled for the 9th as well. In for a verrrry long week. Oh well, have a couple concerts this week, so should be a good one.


----------



## DagMX

highlordmugfug said:


> Oceanburst pro with the Intrepid case (not the bass case that fits the Intrepid. I got the one specifically for the Intrepid).



Guess the pros are a little heavier then. I got the intrepid dual standard with the intrepid case.


----------



## Cameron

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME MARCH 5th


----------



## darren

They're all likely to have some weight variation. I had a Standard and a Pro from the first run, and the Pro was about a pound _lighter_, much to my surprise.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> They're all likely to have some weight variation. I had a Standard and a Pro from the first run, and the Pro was about a pound _lighter_, much to my surprise.


Guess so. Also, I feel heavily obligated to thank you for this.  to you.


----------



## Urbane

djohns74 said:


> Oh come on now, what fun would that be? Though I predict that there will be many who will be calling for this very thing before the end of the week. I casually refer to these people as "jealous".


 

well then you can consider me jealous because i cannot wait for these pics to come out


----------



## eegor

UPS confirmed Friday delivery for at least one of my Intrepids. I'll probably get the other one on Monday.

Damn it, this week is going to be almost as tortuous as the past 6 months.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Cameron said:


> ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME MARCH 5th


SAME HERE!

I am going to slay the posers(almost every other guitarist) in my area come Thursday


----------



## Total Eclipse

Am I the only one getting one on March 3rd?


----------



## highlordmugfug

Total Eclipse said:


> Am I the only one getting one on March 3rd?


YOU BASTARD! That's in like 3 hours and twenty minutes!
But yeah, I guess. Lucky man. We expect pics. And clips. You know, basic new-guitfiddle prOn.


----------



## Total Eclipse

I may not sleep tonight...


----------



## gunshow86de

Am I the only one who HASN'T gotten a tracking number yet?

So now I have to deal with not having a tracking number and this?

Son of a bitch!


----------



## eegor

Total Eclipse said:


> Am I the only one getting one on March 3rd?



You and your close proximity to Kurt.


----------



## highlordmugfug

gunshow86de said:


> Am I the only one who HASN'T gotten a tracking number yet?
> 
> So now I have to deal with not having a tracking number and this?
> 
> Son of a bitch!


Have you thought of setting a boobytrap to keep him there if he shows up while you aren't around? Be careful though, make sure it won't harm the guitar.


----------



## raisingfear101

eegor said:


> You and your close proximity to Kurt.



i thought kurts in ma?


----------



## Anthony

ThursdayThursdayThursdayThursdayThursday


----------



## highlordmugfug

I mean
ThursdayThursdayThursdayThursday
As well.


----------



## Anthony

raisingfear101 said:


> i thought kurts in ma?



Kurt is in the air we breathe, the sky, the trees, the food we eat, Kurt is everywhere. Kurt fills the heaven and the Earth. Kurt is present in all places; however, our conception of Him must not be of Him filling space, as water fills a jug, for He has no physical or material dimensions.


----------



## lefty robb

Total Eclipse said:


> Am I the only one getting one on March 3rd?




nope, I too also only live 1 state away, problem is if they are past 3:30 I will be at work and will need to put a will call hold on it and pick it up at the hub on the 4th before work.


----------



## gunshow86de

lefty robb said:


> nope, I too also only live 1 state away, problem is if they are past 3:30 I will be at work and will need to put a will call hold on it and pick it up at the hub on the 4th before work.



Now that I have your tracking number, just a quick call to UPS to have it redirected, and ta-da! I have two Intrepids!

Seriously though, you might want to remove this screencap.


----------



## highlordmugfug

gunshow86de said:


> Seriously though, you might want to remove this screencap.


Yeah I was thinking that. 

You may want to watch that shit like a hawk now man. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! or CONSTANT SOMEONE GOING STEAL YO SHIT!


----------



## hotrodded_wooden_ mill

gunshow86de said:


> Now that I have your tracking number, just a quick call to UPS to have it redirected, and ta-da! I have two Intrepids!
> 
> Seriously though, you might want to remove this screencap.



+ 1


----------



## raisingfear101

Anthony said:


> Kurt is in the air we breathe, the sky, the trees, the food we eat, Kurt is everywhere. Kurt fills the heaven and the Earth. Kurt is present in all places; however, our conception of Him must not be of Him filling space, as water fills a jug, for He has no physical or material dimensions.



thats right. my bad


----------



## Wound

I'm not stressing...same as last time I will be one of the last to recieve this. Estimated delivery is March 13th


----------



## COBHC

Mines listed expected for march 9th

Im pretty happy about that , basically 1 week fedex ground to west coast canada . Cant complain.


----------



## plyta

Mine says weight is 26 lbs. but I didn't order a case


----------



## gunshow86de

Wound said:


> I'm not stressing...same as last time I will be one of the last to recieve this. Estimated delivery is March 13th



I am stressing.

I know I've asked it numerous times, but is there anyone else who hasn't received their tracking number yet?

I don't understand why I haven't, I am already paid up for both the guitar and the case. I don't really feel like annoying Kurt with an email, but I just need some assurance that I am not the only one.


----------



## darren

Don't stress. He's likely had a huge shipment come in, and i wouldn't be surprised if it takes him at least a couple of days to process all the orders.

Patience!


----------



## highlordmugfug

plyta said:


> Mine says weight is 26 lbs. but I didn't order a case


Maybe you got a fatty. Or maybe a case by mistake, only time will tell I suppose.


----------



## darren

It may also be that since these are "oversize" items, they ship as a dimensional 'weight' and not an actual scale weight.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> It may also be that since these are "oversize" items, they ship as a dimensional 'weight' and not an actual scale weight.


Which makes sense, so long as 27lbs is UPS with intrepid case and 26lbs is fedex (or whatever other place be delivering).


----------



## hairychris

I can has FedEx tracking number. Woo!


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Only two more days!


----------



## Total Eclipse

Ohhhh digity damn.... its in transit from the station less than 10 miles away.  Should be here within a couple hours!


----------



## Jack Klompus1

Has anyone been able to confirm whether the date for the next run will be on March 3rd or May 5th?


----------



## lefty robb

gunshow86de said:


> Now that I have your tracking number, just a quick call to UPS to have it redirected, and ta-da! I have two Intrepids!
> 
> Seriously though, you might want to remove this screencap.




If you want to use it as a table since its a lefty and you can't play it.


Argh its getting closer!


----------



## Total Eclipse

Sir I challenge you to a race to see who gets theirs first.


----------



## Groff

Tracking number!!!!!!!!

Mine'll be here wednesday!!!

  !!!


----------



## gunshow86de

Still no tracking number


----------



## hairychris

Here on the 6th apparently. If so, then nice! Toy for the weekend!


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

highlordmugfug said:


> Maybe you got a fatty. Or maybe a case by mistake, only time will tell I suppose.



My UPS notification has a weight of 17lbs. Which sounds right if you're not getting a case. Mine is scheduled for tomorrow. 

It's been really cold here in NYC. I hope I don't need to adjust the neck, but it is coming from NH. So I think it should be fine.


----------



## dsm3sx

My Pro is out for delivery....

I should have it in a few hours....just in time for rehearsal tonight 

Now the torture of the zero hour coming


----------



## gunshow86de

I HAS MY TRACKING NUMBER FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have an estimated delivery date yet, I caught it just as they put the number up. I haven't even received the email from Rondo yet. I found it on my order status page.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Holy shit, I'm excited and I have nothing coming over this way...I can't wait for the left overs to show up. Enjoy them guys!


----------



## Demerge

yahoo! here by friday 6pm! 'mon tha weekend!


----------



## Total Eclipse

ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE UNBOXING IT NOW!!!!!


----------



## highlordmugfug

Total Eclipse said:


> ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE UNBOXING IT NOW!!!!!



PICS NOW!


----------



## TomAwesome

Total Eclipse said:


> ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE UNBOXING IT NOW!!!!!



Less posting, more opening and photographing.


...then more posting.


----------



## Total Eclipse

cuttin this beeotch....





double boxed....





















.... whats this!?






DOMINATION!


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

Awesome! Congrats you Albany Bastid!


----------



## highlordmugfug

OMNOMNOM!
It's gorgeous. Thursday needs to get here now.


----------



## lefty robb

UPS is running stupid slow today and I think I'm going to miss him, I should just call them now to have them hold it at the hub so I can pick it up tomorrow..........

Or call out from work


----------



## darren

Congratulations! It looks awesome!


----------



## highlordmugfug

Total Eclipse said:


> cuttin this beeotch....
> 
> 
> double boxed....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .... whats this!?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DOMINATION!


These shots. The headstock shape and the wood are so beautiful.


----------



## darren

You should take that hideous truss rod cover off.


----------



## Total Eclipse

I actually like it. It goes with the angle at the top of the headstock rather nicely imo.


----------



## darren

I'd rather see wood than plastic. 

Besides, i also want to see if they corrected the truss rod spacing on the Pro models.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Gots my trackin numba!!!!
Thursday!


----------



## highlordmugfug

My guitar are in Pennsylvania. Too damn far away. 2 days. Damn.


----------



## eegor

Holy shit, that picstory makes me even more anxious to get my guitar.

Fuck, get here now, Friday!


----------



## Mike_F

So guess i really have to decide whether i want a standard or pro on this next one. So which one guys? It's up in the air at this point.


----------



## Urbane

im sorry if this is a stupid question but i would love to get a pro but did they ever make one with dual humbuckers because thats the only reason i would decide to get a standard


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Urbane said:


> im sorry if this is a stupid question but i would love to get a pro but did they ever make one with dual humbuckers because thats the only reason i would decide to get a standard




Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus at HomeOld

Two days until you can place an order.


----------



## Cameron

darren said:


> You should take that hideous truss rod cover off.



Hahahaha I thought I was the only one who loathed it lol


----------



## Urbane

remorse is for the dead said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus at HomeOld
> 
> Two days until you can place an order.


 
you are an awesome awesome person now i have two days to decide if i wanna take this offer or the third runs which may come out better because of trial and error if you know what i mean


----------



## gunshow86de

Well I officially lose. I get mine next Tuesday, March 10. I guess that's what I get for all my bitching about the wait time.


----------



## possumkiller

I totally agree with the hideous trussrod cover. Please Kurt just make them coverless next go round eh?

The angle does go well with the headstock shape (which is a BADASS headstock shape) it just looks horrible done in b/w plastic.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

He just posted those, I think those are left overs, I'm waiting for a charcoal one, if they don't show up, I'll wait for the next batch.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Rondo Music Electric Guitars
Ocean Burst Pro pics as well as others.


----------



## darren

Whoa... Pro Dual passive? That wasn't in the last run, was it?

Pro Ebony, too! Looks like Kurt's been sneaky and made some new ones while we weren't looking!


----------



## Cameron

Thinking about people ordering for the NEXT run waiting makes 4 days look really nice.


----------



## darren

Meh: 

















That's pretty much how i expected that might look, and why i never showed a trans blue burst over mahogany. The orangey-brown under the blue is just a bad mix.

This, however...














OMNOM!


----------



## Cameron

Yeah that looks really weird. it should have just been full blue without burst. Like the headstock.


----------



## highlordmugfug

I like it a lot. It's unique.


----------



## darren

NOM!


----------



## Fred

Not at all keen on the oceanburst, but all the others are very nice indeed! Still can't quite get along with the body shape, but eh...


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> NOM!


Hell yes "NOM!"! Too bad I'm poor now.


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

Ebony board?!?!?! Dammit! And it's $100 more. 
Anyone want to trade when they get them?


----------



## possumkiller

i think all of them look awesome! its a great variety. and that body with that head you just cant go freakin wrong. its beautiful. one of the sexiest guitars ive ever seen.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

YAY! Blood Burst is SEXY! Mine is still 2 days away


----------



## FireaL

Man i cant wait now, though i wish the pickup was a bit closer to bridge but thats being picky.


----------



## eegor

Damn it! Kurt made the fucking dual passive pro and didn't tell me! It's so fucking beautiful!

Also, Oceanburst doesn't look good imo on the Pro. Luckily, it looks fantastic on the Standard.


----------



## Shannon

Ya know, I may just say screw it & buy one of these on the 5th. I've owned a couple of 30" scale 6-strings tuned down an octave. I may do something similiar with these.


----------



## lefty robb

gatesofcarnage said:


> YAY! Blood Burst is SEXY! Mine is still 2 days away


 

Hell yes it is, now I'm glad I got it..

Update, I missed the UPS guy, damn you work and responsabilitys, but I am picking it up myself at the Hub tommorow around 1 or 2, then my GF is comming over that night with a $1000 Canon so I will get some sick detailed shots.


----------



## Cameron

Fred said:


> Still can't quite get along with the body shape, but eh...



That little hook thing isnt growing on me either. (For $600 though, I can ignore it.)


----------



## possumkiller

well you could always shell out the 1500 for an rg2228 or 1000 for an ltd.


----------



## DagMX

umm I probably missed it somewhere or the other....but pics of bloodburst standards?


----------



## darren

BTW, there is a lefty:

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Nat Maple FB Left Handed at HomeOld


----------



## gatesofcarnage

lefty robb said:


> Hell yes it is, now I'm glad I got it..
> 
> Update, I missed the UPS guy, damn you work and responsabilitys, but I am picking it up myself at the Hub tommorow around 1 or 2, then my GF is comming over that night with a $1000 Canon so I will get some sick detailed shots.


 Sucks you missed the UPS man but at least you get yours a day before me. Can wait to see your NGD


----------



## possumkiller

in all honesty i find myself strangely attracted to the oceanburst pro

however what i really want is a charcoal dual cepheus pro with ebony fretboard. that is what i pray for at night


----------



## COBHC

damn im glad i ordered the bloodburst and not the ocean

very unique but not my kinda thing

The ebony board on the natural pro is orgasmic.


----------



## TomAwesome

The pros have dual passives this run? Yay! The bridge pickup is still kind of far from the bridge, but I'm still happy. I hope more color options will be available. Hrmm.


----------



## darren

Dual-passive Pro seems to be one of a few models available this week. And since there are photos of these, it looks like they may be "extra" instruments Kurt ordered for inventory, which means there won't be a long, agonizing wait.


----------



## Galius

darren said:


> Whoa... Pro Dual passive? That wasn't in the last run, was it?
> 
> Pro Ebony, too! Looks like Kurt's been sneaky and made some new ones while we weren't looking!


Looks like im ordering one on Thursday. Im trying to decide if its worth the extra $100 for the ebony board or if I should go for the bloodburst pro. Hell mabey he will post some nice looking standards! If he did in fact order a bunch of extras to sell that was a win on his part.



darren said:


> Dual-passive Pro seems to be one of a few models available this week. And since there are photos of these, it looks like they may be "extra" instruments Kurt ordered for inventory, which means there won't be a long, agonizing wait.


----------



## eegor

Yay! Got the tracking number for my second Intrepid as well as a delivery date.


----------



## proggm

darren said:


> BTW, there is a lefty:
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Nat Maple FB Left Handed at HomeOld



This time I'm gonna buy it for sure - I mean, it's a *LEFTY* production 8 string, those things don't happen often.


----------



## highlordmugfug

possumkiller said:


> in all honesty i find myself strangely attracted to the oceanburst pro
> 
> however what i really want is a charcoal dual cepheus pro with ebony fretboard. that is what i pray for at night


Great minds must think alike. I agree with all you've said in this post, good sir.


----------



## darren

Just for shits and giggles, if any of you want to MAP your package's progress, enter your waybill number on this site:

Boxoh universal package tracking: UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL with RSS and Maps


----------



## highlordmugfug

Aye Darren, I noticed you not liking the trussrod cover...and also notice that it is still on your guitar in your avatar... I must say, "CONFUSION ABOUUUUUUUNDS ME!


----------



## plyta

mouldy guitar


----------



## Anthony

I better get this today, it's 20 minutes away from me.


----------



## stuh84

Mines gone from New Hampshire to Indianapolis, to then come to the UK, its travelled about a 1000 miles the wrong way already!


----------



## elrrek

Nice stuff, but does anyone know if there are going to be any Standards in the 3rd round?


----------



## Hypothermia

elrrek said:


> Nice stuff, but does anyone know if there are going to be any Standards in the 3rd round?


 
Why can't the leftys like me get PAINTED intrepids


----------



## hairychris

stuh84 said:


> Mines gone from New Hampshire to Indianapolis, to then come to the UK, its travelled about a 1000 miles the wrong way already!



Nah, FedEx ships international out of Indianapolis so it's gone the right way for us.  Next notification should be from the UK.

EDIT: son of a bitch, the Pro's available with dual passive in the next run. FUUUUCK!!! Do want.


----------



## Wound

wow that bloodburst looks really nice...the ocean burst is definately not for me...


----------



## dsm3sx

Got mine last night about 6 pm'ish...

I must say visually it is right on.

I removed the truss rod cover and the rout channels are nice and even.

The neck has color consistency and the wood and is symmetrical.

All the headstock decals have been clear coated over (don't know if this was done on the proto run.

And most important... I think Kurt moved the bridge back a bit.

I was attempting to intonate late last night with my strobo-flip and I had to shorten the F saddle by like 4mm!!!

I haven't finished intonating as I will get it done later today. 

Darren-

I will post some pics shortly of these features as I am pretty sure you would like to see them.


----------



## Groff

darren said:


> This, however...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OMNOM!



HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!

Mines coming today and I'm dying of anticipation!!!


----------



## Groff

plyta said:


> mouldy guitar



You know... I don't really mind the mahogany color of it. It's certainly not what it *should* be, but something about it is cool. Maybe I just love the look of mahogany


----------



## dsm3sx

Groff said:


> You know... I don't really mind the mahogany color of it. It's certainly not what it *should* be, but something about it is cool. Maybe I just love the look of mahogany


 Even better...
Oiled mahogany.....mmmm


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> Just for shits and giggles, if any of you want to MAP your package's progress, enter your waybill number on this site:
> 
> Boxoh universal package tracking: UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL with RSS and Maps



Enabler


----------



## gunshow86de

Argghhh, why did I choose UPS ground?

I distinctly remember 6 months ago thinking to myself, "if I have to wait that long, than I should be able to wait a few extra days no problem."

What a fool I have been! I guess I forgot to take in to account the jealousy factor. It seems like I'm going to be the last one to receive mine


----------



## dsm3sx

Finished setting up the beast with the Petersen...

The truss rods needed a quick 1/8 to 1/4 turn

The bridge had to of been moved back.
This guitar is in near perfect intonation and look at the bridge-



I tuned it to F standard

Actually I need a longer screw for the saddle on the Eb and Ab strings, as it is just barely threaded. A quick trip to hardware store will cure that. It looks like a M3mm x 14mm Phillips head, so a M3 x 16mm will do.

Truss rod channels -


----------



## darren

highlordmugfug said:


> Aye Darren, I noticed you not liking the trussrod cover...and also notice that it is still on your guitar in your avatar... I must say, "CONFUSION ABOUUUUUUUNDS ME!



Heh. The guitar in my avatar i don't even possess any more. That was my Intrepid Pro that i sent back within a week of getting it. I should probably take some fresh shots with my Standard.


----------



## Groff

dsm3sx said:


> Even better...
> Oiled mahogany.....mmmm



Yes! I had a red oiled SG years ago, I wish I still had it. Beautiful guitar.


----------



## gaunten

hmmm, now I actually have some anticipation for this guitar, I mean, it wasn't long ago I got my interceptor and roter custom 8 string, so I kinda had my GAS controlled, but after seeing some pics here, I think I'm gonna go pretty nuts when it arrives. it got shipped yesterday, so I'll probably get it next week or so


----------



## djohns74

Holy mother of god, that Bloodburst looks freaking amazing! For about five minutes there, I doubted whether I made the right choice, but those doubts are gone now. Hot damn, do I want to fast forward to tomorrow.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> Heh. The guitar in my avatar i don't even possess any more. That was my Intrepid Pro that i sent back within a week of getting it. I should probably take some fresh shots with my Standard.


You really should!  
My guitar is in Ohio. So close yet so far, come on TOMORROW!


----------



## Hypothermia

I never found this at the rondomusic website.
When will this model and color be available for purchase/order?
The only lefty Intrepid i find is the natural one, and i dont want that




lefty robb said:


> Here...to tease you..(although this one is a standard, pro's didn't have 2 pickups, so I didn't get it)


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

darren said:


> NOM!



F!!!

*I think a spaulted model is required for next run. *


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

It's in the building! Got delivered this morning to the mail-room at my job. Hopefully it's a 'light' day here at the J-O-B. Only problem, the big-wigs are in town. That's all I need, have them walk into my office and I'm sitting here noodling on an 8-string. Comedy!


----------



## Galius

elrrek said:


> Nice stuff, but does anyone know if there are going to be any Standards in the 3rd round?


 
I would imagine so. Its looking like the Intrepids on Rondos site are for immediate sale as he already has pictures and the full price is on them instead of a deposit like for pre-order pieces.



hairychris said:


> son of a bitch, the Pro's available with dual passive in the next run. FUUUUCK!!! Do want.


 They may be available in the morning. Mabey some people ordered them special and didnt go though with the full payment.


----------



## lefty robb

Hypothermia said:


> I never found this at the rondomusic website.
> When will this model and color be available for purchase/order?
> The only lefty Intrepid i find is the natural one, and i dont want that




They were available during the pre-order run, I wouldn't be surprised if only 2 or 3 were made.


----------



## hairychris

Galius said:


> They may be available in the morning. Mabey some people ordered them special and didnt go though with the full payment.



Nah, problem being that a pro is already on it's way to me.... can't afford 2.


----------



## Galius

I got a reply from Kurt. Turns out the Intrepids posted on the Rondo page are in fact extras from what sounds like a pretty big number of cancelled orders. Looks like I will have one ordered and on the way to me tomorrow!!


----------



## TemjinStrife

The blueburst Pro looks great to me.

I still think it's crazy that I'm GASing for some of these and yet I've already got an Intrepid Pro!


----------



## darren

But a lot of them are variants that have not been seen before.


----------



## Galius

darren said:


> But a lot of them are variants that have not been seen before.


 
Yeah it does seem funny. How many people could have ordered the same variants and then cancelled. Mabey the variants only have 1 each available. For some reason the natural finish dont get my rocks off as much as before which kinda sucks because I love the look of the ebony board thats only on the nat pro. I usually hate maple boards but the contrast on the bloodburst is pretty sweet looking so that might be where my money is. Im checking to see if any standards are going to be posted as well though because depending on which ones there are I might spring on one of those first. I dont know if I would want a neck thru or bolt on. Im so at battle with myself LOL


----------



## Emperoff

Ok, I REALLY want a dual cepheus standard in bloodburst right now...


----------



## MFB

OK, so I havent had internet at my house for a while but where are the other models of the Standard for pre-order? All I've seen online are the Ocean Burst


----------



## FireaL

Mines in the uk! Will i get custom charged to fook.... we shall see.


----------



## Groff

Mine just came in!!!!!!!!!!

I went over it a few times, absolutely flawless, everything is aligned, no scratches dings or dents, not marks... Just awesome!

The standard pickup is rather surprising actually.


Pics and a video tomorrow!
First thought when first seeing it "Holy small frets batman!"


----------



## lefty robb

I just got mine as well, been playing around with it a bit, the neck is not as scary as I thought it would be, its rather thin, well, thinner than a schecter anyways, maybe even thinner than my old ESP Ltd M-207. Now I just gotta get used to the scale length.

Oh and it seems no one intonated my guitar and the frets seem rather rough, looks like I have to polish them, but other than that no flaws from what I can tell.


----------



## Galius

MFB said:


> OK, so I havent had internet at my house for a while but where are the other models of the Standard for pre-order? All I've seen online are the Ocean Burst


 
Those arent for pre order, they are cancelled orders and extras he is selling off. Not sure if there are any standards left over.


----------



## DarkKnight369

This color turned out better than I thought. Some guy at the ESP boards got one and it looks HOTTT!!!

















He uses his photobooth on the Mac though which reverses the pictures and he didn't fix them...


----------



## Galius

Is that the oceanburst? I was looking at the pics on the site and it just dosent look right to me.


----------



## possumkiller

ok i am officially turned on by the oceanburst pro


----------



## DarkKnight369

Galius said:


> Is that the oceanburst? I was looking at the pics on the site and it just dosent look right to me.



It is indeed the oceanburst.


----------



## Anthony

I has one I has one!


----------



## Rommel

FYI....all Intrepid "extras" are now IN STOCK. Looks like you don't have to wait 'til 3/5/09 to place your order.


----------



## bs_tritonus

It is 3/5/09 here!


----------



## proggm

Just ordered my lefty 8


----------



## Groff

So i'm re-stringing to my tastes and noticed something.... The .59 I'm putting on the B string is noticeably THICKER than the ".72" on the lowest string that came on it....


----------



## AgileLefty

lefty robb said:


> I just got mine as well, been playing around with it a bit, the neck is not as scary as I thought it would be, its rather thin, well, thinner than a schecter anyways, maybe even thinner than my old ESP Ltd M-207. Now I just gotta get used to the scale length.
> 
> Oh and it seems no one intonated my guitar and the frets seem rather rough, looks like I have to polish them, but other than that no flaws from what I can tell.


 
robb - if you get the chance, i'd love to see some real pics of the lefty version



oh, and i just noticed under the dual darkburst standard it says "available in maple or rosewood. limited number of lefty models also available"



Agile Intrepid Dual Darkburst Standard 8 at HomeOld

i wonder if kurt is referring to the natural pro, or that the darkburst standard is also going to be available in lefty?

i don't remember reading about any standards in lefty before


----------



## Galius

Just completed my order for a the bloodburst pro!!! I would have waited to get a standard but I just want a single pickup and also didnt want to lose out by waiting to see what else pops up. I guess if it comes down to it I can play this one and just order a single standard for the next order. Either way seeing the bloodburst pros final pics made it my new favorite pro model (though it would look sweet with an ebony board but oh well) Also I guess I like the idea of the hipshot over the one on the standards since ive already owned other models of the hipshot before and know its nice. Its gonna be bad ass if I have it in time for practice on tuesday....but the hardest part is going to be not telling the guys at our shows this weekend.


----------



## windu

hhey everyone. had a quick question turns out i just now got my w2 and wont be getting the cash for about 2 weeks. i wanna spend it on one of these 8 strings. think they will still be available in 2 weeks? lol 

and that oceanburst looks super sexy. looks better then the rendition on the rondo


----------



## lefty robb

AgileLefty said:


> robb - if you get the chance, i'd love to see some real pics of the lefty version


 
Yes, I will be taking many pics when I get home from work, so hopefully by the morning I will get them up, the GF is bringing her very awesome camera, (Nikon d-40).


----------



## TomAwesome

windu said:


> hhey everyone. had a quick question turns out i just now got my w2 and wont be getting the cash for about 2 weeks. i wanna spend it on one of these 8 strings. think they will still be available in 2 weeks? lol
> 
> and that oceanburst looks super sexy. looks better then the rendition on the rondo



The next run of preorders is starting on the 11th I think, so you can probably get in on that depending on how long Kurt keeps it open.


----------



## windu

TomAwesome said:


> The next run of preorders is starting on the 11th I think, so you can probably get in on that depending on how long Kurt keeps it open.



tomawesome your awesome! thanks =)

so if these are preorders then will i only need half deposit down like the last run? and pay the rest when its ready?


----------



## TomAwesome

windu said:


> tomawesome your awesome! thanks =)
> 
> so if these are preorders then will i only need half deposit down like the last run? and pay the rest when its ready?



I dunno. The dual darkburst standard that's up there seems to be a preorder item and is listed at full price.


----------



## Galius

windu said:


> tomawesome your awesome! thanks =)
> 
> so if these are preorders then will i only need half deposit down like the last run? and pay the rest when its ready?


Yes but the ones listed are readily available extras from this last run. You will know then the pre orders are up because they will list the expected completion date and only ask for half the payment.


----------



## JoeGuitar717

Just got my Intrepid Pro Today. It is freaking AMAZING!!

Rondo/Agile is definately top quality.


----------



## Galius

Just got the email saying that the stsndards had very few cancelled orders. I might just order a standard on the next run.


----------



## eegor

Damn it! All of you getting your Intrepids before me is starting to piss me off! Why can't Friday get here any quicker?!


----------



## gunshow86de

Would anyone be interested in buying a single pickup charcoal standard when I get it on Tuesday? Same price I paid for it, not a cent more.

I really want to order one of the dual pickup pro's. My tastes have changed a little bit since 6 months ago, and I really want a neck pickup.


----------



## highlordmugfug

gunshow86de said:


> Would anyone be interested in buying a single pickup charcoal standard when I get it on Tuesday? Same price I paid for it, not a cent more.
> 
> I really want to order one of the dual pickup pro's. My tastes have changed a little bit since 6 months ago, and I really want a neck pickup.


Ebony board? Maybe. I'm Interested.
Also, my Oceanburst pro is on it's way to me. It's in my state now.


----------



## Urbane

i just need to convince my parents now to let me order the dual pro.. any tips haha


----------



## eegor

You need to come up with a strategy for connecting the purchase of this instrument with the furthering of your musical skills. Works like a charm for me, but I've spent a lot of time perfecting that art.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

gunshow86de said:


> Would anyone be interested in buying a single pickup charcoal standard when I get it on Tuesday? Same price I paid for it, not a cent more.
> 
> I really want to order one of the dual pickup pro's. My tastes have changed a little bit since 6 months ago, and I really want a neck pickup.



I sent you a pm


----------



## TomAwesome

Screw it. I don't know whether or not there will be a passive pickup option on the next run of Pros, so I just ordered one. For anyone else who really wanted a Pro with passives, you best hurry. There are only two left.


----------



## gunshow86de

TomAwesome said:


> Screw it. I don't know whether or not there will be a passive pickup option on the next run of Pros, so I just ordered one. For anyone else who really wanted a Pro with passives, you best hurry. There are only two left.



And I just picked up one of them!

And Victor is going to be getting my single pup standard!


----------



## Galius

gunshow86de said:


> And I just picked up one of them!
> 
> And Victor is going to be getting my single pup standard!


 
Glad to see so many people getting what they want. It sounds like this run is going way better in quality and options then the last run. I was actually checking the stock and there are only 1-2 left of each model and 4 ocean bursts left.


----------



## mmotorsport

my newest addidions


----------



## remorse is for the dead

Can't wait!!


----------



## Galius

Hot damn that rosewood board looks sexayyyy!! As much as I shouldnt I might order one of the extras of that model with the rosewood board.......must....resist........ So after inspection and play time whats your verdict on the quality and feel?


mmotorsport said:


> my newest addidions


----------



## Groff

You know, with the exception of the long upper horn, the body isn't at all bigger than my Schecters.


----------



## TomAwesome

gunshow86de said:


> And I just picked up one of them!
> 
> And Victor is going to be getting my single pup standard!



One left!



mmotorsport said:


> my newest addidions



Those are nice! These look so great with ebony. That's half the reason I hesitated to pull the trigger. A Pro with different color options and an ebony board would just be so damn nice. Ensuring that I get passive pickups was more important, though.


----------



## gunshow86de

Would anyone be interested in buying my extra Cepheus pickup (the stock Agile passive) once I switch it out with the BKP?

Agile sold them for $80, so I could do $50 shipped. I don't see them on the Rondo site anymore, so this might be your only chance to buy one.


----------



## darren

gunshow86de said:


> Would anyone be interested in buying a single pickup charcoal standard when I get it on Tuesday? Same price I paid for it, not a cent more.
> 
> I really want to order one of the dual pickup pro's. My tastes have changed a little bit since 6 months ago, and I really want a neck pickup.



Why not just buy another pickup and have it installed? That's what i did.


----------



## gunshow86de

darren said:


> Why not just buy another pickup and have it installed? That's what i did.



Well the deal is already worked out, Victor (remorse is for the dead) is buying my standard, and I bought one of the last dual pup pros.

It's more than just having a neck pickup. My taste has changed since I ordered six months ago. I'm really digging the natural finish and the 5 piece neck.


----------



## Hypothermia

lefty robb said:


> They were available during the pre-order run, I wouldn't be surprised if only 2 or 3 were made.


 
Hmm okay, but does anyone know if they will be available in the next run (the bloodburst lefty dual pup)?
Or do i have to go Custom to get that awesome looking guitar?


Also, the next run is 11th what? March?

Im going to get one of these for my 18th birthday


----------



## gunshow86de

Hypothermia said:


> Hmm okay, but does anyone know if they will be available in the next run (the bloodburst lefty dual pup)?
> Or do i have to go Custom to get that awesome looking guitar?
> 
> 
> Also, the next run is 11th what? March?
> 
> Im going to get one of these for my 18th birthday



You should email Kurt about this. If he plans on doing some more lefty models you might be able to get one without having to pay the custom price, provided you do not go too far off the spec.

Also, all of the dual pup pros are now gone. I am glad I did not hesitate.


----------



## Hypothermia

I just emailed him.
it would be so badass if i could get one of those in the next run




gunshow86de said:


> You should email Kurt about this. If he plans on doing some more lefty models you might be able to get one without having to pay the custom price, provided you do not go too far off the spec.
> 
> Also, all of the dual pup pros are now gone. I am glad I did not hesitate.


----------



## hairychris

Fucking Hell. Mine's just arrived at work. Awesomely fast delivery!! 

Cameraphone NGD to follow I think!


----------



## Cameron

This is the best school day ever. Ill have (sick) ngd around 3:00 as well.


----------



## hairychris

The Oceanburst looks nice on the Pro in person BUT there's a 1" finish chip on the front... Arse. Kurt's been mailed!


----------



## windu

so ima go to my bank today and pull out a laon to get that ocean burst 8 string

i want a neck pickup in it tho. would it be rather difficult to get a neck pickup installed on the ocean burst pro? would i need to find a badass luthier?


----------



## gunshow86de

windu said:


> so ima go to my bank today and pull out a laon to get that ocean burst 8 string
> 
> i want a neck pickup in it tho. would it be rather difficult to get a neck pickup installed on the ocean burst pro? would i need to find a badass luthier?



Pickup routing is pretty standard fare for any luthier. It shouldn't be a problem.


----------



## darren

Routing for the pickup itself shouldn't be that hard for a good luthier or tech/repair person. It's getting the wiring channel from the neck pickup cavity to the control cavity that's a bitch. On a bolt-on, it's easy. On a neck-thru, not so much.


----------



## gunshow86de

So my dual pickup pro that I ordered yesterday will be here on Monday, but the single pickup standard I ordered 6 months ago won't be here until Tuesday?

Oh well, the dual is the one I'm keeping anyway.


----------



## Adriatic

............


----------



## Galius

Current count

3 oceanbursts
2 bloodbursts
9 NAT Maple FB Pros
4 NAT Ebony FB Pros

Looks like the leftys are gone and the page is removed from the site.


----------



## MFB

Damnit, I don't wanna wait another week for the preorders to start. I wish I hadn't seen the "3-5-09" and thought that was the start for them. This will be the worst week of waiting.


----------



## proggm

Galius said:


> Looks like the leftys are gone and the page is removed from the site.



Yep, I think there were 3 or 4 of those. I'm glad I bought one ASAP.


----------



## gunshow86de

MFB said:


> Damnit, I don't wanna wait another week for the preorders to start. I wish I hadn't seen the "3-5-09" and thought that was the start for them. This will be the worst week of waiting.



Try being one of the last to get theirs after waiting 6 months. Now that is a terrible wait.


----------



## darren

gunshow86de said:


> Try being one of the last to get theirs after waiting 6 months. Now that is a terrible wait.



Okay, we get it. 

Now shut up and wait.


----------



## MFB

gunshow86de said:


> Try being one of the last to get theirs after waiting 6 months. Now that is a terrible wait.


 
You still got it thought right?


----------



## Galius

Just when I thought everything was going great......they sold out of the black Intrepid cases. So Kurt wants to know if I will sub out a tweed. Not too happy about this.


----------



## darren

They made tweed Intrepid cases?


----------



## Galius

Yes they did. The black one was up there this morning but then after he sent me the message I looked and now theres only tweed ones on the page for sale. First time I had seen them.


----------



## gunshow86de

MFB said:


> You still got it thought right?



Not until Monday.


----------



## Galius

Werent people ordering the *Douglas BGC-200 AL Bass Case** for the intrepids before they had a specific case for the intrepid? If so does anyone know how well it fit?*


----------



## TomAwesome

Hypothermia said:


> Hmm okay, but does anyone know if they will be available in the next run (the bloodburst lefty dual pup)?
> Or do i have to go Custom to get that awesome looking guitar?
> 
> 
> Also, the next run is 11th what? March?
> 
> Im going to get one of these for my 18th birthday



I got a response from the email I sent last night, and he told me basically that he doesn't know yet what is going to be available this run and that he would be monitoring the forums in the meantime to help him decide.

Yeah, March 11th, but that was just me assuming based on the text on the page with the Intrepid Standard that's up there saying, "The Long Awaited Agile 8 String! Now available with neck and bridge pickup configuration --- Available for Order Starting 3-11-2009," so don't take it as an official statement.



Galius said:


> Just when I thought everything was going great......they sold out of the black Intrepid cases. So Kurt wants to know if I will sub out a tweed. Not too happy about this.



That's unfortunate, but at least they're still available. Tweed isn't all that ugly or anything, and it'll just throw people off that much more when you pull that beast out of it. I guess I got one of the last passive Intrepids _and_ one of the last black cases.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Still waiting for mine NGD to follow in a few hours!


----------



## Hypothermia

I mailed Kurt and got a response emmidiately and he says that the Red bloodburst dual-pup will be available in Lefty next round.


How long does it take after all orders are made to the day that they send the guitar?


----------



## Galius

Hypothermia said:


> I mailed Kurt and got a response emmidiately and he says that the Red bloodburst dual-pup will be available in Lefty next round.
> 
> 
> How long does it take after all orders are made to the day that they send the guitar?


 
Bout 5 months.


----------



## darren

It could be less. This run was longer because there was the heavy Christmas season in the middle.


----------



## TomAwesome

Didn't the first run also take about five months?



TomAwesome said:


> I guess I got one of the last passive Intrepids _and_ one of the last black cases.



Scratch that. I just got an email. I'm getting a tweed case.


----------



## troyguitar

So can anyone who has played the Standard and the Pro tell us if there is an actual quality difference between the two?

I would actually prefer the tone of a bolt-on, but if they don't play as nicely maybe I want a neck-thru.

And Kurt, if you're watching, I'll preorder at least one of these if you offer standard scale length for the next run. Preferably in a dual-passive-pickup layout as well.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

mmotorsport said:


> my newest addidions




MAN!!!! I am sooooo glad I swapped my order from Ocean Burst!!!! Mine should arrive today any minute now... sound clips are eminent.

** edit ** 
... after I "thank" my wife...


----------



## darren

I absolutely love that burst with the rosewood board.


----------



## Galius

I am officially getting the tweed case. Just so everyone knows he wont have the black intrepid cases until mid-late summer.


----------



## eegor

Ugh, I'm not waiting till Summer. I'm ordering two when I get home.


----------



## djohns74

Ha ha! Just got my Bloodburst Pro.  No fancy picstory or anything because, frankly, I'm just not that clever, and I'm at work, and I was too impatient to take pictures anyway. And, since the camera on my phone sucks, no pictures at all for the moment, though I will attempt to correct that when I get home.

The guitar looks even better in person than in the pictures, which is amazing. It's darker and less glossy and actually really reminds me of a Schecter Loomis, though I haven't seen one of those in person. Everything appears to be about flawless on mine, which is a bonus. Don't let earlier reports fool you though, the fretboard is positively monstrous. The neck feels Ibanez-thin, so it's very playable and should be easy to get used to. 

Being at work, I haven't plugged it in of course, but, not surprisingly, the intonation is not close, so a bit of setting up will be required. All part of the fun of getting a new guitar! Sucks that I sliced a finger on my fretting hand last night and so I can't REALLY try it out the way I'd like to, but so far this appears to be easily worth the price and maybe even worth the wait (though that part was torturous!)


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

eegor said:


> Ugh, I'm not waiting till Summer. I'm ordering two when I get home.



Crazy awesome.

Next time the shop opens, I am planning on getting a quote for an 8 string PRS shaped body with Spaulted Maple top... like the top he is selling with the new Vintage Teles... that top is thick!!


----------



## eegor

8-string PRS/shape = godly

Now I've got to factor in that shape into custom idea.


----------



## mmotorsport

darren said:


> I absolutely love that burst with the rosewood board.



The burst finish came out awesome indeed. Not as dark on the edges as the first run but definitely awesome nonetheless. Some ebony taking place of the rosewood could have been acceptable also, but no biggie.



troyguitar said:


> So can anyone who has played the Standard and the Pro tell us if there is an actual quality difference between the two?
> 
> I would actually prefer the tone of a bolt-on, but if they don't play as nicely maybe I want a neck-thru.
> 
> And Kurt, if you're watching, I'll preorder at least one of these if you offer standard scale length for the next run. Preferably in a dual-passive-pickup layout as well.



I just got one each Pro/Standard and what I can say is they both play great. I think they are both excellent quality. 
The bolt on neck _is_ a bit thinner than the thru. not enough to make it unplayable but you can tell a difference. 

hope that helps


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

IT. HAS. ARRIVED!


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Honestly, that dual darkbust is the nicest guitar there. It'd be better with an ebony board, and was neck-thru.

Guess i wait till next year's custom run.


----------



## Cameron

VERY IMPORTANT...

I just recieved my intrepid pro, and it doesnt fit the agile intrepid case. theres about an inch and a half of headstock more that doesnt fit. I'm assuming the case is supposed to fit the 2008 intrepid, and the 2009 new headstock is a bit longer, but I dont know for sure. Did anyone order their 2009 intrepid WITH a case and did it fit?


----------



## eegor

Maybe they sent you an Interceptor case. The Intrepid is only few inches longer, so it'd make sense if they mixed them up.


----------



## mmotorsport

Cameron said:


> VERY IMPORTANT...
> 
> I just recieved my intrepid pro, and it doesnt fit the agile intrepid case. theres about an inch and a half of headstock more that doesnt fit. I'm assuming the case is supposed to fit the 2008 intrepid, and the 2009 new headstock is a bit longer, but I dont know for sure. Did anyone order their 2009 intrepid WITH a case and did it fit?



I ordered two Intrepids and they came with two different cases. One came with the Douglas case which fit perfectly. The other came with a CNB brand case. The guitar fit lengthwise but the neck slid out of the pocket midway in the case and the guitar would almost turn sideways in the case.


----------



## Cameron

well it says "douglas intrepid case" in the reciept, but thanks anyway. I'm emailing kurt now.


----------



## TomAwesome

mmotorsport said:


> I ordered two Intrepids and they came with two different cases. One came with the Douglas case which fit perfectly. The other came with a CNB brand case. The guitar fit lengthwise but the neck slid out of the pocket midway in the case and the guitar would almost turn sideways in the case.



So to be clear, the 2009 Intrepid does fit properly into the Douglas Intrepid case then? Or was that one of last year's Intrepids?


----------



## Cameron

No, My 2009 intrepid DOES NOT fit in the douglas case. 

wallbash


----------



## Galius

Cameron said:


> No, My 2009 intrepid DOES NOT fit in the douglas case.
> 
> wallbash


 
If they didnt fit in the case that was made for them I think they would have issues shipping them in the cases then.


----------



## TomAwesome

Based on his post a few posts ago, I think he got the case after the fact.


----------



## Galius

djohns74 said:


> Ha ha! Just got my Bloodburst Pro.  No fancy picstory or anything because, frankly, I'm just not that clever, and I'm at work, and I was too impatient to take pictures anyway. And, since the camera on my phone sucks, no pictures at all for the moment, though I will attempt to correct that when I get home.
> 
> The guitar looks even better in person than in the pictures, which is amazing. It's darker and less glossy and actually really reminds me of a Schecter Loomis, though I haven't seen one of those in person. Everything appears to be about flawless on mine, which is a bonus. Don't let earlier reports fool you though, the fretboard is positively monstrous. The neck feels Ibanez-thin, so it's very playable and should be easy to get used to.
> 
> Being at work, I haven't plugged it in of course, but, not surprisingly, the intonation is not close, so a bit of setting up will be required. All part of the fun of getting a new guitar! Sucks that I sliced a finger on my fretting hand last night and so I can't REALLY try it out the way I'd like to, but so far this appears to be easily worth the price and maybe even worth the wait (though that part was torturous!)


 
You gotta post pictures because thats what I have coming to me. I was a bit worried because the pics ive seen of the standard bloodburst the red seemed WAY too bright but that may be because of the different wood. I hope its no brighter than in these pics.
*http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidproblo odburst.html*


----------



## highlordmugfug

Got moine. Nice but there's a chip out of the nut beside the low F#, I got the wrong case, there are a couple of very small hairline scratches on the back, there are some scratches on the bridge from the screws. I emailed Kurt and am awaiting a response.

I like the guitar other than these things though. It plays well and is very pretty. I'm going to have a NGD picstory posted a little later.


----------



## Bakerman

Sounds good, frets seem to be leveled well. The only issues I've noticed are that the nut could be slotted much deeper, probably 1-2mm on every string, and the 1st & 2nd string will need longer screws to be properly intonated. Also, the 8h string it shipped with is only a .060 according to caliper.


----------



## Seven

Got my Standard 8 Bloodburst/Rosewood today and I couldn't be happier. 

The stock pickups are even half decent. This is my first ERG too, and I don't think I'll be going back now after jamming on the Intrepid all day.


----------



## dsm3sx

Bakerman said:


> Sounds good, frets seem to be leveled well. The only issues I've noticed are that the nut could be slotted much deeper, probably 1-2mm on every string, and the 1st & 2nd string will need longer screws to be properly intonated. Also, the 8h string it shipped with is only a .060 according to caliper.


 
Same with mine. I got a .060 for my 8th string. And I wondered why it was a bit flubby sounding.

And I as well will need longer screws for my low Eb and Ab strings. There is enough thread on the screws for the High Eb and Bb strings.

Also my Douglas case is a bit loose fitting, I might not have the right case as well


----------



## Cameron

highlordmugfug said:


> Got moine. Nice but there's a chip out of the nut beside the low F#, I got the wrong case, there are a couple of very small hairline scratches on the back, there are some scratches on the bridge from the screws. I emailed Kurt and am awaiting a response.
> 
> I like the guitar other than these things though. It plays well and is very pretty. I'm going to have a NGD picstory posted a little later.



Is your case too small too?


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Got my Bloodburst around 3:00pm and it is just beautiful. First thing i noticed is how smooth the neck is, it is a freaking dream to play and the upper fret access is GREAT. It is definetly gonna need a good set up i am probably going to switch the 72 to an 80 and go from there. The finish was flawless and after an exterely thourough look over there was no scratches! execpt for the hairline scratch i myself provided on the back. my complaint is (suprise) the EMG 808 which has about as much tone as a waterlogged potatoe. It took me about 2 hours to get a semi-acceptable tone out of it. so maybe a pickup change will in order or maybe i will just spend a little more time searching for something really good. But all in all the guitar is fucking wonderful. I will post pics tommarow


----------



## djohns74

Okay, finally, my Bloodburst Pro (and in the right thread this time). I've tried to select shots that are most representative of the color, but this one's a little tricky to pick up it seems. Natural light would probably be better, but God only knows when I'll be seeing that again here in Michigan. 

To me, the first one is probably closest to how it seems in person, it's pretty dark with a very subtle burst effect, which I rather like.





















EDIT: Added gratuitous ass shot for fun and to show off the full glory of the neck-thru construction


----------



## Galius

That looks absolutely beautiful...cant wait to get mine.


----------



## troyguitar

djohns74 said:


> Okay, finally, my Bloodburst Pro (and in the right thread this time). I've tried to select shots that are most representative of the color, but this one's a little tricky to pick up it seems. Natural light would probably be better, but God only knows when I'll be seeing that again here in Michigan.
> 
> To me, the first one is probably closest to how it seems in person, it's pretty dark with a very subtle burst effect, which I rather like.



Dude, what are the chances of you letting me try that thing out sometime? I really need to try a long-scale 8 before committing to buy one.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Is there any wallhanger that will fit the neck of the Intrepids?
Off The Wall Guitar Wall Hanger for Wider Necks from zZounds.com!
Think this'd work?


----------



## Jack Klompus1

I ordered one of these and I'm pretty excited to get it. It's going to be my first 8 string. But I'm not sure what gauge string to use for the lowest string. 

On my 7 strings I generally used the Ernie Ball 10 gauge Slinkys tuned down a half step. So can anyone point me in the right dirrection for what to use for a low F?


----------



## djohns74

highlordmugfug said:


> Is there any wallhanger that will fit the neck of the Intrepids?
> Off The Wall Guitar Wall Hanger for Wider Necks from zZounds.com!
> Think this'd work?



If it holds a 6 string bass, I'd think it would be fine, though it'd be nice if they could suggest some maximum dimensions to make life easier. In case you ever find out the numbers on it, the Intrepid neck is right about two and a quarter inches wide at the nut.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Jack Klompus1 said:


> I ordered one of these and I'm pretty excited to get it. It's going to be my first 8 string. But I'm not sure what gauge string to use for the lowest string.
> 
> On my 7 strings I generally used the Ernie Ball 10 gauge Slinkys tuned down a half step. So can anyone point me in the right dirrection for what to use for a low F?


I pose this same question but I use 11-14-28-38-48-58 for Bb standard. What should I grab for an F?



djohns74 said:


> If it holds a 6 string bass, I'd think it would be fine, though it'd be nice if they could suggest some maximum dimensions to make life easier. In case you ever find out the numbers on it, the Intrepid neck is right about two and a quarter inches wide at the nut.


That's what I thought, but like you said, no dimensions to go by. I'll contact the company or something. Thanks btw, you saved me searching for a tape measure.


----------



## troyguitar

I would use something close to 8-38 + 52 + 70. Remember that the scale length is going to add quite a bit of tension.


----------



## MFB

Not sure how recent this is but according to Rondo's site, they *are*taking pre-orders on the Intrepid Standard Dark Burst/Ebony, $312.50 is the deposit with a final price of $625


----------



## Wound

man I hope mine fits in the case...it should since i asked him to send it in the case heh


----------



## TemjinStrife

I put an Elixir 68 on my low F# (I have a first run Intrepid) and that's about as light as I would go, as tuning stability isn't great. I'd go for a 72 or 74 ideally. Any heavier and the low string sounds DRAMATICALLY different from the upper strings.


----------



## Wound

I use a 80 on my bottom string tuned to low E...thats perfect for me...sounds really nice and clear


----------



## Niels

Alright, I've got my 8 strings of metal all the way here in the Netherlands =D
It's flawless, not a mark on it, perfect job. And the satin finish is awesome, real clean and slick looking. The neck friggin massive =p but it's also really thin so it actually plays quite fast. And the neck joint, man it really feels comfortable playing way up high.

The sounds just amazing, totally blows the 808 away, anytime. Clean sound can be very snappy and also warm and mellow. High gain is just pure fucking DJENT all the way, I love it.

Money well spend, and I didn't even get charged by customs, so, HELL YEAH!
Grand total 770 US Dollars, that's like 613 euro's. =D


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

YES! It arrived! I am sooo glad I picked one up.....

*Early BDay Present...*






*Case...*





*Condom...*





*Orgasm*






Originally, I had ordered an Ocean Burst Pro. After seeing the shots come out of the standard and pro models of OB, I knew I wasn't going to like it as much as I thought. Thankfully, Kurt did one hell of a favor and swapped my order with one that cancelled out.

Initial thoughts:
Plays fantastic! There are the typical setup issues, but these are minor and come along with getting a new guitar. 

Comfortable! Feels really nice on and the neck is not as scary as I thought it would be. I don't feel like I will get worn out with it on my shoulder during a show.

The case is overly roomy and the guitar moves when I pick it up. That is something I worry about though. Im not sure if I want to go and bother Kurt again because of it. 

Cosmetically, flawless. I searched for SOMETHING to be dented, scratched, or cracked, but nothing was found!!!!

I was able to dial in some fun sounds - both heavy and clean - rather quickly. Most likely, I will be tweaking the hell out of those settings in the future, but I did spend about 2 hours just on a clean setting and man - IT WAS KILLER. The heavy sound was tight and very clear. 

Thanks Kurt for being super nice and thanks Darren for getting this idea off the ground! 

Jerry


----------



## Hypothermia

Holy shit, i've got massive GAS for one of those.

Im ordering one first thing when the next round starts


----------



## possumkiller

I have a first run Standard and I use a .010-.056 7 string set with a .075 bass string. Feels just fine. Im honestly not thrown off or noticing any extreme change in tension besides the F# being tighter and clearer. The only bad thing is the ball end of the bass string doesnt fit inside the ferrule  does anyone know where I can find big fat strings like that with guitar size ball ends?


----------



## Adriatic

all these people getting their intrepids ugh.. and im still waiting for mine..
hurry up monday.....


----------



## gunshow86de

possumkiller said:


> I have a first run Standard and I use a .010-.056 7 string set with a .075 bass string. Feels just fine. Im honestly not thrown off or noticing any extreme change in tension besides the F# being tighter and clearer. The only bad thing is the ball end of the bass string doesnt fit inside the ferrule  does anyone know where I can find big fat strings like that with guitar size ball ends?



Juststrings.com I have a .074 with a guitar ball end. They have nickel wound Ernie Balls all the way up to .090.


----------



## Wound

SchneiderMusik.de

has 74 and 80 D'Addario nickel round wound single strings


----------



## kurtzentmaier

I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem

Comments ?

Interest ?

Kahler 8-string Tremolo &#038; Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth

Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.

Kurt


----------



## TimothyLeary

How about a intrepid with a graphtech hexpander system ? 



> Can the Hexpander be installed in an eight string (8 string) guitar?
> 
> urrently, the Hexpander and most (all?) MIDI controllers are limited to six strings. There are two popular workarounds for an 8-string guitar:
> 
> 1) have two of everything: two Hexpanders, two MIDI controllers, two cords coming from your guitar, and split the systems 4 + 4 strings, or 2 + 6 strings. Expensive, and a bit cumbersome.
> 
> 2) Install the Hexpander and the Acousti-phonic and have six strings on MIDI, and two on piezo-only. Depending on the music you\'re playing, it may work to have the two bass strings as straight acoustic, and the rest as MIDI.



http://www.graphtech.com/kbase.html?ArticleID=10


----------



## darren

TimothyLeary said:


> How about a intrepid with a graphtech hexpander system ?



This is one of those mods that's probably better done aftermarket. The control cavity is huge and the saddles are a standard design for a reason.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Fuck UPS and their no-weekend-deliveries.


----------



## stuh84

Going home in an hour to mine, not bad to say I'm in the UK, only took 4 days


----------



## proggm

FedEx expects it to be here in... *10 DAYS*.
Oh the agony...


----------



## possumkiller

hey at least you guys are getting them! i mean yes i do have a first run intrepid but god i want a new one too! and i dont have the money right now!


----------



## troyguitar

kurtzentmaier said:


> I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem
> 
> Comments ?
> 
> Interest ?
> 
> Kahler 8-string Tremolo & Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth
> 
> Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.
> 
> Kurt



Hi Kurt,

I think that would be a fantastic idea. In fact, I've been planning to build a pair of 8-strings myself since customs are too expensive for me. If you make the following model I will preorder one for sure (two if I can come up with the money in time...):

Intrepid Standard (Perhaps call it Intrepid Lead?)
25.5" - 26.5" scale (prefer 25.5)
Dual Passive pickups
Kahler 7328 tremelo
The rest of the specs don't matter

This would be great for the guys like myself who are more interested in an 8-string for the additional possibilities in LEAD playing rather than the folks who are more Rhythm oriented. The price of the Hipshot bridge online is $114 and the Kahler is $259, so you could probably keep the cost under $800. At that price it's not worth my time to build two myself instead of buying them from you, so I say GO FOR IT!


----------



## darren

troyguitar said:


> I've been planning to build a pair of 8-strings myself since customs are too expensive for me.



Building a guitar yourself is almost NEVER going to save you money. You have to pay retail for all of your parts, and invest a huge amount of time to get a decent-quality, playable instrument. Yes, it's going to be cheaper than going custom, but not as affordable as a production instrument. 

That's what inspired the creation of the Intrepid in the first place.


----------



## dsm3sx

kurtzentmaier said:


> I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem
> 
> Comments ?
> 
> Interest ?
> 
> Kahler 8-string Tremolo & Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth
> 
> Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.
> 
> Kurt


 
I think a kahler would be great for the trem guys.

One suggestion for the next run pick-up spacing from the bridge, It should be just a little closer to the bridge.

May be some different wood selections for the next run.....Swamp Ash or Alder body.... Wenge/maple neck... rosewood or ebony fretboard

Or even offering a nice quilted or Flame maple top

Hell, A tribal red version would be bad-ass (a-la Interceptor pro 27)


----------



## eegor

I'm going to be playing my Intrepid in about an hour and a half.


----------



## dsm3sx

Can any body else check the string gauge on the F# string?

Did any one else receive a .060 instead of the .072 spec'd out on the rondo page?


----------



## TomAwesome

Does the string thing really matter? The first thing I do when I get a new guitar is put new strings on it. Stock strings are rarely worth a crap by the time you get to them.


----------



## amassivetree

I also think the Kahler would be a great idea too : Im interested in an ERG with a trem, and have been thinking about getting a nice seven with a floyd, but a Kahler Intrepid would be perfect. I was thinking about adding one to an Intrepid myself, but not sure about the woodworking and having the string-through holes in the body afterwards.


----------



## troyguitar

darren said:


> Building a guitar yourself is almost NEVER going to save you money. You have to pay retail for all of your parts, and invest a huge amount of time to get a decent-quality, playable instrument. Yes, it's going to be cheaper than going custom, but not as affordable as a production instrument.
> 
> That's what inspired the creation of the Intrepid in the first place.



Eh, even at retail prices it is relatively cheap if you're like me and have all of the tools you would need already. If I don't count time, my cost for my 8-string build will be like this:

Woods - 200
Kahler Bridge - 260
Cepheus Pickups - 175
Tuners - 50
Quart of Tung Oil - 15
Knobs, Pots, Screws, Fretwire, etc. - 100

Total: ~$800 for a neck-thru 8 string to my own specs plus a whole bunch of my time but that has no real monetary value. And I get to refine my luthier skills a bit...

But if Kurt will make something close enough to what I want for about the same price, I'm willing to give him the money.


----------



## darren

BTW, guys... Kurt has been receiving a number of custom orders for an Interceptor 8, so he's thinking about making a production version.

Just more food for thought.


----------



## Urbane

That would be really awesome


----------



## Våd Hamster

darren said:


> BTW, guys... Kurt has been receiving a number of custom orders for an Interceptor 8, so he's thinking about making a production version.
> 
> Just more food for thought.



Just what I needed... More GAS 

I'd be all over that. Even if I already had an Intrepid.


----------



## Galius

Våd Hamster;1409162 said:


> Just what I needed... More GAS
> 
> I'd be all over that. Even if I already had an Intrepid.


 
True that. Im already hurting because not only did I just buy a pro, im going to order a dual standard next week when they become available.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> BTW, guys... Kurt has been receiving a number of custom orders for an Interceptor 8, so he's thinking about making a production version.
> 
> Just more food for thought.


I might want one. Depending on what happens with my Intrepid.

And the Kahler sounds like a good idea. I don't really use trems so I wouldn't want one but there are lots of people who would.


----------



## Total Eclipse

kurtzentmaier said:


> I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem
> 
> Comments ?
> 
> Interest ?
> 
> Kahler 8-string Tremolo & Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth
> 
> Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.
> 
> Kurt



Kurt, if you made one of these, and gave it a full body satin black finish, I would buy it. Couldn't possibly be happier with my Intrepid.


----------



## stuh84




----------



## darren

stuh84 said:


>


----------



## Tommy Van Dyke

darren said:


> BTW, guys... Kurt has been receiving a number of custom orders for an Interceptor 8, so he's thinking about making a production version.
> 
> Just more food for thought.



That would be the greatest thing since sliced bread...


----------



## eegor

Holy shit it's here!!!! Oh shit, my Natural Pro just arrived, and it's pretty fucking amazing. My friends and I filmed me opening it, so expect a vidstory later.


----------



## possumkiller

Originally Posted by kurtzentmaier 
I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem
Comments ?
Interest ?
Kahler 8-string Tremolo & Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth
Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.
Kurt



wow an intrepid with kahler???? omg! suggestions?? hmmm 30 inch scale intrepid!! for sure! with kahler! pro dual cepheus model with ebony board in charcoal with 30 inch scale and kahler!!! my dream machine!!!!!!


----------



## Sir Euric

Now thats going to be around a grand with that Kahler 8 on it, BUT!!!, I would drop that kind of cash on it, I love Kahler tremolo's.


----------



## possumkiller

amen cousin


----------



## Sir Euric

Need to get it so I can make some 8 string LORE OF MYTHICAL PROPORTION....


----------



## gatesofcarnage

darren said:


> BTW, guys... Kurt has been receiving a number of custom orders for an Interceptor 8, so he's thinking about making a production version.
> 
> Just more food for thought.


 shit my pocket hurts


----------



## possumkiller

just one more suggestion for kurt.
i know its been said a million times but i figure one more just might be the one to do it lol. 
please move the bridge pickup closer to the bridge


----------



## revclay

Alright, I got my Oceanburst Pro and it is bad fucking ass. The color is much better looking in person, imo. Pictures don't do it justice. I am glad it is a matte finish as well. It looks very classy. It plays pretty well, but I am going to wait till my sets of string come in until I do a complete set up. Also, the other guitarist in my band ordered a Natural Pro today, so we shall be rocking the 8 strings as a band, which is pretty sweet.

Also, I just wanted to say thanks to Darren. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. You are an invaluable member of this community.


----------



## darren




----------



## jamesmafyew

Yeah, thanks Darren. This is my first post to the forums -- I decided to register because of this thread. I had developed an interest in 8-strings for experimental purposes and sent out a Myspace bulletin asking if anyone had a used RG2228 they wanted to sell. Almost instantaneously I got backabout 6 messages from different people telling me to check out the Intrepid, which is quite a testament to the level of user involvement in the design of these things. They were all talking about this week's shipment. I ended up ordering one of the bloodburst Pro's, and it'll be here on Monday. I feel like I got lucky that I happened to find about these instruments just as the window of opportunity opened. It's like open-source software except it's open-souce... guitars. Awesome.

I don't even play a 7-string, just baritone-tuned 6-strings, but this 8-string thing has me super excited.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

kurtzentmaier said:


> I am thinking about building a version of the pro with a Kahler Trem
> 
> Comments ?
> 
> Interest ?
> 
> Kahler 8-string Tremolo & Hybrid Bridges » Music gadgets » Musical instruments, guitar, bass, piano, gadgets, amps, drums, keyboard, midi, percussion, synth
> 
> Also will be looking for comments on changes / new variations for our July shipment in the Intrepid.
> 
> Kurt



Kurt,
I'd LOVE to get the PRS/shape as an 8 string but with a 3/8" Spaulted Maple top. Pure. Bliss.


----------



## Galius

Not to Kurt - I myself would love to see Interceptor 8 strings and satin black finish options on all models and more rosewood fretboards since ebony can be pricy for that size of neck. I could go on forever. Also my band had a radio interview that I just got home from and I kinda plugged rondomusic.com because the host got me talking about gear im using on the upcoming album so I had to drop the 8 string bomb.


----------



## highlordmugfug

So I'm sending the guitar back to get the nut fixed and get the correct case sent back with it. So long as this goes good I will be very happy with Rondo and RIDICULOUSLY pleased with my purchase. Guitar is wonderful; comfortable neck, good sound, great sustain, marvelous high fret access, over all just grand. So here's to another wait as the nut gets fixed and the case gets switched.


----------



## darren

I picked up my Intrepid for the first time in a few weeks tonight and noticed that the fretboard seems to have shrunk a little bit and the frets are now pushing the filler out of their slots along the edges of the fretboard. I'll have to take a file to it. But overall, i'm still blown away with how resonant my Intrepid Standard is. I think Ash may be my new favourite body wood.


----------



## possumkiller

Ive definitly been an alder man for the longest but yeah I agree, my Standard also sounds amazing. And is very loud unplugged.


----------



## darren

HUGEly loud... i think it's the 28.625" scale giving it all that volume.


----------



## gunshow86de

Arrggghhhh, this is taking forever. Yesterday, my Intrepid spent over 12 hours just sitting in the Newark FedEx hub. I know they have to coordinate everything, but as a logistics major, it bugs me that a company that is that large and does that many deliveries can have packages sitting in one location for that long. Not very efficient.


----------



## possumkiller

Im so glad I got my Intrepid. I love it. I do think it is my favorite of all my guitars. And the crazy thing is its also the cheapest lol.


----------



## eegor

Oh man, I'm loving my Intrepid to death. It's just so damn comfy!


----------



## gunshow86de

If anyone is interested, Rondo has two more of the dual pickup pros in stock now.

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus at HomeOld


----------



## jamesmafyew

darren said:


> I picked up my Intrepid for the first time in a few weeks tonight and noticed that the fretboard seems to have shrunk a little bit and the frets are now pushing the filler out of their slots along the edges of the fretboard. I'll have to take a file to it. But overall, i'm still blown away with how resonant my Intrepid Standard is. I think Ash may be my new favourite body wood.



Before you file the fret edges, check to see if it's a dryness issue. Humidity control is huge for acoustic guitars, but is still an issue with solid-body electrics. Wood shrinks across the grain when it gets dried out. I have noticed this very problem on the maple fretboard of my Telecaster, and when I start storing the guitar in the case with a humidifier (like the Oasis or a Dampit) the problem goes away after about a week. In places where you have to use forced-air heat it can get pretty extreme, like 25% RH or lower. Guitars like 45-60% RH.

With a fretboard as wide as the Intrepid, it's probably even more pronounced. If you file the frets and it turns out it's just dryness, when the wood expands again (late Spring after you turn your heat off and it gets humid outside) you will have issues.


----------



## darren

Admittedly, my house is rather dry in the winter, and nothing is really going to change that. It doesn't seem to be as much the fret ends poking out as it is the filler getting pushed out. The fret ends right on the corner edge of the fretboard are still fine.


----------



## possumkiller

wow that really makes me fear for my guitars being stored at my fathers place in florida. the humidity is pretty extreme there and so bad for guitars. but he has them in a room with a dehumidifier. theyve been sitting there going on a year i think.


----------



## Krankguitarist

I'm getting that feeling...

You know that feeling?

When you check your UPS tracking number on a Saturday, and see that your new guitar is less than 20 miles away from you, and that it will sit there for another day before it is delivered to you.

 

Anybody in the bay area down for a UPS raid?


----------



## jamesmafyew

Krankguitarist said:


> I'm getting that feeling...
> 
> You know that feeling?
> 
> When you check your UPS tracking number on a Saturday, and see that your new guitar is less than 20 miles away from you, and that it will sit there for another day before it is delivered to you.
> 
> 
> 
> Anybody in the bay area down for a UPS raid?



I've got that feeling right now. It would be so much better if I could go pick it up... it's sitting 5 miles from my house.


----------



## highlordmugfug

You know that feeling where you get your new guitar and the nut has a big chip out of it beside the low F and you have to box it up and wait for UPS to show up and take it back so it can get fixed and then wait for it to be shipped back to you.
I'm getting that feeling now.


----------



## mmotorsport

Anybody get a Charcoal or Ghostburst this run?............


Pics please........


----------



## Hypothermia

Just saw this: Agile Intrepid Dual Bloodburst Standard Left Handed at HomeOld

So i guess that means it's up for pre-ordering.

Im getting that with the Rosewood fretboard, what do you think?

Also thinking of swapping the Pups for the oncoming 8stringer duncan blackouts (when they are released)


----------



## Slayer89

So, what's with all the people receiving their axes and not posting their own pics?!

(Oceanburst Pro owners, I'm looking at you!)

Two more days ...


----------



## Galius

Slayer89 said:


> So, what's with all the people receiving their axes and not posting their own pics?!
> 
> (Oceanburst Pro owners, I'm looking at you!)
> 
> Two more days ...


 
I know, right!! I havent even seen a single pickup standard posted. Did they do them this last run??


----------



## gunshow86de

Galius said:


> I know, right!! I havent even seen a single pickup standard posted. Did they do them this last run??



They did, but I think they were the last to be shipped. I have one coming on Tuesday.


----------



## Hollowway

Slayer89 said:


> So, what's with all the people receiving their axes and not posting their own pics?!
> 
> (Oceanburst Pro owners, I'm looking at you!)
> 
> Two more days ...


Soon! My OB pro is en route. I'll do a pic story after: A) I attempt to smuggle it into the house, and B) I get caught and yelled at by my wife for buying yet another guitar. idea:Is it too much of a stretch to claim that I'm buying a 28.625" scale guitar for my 4 year old? )


----------



## Slayer89

Your's coming Monday, as well?


----------



## Hollowway

No, the middle of the week. I wasn't in on this pre-order, so I got one of the left over ones. I should have gone for the quicker shipment, though, because this wait is KILLING ME and not worth the $15 or whatever it would have cost to get it here sooner.  Oh well. I'll use the extra few days to stretch my fingers the extra 3.125".


----------



## TomAwesome

Mine's due in next Friday. I guess I'm the only one who's not pissing myself in anticipation.


----------



## Adriatic

i get my std. charcoal dual pup tomorrow and i have something a little xtra special to show in pic's with the guitar tomorrow...


----------



## eegor

I'll see about taking pics today. I did a video but Youtube doesn't want to upload it, and the pics my I took with my phone aren't compatible with my mac.


----------



## Hypothermia

Is the tweed case the best fitting of the cases available?
I've heared about some fitting-issues


----------



## eegor

So I changed the strings on my Intrepid to some I had lying around. I had a pack of D'Addario 9-46's and I added a 56 and a 68 from a baritone pack I never used. I originally tuned to low E standard, but the 68 wasn't tight enough, so I tuned to F instead. I was surprised when the 68 felt really good at F. It wasn't flubby at all and it sounded fine. The first 6 strings were a little tight for my tastes, and the 56 wasn't doing too well at Bb, but the 68 was just about perfect for F. When I get some new strings I'll try it again at E, but I'm taking this opportunity to learn some Meshuggah songs (Straws Pulled at Random and Combustion for starters).

Also, the EMG is really bugging me. It works decently for Meshuggah-esqe metal, but for songs that I write it's completely wrong. There's almost no definition at all and I can barely here individual notes while playing chords. I can't wait to get some Q-Tuners in there.


----------



## possumkiller

I cant wait to see pics of an Intrepid with Q Tuners in it!


----------



## eegor

Neither can I, but I'm still not 100&#37; sure I will be able to get them, and if I do I'd have to wait at least 4 weeks until they get here.

Also, which would you rather see: black or red coils? I can't decide. I'm thinking red coils would look badass, but at the same time black coils would match the hardware.


----------



## troyguitar

I think all Q-tuners should be red, they look awesome.


----------



## possumkiller

what color is yours?


----------



## gunshow86de

I am starting to think I'm gonna do the higher string thing on my 8. I know about the really light strings, but I see people asking for 25.5" scale 8 strings for the high A. Is the Intrepid's scale too long to do high A?


----------



## revclay

Alright, you guys have been clamoring for some pictures of the Oceanburst, so here they are.

EDIT:

Go here if you want to see some pics of the Oceanburst.

http://picasaweb.google.com/revclay/AgileIntrepid#


----------



## TomAwesome

gunshow86de said:


> I am starting to think I'm gonna do the higher string thing on my 8. I know about the really light strings, but I see people asking for 25.5" scale 8 strings for the high A. Is the Intrepid's scale too long to do high A?



No. Like I said in the other thread, you can still go to high A on a 28.625" scale with O4P strings. I think they claim their strings can get you to high A on as long as a 30" scale.


----------



## eegor

revclay said:


> Alright, you guys have been clamoring for some pictures of the Oceanburst, so here they are.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Go here if you want to see some pics of the Oceanburst.
> 
> Picasa Web Albums - Clay - Agile Intrepid



I think it looks alright, but I think it'd look better if it was a solid finish on the front like it is on the back.



possumkiller said:


> what color is yours?



My Intrepid? I'm putting Q-Tuners in my Natural Pro.


----------



## TomAwesome

eegor said:


> I think it looks alright, but I think it'd look better if it was a solid finish on the front like it is on the back.



 The back doesn't look half bad. It's just that brown/yellow "somebody lost control of their bladder and bowel in the pool" splotch on the front that throws me off.


----------



## possumkiller

oh ok so yeah i think either black or red coils would work well with the natural pro


and WOW that oceanburst pro is so sexy! if only it had the cepheus


----------



## eegor

Yeah, but which one?


----------



## possumkiller

honestly id probly do black myself but either would be cool


----------



## eegor

I'm thinking black, too, but I'm getting black coils for my Septor, which is black and has an ebony fb, so I think I might want to get red coils just so it differs from that.


----------



## revclay

eegor said:


> I'm thinking black, too, but I'm getting black coils for my Septor, which is black and has an ebony fb, so I think I might want to get red coils just so it differs from that.



The red coils look bad ass, I think. I would go with the red. But keep in mind, I'm the one who thinks the Oceanburst's top looks sexy. Just to forewarn you, hahaha.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Sent an email to Carey at Nordstrand Pickups! Should be getting a custom 8 string pup soon!!!


----------



## troyguitar

gunshow86de said:


> I am starting to think I'm gonna do the higher string thing on my 8. I know about the really light strings, but I see people asking for 25.5" scale 8 strings for the high A. Is the Intrepid's scale too long to do high A?



It's not too long, we just don't want to deal with different fret spacing and tone from all of our other guitars.


----------



## Urbane

But if your stringing an intrepid for a high G is o4plus your only option?


----------



## TomAwesome

A .007" might work. The ol' string tension calculator gives it a tension of 14.15 pounds, which is a little stiff, but manageable.


----------



## Urbane

ok i thought it might i cant seem to find one though i was hoping i could almost manage with a .008 but ok didnt order my intrepid yet though waiting for the new runs cant decide which way i wanna string it yet ill find use either way though


----------



## Galius

Hypothermia said:


> Is the tweed case the best fitting of the cases available?
> I've heared about some fitting-issues


 
No word yet but Kurt shipped mine in the tweed case so it has to be big enough. I will let everyone know exactly how well it fits when I get mine.


----------



## eegor

revclay said:


> The red coils look bad ass, I think. I would go with the red. But keep in mind, I'm the one who thinks the Oceanburst's top looks sexy. Just to forewarn you, hahaha.



 It's still a valid point.


----------



## possumkiller

I must say that I too really love the Oceanburst Pro as well.


----------



## Adriatic

So the bloody doorbell woke me up this morning, jumped out of bed in my underwear quickly got dressed to see whos at the door and......










uh huh.....NGD












and last but not least yesterday my fiance got me something in celebration of my new purchase.. god bless her.... 





whats in the box.... well a double layered Agile Cookie of course...




love the guitar.. best buy ever.. and the wait was so worth it...

thank you darren and rondo music....
now back to playing...


----------



## possumkiller

dear jesus that is beautiful!!!!


and that cookie cake looks amazing!
GOD im so fucking hungry!!!


----------



## gunshow86de

Oh man, when you said this morning I was like "who delivers on Sundays and why didn't I use them?" But then I see your in Australia, where it's lunchtime on Monday.

Congrats, I never thought about a cake for NGD. I might have to do it!


----------



## Sir Euric

Tis it tis a beautiful guitar Adriatic



possumkiller said:


> dear jesus that is beautiful!!!!
> 
> 
> and that cookie cake looks amazing!
> GOD im so fucking hungry!!!


 
Yeah me too. I have heart burn right now though


----------



## DagMX

tuesday can't come fast enough...


----------



## Sir Euric

DagMX said:


> tuesday can't come fast enough...


 
That and money can't come fast enough either...


----------



## possumkiller

this probly doesnt go here but i dont really know where to put it. well its caused by my intrepid among other guitars so i guess it could go here. does anyone else get a itchy ass rash when they play? like right on the palm mute part of my picking hand. whenever i play for long periods of time it will bubble a little like poison ivy and itch like hell and then i scratch it and this clear shit comes out and my hand burns but i play anyway and it gets worse. mostly when im sweating. ive been playing since 1998 and this shit didnt start happening until i was in iraq this last summer. and now it comes and goes. i dont mind being fucked up by iraq as long as it doesnt fuck with my guitar playing.


----------



## gunshow86de

possumkiller said:


> this probly doesnt go here but i dont really know where to put it. well its caused by my intrepid among other guitars so i guess it could go here. does anyone else get a itchy ass rash when they play? like right on the palm mute part of my picking hand. whenever i play for long periods of time it will bubble a little like poison ivy and itch like hell and then i scratch it and this clear shit comes out and my hand burns but i play anyway and it gets worse. mostly when im sweating. ive been playing since 1998 and this shit didnt start happening until i was in iraq this last summer. and now it comes and goes. i dont mind being fucked up by iraq as long as it doesnt fuck with my guitar playing.



That's weird, secret government testing perhaps?


----------



## TomAwesome

Nickel allergy?


----------



## possumkiller

you think maybe? i dunno. could that just develop? because its never happened before last summer.


----------



## Sir Euric

Ok, I just ordered an Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus, and a Douglas EGC-200 Intrepid 8 String Tweed case.

Man talk about being long winded trying to say all that lol


----------



## highlordmugfug

So, so far, am I the only one who has had any problem with QC?
EDIT: I mean in the second run.


----------



## TemjinStrife

possumkiller said:


> you think maybe? i dunno. could that just develop? because its never happened before last summer.



Allergies can develop from overexposure to specific metals, woods, and conditions. My grandfather cannot work with Wenge or Padouk because he developed an allergy to the woods, while Mike Sherman and Ulrich Teuffel are two guitar builders who have developed allergies to synthetic materials used in guitars.

At the very least I'd get it checked out by a doctor.


----------



## possumkiller

lol well im in the army and the docs dont give a shit.


and congrats on the intrepid there euric. so how are you gonna get it on the truck with you?


----------



## darren

:wow: Holy crap, that new charcoal Standard looks amazing. Nice chunk of ash, and they lightened up on the stain a bit. CONGRATS!


----------



## highlordmugfug

possumkiller said:


> this probly doesnt go here but i dont really know where to put it. well its caused by my intrepid among other guitars so i guess it could go here. does anyone else get a itchy ass rash when they play? like right on the palm mute part of my picking hand. whenever i play for long periods of time it will bubble a little like poison ivy and itch like hell and then i scratch it and this clear shit comes out and my hand burns but i play anyway and it gets worse. mostly when im sweating. ive been playing since 1998 and this shit didnt start happening until i was in iraq this last summer. and now it comes and goes. i dont mind being fucked up by iraq as long as it doesnt fuck with my guitar playing.


Sounds like you may be just pressing down too hard, or have weak/soft palm/hand and you're getting a blister. The fact that it happens where you palm mute kind of reinforces this idea, I believe. Also, I'll ask again, am I the only one who has had any problem at all with QC in this run that anyone knows about? Because, if so, that kind of is lame for me (because I have to wait to actually HAVE the Intrepid being as I have to send it to get fixed) but I guess it's a good thing in the grand scheme if every other guitar is correct and good.


----------



## Galius

So ive been sitting here brainstorming to find a way to add a battery box to my pro when I get it and also had an idea to set it up to be switchable between 9v and 18v when a pretty cool idea hit me. I can get a double battery box from warmoth.com and route out the back electronics cover to fit the box right in the electronics cover and switch out the volume pot for a push/pull pot to use as a switch. Im gonna have to look over the guitar to see if there is clearance when I get it.


----------



## Adriatic

darren said:


> :wow: Holy crap, that new charcoal Standard looks amazing. Nice chunk of ash, and they lightened up on the stain a bit. CONGRATS!


 
yeah i was pleasantly surprised when i opened the box... it almost looks like an olive color... 

also i found a very small scratch on the top of the top horn... its so minor... youd only see it if you were looking for it.. 

heres a closer look at the color...


----------



## highlordmugfug

Galius said:


> So ive been sitting here brainstorming to find a way to add a battery box to my pro when I get it and also had an idea to set it up to be switchable between 9v and 18v when a pretty cool idea hit me. I can get a double battery box from warmoth.com and route out the back electronics cover to fit the box right in the electronics cover and switch out the volume pot for a push/pull pot to use as a switch. Im gonna have to look over the guitar to see if there is clearance when I get it.


What's the tonal difference with the 18v mod?


----------



## Wound

Adriatic said:


> yeah i was pleasantly surprised when i opened the box... it almost looks like an olive color...
> 
> also i found a very small scratch on the top of the top horn... its so minor... youd only see it if you were looking for it..
> 
> heres a closer look at the color...



it suits the rosewood really well now...looks niiice! congrats


----------



## Hypothermia

Are the 808s really that bad?
I'm kind of in love with the sound of active pups (DDs, Blackouts).

Does the Cepheus pups provide fatter tone?


----------



## Emperoff

Is there any pics of the standard in oceanburst? I've only seen pics of the pro in that finish


----------



## Wound

this was posted earlier in the thread


----------



## hairychris

highlordmugfug said:


> So, so far, am I the only one who has had any problem with QC?
> EDIT: I mean in the second run.



My pro arrived with a cracked finish... maybe it moved around in the case during shipping.

It also came with a .060 F#. I restrung the thing on Saturday (9-46 set, .060, .080) and it's nice to play now.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

hairychris said:


> My pro arrived with a cracked finish... maybe it moved around in the case during shipping.
> 
> It also came with a .060 F#. I restrung the thing on Saturday (9-46 set, .060, .080) and it's nice to play now.


 Mine came with a .060 F# as well which sucked so i put a 75 on it and it is beautiful now


----------



## col

I gots a tracking number for mine. Yay!


----------



## Hoff

I'm a member of the owners club now  Where's that logo? 

My bloodburst dual standard arrived an hour ago. It sounds really good and sparkly, and it plays really smooth but needs fatter strings to suit my preference.

I've got two really minor complaints: 
1) The Intrepid case looks pretty much like a regular bass case to me, but I don't mind much. It still fits the intrepid decently. 
2) There's a small stripe of paint on the side of the headstock. This is the only finish flaw I've found, and I can easily remove it myself so it's no biggie. 

So far Im simply amazed at the quality of this guitar!


----------



## stuh84

hairychris said:


> My pro arrived with a cracked finish... maybe it moved around in the case during shipping.
> 
> It also came with a .060 F#. I restrung the thing on Saturday (9-46 set, .060, .080) and it's nice to play now.



Exact same gauges I just ordered, glad to see it plays well, can't wait to restring mine....


----------



## gunshow86de

Yea!!!!! Mine is "on FedEx vehicle for delivery."


----------



## jamesmafyew

Out for delivery!

How am I going to explain getting this huge box at work...


----------



## hairychris

stuh84 said:


> Exact same gauges I just ordered, glad to see it plays well, can't wait to restring mine....



Intonation seems to be OK (enough room to adjust the F#), and the nut's cut to fit these guys so there's no pinching there.

I had to use a bass string for the .080 because nowhere I tried stocked guitar strings like that. Pain in the arse, especially as I had to replace the ball with one from a guitar string so it'd fit in the ferrules! On-line purchasing from now on.

The unwound strings have a really impressive bite to with the EMG, the lower registers aren't quite as nice but I think that the bass string has something to do with that. I'll wait until I restring again and then decide whether I BKP.

I'm impressed with the build quality. The satin finish is nice but there are a couple of light spots... maybe the natural pro would have been a better idea. Playability, yeah, I like the feel of the neck, nice carve and the satin's a winner.

Being able to play 4 octave runs in one hand position is, erm, interesting!



jamesmafyew said:


> Out for delivery!
> 
> How am I going to explain getting this huge box at work...



Don't. I didn't!


----------



## gunshow86de

jamesmafyew said:


> Out for delivery!
> 
> How am I going to explain getting this huge box at work...



Tell them it's a "productivity enhancer."


----------



## jamesmafyew

gunshow86de said:


> Tell them it's a "productivity enhancer."



It most certainly is that. I'm acting ultra-caffeinated and haven't even had a cup of tea today... the real question is whether I can get away with opening the box at work.


----------



## eegor

Yes! My Ocean Burst Dual Standard is out for delivery! Hopefully it gets here sooner than my Pro did.


----------



## COBHC

I might be expecting mine at work today. Its a shame i couldnt get to work because of the snow !


----------



## Slayer89

Mine's out for delivery as well!


----------



## Hypothermia

Trying to decide wether to go with Bloodburst + Maple fretboard or Bloodburst + Rosewood fretboard.
Dont really care for the feel (since i dont get the difference really)
But the looks, what do you guys think?


----------



## troyguitar

hairychris said:


> My pro arrived with a cracked finish... maybe it moved around in the case during shipping.
> 
> It also came with a .060 F#. I restrung the thing on Saturday (9-46 set, .060, .080) and it's nice to play now.



You're using those gauges in standard tuning at 28.625"? Daaamn you've got like 30% higher tension than me on the first 3 strings and 60% higher on strings 4 - 7 (no 8th string yet...).

Those are actually the gauges I would use for a 25.5" scale 8. Insane!


----------



## gunshow86de

Mines here!

Oh it's nice, I'll post the pics once I install the new tuners, strings etc......


----------



## darren

I'm using 9-42 + 56 + 72, i think. Elixir doesn't make a guitar string that heavy, so i use a bass string on the bottom.

And i stick in standard tuning, except for the bottom string, which i usually drop down a full step to EBEADGBE. Sometimes i also do DAEADGBE.


----------



## hairychris

troyguitar said:


> You're using those gauges in standard tuning at 28.625"? Daaamn you've got like 30% higher tension than me on the first 3 strings and 60% higher on strings 4 - 7 (no 8th string yet...).
> 
> Those are actually the gauges I would use for a 25.5" scale 8. Insane!



I can still 3 step bend, and the strings are taut enough to trem-pick without going all over the place. I may go slacker at the top next time but not by much.

I'd hate to use those with a 25.5 8 string...! I'm a 10 - 46/10 - 59 user on 24.75 -> 26.5 scale 6 & 7s.


----------



## jamesmafyew

It's here! Everything I heard about how nice the neck was is completely true. It needs new strings and a good wipe-down, and maybe some minor setup adjustments, but otherwise, very nice.

Pics later (i.e. after work.... yes, I opened the box at work on my lunch break)


----------



## amassivetree

Took off work today, should be any minute now. 

When will we know about the third run? I thought I had enough guitars for a while until I heard of a possible Kahler option.


----------



## eegor

Some pics of my Pro:


----------



## Slayer89

You guys suck! 

Mine should be here any time now ...


----------



## TomAwesome

What's that on the back of the neck, Ryan?


----------



## eegor

That's a knot in the wood. I kinda like it. I think it adds character, a certain degree of uniqueness.


----------



## Galius

I see kurt has ghostburst dual standards available, too bad its maple instead of rosewood because that would look really nice.


----------



## Bakerman

Has anyone else with a standard been unable to intonate the high E string? I have the screw about 1 full turn into the saddle to just barely grab it and the 24th fret note is ~15 cents flat. The saddle-to-12th distance is measurably greater than nut-to-12th by somewhere between 2 & 3 mm, and I'm pretty sure the high B and D strings will end up flat at the current limit with slightly lower action... search for longer screws in progress.


----------



## Slayer89

My Oceanburst Pro has arrived! Really like it.

Picstory NGD Thread coming soon.


----------



## eegor

Sweet! Can't wait to see the pics!


----------



## possumkiller

me too hurry up!


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

So much pron in this thread


----------



## DagMX

this is so cruel....i have to wait till tomorrow to hopefully receive my guitar...and I have class to attend in the morning...damn fedex tracking hasn't even updated since friday...


----------



## COBHC

DagMX said:


> damn fedex tracking hasn't even updated since friday...


 

same


----------



## Slayer89

And here's my NGD thread if you want more.


----------



## TomAwesome

Trying to put together a set of strings for this thing is kind of frustrating. I want to try a balanced set of Elixers, but they skip so many ranges of gauges that it makes it difficult to get a set that works together. Meh.


----------



## tian

I couldn't keep the GAS at bay any longer and pulled the trigger on a Dual Standard. Now the wait...


----------



## MFB

How long do the pre-orders normally stay open for? I may not be able to afford one this week, but definetly next week.


----------



## possumkiller

so when does the preorder for the next run start? and what are the options? did i miss something?


----------



## Galius

MFB said:


> How long do the pre-orders normally stay open for? I may not be able to afford one this week, but definetly next week.


 
The ones on the site arent pre-orders, theyre leftovers from this last run. They may have a few left next week but who knows what will be left.

Also I noticed some people having issues setting intonation and now all the intrepids have this at the end of the description.
"For proper intonation set low string to F# below regular E. Then normal tuning up from there."
Im left to assume that there is a specific trick to setting it and thats why some people are having trouble. I dont know if im reading it wrong or if im just a tard but does anyone know exactly what this means though?


----------



## MFB

I know that but the pre-orders start tomorrow which is why I was asking the day before


----------



## possumkiller

ok but what are we preordering???? what are the options? what do we have to choose from?


----------



## TomAwesome

Kurt hasn't said yet.


----------



## possumkiller

ok i thought maybe i was missing something


btw just ordered a set of hipshot locking tuners for my intrepid


----------



## Krankguitarist

Got mine today via UPS!

I gotta admit...I'm feeling a little overwhelmed! Gotta totally re-think my technique for this axe.

After playing this one for a while, my loomis feels tiny! :X


----------



## AntiTankDog

Got mine yesterday, it kicks ass. I'm using an Octave4plus string for the high one. Instead of two lower, I have one lower and one higher. The tuning I'm liking is drop-A on the low side, and Ab on the high side, with normal 6 string EADGBE in between. I got the ebony fretboard w/ 1 EMG, wish they had a 2 EMG option,but I guess I can have it routed later if I want to. For the money - amazing! I am SO pleasently surprised by the quality here. The neck is way easier to play than I thought it was going to be, and I don't exactly have huge hands.


----------



## Bakerman

Galius said:


> Also I noticed some people having issues setting intonation and now all the intrepids have this at the end of the description.
> "For proper intonation set low string to F# below regular E. Then normal tuning up from there."
> Im left to assume that there is a specific trick to setting it and thats why some people are having trouble. I dont know if im reading it wrong or if im just a tard but does anyone know exactly what this means though?



I guess it's useful information if someone tuned it differently and didn't know how to set intonation, or if they tuned far below F# and wondered why they ran out of room for that saddle.

The issue with my guitar is that the screws aren't long enough to properly intonate a plain string tuned higher than around G (3rd string). With the highest 2 saddles as close to the neck as possible now, the high B is slightly flat toward higher frets and the high E is worse. Same thing with the D string since it needs to be farther out than the G saddle.


----------



## elrrek

I have a question about these that unfortunately only someone with a Standard AND a Pro and has had them since the first round can answer.

The STD has a 3 piece bolt on neck and the Pro has a 5 piece neck through. Has anyone experienced any difficulties with the 3 piece neck in terms of stability, warping, neck shift or anything? I'm guessing the 5 piece is going to be more secure and stable.

I'm hoping to be in on the next preorder run and I'm sort of comparing the Pro and the Std as having similar differences between my Schecter C7 Blackjack (being the Pro) and my Ibanez RG7321 (being the Std). The Pro is going to have a more ringing tone and be "darker", the Std might be a bit snappier with more bite. Is this an accurate assesment?


----------



## darren

I think Kurt only went halfway in terms of fixing the intonation issues from the first batch. The first ones didn't have enough intonation room on the lower strings, so i suggested that they move the bridge back a couple of mm and install longer screws on the top two or three strings. Well, they obviously moved the bridge back, but those screws are clearly too short.


----------



## TomAwesome

At least it's easier to get new screws than to deal with a bridge that's not far enough back. That's still pretty unfortunate that the guitar won't intonate at its intended tuning, though.


----------



## jamesmafyew

So all in all I really like the Intrepid Pro. I restrung it with 10-46 + 59 + 70 (it came with a 60 on the low string) and will be putting an 80 on the low tomorrow. I have it tuned F-Eb. It plays great across the board, EXCEPT:

There is this infuriating rattle/buzz when playing the low F open string. It doesn't do it at all on any fretted notes or any other strings, JUST the low F open. I swapped saddles and changed action, it still did it. I checked the tightness of all tuning machines. I put paper in the low F nut slot --- nothing works. I can't find any loose screws or hardware. I checked both truss rods, they're well-tensioned.

It's a tinny metallic buzz/rattle, NOT fret buzz, and it seems to come from everywhere at once --- neck, body, bridge. I thought it was sympathetic but when I tuned the next string to F it didn't cause any buzzing. When I tune the F string up or down, it still buzzes, no change.

After a forum search I know that other people have had similar issues, but nothing exactly like this. Has anything else like this come up with Intrepid owners before?

Any ideas for solutions?


----------



## darren

jamesmafyew said:


> There is this infuriating rattle/buzz when playing the low F open string.


Have you checked the height adjustment screws on the low F saddle?


----------



## jamesmafyew

Yep, all saddle height screws are tight. I actually replaced the low F saddle with a different one (graphtec Strat saddle), and the problem persisted. So I guess that eliminates the "sitar" phenomenon some people get from overly flat saddle shape. The only thing I haven't totally eliminated is the nut (which would make sense since it only buzzes on the open string), but I've pressed against the string in the nut slot and it doesn't seem to make a difference.


----------



## gunshow86de

jamesmafyew said:


> So all in all I really like the Intrepid Pro. I restrung it with 10-46 + 59 + 70 (it came with a 60 on the low string) and will be putting an 80 on the low tomorrow. I have it tuned F-Eb. It plays great across the board, EXCEPT:
> 
> There is this infuriating rattle/buzz when playing the low F open string. It doesn't do it at all on any fretted notes or any other strings, JUST the low F open. I swapped saddles and changed action, it still did it. I checked the tightness of all tuning machines. I put paper in the low F nut slot --- nothing works. I can't find any loose screws or hardware. I checked both truss rods, they're well-tensioned.
> 
> It's a tinny metallic buzz/rattle, NOT fret buzz, and it seems to come from everywhere at once --- neck, body, bridge. I thought it was sympathetic but when I tuned the next string to F it didn't cause any buzzing. When I tune the F string up or down, it still buzzes, no change.
> 
> After a forum search I know that other people have had similar issues, but nothing exactly like this. Has anything else like this come up with Intrepid owners before?
> 
> Any ideas for solutions?



I have mine tuned to F as well, and I have the same problem. It's only the open string, and it isn't fret buzz. I can't find any loose hardware either.


----------



## stuh84

Just strung mine up with some strings worth using (9-46 + a 60 for the Low B, and an 80 for the low F#), NOW I'm in love with this thing


----------



## possumkiller

so just a question here. does anyone know where i can find nickel free strings for an agile? say 9-42 standard yeah i can find those but what about a 60 and a 80?? or something close for the 2 low strings?


----------



## stuh84

Don't know about in the US, I think maybe juststrings.com?


----------



## possumkiller

I was looking at them. With daddarios the make titanium up to size .041 and stainless steel up to size .056

Im trying to find out if it really is the nickel thats making me break out


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Are the necks on the Standard's as delicious as on the Pros?


----------



## darren

Is it just on your picking hand? Maybe it's something to do with the plating process used on the bridge.


----------



## possumkiller

Yes it is only on the palm muting part of my picking hand. I notice that when I play hard for a long period my hands sweat pretty profusely so when I was in Iraq in the summertime in 140 something degree weather I thought maybe it was just a heat rash but it kept coming back.

The pic isnt very clear and thats also after a couple days healing with no playing. When I play it my skin bubbles up and itches like hell and I scratch and rub it and it gets all red and irritated and the bubbles pop open. Theres a clear liquid that comes out of it and then it scabs.


----------



## lefty robb

possumkiller said:


> Yes it is only on the palm muting part of my picking hand. I notice that when I play hard for a long period my hands sweat pretty profusely so when I was in Iraq in the summertime in 140 something degree weather I thought maybe it was just a heat rash but it kept coming back.
> 
> The pic isnt very clear and thats also after a couple days healing with no playing. When I play it my skin bubbles up and itches like hell and I scratch and rub it and it gets all red and irritated and the bubbles pop open. Theres a clear liquid that comes out of it and then it scabs.




I get that on my hands, its eczema.

Hmm, its interesting that other people are having issues intonating it as well, I can't seem to get the low B and F# to sound right at all, all the power chords seem to sound off, yet its tuned to pitch on the open and 12th, but then I notice that individually fretted notes are sharp, and on 24 its very sharp yet the harmonic is in tune, but I wasn't going to mention this until I put new strings on it.


----------



## hairychris

stuh84 said:


> Just strung mine up with some strings worth using (9-46 + a 60 for the Low B, and an 80 for the low F#), NOW I'm in love with this thing



Good match, innit?


----------



## darren

Harmonics will always be in tune to the open string. It's the fretted notes that need the compensation. 

If the fretted note at the 12th fret is sharp compared to the harmonic, it means the fretted note is less than half of the length of the string and the saddle needs to move back away from the nut. If the fretted note is flat, it needs to move closer to the nut.


----------



## TimothyLeary

darren said:


> Harmonics will always be in tune to the open string. It's the fretted notes that need the compensation.
> 
> If the fretted note at the 12th fret is sharp compared to the harmonic, it means the fretted note is less than half of the length of the string and the saddle needs to move back away from the nut. If the fretted note is flat, it needs to move closer to the nut.



when a tune like meshuggah(F in the low string), my fretted note on 12th fret is slightly sharp than my harmonic, but I think I can't move my saddle back, it seems it's all way back. Now I understand why people are always talking about the saddles and the intonation on intrepid!


----------



## DrunkenMonkey

gunshow86de said:


> I have mine tuned to F as well, and I have the same problem. It's only the open string, and it isn't fret buzz. I can't find any loose hardware either.



Could it be behind the nut? Perhaps that 'foam silencer' trick might help.


----------



## lefty robb

darren said:


> Harmonics will always be in tune to the open string. It's the fretted notes that need the compensation.




Yeah, I know, but the fretted note @ 24 is way sharp, ok @ open and 12. It got better @ 24 when I lowered the action, thinking that the effect of pressing down such a thick string was just like bending it up a little.


----------



## stuh84

DrunkenMonkey said:


> Could it be behind the nut? Perhaps that 'foam silencer' trick might help.



Thats what I did, silenced mine right down 







Seeeee?


----------



## jamesmafyew

DrunkenMonkey said:


> Could it be behind the nut? Perhaps that 'foam silencer' trick might help.



I tried that. Since it's an open string, I can pluck it with one hand and hold down different parts of the string or hardware with the other hand, and I checked to see if this was the issue (I know it's pretty common actually), and it wasn't. There's something else wrong, so I'll keep looking.


----------



## stuh84

Checked the battery inside to see if thats not rattling around?


----------



## MFB

possumkiller said:


> so just a question here. does anyone know where i can find nickel free strings for an agile? say 9-42 standard yeah i can find those but what about a 60 and a 80?? or something close for the 2 low strings?



PM Ricez about strings. I know he was offering custom sets for members so he may be able to help you find them.


----------



## yellowv

does anyone have pics of ghostburst yet?


----------



## DagMX

oh god! i got it!
I was literally waiting around my room for the fedex guy to ring the bell, got an email saying it had been delivered? So I ran down to see whats up and my roomate walks into the house with the fedex package....i was so happy...

its a bloodburst standard dual pickup with rosewood fretboard....ill post pics later....
came in the case which is a little long but i dont care...perfect condition except the 8th string is obviously too thin....ill take care of that tomorrow....

its so beautiful and the neck is a dream


----------



## TomAwesome

Ghost burst pics have been posted at least a few times already. They're on the site, too.

Agile Intrepid Dual Ghost Burst MN Standard 8 at HomeOld


----------



## yellowv

TomAwesome said:


> Ghost burst pics have been posted at least a few times already. They're on the site, too.
> 
> Agile Intrepid Dual Ghost Burst MN Standard 8 at HomeOld



I saw the ones on the Rondo site, but have not seen any of actual guitars. Couldn't find any going back through the thread.


----------



## DagMX




----------



## gunshow86de

So another mixup to report:

I ordered a single pickup charcoal standard during the pre-orders. Every invoice I had since then said single pickup. When I received delivery today, inside was a dual pickup standard. I must say it was gorgeous. I wanted to keep it, but I already had it reserved for Victor (remorse is for the dead). In fact, he was there when I opened it. It was a nice surprise. So he gets a dual standard for the price of a single standard.


----------



## DagMX

gazooks....i wait so long for this beauty...and I break a string and have no replacements on hand....
atleast tis only the high E. I was tuning down a half step and it snapped.


----------



## MFB

How did it break tuning _down?_


----------



## DagMX

MFB said:


> How did it break tuning _down?_



your guess is as good as mine...
Maybe because the guitar travelled through a lot of different climates over the past few days so the strings didnt react well? idk...oh well...

umm what strings do you guys recomend for tuning to F standard for a guy who likes to tune with 10-52s at E standard on a 25.5 6 string?


----------



## eegor

I'm not an expert, but I'd try 10-52+66+80 if you like oodles of tension.


----------



## DagMX

eegor said:


> I'm not an expert, but I'd try 10-52+66+80 if you like oodles of tension.



that sounds good....a little heavy for the neck maybe though? I have huge warping paranoia....haha


----------



## MFB

DagMX said:


> your guess is as good as mine...
> Maybe because the guitar travelled through a lot of different climates over the past few days so the strings didnt react well? idk...oh well...



Yeah, that seems pretty logical. I mean it's been snowy in the NE region, plus going overseas into some heat in India probably messed with the strings

First time I've heard this happen, but I guess it goes to show that it _can_ still happen


----------



## eegor

@DagMX: If you don't like adjusting the truss rods then you should probably back it off a little. I'm using a 10-46+56+68 in F, and it's working just fine for me.


----------



## DagMX

MFB said:


> Yeah, that seems pretty logical. I mean it's been snowy in the NE region, plus going overseas into some heat in India probably messed with the strings
> 
> First time I've heard this happen, but I guess it goes to show that it _can_ still happen


oh i should update thaat...im in vancouver right now...but it came through alberta where it was about -20ish while it was there....oh well....new strings are a good thing...

and I can still play most of meshuggah....combustion is such a great song to play...


----------



## stuh84

I'm using 9-46, plus 60 and 80 in F#, and its plenty thick, but doesn't feel TOO thick.


----------



## DagMX

eegor said:


> @DagMX: If you don't like adjusting the truss rods then you should probably back it off a little. I'm using a 10-46+56+68 in F, and it's working just fine for me.


Cool ill try that out tomorrow...


----------



## troyguitar

DagMX said:


> your guess is as good as mine...
> Maybe because the guitar travelled through a lot of different climates over the past few days so the strings didnt react well? idk...oh well...
> 
> umm what strings do you guys recomend for tuning to F standard for a guy who likes to tune with 10-52s at E standard on a 25.5 6 string?



To achieve similar tension to your normal setup, in standard F# tuning, on the 28.625" scale you will want the following:

9-46 + ~.062 + ~.080

If you meant F standard as in a half step down, then it's more like your normal 10-52 + ~.066 + ~.086 if you can find one.


----------



## eegor

Holy shit, that 86 is going to be tight as hell!


----------



## Bakerman

If anyone else needs longer intonation screws and can't find them at a local store, I'm pretty sure 3 mm width (0.5 mm thread pitch) is the correct type, and 20 mm should be a good length (stock ones are 16 mm). Search for item # 92005A128 at mcmaster.com for an example or just navigate though using those specs--they have quite a few of that type.


----------



## Anthony

I am officially in love with this guitar. And that's not the honeymoon talking.


----------



## troyguitar

eegor said:


> Holy shit, that 86 is going to be tight as hell!



Not really according to what I've found online.

.052 tuned to regular E at 25.5" is ~25 lbs. of tension, which is what he's used to.

.086 tuned to the F below that at 28.625" is only ~21lbs. of tension.


----------



## DagMX

troyguitar said:


> Not really according to what I've found online.
> 
> .052 tuned to regular E at 25.5" is ~25 lbs. of tension, which is what he's used to.
> 
> .086 tuned to the F below that at 28.625" is only ~21lbs. of tension.



hmm i should have done the tension calculator thing...
an 86 sounds awesome in theory....but would the tuners accept it? I'll buy one just in case either way...


----------



## eegor

troyguitar said:


> Not really according to what I've found online.
> 
> .052 tuned to regular E at 25.5" is ~25 lbs. of tension, which is what he's used to.
> 
> .086 tuned to the F below that at 28.625" is only ~21lbs. of tension.



Compared to the ~14lbs. of tension I'm used to, it's quite a bit.

Also, about the tuners accepting the 86, you just need to unwind the end of the string, just enough to get it in the tuner and have some slack.


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm going down to about 11 pounds or so for my set. I'd prefer more, but I really don't want to inch too close to a .080" on the low string.


----------



## yellowv

I want to use Elixers if I get one. Will a .10-.46 + a .56 and .68 work okay or it that too light for an 8? If I remember correctly Zimbloth used a slightly lighter set on his RG2228 and it is shorter scale. His sounds brutal.


----------



## remorse is for the dead

gunshow86de said:


> So another mixup to report:
> 
> I ordered a single pickup charcoal standard during the pre-orders. Every invoice I had since then said single pickup. When I received delivery today, inside was a dual pickup standard. I must say it was gorgeous. I wanted to keep it, but I already had it reserved for Victor (remorse is for the dead). In fact, he was there when I opened it. It was a nice surprise. So he gets a dual standard for the price of a single standard.

















 Thanks Matt


----------



## TomAwesome

yellowv said:


> I want to use Elixers if I get one. Will a .10-.46 + a .56 and .68 work okay or it that too light for an 8? If I remember correctly Zimbloth used a slightly lighter set on his RG2228 and it is shorter scale. His sounds brutal.



For F or F#, .068" will probably be fine. That should be just about perfect, actually (IMO, but I like light strings).


----------



## yellowv

TomAwesome said:


> For F or F#, .068" will probably be fine. That should be just about perfect, actually (IMO, but I like light strings).



Thats what I figured + it should mean I won't have to adjust intonation too much and probably not much truss rod adjustment needed also. I don't want to tune any lower than F#.


----------



## eegor

remorse is for the dead said:


> Thanks Matt



Damn, that's gorgeous. I only wish I were so lucky.  Oh well, I get mine back in a week or two. 

Oh, and btw, about the 68, I've noticed that it's a little loose for F, and I therefore wouldn't recommend it for anything under F# unless you like flubby. It's starting to sound muddy to my ears, and I think I'm going to bump it up a notch.


----------



## Slayer89

I use the D'addario 10-59 on my Loomis and Hellraiser and really dig the feel. Any idea what would get me a similar feel on the 8?


----------



## troyguitar

yellowv said:


> I want to use Elixers if I get one. Will a .10-.46 + a .56 and .68 work okay or it that too light for an 8? If I remember correctly Zimbloth used a slightly lighter set on his RG2228 and it is shorter scale. His sounds brutal.



That will work fine. If anything, you might want to lighten up the first 6 (or 7) strings. What do you normally use on a 25.5 guitar?

Since I normally play 9-42/46 +58 on my 25.5" guitar, I would actually use 8-38 + 52 + 68/70 at the 28.625" scale.



Slayer89 said:


> I use the D'addario 10-59 on my Loomis and Hellraiser and really dig the feel. Any idea what would get me a similar feel on the 8?



Something like 9-42 + 56 + 74


----------



## jamesmafyew

gunshow86de said:


> I have mine tuned to F as well, and I have the same problem. It's only the open string, and it isn't fret buzz. I can't find any loose hardware either.



So I fixed the problem. It turned out it WAS the saddle, but it ONLY had the problem at that one pitch: F1. So it was a sympathetic buzzing, but the cause was that the saddles have about 1.5mm of flat surface between the end of the "ramp" the string comes out of and the edge. The buzzing is caused by the string flapping on this flat part when there's a particularly strong body resonance. It goes away when fretting notes because the slight downward force of the left hand on the string keeps it from flapping on the saddle.

I isolated the problem by tuning up a new low string while plucking it --- as I increased the pitch with the tuning machine, I could hear the buzz fade in and then out as I passed F. At F#, it wasn't really there anymore. I found the frequency of maximum buzz, and then was able to make it go away by pressing HARD on the saddle.

It's hard to describe, and there's a better explanation here: FRETS.COM

All but two of the Hipshot bridge's saddles have this flat space --- they look inconsistently cut. It just doesn't seem to be an issue on any string other than the low string, and at any pitch other than F1 (on this particular guitar).

My solution was to swap in a graphite Strat saddle on the low string, which I filed on the inside so that the string ramp was much steeper, and then filed on the outside so that the surface the string rests on is a more or less sharp edge (like a tune-o-matic saddle profile). Buzzing gone!

I did try to file the original Hipshot saddle down to get rid of the flat part, but it's much easier to file down graphite than steel. If you have the patience, filing the steel should work too.





On a side note, this makes a great case for alternate (i.e. lower) tunings making more of a difference than just string tension/harmonics, since it seems that in different tunings, different body resonance modes are excited, thereby changing the sound of the guitar...


----------



## yellowv

troyguitar said:


> That will work fine. If anything, you might want to lighten up the first 6 (or 7) strings. What do you normally use on a 25.5 guitar?
> 
> Since I normally play 9-42/46 +58 on my 25.5" guitar, I would actually use 8-38 + 52 + 68/70 at the 28.625" scale.
> 
> 
> 
> Something like 9-42 + 56 + 74



You have a good point. I don't mind a little extra tension though and already ordered the .10-.46 set and the .56 and .68. So I will give it a try. Actually I do have a new set of .9-.42 elixers on hand anyway. So I could always use them and use the .10-.46 set elsewhere.


----------



## Galius

Good to see you got the rattling thing figured out man. Im pretty bummed because the darkburst dual standard has gone missing from the rondo site, I was planning on ordering one either tonight or in the morning. I already have a bloodburst coming and dont want to get a standard with the same finish so mabey I will just enjoy my pro and order a dual standard on the next run. TOMMORROW IS NGD!!!


----------



## highlordmugfug

When do the next preorders start? I want to see what's available now.


----------



## MFB

Technically today if you're on the east coast

A literal date would be March 11th


----------



## COBHC

Got my bloodburst pro today. Absolutely stunning. Nicest guitar ive ever held in my hands. Restrung it right away with 9-52 EB 7 string set + 70 for F#. Had to unwind the string to fit it in the tuner.

Slight fret buzz on a couple strings but the neck does look almost perfectly flat. Need to add some relief with the truss rods. Then it should be perfect.

I liked the neck shape on my interceptor but this seems thinner and much more comfortable.

Blows that fedex had to be so lame. Someone must have curb stomped my hardshell case to make the huge dent in it that it came with. Luckily didnt harm the guitar. My hands arent that big and moving from my 25.5" scale to 28.6" scale was hardly noticable , other than the fact that i can actually play high frets now with much more ease.

Everytime i look at it , it reminds me of a 8 string version loomis. Nice dark red which i was hoping for. Maple board is beautiful and the satin finish is perfect on the back of the neck.


----------



## mgcasella

Do you have anything recorded you could post? Does anyone? I really want one of these and I'm dying to know what they sound like. I found some on youtube but the sound quality was poor and there was music in the background. I wanna hear it straight, baby...


----------



## plyta

mgcasella said:


> Do you have anything recorded you could post? Does anyone? I really want one of these and I'm dying to know what they sound like. I found some on youtube but the sound quality was poor and there was music in the background. I wanna hear it straight, baby...



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/80269-agile-intrepid-standard-dual.html

here are some vids


----------



## Hypothermia

Fuck, now the lefty bloodburst is sold out because i could'nt get my cash in time


If there wont be any lefty bloodbursts next round i'm going to get depressed



Edit: Make that suicidal


----------



## possumkiller

well i just ordered a bloodburst dual standard rosewood. 3 day shipping. i hope it makes it friday. god i cant wait.

i thought about the ebony pro but god i love the ash body on the standard so much. and i love the cepheus pickups.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

possumkiller said:


> well i just ordered a bloodburst dual standard rosewood. 3 day shipping. i hope it makes it friday. god i cant wait.
> 
> i thought about the ebony pro but god i love the ash body on the standard so much. and i love the cepheus pickups.



What's up, fellow bloodburst dual standard buddy 

EDIT: Does anybody know if Sperzels will fit in the holes for these tuners? I'd love to replace them, but I'm not going to pull the trigger on 8 if they won't even fit.


----------



## jamesmafyew

String tension info for those who care:

The stock specs for the Intrepid are for a tension-matched set at between 16-17 pounds:

len 28.625"
E4 .009" PL == 16.55#
B3 .012" PL == 16.52#
G3 .015" PL == 16.25#
D3 .022" nw == 16.81#
A2 .030" nw == 17.71#
E2 .040" nw == 16.94#
B1 .054 nw == 17.1#
F1# .072 nw == 17.09#
total == 134.97#


D'Addario's 9-42 7-string set, + a .075, yield:

len 28.625"
E4 .009" PL == 16.55#
B3 .011" PL == 13.87#
G3 .016" PL == 18.5#
D3 .024" nw == 19.87#
A2 .032" nw == 19.87#
E2 .042" nw == 18.61#
B1 .054 nw == 17.1#
F1# .075 nw == 18.44#
total == 142.82#

You can better tension-match the low B by using the 9-42 6-string set and using a .056 single there (B1 .056 nw == 18.64#)


If you're interested in tuning like Meshuggah, here's their configuration (notice the correction for the 30.5" scale of their custom guitars):

len 30.5"
E4b .009" PL == 16.74#
B3b .011" PL == 14.03#
G3b .016" PL == 18.71#
D3b .026" nw == 23.46#
A2b .036" nw == 24.9#
E2b .046" nw == 22.28#
B1b .052 nw == 15.74#
F1 .070 nw == 16.4# (Meshuggah uses a bass string)
total == 152.27#


On the Intrepid, a D'Addario 10-59 7-string set + 80 will get you pretty close, with more even tension:

len 28.625"
E4b .010" PL == 18.2#
B3b .013" PL == 17.27#
G3b .017" PL == 18.6#
D3b .026" nw == 20.66#
A2b .036" nw == 21.93#
E2b .046" nw == 19.63#
B1b .059 nw == 18.5#
F1 .080 nw == 18.61#
total == 153.41#


----------



## darren

possumkiller said:


> i thought about the ebony pro but god i love the ash body on the standard so much. and i love the cepheus pickups.





Between my Intrepid and my Texan, i think Ash is my new favourite body wood.


----------



## darren

GorillaSalsa said:


> EDIT: Does anybody know if Sperzels will fit in the holes for these tuners? I'd love to replace them, but I'm not going to pull the trigger on 8 if they won't even fit.



Anything can be made to fit. It's my experience that NOTHING is a direct replacement for Grover Mini Rotomatics. Not even Grover's own locking Mini Rotomatics. Sperzels will also have to be drilled out to accommodate the thicker strings. I believe they will only take up to a .060 gauge string.


----------



## jamesmafyew

darren said:


> Anything can be made to fit. It's my experience that NOTHING is a direct replacement for Grover Mini Rotomatics. Not even Grover's own locking Mini Rotomatics. Sperzels will also have to be drilled out to accommodate the thicker strings. I believe they will only take up to a .060 gauge string.



The "official" specs on the mini-rotomatics seem to say they require a ~10mm post hole, which is pretty standard, even for full-size Gibson tuners. But if Darren is right, who knows --- you should take out a tuning machine and measure the post hole with calipers (or at least a good ruler).

The stock tuning machines on the Intrepid (at least the one I have) don't take larger than a .060 either, so not much of a change there. I had to unwind the end of an ACTUAL .072 to fit -- as opposed to the .060 the guitar came with.

Stewmac has really good schematic specs on all the tuning machines they sell and their prices are very comepitive -- that might make things easier.


----------



## darren

For me, it's not just the diameter of the main hole, but also the position of the stabilizing screw. I don't like the idea of having to fill and re-drill holes in my headstock.


----------



## jamesmafyew

darren said:


> For me, it's not just the diameter of the main hole, but also the position of the stabilizing screw. I don't like the idea of having to fill and re-drill holes in my headstock.



Good point.

Unrelated question: are the truss rods both threaded the same way? I adjusted the bass side and it seems normal, but the treble side seems to be more difficult to turn LEFT than right. I don't want to keep adjusting unless I know for a fact that they're threaded the same way...


----------



## djohns74

jamesmafyew said:


> You can better tension-match the low B by using the 9-42 6-string set and using a .056 single there (B1 .056 nw == 18.64#)


 I came to the same conclusion and ordered exactly that, though with a .074 since that's what was available and should be plenty close enough for me. Should arrive tomorrow or Friday, will report back then.


----------



## gunshow86de

For what it's worth, I already have Schaller lockers on my Intrepid. The post holes were a direct fit, but the small screw that's on the tab on the backside does not line up. You either have to make a new hole, or angle the screw slightly to start it in the hole. You have to unwind the string though to make it fit. Schallers only take up to a .056.

On another note, does anyone else's forearm hurt from playing your Intrepid? Mine is so sore today, I'm not used to the big stretches. Of course, I played for about 5-6 hours yesterday, so that might have some effect.


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

Quick question, guys. I'm planning on pre-ordering an Intrepid today, but I'm not 100% set on which model. I was really thinking the Pro Dual if they're available, but now I'm thinking about the Standard Dual.

Does anyone know the difference in the thickness and length of the heel between the Standard and the Pro? I do quite a bit of high-neck playing, but I definitely don't want or need a trem.

Thanks!


----------



## possumkiller

I really dont mind the extra holes in the headstock. I can cover them up somehow. I ordered 2 sets of hipshot lockers for both of my intrepids. I installed Sperzels on my flying V and I had to drill it out to accept a .056

Just another note on the Sperzels and why I dont use them anymore. If your hands sweat when you play like mine do and you play with the tuners the black finish will quickly turn purple. I dont like the finishing process on the black Sperzels. I believe its anodized aluminum. I prefer the regular black finish on Grovers, Schallers, etc.


----------



## Beta

gunshow86de said:


> Schallers only take up to a .056.



This is a minor derail (I'm watching the thread because I want to see what people are saying about these guitars, and I'm GASsing), but I have a set of Schallers on my LTD, and I'm using a standard D'Addario .010-.059 set, which works with some effort.

Not that .003 makes a significant difference, so, sorry.


----------



## Urbane

I know that suposivley some intrepids were supposed to be on sale today ,march 3rd was it just the bloodburst standard or when are the other suppose to be on sale 

thanks,


----------



## MFB

It's now 5 o'clock EST and I still see no pre-orders for the Standard Intrepid 8 or any other for that matter. Is Kurt not doing them until the extras are sold? Or does the price on the site not say it's a pre-order?


----------



## Urbane

well i had emailed him a while ago and he said dual pickup pros were going to be released this next run and i am waiting for that to happen but i thought they might be released today which is when he said they would be


----------



## peavey_impact

RomeApartJizzy said:


> *Orgasm*



Can someone please tell me how I can purchase one of these guitars? I'm sort of a noob to these boards and haven't read this whole thread. I want this exact guitar but with a maple board. It's so gorgeous


----------



## darren

Your best bet is to go to rondomusic.com and sign up for their email newsletter. You'll get first notice of when new models are avaialble for ordering.


----------



## Galius

There were some listed the other day but dissappeard before the actual order date was here. I had money put in my paypal for one but now im gonna have to wait until next run.


peavey_impact said:


> Can someone please tell me how I can purchase one of these guitars? I'm sort of a noob to these boards and haven't read this whole thread. I want this exact guitar but with a maple board. It's so gorgeous


----------



## highlordmugfug

Apologizing in advance if this makes no sense. Taking drugs, had wisdom teeth removed, stayinf drugged, feel no pain, am superman, anywho: Back to business:


MFB said:


> Technically today if you're on the east coast
> 
> A literal date would be March 11th


Cool, I'll check the site.


jamesmafyew said:


> String tension info for those who care:
> 
> The stock specs for the Intrepid are for a tension-matched set at between 16-17 pounds:
> 
> len 28.625"
> E4 .009" PL == 16.55#
> B3 .012" PL == 16.52#
> G3 .015" PL == 16.25#
> D3 .022" nw == 16.81#
> A2 .030" nw == 17.71#
> E2 .040" nw == 16.94#
> B1 .054 nw == 17.1#
> F1# .072 nw == 17.09#
> total == 134.97#
> 
> 
> D'Addario's 9-42 7-string set, + a .075, yield:
> 
> len 28.625"
> E4 .009" PL == 16.55#
> B3 .011" PL == 13.87#
> G3 .016" PL == 18.5#
> D3 .024" nw == 19.87#
> A2 .032" nw == 19.87#
> E2 .042" nw == 18.61#
> B1 .054 nw == 17.1#
> F1# .075 nw == 18.44#
> total == 142.82#
> 
> You can better tension-match the low B by using the 9-42 6-string set and using a .056 single there (B1 .056 nw == 18.64#)
> 
> 
> If you're interested in tuning like Meshuggah, here's their configuration (notice the correction for the 30.5" scale of their custom guitars):
> 
> len 30.5"
> E4b .009" PL == 16.74#
> B3b .011" PL == 14.03#
> G3b .016" PL == 18.71#
> D3b .026" nw == 23.46#
> A2b .036" nw == 24.9#
> E2b .046" nw == 22.28#
> B1b .052 nw == 15.74#
> F1 .070 nw == 16.4# (Meshuggah uses a bass string)
> total == 152.27#
> 
> 
> On the Intrepid, a D'Addario 10-59 7-string set + 80 will get you pretty close, with more even tension:
> 
> len 28.625"
> E4b .010" PL == 18.2#
> B3b .013" PL == 17.27#
> G3b .017" PL == 18.6#
> D3b .026" nw == 20.66#
> A2b .036" nw == 21.93#
> E2b .046" nw == 19.63#
> B1b .059 nw == 18.5#
> F1 .080 nw == 18.61#
> total == 153.41#


Thank you very much sir.


jamesmafyew said:


> The "official" specs on the mini-rotomatics seem to say they require a ~10mm post hole, which is pretty standard, even for full-size Gibson tuners. But if Darren is right, who knows --- you should take out a tuning machine and measure the post hole with calipers (or at least a good ruler).
> 
> The stock tuning machines on the Intrepid (at least the one I have) don't take larger than a .060 either, so not much of a change there. I had to unwind the end of an ACTUAL .072 to fit -- as opposed to the .060 the guitar came with.
> 
> Stewmac has really good schematic specs on all the tuning machines they sell and their prices are very comepitive -- that might make things easier.


Can I drill out the hole to fir the string size I need/want? Like a .072 like the guitar was supposed to have? I remember someone suggesting this at one point. Is this possible?


----------



## troyguitar

highlordmugfug said:


> Can I drill out the hole to fir the string size I need/want? Like a .072 like the guitar was supposed to have? I remember someone suggesting this at one point. Is this possible?



Yeah you can do that, no problem. That's what I would/will do myself. Way easier than unwinding the end of the string...

Just make sure you file it nice and smooth afterward - you don't want to break the string at the tuner.


----------



## TomAwesome

They're up, along with a couple of sexy Interceptors. It doesn't look like much has been added to what was already up there, but that's still a decent selection.

Edit: It looks like the site hasn't been updated, but the email that got sent out also had:

http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidstdbbmn.html

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2468.html

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2450.html

I wonder why there's a lack of Pro models. Oh well, that just makes me all the more glad I jumped on that dual-passive Pro the other day.


----------



## gunshow86de

Ready for a buzz kill?

I'm going to have to sell my Intrepid already. I have pretty bad psoratic arthritis and I just can't handle the extreme stretches that I have to perform on it. After playing for about 20 minutes today, I could barely hold a glass of water.

I've got it posted in the classifieds for anyone who is interested.


----------



## Slayer89

I just put up a number of new and better shots of my Oceanburst pro in my NGD thread. Here's one of them.


----------



## yellowv

Slayer89 said:


> I just put up a number of new and better shots of my Oceanburst pro in my NGD thread. Here's one of them.



Is it just the lighting in the pics or did they miss a spot in the stain right under the neck?


----------



## Galius

I just got my bloodburst pro and it has the same thing going on. Its not too bad though. Looks like there is a bit of excess glue or filler on the edges of the frets as well. They really do need to take care of the tuner hole on the low string though. I noticed that all of the neck plays absolutely perfect but the 7th fret on the low string. Mabey my guitar guy can fix it once I get my sets of strings and get the low tuning peg drilled out. I went with 9-11-16-24-32-42-52-70, that look good for this guitar?


yellowv said:


> Is it just the lighting in the pics or did they miss a spot in the stain right under the neck?


----------



## eegor

gunshow86de said:


> Ready for a buzz kill?
> 
> I'm going to have to sell my Intrepid already. I have pretty bad psoratic arthritis and I just can't handle the extreme stretches that I have to perform on it. After playing for about 20 minutes today, I could barely hold a glass of water.
> 
> I've got it posted in the classifieds for anyone who is interested.



Damn, man, that sucks big time.


----------



## TomAwesome

That's really crappy, Matt.


----------



## gunshow86de

TomAwesome said:


> That's really crappy, Matt.



The worst part is, I actually like the way it plays. The radius and profile feel pretty nice , and I can play really fast on it, only just in very short bursts. I don't think I could finish an entire song on it.


----------



## Galius

SO has anyone else had luck drilling the hole bigger on the F# tuner?


----------



## gunshow86de

Galius said:


> SO has anyone else had luck drilling the hole bigger on the F# tuner?



I've previously drilled out a locking tuner to accept a .070, it's not too hard. But honestly, I would just unwind the top portion of the string. It's a pain, but you won't have to risk compromising the stability of the tuner.


----------



## Galius

So I spent some time playing and found exactly why one fret on one string is buzzing. It looks as if the 7th fret is too low only on the low F# but all the others have plenty of clearance when fretting on the 7th fret. Thats the only conclusion I can reach.


----------



## Slayer89

yellowv said:


> Is it just the lighting in the pics or did they miss a spot in the stain right under the neck?



I hadn't notice, but yeah, there is a tiny spot without the stain. Honestly, it's hardly noticeable in person unless you're looking for it. I guess the lighting in the picture really highlights it.


----------



## highlordmugfug

gunshow86de said:


> Ready for a buzz kill?
> 
> I'm going to have to sell my Intrepid already. I have pretty bad psoratic arthritis and I just can't handle the extreme stretches that I have to perform on it. After playing for about 20 minutes today, I could barely hold a glass of water.
> 
> I've got it posted in the classifieds for anyone who is interested.


That sucks man. What scale are you used to using that doesn't bother you? Have you thought about just getting really light strings? Could that help maybe? Before you have to sell it?


gunshow86de said:


> I've previously drilled out a locking tuner to accept a .070, it's not too hard. But honestly, I would just unwind the top portion of the string. It's a pain, but you won't have to risk compromising the stability of the tuner.


I've heard this, but why wouldn't the string unwind when you tried to tune it after you did this? Does anyone have a picture that explains this to me?


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> So I spent some time playing and found exactly why one fret on one string is buzzing. It looks as if the 7th fret is too low only on the low F# but all the others have plenty of clearance when fretting on the 7th fret. Thats the only conclusion I can reach.


So what do you do about that? Send it back, or have someone local pop the fret out and put a new one in, and level that to the height of the others? I ask because I have a guitar that has a low 22nd fret at the high E, and it drives me frickin' NUTS to be playing a dissonant 23rd fret when I press what should sound the 22nd. But I don't know what the easiest way to get around it is. (And, now I'm paranoid about my Agile coming tomorrow that it will either have these intonation issues or an overly leveled fret).


----------



## Wound

Galius said:


> SO has anyone else had luck drilling the hole bigger on the F# tuner?



I drilled up my F# tuner. I use a 80 string tuned to E and that didn't fit...couldn't be bothered unwinding so i drilled it...no problems...did the same thing with my RG2228...the weird thing is the Intrepid I have from the first run...80 string fit throught the tuner...no problem...so they must have changed that for this run.

Which brings me to the fact thet I got my Ghostburst yesterday! awesome guitar...took it straight to practise after changing strings of course...awesome guitar...was a couple of small things in the paint job...looked like some dust or something was in there...but nothing major. The case I got with it was horrible tho...the Intrepid fit in it..but the neck supporters were broked completely off the case when it arrived. luckily no damage to the guitar. I screwed them back in the case, but if I have the guitar in the case and carry it the guitar slips out of the neck support and is pretty much all over the place in there...so I can't use it. E-mailed Kurt about it, so hopefully we can work something out. It was a GBN case or something I think. I'll post some pics of the ghostburst after work today.


----------



## Hypothermia

Does anyone know when the custom shop will be open for business?


----------



## elrrek

I was wondering if these 8s that are on the site at the moment are actually the pre-orders for the 3rd batch. If they were, would they not have the 1/2 now, pre-delivery text and an estimated date for delivery?

Nice and easy to find the 8s now though 

rondomusic.com 8 String Guitars


----------



## darren

If they're full price, i believe that means they're guitars Kurt has in stock.


----------



## peavey_impact

Wound said:


> Which brings me to the fact thet I got my Ghostburst yesterday! I'll post some pics of the ghostburst after work today.



Can't wait to see them! I wanted a Darkburst but didn't feel like waiting so I ordered one of the Ghostbursts yesterday, and I believe it is shipping out to me today! I personally think it looks really crappy in the pics on the website; please tell me it looks better in person 

The one in the website pics has very little discernible grain


----------



## elrrek

darren said:


> If they're full price, i believe that means they're guitars Kurt has in stock.



That's what I thought.

I am tempted to pick up a single pickup standard now, but the prospect of a twin Cepherus (sp?) Pro with satin finished 5 piece neck in the 3rd run is holding me back.


----------



## Galius

So I sent an e-mail to kurt clearly explaining the issue with the F# tuner peg opening being to small for the strings specd on the intrepids page and told him about the fret issue that was discovered (see earlier post). This morning I got a reply talking about how to properly intonate the guitar and taking the spring off the low saddle if I had to. I officially think Kurt is retarded. 

Me: "im having an issue with the F# bottoming out and buzzing on the 7th fret but having plenty of clearance everywhere else. The other strings seem fine on that fret so I think the fret was shaved down too low on the end with the F#."

Kurt: Thanks - well the strings shipped with the bass should match - it might be the very ends on some strings are different diameter ? Also the guitar was setup and perfectly intonated here based on the the F# tuning.and the strings included. If you need to move the saddle more - you might remove -or cut down the spring on the saddle screw to get more movement towards the bottom of the bridge.

The good thing is my guitar guy said he can easily drill out my tuner and fix the fret issue (he is pretty sure its the same thing I think it is)for me for next to nothing but it really sucks seeing quality issues that affect playability. I understand they are selling these cheap but they should still try and keep up with the big companies.


----------



## Groff

Sad news 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...d-standard-single-bloodburst.html#post1416960

I want it to go to a good home.


----------



## troyguitar

A new guitar needing fretwork is absolutely "keeping up with the big companies" 

Just hit up GC and try a few guitars, I bet you get through at most 5 before finding one that needs fretwork.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Wound said:


> I drilled up my F# tuner. I use a 80 string tuned to E and that didn't fit...couldn't be bothered unwinding so i drilled it...no problems...did the same thing with my RG2228...the weird thing is the Intrepid I have from the first run...80 string fit throught the tuner...no problem...so they must have changed that for this run.
> 
> Which brings me to the fact thet I got my Ghostburst yesterday! awesome guitar...took it straight to practise after changing strings of course...awesome guitar...was a couple of small things in the paint job...looked like some dust or something was in there...but nothing major. The case I got with it was horrible tho...the Intrepid fit in it..but the neck supporters were broked completely off the case when it arrived. luckily no damage to the guitar. I screwed them back in the case, but if I have the guitar in the case and carry it the guitar slips out of the neck support and is pretty much all over the place in there...so I can't use it. E-mailed Kurt about it, so hopefully we can work something out. It was a GBN case or something I think. I'll post some pics of the ghostburst after work today.


It was most likely the CNB 220 bass case. That's the one that I was sent instead of the Intrepid case the first time. That's supposed to be getting fixed/replaced with the nut.


----------



## Wound

highlordmugfug said:


> It was most likely the CNB 220 bass case. That's the one that I was sent instead of the Intrepid case the first time. That's supposed to be getting fixed/replaced with the nut.



Kurt has already sent out a tweed case for me. Awesome service!
The pics are comming...still not home from work yet


----------



## Galius

The tweed case fits pretty well. Its fits right up with the edges of the body but does slide a bit long ways but the upper horn catches before the headstock catches the end of the case. Even with the body slid all the way up the headstock has quite a bit of space from the end of the case.


Wound said:


> Kurt has already sent out a tweed case for me. Awesome service!
> The pics are comming...still not home from work yet





Hypothermia said:


> Does anyone know when the custom shop will be open for business?


 
They just stopped taking orders like a week or so ago. Probly wont open back up for awhile now.


----------



## Hypothermia

Galius said:


> They just stopped taking orders like a week or so ago. Probly wont open back up for awhile now.


 
Ah crap, i'm always to slow


----------



## highlordmugfug

Hypothermia said:


> Ah crap, i'm always to slow


"too" slow. But seriously, you should subscribe to the Rondo mailing list, that'll help you keep up with everything.


----------



## Hypothermia

highlordmugfug said:


> "too" slow. But seriously, you should subscribe to the Rondo mailing list, that'll help you keep up with everything.


 
Yeah i've done that now.
Sucks that i missed all this though. Im GASing for the Lefty Intrepid Bloodburst


----------



## Urbane

I am tempted to pick up a single pickup standard now, but the prospect of a twin Cepherus (sp?) Pro with satin finished 5 piece neck in the 3rd run is holding me back.[/quote]

im the same im waiting for the dual pro is holding me back from a standard also cant wait till they come out


----------



## jamesmafyew

How low have most people been able to get their action? I'm detuned 1 semitone to F-standard, using D'Addario 10-59 + 80 strings. The action seems high to me when I get rid of most of the fret buzz.

Would swapping up to 11s be too much for the neck on the Pro? Anyone think I'd realistically be able to get the action lower with the higher tension? Or is the size of the strings the actual impediment? Maybe go to 9s?

The spec'd string tension is 16-17 lbs per string in F#-standard, and in F-standard the 10s give 18-19ish lbs. 11s in F-standard would be like 20-22 lbs per string. Too much? Worth it?

I play stupidly heavy strings on my baritone-tuned guitars (I have a Telecaster in A-standard with 14-70 on it!), but this necessitates pretty high action on them.


----------



## bs_tritonus

truss rod?


----------



## jamesmafyew

bs_tritonus said:


> truss rod?



Well yeah, that's a given. I adjusted it for an 'optimal' .010-.015" relief when holding down the first and 19th frets, in its current setup of 10-59+80. I'm assuming I'd have to readjust if I changed gauge again --- but all things being equal, I'm just wondering whether I can get lower action by going up or down in gauge. Right now it's like 3.5mm on the bass side and 3mm on the treble side (at the 12th fret), which seems high to me.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> Well yeah, that's a given. I adjusted it for an 'optimal' .010-.015" relief when holding down the first and 19th frets, in its current setup of 10-59+80. I'm assuming I'd have to readjust if I changed gauge again --- but all things being equal, I'm just wondering whether I can get lower action by going up or down in gauge. Right now it's like 3.5mm on the bass side and 3mm on the treble side (at the 12th fret), which seems high to me.


 
Heck yeah, that seems high! I certainly hope you can get it lower than that, b/c mine is showing up tomorrow, and 3mm is just too damn high. Does it buzz all over the place, or just in the upper register? As far as the tighter strings, those strings you have on, in that scale length, only detuned to F, should be plenty tight, I would think.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Hollowway said:


> Heck yeah, that seems high! I certainly hope you can get it lower than that, b/c mine is showing up tomorrow, and 3mm is just too damn high. Does it buzz all over the place, or just in the upper register? As far as the tighter strings, those strings you have on, in that scale length, only detuned to F, should be plenty tight, I would think.



Yeah that's what I would think. It buzzes fairly uniformly --- originally it was most a problem mid-neck, but after the truss rod adjustment that went away. Maybe my criterion for "buzzing" is just too picky? I can't hear said buzzing in through the amp, but it still irritates me.


----------



## Hoff

Galius said:


> The tweed case fits pretty well. Its fits right up with the edges of the body but does slide a bit long ways but the upper horn catches before the headstock catches the end of the case. Even with the body slid all the way up the headstock has quite a bit of space from the end of the case.



Does someone have a picture of an Intrepid in an Intrepid case? 
I'd like to see if I've actuallly gotten the bass case too.


----------



## gunshow86de

Check your PM. I have a dual pickup pro for sale right now in the classifieds.



Urbane said:


> I am tempted to pick up a single pickup standard now, but the prospect of a twin Cepherus (sp?) Pro with satin finished 5 piece neck in the 3rd run is holding me back.
> 
> im the same im waiting for the dual pro is holding me back from a standard also cant wait till they come out


----------



## Bakerman

jamesmafyew said:


> Right now it's like 3.5mm on the bass side and 3mm on the treble side (at the 12th fret), which seems high to me.



How do the nut slot depths look? Mine will need to be filed at least .75 mm (treble) to 1.5 mm (bass) deeper to not be unnecessarily high.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

darren said:


> Anything can be made to fit. It's my experience that NOTHING is a direct replacement for Grover Mini Rotomatics. Not even Grover's own locking Mini Rotomatics. Sperzels will also have to be drilled out to accommodate the thicker strings. I believe they will only take up to a .060 gauge string.



Sorry to quote this so late, but the reason I had asked was because this page said that the Grover tuning hole drilled was larger than that of the Sperzel, which would mean the Sperzels wouldn't fit, right?


----------



## yellowv

Well I pulled the trigger. I just ordered the last Standard Dual Ghostburst. I am VERY happy. This worked out perfectly. I was bummed when I didn't have the coin at the time to get in on the preorder, but now I am glad I didn't. At that time I would have ordered a Standard in Oceanburst. I actually only wanted a bridge bucker back then, but since I bought my single bucker Ibby a few months back now I definately want a neck pickup in the 8. Also while it is nice I don't like the oceanburst as much as i thought I would now that I see it. So at this point the Ghostburst Dual Standard is EXACTLY what I want now, and with no waiting. AWESOME!!!  I still haven't seen any pics of the ghostburst in the flesh though.


----------



## chaosforclarity

Im new here. Glad to be here. I bought an intrepid pro instock on Sunday. I just recieved it today hopefully the pictures will work here. I put a picture of it in the case, the case is too big like others have mentioned but it seems to be okay this picture isnt very good. I can take another of the case if anyone is interested. I might add something in the case above the headstock to keep it from sliding. I have a couple more pictures of this beast. Maybe Ill post them later if these work.


----------



## yellowv

chaosforclarity said:


> Im new here. Glad to be here. I bought an intrepid pro instock on Sunday. I just recieved it today hopefully the pictures will work here. I put a picture of it in the case, the case is too big like others have mentioned but it seems to be okay this picture isnt very good. I can take another of the case if anyone is interested. I might add something in the case above the headstock to keep it from sliding. I have a couple more pictures of this beast. Maybe Ill post them later if these work.



Welcome to the site. Great first post. That thing is awesome.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Bakerman said:


> How do the nut slot depths look? Mine will need to be filed at least .75 mm (treble) to 1.5 mm (bass) deeper to not be unnecessarily high.



Yeah that's probably a good part of it. I tweaked everything super-slowly tonight and managed to get it down to 2mm on the treble side and ~2.8mm on the bass side. There's still some buzz but it's not anything awful, and certainly not audible through the amp.

I had already filed the slots for the two lowest strings because of the larger gauge, so they're where they need to be, but the upper strings look like they could use some work. So it may not be so bad after all.


----------



## chaosforclarity

yellowv said:


> Welcome to the site. Great first post. That thing is awesome.


 Thanks man


----------



## djohns74

Well, I got my new strings today. I went Ernie Ball Super Slinky (.009 - .042) and added two more EB Nickel Wound singles, a .056 and a .074. As others have mentioned, I had to unwind a bit of the .074 to fit it into the tuner, but that was really no problem at all and worked great once that was done.

The tension on all strings is very nice, and the definition and snap of the 74 tuned to F# is simply outstanding. The clarity even through distortion is greatly improved and power chords on the bottom two strings are actually playable and distinct-sounding now.

The most interesting part to me is that all 8 strings were suddenly intonated almost perfectly right after the string change without adjusting the saddles at all! Two of the middle strings, maybe the G and A, I don't remember now, were off just slightly, probably wouldn't even be noticable, but the F# was just perfect. Weird, but a good thing in my book.


----------



## chaosforclarity

Ive yet to restring mine but that .056 and .074 sound like a good idea. Though I was thinking .060 for the B string. I havent decided yet but the stock strings definitely need changed out.


----------



## proggm

Tomorrow is the day! I think I won't be able to sleep


----------



## Galius

I ended up going with the ernie ball 7 string regular slinky set and added a 70 to make it 10-13-17-26-36-46-56-70. Seemed to make sense to me. On my 7 strings I use power slinkys at 11-14-18p-28-38-48-58 so it should work out closely. I dont get why there is such a jump on the low B and F# on the intrepid specs (54 to 72). It didnt make sense to the luthier I have working on my intrepid but he suggested the strings I actually got.


----------



## troyguitar

If you want even tension, a big jump like that is necessary.


----------



## djohns74

I'm not going to say it makes intuitive sense, but if you use a tension calculator, you find that with the bottom three strings at .042, .056 and .075, all three have tension within .2 lbs of each other, and more than a full pound LESS than the .024 and .032 D and A above them.


----------



## TomAwesome

Galius said:


> I ended up going with the ernie ball 7 string regular slinky set and added a 70 to make it 10-13-17-26-36-46-56-70. Seemed to make sense to me. On my 7 strings I use power slinkys at 11-14-18p-28-38-48-58 so it should work out closely. I dont get why there is such a jump on the low B and F# on the intrepid specs (54 to 72). It didnt make sense to the luthier I have working on my intrepid but he suggested the strings I actually got.



The relationship between the change in gauge and the change in tension from string to string isn't linear. With the four strings you have that all increase by .010" from string to string, I bet the tension gets lower each string down. To keep the tension more balanced, not only does the gauge have to increase from string to string, but the amount you increase the gauges by from string to string has to go up, too. You wouldn't string up a guitar with 10-13-16-19-22-25, would you?


----------



## djohns74

TomAwesome said:


> With the four strings you have that all increase by .010" from string to string, I bet the tension gets lower each string down.


Indeed. Those bottom two strings especially are going to feel downright floppy compared to the rest.



Code:


len 28.625"

E4  .010" PL == 20.43#
B3  .013" PL == 19.38#
G3  .017" PL == 20.88#
D3  .026" NW == 23.19#
A2 .036" NW == 24.62#
E2 .046" NW == 22.03#
B1 .056" NW == 18.64#
F1# .070" NW == 16.22#


----------



## demolisher

Yeah on my bass right now I have a .150 and a .100 for drop tunings and the .100 is still 4 pounds higher tension than the .150, notice how the higher strings you change in .01 and even .005 increments and the lower strings are huge increments.


----------



## jamesmafyew

TomAwesome said:


> The relationship between the change in gauge and the change in tension from string to string isn't linear. With the four strings you have that all increase by .010" from string to string, I bet the tension gets lower each string down. To keep the tension more balanced, not only does the gauge have to increase from string to string, but the amount you increase the gauges by from string to string has to go up, too. You wouldn't string up a guitar with 10-13-16-19-22-25, would you?



Yeah I found that with a set of 10-46 I needed a 60 and an 80 on the bottom two for the tension to be reasonably close.


----------



## darren

GorillaSalsa said:


> Sorry to quote this so late, but the reason I had asked was because this page said that the Grover tuning hole drilled was larger than that of the Sperzel, which would mean the Sperzels wouldn't fit, right?



According to StewMac, the diameter of the part of the tuner that goes through the headstock are as follows:

*Grover: .390" (9.91 mm)*






*Sperzel: .380" (9.66 mm)*





Not a huge difference.


----------



## Galius

They actually felt pretty good when he got done. If I have to I can add switch to a slightly larger F# string later on.


djohns74 said:


> Indeed. Those bottom two strings especially are going to feel downright floppy compared to the rest.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> len 28.625"
> 
> E4  .010" PL == 20.43#
> B3  .013" PL == 19.38#
> G3  .017" PL == 20.88#
> D3  .026" NW == 23.19#
> A2 .036" NW == 24.62#
> E2 .046" NW == 22.03#
> B1 .056" NW == 18.64#
> F1# .070" NW == 16.22#


----------



## jamesmafyew

I got my action quite a bit lower by carefully filing the nut --- I set the slot depths so that the first fret action was the same as the width of the string. No open string buzz, and a lot of existing fret buzz went away --- which tells me I was working too hard to press down the strings in the lower fret range. I think that caused me to monkey around with the truss rod when I didn't need to.

Now the action is at 1.5 mm treble side 12th fret, and 2.8mm bass side 12th fret. Does that seem more or less right?


----------



## Wound

Here's a couple of pics my wife took ,while I was at work, of my Intrepid Standard Dual GhostBurst:














For some reason it looks really grey in her photos...it's got more black in it around the edges as you can see in the bottom of the top photo. The black on it is seethrough...you can tell that more on the back of it...I'll prolly post some more photos later. Anyway..I am really happy with it. I like the looks of it and it sounds amazing!

I got a 9-59 sevenstring set on it pluss an 80 for the low E, that set seems to work great for me. On my other Intrepid I have a 10-52 6 string set plus either a 66 or 64 for the A and an 80 for the low E. I found those strings to be abit tight for my liking. I tune to drop A with a low E by the way.


----------



## elrrek

That is awesome. Grrrrrrr. I need one of these.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> I got my action quite a bit lower by carefully filing the nut --- I set the slot depths so that the first fret action was the same as the width of the string. No open string buzz, and a lot of existing fret buzz went away --- which tells me I was working too hard to press down the strings in the lower fret range. I think that caused me to monkey around with the truss rod when I didn't need to.
> 
> Now the action is at 1.5 mm treble side 12th fret, and 2.8mm bass side 12th fret. Does that seem more or less right?


Yeah, that sounds good. I try to get my high E at 1.7 mm (basically under 2) and the low F at 2.0 or so. But, until later today (I'm sitting here waiting for UPS) I haven't set up an 8 string, so I would think the 2.8 is right. Glad to hear you got it worked out! I'm prayin' I don't have to mess with the nut height on mine, tho.


----------



## rob_l

My Bloodburst Pro showed up yesterday - Setup was spot on according to my peterson and hands - lol. Pics...

Heres a gallery - Agile Intrepid Pro Bloodburst


----------



## Hollowway

I don't know if it's your camera or what, but that is the nicest bloodburst I've seen yet. Glad to hear it came perfectly set up, too!


----------



## bs_tritonus

nice studio rob! Love your guitar too!


----------



## chaosforclarity

Very nice pics rob. I agree, that bloodburst looks amazing.


----------



## peavey_impact

Wound said:


> Here's a couple of pics my wife took ,while I was at work, of my Intrepid Standard Dual GhostBurst:



It looks like the whole left side of the guitar has no black on the edge 

Is there any chance of you posting a full frontal shot of the whole guitar?

My mapleboard ghostburst should be in Wednesday; I really hope I dig it.


----------



## TomAwesome

Nice pictures, guys! Mine should be here in a few hours. It's been "out for delivery" for nine hours now.


----------



## possumkiller

well well well. my bloodburst dual standard rosewood is waiting at my friend jeremys house. i will go and pick it up in the morning. i also have a 5 string rondo jazz bass going there. and 2 set of hipshot replacement locking tuners. if you guys are interested this guy sells tuners for ERGs so that you dont have to buy 2 left sets and 2 right sets. www.tkinstruments.com


----------



## proggm

It's here!
I'm very happy about this one. The finish is very good, no problems/chops/whatever there . It's been set up pretty good, though I'm sure that it's gonna need some work when I change the strings. I think it will be a little hard to get used to scale, but that's no problem.


----------



## Hollowway

Got mine! I felt like a tool. I was waiting around all morning for the UPS guy to ring the doorbell, and he just dropped it off near the door. I finally went out side, and it was just sitting there! Anyway, I'll post pics, but a few comments at this point:

1) Larger scale seems fine. I was super worried about this, but it looks like it'll be a non issue.
2) I got the action down under 2mm on high E, and at 2.00 on B and F#, but the nut is too high. The strings go a little sharp fretting at the first fret. I'm gonna swing it by my local music store to have the guy drag a file through the nut a few times to get the strings down closer to the first fret.
3) This thing looks WAY better in person than in photos (It's the OB pro).
4) It's HEAVY! Not unreasonable, but I'll never forget which guitar I'm playing!
5) The intonation seems correct (I had to run to work, but I checked it with my little Korg tuner real quick). I don't think that'll be an issue on mine.


----------



## TomAwesome

Mine is here! I won't bother with any picstories or even any pictures since there are plenty already, but so far so good. There was some damage to the shipping box that went straight through to the case, but the case, and more importantly, the guitar, seem undamaged. Actually, on further inspection, there's some damage on the inside of the case. The strap button seems to have dug into the case and left a nasty dent. That alone isn't a huge deal, though, I guess. The case fits the guitar a bit better than I was expecting. It's a little loose, but an inch or so of foam should make it snug.

The guitar itself is pretty nice. There's a bit of scratching on the bridge as there seems to have been on most of them, but it's a lot less obvious (further back) than the scratches on the last run. Had I not looked specifically for those scratches, I'd be unaware of them. The neck width is great. It's just a bit less wide than the neck on an SR506 bass, which feels great in my hands. When I put my hand on the fretboard, my fingers reach out just far enough to comfortably reach one more string, which will probably start giving me ideas before too long.

The neck is comfy and fast for being so big. Fret access is pretty decent, even up to the 24th fret. It's slightly less comfortable hitting the 24th fret on the lowest string, but it's still easily doable. This is my first guitar with no inlays, and it's taking a lot of getting used to. I'm getting lost on the high strings, but I'm sure I'll adapt.

I'm a bit underwhelmed at the tone from it right now, but I'm sure that's mostly because of the strings. They suck, but I expected them to. The bridge pickup sounds just slightly too much like a middle pickup. This doesn't seem to be an issue for anyone else, though, so I'm not going to whine about it too much until I get new strings on it. The lowest two strings look like about the same gauge, and when I tune them both down to the same F, the bottom string is only very slightly tighter. Considering how light the gauge is, I'm a little impressed at how well it handles at F, though it's still a bit too floppy, even for me. I want to tune that string down to Eb, anyway.

So yeah, so far, I'm pretty pleased with it. There are some minor things to work out, but nothing too bad. As a side note, this thing makes my bassist's 5-string look puny and weak when they're next to each other in my guitar rack. 

Darren, I think I owe you a beer.


----------



## Collapse

here is my Nat pro that came today, guitar is perfect, case not so


----------



## djohns74

TomAwesome said:


> I'm a bit underwhelmed at the tone from it right now, but I'm sure that's mostly because of the strings. They suck, but I expected them to. The bridge pickup sounds just slightly too much like a middle pickup. This doesn't seem to be an issue for anyone else, though, so I'm not going to whine about it too much until I get new strings on it. The lowest two strings look like about the same gauge, and when I tune them both down to the same F, the bottom string is only very slightly tighter. Considering how light the gauge is, I'm a little impressed at how well it handles at F, though it's still a bit too floppy, even for me. I want to tune that string down to Eb, anyway.



"Underwhelmed" is actually a perfect word to describe how I felt about the sound initially, and I will say that for me at least, putting my new strings on it was like a night and day difference.


----------



## stuh84

TomAwesome said:


> I'm a bit underwhelmed at the tone from it right now, but I'm sure that's mostly because of the strings. They suck, but I expected them to. The bridge pickup sounds just slightly too much like a middle pickup. This doesn't seem to be an issue for anyone else, though, so I'm not going to whine about it too much until I get new strings on it. The lowest two strings look like about the same gauge, and when I tune them both down to the same F, the bottom string is only very slightly tighter. Considering how light the gauge is, I'm a little impressed at how well it handles at F, though it's still a bit too floppy, even for me. I want to tune that string down to Eb, anyway.



I found that initially myself if I'm honest, however, new strings did help greatly with it, and also I found running through my rig at the rehearsal room rather than my amp at home helped too.

Once I get a passive pickup in there too, I'm expecting pretty much all that to go, its still there a little, but not enough to worry about now


----------



## possumkiller

wow i just put some daddarios on my old style standard. jesus that is a huge difference. i love em!!! never goin back! well i will have to get guitar strings online next time. i just snagged a 9-42 standard set and a 45-100 bass set from guitar center and merged them and threw out the extras. so its now .009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .045(bass) .060(bass) .080(bass) and let me tell you i think the bigger sizes make a great deal of difference also. its fucking chuggalicious in f sharp standard and it handles drop e with no flub! i love it! im going back to chugging now!

good thing i got enough for 2 sets. when i go pick up my new standard tomorrow or tonight the first thing i will do is restring it.


----------



## yellowv

As soon as mine arrives the strings will get changed. I already got my order from juststrings. Those guys are awesome. Like 3 days to the door. I am just debating on going .9-.42 w/ a .56 and .68 or .10-.46 w/ a .56 and .68. Also I need more pics of that ghostburst please


----------



## mmotorsport

Are bass strings fitting in the ferrules alright? I wasn't sure they would fit. If they do thats great because that now opens up a few more choices in gauges.


----------



## TomAwesome

I think someone posted a picture of the end of a bass string not fitting. It's really not a big deal, though. My other baritone is like that, and it works just fine.


----------



## possumkiller

yea i posted that pic actually lol. but yeah they do not fit. but i dont care because its on the back and noone knows but me. and now all of you. so lets just keep that our little secret


----------



## mmotorsport

where did u post that or could u re-post the pic so i can see what i would be dealing with?


----------



## possumkiller

here is another


----------



## gunshow86de

Guys, just buy some heavy gauge guitar strings.

Ernie Ball makes guitar strings up to I think a .090, I have a .074 on mine and it has a regular guitar ball end. You can get them at juststrings.com


----------



## djohns74

gunshow86de said:


> Guys, just buy some heavy gauge guitar strings.
> 
> Ernie Ball makes guitar strings up to I think a .090, I have a .074 on mine and it has a regular guitar ball end. You can get them at juststrings.com




http://www.juststrings.com/nickelwoundernieballguitarsinglestrings.html


----------



## yellowv

As I said a few posts back. juststrings.com is awesome.


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, but a lot of people don't like Ernie Ball. I think D'Addario makes up to a .080", but most brands don't go up much past .060". I'm going to try Elixers this round, though after playing with the stock strings, if that's really a .060" on there, I think the .068" will work just fine for me. But I digress. The point is that people tend to prefer certain brands, and unfortunately, a lot of brands don't have guitar strings in really thick gauges.


----------



## Sir Euric

yellowv said:


> As I said a few posts back. juststrings.com is awesome.


 

Yep I just ordered 2 of each from juststrings.com 
daddarios .009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .046, .060, .080





Sir Euric said:


> Yep I just ordered 2 of each from juststrings.com
> daddarios .009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .046, .060, .080


 
It was $31.78 all, and $12.95 for shipping, so grand total is $44.73


----------



## possumkiller

good job bro. i got mine a guitar center. what a ripoff. but i got mine today.


----------



## proggm

Does anyone know what real gouges are the stock strings? Because in rondo site it says "String gauges: .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072", but I don't feel the bottom F# tight enough like it should be with a .072.


----------



## darren

I use Elixir NanoWebs, 10-46 + 56 and an Elixir NanoWeb 72 bass string on mine.

All from juststrings.com


----------



## yellowv

darren said:


> I use Elixir NanoWebs, 10-46 + 56 and an Elixir NanoWeb 72 bass string on mine.
> 
> All from juststrings.com



What tuning are you in Darren? I think I am going to try the .9-.42 = .56 and .68 in F#. If I recall correctly you tune lower don't you? If that doesn't work well. I will go .10-.46 and .56 and the .72 bass string as I use Elixers as well. I wish they made a bigger guitar string than .68.


----------



## Hollowway

proggm said:


> Does anyone know what real gouges are the stock strings? Because in rondo site it says "String gauges: .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072", but I don't feel the bottom F# tight enough like it should be with a .072.



Yeah, I know. I got mine this morning and was like, NFW that's a .072. I grabbed a digital caliper from work and checked - it's a .060.


----------



## darren

Oh, wait... i'm getting my strings mixed up. I'm using 10-46 + 56 on my 25.5" scale sevens.

I think i'm using 9-42 + 56 + 72 on my Intrepid. Tuned EBEADGBE.


----------



## yellowv

darren said:


> Oh, wait... i'm getting my strings mixed up. I'm using 10-46 + 56 on my 25.5" scale sevens.
> 
> I think i'm using 9-42 + 56 + 72 on my Intrepid. Tuned EBEADGBE.



Okay then I will definately go with the .9-.42 set for the first 6.


----------



## TomAwesome

Does anybody know what string gauges are used on the stock strings? I know there are gauges listed on the site, but at least the F# string is different from what it's supposed to be.

Edit: I got a set of calipers on it, and it appears to be a .064". Didn't somebody say that a .060" was hard to get through, though?


----------



## Bakerman

TomAwesome said:


> Does anybody know what string gauges are used on the stock strings?



Based on caliper readings mine were .009, .012, .015, .024 (caliper said .0245 so I'm fairly sure it wasn't a .022 as listed on site), .030, .040, .054, .060 (obviously way off from .072)


----------



## mgcasella

Ricez said that he would sell custom D'Addario sets for $8.50 each (not including shipping). 

Check it out: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...8-where-to-get-strings-for-an-8-string-3.html

I think this sounds like the best way to go without buying in bulk. 
M


----------



## Wound

Heres a couple of new quick shots of my GhostBurst











Here´s a photo of the back where you can kind of see what the black is like


----------



## yellowv

Wound said:


> Heres a couple of new quick shots of my GhostBurst



Thanks man. That looks great  Can't wait for mine.


----------



## Adriatic

beautiful.... i think i may have to order another one.. well we all need a back up guitar dont we.. lol.. 

yes thats the excuse i'll give my fiance.. haha. 

think i might order the darkburst with rosewood this time around..or the ghosty..  hmmm


----------



## bs_tritonus

the fretboard looks great! Love the two lighter "stripes" in the grain!


----------



## stuh84

Thought I'd throw up a vid of me dicking about with my Intrepid. Aint the best sound due to the awful 2x12 my Invader is running through, but it gives an idea of it all at least


----------



## possumkiller

got my bloodburst dual standard  pics shortly im restringing


----------



## Galius

My string sizes worked out perfect as my luthier told me it would. He drilled the tuner hole to fit the 70 and had to slot the nut a bit but the tension using the low strings feels perfect with the higher action I have. Sounds totally different.


----------



## yellowv

Man now I'm bummed. I got the e-mail early yesterday morning saying my ghostburst was ready to ship. I thought it was strange that it didn't go out. I just got an e-mail from Kurt telling me that on final inspection there was not actually a ghostburst dual in the box, but an Oceanburst with single pickup. Now I'm not sure if I should take the Oceanburst or wait til the next run. Funny thing is I was actually going to order an Oceanburst Standard single on the preorder, but missed it. Really disappointed, especially seeing how sweet it looks in Wounds pics. I guess it's better they found it now and not me opening the box. Man I have the worst luck.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

For everyone posting pics, do your guitars come with the cases, or did you have to order them?


----------



## eegor

Cases have to be ordered separately.


----------



## COBHC

Case is a good investment. Fedex stepped all over mine. Busted up case pretty bad , but luckily no harm to the guitar.


----------



## Collapse

more pics of my nat pro, really liking this beast alot


----------



## eegor

Beautiful. Natural really works well with this guitar imo.


----------



## possumkiller

mine. i was expecting something to be damaged because almost everyones guitars on here had at least one flaw on it. i have to say that this one is flawless though. i also have the charcoal standard with ebony fretboard from the first run. i must say that this one feels a lot better. the neck feels a little different. the rosewood is really nice. the frets are really nice even. all i did was lower the action a little. the only mods i need to do is file the nut slots a little so the larger strings i use can sink in all the way. the pickups sound great. i like the neck pickup as well. and that new headstock absolutely kills. i removed the trussrod cover though and cleaned all the white stuff out of the cavities. i am in love with this guitar. now i just need cases.....


----------



## plyta

possumkiller said:


> mine



Congrats with another Intrepid 

However, you really need to stop buying guitars in order to get yourself a decent camera


----------



## chaosforclarity

Wound said:


> Heres a couple of new quick shots of my GhostBurst
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here´s a photo of the back where you can kind of see what the black is like



That thing is very nice.


----------



## possumkiller

well in the next week my sister will be sending a package from my dads house with my clothes my oakleys and my nikon D80 with extra lenses so i think it will be ok


----------



## Hollowway

Hey, can you guys check your string height off the first fret? Mine's at 1.1mm. I'm not sure if I should file it down further (it's way higher than any of my other guitars), or just leave it. The action is nice (between 1-2mm at the 12th fret), so I'm worried that lowering it here would necessitate raising it towards the bridge. ?


----------



## MFB

So...any word on when the other models will be available for pre-order, or is this just those on the site right now?


----------



## jamesmafyew

Hollowway said:


> Hey, can you guys check your string height off the first fret? Mine's at 1.1mm. I'm not sure if I should file it down further (it's way higher than any of my other guitars), or just leave it. The action is nice (between 1-2mm at the 12th fret), so I'm worried that lowering it here would necessitate raising it towards the bridge. ?



If you don't mind it where it is, then leave it. It's only a problem if you have a hard time fretting cleanly on the first/second frets, or if the notes at those frets seem to go sharp (because you have to press down so hard to fret them).

Generally, a good rule is to have a space between the string and the first fret that's equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the string. I set my Intrepid's nut up this way and found that playing down the neck felt a lot better, and the overall feel of the neck improved.

HOWEVER: before going low with the nut, make sure the truss rod is where it needs to be and that the saddle height is at least in the ballpark of where you want it. If you file the nut too low, you'll have to replace it, which is NOT an easy proposition with 8 strings.

Lowering the nut slot height shouldn't mean changing the action at the bridge, if that's working right now. The vibrating string clearance for everything BUT the open string will be exactly the same anyway... it'll just be easier to press down.


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

Quick questions about the Agile 8-strings. Is upper fret access an issue on either the Standard or the Pro? Does the heel get in the way of playing on the upper frets? I have an ESP EC-1000 that I'm trying to sell right now due to the neck/body being so thick under all frets 17+.

Thanks for any info!


----------



## Slayer89

I can't speak for the Standard, but if it's anything like the Pro, upper fret access is great.


----------



## TomAwesome

FlamesOfDestiny said:


> Quick questions about the Agile 8-strings. Is upper fret access an issue on either the Standard or the Pro? Does the heel get in the way of playing on the upper frets? I have an ESP EC-1000 that I'm trying to sell right now due to the neck/body being so thick under all frets 17+.
> 
> Thanks for any info!



On my Pro, the access is great. I can even hit the 24th fret on the lowest string without the body getting much in the way.


----------



## possumkiller

got 2 standards and its no prob at all


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

Cool! Thanks guys!!


----------



## Galius

The ones on the site arent pre-orders...........


MFB said:


> So...any word on when the other models will be available for pre-order, or is this just those on the site right now?


----------



## MFB

He has some available, but when did he get the Passive Bloodburst and Oceanburst in? I figured those were the first ones and then he was just going to add more.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> If you don't mind it where it is, then leave it. It's only a problem if you have a hard time fretting cleanly on the first/second frets, or if the notes at those frets seem to go sharp (because you have to press down so hard to fret them).
> 
> Generally, a good rule is to have a space between the string and the first fret that's equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the string. I set my Intrepid's nut up this way and found that playing down the neck felt a lot better, and the overall feel of the neck improved.
> 
> HOWEVER: before going low with the nut, make sure the truss rod is where it needs to be and that the saddle height is at least in the ballpark of where you want it. If you file the nut too low, you'll have to replace it, which is NOT an easy proposition with 8 strings.
> 
> Lowering the nut slot height shouldn't mean changing the action at the bridge, if that's working right now. The vibrating string clearance for everything BUT the open string will be exactly the same anyway... it'll just be easier to press down.


Thanks for the input. Everything else on the guitar is set up ideally now - truss rod, action, etc. I'm not really having any problem with fretting at the first fret, so I might just leave it. It looks weird, but if I hadn't specifically looked at it, I might never have noticed.


----------



## Bakerman

jamesmafyew said:


> Generally, a good rule is to have a space between the string and the first fret that's equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the string. I set my Intrepid's nut up this way and found that playing down the neck felt a lot better, and the overall feel of the neck improved.



The lower strings shouldn't have to be so high--my 8th (.074 F) sits about .050" from the 1st fret and it's 3 or 4 cents sharp there. Something like .010" (high) to .020" (low) of space should be fine and have the open notes buzzing less than fretted notes; if you don't mind the open string responding more like fretted notes you can go even lower or at least reduce the increase toward low strings.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Bakerman said:


> The lower strings shouldn't have to be so high--my 8th (.074 F) sits about .050" from the 1st fret and it's 3 or 4 cents sharp there. Something like .010" (high) to .020" (low) of space should be fine and have the open notes buzzing less than fretted notes; if you don't mind the open string responding more like fretted notes you can go even lower or at least reduce the increase toward low strings.



Yes, you're right -- and in fact I've taken mine lower and it has helped.

Another thing I've found is that these necks seem to do much better with more relief. I had the relief at .010" on the high E string (1st to 24th fret, measured at the 9th), and it had weird random buzzes. I increased the relief to around .018" (on the high side) and with the same action, there's significantly less buzz. It feels better playing quick runs and arpeggios.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> Yes, you're right -- and in fact I've taken mine lower and it has helped.
> 
> Another thing I've found is that these necks seem to do much better with more relief. I had the relief at .010" on the high E string (1st to 24th fret, measured at the 9th), and it had weird random buzzes. I increased the relief to around .018" (on the high side) and with the same action, there's significantly less buzz. It feels better playing quick runs and arpeggios.


 
Yeah, I might try adding some relief in the neck. I'm going to switch to 8-38 +52+70, which will decrease the string tension from the stock strings, so I'll need a truss adjustment anyway. But, I am a little intimidated about adjusting two truss rods. This business about having two rods to compensate for the increased tension of the lower strings scares me, because it seems I should tighten the lower truss rod more, but how much? And how do you check it, given that truss rods can take days to affect the neck? Scary stuff.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, I might try adding some relief in the neck. I'm going to switch to 8-38 +52+70, which will decrease the string tension from the stock strings, so I'll need a truss adjustment anyway. But, I am a little intimidated about adjusting two truss rods. This business about having two rods to compensate for the increased tension of the lower strings scares me, because it seems I should tighten the lower truss rod more, but how much? And how do you check it, given that truss rods can take days to affect the neck? Scary stuff.



On mine, I've found that the treble side rod seems significantly tighter than the bass side, and the bass side actually has slightly LESS relief. I'm afraid I'm going to destroy the neck trying to figure these things out by trial-and-error. If anyone has any wisdom about dealing with these it would be most welcome. 


I can't imagine playing 8s on the Intrepid though! I'm using 10-80 detuned one semitone, which is still higher tension than the spec gauges in standard tuning, and I'm even thinking of going to 11-84 if the neck would handle it.


----------



## darren

The string tension isn't really all that different from top to bottom. The two truss rods are more so you can dial in the right amount of relief for the treble and bass strings pseudo-independently. Because the lower strings vibrate more, you might want a little more relief than on the treble side, where you might want the neck a bit straighter and your action a touch lower.


----------



## Ewan

Is it just me or is the neck on the standard intrepid just insanely comfortable? I find it more comfortable than the septor and interceptor


----------



## yellowv

Well I got good news today. On Saturday Kurt broke the news to me that my Dual Ghostburst standard was actually a Oceanburst single pickup standard. I was bummed and was probably just going to settle for the Oceanburst, but today he e-mailed me first thing and said he got a Dual Darkburst and a Dual Charcoal. So now I have a Dual Darkburst on the way


----------



## eegor

Sorry to hear that you didn't get that Dual Ghostburst, but I'm glad you're getting something that, imo, is just as awesome!


----------



## yellowv

eegor said:


> Sorry to hear that you didn't get that Dual Ghostburst, but I'm glad you're getting something that, imo, is just as awesome!



Yeah I am definately happy with it. Really i was fine with any color Dual Standard. I think they all look pretty badass.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> On mine, I've found that the treble side rod seems significantly tighter than the bass side, and the bass side actually has slightly LESS relief. I'm afraid I'm going to destroy the neck trying to figure these things out by trial-and-error. If anyone has any wisdom about dealing with these it would be most welcome.
> 
> 
> I can't imagine playing 8s on the Intrepid though! I'm using 10-80 detuned one semitone, which is still higher tension than the spec gauges in standard tuning, and I'm even thinking of going to 11-84 if the neck would handle it.


 
11s! Holy crap. You've got stronger fingers than I have. I figured if I normally play 9s on a 25.5, 8s on a 28.625 give about the same tension, so I'll go with that. If anyone has any reason that my idea doesn't necessarily make sense, let me know! I need to get these nasty old strings that came on it changed, and I'm not into putting a lighter set on, adjusting the truss rod and intonation, just to find out I don't like it.


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm going pretty thin with the gauges on mine to avoid the low end sounding too much like a bass. I ended up putting together a mostly-balanced 8-68 set with an Octave4Plus 8. While I was at it, I also got a 7 to string my Ibanez up with a high Ab. I can't wait to see how these strings work.


----------



## yellowv

I am going .9-.42 with a .56 and a .68 on mine. All elixer.


----------



## Hollowway

yellowv said:


> I am going .9-.42 with a .56 and a .68 on mine. All elixer.


 
What do you normally play - on 25.5" length? 10s? Or do you use 9s on those as well?



TomAwesome said:


> I'm going pretty thin with the gauges on mine to avoid the low end sounding too much like a bass. I ended up putting together a mostly-balanced 8-68 set with an Octave4Plus 8. While I was at it, I also got a 7 to string my Ibanez up with a high Ab. I can't wait to see how these strings work.


 
What are you using, specifically? I found the 8-38 set is pretty close to balanced and then a 52+68. Are you just using a stock 8-38, or what did you put together?


----------



## TomAwesome

Hollowway said:


> What are you using, specifically? I found the 8-38 set is pretty close to balanced and then a 52+68. Are you just using a stock 8-38, or what did you put together?



I came up with at least a few sets, but based on how well the stock 60(?) handles down at Eb, I ended up going with:

len 28.625"

E4b .008" O4+
B3b .010" PL == 10.22#
G3b .013" PL == 10.88#
D3b .017" PL == 10.44#
A2b .026" NW == 11.6#
E2b .036" NW == 12.31#
A1b .052" NW == 11.01#
E1b .068" NW == 10.87#

All Elixers except for the 8. Some of the strings are a bit lighter than I'd like, but I wanted a set that was pretty balanced (I didn't want the low Eb to suddenly have a lot less tension than the string next to it) and that had a low Eb with as light a string as I felt I could get away with.


----------



## yellowv

Hollowway said:


> What do you normally play - on 25.5" length? 10s? Or do you use 9s on those as well?
> 
> 
> 
> What are you using, specifically? I found the 8-38 set is pretty close to balanced and then a 52+68. Are you just using a stock 8-38, or what did you put together?



In standard tuning I do 9's or 10's. But I go all the way up to .12's on my 25.5's for lower tunings like C and B standard.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Hollowway said:


> 11s! Holy crap. You've got stronger fingers than I have. I figured if I normally play 9s on a 25.5, 8s on a 28.625 give about the same tension, so I'll go with that.



See, my other guitars are Gibsons and Telecasters tuned baritone, so for example I use a 25.5" Tele tuned ADGCEA with 14-70 strings, and a 24.75" Les Paul tuned Bb F Bb Eb G C with 13-64 strings. So playing 10-80 detuned one semitone on the Intrepid feels strange to me, like the strings are tiny and kind of floppy...?

That's why I think maybe 11-48 + 65 + 84 would be most comfortable for me. I'm just not sure going 35 pounds over the spec tension on the neck is advisable (I'm at 20 pounds over right now).


----------



## mgcasella

Quick question about the Agile Intrepid: 

Will those Grovers take an 80 for the F#? If not, would it be safe to drill out the hole?

Sorry to interrupt


----------



## Galius

mgcasella said:


> Quick question about the Agile Intrepid:
> 
> Will those Grovers take an 80 for the F#? If not, would it be safe to drill out the hole?
> 
> Sorry to interrupt


 
It can be drilled out. It needs to be drilled to fit anything bigger than a 60.


----------



## darren

I could just barely fit a .070 through the Grovers on my T-7 Texan, so yes, it will have to be drilled out. .080 is going to be mighty heavy on the bottom string.


----------



## possumkiller

so so heavy. its amazing. im in love with it. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


----------



## mgcasella

Do you guys think 080 would be too heavy - maybe almost unuseable/un-intonateable?
Should I go lighter? I've never had an F# string before


----------



## darren

On a 28.625" scale, you might not have to go that heavy. I use a .072 on mine, and even that probably doesn't have to be as heavy as it is.


----------



## col

My Intrepid was supposed to be delivered today, but no courier in sight.


----------



## jamesmafyew

mgcasella said:


> Do you guys think 080 would be too heavy - maybe almost unuseable/un-intonateable?
> Should I go lighter? I've never had an F# string before



In my experience (and many others) larger gauge strings make intonation _easier_. I think most techs will tell you this. They also can _sometimes_ help you get the action lower.

I've tried both an 080 and 084 on my Intrepid pro and found both of them quite playable. I'm using the 080 in F-standard right now, and it's just fine. I used the 084 when I tried drop E-flat, but found that it didn't significantly improve anything. The 080 buzzes less than a 072 at the same action.

As far as tension-matching, a 075 matches up well with a set of 009-042 + 56 strings on the Intrepid. If you detune or want to play with 10-46 + 59 regular gauge strings, the 080 is a perfect match.

The one problem I've come across using heavier strings is that they emphasize the fundamental frequencies and produce a slightly more "scooped" sound, which I think is extremely unflattering to the stock EMG-808 pickup. One of the reasons I'm switching to a BKP Cold Sweat is to get maximum tightness while retaining more of the "piano" or "bell" sound of the heavier strings. The EMG takes away that deep, ringing character and kind of turns it to mush.


----------



## TomAwesome

jamesmafyew said:


> In my experience (and many others) larger gauge strings make intonation _easier_. I think most techs will tell you this.



I've had the opposite experience with my 7-strings. Thicker strings tend to be more difficult to intonate, or at least they need the saddles to go back further, which is an issue on my Ibanez. Even on my Intrepid, and even with the bridge moved back from where it was on the first run, I think I'm going to have to cut or remove the spring behind the saddle on the lowest string. I wish I could just get one of those short saddles that the Schecters have. That was a pretty smart idea.

Anyway, I wouldn't start out with an .080" string. The longer scale does make a pretty significant difference. I'd say start with a .072" or .074" and then see if you really need to go thicker from there. I ordered a .068" myself, and I'm tuning that string down to Eb. I do like lighter strings, though.


----------



## darren

Does anybody know if they enlarged or repositioned the holes on the base plate of the second-run Standards? One issue i have with mine is that the bottom string actually gets "pinched" between the hole in the saddle and the hole in the bridge. I can't move my bottom-string saddle any further back, even if i wanted to.


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> On a 28.625" scale, you might not have to go that heavy. I use a .072 on mine, and even that probably doesn't have to be as heavy as it is.


Did you have to drill out the tuner for the .072 or does it fit? I'm thinking about using a .072 on mine when I get it back.


----------



## jamesmafyew

TomAwesome said:


> I've had the opposite experience with my 7-strings. Thicker strings tend to be more difficult to intonate, or at least they need the saddles to go back further, which is an issue on my Ibanez. Even on my Intrepid, and even with the bridge moved back from where it was on the first run, I think I'm going to have to cut or remove the spring behind the saddle on the lowest string. I wish I could just get one of those short saddles that the Schecters have. That was a pretty smart idea.




It really does all boil down to what you're comfortable with and used to, which is why the tension calculator is so helpful.

As far as I know though, saddle compensation is inversely related to string tension --- all things being perfect, all your saddles would be even with each other, at exactly the design scale length. In reality, of course, the lower strings are farther back, and _none_ of the strings are exactly at scale length. The reason for this is to compensate for the extra tension from pressing down to fret notes --- pushing the note sharp. More compensation is needed for lower strings (higher action, generally lower tension).

Higher gauge strings --- higher tension --- actually require less compensation because the added tension from fretting is a smaller percentage of the overall tension of the string. So the saddle will normally end up being closer to the neck with higher gauges.

The reason this is often NOT the case is that higher tension strings add relief/bow to the neck, pulling the nut closer to the bridge. Another complication is that having more magnetic mass, they are more attracted to the pickups, which will also cause them to go sharp, especially up the neck.

If you use an appropriate measurement tool to ensure the relief is the same before and after string-gauge change, AND lower your pickups temporarily (while setting intonation) to at least 1/2" clearance, generally heavier strings will end up requiring LESS compensation --- saddle closer to the nut.



darren said:


> Does anybody know if they enlarged or repositioned the holes on the base plate of the second-run Standards? One issue i have with mine is that the bottom string actually gets "pinched" between the hole in the saddle and the hole in the bridge. I can't move my bottom-string saddle any further back, even if i wanted to.



I had the same issue (at all gauges I tried), and ended up doing three things:

- Removed the spring
- Clipped and filed down the screw so that it doesn't poke the string when the saddle is far back
- Used a needle file to make the front end of the string opening in the saddle longer so the string didn't get pinched like you describe.

This is a kludge though, so if anyone finds a source for purchasing individual short saddles, that would be awesome.


----------



## darren

Maybe Hipshot might be able to help. The short saddles they made for the bridges on the Schecter 8-strings should fit.


----------



## djohns74

highlordmugfug said:


> Did you have to drill out the tuner for the .072 or does it fit? I'm thinking about using a .072 on mine when I get it back.


I just unwound a bit of my .074, which was easier than I expected it to be and worked perfectly. Not terribly interested in modifying the guitar's hardware if there's no reason to.


----------



## Fred

I'm finally getting around to realising that I need to restring my custom Agile 8, and figured here would be the best place to post for some advice.

I normally use 10s on my RG7321, occasionally 9s but only if I have to! My 8-string has a 30" scale length, so obviously I'm going to have to reconsider gauges. I'm likely to be tuning down a semitone, possibly a full tone, so what gauges would people recommend? I was thinking of just a straightforward pack of Elixir 9s for the top 6 strings, any idea for the bottom two?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## djohns74

Fred said:


> I'm finally getting around to realising that I need to restring my custom Agile 8, and figured here would be the best place to post for some advice.
> 
> I normally use 10s on my RG7321, occasionally 9s but only if I have to! My 8-string has a 30" scale length, so obviously I'm going to have to reconsider gauges. I'm likely to be tuning down a semitone, possibly a full tone, so what gauges would people recommend? I was thinking of just a straightforward pack of Elixir 9s for the top 6 strings, any idea for the bottom two?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Yeah, 30" isn't really a TON longer than the Intrepid's 28.625 and if you're tuning down anyway, I'd think starting with 9s would be fine. Then I'd suggest somewhere in the low to mid .050s (.052 - .056) for the next single and either a .068 or .070 for the lowest one. Maybe .072 if you're thinking of going a full step down full time. I dunno, there will be some mixed opinions on the matter of course, but I like my lowest strings to have decent tension.


----------



## Bakerman

Core to wrap mass ratio and the note you're tuning a string to (plus action height, of course) will determine how far the saddle has to be moved back. You could also figure it out knowing the tension & core thickness but not the actual note.

If you tune all the plain strings on any guitar to the same note with equal action (same ratio--all core, same note) they should all require the exact same saddle position, as surprising as that might seem. They'll change pitch at the same rate when you whammy too. Whether a larger gauge wound string requires saddle movement depends on the core to wrap ratio. If they increase by equal percentages and you keep the neck bow constant, the saddle can probably stay where it is. If one increases more, it will likely have to move. The simplest examples would be thicker/more wrap on the same size core = saddle moves closer to neck, thicker core with the same wraps = saddle moves further away.

edit: In conclusion if that wasn't clear, with wound strings and no info on their core:wrap ratio there's no way to know if the next gauge up for the same pitch would require the saddle to move either direction if at all. If you figure a string manufacturer doesn't have the exact wire thicknesses to increase core & wrap by the same percentage from gauge to gauge and there's some kind of system to it (maybe a few core thicknesses with the same wrap, then down to a thinner core with a new thicker wrap style and increasing core again) you can predict that the saddle would be move around in a certain zone. You just wouldn't know if the next gauge creates a small step away or a jump back toward the neck until you try the string.


----------



## highlordmugfug

djohns74 said:


> I just unwound a bit of my .074, which was easier than I expected it to be and worked perfectly. Not terribly interested in modifying the guitar's hardware if there's no reason to.


How exactly do you do this? I've heard it mentioned many times, but I don't understand exactly what to do... Wouldn't this make the string break easier? Someone please explain how to do this to me.


----------



## djohns74

highlordmugfug said:


> How exactly do you do this? I've heard it mentioned many times, but I don't understand exactly what to do... Wouldn't this make the string break easier? Someone please explain how to do this to me.


Well, I just found the very end of the winding and used a pair of vice grips to grab a hold of it and yanked. It came away gradually and once I'd removed half an inch or so just cut it away from the rest, leaving the core of the string exposed. That went through the tuner hole with no trouble at all.

Hmmm, sort of hard to explain now that it comes down to it.  Maybe I'll try to take some pictures at some point.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Bakerman said:


> The simplest examples would be thicker/more wrap on the same size core = saddle moves closer to neck, thicker core with the same wraps = saddle moves further away.



On this count I can say: D'Addario 070s-080s use a heavy/thick core and single wrap. I don't know how the ratio changes because I don't have calipers to measure with.

GHS, on the other hand, uses roughly the same core size on all of their strings bigger than about 048. The heavy ones, above 065, are _double-wound_. The 080 I'm using on my low F is a GHS single, the rest of the strings are D'Addario 10-59.

So I'm guessing this means that a GHS 080 is going to have both a different saddle position AND a different tone than a D'Addario 080. I'm guessing the D'Addario would be higher tension at the same pitch, but presumably the GHS would be brighter?


----------



## Sroth Saraiel




----------



## Hollowway

Nice! What strings are you using and how is it tuned? I listened to a little, but can't listen too much (at work right now).


----------



## mgcasella

darren said:


> Does anybody know if they enlarged or repositioned the holes on the base plate of the second-run Standards? One issue i have with mine is that the bottom string actually gets "pinched" between the hole in the saddle and the hole in the bridge. I can't move my bottom-string saddle any further back, even if i wanted to.



Could this be fixed on the third-run Intrepids by simply having the bridge placed back a little farther? That way the increased distance from the nut to the bridge would compensate for the F# saddle thus enabling it to not have to be brought back as far. 

Or, would that be too simple?  I'm not much when it comes to fretboard physics.


----------



## jamesmafyew

I have a second-run and it still has this problem, although it may not be as severe as the first-runs. I would say it's "right on the edge", detuned one semitone. So that may represent an improvement.


----------



## demolisher

mgcasella said:


> Could this be fixed on the second-run Intrepids by simply having the bridge placed back a little farther? That way the increased distance from the nut to the bridge would compensate for the F# saddle thus enabling it to not have to be brought back as far.
> 
> Or, would that be too simple?  I'm not much when it comes to fretboard physics.



The further back the bridge the further you have to move the saddles _forward _for the higher strings so it can get tough, but with longer intonation screws it should be better.


----------



## lefty robb

Could always put a 6 or 7 string bridge on it and put a individual saddle/s (like those used for Fanned fret guitars) for the 8th string (or 7 and 8) that way you could mount the individual saddle/s back farther. might have to machine down that side of the bridge to fit the individual saddles though.


----------



## eegor

What they need to do is engineer these bridges so that they are at a bit of an angle, but not anywhere as extreme as a fanned fret bridge. That way the F# saddle would be far enough away without having the high E saddle too far back.


----------



## mgcasella

My initial thought was that the bridge could just be placed about 1/8" to 1/4" farther back. This should get rid of the issues with intonating the F# (filing saddle, clipping the spring, cutting the screw, etc).

At the same time, the bridge wouldn't be too far back that you would have issues intonating the higher strings (I think) 

A fanned bridge or individual saddles in a fanned pattern (such as the ones for bass here: Single Saddle Bass Bridge, Small, Black) would definitely be the best solution IMO but that would jack up the cost


----------



## TomAwesome

mgcasella said:


> My initial thought was that the bridge could just be placed about 1/8" to 1/4" farther back. This should get rid of the issues with intonating the F# (filing saddle, clipping the spring, cutting the screw, etc).
> 
> At the same time, the bridge wouldn't be too far back that you would have issues intonating the higher strings (I think)



They were already moved back a bit from their position in the first run. The saddles on the treble strings are pretty much at the ends of the screws, and for some people it may be necessary to get longer screws.


----------



## mgcasella

TomAwesome said:


> They were already moved back a bit from their position in the first run. The saddles on the treble strings are pretty much at the ends of the screws, and for some people it may be necessary to get longer screws.




That sucks. Can longer screws be purchased anywhere? Maybe mass-produced fanned bridges on the cheap are the only way to go with this one. I really love the look of individual saddles in a fanned pattern, however.


----------



## TomAwesome

Screws can probably be gotten at most hardware stores, I'd imagine. With longer screws and one of those short saddles like the ones on the Schecter 8s, I think these bridges would work just fine.


----------



## mgcasella

Is it possible to replace the F# steel saddle with a Graphtech one and then just file the back down (I've heard graphite is easy to file)? This way, the saddle could be brought backwards farther and closer to the bridge.


----------



## Bakerman

3 mm wide, 20 mm long screws are perfect for higher strings; I found some at a hardware store last week. The bridge placement seems pretty good for a low F/F#. Maybe 1-2 mm further back would still be ok for the higher strings with 20 or 22 mm screws.

The stock screws are 16mm so this should give an idea how far forward the saddles are--end of the 20 mm screw just barely obscured by the saddle. This is with action around 2 mm (high) to 3mm (low) at the 12th fret, which will get slightly lower once I file the nut slots deeper, so the saddes may need to move a fraction of a mm further up after that.


----------



## jamesmafyew

mgcasella said:


> Is it possible to replace the F# steel saddle with a Graphtech one and then just file the back down (I've heard graphite is easy to file)? This way, the saddle could be brought backwards farther and closer to the bridge.



Yes, I've done this --- filed front and back, which will only give you about 1-2mm of extra adjustment. The graphtech saddles are slightly longer than the stock steel saddles anyway, so it's really more like 1mm only.

Check this post for a picture. I have since clipped the screw, removed the spring, and radiused the back corner to get it all the way back.


----------



## Giamatti

In a slight skew from the topic at hand, MY INTREPID CAME TODAY! 

Seeing as the forum has been inundated with NI(ntrepid)Ds due to the latest run being dispatched, I thought I'd save the clutter and just mention it here. 1st erg, and I'm AMAZED at how comfy it is.

The intonation is grand too, thankfully, but individual saddles would rock.


----------



## darren

So which one did you get?


----------



## Giamatti

The Natural Pro, I got it off Iondestroyer here on Sevenstring, as I missed the deadline for the last batch, and couldn't wait 5-6 months for the next run as the money I saved for it wouldn't last that long. Tip top nick, I really love it. Cheers Darren!


----------



## yellowv

Nattie Pros are still in stock at Rondo. oops edit that only the ebony board ones.


----------



## Hollowway

Well, I've officially decided the nut is just too damn high. I'm going to take it in to the tech at the local music store and have the slots filed down. It plays fine, but just knowing I could get it a little lower is eating at me!


----------



## mgcasella

Does anyone know when the next line of Intrepids will be ready to order? I really wanted one of those ghostbursts with the rosewood fretboard


----------



## TomAwesome

You'd have to ask Kurt.


----------



## eegor

So, I changed the strings on my Intrepid to a custom set: 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 48, 62, 80, tuned E A D G C F A D (or F# standard, but one step down). Intonation was pretty much perfect out of the box, but for some reason I can't get the C string to stop buzzing on the first fret. Its saddle is already higher than the others, and I've adjusted the truss rod about as much as I feel comfortable with, and it still buzzes pretty bad on the first fret.

Do you guys have any suggestions for what I should do? I'm thinking about taking it to someone to set it up correctly, as I don't have much experience with guitar tech stuff.


----------



## amassivetree

mgcasella said:


> Does anyone know when the next line of Intrepids will be ready to order? I really wanted one of those ghostbursts with the rosewood fretboard



I'm really anxious too to throw a down payment on a Kahler one before I blow my new guitar fund on something stupid. I was going to ask in the Interceptor thread (I think the trem might go along with the short-scale, interceptor body idea), but didnt want to exhume a dying thread...


----------



## Groff

Ok, one more time, with feeling.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...d-standard-bloodburst-for-real-this-time.html

So if anyone is GASing for one...


----------



## DrewsifStalin

ok, so can someone summarize the intonation problem for me?


----------



## TomAwesome

DrewsifStalin said:


> ok, so can someone summarize the intonation problem for me?



The saddles on the low strings don't go back quite far enough, and the saddles on the high strings don't go forward quite enough.


----------



## highlordmugfug

DrewsifStalin said:


> ok, so can someone summarize the intonation problem for me?





TomAwesome said:


> The saddles on the low strings don't go back quite far enough, and the saddles on the high strings don't go forward quite enough.


An longer screw can fix some of this correct? Which strings does this help?


----------



## Bakerman

highlordmugfug said:


> An longer screw can fix some of this correct? Which strings does this help?



The higher strings that would be set closest to the neck; check back a page or 2 for a photo of my replacements. The 1st, 2nd, 4th strings definitely needed longer screws and I replaced the 3rd & 5th ones as well.


----------



## Galius

I had no problem at all being able to set the intonation on mine, its dead on. Unless you are talking about the bridge on the standards.


----------



## yellowv

If anyone is looking for a standard dual Rondo has some listed right now. 2 charcoals and one oceanburst. They had two oceanburst, but one has sold in the last hour.


----------



## highlordmugfug

I need a favor from everyone that can help. I need high good/decent or high quality pictures of the nuts on your Intrepids. I need to find something out.


----------



## eegor

What specifically do you need to find out?


----------



## highlordmugfug

Is the nut on yours rounded beside the low F#


----------



## eegor

Yeah. It's the same on both sides, too.


----------



## highlordmugfug

eegor said:


> Yeah. It's the same on both sides, too.


So it isn't more extreme beside the lowest string?


----------



## eegor

No, not really. I'll take some pics tomorrow so you can see the actual nut.


----------



## mgcasella

yellowv said:


> If anyone is looking for a standard dual Rondo has some listed right now. 2 charcoals and one oceanburst. They had two oceanburst, but one has sold in the last hour.




Speaking of which...
I emailed Kurt some questions that I had (and I figured other people on here would have) and here are his responses:

1. When will you get the Ghostburst Intrepid Duals back in stock?

Kurt> Probobly will start taking deposits for July shipments in a week

2. Will black be an option for the Intrepids?

Kurt> Possibly !

3. Will matte black be an option for the Intrepids?

Kurt> Possibly ! - We have Charcoal

I was in a great mood after I heard this. Then I went to the gym and this scrawny, balding guy tried picking a fight with me (seriously)! I had never seen this guy before in my life. It killed my mojo about the Intrepids  But, don't worry everyone, I think I'm okay now.


----------



## MFB

mgcasella said:


> 1. When will you get the Ghostburst Intrepid Duals back in stock?
> 
> Kurt> Probably will start taking deposits for July shipments in a week



Sweeet, this means build time will be about 3 months, and that we can finally put the deposits down


----------



## GorillaSalsa

I'm not going to make another thread for this, because there have been some already, but this happened Wednesday: 







I'm calling it "Dr. Octogon". I just got the flatwounds put on and tuned up and I'm waiting for my .006 from O4P to come in in a few weeks.


----------



## darren

Nice! Is that the dark burst or blood burst? Looks awesome with the rosewood board. Flatwounds, huh? I think that may be a first (at least on this board)... planning on using it as a jazz machine?


----------



## demolisher

GorillaSalsa said:


> I'm not going to make another thread for this, because there have been some already, but this happened Wednesday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm calling it "Dr. Octogon". I just got the flatwounds put on and tuned up and I'm waiting for my .006 from O4P to come in in a few weeks.



SOMETHINGAWFUL! : D


----------



## highlordmugfug

GorillaSalsa said:


> I'm not going to make another thread for this, because there have been some already, but this happened Wednesday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm calling it "Dr. Octogon". I just got the flatwounds put on and tuned up and I'm waiting for my .006 from O4P to come in in a few weeks.


So you're on sevenstring.org too, eh? 

The reason I asked about the nut is because on my oceanburst there was what looked like a huge chunk of nut missing beside the low F# but when I sent it back to rondo, kurt emailed me and said that they could find nothng wrong with it and that the way it was cut was so that your hand slid over it smoothly. I was just wondering what everyone else's looked like.


----------



## amassivetree

I was wondering about my nut too, but it seems to be playing fine, you can see the nut in the pic.


----------



## mgcasella

GorillaSalsa said:


> I'm not going to make another thread for this, because there have been some already, but this happened Wednesday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm calling it "Dr. Octogon". I just got the flatwounds put on and tuned up and I'm waiting for my .006 from O4P to come in in a few weeks.




Hay man - if you want to make a thread for Dr. Octagon then all the power to you. I can't get enough of looking at those Intrepids 

Vids are welcomed (and highly recommended), as well.


----------



## yellowv

Well I got mine today when I got home from work. Very impressed with it. The guitar is beautiful and well built. Stock strings sucked, but I replaced them immediately with an Elixer .9-.42 w/.56. and .68 set and also installed a clip lock strap and ditched ugly truss rod cover. Now it feels perfect. Sounds and plays awesome. Sounds brutal. With the string set I used I just tuned it up and the setup and intonation are spot on. Thanks Darren and Kurt 
Oh you want pics??????


----------



## whisper

Ah, beautiful. Your pics are true to the color! I kept seeing everyone's darkburst pics really dark around the edges.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Those are definitely the nicest darkburst pics I've seen yet.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

darren said:


> Nice! Is that the dark burst or blood burst? Looks awesome with the rosewood board. Flatwounds, huh? I think that may be a first (at least on this board)... planning on using it as a jazz machine?


 
It's Bloodburst. It does look awesome. Haha, I've used flats for a while now because I really love that dull warm broken-in sound they have and they feel awesome to slide around the fretboard on. I play mostly clean instrumental stuff (think Piglet and The Redneck Manifesto), and I plan on going to music school and using this in a jazz ensemble perhaps, so I guess you could say that. I'm still kind of wondering how this thing is going to sound through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 410...



demolisher said:


> SOMETHINGAWFUL! : D





highlordmugfug said:


> So you're on sevenstring.org too, eh?


 
I am protected.



mgcasella said:


> Hay man - if you want to make a thread for Dr. Octagon then all the power to you. I can't get enough of looking at those Intrepids
> 
> Vids are welcomed (and highly recommended), as well.


 
Haha, when I finally get all the strings together (realized I want a thinner set of flatwounds, and O4P hasn't shipped my strings yet), I'll do my best to make a video, but that's not a promise.


----------



## gatesofcarnage

yellowv said:


> Well I got mine today when I got home from work. Very impressed with it. The guitar is beautiful and well built. Stock strings sucked, but I replaced them immediately with an Elixer .9-.42 w/.56. and .68 set and also installed a clip lock strap and ditched ugly truss rod cover. Now it feels perfect. Sounds and plays awesome. Sounds brutal. With the string set I used I just tuned it up and the setup and intonation are spot on. Thanks Darren and Kurt
> Oh you want pics??????


 Sexyness!


----------



## TomAwesome

Has anyone successfully found direct replacement locking tuners? I know Darren said earlier that he was pretty sure there aren't any existing direct replacements for the Mini Rotomatics, but I noticed that the diagram didn't look the same as the tuner, so I got out the calipers. I believe these are actually Midsize Rotomatics. It looks like the Mini Locking Rotomatics might be a direct replacement, but it's hard to be sure. I don't know why none of these show a measurement from the center of the post hole to the center of the screw hole.

Edit: I decided to actually read the tuner description.



> Internal-cam locking string posts and 18:1 fine tuning are *built into Rotomatic&#8482; midsize cast housings*



That looks like good news to me! I assume that would also apply to the Roto-Grip Minis? Too bad they don't sell singles. I don't feel like buying four extra tuners.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

I'm wondering about this too...I'll replace the tuners on mine with Sperzels in a heartbeat if someone can verify that they'll fit with little modification. I got a half-answer earlier in this thread, but I'm still not sure.


----------



## yellowv

GorillaSalsa said:


> I'm wondering about this too...I'll replace the tuners on mine with Sperzels in a heartbeat if someone can verify that they'll fit with little modification. I got a half-answer earlier in this thread, but I'm still not sure.



Sperzels will fit but the small hole IS NOT in the same place. You will have to drill a hole for the little pin and you will be left with 8 small holes in the back of the headstock once the Sperzels are mounted. Pretty much everyone except Sperzel use a small screw to keep the tuner from rotating. Spezel uses a small pin under the body of the tuner and no screw at all. Much cleaner look IMO, but it leaves holes if you already have different tuners mounted. Here is a pic of one of my guitars that I put Sperzels on to illustrate.


----------



## Hollowway

FWIW I just strung up my Pro with 8-38 +52 +68 and was able to set the intonation with the current screws. Given the lightweight strings, I was worried from everyone's comments that I wouldn't be able to get the saddles close enough to the fb to intonate, but it did just fine. 
Also, I had to actually ADD relieve to the neck. I think that's the first time I've ever used a double action truss rod tightening it toward the left!


----------



## yellowv

I used .9-.42 + .56 & .68 and the factory intonation is spot on.


----------



## Cadavuh

im most likely ordering one of these tomorrow! selling my 5150II to get it. Whats with everyone complaining about the strings that come on it?


----------



## MFB

Do you plan on buying one that's currently on the site, because if not then you'll have to wait until the pre-orders start for the next run


----------



## Cadavuh

Whens the next run?


----------



## yellowv

They should be taking orders for the next run this coming week. Lefty orders have started already. There are still a few single pickup standards and a couple of Charcoal Duals in stock if you don't want to wait though. The next run is supposed to ship in July. We complain about the strings because they are shipping with much lighter strings than they are supposed to. For instance the 8th string is supposed to be a .72. Mine seemed smaller than the .56 I put on for the low B. The .68 I put on for the F# seemed huge compared to the stock string and it is supposed to be smaller than what the guitar came with.


----------



## gunshow86de

Sorry to advertise in this section, but I thought it might get some more attention here. If anyone wants to avoid the wait for the next run, I have a dual humbucker pro for sale/trade.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu.../80806-agile-intrepid-pro-dual-humbucker.html


----------



## GorillaSalsa

I know this guitar was based of the Brice Defiant design, but I like how that little horn thing by the strap button gives perfect clearance for the cable to poke on through. Perfect.


----------



## stuh84

Just ordered me a Swineshead Apex 8 string pickup, and a 500k pot, quite hopeful for this, finally get rid of that active "sound", although I struggle to call it much of a sound.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

For all of you guys who are tuning BEADGBEA, what are you using for the A string? I ordered some .006s from O4P, who have been fantastic to work with, but the strings are VERY fragile. I"m thinking about buying some of the .008s, but I'd like you guys input first.


----------



## TomAwesome

GorillaSalsa said:


> For all of you guys who are tuning BEADGBEA, what are you using for the A string? I ordered some .006s from O4P, who have been fantastic to work with, but the strings are VERY fragile. I"m thinking about buying some of the .008s, but I'd like you guys input furst.



I'm sure they must be O4+ strings. I don't think there's another string on the market that will tune to high A on that scale. They are fragile, though! I just got some strings in the mail from them about half an hour ago. The .007" looks just a bit thicker than a strand of hair, and there's a whole page of instructions for how to tune them up without breaking them.  I ordered two strings and got four, though, so that's very cool of them to include backups.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

TomAwesome said:


> I'm sure they must be O4+ strings. I don't think there's another string on the market that will tune to high A on that scale. They are fragile, though! I just got some strings in the mail from them about half an hour ago. The .007" looks just a bit thicker than a strand of hair, and there's a whole page of instructions for how to tune them up without breaking them.  I ordered two strings and got four, though, so that's very cool of them to include backups.



I got three .006 strings in the mail this afternoon and they're all broken already. Not one of them got up to A, the closest I was able to get up to was G#. I left the last string at G# for 5 hours and took a nap to give it time to stretch so that it could be tuned to A, but as soon as I tried to tune it, it snapped. How did your .007 come out? I'm thinking that a .007 or .008 would be easier to tune up to A with since it's thicker...

EDIT: I should mention that I broke the first two because I didn't read the directions like the buffoon I am, and I probably did the third one wrong in some way, shape or form.


----------



## TomAwesome

GorillaSalsa said:


> I got three .006 strings in the mail this afternoon and they're all broken already. Not one of them got up to A, the closest I was able to get up to was G#. I left the last string at G# for 5 hours and took a nap to give it time to stretch so that it could be tuned to A, but as soon as I tried to tune it, it snapped. How did your .007 come out? I'm thinking that a .007 or .008 would be easier to tune up to A with since it's thicker...



That's weird. Did you get the string for the right scale? They have strings that are the same gauge but rated for A440 at different scale lengths. If you're trying with the Intrepid, you should be sure to get the 29" strings. My first .007" broke. I think it had something to do with the angle it was breaking at from the locking tuner, so on the second one I let it wrap around a few times, and it worked fine. I already love how it works for extending chords. Even a simple barre chord sounds great with the extra high string playing the same note as the root.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

TomAwesome said:


> That's weird. Did you get the string for the right scale? They have strings that are the same gauge but rated for A440 at different scale lengths. If you're trying with the Intrepid, you should be sure to get the 29" strings. My first .007" broke. I think it had something to do with the angle it was breaking at from the locking tuner, so on the second one I let it wrap around a few times, and it worked fine. I already love how it works for extending chords. Even a simple barre chord sounds great with the extra high string playing the same note as the root.



When I ordered them, I selected the .006 for 30", but I couldn't find the box to tell them what the scale length was so I emailed them with my address and told them it was for my Agile and the scale length was 28.625". I just ordered 5 more, and the same thing happened, so I sent them the same email.

I feel like I should clarify some things really quickly:

The reason that I ended up with three popped O4P strings had nothing to do with the quality of the strings, but rather my ignorance of the instructions. I was honestly VERY excited to receive these, to the point that I just sort of ripped open the package and started to tune up. The first string *did successfully get to A*, but I started thrashing around on it as soon as it got there, so it broke. The second string broke because I went too quickly with the string winder. I'm still not quite sure why the 3rd string broke, but I'm very sure that it was something I did.

These strings are of excellent quality which is why I ordered 5 more today. *Rest assured that I would not have made the purchase I made today if I did not feel they were up to par.* Quite the opposite, I look forward to future transactions with O4P, Garry Goodman, and Split Second Music. I've had nothing but fantastic feedback from them, and I even wrote about the fantastic service I have received on my website before I had received the strings.

I just want to make sure that no one thinks I'm trying to put this on O4P or their strings, because the way this happened was entirely my error.


----------



## Ben.Last

So, reading all of the string gauge talk has really made me wonder what I should use when I get my intrepid. Currently I'm playing an Agile ab3500(28" baritone). I like fairly heavy strings and on my baritone I'm using a set of d'addario round wounds that are; .012, .016, .020, .032, .042, .054. Now, considering that the scale difference between my baritone and the intrepid is only a bit more than half an inch, I'm assuming that the feel of the strings will not be too far off. So, having never played an 8 before, should I still anticipate going with some lighter strings? Or would I be safe sticking with the same set for the first 6 strings? If so, any recommendations for the gauge on the bottom 2? I'll most likely be playing in standard tuning. I may get a bit wild and drop it a whole step though.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Lern2swim said:


> So, reading all of the string gauge talk has really made me wonder what I should use when I get my intrepid. Currently I'm playing an Agile ab3500(28" baritone). I like fairly heavy strings and on my baritone I'm using a set of d'addario round wounds that are; .012, .016, .020, .032, .042, .054.



How is your baritone guitar tuned? With that info, we can use the string tension calculator and figure out what we'd need to replicate the feel on the Intrepid...


----------



## AgileLefty

buttload of models up for preorder now, including a VERY nice selection of lefties


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Charcoal/Ebony models are lookin real nice!


----------



## Hypothermia

AgileLefty said:


> buttload of models up for preorder now, including a VERY nice selection of lefties


 
Yeah, im getting the Bloodburst standard with the rosewood fretboard


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

AgileLefty said:


> buttload of models up for preorder now, including a VERY nice selection of lefties



I don't see them. =( Maybe I'm just being stupid, but when I go to their Electric Guitars section, I only see 14 pages that end with the Interceptor Pro 27 Tribal Red*.* Is there another link I should go to?

EDIT: Just found them, sorry.


----------



## AgileLefty

Hypothermia said:


> Yeah, im getting the Bloodburst standard with the rosewood fretboard


 
hell yeah, another lefty!!

i'm thinkin bout' this one...


----------



## col

Any idea how long they'll be taking the preorders?


----------



## Shannon

Lern2swim said:


> So, reading all of the string gauge talk has really made me wonder what I should use when I get my intrepid. Currently I'm playing an Agile ab3500(28" baritone). I like fairly heavy strings and on my baritone I'm using a set of d'addario round wounds that are; .012, .016, .020, .032, .042, .054. Now, considering that the scale difference between my baritone and the intrepid is only a bit more than half an inch, I'm assuming that the feel of the strings will not be too far off. So, having never played an 8 before, should I still anticipate going with some lighter strings? Or would I be safe sticking with the same set for the first 6 strings? If so, any recommendations for the gauge on the bottom 2? I'll most likely be playing in standard tuning. I may get a bit wild and drop it a whole step though.




Honestly, I'd put the strings you are currently using on there first. From there, you can determine is it's too loose, too tight or just right.


----------



## yellowv

AgileLefty said:


> buttload of models up for preorder now, including a VERY nice selection of lefties



Actually most of those are available now. Only the ones with half price are preorder. All the ones with the full price are ready to go. I was worried I would miss out on a standard dual, but now they have them available in almost every color. A lot of people must have backed out on orders.


----------



## MFB

Damn it, I want to pre-order just an Intrepid Dual Standard, no pro or anything but they aren't availble yet!


----------



## Ben.Last

jamesmafyew said:


> How is your baritone guitar tuned? With that info, we can use the string tension calculator and figure out what we'd need to replicate the feel on the Intrepid...



Just standard baritone tuning. b-e-a-d-f#-b


----------



## GorillaSalsa

gatesofcarnage said:


> Charcoal/Ebony models are lookin real nice!



UGH, this...If I had just waited...

does anybody want to take a very new Bloodburst off my hands for ~$600?


----------



## Hypothermia

Looks awesome!

Thinking of swapping the pups later on (if i dont really really like the original ones) to the new 8s Blackouts (when they are available)


Damn, this wait is going to be long



AgileLefty said:


> hell yeah, another lefty!!
> 
> i'm thinkin bout' this one...


----------



## jamesmafyew

Lern2swim said:


> Just standard baritone tuning. b-e-a-d-f#-b



So your Agile baritone looks like this, tension-wise:

len 28"
B3 .012" PL == 15.8#
F3# .016" PL == 15.77#
D3 .020" PL == 15.52#
A2 .032" nw == 19.02#
E2 .042" nw == 17.81#
B1 .054" nw == 16.36#
total == 100.27#

To get something similar on the Intrepid, you would actually want to use a set of 009s, + 056 + 075:

len 28.625"
E4 .009" PL == 16.55#
B3 .011" PL == 13.87#
G3 .016" PL == 18.5#
D3 .024" nw == 19.87#
A2 .032" nw == 19.87#
E2 .042" nw == 18.61#
B1 .056 nw == 18.64#
F1# .075 nw == 18.44#
total == 144.36#

So I would definitely advise AGAINST just using your 12-54 set for the first 6 strings... you would be waaayyyy over the spec tension on the Intrepid neck. You could use those strings for the MIDDLE 6 strings on the Intrepid, but actually a standard set of 009s in standard tuning is going to be tighter than what you're used to on the baritone.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

MFB said:


> Damn it, I want to pre-order just an Intrepid Dual Standard, no pro or anything but they aren't availble yet!



Here you go

Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 (Deposit for July Delivery)


----------



## MFB

Oh shit, I thought those were just the Bloodbursts cause of the pic

Thanks man


----------



## Våd Hamster

Do you guys know if they charge for the case and for shipping at the same time as the preorder?


Cause I lack 100$ if they do


----------



## MFB

I believe those are charged once it's complete


----------



## col

Sweet, they have Septors in 25" and 27" scale available for preorder now. Natural, black flame and blue flame finishes.


----------



## Mike_F

Wow they actually went through with the interceptor 8 with the Kahler for only $800.
That's awesome!


----------



## TomAwesome

25.5" and 27" models! Damn. With my recent experience with an extra high string on my 7, I kinda want to get a 27" scale 8 to string up with one extra high string and one extra low string.


----------



## darren

Wow... that's pretty awesome. I'd totally love a Septor 827 in natural ash.

And a neck-thru 8 with a Kahler for $800? That's a killer deal.

Looks like we started something big!


----------



## Niels

Just look at all those guitars on the 8 string page...
Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy =p


----------



## Galius

Damn it, I like the Interceptors but 27 inches is too short


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Galius said:


> Damn it, I like the Interceptors but 27 inches is too short



Will consider 28.625 and / or 30" for the next run if all goes well

kurt


----------



## jamesmafyew

kurtzentmaier said:


> Will consider 28.625 and / or 30" for the next run if all goes well
> 
> kurt



I would totally buy a 30" Interceptor 8-string, especially if it were neck-through. In a heart-beat.


----------



## Galius

You have no clue how brutal that would be. I can already barely set my intrepid down as is. I think the 28.625 works extremely well though so i would be good with that.



kurtzentmaier said:


> Will consider 28.625 and / or 30" for the next run if all goes well
> 
> kurt


----------



## Adriatic

kurtzentmaier said:


> Will consider 28.625 and / or 30" for the next run if all goes well
> 
> kurt


 
cant wait till the next run... 

yeah all those 8s on one page makes me moist.. id love to be in the factory surrounded by 8s everywhere ... it could be my happy place... just like in happy gilmore...


----------



## MF_Kitten

if there&#180;s a 30" scale run, i would consider one too, depending on how my funds work out. i&#180;ve got two custom jobs in the waiting, so...


----------



## possumkiller

dear god. i want the 30. holy jesus. that thing is awesome. the pro model in 30 inches wow.


----------



## Sir Euric

Yes, Finally was able to get the house after being on the road for a whole month to harvest my new Agile Intrepid Dual Cepheus Pro, with the tweed case that I also ordered. AWSOME freaking guitar, no damage at all, the case was in mint condition as well.


----------



## possumkiller

good job

did you put some monsterously fat mandolin strings on it yet?


----------



## Sir Euric

possumkiller said:


> good job
> 
> did you put some monsterously fat strings on it yet?


 
Nope, will change them sooner or later though.

I couldn't find my extra pack of schaller strap locks either.


----------



## whisper

Oh man, Lizard burst is here! wow, I can't wait to see what that looks like.


----------



## possumkiller

so are we going to do an official interceptor 8 sticky thread as well?


----------



## Sir Euric

whisper said:


> Oh man, Lizard burst is here! wow, I can't wait to see what that looks like.


 
I would like to see the real finish instead of the mockup though. Would like to see that finish on the intrepid as well.


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

I feel really picky, but is it so wrong that I want that 27" Septor in Blue Flame with a Maple fretboard?

Either way, thank you Kurt for these awesome guitars.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Man, If they were offering an intrepid in a 27" scale I mighta put down some cash...

Even for a banana hands like me, the intrepid's a wee bit long.


----------



## AgileLefty

Sir Euric said:


> Yes, Finally was able to get the house after being on the road for a whole month to harvest my new Agile Intrepid Dual Cepheus Pro, with the tweed case that I also ordered. AWSOME freaking guitar, no damage at all, the case was in mint condition as well.


 

how bout' a NGD thread with some pics of the beast?


----------



## possumkiller

the douchebag didnt take pics, i already asked. even though he was home for like a freakin WEEK!!!


----------



## Groff

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...d-standard-bloodburst-for-real-this-time.html

Still for sale. Price drop to $500.

So if anyone is gasing for one...


----------



## Niels

"Custom Shipping Message: Problem with Zip Code. Please verify you entered a valid Zip Code and that the country selected is the United States."

I cannot order a lizard burst sceptor from the Netherlands? =o
the horror...omg...the horror

EDIT: nvm xD it seems somehow FireFox disables me to select a country.
Now we start the wait again.


----------



## MFB

Darkburst/Maple 8 preorder has been purchases for a total of $335!


----------



## Galius

I want a rosewood darkburst but I just spent a ton of money on equipment so I probly shouldnt. Im really curious to see how the septor 27" turns out. I would like it longer but if it played nice with some thicker strings . Mabey we will see how they play and if there are extras when they ship but if not mabey get another agile of some sort on the next run.


----------



## Sir Euric

possumkiller said:


> the douchebag didnt take pics, i already asked. even though he was home for like a freakin WEEK!!!


 
The main reason that I didn't take any pics, is because someone else has already posted pics of the same exact settup.


BUT I guess when I have a chance, I will take some pics somewhere out here on the road, maybe when I get to PA


----------



## yellowv

MFB said:


> Darkburst/Maple 8 preorder has been purchases for a total of $335!



Just to help your GAS


----------



## MFB

MMMMMM, tasty

She is a beaut


----------



## darren

MFB said:


> Darkburst/Maple 8 preorder has been purchases for a total of $335!



You know there's a second payment due on that, right?


----------



## MFB

darren said:


> You know there's a second payment due on that, right?



Yeah but half of it is already paid which is good enough for me to celebrate


----------



## gatesofcarnage

Looks like i am to start saving for July to order Interceptor 8....


----------



## GorillaSalsa

So I split the coils on my Intrepid Standard, and it sounds fucking fantastic. Think 8-string telecaster fantastic. I also installed a keyswitch that acts as a killswitch so that I can "lock" my guitar away and assholes won't be able to play through an Amp without the key that I'll never surrender.

I adore this guitar.


----------



## jamesmafyew

GorillaSalsa said:


> So I split the coils on my Intrepid Standard, and it sounds fucking fantastic. Think 8-string telecaster fantastic. I also installed a keyswitch that acts as a killswitch so that I can "lock" my guitar away and my asshole brother and cousin won't be able to play through the Amp without the key that I'll never surrender.
> 
> I adore this guitar.



This is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to putting the BKP Cold Sweat in my Intrepid Pro; I'm going to set up a series/split/parallel switch on it. I fully expect it to have the most incredible snappy, deep clean sound...


----------



## darren

I have series/parallel push/pull pots on mine.


----------



## seankellySS

yo, whats the word on Agile's trem and p/u's? cause it would be kinda hard for me to find 8 string p/u's if those dont sing. im thinkin that this would be my next guitar as soon as i run into some cash, but i dont want to commit unless i know that the trem and p/u's dont suck. or should i just go with the 7-string version? i can find those p/u's easy if the factory ones suck


----------



## yellowv

seankellySS said:


> yo, whats the word on Agile's trem and p/u's? cause it would be kinda hard for me to find 8 string p/u's if those dont sing. im thinkin that this would be my next guitar as soon as i run into some cash, but i dont want to commit unless i know that the trem and p/u's dont suck. or should i just go with the 7-string version? i can find those p/u's easy if the factory ones suck



There is TONS of info. Please read it. The trem is a Kahler so obviously it's top quality. And there has been tons of feedback on the pickups. General consensus is the passives are pretty darn good and the EMG's are not the best. 8 string pickups are not hard to find if you didn't like the stockers. BKP for one makes some awesome ones.


----------



## mgcasella

seankellySS said:


> yo, whats the word on Agile's trem and p/u's? cause it would be kinda hard for me to find 8 string p/u's if those dont sing. im thinkin that this would be my next guitar as soon as i run into some cash, but i dont want to commit unless i know that the trem and p/u's dont suck. or should i just go with the 7-string version? i can find those p/u's easy if the factory ones suck




Hey man. I started a thread on 8 string pups: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/80929-list-of-8-string-guitar-pickups.html
You'll be able to find a ton of makers of 8 string pups here. Enjoy!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

darren said:


> I have series/parallel push/pull pots on mine.



How much different is the sound, and can I wire that in alongside my coil split?


----------



## darren

The parallel tone is like two singles in parallel... more like positions 2 and 4 on a Strat's selector than a pure single tone, but it has the advantage of still being hum-cancelling.

On one of my guitars, i have DPDT on-on-on mini-toggles wired to give series/split/parallel options from each humbucker.


----------



## proggm

A little sample (kind of overproduced, but meh), powered by lefty Intrepid pro!:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/458576/PGM&#37;20Project - Album Prod - 8 string first song.mp3


----------



## Spondus

i just put a deposit on a bloodburst dual pro!!!!!


----------



## Våd Hamster

Septor 827 Ash ordered!


----------



## MF_Kitten

how are you 825 guys tuning it with the smaller scale length? skal den v&#229;de hamster spile med en h&#248;i A?


----------



## Våd Hamster

MF_Kitten said:


> how are you 825 guys tuning it with the smaller scale length? skal den v&#229;de hamster spile med en h&#248;i A?



I'm probably just going the low F# way, I favored the 27'' scale over the 28.625 and 25.5 because I figured the 28 would harm my stretching possibilities, and the 25.5 wouldn't have a very tight low end... Og nej, ingen h&#248;j A til mig lige forel&#248;bigt 



proggm said:


> A little sample (kind of overproduced, but meh), powered by lefty Intrepid pro!:
> http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/458576/PGM%20Project%20-%20Album%20Prod%20-%208%20string%20first%20song.mp3



Very very nice! That tone is true  

Also, loving the falsetto


----------



## FlamesOfDestiny

proggm said:


> A little sample (kind of overproduced, but meh), powered by lefty Intrepid pro!:
> http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/458576/PGM Project - Album Prod - 8 string first song.mp3



Shit yes, son. That's awesome!!


----------



## Hollowway

MF_Kitten said:


> how are you 825 guys tuning it with the smaller scale length? skal den våde hamster spile med en høi A?



I actually decided at the last minute to get away from the 825 and go with the 827. I was going to do the 825, and just put either a beefy F# on there, or spile med en hoi A (or however you guys say it!). But I decided on the 827 once I saw that octave4plus can do A440 strings at that length pretty easily. In other words, I want to have the option of the high A or the low F#, but I suspect I'll probably keep it in low F# more, so I chickened out of the 825.


----------



## MF_Kitten

interesting

so, v&#229;d hamster, you got the 827 instead of the 825 then?

edit: i just saw that i misread it, and thought you were the one who went with an 825 hahaha


----------



## Niels

Quick string question, didn't want to open a new thread for it;
I ordered some strings from Octave4Plus, it's been over a week and I only recieved a payement receipt from PayPal. Should I be worried? =p


----------



## Adam

Niels said:


> Quick string question, didn't want to open a new thread for it;
> I ordered some strings from Octave4Plus, it's been over a week and I only recieved a payement receipt from PayPal. Should I be worried? =p



Nope, he makes them himself, and he has been getting alot of orders lately. It's never usually ship the next day kind of thing, don't worry you'll get them.


----------



## Niels

Ah, a big relieve, though some automated response would be nice, kinda leaves me in the dark. Anywho, can't wait to string them up, I plan to tune my septor C#F#BEAC#F#B.
I'm so excited xD


----------



## Sir Euric

So, here is my 8 Strings of Lore resting on my Hercules stand, I pretty much had to force the guitar onto the stand to get it to fit lol, has been restringed to .009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .046, .060, .080


----------



## possumkiller

DUDE HOLY MFIN SHIITE THATS GOOD PICTURING!!!

i knew you would come through you hairy bastard!


----------



## Adam

Niels said:


> Ah, a big relieve, though some automated response would be nice, kinda leaves me in the dark. Anywho, can't wait to string them up, I plan to tune my septor C#F#BEAC#F#B.
> I'm so excited xD



No wonder you're waiting this long, the B4 string is a special order, although I did not know Garry managed to make a B4 string for the 28.625" scale, did you tell him what scale length your guitar was?


----------



## Shannon

O4P is reputable, no doubt. It's a handmade set of strings. Just give him some time.


----------



## Sir Euric

Heres some more, the mahogany in the last pic seems to be flamed













I still haven't added my schaller locking tuners yet, will have to wait till i get to the house again.


----------



## possumkiller

JESUS!!! IS THERE NO END TO YOUR AMAZING POWER OF AWESOMENESSESS???????????


----------



## Sir Euric

Yes possumkiller, damn it man that .080 string sounds so much better, like you said awhile back.


----------



## possumkiller

i know.


----------



## Sir Euric

Of course with the .080 I had to trim and then unwind some of the outer layer to get it to fit into the tuning peg.

But the ball on the end is still the same size as the rest of the strings.


----------



## possumkiller

yes. as did i with my new intrepid.


----------



## Sir Euric

Dude, you can rest your thumb at the neck joint contour while playing leads. Its so comfy.


----------



## possumkiller

really? mine is the bolt on. i dont really pay much attention when im playing so i dont know if i do the same.


----------



## Sir Euric

Dude, if you turn the tone knob all the way down, it kinda has that wah wah sound to it.


----------



## possumkiller

yes i tried it with mine as well. im very happy with the agile intrepid. there is much goodness in it.


----------



## jamesmafyew

Sir Euric said:


> Yes possumkiller, damn it man that .080 string sounds so much better, like you said awhile back.



+1 for the .080


----------



## possumkiller

Sir Euric said:


> Yes possumkiller, damn it man that .080 string sounds so much better, like you said awhile back.


 
++1 for the .080


----------



## Sir Euric

Sir Euric said:


> Yes possumkiller, damn it man that .080 string sounds so much better, like you said awhile back.


I say, says I, I think we have an +++1 for the .080  accord, do I have an ++++1 for the .080


----------



## TomAwesome

I found .080" to be a bit much when I tried it on my 30"er. To each his own, though.


----------



## possumkiller

ahh what i wouldnt give for the smell of a 30 incher..............


----------



## TomAwesome

It doesn't smell much different from my other guitars.  I wouldn't recommend 30" for an 8 unless you like a stiff and brittle tone from the high strings, which a lot of people probably would. It works well for Meshuggah. I like still being able to use my top 6 strings like a regular guitar, though.


----------



## Fred

Yeah, I tried an .80 on my 30" too - definitely not the best of ideas, haha. I'm down to a .72 at the moment and it's way, way nicer!


----------



## Våd Hamster

TomAwesome said:


> It doesn't smell much different from my other guitars.  I wouldn't recommend 30" for an 8 unless you like a stiff and brittle tone from the high strings, which a lot of people probably would. It works well for Meshuggah. I like still being able to use my top 6 strings like a regular guitar, though.



Exactly why I went with the 827


----------



## possumkiller

i think i need a fan fret that goes from 30.5 inch to 24.75 inch yeah


----------



## jamesmafyew

Fred said:


> Yeah, I tried an .80 on my 30" too - definitely not the best of ideas, haha. I'm down to a .72 at the moment and it's way, way nicer!



.080 on a 30"! I'd use a .075 on the Intrepid @ 28.625" in F# standard. I tune down a semitone so the 080 at F is just right for me... and I like things on the tight side!

Has anyone tried different brands of 070s and 080s to see how the core/wrap ratios and tone and tightness compare? I use D'Addarios for the 1st-7th strings on my Intrepid, but the D'Addario 080s (NW080 guitar strings) buzz with loose wrappings and seem to have brittle/small cores. The GHS compound-wound 080s don't buzz at all, and seem to have a brighter tone... I don't get it. 

Edit: The D'Addario bass strings @ .080 and .084 have a much larger core and therefore a much higher tension, too. They didn't buzz like the NW080.


----------



## possumkiller

i use the daddario bass strings 

for the 3 fattest strings i just took a standard bass set. i use a .045 for my low e, a .065 for b, and an .080 for my f# i REALLY like the tightness!


----------



## QueeZeR

jamesmafyew said:


> Edit: The D'Addario bass strings @ .080 and .084 have a much larger core and therefore a much higher tension, too. They didn't buzz like the NW080.





possumkiller said:


> i use the daddario bass strings
> 
> for the 3 fattest strings i just took a standard bass set. i use a .045 for my low e, a .065 for b, and an .080 for my f# i REALLY like the tightness!



I'm currently using a D'addario .074 guitar-string for my f#, but it sounds very mellow. Not as bright and punchy as I'd prefer.
A bass-string would be better then?


----------



## possumkiller

well i went with the bass strings just because i could get them locally and not order them online and wait for them. however, it seems like i made the right choice because i really LOVE the way the bass strings sound. not just the f# but the b and e as well have a slightly different tone and i like it.


----------



## jamesmafyew

QueeZeR said:


> I'm currently using a D'addario .074 guitar-string for my f#, but it sounds very mellow. Not as bright and punchy as I'd prefer.
> A bass-string would be better then?



Well apparently the D'Addario bass strings have a unit weight difference that changes tension by about a half-pound at the same gauge. So that's really not much of a change. A D'Addario 075 bass string might do what you want, or you could try the GHS singles --- GHS singles on Juststrings.com are significantly cheaper than D'Addarios, SEEM to have a slightly higher tension (specs are not available so this is conjecture, and I can't compare them with the D'A bass strings) and to my ears are noticeably brighter. I haven't tried bass strings.

When I used all D'Addarios, 10-46 + 59 + 80, the low string sounded muddy. When I switched that low string to a GHS .080, it seemed to brighten and match up better with the others. Who knows...


----------



## possumkiller

so i think instead of bumping 4 year old posts ill use my boredom to go to the guitar store and get some ghs bass strings! woo hoo! im on a mission!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Hey Darren, is the "hook" on the headstock some kind of crucial design feature meant to keep the headstock from snapping, or can I reshape it?

I've got some major plans for my bloodburst (soon to be non-bloodburst)


----------



## darren

The tip of the headstock doesn't have any structural importance.


----------



## Fred

jamesmafyew said:


> .080 on a 30"! I'd use a .075 on the Intrepid @ 28.625" in F# standard. I tune down a semitone so the 080 at F is just right for me... and I like things on the tight side!



Haha, I should point out that I also tune down a semitone, but the 80 was just a massive fucking workout every time I wanted to play it! The 72 has just the right degree of flub for me, as well as a ball-end that actually fits into the ferrules, haha.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

possumkiller said:


> i think i need a fan fret that goes from 30.5 inch to 24.75 inch yeah



You realize that's almost a half a foot spanning diagonally across 2.25 inches?


----------



## abadonae

hey people, im a newer member, i just recently ordered a left handed intrepid pro 8 in bloodburst, with the thru neck and single EMG 808, do people want me to put up a review of it when it arrives in july?


----------



## Urbane

That and pics is usually appreciated =)


----------



## possumkiller

GorillaSalsa said:


> You realize that's almost a half a foot spanning diagonally across 2.25 inches?


 
omg youre right. i meant 30.5 inch to 22.5 inch sorry!


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## possumkiller

actually maybe i could get a 9 string with 35 inch to 22.5 inch fan do you think? i want the frets to be as close to parallel with the strings as possible!


----------



## Sir Euric

possumkiller said:


> actually maybe i could get a 9 string with 35 inch to 22.5 inch fan do you think? i want the frets to be as close to parallel with the strings as possible!


 
With 37 fret's


----------



## Hollowway

possumkiller said:


> actually maybe i could get a 9 string with 35 inch to 22.5 inch fan do you think? i want the frets to be as close to parallel with the strings as possible!



Yeah, and get some epic 3 step bends in the high register! A fan like that would be soooo Spinal Tap!


----------



## possumkiller

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, and get some epic 3 step bends in the high register! A fan like that would be soooo Spinal Tap!


 

yesssssssssssssssssssss!!!! he gets it!!!!!!!!


----------



## Hollowway

possumkiller said:


> yesssssssssssssssssssss!!!! he gets it!!!!!!!!



SS.org: So, you've got an 8 string guitar with an 11" fanned fretboard. Why not just tune it in 5ths and then have a 3" fan?
Nigel: (long pause). This one goes to 11".


----------



## darren

Let's keep it on topic, please.


----------



## G0DLESSENDEAVOR

Wow, I was taking a look at the price's and was blown away with a 750.00 *Agile Intrepid Dual Bloodburst Standard 8*. If Rondo accepts custom specs, they will be the first to see. Very affordable and I still have money left for a gift. 

Basic Specs I have at the moment:
Neck-through maple neck, maple fretboard
mahogany wings
maple quilted top
30 inch scale
string through


----------



## Bigju

That's it ! 
After spending months reading this topic almost every day, I finally decided to order an Intrepid. I just can't believe I could buy a 8-string that basically rocks ( I trust you guys, I didn't received it yet, but quite everyone in here seems to be happy with the beast, why wouldn't I ?  ), for about 500 bucks.
This site rocks, and so does Rondo. Thanks for making this whole interpid thing a reality.

First post, btw, Hello Everyone !


----------



## plyta

Bigju said:


> That's it !
> After spending months reading this topic almost every day, I finally decided to order an Intrepid. I just can't believe I could buy a 8-string that basically rocks ( I trust you guys, I didn't received it yet, but quite everyone in here seems to be happy with the beast, why wouldn't I ?  ), for about 500 bucks.
> This site rocks, and so does Rondo. Thanks for making this whole interpid thing a reality.
> 
> First post, btw, Hello Everyone !



Welcome


----------



## Sir Euric

Bigju said:


> That's it !
> After spending months reading this topic almost every day, I finally decided to order an Intrepid. I just can't believe I could buy a 8-string that basically rocks ( I trust you guys, I didn't received it yet, but quite everyone in here seems to be happy with the beast, why wouldn't I ?  ), for about 500 bucks.
> This site rocks, and so does Rondo. Thanks for making this whole interpid thing a reality.
> 
> First post, btw, Hello Everyone !


 
I was kinda scared to get an 8 stringer before because of it being so low ended, and didn't know if I would like going that low, but damn I don't regret it at all, and you don't have to go bankrupt for one either, thats one thing that eased my pain of forking out money for one, that and reading everyone elses posts helped too.

Plus you'll want to change out the strings for bigger ones when you get yours.

8 Strings of Lore!!!


----------



## possumkiller

Sir Euric said:


> I was kinda scared to get an 8 stringer before because of it being so low ended, and didn't know if I would like going that low, but damn I don't regret it at all, and you don't have to go bankrupt for one either, thats one thing that eased my pain of forking out money for one, that and reading everyone elses posts helped too.
> 
> Plus you'll want to change out the strings for bigger ones when you get yours.
> 
> 8 Strings of Lore!!!


 
yeah i was pretty weary at first as well. with the longer scale and low low strings and all. i wasnt sure i would like it. but omg dude its awesome! no regrets!!!


----------



## Hollowway

So I finally filed the nut down on my Intrepid pro. It's been bugging me because the open strings were sitting way higher above the first fret than the strings do above the 2nd fret when you fret them on the first. I actually had a guitar tech at the local music store file it down, but then I got it home and wanted the DGBE even lower, so I filed those strings down more. It made a pretty substantial difference and lowered my overall action .3 mm or so. I've got my high E at just about 1.6mm at the 12th fret. Any lower and I fret out during bends. Anyway, that's what I did, FWIW. Cuz I knew you guys were just dying to know what I did with my evening.


----------



## eventhetrees

Don't feel like reading through 336 pages.

Overall, is this guitar worth it? I'm thinking about getting one for fun and for 700 or so it's pretty reasonable, also I love natural finishes so that's a plus too.

I just never played and Agile and by the looks of their other stuff it's all 'knock offs' but this is an original agile...


----------



## Slayer89

eventhetrees said:


> Don't feel like reading through 336 pages.
> 
> Overall, is this guitar worth it? I'm thinking about getting one for fun and for 700 or so it's pretty reasonable, also I love natural finishes so that's a plus too.
> 
> I just never played and Agile and by the looks of their other stuff it's all 'knock offs' but this is an original agile...



Would there be a stickied thread with 3,000+ replies if it wasn't worth it?

I understand not wanting to read it all (I sure haven't), but for future reference a quick skim over the last couple pages would've answered a lot of questions.


----------



## darren

ngd - Google Search


----------



## mlp187

Here's a bittersweet story: 

I now own an Intrepid Dual Standard Darkburst. I got a blem model for $520.66 shipped (it had a super tiny ding on the lower horn radius by the neck pocket, that's it). It arrived yesterday. So hooray! I didn't post a NGD thread because everybody knows what these beasts are. 

Here's the bitter part: Decent .223 ammo is too expensive to shoot so I sold my Stag Model 6. Although I did get a lot more than $500 for it, I had other stuff to pay off. I also have a guitar I REALLY want to restore. So, instead of restoring an Epiphone 635i I have I instead bought this guitar. I am super stoked! But now my Epiphone must wait in the closet!


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

How are these agile guitars? I'm a big oldschool ibanez fan with the superwizard necks etc and the once or twice I got to pick up a 7 or 8 string the first thought that went through my head was *this neck is fat as hell and feels like a board*

I am still very bi- I mean extended 7/8 string curious and these things are actually affordable compared to whats on the market and appear to be better built. 

What I'm really curious of is how the neck feels and how these "cepheus" pups sound since I can't seem to find one on the site that has 2 emg's in it.

Oh also since im a noob what does a 15" radius translate to? (I'm used to seeing 400, 430mm from ibanez)

Thanks!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

So remember earlier on in the thread when I couldn't tune the O4P strings up to A? I got some new ones in yesterday, and I finally did it!  I'm stoked beyond belief right now, I love this. This is what I've been waiting for.



eventhetrees said:


> Don't feel like reading through 336 pages.
> 
> Overall, is this guitar worth it? I'm thinking about getting one for fun and for 700 or so it's pretty reasonable, also I love natural finishes so that's a plus too.
> 
> I just never played and Agile and by the looks of their other stuff it's all 'knock offs' but this is an original agile...





Cheesebuiscut said:


> How are these agile guitars? I'm a big oldschool ibanez fan with the superwizard necks etc and the once or twice I got to pick up a 7 or 8 string the first thought that went through my head was *this neck is fat as hell and feels like a board*
> 
> I am still very bi- I mean extended 7/8 string curious and these things are actually affordable compared to whats on the market and appear to be better built.
> 
> What I'm really curious of is how the neck feels and how these "cepheus" pups sound since I can't seem to find one on the site that has 2 emg's in it.



If you'd read back _maybe_ ten pages, you'd see that all of us love them. They play very well, and the pickups sound good. I don't think this thread would have 85 pages if these guitars were crap.



Cheesebuiscut said:


> Oh also since im a noob what does a 15" radius translate to? (I'm used to seeing 400, 430mm from ibanez)



Let me google that for you


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

Sorry didn't feel like reading through 85 pages, I'm just curious how the neck compares for someone who's used to ibanez necks since I see that even their 6 or 7 string models come some MM's thicker than what ibanez makes. The radius is usually completely off for trem models too but most of these have a hipshot so that shouldnt be too big of a problem.

Oh and 85 pages may not necessarily mean good... I mean I read through some pages of the rg2228 threads and there seemed to be just as much if not more dissapointment as there was optimism. 

rondo's prices seem very cheap and I've had no experience with them so I was just curious if the quality holds up too.

My main biggie was the neck profiling... and how it compares to an older ibanez neck... Which I doubt anyone brought up thus far and I really don't feel like skimming through to find out if someone did.


----------



## troyguitar

Well the neck is going to be 30&#37; wider than your normal Wizard neck, so yeah it's going to be way bigger...


----------



## Galius

The only thing I can say is that the neck profile is pretty thin and feels really great all things considered.


Cheesebuiscut said:


> Sorry didn't feel like reading through 85 pages, I'm just curious how the neck compares for someone who's used to ibanez necks since I see that even their 6 or 7 string models come some MM's thicker than what ibanez makes. The radius is usually completely off for trem models too but most of these have a hipshot so that shouldnt be too big of a problem.
> 
> Oh and 85 pages may not necessarily mean good... I mean I read through some pages of the rg2228 threads and there seemed to be just as much if not more dissapointment as there was optimism.
> 
> rondo's prices seem very cheap and I've had no experience with them so I was just curious if the quality holds up too.
> 
> My main biggie was the neck profiling... and how it compares to an older ibanez neck... Which I doubt anyone brought up thus far and I really don't feel like skimming through to find out if someone did.


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

Galius said:


> The only thing I can say is that the neck profile is pretty thin and feels really great all things considered.




 Ty


----------



## highlordmugfug

darren said:


> ngd - Google Search


----------



## jamesmafyew

Does anyone else really really really hate the EMG-808?

I find myself getting tired of playing the Intrepid pretty quickly when I'm plugged in. It's not the amp --- I love the amp to death and all my other guitars with lots of different woods (equipped with passives, of course) sound amazing through it. I've done the 18v mod. Yet when I sit in front of the TV with my wife and practice on the Intrepid while it's not plugged in, I love playing it.

It's not supposed to sound better unplugged than plugged in! I feel like the EMG robs the guitar of its own tone and makes it sound fake, almost synthesized. Does anyone really love the 808?

It seems like I've been waiting forever for my BKP Cold Sweat 8...


----------



## stuh84

Yeah, I can't stand the 808, can't wait for the Swineshead I've ordered to arrive, the EMG does absolutely nothing for the guitar, and in my rig, due to all my other guitars being passive, the EMG has an EQ curve which causes so much feedback its scary....


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> Does anyone else really really really hate the EMG-808?
> 
> I find myself getting tired of playing the Intrepid pretty quickly when I'm plugged in. It's not the amp --- I love the amp to death and all my other guitars with lots of different woods (equipped with passives, of course) sound amazing through it. I've done the 18v mod. Yet when I sit in front of the TV with my wife and practice on the Intrepid while it's not plugged in, I love playing it.
> 
> It's not supposed to sound better unplugged than plugged in! I feel like the EMG robs the guitar of its own tone and makes it sound fake, almost synthesized. Does anyone really love the 808?
> 
> It seems like I've been waiting forever for my BKP Cold Sweat 8...


 
Yeah, I haven't had the chance to swap mine out, but I will say that it sounds great through my Pod and headphones. But when I plug it into the amp I don't like it at all. Bottom line, I'm scared to swap it out with something else unless I can hear it first, (e.g. BKP) and so I haven't pulled the trigger on it. FWIW, it kicks the pants off the EMG HZ passive I made the mistake of putting in my sixer.


----------



## Collapse

18v mod the emg 808 much better


----------



## Hollowway

Collapse said:


> 18v mod the emg 808 much better



Better in what way? I read some notes about Darren's experience with it, and looked some stuff up online, and what I'm gathering is that it gives you more headroom if you're using a clean sound, but that many people think it has even less character than the 9v.


----------



## djohns74

I have no particular problem with the 808, but then I have no particular problem with EMGs in general. If there had been a Pro model with passives available when I ordered mine, I probably would have gone that route, but that would be more for the inclusion of a neck pickup. Continuing along that line of thought, if there existed a Pro model with dual EMGs, especially if the neck pup was some kind of 8 string 60, that would be the ideal choice for me.


----------



## Covenant

jamesmafyew said:


> Does anyone else really really really hate the EMG-808?
> 
> I find myself getting tired of playing the Intrepid pretty quickly when I'm plugged in. It's not the amp --- I love the amp to death and all my other guitars with lots of different woods (equipped with passives, of course) sound amazing through it. I've done the 18v mod. Yet when I sit in front of the TV with my wife and practice on the Intrepid while it's not plugged in, I love playing it.
> 
> It's not supposed to sound better unplugged than plugged in! I feel like the EMG robs the guitar of its own tone and makes it sound fake, almost synthesized. Does anyone really love the 808?
> 
> It seems like I've been waiting forever for my BKP Cold Sweat 8...


 
My friend got an Agile Intrepid Pro 8 sometime last month and i went to his house to try it out. I picked it up after watching him play it acousticly for about 20 mins because he had just got it about 2 hours before. So when i got to it i played it acousticly for a while too, but when i plugged it in it was really harsh sounding and plastic feeling.

So long story short i ordered an Agile Intrepid Standard on Thursday


----------



## AgileLefty

b-stock Intrepid Pro Dual Cephus was just posted 5 minutes ago on Rondo for $499


http://www.rondomusic.com/product2560.html


----------



## yellowv

AgileLefty said:


> b-stock Intrepid Pro Dual Cephus was just posted 5 minutes ago on Rondo for $499
> 
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus B Stock at HomeOld



Damn that is tempting. From the description probably not a damn thing wrong with it.


----------



## Hollowway

yellowv said:


> Damn that is tempting. From the description probably not a damn thing wrong with it.


 
Yeah, I have stains on the edge of my FB, and it was full price. Dang!
I'd send it back and get that guy if I thought I could part with it for 24 hrs.


----------



## yellowv

Yeah most if not all of the intrepids I'm sure have some tiny little flaws that if you were super picky I guess you could send it back. For the price even with some very small flaws they are more than acceptable in my book.


----------



## Hollowway

yellowv said:


> Yeah most if not all of the intrepids I'm sure have some tiny little flaws that if you were super picky I guess you could send it back. For the price even with some very small flaws they are more than acceptable in my book.



Totally. I'd buy a standard dual if it wasn't $100,535.00 ($535 for the guitar, $100,000 divorce settlement when my wife realizes that I can't be cured of GAS). But seriously, I can't believe how good these are for the money. I took it into my local music store, and everyone gathered around gawking, and they were all like, "neck thru, too?!" and amazed at the quality for the price.


----------



## Raoul Duke

Im so buying a standard Bloodburst tomorrow

Damn bank taking ages to transfer money


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, the quality of these things for the price is fantastic. If not for the fact that my 7421 has Bareknuckle pickups, the Agile would probably be my undisputed #1 right now. I've got a KxK coming, though, so that will likely change.


----------



## jamesmafyew

TomAwesome said:


> Yeah, the quality of these things for the price is fantastic. If not for the fact that my 7421 has Bareknuckle pickups, the Agile would probably be my undisputed #1 right now. I've got a KxK coming, though, so that will likely change.



 I took mine in for a thorough fret job and even the tech (a Roberto Venn grad) was extremely impressed. Now that I've had the frets taken care of and had him do a full setup, I can't believe how amazing it is. Seriously, regardless of the price, it is light years better than the RG8, FM, or Hellraiser. I'm totally astounded. $675 + $90 fretwork = $2000 guitar? Actually, yes...

I have a BKP on the way and I just got my custom mounting ring from FOTN, and even will all the upgrades the guitar still only cost me around $1000.

I'm going to make a more thorough value comparison post later...


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> I took mine in for a thorough fret job and even the tech (a Roberto Venn grad) was extremely impressed. Now that I've had the frets taken care of and had him do a full setup, I can't believe how amazing it is. Seriously, regardless of the price, it is light years better than the RG8, FM, or Hellraiser. I'm totally astounded. $675 + $90 fretwork = $2000 guitar? Actually, yes...
> 
> I have a BKP on the way and I just got my custom mounting ring from FOTN, and even will all the upgrades the guitar still only cost me around $1000.
> 
> I'm going to make a more thorough value comparison post later...


 
What is FOTN? I might be looking for a custom ring, too. And which BKP did you get?


----------



## jamesmafyew

Hollowway said:


> What is FOTN? I might be looking for a custom ring, too. And which BKP did you get?



FOTN = Frets on the Net. I got two rings, one that's 1/16" thick and made out of black-anodized aluminum, from FOTN, and one that's 3/16" thick and made out of rosewood, from www.pickuprings.com.

The aluminum ring from FOTN was $25 shipped, the rosewood one was $50 shipped.

I'm waiting on the Cold Sweat 8 from BKP, which is quite a bit overdue. Once it gets here next week I'll post a thread with pics of the rings, pickup, everything, plus templates of the rings in case anyone else wants to get them made.


----------



## Eisi_dt

Hello..i'm new and my english isn't good.
I want to know if it is possible to preorder such a Agile Guitar because it end on the 9 april....!?!
Is it possible to get a new Agile Interceptor in blue ??
I never heard from this Guitars but they are very very cheap.


----------



## Hollowway

jamesmafyew said:


> plus templates of the rings in case anyone else wants to get them made.



 That would be cool. I'll def make use of that template.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Eisi_dt said:


> Hello..i'm new and my english isn't good.
> I want to know if it is possible to preorder such a Agile Guitar because it end on the 9 april....!?!
> Is it possible to get a new Agile Interceptor in blue ??
> I never heard from this Guitars but they are very very cheap.



the only intrepid you´ll be getting at the moment, is one of the two they have up on the site right now:

Rondo Music Electric Guitars

have fun!

the interceptor has been offered in blue earlier, unless you mean the 8 string one.


----------



## Eisi_dt

I mean the 7 string version....


----------



## Adriatic

hope theres some spare interceptors when this run arrives..


----------



## possumkiller

im about to be posting my bloodburst dual standard up in the for sale section. since i started playing it all the time my wrist has been killing me. i love it but i dont think im flexible enough


----------



## gunshow86de

^

Well as long as we are pimping our gear;

I have a BKP Miracle Man 8 for sale in the classified section, in case any of you current or future 8 stringers are interested.


----------



## Eisi_dt

A 8 string version of the 7 string interceptor would be really nice


----------



## darren

Eisi_dt said:


> A 8 string version of the 7 string interceptor would be really nice



Agile Interceptor Standard 8 (Deposits for July Delivery) at HomeOld

Agile Interceptor Pro 8 (Deposits for July Delivery) at HomeOld

You just missed the ordering window by a matter of weeks. Check with Kurt at Rondo to see if there may be some extras when they come in around July.


----------



## Used666

Rather then read through tons of pages I figure I'll just ask...Is there anymore intrepid runs coming up?


----------



## MFB

Used666 said:


> Rather then read through tons of pages I figure I'll just ask...Is there anymore intrepid runs coming up?



There was a pre-order at the end of February/beginning of March which is when I put my deposit down for my July Intrepid Dual

However, it's closed off now. There may be extras when they come from the factory but we won't know till end of June/early July


----------



## Eisi_dt

-.-
I never heard about Agile before..in Germany we haven't such stuff...only very 
expensive handcraftet 8 strings for about 5000-7000$


No Interceptor Pro with a Interceptor Standard finish.... -.-
I don't like these natural finishes


----------



## Raoul Duke

Just wondering if any fellow Aussies have purchased one of these?

Could I possibly be the first 

Most people i have talked to about these over here have never heard of them before. As soon as they check them out they are VERY interested though 

Praying mine gets to me in one piece


----------



## highlordmugfug

Where can I buy bareknuckle pickups (specifically the miracleman, for my Intrepid) in the U.S.? And how well will that fit into the 808 sized cavity?


----------



## COBHC

zimbloth is a bkp dealer


----------



## highlordmugfug

COBHC said:


> zimbloth is a bkp dealer


I knew there was someone on the boards that was but I couldn't remember who. Thanks.
Anyone know about the fit? (and I've already PMd zimbloth)
EDIT: I talked to Zimbloth and I'll be getting a Painkiller for my Intrepid as soon as I sell one of my sevens.


----------



## jamesmafyew

highlordmugfug said:


> I knew there was someone on the boards that was but I couldn't remember who. Thanks.
> Anyone know about the fit? (and I've already PMd zimbloth)
> EDIT: I talked to Zimbloth and I'll be getting a Painkiller for my Intrepid as soon as I sell one of my sevens.



I'm waiting on a Cold Sweat 8 from Zimbloth, and also got a MM8 from another SS.org member. I'm going to try both and see which I like better.

I had pickup rings made by both Dave @ Frets on the Net and John @ pickuprings.com. There was a thread about this here:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...g-for-mounting-bkp-in-agile-intrepid-pro.html

I will update this thread with pics of the pickup + both rings + templates this weekend. Based on the tight fit of the mounting screws inside the 808 cavity, I want to revise the templates slightly.

gatesofcarnage had a ring done by Dave, presumably from my template, which Dave was going to make available to everyone (not sure), and is currently waiting on a BKP from Zimbloth also:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/pi...5-gatesofcarnages-bkp-intrepid-adventure.html


----------



## highlordmugfug

I can't decide if I want a pickup ring or not.


----------



## jamesmafyew

highlordmugfug said:


> I can't decide if I want a pickup ring or not.



My guess is it would be pretty ugly without one. Another option you have is a custom pickguard.


----------



## highlordmugfug

jamesmafyew said:


> My guess is it would be pretty ugly without one. Another option you have is a custom pickguard.


Maybe, I figure it'll just look weird, and I think I'm going to not worry about it for now. Maybe after I get it in and play it a while I'll pick up a ring. No way I'm putting a pickguard on it though. I got my "poo-water" finish as many would say and I likes it.


----------



## Hollowway

highlordmugfug said:


> Maybe, I figure it'll just look weird, and I think I'm going to not worry about it for now. Maybe after I get it in and play it a while I'll pick up a ring. No way I'm putting a pickguard on it though. I got my "poo-water" finish as many would say and I likes it.



Me too! Poo-water ftw! Seriously, though, I hate pickguards, so I'm thinking of doing the BKP with the pickup ring thing. For you guys considering the MM, CS or PK, how did you decide on that particular one? I can't decide.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Hollowway said:


> Me too! Poo-water ftw! Seriously, though, I hate pickguards, so I'm thinking of doing the BKP with the pickup ring thing. For you guys considering the MM, CS or PK, how did you decide on that particular one? I can't decide.


Talk to zimbloth and tell him what sounds you want and the like and he can help you decide. Mine was really easy apparently: I told him what I wanted and gave him these examples:


 (the solo)
He said that the painkiller was what I wanted without a doubt.
I'd talk to him.


----------



## Adriatic

Raoul Duke said:


> Just wondering if any fellow Aussies have purchased one of these?
> 
> Could I possibly be the first
> 
> Most people i have talked to about these over here have never heard of them before. As soon as they check them out they are VERY interested though
> 
> Praying mine gets to me in one piece


 
Hey mate...

Got one from the second run.. arrived almost unblemished.. but the damage is so miniscule.. unless i point it out... no one would ever know.. (scuff mark on top horn)


----------



## jamesmafyew

Can anyone tell me what the DC resistance measurement is on the Cepheus pickup? Or even better, any other electrical stats on it like inductance, resonant peak, etc.? Measurable output in mV?


----------



## Adriatic

Hopefully there will be more Aussies ordering in the next run.. from the last 3 gigs ive played with my intrepid, at least 3 people from each show have asked where to get one from... 

its kinda odd.. u see the pics before u get one and yer like.. yeah they look pretty cool.. and then when it comes and you see it in person.. theres like an aura that surrounds it..


----------



## dpm

looks great in black


----------



## El Caco




----------



## Hollowway

Adriatic said:


> Hopefully there will be more Aussies ordering in the next run.. from the last 3 gigs ive played with my intrepid, at least 3 people from each show have asked where to get one from...
> 
> its kinda odd.. u see the pics before u get one and yer like.. yeah they look pretty cool.. and then when it comes and you see it in person.. theres like an aura that surrounds it..



That FB of yours looks like Ebony. Is it, or is it Rosewood?


----------



## Adriatic

its rosewood.. never played on an ebony before.. would love to try one.. aesthetically they are very pleasing to the eye...


----------



## Shannon

My Agile Dual Std Bloodburst arrived yesterday!


----------



## technomancer

Email Kurt, he'll more than likely give you a few bucks back.



Adriatic said:


> Hey mate...
> 
> Got one from the second run.. arrived almost unblemished.. but the damage is so miniscule.. unless i point it out... no one would ever know.. (scuff mark on top horn)


----------



## darren

Adriatic said:


>



Nice! I love the second-run charcoal burst, and it looks awesome with the darker fretboard.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Just stopped by to post a little anecdote:

I've been looking at amp heads a lot recently and I'm pretty much set on a Carvin V3. I had heard of the Peavey 3120, though, and when I called the Guitar Center in San Antonio, they said they had one, so I went to go try it out. I thought about not bringing the Agile 8 along because normally I get people wanting to rub their dirty hands and interrogate me about it, but I thought it would be best to try the amp out on some low B riffage (I tune BEADGBEA), since GC rarely to never carries 7-strings. 

So I go there and talk with one of the sales dudes whom I'm pretty friendly with about it, and he hands me this PRS to try it out on. I'm working my way around the knobs and such, when I realize that this PRS is broken...only the Bridge humbucker works. So I look around for a quick guitar to try some warm clean neck pickup stuff on and I pick an Ibanez that retailed for something like $700. 

It sounded like SHIT! The pickups were noisy as all hell, and I couldn't manage to get a decent distortion sound, and the clean channel sounded horrible. The rhythm channel couldn't decide if it wanted to be too heavy or off, so I was kind of upset. 

Then I thought to go get my Agile 8 out of the trunk. A world of difference...within minutes, I got all my favorite sounds...I was able to get a nice warm beautiful clean, a bluesy overdrive (with a coil tap/split) on the rhythm channel, and a deep chunky riffing distortion on the lead channel. I couldn't believe that the stock pickups in my guitar were better than those in an Ibanez of equal price and a pretty badass although damaged PRS of all things. 

The reason I'm posting this is for everybody who wonders about the stock pickups. I doubt I'll replace them, unless I just get bored one day or I don't like the way the V3 sounds with them when I get it.


----------



## coreysMonster

so when is agile going to have a new run of 8's? I've been broke the past year, and now that I finally have a job they're all sold out :'(


----------



## AgileLefty

coreysMonster said:


> so when is agile going to have a new run of 8's? I've been broke the past year, and now that I finally have a job they're all sold out :'(


 

the pre-orders closed for the next batch about 2 months ago. the shipment is coming in July.

Kurt usually has several people cancel though, and has some of the stock up for sale when they come in. sign up for the mailing list on rondomusic.com and you will be notified about new stock and price discounts.


----------



## Shannon

GorillaSalsa said:


> The reason I'm posting this is for everybody who wonders about the stock pickups. I doubt I'll replace them, unless I just get bored one day or I don't like the way the V3 sounds with them when I get it.




I gotta agree. The stock pups are awesome!


----------



## coreysMonster

Shannon, how in the world can you have an animated avatar? When I tried that, I was told that it wasn't possible.


----------



## yellowv

coreysMonster said:


> Shannon, how in the world can you have an animated avatar? When I tried that, I was told that it wasn't possible.



Probably has something to do with the fact that he's a mod and you have 8 posts


----------



## AgileLefty

coreysMonster said:


> Shannon, how in the world can you have an animated avatar? When I tried that, I was told that it wasn't possible.


 
shannon,

i know you recently got one, but have you posted a NGD thread or a review yet? i really respect your opinion, and would like to hear what you have to say about it

thanks


----------



## El Caco

Shannon said:


> I gotta agree. The stock pups are awesome!





coreysMonster said:


> Shannon, how in the world can you have an animated avatar? When I tried that, I was told that it wasn't possible.



Contributors have the same avatar limits as Moderators.


----------



## Adriatic

technomancer said:


> Email Kurt, he'll more than likely give you a few bucks back.


 
nahh im so happy with it.. i beleive i have robbed him... lol.. 


charcoal interceptor 8's?????? 

yes please.!!!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Does anybody know the painting process these go through? I want to paint my bloodburst white, but I need to know if the wood is stained that color or if I can take it off with paint thinner/sanding/other methods?


----------



## AgileLefty

GorillaSalsa said:


> Does anybody know the painting process these go through? I want to paint my bloodburst white, but I need to know if the wood is stained that color or if I can take it off with paint thinner/sanding/other methods?


 
satin poly with a coat of sealer underneath


----------



## GorillaSalsa

AgileLefty said:


> satin poly with a coat of sealer underneath



So should I sand that stuff away, or just paint a million coats over it?

Also, what tool would be best to reshape the headstock (just the tip [that's what she said])


----------



## AgileLefty

GorillaSalsa said:


> So should I sand that stuff away, or just paint a million coats over it?
> 
> Also, what tool would be best to reshape the headstock (just the tip [that's what she said])


 

yes, sand and repaint. i don't know about the headstock though. 

check this site out for guitar refinishing...

Guitar ReRanch ~ Basic Refinishing


----------



## Galius

Looks like the Agile 8 strings are back up for order and set for an October delivery. Also they have added a dual cephus 30 inch scale to the lineup.


----------



## Spondus

Galius said:


> Looks like the Agile 8 strings are back up for order and set for an October delivery. Also they have added a dual cephus 30 inch scale to the lineup.


bloody hell, they must be really popular :| 30 inch scale! go forth and purchase Meshuggah fanboys!


----------



## plyta

Bah :/

inferiority complex slap in the face for those who wonted 30" but had to order 28.6" scale ones. At least for me 

At least mine looks better


----------



## MF_Kitten

my... my GAS bladder... it HURTS! (30" scale intrepid GAS)


----------



## Nylis

MF_Kitten said:


> my... my GAS bladder... it HURTS! (30" scale intrepid GAS)



I'm just going to have my organs replaced with robot bits. I think that's the best course of action if I want to continue visiting these forums. I must become a cyborg.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i will, as of tomorrow, start popping Ambivil, just so i don't have to feel the cravings


----------



## Våd Hamster

^

I'm still confident that a 30' neck would impair my lead work too much, so I think I'm gonna be happy with the 27'.


----------



## Alekke

Agile Intrepids are one of the badass 8 strings out there! 
I'm gonna have one ASAP.

I just have one problem: Why is the bridge pickup so far away from the bridge unlike some other custom guitars like Hufschmid or Meshuggah custom Ibbys or even my C-7 and that Dino's custom in the thread?
On the guitar digital visualization it looks fine, but on the live photos it's too far away!
I would really like for my bridge pickup to be closer to the bridge as that is where sound what I like is.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Våd Hamster;1518275 said:


> ^
> 
> I'm still confident that a 30' neck would impair my lead work too much, so I think I'm gonna be happy with the 27'.



yeah, 30 feet scale length would be overkill indeed. but imagine how awesome it would sound, eh?!


----------



## Galius

Actually the pickup being where it is sounds just peachy! Havent noticed any problems on my part.



Alekke said:


> Agile Intrepids are one of the badass 8 strings out there!
> I'm gonna have one ASAP.
> 
> I just have one problem: Why is the bridge pickup so far away from the bridge unlike some other custom guitars like Hufschmid or Meshuggah custom Ibbys or even my C-7 and that Dino's custom in the thread?
> On the guitar digital visualization it looks fine, but on the live photos it's too far away!
> I would really like for my bridge pickup to be closer to the bridge as that is where sound what I like is.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i just ordered one. i'm looking forwards to october now!


----------



## Galius

Kurt never responded to my inquiry on a rosewood single standard...that makes me a sad panda.


----------



## Explorer

I hate when people don't use the search function and don't read relevant threads before asking questions. To that end, and to prevent that sweet hatred being directed at me by others, I have actually read this entire thread from start to finish over the past week. Sweet Zombie Jesus, but this thread is super long!

And now I have to digest all this material before deciding whether to add an Intrepid Dual Standard Bloodburst to my October delivery order for a Pro with ebony fingerboard and single EMG pickup. There are a number of arguments for either ordering or not ordering... but as there were no ebony FB Dual passive Pros in this batch, and as I really want to try this machine out thoroughly, I might have to bite the bullet and put in the additional preorder. (And, I'll admit, the anticipation makes it easy to go overboard and get two.)

The other possibility is that there will be a Dual 828 with a rosewood fingerboard when the next batch gets delivered. If that happens, I could get one immediately... but if it doesn't, then I'm screwed until the next batch. *sigh*

And, for those who might think I'm a spendthrift, although I've only recently delurked, I've been following the Intrepid threads for a while, and saving my pennies while denying myself a normal life, in order to save up enough for this. 

Anyone with both, was it worth getting one of each?


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Just wanted to pop in and show you guys how I customized my Agile 8 Dual Standard in what used to be bloodburst. Having the pickups installed by a tech tomorrow because I couldn't figure it out, as well as having a new set of TI flats put on it.










(you can see it on my flickr page here)

I'm particularly proud of the headstock job. There are a lot of flaws on it right now, but I'm happy overall, and I can always pay someone like $200 to do a better job of it locally.


----------



## Galius

This is total bull.....looks like no rosewood option unless you want the dual standard bloodburst. 



Galius said:


> Kurt never responded to my inquiry on a rosewood single standard...that makes me a sad panda.


----------



## MF_Kitten

little nice update, guys!

i contacted kurt, asking about the placement of the bridge pickup, and whether or not he would change it. he said that most people had reported it as sounding ok, but they´d try it out. so they´ll make a single intrepid with a shifted bridge, try it out, and if it´s good, change the pickup placement for the upcoming batch. so i´m guessing he´ll just ask the factory to make one with a different pup placement for this batch.


----------



## Hollowway

GorillaSalsa said:


> Just wanted to pop in and show you guys how I customized my Agile 8 Dual Standard in what used to be bloodburst. Having the pickups installed by a tech tomorrow because I couldn't figure it out, as well as having a new set of TI flats put on it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (you can see it on my flickr page here)
> 
> I'm particularly proud of the headstock job. There are a lot of flaws on it right now, but I'm happy overall, and I can always pay someone like $200 to do a better job of it locally.


 
Oooh, nice! Good job, man!  Is that FB ebony? Is that how it came?

Also, how did you paint it? Rattle can, or ?


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Hollowway said:


> Oooh, nice! Good job, man!  Is that FB ebony? Is that how it came?
> 
> Also, how did you paint it? Rattle can, or ?



No, the fretboard is Rosewood, but it's a very dark shade and the picture is in awkward lighting.

Yeah, just plain ol' spraypaint, wetsanding, clearcoat, and wetsanding. I used a jigsaw to reshape the headstock and then I had to sand it down.


----------



## MF_Kitten

more awesome news: they will also be shifting the bridge back by 3 mm, and making the screws 4 mm longer!

yayz for extended intonation/tuning possibilities!


----------



## Demeyes

Looks like I'll be missing out on this run too. I have no job at the moment and just applied for welfare but it'll take a few weeks to get my money from them. The orders will likely be gone by then.
Every time these runs come up I just happen to be out of the cash. I even had the money one time but the orders were gone the day when I got the all clear to buy.
I still might be able to get one used when I start to have some money again. Does anyone know how long Kurt will be taking orders for these?


----------



## MF_Kitten

the run will probably be over soon, sadly, but the runs pop back up with a few months between, so i wouldn't cry about it. just start saving up 

and has anyone actually seen my fantastical intrepid news, or what?!


----------



## AgileLefty

MF_Kitten said:


> more awesome news: they will also be shifting the bridge back by 3 mm, and making the screws 4 mm longer!
> 
> yayz for extended intonation/tuning possibilities!


 

ah crap!! i ordered a dual cephus pro on the last run and it will be here in a month. i knew i should have waited!!!


----------



## Galius

i dont see a bridge issue. After mine was set I had plenty of space on both the bridge and screws left.


----------



## MF_Kitten

it's not a "fix", but rather a "bonus intonation range". it's for those that like doing totally unreasonable things with their guitar tunings


----------



## Explorer

What? Full fifths tuning with a low Ab0 is considered to be unreasonable?

I, for one, am grateful for the adjustment. I had already planned on having to make an adjustment to the plate, so if it's already been done, that makes my life just a little bit easier....


----------



## MF_Kitten

Explorer said:


> What? Full fifths tuning with a low Ab0 is considered to be unreasonable?



yes. and in my book "unreasonable" is synonymous with "fucking aesome and unusual"


----------



## Explorer

MF_Kitten said:


> yes. and in my book "unreasonable" is synonymous with "fucking awesome and unusual"



*laugh*

Incidentally, I've been communicating with Garry Goodman of Octave4Plus Strings, and it's a possibility I will have a full set of strings made which fit the 28.625 scale length and which give me the tone I want right off the bat, without having to screw around and use strings from different sources. Since their strings are made custom, and he would make them for the exact scale length, the only two permanent changes I'd have to make would be widening the hole in the tuner, and widening the string gaps in the nut. Once the Intrepid comes in, and once I know I'll be keeping it, I'll make the permanent changes and then post about how the full set of O4+ strings work out.

I must say, even though it's amusing to see that some have problems when they don't follow the directions, the O4+ strings have been a godsend for me. I'm really amazed at how well they hold up. I take much longer to get them to tension than recommended, because I'd rather take that time at the front end than have to replace a string due to impatience. So far, that patience is paying off.

----

And now I'm thinking about other changes I'll make in the Intrepid Pro, once I'm sure the guitar will be my main voice. I like the idea of keeping the front of the instrument as uncluttered as possible, so I'll be exploring how to incorporate invisible modifications. Ghost Piezo Saddle pickups, MIDI, and much more might be in my future....


----------



## MF_Kitten

i've been talking to garry about a low F/E bass string myself


----------



## Adriatic

what date was the 3rd run due in july?


----------



## MFB

Adriatic said:


> what date was the 3rd run due in july?



I don't think there's any official date stated for when they come in just sometime in July, most likely towards the end of the month


----------



## Diezel_FW

Long time lurker....first time poster here 

Just put my order down for an Intrepid 8 string pro - Natural with the ebony fretboard, im excited as anything even though its not coming till well into october....

As its my first 8 string ive got a couple of questions, im planning on switching out the EMG808 straight away, never ever been a fan of EMGs and the 8 string version is supposed to be the worst of the lot....so it has to go! Im going to get a Bareknuckle 8, I was wondering which would you recommend, ive heard good things about the nailbomb(had a lot of experience with the 6 string versions), the painkiller and even the black dog is supposed to be good. 

Also how much hassle is it going to be switching these around, will it fit as a straight swap, or will I need mounting rings?

Cheers!


----------



## caughtinamosh

You're having it shipped to the UK? Do you mind if I ask how much that's costing...?

You won't *need* mounting rings, but it'd look a helluva lot nicer with them.


----------



## Diezel_FW

$98.11, and also you HAVE to order one of their cases for international shipping....ah well, got to abide by the rules, overall about $160 extra.


----------



## elscar

hey guys, first time poster on here. i've been looking at buying an 8 string for ages now, but its almost birthday time, so should have some extra money to finally buy one! i've been looking at pre-ordering one of the charcoal intrepid standard 828's, but i'm not too keen on the light maple fretboard. kinda considering holding off and seeing if theres any spares from the last run, i think i saw earlier in the thread they're arriving in july?
does anyone have any links to the guitars that were in that run? might be a stupid request i dunno
i'm pretty much getting one to play meshuggah, probably heard that a million times before but hey, thats how it is


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Can someone with a stock intrepid PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a (preferably hi-res) picture of the control cavity? I took the pickups out to spraypaint it, and I had fuck-all clue as to how to re-install them. I took them to the guitar shop and they said they had fuck-all clue as to how as well. I could really use this right now, it's a bad day.


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

GorillaSalsa said:


> Can someone with a stock intrepid PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a (preferably hi-res) picture of the control cavity? I took the pickups out to spraypaint it, and I had fuck-all clue as to how to re-install them. I took them to the guitar shop and they said they had fuck-all clue as to how as well. I could really use this right now, it's a bad day.



Email kurt for a diagram or something xD


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Email kurt for a diagram or something xD



I'll do that, but in the meantime, if someone else could do it, I'd absolutely give them good rep.


----------



## kvide

I really don't like the options they have on this batch.
Why the hell do they put maple FB on almost all the Intrepid's?
I want a charcoal pro with an ebony FB and two pickups, god damn it!


----------



## LordCashew

kvide said:


> I really don't like the options they have on this batch.
> Why the hell do they put maple FB on almost all the Intrepid's?
> I want a charcoal pro with an ebony FB and two pickups, god damn it!



That seems to be a popular request this time around. Join the club! I'd like an 830 like that, with ash body wings.


----------



## Hollowway

kvide said:


> I really don't like the options they have on this batch.
> Why the hell do they put maple FB on almost all the Intrepid's?
> I want a charcoal pro with an ebony FB and two pickups, god damn it!



I'm with you on the ebony FB, but from what I understand it's pretty hard to find a single piece of ebony that size, so they don't mass produce them. What would be cool is if they offered Intrepid necks for sale a la carte, and then you could get a standard and swap out the neck. But for the pro, looks like we have to live with the maple!


----------



## LordCashew

Hollowway said:


> I'm with you on the ebony FB, but from what I understand it's pretty hard to find a single piece of ebony that size, so they don't mass produce them. What would be cool is if they offered Intrepid necks for sale a la carte, and then you could get a standard and swap out the neck. But for the pro, looks like we have to live with the maple!



Maybe, but there are natural finish pros with ebony up right now. Maybe there's not enough ebony to make every finish option available with it, but it does exist. I hope they make it available with a different finish on the next run.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

GorillaSalsa said:


> Can someone with a stock intrepid PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a (preferably hi-res) picture of the control cavity? I took the pickups out to spraypaint it, and I had fuck-all clue as to how to re-install them. I took them to the guitar shop and they said they had fuck-all clue as to how as well.



Anybody on this?


----------



## LordCashew

I personally don't have an intrepid to photograph. If you have a pro, you could look for a wiring diagram on EMG's website.

Edit: nevermind.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

I got it figured out, everybody. I just needed to reverse the green and black wires in seymour duncan's wiring diagram.


----------



## Ben.Last

I don't know if this has been asked in this thread yet but does anyone know of any other cases that will fit the Intrepid other than the tweed Douglas one that Rondo says fits it? I'm just not a huge fan of tweed.


----------



## Setnakt

I was sure I saw a black one up there not so long ago, maybe they sold out for the moment, or maybe I'm imagining things.


----------



## BEADGBE

less than a month then i get my left handed 8-string interceptor im pumped. will make sure like all to post pics when it arrives.


----------



## shredguitar7

Hey guys. new here.. just wondering how hard it would be to remove the maple fretboard from my agile intrepid.... i want to replace it with my own custom board... i know someone who can do it for me. but wondering how hard it is to do on your own... i have all the tools i need to do it... but have never worked with something like this before... thanks..


----------



## Ben.Last

Since you've never done it before, I would start by making the attempt with something that has a more standard sized neck. That way, at least, if you mess up, you can just replace the neck.


----------



## Lero

hey guys, the agile has a 30" neck right??? do you use regular strings for that??? is it long enough???


----------



## shredguitar7

well i do have a crappy washburn wg587... i was thinking of just trying on that since i dont really care about it... another thing that popped in to my head was i know theirs a 17" radius on the agile intrepid.. but is it possible to just keep the fretboard completley flat ? ill have to take some pictures of the wood i want to use for the board because honestly.. i have no idea what it is... i know its hard enough... me and my dad were going through some wood piles and found like 6 of these boards and if my grandfather was still alive he could tell me in a heartbeat what it was.. but we cant figure it out.. ill post a pic of it later tonight when i get home... the grain on it is just really neat looking. maybe some of you will know what it is. lol.. thanks for the suggestions in advance if anyone has any...


----------



## Hollowway

shredguitar7 said:


> well i do have a crappy washburn wg587... i was thinking of just trying on that since i dont really care about it... another thing that popped in to my head was i know theirs a 17" radius on the agile intrepid.. but is it possible to just keep the fretboard completley flat ? ill have to take some pictures of the wood i want to use for the board because honestly.. i have no idea what it is... i know its hard enough... me and my dad were going through some wood piles and found like 6 of these boards and if my grandfather was still alive he could tell me in a heartbeat what it was.. but we cant figure it out.. ill post a pic of it later tonight when i get home... the grain on it is just really neat looking. maybe some of you will know what it is. lol.. thanks for the suggestions in advance if anyone has any...



You said you had someone who could do it for you, so they should be able to handle it, and help you with the kind of wood. As for the radius, I believe the radius on the Intrepids is 15". And flat fretboards are totally doable, but typically you have to make sure the nut and bridge are similar otherwise you'll have higher action on the center strings.


----------



## tkajr7

oceanburst pro ordered. october 09 cant come soon enough


----------



## GorillaSalsa

GorillaSalsa said:


> Can someone with a stock intrepid PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a (preferably hi-res) picture of the control cavity? I took the pickups out to spraypaint it, and I had fuck-all clue as to how to re-install them. I took them to the guitar shop and they said they had fuck-all clue as to how as well. I could really use this right now, it's a bad day.



Remember this from a few pages back? Well I emailed kurt as someone had suggested to me, and he just emailed me back (a few days after I figured it out on my own) with links to these pictures. Maybe we could add them to the OP? They're just edited versions of Seymour Duncan's diagrams, but they're exactly what I would have needed, and definitely would have saved me some googling. The 8-pole pickups on the Dual Standard's diagram is definitely a nice touch.

*INTREPID STANDARD*






*INTREPID DUAL STANDARD*


----------



## mgcasella

Hey guys - is the control cavity for the Intrepids already coated with shielding paint or I will I have to do that myself when I buy it?


----------



## plyta

My Standard's electronics cavity is finished with that black stuff, I didn't notice it being any more noisy than my RG1527.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i can't wait to actually own a 30" scale instrument. and with 8 strings, as well! agh, dammit it's so cool!


----------



## jamesmafyew

mgcasella said:


> Hey guys - is the control cavity for the Intrepids already coated with shielding paint or I will I have to do that myself when I buy it?



There's shielding foil on the control cavity cover (not connected to anything...), but the black paint on the cavity itself doesn't look like shielding.


----------



## alecisonfire

shredguitar7 said:


> Hey guys. new here.. just wondering how hard it would be to remove the maple fretboard from my agile intrepid.... i want to replace it with my own custom board... i know someone who can do it for me. but wondering how hard it is to do on your own... i have all the tools i need to do it... but have never worked with something like this before... thanks..



def something you want a pro to do since that neck isnt exactly easy to replace if you fuck up

edit: already been established. shouldve finished reading the thread


----------



## RG7

kurt should totally consider adding more DUAL's.
I know he's saving money doing only a bridge pickup, but i'd seriously prefer if these came with more choices of dual pickups, including lefties. a stock EMG 808 in the bridge only woudn't be my first choice anyways.


----------



## AgileLefty

RG7 said:


> kurt should totally consider adding more DUAL's.
> I know he's saving money doing only a bridge pickup, but i'd seriously prefer if these came with more choices of dual pickups, including lefties. a stock EMG 808 in the bridge only woudn't be my first choice anyways.


 

a few months ago when the last preorders went up, i emailed kurt and asked him to add the option for "lefty" to as many of them as possible. later that day he replied back " thanks - done"

i checked the rondo site and sure enough, he had a drop down box for a lefty option for several models, including dual standards and dual pro.

i preordered a lefty dual pro cephus natural. i can't friggin wait till the end of july!!!!


----------



## RG7

AgileLefty said:


> a few months ago when the last preorders went up, i emailed kurt and asked him to add the option for "lefty" to as many of them as possible. later that day he replied back " thanks - done"
> 
> i checked the rondo site and sure enough, he had a drop down box for a lefty option for several models, including dual standards and dual pro.
> 
> i preordered a lefty dual pro cephus natural. i can't friggin wait till the end of july!!!!


 
But I wanted any color ( no preference) with two pickups and if I get lucky with a rosewood/ebony fretboard. But you know, speaking from past EMG equipped guitars I've owned, the more strings the pickup is designed for the worse it becomes. I actualy kinda understand why the bridge pickup was further from the bridge then regular guitars. I guess it would have made it more easier for lead work. Still. How much would say a guitarcenter charge to install an 8 string pickup in the neck? it looks like he'd had to cut in the wood and route it. would it cost like 400$?


----------



## Baldi

Just put a deposit down on a agile intrepid pro dual cepheus.. I hope it was a wise move!
*CANT WAIT!! *


----------



## shredguitar7

hey guys.. Just figured id post some music that i recorded with the Intrepid Pro... give it a listen and let me know what you think. add me if you want. thanks..

Jesse Rock on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads


----------



## whisper

I like it a lot actually.


----------



## shredguitar7




----------



## GorillaSalsa

Just to let you all know, got this email from Kurt:



> We should be taking deposits for January delivery and selling any who's customers could not make final payment around the end of July / early August.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## Meshugger

GorillaSalsa said:


> Just to let you all know, got this email from Kurt:




Any further information about the next batch in terms of design? Will they be the same as the july batch or will Kurt the adopt a similar design like the one found on the 7-string interceptors that are currently in stock? (For instance, the reverse headstock)

And how about the neck length of these interceptors? Will they be 25.5" 27" 28" or even 30"? I would by an interceptor with a ebony/rosewood fretboard on a baritone neck and reverse headstock in a heartbeat.

Oh, and hi everyone


----------



## Triple7

GorillaSalsa said:


> Just to let you all know, got this email from Kurt:




Have you been getting in touch with Kurt through his profile on here or does he have a different email that he prefers questions sent to?


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Meshugger said:


> Any further information about the next batch in terms of design? Will they be the same as the july batch or will Kurt the adopt a similar design like the one found on the 7-string interceptors that are currently in stock? (For instance, the reverse headstock)
> 
> And how about the neck length of these interceptors? Will they be 25.5" 27" 28" or even 30"? I would by an interceptor with a ebony/rosewood fretboard on a baritone neck and reverse headstock in a heartbeat.
> 
> Oh, and hi everyone



I imagine they'll be the same design. As far as scale length and fretboard wood, I'm sure that since they will be preorders all options will be on the table.



Triple7 said:


> Have you been getting in touch with Kurt through his profile on here or does he have a different email that he prefers questions sent to?



just his regular [email protected] email.


----------



## Triple7

Thank you


----------



## Galius

Hope he has something with a rosewood or ebony board leftover on the next run. Still waiting to find one.......


----------



## Meshugger

GorillaSalsa said:


> I imagine they'll be the same design. As far as scale length and fretboard wood, I'm sure that since they will be preorders all options will be on the table.



Thank you. 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the next month or so.


----------



## Meshugger

I just got a response from Kurt about the Interceptor 8s. There will be ones with a reverse headstock like the Interceptor 7s. Fretboard options are still pending though, and i forgot to ask about scale length. 

Anyhoo, i will now order one when they become available as fast flies gather around fresh poop


----------



## Hollowway

Meshugger said:


> I just got a response from Kurt about the Interceptor 8s. There will be ones with a reverse headstock like the Interceptor 7s. Fretboard options are still pending though, and i forgot to ask about scale length.
> 
> Anyhoo, i will now order one when they become available as fast flies gather around fresh poop


CRAP!! I have a Lizard Burst to be delivered later this month, and I would KILL for a reverse headstock.  Well, hopefully future runs will cost more, and I'll still be OK for being one of the first ones over the hill on this.


----------



## Adriatic

anyone else got their eye on an Agile shirt??


----------



## TomAwesome

Adriatic said:


> anyone else got their eye on an Agile shirt??



I saw that and thought about it.  I think if I ever buy another Agile, I'll probably get one to be shipped along with it, but for now I don't feel a burning need to order one.


----------



## mgcasella

I just checked it out and I'd really like a black one. However, they appear to be available only in XL 

Hopefully, by the time the leftover 8 and 7 strings are up for grabs, they'll have some mediums 



Adriatic said:


> anyone else got their eye on an Agile shirt??


----------



## Hollowway

Wait, I just realized th Interceptor 8s that will delvered in July are 4x4 headstocks. So are the new ones inline, reverse, and 4x4? That seems like a lot of options for Kurt. He normally like to minimize all the variations.


----------



## vlover

ALl they need is an 8 String V and Im there


----------



## Shauncore

Does any one know if Kurt would be down for making a Agile Intrepid as a 7 string? 

I really like the Dark Burst color and body, but I need a 7 string. ha.

Any chance?


----------



## loktide

*edit. removed post*

fuck, wrong thread


----------



## st2012

Adriatic said:


> anyone else got their eye on an Agile shirt??



Yeah, I ordered one black and one blue. Supposed to arrive on Thursday.


----------



## elscar

so i got my agile intrepid 8 from forum member ryanougrad a few weeks back now, so i thought i'd post what i think of it.... (pics will follow shortly)

lets just say as soon as i opened the box i was in love, and suprised at how thin the neck profile is! the ebony board on it is really nice, i've wanted a guitar with one for a while now. i've got it tuned to F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb currently but may be switching that to incorporate the 8 string into my new band project 

i've already done a track with it which is up on my myspace if anyone wants to take a listen? i did a cover of "in death - is life" by meshuggah, most will think its quite an obvious choice but oh well, i love it 

you can check it out, along with two of my other songs recorded on my 6 string @ EL SCAR [NEW COVER TRACK UP NOW!] on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

if you have any comments on the songs then leave them here or add me and chat to me there

cheers guys, looking forward to the pics of the july run


----------



## mgcasella

Sounds great 

I just love how clearly the low F's and low F#'s come through with these guitars.

I really hope there are some nice left over Intrepids to choose from at the end of July. I was going to put in a deposit months ago but then I had to move unexpectedly and use my Agile deposit as an apartment deposit 

Can't wait to see the pics!



elscar said:


> so i got my agile intrepid 8 from forum member ryanougrad a few weeks back now, so i thought i'd post what i think of it.... (pics will follow shortly)
> 
> lets just say as soon as i opened the box i was in love, and suprised at how thin the neck profile is! the ebony board on it is really nice, i've wanted a guitar with one for a while now. i've got it tuned to F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb currently but may be switching that to incorporate the 8 string into my new band project
> 
> i've already done a track with it which is up on my myspace if anyone wants to take a listen? i did a cover of "in death - is life" by meshuggah, most will think its quite an obvious choice but oh well, i love it
> 
> you can check it out, along with two of my other songs recorded on my 6 string @ EL SCAR [NEW COVER TRACK UP NOW!] on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
> 
> if you have any comments on the songs then leave them here or add me and chat to me there
> 
> cheers guys, looking forward to the pics of the july run


----------



## matttttYCE

AgileLefty said:


> a few months ago when the last preorders went up, i emailed kurt and asked him to add the option for "lefty" to as many of them as possible. later that day he replied back " thanks - done"
> 
> i checked the rondo site and sure enough, he had a drop down box for a lefty option for several models, including dual standards and dual pro.
> 
> i preordered a lefty dual pro cephus natural. i can't friggin wait till the end of july!!!!



Sorry in advance if this was said somewhere previously, but I've read most of the thread and haven't seen it.. On the dual pro, was there an option for a rosewood board? If there was, I might just have to wait until later this month/early August to see if there are any left over or wait to see the next run.




Hollowway said:


> CRAP!! I have a Lizard Burst to be delivered later this month, and I would KILL for a reverse headstock.  Well, hopefully future runs will cost more, and I'll still be OK for being one of the first ones over the hill on this.



Please, for the love of all things guitar and , post REAL pictures as soon as you get that or if Kurt posts/sends some to you, whichever comes first!


----------



## Hollowway

matttttYCE said:


> Please, for the love of all things guitar and , post REAL pictures as soon as you get that or if Kurt posts/sends some to you, whichever comes first!



Oh, that's a given! I've got every body part crossed that the real deal looks as cool as the mockup. And I've never played a Kahler before, much less on an 8, so I sincerely hope it stays in tune.


----------



## Triple7

I was gonna put a deposit down a couple of weeks ago, but then I decided to wait until the end of this month to see what the next run offers. Damn, I might get a shirt as well.


----------



## Adriatic

2 songs recorded with the Intrepid dual pup std. 



www.myspace.com/adriaticband


----------



## matttttYCE

Hollowway said:


> Oh, that's a given! I've got every body part crossed that the real deal looks as cool as the mockup. ...



As do I! And which mockup, Darren's or the other one? Personally, I think one closer to Darren's would look best, but that's only because I was first a huge fan of the Gibson's LP Gecko Burst (below) finishes before seeing his mockup!


----------



## zachardy01234

Just put down my deposit on a Agile Intrepid Standard 828 Ocrean Burst MN my first ERG and i am super excited expecting it to be in mid october


----------



## mgcasella

I like it! 
-Matt



Adriatic said:


> 2 songs recorded with the Intrepid dual pup std.
> 
> 
> 
> www.myspace.com/adriaticband


----------



## shredguitar7

got some new riffage with the Intrepid Pro... let me know if anyone likes it.. thanks a lot.. nice riffs Adriatic.. 

www.myspace.com/shred8


----------



## Hollowway

matttttYCE said:


> As do I! And which mockup, Darren's or the other one? Personally, I think one closer to Darren's would look best, but that's only because I was first a huge fan of the Gibson's LP Gecko Burst (below) finishes before seeing his mockup!



Yeah, or like this non-mockup Carvin.


----------



## Galius

So did anyone notice the fretless Intrepid on rondos site??

Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 Fretless Bloodburst at HomeOld


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> So did anyone notice the fretless Intrepid on rondos site??
> 
> Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 Fretless Bloodburst at HomeOld



I missed that. It's not in with the other 8 strings. Cool for those into it, but I have enough of a challenge WITH frets, so I'll pass on the fretless. But I'm sure there are a lot of experimental types that will jump in head first to 8 strings, baritone scale, and fretless.
Whatever the case, a big  to Kurt for staying ahead of the curve with innovation!


----------



## theonewhofailed

Adriatic said:


> 2 songs recorded with the Intrepid dual pup std.
> 
> 
> 
> www.myspace.com/adriaticband



Spiritualities was facemelting- now I'm definitely getting an Intrepid.


----------



## st2012

Just put down a deposit for an oceanburst pro. Can't wait for October to get here.


----------



## Hartman-MDK

yes i will be ordering one of there 8 strings this month...woohoo...


----------



## Ibanezsam4

god im still waiting for the second half of my bill to arrive so i can get my Intrepid! weren't they supposed to be shipping in july?


----------



## COBHC

end of july i think


----------



## MFB

Yup, end of July if not first week of August


----------



## Hollowway

Actually, how does it work? Does Kurt email us that it's ready to make the final payment? The only thing I've ever bought from them was paid in full.


----------



## keeper006

Adriatic said:


> 2 songs recorded with the Intrepid dual pup std.
> 
> 
> 
> www.myspace.com/adriaticband


 'Shuggah goodness


----------



## Ibanezsam4

Hollowway said:


> Actually, how does it work? Does Kurt email us that it's ready to make the final payment? The only thing I've ever bought from them was paid in full.



i second this question


----------



## mgcasella

COBHC said:


> end of july i think


I hope it doesn't go into August as I am waiting to buy a left over Intrepid 




Hollowway said:


> Actually, how does it work? Does Kurt email us that it's ready to make the final payment? The only thing I've ever bought from them was paid in full.


I would like to know this, as well, in case I ever put down a deposit for something.


----------



## Niels

Yes, everyone who has put down a deposit will be notified when the guitar is ready to ship and a notification regarding final payment.


----------



## Adriatic

id say it will be in the first week of August that the guitars will be in transit.. 

im waiting for a leftover tooo.. i call dibs on a interceptor!!!! haha..


----------



## DrewsifStalin

so can y'all tune down on the new run? or is the intonation problem still present?


----------



## Galius

DrewsifStalin said:


> so can y'all tune down on the new run? or is the intonation problem still present?


I havent encountered any kind of problem tuning down or intonation wise on my last run Intrepid.


----------



## Explorer

It might help to know, on the new run, what any given person's lowest note is tuned to, what the string gauge is, and whether the saddle can be correctly intonated at the 12th fret with the bridge placement as it is. A simple yes or no doesn't help much if someone's lowest note is an octave above another person's target.

Galius, what is your lowest note?


----------



## TomAwesome

If it helps, my lowest note is an Eb with a .068", and the intonation is pretty close. I think I'll be able to get it if I cut the spring in half or remove it. I wonder if it's possible to individually get those shorter Hipshot saddles that are on the lowest strings of the Schecter 8s. That would be perfect.


----------



## Explorer

Perhaps I wasn't as precise as I should have been.

It would be good to know the lowest note, *including in what octave it is* (E2 being the lowest note of a standard tuned guitar, and E1 being the octave below that).

Without knowing the octave, it could be that Tom's guitar is tuned a mighty half-step below standard, and can be capoed at the first fret to give something like standard tuning. *laugh*

Since I'm planning on having my lowest note within a half-step of A0, having both note and octave information, as well as if correct intonation is possible at such depth, would be helpful information...


----------



## Hollowway

Adriatic said:


> id say it will be in the first week of August that the guitars will be in transit..
> 
> im waiting for a leftover tooo.. i call dibs on a interceptor!!!! haha..



Just a sense, or have you heard anything concrete? I'm counting down the days!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Explorer said:


> Since I'm planning on having my lowest note within a half-step of A0, having both note and octave information, as well as if correct intonation is possible at such depth, would be helpful information...


I'm sorry, but this is just absurd. A0?! That's a whole step lower than the lowest string on a 6-string bass. There's no reason. It's not like you're going to win all the low-tuning cock waving contests amongst your buddies, it's more like you're going to end up breaking an amp so you can have what will likely be an inaudible tuning.


----------



## TomAwesome

Explorer said:


> Perhaps I wasn't as precise as I should have been.
> 
> It would be good to know the lowest note, *including in what octave it is* (E2 being the lowest note of a standard tuned guitar, and E1 being the octave below that).
> 
> Without knowing the octave, it could be that Tom's guitar is tuned a mighty half-step below standard, and can be capoed at the first fret to give something like standard tuning. *laugh*
> 
> Since I'm planning on having my lowest note within a half-step of A0, having both note and octave information, as well as if correct intonation is possible at such depth, would be helpful information...



Sorry; I figured that the combined facts that it's the lowest string on an 8-string with a 28.625" scale and the string in question is a .068" would leave the octave fairly clear, but it's Eb1.



GorillaSalsa said:


> I'm sorry, but this is just absurd. A0?! That's a whole step lower than the lowest string on a 6-string bass. There's no reason. It's not like you're going to win all the low-tuning cock waving contests amongst your buddies, it's more like you're going to end up breaking an amp so you can have what will likely be an inaudible tuning.



I've been to Ab0 on a 30" scale with a .080". It was a lot more usable than I expected (perfectly audible and definitely didn't break anything), though I don't know how often I'd use that string if I had a 9-string guitar.


----------



## MF_Kitten

the guy is using it for touchstyle playing if i remember correctly. or fifths tunings. or both.

the new run will have a different bridge placement to compensate for intonation.


----------



## Urbane

for the Intercptors i just got something from kurt....

_Jul 20, 2009 9:09AM
Order should be ready to ship next week. We are charing the ballance on this order._

I cant wait


----------



## Ibanezsam4

Urbane said:


> for the Intercptors i just got something from kurt....
> 
> _Jul 20, 2009 9:09AM
> Order should be ready to ship next week. We are charing the ballance on this order._
> 
> I cant wait



just got the same e-mail. im souped!


----------



## MFB

So Interceptors are done, but any word on Intrepids gang? I haven't seen/heard anything new


----------



## Ibanezsam4

MFB said:


> So Interceptors are done, but any word on Intrepids gang? I haven't seen/heard anything new



my mistake. i ordered an Intrepid, and i got my confirmation this morning as well.


----------



## MFB

Hmm, I didn't get an e-mail and I've check my inbox like a gazillion times cause I'm weird...hmm


----------



## AgileLefty

MFB said:


> Hmm, I didn't get an e-mail and I've check my inbox like a gazillion times cause I'm weird...hmm


 


me either


----------



## AvantGuardian

I just got an email this afternoon from Rondo saying my Intrepid will be shipped next week. I ordered an Intrepid Standard Dual in Bloodburst for the OCTOBER 15 run. Maybe I'm getting an extra from the July run instead? If that's the case, I'm seriously excited for this.

Anybody else in the same boat?


----------



## Shurka Durka

This is my first post, good to be here. I'm hooking up with an Agile Pro dual Cepheus blood red in about a week and a half!!!!! I've been checking the Rondo site pretty much every day and droooling over all the shiny baubles they have online...


----------



## mgcasella

MF_Kitten said:


> the guy is using it for touchstyle playing if i remember correctly. or fifths tunings. or both.
> 
> the new run will have a different bridge placement to compensate for intonation.




That is awesome! Did Kurt tell you that?

I can't wait for the leftovers!


----------



## MF_Kitten

yeah, kurt told me they would be moving the bridge back a little, and then alter the baseplate of the bridges and the screws for the saddles, all to make the intonation range wider.

not sure if they'll do the same for the hipshot bridges on the pros, but who knows.

they will also experiment with putting the bridge pickup closer to the bridge, and see whether or not they'll change that.


----------



## MFB

Sweet, good to know that the Intrepids will ship next week. Guess this means my 7 MAY have to wait since I don't want one to outshine the other.


----------



## Hollowway

MFB said:


> Hmm, I didn't get an e-mail and I've check my inbox like a gazillion times cause I'm weird...hmm


Me neither. And I'm weird too, cuz I keep checking my spam box, just in case!


----------



## Triple7

MFB said:


> So Interceptors are done, but any word on Intrepids gang? I haven't seen/heard anything new



Do you mean they will no longer be making and 8-string Interceptor?

My bad, I found the answer a couple pages back.


----------



## Våd Hamster

Just got the mail. Shipping my Septor nat Ash 827 next week.

Who feels awesome? I feel awesome.


----------



## AvantGuardian

AvantGuardian said:


> I just got an email this afternoon from Rondo saying my Intrepid will be shipped next week. I ordered an Intrepid Standard Dual in Bloodburst for the OCTOBER 15 run. Maybe I'm getting an extra from the July run instead? If that's the case, I'm seriously excited for this.
> 
> Anybody else in the same boat?


 
I emailed Kurt and he said some of the October run Intrepid orders are being moved up to the July run due to cancellations. If there aren't too many factory defects, it looks like I may be getting my Intrepid two and a half months early!


----------



## Hollowway

Got an email from Rondo. "Your guitar is expected in shortly. We will be charging your card and shipping out next week." I want it now, I want it now! (Lizard Interceptor FTW!)


----------



## MFB

Yup, even I now have received the e-mail  Did everyone else pay shipping on their deposit? I'm just curious cause for me it still shows up under the payment thing where it says the guitar + shipping and then my total


----------



## Tommy Van Dyke

Hollowway said:


> Got an email from Rondo. "Your guitar is expected in shortly. We will be charging your card and shipping out next week." I want it now, I want it now! (Lizard Interceptor FTW!)





I'm in the same boat 

god I can't wait to rawk out


----------



## Triple7

Kurt responds to emails really freakin' fast, I have decided to make a custom order!


----------



## AgileLefty

just got my email too!! Intrepid Pro Dual Cephus lefty next week baby!!


----------



## Baldi

Am I right in thinking that all these shipping-confirmation emails that you guys are getting are for the guitars with shipping date expected for october ??


----------



## AvantGuardian

Baldi said:


> Am I right in thinking that all these shipping-confirmation emails that you guys are getting are for the guitars with shipping date expected for october ??


 
I'm guessing these are all from the July/August run, except for mine. I ordered my Intrepid with the October expected date, but I will possibly be getting one from this run due to cancellations. Here is what Kurt said to me:



> We had some cancellations - so I was able to move up a few of the Oct orders until now. We will not charge you until we know for sure all the orders from August have been taken care of. If there are any defects or shipping damage - it will likely be pushed back until Oct 15th again
> 
> Kurt


 
Now I just have to hope for no defects or shipping damage.


----------



## MFB

Yeah, almost anyone who's confirming right now is from the July/August run, hence why my main ERG under my avatar says : Agile Intrepid (July '09)


----------



## Våd Hamster

MFB said:


> Yup, even I now have received the e-mail  Did everyone else pay shipping on their deposit? I'm just curious cause for me it still shows up under the payment thing where it says the guitar + shipping and then my total



TBH I'm not sure. But they charged a bit over the half total price, so I'd expect that to be the case


----------



## Ibanezsam4

Våd Hamster;1590108 said:


> TBH I'm not sure. But they charged a bit over the half total price, so I'd expect that to be the case



i specifically asked for the hard case for it and was charged for that. but my initial deposit charge included the cost of shipping


----------



## keeper006

MFB said:


> Did everyone else pay shipping on their deposit? I'm just curious cause for me it still shows up under the payment thing where it says the guitar + shipping and then my total


I just ordered a Lefty Pro for the OCT run, and I paid the shipping with the half deposit.


----------



## Hollowway

Did you guys buy the case? I didn't get the case with my Intrepid a few months ago, and I'm not planning with the 827 Interceptor, just because in neither situation is the case an exact fit. My Intrepid arrived disturbingly pristine - the box was in ideal shape- so I hope for the same in the Interceptor.


----------



## MFB

Hollowway said:


> Did you guys buy the case? I didn't get the case with my Intrepid a few months ago, and I'm not planning with the 827 Interceptor, just because in neither situation is the case an exact fit. My Intrepid arrived disturbingly pristine - the box was in ideal shape- so I hope for the same in the Interceptor.



I _may_ order the case just because I want a case for it but at the same time I know it'll be huge and not sure if I'll use it enough to justify the cost


----------



## Baldi

AvantGuardian said:


> I'm guessing these are all from the July/August run, except for mine. I ordered my Intrepid with the October expected date, but I will possibly be getting one from this run due to cancellations. Here is what Kurt said to me:
> 
> 
> 
> Now I just have to hope for no defects or shipping damage.



Aaaaah cheers for clearing that up - as exciting as it would be to get my intrepid in the next few weeks I dont think my finances would allow me so soon after paying the deposit(and shipping)

To all of you lot getting new agiles in the coming weeks - POST PICS ASAP!!!


----------



## Våd Hamster

Hollowway said:


> Did you guys buy the case? I didn't get the case with my Intrepid a few months ago, and I'm not planning with the 827 Interceptor, just because in neither situation is the case an exact fit. My Intrepid arrived disturbingly pristine - the box was in ideal shape- so I hope for the same in the Interceptor.



I didn't really have a choice, since I'm trans-atlantic. And I'm shitting my pants enough as it is, and Kurt told me that ordering a case reduces the risk of it getting screwed on the trip. I even asked them to wrap it in extra of the bubble stuff


----------



## Niels

I'm really happy


----------



## MFB

Holy shit, I'm jumping on an Interceptor 8 from the next run after that pic. Turned out amazing!


----------



## djohns74

Niels said:


> View attachment 11458
> 
> 
> View attachment 11459
> 
> 
> I'm really happy


Looks like the guitar turned out great, but the finish doesn't really look anything like either Darren's original concept or my mock-up.


----------



## Fred

Yeah, doesn't look like the mock-up, () but looks fucking fantastic regardless ))!


----------



## Tommy Van Dyke

Niels said:


> View attachment 11458
> 
> 
> View attachment 11459
> 
> 
> I'm really happy


oh my god, fuck yes!


I can't wait to have this beast in my paws


----------



## technomancer

djohns74 said:


> Looks like the guitar turned out great, but the finish doesn't really look anything like either Darren's original concept or my mock-up.



Yeah I thought lizard burst was supposed to be light green to dark green, not light green to black? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?


----------



## Hawkevil

Man, I want a left handed one NOW!!


----------



## Tommy Van Dyke

technomancer said:


> Yeah I thought lizard burst was supposed to be light green to dark green, not light green to black? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?



no you're absolutely right, I just happen to really like that shade of green that was used to make that finish


----------



## Shurka Durka

> Originally Posted by *djohns74*
> 
> 
> _Looks like the guitar turned out great, but the finish doesn't really look anything like either Darren's original concept or my mock-up._


That guitar is a beast!!!!!


----------



## Urbane

That does not help waiting for mine haha. I wanna see a pic of the natural now though beause thats the one i bought


----------



## plyta

Niels said:


> View attachment 11458
> 
> 
> View attachment 11459
> 
> 
> I'm really happy



Yep, Ibanez & Co. got pretty much fucked for sure this time


----------



## AgileLefty

Hawkevil said:


> Man, I want a left handed one NOW!!


 

+ 48!!!

guess i'll have to settle for the Intrepid Pro i got coming next week


----------



## MF_Kitten

it seems there's something up with the intrepid october run orders, because i just got an email notification from rondo saying my intrepid will be charged for and sent next week, yet i ordered a 30" pro dual maple board for the october run. i'm pretty sure it's not an unpaid/unclaimed intrepid from the july run, because they didn't have the 30" scale option for that one, and so it's entirely impossible that i'm getting one now, seeing as the october run is far from near completion.

so i sent an email off to kurt to check out the situation, and i'm waiting for his answer.


----------



## RG7

FFS
What happened to lefty's kurt???
GIVE ME SOMETHING WITH TWO PICKUPS!!


----------



## MF_Kitten

okay, so it turns out they're getting an advance shipment on the 30" scale ones, and since i was ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO ORDER ONE, so i'm entitled to one (kurt's words hah!)

as much as i want to get my filthy hands on it right away, i won't be home until the 10th next month, and won't have any money until the 15th, so yeah... also, he won't be able to supply any cases for the 30" scale ones, because they're an inch longer than the 28.625" scale ones, and so they'd have to send the case when they get those in october.

so my options are: 
1: beg kurt to hold my order until next month, so i can be home when i receive it, but not get a case for it (not that i really need a case, but i'm thinking about safety during shipping, see?), OR
2: just let some other goofball get their hands on the intrepid i'm apparently entitled to, and just get it all in october (which is way into the future some day!!!)


----------



## Galius

So the 5 extra inches left between my intrepid case and my intrepids headstock are just in my head???


MF_Kitten said:


> he won't be able to supply any cases for the 30" scale ones, because they're an inch longer than the 28.625" scale ones, and so they'd have to send the case when they get those in october.


----------



## MF_Kitten

hmm, that sounds interesting... these are kurt's words, i haven't seen an intrepid before, much less an intrepid in a case...

are there any pics out there that show an intrepid in it's case, with this space showing? if it's really spacious enough, then i'm showing it to kurt!


----------



## AgileLefty

RG7 said:


> FFS
> What happened to lefty's kurt???
> GIVE ME SOMETHING WITH TWO PICKUPS!!


 

kurt had multiple lefties with 2 pickups available for preorder back in April. i got one of the Pro Dual Cephus models. he had two or three different Pro's and 6 different Standard models all in lefty, and several of them were the dual pickup models.


not sure why he only had the one lefty Pro with single EMG avaiable this last time


----------



## keeper006

AgileLefty said:


> kurt had multiple lefties with 2 pickups available for preorder back in April. i got one of the Pro Dual Cephus models. he had two or three different Pro's and 6 different Standard models all in lefty, and several of them were the dual pickup models.
> 
> 
> not sure why he only had the one lefty Pro with single EMG avaiable this last time


Unfortunately, I'm sure it's the same reason other companies only make one model lefty- it's not cost effective. They probably didn't sell enough to justify having that many options to make a profit worthwhile since there just aren't that many of us. Of course, I decided to get one last month, so only 1 choice. My question is where's the lefty 7s?


----------



## RG7

keeper006 said:


> Unfortunately, I'm sure it's the same reason other companies only make one model lefty- it's not cost effective. They probably didn't sell enough to justify having that many options to make a profit worthwhile since there just aren't that many of us. Of course, I decided to get one last month, so only 1 choice. My question is where's the lefty 7s?


 

exactly my point.
I haven't seen a lefty 7 agile in ages.


----------



## AgileLefty

keeper006 said:


> Unfortunately, I'm sure it's the same reason other companies only make one model lefty- it's not cost effective. They probably didn't sell enough to justify having that many options to make a profit worthwhile since there just aren't that many of us. Of course, I decided to get one last month, so only 1 choice. My question is where's the lefty 7s?


 
ya i hear ya bro. and actually when the July preorders first went up, Kurt only had the same 1 lefty pro with single EMG pickup. i emailed him and asked if he could put up a bunch of different options for lefties because after all it's not costing him any money to make preorders available. i mentioned to him that maybe the reason why not too many lefties are ordering them is because you only have 1 available. that very same day a few hours later he had all the different lefty models available on the site!!

maybe if somebody would have done the same thing this last time, we would have had the same amount of options?



RG7 said:


> exactly my point.
> I haven't seen a lefty 7 agile in ages.


 

me either. that's why i picked up this from the agile custom shop....







kurt did mention to me that he'll be getting some Septor and Interceptor models in lefty soon though. how soon, i dunno.


----------



## keeper006

AgileLefty said:


> me either. that's why i picked up this from the agile custom shop....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kurt did mention to me that he'll be getting some Septor and Interceptor models in lefty soon though. how soon, i dunno.


Dude  that is fucking awesome. You mind telling me how much? I ask because I was considering a custom lefty 7 myself, but if it's like the order form says and it's automatically 50% more to the base model price, that would automatically make a lefty Interceptor $1000 just to make it left handed. If it's that much I'll just make a lefty JEM 7 for less than that, but from everything good I've read about Kurt, I wouldn't think he would leave us wrong-handed people hangin' like that. But I didn't want to spend $15 for a quote to find out.


----------



## Hollowway

Niels said:


> View attachment 11458
> 
> 
> View attachment 11459
> 
> 
> I'm really happy



Dude, where'd you get those pics? Are those of the real thing?! I like it, but I would have preferred one that looked more like the mockup. Either way, I'll be playing mine in T minus one week and counting!


----------



## AgileLefty

i ordered that guitar from Kurt back before he officially was taking custom orders. i had already bought over a dozen guitars from him within a year, so he was willing to help me out with a "custom" order. the price was right around what the stock Septor and Interceptor Pro models go for now. i dunno if he would charge you the 50% price increase if you just took a standard model with no changes at all besides making it left handed, you would have to ask him that.


----------



## keeper006

AgileLefty said:


> i ordered that guitar from Kurt back before he officially was taking custom orders. i had already bought over a dozen guitars from him within a year, so he was willing to help me out with a "custom" order. the price was right around what the stock Septor and Interceptor Pro models go for now. i dunno if he would charge you the 50% price increase if you just took a standard model with no changes at all besides making it left handed, you would have to ask him that.


Thanks. OK, I asked him- I'll let you know if he answers.


----------



## MF_Kitten

still waiting for an answer from kurt about holding my order back for a little while.

in the meantime, could anyone direct me towards pics or measurements of an intrepid in its case? i need to see how much space there is above the headstock!

it has to be the intrepid case, of course, and if it´s a bass case instead, then i need to know that


----------



## Hawkevil

Hopefully one of you guys can help me out as you seem to know alot about how these guitars are ordered.

Am I better off to put a deposit down now for a lefty Intrepid or wait until there are some for sale on the Rondo site? 

Also, if I did put a deposit down what options would I have for finishes and such?


----------



## MF_Kitten

if you want one, your best bet would be to put down a deposit. you could wait and see if there were unpaid guitars left over from the previous run, but there is never a guarantee that you'll find the one you want that way.


----------



## Niels

They're from the man himself, it's how the Interceptor Standard 8 with kahler in Lizard-burst turned out. I realy like them aswell, and even though they didn't really turned out as the mock up I kinda expected them to look like this taking the previous bursts into consideration.



Hollowway said:


> Dude, where'd you get those pics? Are those of the real thing?! I like it, but I would have preferred one that looked more like the mockup. Either way, I'll be playing mine in T minus one week and counting!


----------



## Galius

MF_Kitten said:


> in the meantime, could anyone direct me towards pics or measurements of an intrepid in its case? i need to see how much space there is above the headstock!
> it has to be the intrepid case, of course, and if it´s a bass case instead, then i need to know that


 
Just took a pic for you and did a measurement. Turns out its 3 inches clearance but that seems like it would be plenty of clearance even for an extra couple inches difference in scale length. When I ordered mine he had to email me to let me know he was out of the black intrepid cases but had the same case in tweed. After that all he had in stock for the longest time was the tweed. Unless he had the new cases shortened a bit I have no clue. Im not sure if anyone else feels the same but I dont feel too safe with these cases. The foam around the outside edges has smashed down to the point that it feels like the velvet is the only thing between the guitar body and wood. On top of that the neck cradle has flattened out from the wieght of the guitar in carrying position and the headstock ends up resting against the bottom of the case. I have a different SKB style case that should be here today to try out.


----------



## keeper006

Hawkevil said:


> Hopefully one of you guys can help me out as you seem to know alot about how these guitars are ordered.
> 
> Am I better off to put a deposit down now for a lefty Intrepid or wait until there are some for sale on the Rondo site?
> 
> Also, if I did put a deposit down what options would I have for finishes and such?


I just ordered a lefty for OCT. When you have been looking for lefty guitars as long as I have, you realize the chance of there being some extras is pretty much zero. if you go to rondomusic.com and click left-handed, you'll see at the bottom of the page that this run only has one option for lefty- Intrepid Pro Nat with bridge EMG.


----------



## Hawkevil

MF_Kitten said:


> if you want one, your best bet would be to put down a deposit. you could wait and see if there were unpaid guitars left over from the previous run, but there is never a guarantee that you'll find the one you want that way.


 


> I just ordered a lefty for OCT. When you have been looking for lefty guitars as long as I have, you realize the chance of there being some extras is pretty much zero. if you go to rondomusic.com and click left-handed, you'll see at the bottom of the page that this run only has one option for lefty- Intrepid Pro Nat with bridge EMG.


 
Thanks for the info. I guess my best bet is to order one now then. So, there are no other colours available apart from the natural then because to be honest I don't really like the look of that. The bloodburst and the oceanburst look ALOT better.


----------



## MFB

Apparently mine is ready to ship out to me I guess?! That's what the e-mail is kind of saying :

*History*
Mar 27, 2009 2:52PM: Order Received
Mar 30, 2009 7:35AM: Special Order
Jul 21, 2009 10:29AM: Order Received
Jul 23, 2009 7:33AM: Ready to Ship

Unless that means it's ready to ship from the factory to here which is doubtful, although there's no option to give the final payment


----------



## AgileLefty

Hawkevil said:


> Thanks for the info. I guess my best bet is to order one now then. So, there are no other colours available apart from the natural then because to be honest I don't really like the look of that. The bloodburst and the oceanburst look ALOT better.


 
email Kurt and ask him if you can preorder a bloodburst or oceanburst. i can all but guarentee you he will say yes. like i said a few posts back, he only had the the 1 available when i was about to order, i emailed him about the lack of lefty options and within a few hours he had multiple different versions listed on the site



MFB said:


> Apparently mine is ready to ship out to me I guess?! That's what the e-mail is kind of saying :
> 
> *History*
> Mar 27, 2009 2:52PM: Order Received
> Mar 30, 2009 7:35AM: Special Order
> Jul 21, 2009 10:29AM: Order Received
> Jul 23, 2009 7:33AM: Ready to Ship
> 
> Unless that means it's ready to ship from the factory to here which is doubtful, although there's no option to give the final payment


 
i got the same thing in my email. this happened back when i ordered my custom too. it just says "ready to ship" because you have confirmed the 2nd half of the payment. Kurt should have the guitars tomorrow or early next week and then the will ship out from Rondo then. they don't come straight from the factory to us. the cases are made in China, the guitars in Korea. if you ordered a case with it, Kurt puts the guitar inside of the case for shipping.


----------



## keeper006

AgileLefty said:


> email Kurt and ask him if you can preorder a bloodburst or oceanburst. i can all but guarentee you he will say yes. like i said a few posts back, he only had the the 1 available when i was about to order, i emailed him about the lack of lefty options and within a few hours he had multiple different versions listed on the site.


 Hmm, do you think he would change my order if I asked for another finish?


----------



## MFB

AgileLefty said:


> i got the same thing in my email. this happened back when i ordered my custom too. it just says "ready to ship" because you have confirmed the 2nd half of the payment. Kurt should have the guitars tomorrow or early next week and then the will ship out from Rondo then. they don't come straight from the factory to us. the cases are made in China, the guitars in Korea. if you ordered a case with it, Kurt puts the guitar inside of the case for shipping.



Yeah, I didn't expect it to come from factory to me but I was expecting the "ready to ship" to mean it was at Rondo to ship, not from factory to Rondo then to me


----------



## AgileLefty

keeper006 said:


> Hmm, do you think he would change my order if I asked for another finish?


 

doesn't hurt to ask. i'm assuming you pre-ordered for the Oct. run, so those guitars haven't even been built yet. it wouldn't cost Kurt anything to change your order from a natural to an oceanburst


----------



## djohns74

MFB said:


> Yeah, I didn't expect it to come from factory to me but I was expecting the "ready to ship" to mean it was at Rondo to ship, not from factory to Rondo then to me


From my experience, "ready to ship" simply means that Rondo is ready to collect any remaining money on the order, which I believe they do at the time that the guitar ships to them. At least that's the way it was for my Intrepid. I got my actual tracking number (meaning it shipped from Rondo) about three weeks after the "ready to ship" email.


----------



## keeper006

AgileLefty said:


> doesn't hurt to ask. i'm assuming you pre-ordered for the Oct. run, so those guitars haven't even been built yet. it wouldn't cost Kurt anything to change your order from a natural to an oceanburst


Thanks, I tried to make it even simpler and asked him if I could get Bloodburst since that's the color option for the righties for this run. I dropped your name, too


----------



## MFB

djohns74 said:


> From my experience, "ready to ship" simply means that Rondo is ready to collect any remaining money on the order, which I believe they do at the time that the guitar ships to them. At least that's the way it was for my Intrepid. I got my actual tracking number (meaning it shipped from Rondo) about three weeks after the "ready to ship" email.



Yeah, turns out Kurt charged me for it which kind of freaked me out since he didn't send any notification saying "Hey, here's where YOU pay the final part" versus him just pulling the money


----------



## Hawkevil

AgileLefty said:


> email Kurt and ask him if you can preorder a bloodburst or oceanburst. i can all but guarentee you he will say yes. like i said a few posts back, he only had the the 1 available when i was about to order, i emailed him about the lack of lefty options and within a few hours he had multiple different versions listed on the site.


 

Thanks dude. I've emailed him.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´ve emailed kurt about the cases probably working for the 30" scale intrepids too. awaiting his response again. also, hoping i can get some money really fast, hahaha!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Just thought I'd share the latest modification I did to my Agile with a very nerdy video:


----------



## Hawkevil

Pretty cool man. I wouldn't dare do anything like that to any of my guitars.

Knowing my luck I would completely bodge job it HAHA.


----------



## AgileLefty

GorillaSalsa said:


> Just thought I'd share the latest modification I did to my Agile with a very nerdy video:





sweet man 


what color was the Intrepid originally? and did you make a thread on the refinishing process?


----------



## GorillaSalsa

AgileLefty said:


> sweet man
> 
> what color was the Intrepid originally? and did you make a thread on the refinishing process?


It was originally a bloodburst model, and I had spraypainted it white. I didn't make a thread on the refinishing process because it was such a simple process and I did it in a hurry because I've been working a lot recently (16 hours of overtime). All you really have to do is bathe it in liquid paint stripper and leave it that way for an hour and a half or longer, then go at it with a scraper. It peeled off like magic. Apply sandpaper as needed.



Hawkevil said:


> Pretty cool man. I wouldn't dare do anything like that to any of my guitars.
> 
> Knowing my luck I would completely bodge job it HAHA.


I don't blame you, I actually botched this one myself. The SPST Rocker switch you see in the video is awkwardly settled in this diamond-shaped hole that came about from using the wrong drill bit. The LEDs are also in awkward positions because I had previously only anticipated having one and decided on two at the last minute.


----------



## keeper006

Hawkevil said:


> Thanks for the info. I guess my best bet is to order one now then. So, there are no other colours available apart from the natural then because to be honest I don't really like the look of that. The bloodburst and the oceanburst look ALOT better.


Hey Hawk, I just got a reply from Kurt about finish, he said it's too late to add anything for October orders, but he had a Bloodburst lefty in production already that I could change my order to. Maybe you should shoot him an email if he's got anything else.


----------



## MFB

GorillaSalsa said:


> I don't blame you, I actually botched this one myself. The SPST Rocker switch you see in the video is awkwardly settled in this diamond-shaped hole that came about from using the wrong drill bit. The LEDs are also in awkward positions because I had previously only anticipated having one and decided on two at the last minute.



Nevermind, disregard this


----------



## mgcasella

GorillaSalsa said:


> Just thought I'd share the latest modification I did to my Agile with a very nerdy video:




Very cool, sir 

I would never be able to do this - you have much more patience than I


----------



## coreysMonster

My Intrepid came today!

And I came as well.


----------



## MF_Kitten

whoa, the intrepid looks awesome with the natural finish like that! i knew the septor/interceptor ones looked awesome, but dayum!


----------



## mgcasella

coreysMonster said:


> My Intrepid came today!
> 
> And I came as well.




Pics (of the guitar), please?


----------



## RG7

mgcasella said:


> Pics (of the guitar), please?



+1
you better put pics of the guitar up
or else.


----------



## AgileLefty

got my tracking number a few minutes ago. i should have my Intrepid on tuesday!!


----------



## Woocifer

I have a custom 8 comin in... Kurt has it... I've paid... I'm so itching to get my ugly paws all over it... It's an Intrepid body

I know this is trite and kinda redundant...but I needed to lament to people who understand my pain hahahaha

Anyone have any suggestions how to get by? hahaha just kiddin... when it comes I'll try and get some proper pics of it up.


----------



## MFB

My tracking # doesn't work


----------



## Hollowway

Woocifer said:


> I have a custom 8 comin in... Kurt has it... I've paid... I'm so itching to get my ugly paws all over it... It's an Intrepid body
> 
> I know this is trite and kinda redundant...but I needed to lament to people who understand my pain hahahaha
> 
> Anyone have any suggestions how to get by? hahaha just kiddin... when it comes I'll try and get some proper pics of it up.



I feel your pain, mang! I've got my Interceptor 827 that should be "shipping shortly."  I can't wait! And yet it would be a week before it ships.


----------



## Woocifer

Hollowway said:


> I feel your pain, mang! I've got my Interceptor 827 that should be "shipping shortly."  I can't wait! And yet it would be a week before it ships.



Dude I LITERALLY JUST got my tracking number, it's in New Hampshire... Hasn't been shipped but I almost did a jig when I saw the email hahaha....ok I jigged a little...

Next week for sure I will be in 8 string bliss. I'm gunna get a pignose mobile amp and just hit the brown note while walking around town.

It'll be like I have super powers to make people defecate on command.

YOU!... YES YOU!.... SHIT!!!! BONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG

Torrents of shit flying everywhere...can't wait.


----------



## Hollowway

Woocifer said:


> Dude I LITERALLY JUST got my tracking number, it's in New Hampshire... Hasn't been shipped but I almost did a jig when I saw the email hahaha....ok I jigged a little...
> 
> Next week for sure I will be in 8 string bliss. I'm gunna get a pignose mobile amp and just hit the brown note while walking around town.
> 
> It'll be like I have super powers to make people defecate on command.
> 
> YOU!... YES YOU!.... SHIT!!!! BONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG
> 
> Torrents of shit flying everywhere...can't wait.



 I'm putting on my diaper now....


----------



## MF_Kitten

Woocifer said:


> Dude I LITERALLY JUST got my tracking number, it's in New Hampshire... Hasn't been shipped but I almost did a jig when I saw the email hahaha....ok I jigged a little...
> 
> Next week for sure I will be in 8 string bliss. I'm gunna get a pignose mobile amp and just hit the brown note while walking around town.
> 
> It'll be like I have super powers to make people defecate on command.
> 
> YOU!... YES YOU!.... SHIT!!!! BONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG
> 
> Torrents of shit flying everywhere...can't wait.



"torrents of shit" made me giggle a little


----------



## AgileLefty

coreysMonster said:


> My Intrepid came today!
> 
> And I came as well.


 


still no pics?


----------



## Hollowway

So how does the second half of the order get processed? Does Kurt automatically charge my credit card, or do I have to give him permission first, or? I noticed that in a couple of places he mentions that he's going to give us a chance to pay the second half before he puts the remaining ones up as left overs.


----------



## AgileLefty

Hollowway said:


> So how does the second half of the order get processed? Does Kurt automatically charge my credit card, or do I have to give him permission first, or? I noticed that in a couple of places he mentions that he's going to give us a chance to pay the second half before he puts the remaining ones up as left overs.


 

i got this email from Kurt on thursday...

"Your order is expected in shortly. We will be charging the ballance and shipping next week. We hightly recomend adding a hard shell case for protection Price is $59.95"


and on friday my card was automatically charged and i got my shipping info with tracking number a few hours later. scheduled to arrive on tuesday


----------



## plyta

Kurt is the man.
If you have problems with money you can ask him to charge you a little bit later, or charge another card or via paypal account if you have funds there.


----------



## MFB

Hollowway said:


> So how does the second half of the order get processed? Does Kurt automatically charge my credit card, or do I have to give him permission first, or? I noticed that in a couple of places he mentions that he's going to give us a chance to pay the second half before he puts the remaining ones up as left overs.



For me he automatically charged, which IMO he should consider changing in case someone can't immediately pay it. I'd rather it be like "Here's the final payment that's due, click on the "pay now" between ____ & _____ or your order goes in as an extra"


----------



## HighGain510

MFB said:


> For me he automatically charged, which IMO he should consider changing in case someone can't immediately pay it. I'd rather it be like "Here's the final payment that's due, click on the "pay now" between ____ & _____ or your order goes in as an extra"



While that would be nice, it's a pre-order and not a "layaway" program and since it's a deposit to get your order started the payment is due when it's completed, not when someone has the cash for it. You should know going into it that he's going to want the cash when it's done.  He's not guitar center, so I doubt he can hang onto your gear for you if you can't pay for it when it comes in.  I think the problem is that if he offered the chance to delay delivery/payment a lot of folks would just order the guitars and then make him sit on the guitar for a few weeks.


----------



## technomancer

HighGain510 said:


> While that would be nice, it's a pre-order and not a "layaway" program and since it's a deposit to get your order started the payment is due when it's completed, not when someone has the cash for it. You should know going into it that he's going to want the cash when it's done.  He's not guitar center, so I doubt he can hang onto your gear for you if you can't pay for it when it comes in.  I think the problem is that if he offered the chance to delay delivery/payment a lot of folks would just order the guitars and then make him sit on the guitar for a few weeks.



Bingo. Kurt already has to deal with a lot of people ordering stuff and then not paying it off... thus the "leftovers" on the pre-order only runs.


----------



## Adriatic

HighGain510 said:


> While that would be nice, it's a pre-order and not a "layaway" program and since it's a deposit to get your order started the payment is due when it's completed, not when someone has the cash for it. You should know going into it that he's going to want the cash when it's done.  He's not guitar center, so I doubt he can hang onto your gear for you if you can't pay for it when it comes in.  I think the problem is that if he offered the chance to delay delivery/payment a lot of folks would just order the guitars and then make him sit on the guitar for a few weeks.


 
thats when the vultures (me) come swooping in for the leftovers!!!


----------



## Hawkevil

Everyday I want an 8 string more and more. I think i'm going to have to put a deposit down very soon. Maybe tomorrow haha.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i'm thinking about using my mastercard to pay the intrepid instead of waiting for actual money... that way i won't have to wait until october as well.


----------



## mgcasella

MF_Kitten said:


> i'm thinking about using my mastercard to pay the intrepid instead of waiting for actual money... that way i won't have to wait until october as well.




Do it. Do it now.


----------



## vortex_infinium

Just a quick question to anyone that's bought something from Rondomusic via pre-order before.

I paid for the second half of my Intrepid yesterday via credit card through my PayPal account. Do I recieve anything from Rondo saything that I did or do I just 'trust' that my order was processed?


----------



## Våd Hamster

I don't think you'll get anything until monday. I haven't heard from him since friday, so I'm thinking he probably doesn't do business in the weekends. Clever man.

I had some trouble with my card too, damn bank fucking it up as usual.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i've just decided to wait with the intrepid until october, because sometimes you have to be a responsible adult. bleh!

i have other priorities that i probably shouldn't shove aside


----------



## alex103188

[FONT=&quot] "Custom order guitars start at $500. In general, you can assume minor modifications to existing models will add 50% to the price of the item. For example, ordering a custom AL-3000 and changing just one attribute from the standard model, say the color, would cust approximatly $575"


So this is stated at the top of the custom order form and it confuses me a bit. If modifications such as a color change cost 50% of the original price, wouldn't it amount to an extra 250 as opposed to 75?

Maybe I'm missing something.

Anyone recently order a custom since it went up and have an idea of how much the mods to the original model actually cost? 
[/FONT]


----------



## Hollowway

alex103188 said:


> [FONT=&quot] "Custom order guitars start at $500. In general, you can assume minor modifications to existing models will add 50% to the price of the item. For example, ordering a custom AL-3000 and changing just one attribute from the standard model, say the color, would cust approximatly $575"
> 
> 
> So this is stated at the top of the custom order form and it confuses me a bit. If modifications such as a color change cost 50% of the original price, wouldn't it amount to an extra 250 as opposed to 75?
> 
> Maybe I'm missing something.
> 
> Anyone recently order a custom since it went up and have an idea of how much the mods to the original model actually cost?
> [/FONT]



No, because an AL-3000 cost $380. So 50% of that is 190. 380+190=570. The $500 is to say that no matter what the custom is, the minimum would be $500. So if you got one of those $99 jobs and customized it, you're not getting out for less than $500. But, I think you're right. If a guitar costs $500, and you change the paint, you're looking at $750.


----------



## Ben.Last

Hollowway said:


> No, because an AL-3000 cost $380. So 50% of that is 190. 380+190=570. The $500 is to say that no matter what the custom is, the minimum would be $500. So if you got one of those $99 jobs and customized it, you're not getting out for less than $500. But, I think you're right. If a guitar costs $500, and you change the paint, you're looking at $750.




Just to clarify this, I'm pretty sure that the custom stuff is only on the Agiles, not the SX and Douglas. So, nothing in the $99 range anyway. So it's not like you're going to have to pay $401(to meet the $500 amount) to get a custom paint job on a $99 guitar.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i just did something naughty.


----------



## caughtinamosh

MF_Kitten said:


> i just did something naughty.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i'll still afford the custom bass build, i pwomise!!!

edit: i swear, i'm way too nervous about money! 

i can't wait to see what my paycheck ends up looking like... i need to be able to pay for:
pickups, sustainer
tremol-no
custom-made bass (not too expencive, but still)
intrepid
roter strat mod
S2.0 and Metal Foundry
Logic Studio 9 upgrade

i'm hoping i get to sell some crap to fund this stuff too.


----------



## MFB

As of 12:55PM on July 27th, I believe I am the FIRST person to receive their Intrepid from this run!


----------



## GorillaSalsa

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


----------



## MFB

GorillaSalsa said:


> PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS



...maybe

It's humid as a bastard right now so I'm having trouble playing it with all this sweat (eww I know)


----------



## mgcasella

MFB said:


> As of 12:55PM on July 27th, I believe I am the FIRST person to receive their Intrepid from this run!




Vids, please!


----------



## Explorer

Intrepid Pro Natural with Ebony Fretboard - scheduled delivery: August 3rd.

The funny thing is, I thought I'd be waiting until October, so I wound up getting an FM-408 to tide me over... two weeks ago. Two eight-strings in about two weeks... who can complain?


----------



## Ben.Last

Should have mine this Friday, according to UPS. I'm incredibly excited. Now I just need a new amp. Hahaha


----------



## vortex_infinium

Explorer said:


> Intrepid Pro Natural with Ebony Fretboard - scheduled delivery: August 3rd.
> 
> The funny thing is, I thought I'd be waiting until October, so I wound up getting an FM-408 to tide me over... two weeks ago. Two eight-strings in about two weeks... who can complain?



Yea. I paid the second half of mine recently and just got an email for Kurt saying that I would have gotten mine with this run but no one backed out of their pre-orders. Guess I still gotta wait until October.

And just like you I was looking for a FM-408 a while ago to tie me over. Hoping there's some of the Interceptor 8's left over.


----------



## st2012

vortex_infinium said:


> Yea. I paid the second half of mine recently and just got an email for Kurt saying that I would have gotten mine with this run but no one backed out of their pre-orders. Guess I still gotta wait until October.
> 
> And just like you I was looking for a FM-408 a while ago to tie me over. Hoping there's some of the Interceptor 8's left over.



What model/color did you go with? i just recently ordered one from the Oct. run and got a shipping email today saying that mine would be here on the 3rd as well so I assumed that there were plenty of leftovers. I ordered the Oceanburst pro so maybe that just isn't a popular color.


----------



## Hollowway

So any of you Interceptor guys get a shipment email yet? All I have so far is an email from last week saying that it will likely ship this week.


----------



## vortex_infinium

st2012 said:


> What model/color did you go with? i just recently ordered one from the Oct. run and got a shipping email today saying that mine would be here on the 3rd as well so I assumed that there were plenty of leftovers. I ordered the Oceanburst pro so maybe that just isn't a popular color.



I had ordered the Natural Pro.


----------



## New Age Moron

My Intrepid Oceanburst is ready to ship 

I'm so glad I found this forum


----------



## MF_Kitten

i think the oceanburst pro isn't that popular because of the blue/brown mix


----------



## Hawkevil

I really like the Oceanburst. It seems like a rare finish compared with all the guitars out there. Nicer than the natural finish IMO.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i don´t really like the oceanburst on the pro myself, but i love it on the standard. on the pro it just looks wrong to my eyes, because it´s brown wood fading into a blue hue, and there´s such a collision between the hues there... the darkburst and bloodburst are nicer for the pro i think. personal opinion, of course!


----------



## Hawkevil

Yea I guess its just opinion really. Being left handed though, to have the choice of that sort of exotic colour is cool. 

Many times I have wanted guitars only to find there is one choice of finish. SO annoying.


----------



## TemjinStrife

I love the Oceanburst, and if there was an Oceanburst Intrepid 728 Pro I'd totally go for it.


----------



## New Age Moron

I love it. But then I'm colourblind, so what do I know?


----------



## Spondus

final payment sent woohoo!


----------



## AgileLefty

07/28/20097:21 A.M.OUT FOR DELIVERY


----------



## AvantGuardian

vortex_infinium said:


> Yea. I paid the second half of mine recently and just got an email for Kurt saying that I would have gotten mine with this run but no one backed out of their pre-orders. Guess I still gotta wait until October.
> 
> And just like you I was looking for a FM-408 a while ago to tie me over. Hoping there's some of the Interceptor 8's left over.


 
So you got charged the second half but you're not getting one until October? I also ordered for October and got the email last week that mine would be shipping this week, but so far I haven't been charged and I haven't heard anything more about if I'm actually getting one from this run.


----------



## mgcasella

TemjinStrife said:


> I love the Oceanburst, and if there was an Oceanburst Intrepid 728 Pro I'd totally go for it.



GhostBurst FTW!


----------



## Shurka Durka

SHREWSBURY , MA , US 07/28/20095:59 A.M.DEPARTURE SCAN 07/28/200912:01 A.M.ARRIVAL SCAN 

Oh that's a very good sign!


----------



## AgileLefty

it's here!! NGD thread as soon as i get my pics uploaded


----------



## RG7

AgileLefty said:


> it's here!! NGD thread as soon as i get my pics uploaded


 
GASP.


----------



## MF_Kitten

oooh yeeeah!

Jul 28, 2009 2:31 PM: Picked up, LEBANON, NH

apparently it's estimated to deliver as soon as the 4th, which is cool i guess... though i won't be able to pick it up it until the 11th


----------



## Ben.Last

Grrr. I'm getting antsy. It should be Friday already. Haha


----------



## MF_Kitten

anyone else here getting a 30" scale intrepid pro from the "early arrivals" from the october run?


----------



## Krauthammer

I ordered the 28.625 back in April, thinking that the only 8string with 30" scale would have to be a custom job, requiring more funds. Its too bad that Rondo listed some 30" 8strings two or three months later, I would have been all over that. Friday will be overload, new guitar and I move into a house I just sold my soul over to the bank for. I can't wait to check out the differences on my guitars; a 24 3/4" jag, 25.5" 7string ibanez, 27" ibby 8, and finally the soon-to-be-here intrepid pro at 28.625". A 30" or 30.5" 8string will be next....someday...fanned-frets too....


----------



## MF_Kitten

btw, the banner on rondomusic.com has been redone, so now there's an intrepid pro on there 

also, they're celebrating their 50 year anniversary, which is pretty cool


----------



## Galius

Noticed that earlier 


MF_Kitten said:


> btw, the banner on rondomusic.com has been redone, so now there's an intrepid pro on there
> 
> also, they're celebrating their 50 year anniversary, which is pretty cool


----------



## MF_Kitten

previously they had the tribal green baritone 6 string that i have on there


----------



## Våd Hamster

Just got home from the bank. Apparently the company handling electronic transfers in Denmark has been down from friday to tuesday. Figures it had to be this fucking week out of all of them huh.


----------



## Krunch

MF_Kitten said:


> anyone else here getting a 30" scale intrepid pro from the "early arrivals" from the october run?



My 30" should be here today.


----------



## vlover

28.625" vs. 30" ....is it like the different from 25" to 24.75"?


----------



## Galius

???? the first being about 1 1/2 inches difference and the other being 1/4 inch difference....


vlover said:


> 28.625" vs. 30" ....is it like the different from 25" to 24.75"?


----------



## Woocifer

It's in, it's in, it's in!!!!!!!

The delivery jerk left it laying on my front porch for people to steal...thank god someone showed up and brought it in to my place.

Now I have to wait here with this beast of a guitar waiting for me at home... More so I have band practice tonight so I might not even be able to play it very much. SO JUNK!!!


BUT IT'S AT MY HOUSE!!!! YES!!!!


----------



## MFB

I've only played my Intrepid for like...2-3 hours in the past 2 days. Fucking work and sleep have been keeping me away - and will continue to until Saturday night as well


----------



## MF_Kitten

yays, two of us are going to have the 30" scale intrepid early! 

did you order it with a case? if so, i wanna know if they were able to fit the 30" scale into the normal case! 

also, pics are needed!


----------



## TomAwesome

There's more than an extra inch and a half of headstock clearance in my Intrepid case, so I'd imagine it would work fine for a 30" Intrepid.


----------



## darren

Holy crap! Is this a custom or a production model? The "lizard burst" isn't quite right... it's supposed to be more yellow in the middle with a green burst. That's more of a "tribal green".


----------



## TomAwesome

Freakin' tasty whatever it is.


----------



## MF_Kitten

yeah, that's the "botched" lizardburst. looks really nice, sure, but it's not what the mockup called for. i don't know what we all expected though, the factory hasn't always delivered things that looked like the mockups.

also, i know the intrepid case has space for it, but i'm wondering how much more space the 30" scale intrepid consumes, and i'm curious as to whether or not they even tried the 30" scale one in standard intrepid cases. Kurt said they would try it, though. he talked about shipping the 30" scale ones without cases, then shipping the appropriate cases when they arrived in october, but if they fit in the current intrepid cases, that won't be needed, and they'll be able to ship them in cases right away.

edit: oh, and mine just left Newark, NJ. wohoo!


----------



## Krunch

MF_Kitten said:


> yays, two of us are going to have the 30" scale intrepid early!
> 
> did you order it with a case? if so, i wanna know if they were able to fit the 30" scale into the normal case!
> 
> also, pics are needed!



I was dumb and didn't order a case, I have an extra and I was hoping it would fit, which was, quite simply, retarded. And I paid the price, the headstock got nicked in shipping. 

Too lazy to break out my good camera, here are some awful iPhone pics.


----------



## MFB

That looks like a nasty gash, curse that UPS guy


----------



## Woocifer

Okay so here is my 8 String! These pics don't do it justice as the camera is like... 5-6 years old hahaha it's far more lush and sinister in person. And is quiet the beastly piece of work. The neck is super thin, and the finish on it is sweet.

















There is one little blemish by the pickup ring where they missed the stain, but it isn't a big deal.






The only major issue is this: My volume knob doesn't turn the picksup down all the way. It turns the pickups down about 40%...so I'm going to have to get the electronics looked at. Thankfully my bro is a elec. tech. heh... but yeah that sucks. But the guitar is fucking gorgeous and plays like a massive blow job man. Super slick action! 

I'm ultra happy!....oh and the case is kinda chintz and stuff...but I'll take it.


----------



## Galius

U need to get some pics in the daytime outside for us


----------



## keeper006

Galius said:


> U need to get some pics in the daytime outside for us


That is awesomeness incarnate- let the sun shine on that grain...


----------



## Triple7

If you don't mind me asking which nobs (tone/vol) and which bridge do you have on that?

It is a beautiful guitar.


----------



## djohns74

Woocifer said:


>



Whoa, whoa, whoa, 8 in-line headstock??? I wonder if all the Interceptors / Septors are getting that treatment?  I really like it a lot though, the guitar as a whole looks killer and very distinct from the Intrepid, thanks in no small part to the relatively scaled-down Interceptor body. That's a major thing that I just plain missed on the mock-ups, I forgot that the Intrepid body is pretty darn large and ended up scaling the Interceptor up accordingly.

EDIT: I see from KEVORKIAN's thread that his indeed has the Intrepid headstock. So, is this a custom then or what?


----------



## darren

Holy crap... what's the scale length on that bad boy? The Interceptor body looks absolutely TINY!


----------



## AgileLefty

Krunch said:


> I was dumb and didn't order a case, I have an extra and I was hoping it would fit, which was, quite simply, retarded. And I paid the price, the headstock got nicked in shipping.
> 
> Too lazy to break out my good camera, here are some awful iPhone pics.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> no way! another guy from Fredericksburg who got a Dual Pro Cepheus
> 
> 
> 
> 
> check your PM's


----------



## Baldi

OH MY GOD!!!!! "Your order is ready ahead of schedule" 
Sooooo excited... But at the same time, quite financially scared - I hadn't budgeted for this!!


----------



## Woocifer

darren said:


> Holy crap... what's the scale length on that bad boy? The Interceptor body looks absolutely TINY!




The Neck is 30" neck-thru. The neck is thin as hell and plays similar to a beefy Jackson more or less hehe

I'll try to get it out in the sun and get some shots, but my job doesn't let me get home til after 7:30pm+. So maybe on the weekend I'll give'r a go.

The knobs are Black Speed Knobs. First knob is volume(kinda...stupid knob...) then theres a 3 way selector and then tone.

You can actually choose the style of headstock you want. I chose the Interceptor headstock because a) it's looks SO dangerous...its like a Scythe. and b) I'm right handed, and it's a pain for me to restring guitars with reverse headstocks.

I have a Dean Razorback with the flame up the front and stringing that evil headstock is a pain at times because my left hand is used to finger...not tweaking... that sounds dirtier than I mean, but I like it hahaha

Anyway now that I think of it I asked for the head stock to be matched to the body with the black transparent quilted tribal maple top. The body is mahogany and I wanted a 1 piece mahogany neck...but a) thats fucking impossible hahaha or at least for the price, and b) Kurt suggested I get a 5 piece maple neck for strength.

Seriously there is SO much room on this neck I could move a refugee came inbetween the first and second fret. The thing is it plays fast as hell, it's SOLID as fuck, and seriously I am able to pull off things on this neck that I can't on other guitars because my big club fingers really benefit from the space.

I've only had an hour or two with the guitar...but I'm already in love. The knobs are cheap though, I'd go for better knobs next time and the volume pot not working pisses me off...but those are easily fixable.

Thanks for all the compliments though. It really is a sweet looking guitar. The maple quilt is actually a lot darker and more subtle than the flash picked up, but that's how dramatic it can be when the light hits it at the right angle.

Cheers guys! If you got one coming, you've got something AWESOME in the future. I recommend it highly!


----------



## Galius

Im sure if you wanted to have Kurt hold off until the next order so you can play it safe he would. CMON PEOPLE, I WANNA SEE MORE INTERCEPTOR/SEPTOR 8s!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Post that shit!!!! LOL 



Baldi said:


> OH MY GOD!!!!! "Your order is ready ahead of schedule"
> Sooooo excited... But at the same time, quite financially scared - I hadn't budgeted for this!!


----------



## Baldi

Galius said:


> Im sure if you wanted to have Kurt hold off until the next order so you can play it safe he would.



Yeah I considered that, but............ AS IF I can wait till October 
Just paid the remaining amount - MAXED OUT my overdraft.. Im officially SKINT, but VERY happy!!!

For people in the UK who have ordered from agile before - What kind of estimated time am I looking at for shipping? On my order details page it says 2 to 5 days with FedEx International.. is this an accurate estimate?


----------



## Fred

Yeah, mine took about 4 days, I think. That's a beautiful, beautiful Interceptor 8, congrats!


----------



## MF_Kitten

the custom interceptor there is heavenly nice! :O

edit: i told Kurt that lots of people really like the intrepid cepheus pickups, and that he should consider them in their metal-oriented 6 and 7 string guitars as well. he said they´d seriously consider it


----------



## Woocifer

I am really digging the distance in the frets...I know it's kinda goofy but I really like all that space there for my paws to play around. Has anyone tried a 30" scale 6 string? Would that be too much tension?


----------



## djohns74

Woocifer said:


> I am really digging the distance in the frets...I know it's kinda goofy but I really like all that space there for my paws to play around. Has anyone tried a 30" scale 6 string? Would that be too much tension?


How would it be more tension than a 30" 8 string? Maybe I didn't get your meaning there...

Anyway, I have an OLP MM5, which is a 30" scale 6 string, essentially the OLP version of the Ernie Ball Silhouette Bass. I definitely find it harder to play than my Intrepid, but there's a ton of differences between the instruments beyond the obvious, from neck profile to tuning to string gauge, probably even fretboard radius. I don't think the extra 1.375" of scale length is what kills it for me.


----------



## TomAwesome

I have a 30" scale 6. It works quite nicely since it doesn't have as many of the high strings that don't take so well to that kind of scale length.


----------



## Ben.Last

Galius said:


> CMON PEOPLE, I WANNA SEE MORE INTERCEPTOR/SEPTOR 8s!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Post that shit!!!! LOL



Shouldn't they have their own thread, since this is the official Intrepid thread?


----------



## Hawkevil

JUST ORDERED A LEFTY!!! 

A quick question for guys in the UK. How much did you have to pay for import charges? 

Also, it says on the site you have to order it with an hardcase if being sent internationally. I couldn't find any tick box or anything so im guessing its a standard thing for it to be shipped with it?

How much is the case too?


----------



## Hollowway

Interceptor Lizard Burst 827: *Your package is on time with a scheduled delivery date of 08/04/2009.
* My birthday is 08/04. Coincidence? I think not...


----------



## mgcasella

Question (and I'm sorry if it's already been answered because I couldn't find it): Is there a difference between the necks on the Intrepid Pros and the Intrepid Dual Standards?

I need to know before I place my order! 

Please don't tell me that one is a neck-thru and the other is a bolt-on because I already know that


----------



## MFB

mgcasella said:


> Question (and I'm sorry if it's already been answered because I couldn't find it): Is there a difference between the necks on the Intrepid Pros and the Intrepid Dual Standards?
> 
> I need to know before I place my order!
> 
> Please don't tell me that one is a neck-thru and the other is a bolt-on because I already know that



As far as I've heard that's the only difference. I personally LOVE this neck profile. It works really well.


----------



## Explorer

mgcasella said:


> Question (and I'm sorry if it's already been answered because I couldn't find it): Is there a difference between the necks on the Intrepid Pros and the Intrepid Dual Standards?
> 
> ...Please don't tell me that one is a neck-thru and the other is a bolt-on because I already know that



Here's a suggestion, which took me less than a minute to execute for myself.

Go to the Rondo Music website, and look at the eight-string guitars available. The neck descriptions are there, and it will be good practice for the next time you want an answer, but might not find someone who knows. Going to the source is always a good skill to cultivate.

I'll make it a little easier for you by giving you a link here, but I encourage you to make Google your friend.

And, to answer the one question you actually asked, yes, there is another difference in addition to the bolt-on/neck-through distinction. Take a look at both and read the descriptions as well.

*Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day.* 

*Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.*

Stay warm, friend.


----------



## Galius

The only other difference is the pro is a 5 piece maple/walnut neck and the standard is a 3 piece maple.


----------



## frontline52000

Hawkevil said:


> JUST ORDERED A LEFTY!!!
> 
> A quick question for guys in the UK. How much did you have to pay for import charges?
> 
> Also, it says on the site you have to order it with an hardcase if being sent internationally. I couldn't find any tick box or anything so im guessing its a standard thing for it to be shipped with it?
> 
> How much is the case too?


 
Got a lefty in the last run.

Guitar was delivered so I thought I'd managed to avoid paying any duty but apparently the kind people at FedEx had paid it for me then billed me a month or so later for £107.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i already know what my first mod to the intrepid will be, as it's the mod i do whenever i can: converting it from master vol/ master tone to bridge vol/ neck vol. awesome setup too, with the 3 way switch in between.


----------



## Hawkevil

frontline52000 said:


> Got a lefty in the last run.
> 
> Guitar was delivered so I thought I'd managed to avoid paying any duty but apparently the kind people at FedEx had paid it for me then billed me a month or so later for £107.


 
Ah cheers dude. I thought it might have been around that price!

I'm a little scared of my order though. I seen the guitar on the site for sale (no deposit or anything just a proper sale) and I ordered it but it has now disapeared from the site. Hopefully that means it's because I bought it.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Kurt said that if they were unable to fit the 30" scale ones in the current intrepid cases, they would pack them extra well before shipping. something like that anyways.

i ordered with a case, so we'll see!

edit: mine is in Paris, France now! 

to show you how quick this has been:




look at the distance between Paris and Oslo here...

now look at the distance between USA and France here:





it's almost here!


----------



## Guitarjon

Hi guys,

a couple of questions,
I've looked around here for a while, but couldn't really find answers.
I really want to order an Agile 8-string (the natural pro one with 2 pick-ups).
It doesn't say anything about deposites,
does this mean I can order the guitar and it will ship right away?
I live in Holland, how long would the order take?
If I choose international shipping, will the hardcase be included automaticly?
And a final question, are the passive pick-ups good??
Thanks guys, hop you can help!

Jon


----------



## Triple7

To answer some of you questions, the case is not included automatically, you have to order one as well. 

From what people are saying the passive pickups are really good, it seems they are superior to the emgs, but that is all your taste.

It should mention a deposit, not sure why it doesn't but they take a couple of months before they ship, so no it won't be right away. The deposit is usually half the price of the order so if you add the case it will go up.


----------



## Guitarjon

hmmm, well I just ordered one and it said nothing about deposites or anything...
It was the full price, and shipping should only take about a week.....
If in the end it turns out that it's a deposit I might cancel.... didn't know I had to wait months if it didn't say so on the site.....


----------



## JonnHatch

darren said:


> Holy crap! Is this a custom or a production model? The "lizard burst" isn't quite right... it's supposed to be more yellow in the middle with a green burst. That's more of a "tribal green".


 
I just got really freaking depressed... It still looks shmexy, but i REALLY was looking forward to the slimiest of slime green finishes FUCK. I had an old Ibanez S540 custom painted lime green a few years ago, and it got stolen, and ive been wanting a lime green again ever since
View attachment 11547


----------



## vortex_infinium

Guitarjon said:


> hmmm, well I just ordered one and it said nothing about deposites or anything...
> It was the full price, and shipping should only take about a week.....
> If in the end it turns out that it's a deposit I might cancel.... didn't know I had to wait months if it didn't say so on the site.....



You lose money if you cancel.

Also, I believe those are the left overs from the last run of Intrepids.


----------



## Baldi

vortex_infinium said:


> Also, I believe those are the left overs from the last run of Intrepids.



 Aye, it does seem that way


----------



## Hawkevil

vortex_infinium said:


> You lose money if you cancel.
> 
> Also, I believe those are the left overs from the last run of Intrepids.


 
Yep, thats what my lefty is. I'm lucky I got it really as it seems there was only one left over. I ordered it last night and when I looked this morning it had gone from the site.

I should have it hopefully in about a week!!


----------



## Guitarjon

it just said ' ready to ship ' so i guess i got a leftover!!!
WOHOOOO YEAH
I can't friggin wait, 27 inch just isn't enough for me.
I owned an rg2228, and own an sc608b (wich is great except for the F# wich just won't go lower without trouble.)


----------



## MF_Kitten

mine has left paris!


----------



## Spondus

A tracking number, i has it.


----------



## JonnHatch

Just got my tracking number for the Grilled LizardBurst Interceptor, i call it that since the edges are black instead of green  Aug. 5th baby!


----------



## Ben.Last

Oh hell yes. Got my dual lefty bloodburst intrepid standard today. This is absolutely the most comfortable guitar I have ever owned. Usually my thumb cramps up while playing(my thumb has always rested in the traditional position, I can't wrap around very well) but the wider neck makes it easier for me to position it. The guitar is gorgeous. If I can get a hold of a decent camera, I'll take some pics.

@MF Kitten, assuming you get the same case I did(I ended up getting the black when I thought I was going to have to settle for tweed. Yay!) there's only an inch at most between the top of the Intrepid headstock and the inside of the case. Also, 2 volume controls is the only mod I'd do at this point as well.


----------



## Hollowway

mgcasella said:


> Question (and I'm sorry if it's already been answered because I couldn't find it): Is there a difference between the necks on the Intrepid Pros and the Intrepid Dual Standards?
> 
> I need to know before I place my order!
> 
> Please don't tell me that one is a neck-thru and the other is a bolt-on because I already know that



I have an Intrepid pro, and an Interceptor standard on the way. I'll compare them and let you know what I find. But, I had the same question, so I looked at the profile photo on the web site to see if the heel of the two were in different places. For a neck thru, the pro has a pretty large artificial heel, but it doesn't seem to get in the way at all. I'm not sure if the standard does, but it seemed from the photos that they were in roughly the same place. Personally, I like neck thrus just because of the better access, so we'll see how I do with my standard. But it's more expensive, too, so...


----------



## iff

Hey guys, I need a quick answer please 

Would this case work for the Intrepid 8 string? Baritone Case

In the FAQ, it says to buy this case Baritone Case , but that one's out of stock right now and the other one is the "Intrepid case" and Baritone, so I figured it should fit..

Thanks


----------



## TomAwesome

nomop said:


> Hey guys, I need a quick answer please
> 
> Would this case work for the Intrepid 8 string? Baritone Case
> 
> In the FAQ, it says to buy this case Baritone Case , but that one's out of stock right now and the other one is the "Intrepid case" and Baritone, so I figured it should fit..
> 
> Thanks





the top of the page you linked said:


> Case will fit Agile Intrepid 8 String Guitar.



Edit: Nevermind, I got the pages switched. If the FAQ recommends that case, it should fit.


----------



## iff

TomAwesome said:


> Edit: Nevermind, I got the pages switched. If the FAQ recommends that case, it should fit.



It's just that the FAQ recommends the bottom one that's out of stock.

Is the Intrepid 8 string the only Intrepid model that Agile makes? So then if it's the Intrepid case, I can't really go wrong 

Yes/No?


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, I'm unaware of any Intrepid 6s or 7s.


----------



## iff

Just don't want to take the risk, you know? 

And I need to order tonight, as we're leaving for a week tomorrow and probably won't have a chance in the morning 

So is that pretty much a yes? It would work?

Sorry for being impatient, it's just that, like I said, I'm kind of in a rush


----------



## MF_Kitten

i'm looking forwards to jamming around my ideas with this thing when it arrives. it's the ultimate problem solver for me, because i've only been able to go higher or lower, and never higher AND lower. i'm a sucker for really high notes in my clean stuff, as well as for leads and layered orchestral guitar parts.

i've got lots of ideas that i'll end up doing with the intrepid, i think. i played around with the agile baritone today, doing some clean stuff with a new clean tone that i love (really REALLY athmospheric!), and i'm totally doing that on my intrepid when i come home. also, for those that remember the idea i made in riffworks, i'm going to complete that as well, with the intrepid 

edit: also, i'm planning on doing a heavily transposed cover of NIN - We're in this together now. maybe i'll do it an octave lower


----------



## Santuzzo

Wow ! Thos 8 strigns look really awesome!!!
I can't believe how low-priced they are.

I might get tempted to really WANT this:


----------



## mgcasella

Explorer said:


> Here's a suggestion, which took me less than a minute to execute for myself.
> 
> Go to the Rondo Music website, and look at the eight-string guitars available. The neck descriptions are there, and it will be good practice for the next time you want an answer, but might not find someone who knows. Going to the source is always a good skill to cultivate.
> 
> I'll make it a little easier for you by giving you a link here, but I encourage you to make Google your friend.
> 
> And, to answer the one question you actually asked, yes, there is another difference in addition to the bolt-on/neck-through distinction. Take a look at both and read the descriptions as well.
> 
> *Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day.*
> 
> *Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.*
> 
> Stay warm, friend.



I should have also written "besides that fact that one is a neck-thru and the other is a bolt on AND that they are made form different woods".

I wanted to know about specifics the Rondo website did not have information on, such as width, thickness, etc.

Thank you in advance to anyone that has information to provide. If you don't have anything for me then post on Harmony Central.


----------



## Setnakt

To be fair, I've heard that the Pros have necks with slightly flat and wider feeling shoulders, rather than being slightly more slim and rounded on the edges like the Standards. The necks are supposed to be the same thickness and I don't know how much of a difference the profiles make but that makes me more inclined to the Pro.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i believe it's the opposite actually, with the standards having a slightly more pronounced flat part, while the pros are a little more rounded.


----------



## Hawkevil

Got an e-mail saying my Inptrepid should get to me by Friday!!! 

Any guys in the UK that have received their guitars from Rondo Music in less than 5 days?


----------



## Explorer

I&#8217;m trying not to think about this too much&#8230; but I am having my Intrepid Pro with ebony fretboard delivered to work. It&#8217;s scheduled to arrive today, which means that all work will cease for a one-hour period while I inspect every facet of the instrument.

Ever since I started having things sent to work, I have never had to worry about them walking off the porch, or being exposed to the elements. The need to do the immediate inspection in case of shipping damage is an unexpected bonus&#8230;


----------



## Guitarjon

WOHOOOOO,
I just got my fedex tracking number for my Pro duo cepheus!!!! 
It will arrive friday probably, so i'll post pics and a clip soon enough!
I'm sooo happy and lucky!! hehehehe
wohooo


----------



## Explorer

Excellent condition, other than a loose battery.

The fingerboard and fret finishing is just a LITTLE rough, but the frets all work, and there are no sharp edges. 

*HOWEVER!*

*The intonation on the lowest string is completely maxed out* *as is!* Im hopeful that it will intonate for at least a low E, but even though there is 4 millimeters of space in front of the highest strings bridge on the plate, Im surprised that the bridge is still so far forward. 

*Is there any hope of Rondo/Kurt/Agile ever taking seriously the requests to move the bridge back?* This may seriously be the only reason I return it which I had already let Kurt know when he told me I was getting a guitar from this shipment instead of October.

*It truly sucks it big time that the bridge cant be moved back. Is it really so hard to do? *

*This really sucks it raw... and that hurts.*

Anyway, I might even go home at lunch and see if this thing can even be adjusted for the low E1, or if it gets returned right away, and my name reinserted for the original October guitar, with this issue finally resolved

----

And, for those who have been curious, the black case fits this thing perfectly, with no play at all.


----------



## Galius

I dont get it, I had my last run pro set up when I got it and there was still room for intonation adjustment.


----------



## plyta

.070 tuned to F on my 2nd run Standard - perfect intonation with saddle maxed-out with spring removed, string's almost touching the end of adjustment screw.



Explorer said:


> Excellent condition, other than a loose battery.
> 
> The fingerboard and fret finishing is just a LITTLE rough, but the frets all work, and there are no sharp edges.
> 
> *HOWEVER!*
> 
> *The intonation on the lowest string is completely maxed out* *as is!* I&#8217;m hopeful that it will intonate for at least a low E, but even though there is 4 millimeters of space in front of the highest string&#8217;s bridge on the plate, I&#8217;m surprised that the bridge is still so far forward.
> 
> *Is there any hope of Rondo/Kurt/Agile ever taking seriously the requests to move the bridge back?* This may seriously be the only reason I return it&#8230; which I had already let Kurt know when he told me I was getting a guitar from this shipment instead of October.
> 
> *It truly sucks it big time that the bridge can&#8217;t be moved back. Is it really so hard to do? *
> 
> *This really sucks it raw... and that hurts.*
> 
> Anyway, I might even go home at lunch and see if this thing can even be adjusted for the low E1, or if it gets returned right away, and my name reinserted for the original October guitar, with this issue finally resolved&#8230;
> 
> ----
> 
> And, for those who have been curious, the black case fits this thing perfectly, with no play at all.



You need to get thicker strings or tune up. What gauge you've tried to get down to E1?

Also, remember that thicker wound strings don't break over the nut and saddle. They arc because of their stiffness - you need to push them hard with your finger after the first tune-up on the first fret (close to the nut) and behind the birdge pickup (close to the saddle). Then they'll have breaking angles and you'll get the correct intonation.


----------



## Galius

Then obviously there was a difference in bridge positioning between the 2 because im using a 70 as well


plyta said:


> .070 tuned to F on my 2nd run Standard - perfect intonation with saddle maxed-out with spring removed, string's almost touching the end of adjustment screw.


----------



## MF_Kitten

you could always try moving the bridge yourself, but you'd only be able to move it a little bit before revealing the screw-holes.


----------



## plyta

Galius said:


> Then obviously there was a difference in bridge positioning between the 2 because im using a 70 as well



Depends on the string itself as well - for instance I use d'addario nickel round wound.

There was this dummy-proof illustration made by someone (GazPots maybe?) here for getting proper thick wound string braking angles when some guy couldn't get intonation on his 2228 correct. But I can't find it...


----------



## Explorer

My eventual plan is to put tune the lowest string to Ab0. I talked about this in the "full fifths tuning thread," and the target tuning is: Ab0 - E1 - Bb1 - F2 - C3 - G3 - D4 - A4. I'll probably be going with at least 13 lbs. of tension, so the bottom strings will be larger than the .072 these are purported to use (actual string upon arrival: .065). 

So, before I start altering the tuning machines to accept something around .100, and have work done on the nut, I'll need to be able to adjust the bridge further back. If it's already back as far as possible, and won't adjust to E1, then the instrument just won't work, in spite of the scale length. 

It would be a shame, since everything else would be ideal. That bridge plate and the string holes through the body could be moved back at least 2 mm towards the tail, given the huge amount of space on the high E string currently. Being able to make that change would make the guitar more versatile. 

It would seem, after quite a few posts on this site, and after quite a few people have written to Kurt, that the bridge would have moved back. It's just not happening, though, which is a shame if anyone wants to downtune further. 

If something has to be screwed to its limit to reach a minimum of good adjustment, then why not change the set up so it doesn't have to be screwed to its limit... and so the instrument can even go beyond that minimum expectation?

----

Incidentally, moving the bridge means the holes in the instrument's back, in which rest the ball ends, will now be out of line with the holes in the bridgeplate. One can't just move the bridge and cover the holes, because then one can't thread the strings through the body. 

If I were willing to plug the holes, move the bridge and mark new locations for the holes and grommets, and then redrill, leaving all kinds of ugly ma

Wait a minute! Why wouldn't this just be done right to begin with?

If it comes down to that, then it's going back, as lovely as it is. I'm willing to have the set up done to handle larger strings and such, but if the intonation is already bottomed out at E1, then it's not worth it. It won't do what I want, and isn't set up to be downtuned... which is odd for an eight string, but maybe that's just me...


----------



## TomAwesome

The bridge was moved back from where it was in the first run. I think some people were talking about the saddles on the high strings ending up as far forward as they would go, though. If the bridge's current location is working for the majority of people, but with the saddles on either side being pretty much at their maximum positions in opposite directions, I can understand the logic in leaving it where it is. Given the range between your proposed lowest string and your highest string, you might want to keep that in mind when you move the bridge.


----------



## Explorer

I'm not going to move the bridge. If it doesn't work, it just goes back to 
Rondo. Not worth plugging and redrilling, even though the ebony fingerboard is beautiful. 

The intonation on the high string is dead on, and there is still that additional 4mm on the high side. The bass string is at maximum for the tuning it came with, and the high string has 4mm of additional adjustment possible to sharp the intonation. I'm going up to A4 (or will if I keep this), and there is no way I'll max out that 4mm of space, or even 2mm or space, had they moved the bridge. As far as I know know, A4 is the highest possible note on this, and it took less than 5mm of movement to intonate the B4 on the FM-408 at 25.5". I doubt one could max out the high string. As far as I know, there isn't really a way to tune that high string higher than A4 at the 28.625" scale length of the Intrepid, so it's unlikely I'm going to eat that whole 4mm. 

4mm at the top... nothing at the bottom. It's not the middle of the range at all, Tom, it's scraping the bottom of possible adjustment. 

I can understand, I guess. It's not like more than one person would ever want to tune this down from the F#1, right? No one would ever want even that E1, or a low D1, and that's not what an eight string is all about. It's about going higher... errr, right? *laugh*

----

Whoops!

The nut isn't cut for a .072 string. There is no way to even test a larger string on it than the .065 it came with. It's funny, the Rondo website says on all the eight-strings that the lowest string is a .072, so I'm know I'm not wrong in my expectations.

Will widening the channel in the nut to where it's supposed to already be void the possibility of returns? Or is this just a whacky mistake, just on this particular guitar?


----------



## JonnHatch

i slapped a .74 on my Intrepid without the need for enlarging my nut slot.. All i needed was to drill the tuner out.. im wondering if the nuts on the intrepids arent consistent. Also, i tune everything down a half step, and even if i tune my low string to Eb, i have no intonation problems, its perfect. Waaaait i forgot to mention, i bought 2 sets of Graphtech saddles, and i filed the bottom of the F# and B stringsaddles down a bit so i could pull the sadddles back some more. Maybe that would help?


----------



## mgcasella

JonnHatch said:


> i slapped a .74 on my Intrepid without the need for enlarging my nut slot.. All i needed was to drill the tuner out.. im wondering if the nuts on the intrepids arent consistent. Also, i tune everything down a half step, and even if i tune my low string to Eb, i have no intonation problems, its perfect. Waaaait i forgot to mention, i bought 2 sets of Graphtech saddles, and i filed the bottom of the F# and B string saddles down a bit so i could pull the saddles back some more. Maybe that would help?



Speaking of which, are there any places one can buy single Graphtech saddles? I have a set of six and only need two more - I would hate to have to buy a whole other set  I figured that if I buy a dual standard then the Graphtechs would be better than the stock saddles.

A quick search on the internet turned up nothing 

Also, FWIW, I emailed Hipshot a few hours ago to see if it is possible to order a single short saddle (such as the ones that come on the 8 string Schecter). I will report back on this as soon as I am emailed.


----------



## Ben.Last

Quick question. Anything specific I should use to clean my Intrepid's body, neck and fretboard? It's a std. bloodburst, maple fretboard. I've never had a guitar with a satin finish or a maple neck before so I'm just curious about recommendations.


----------



## JonnHatch

Lern2swim said:


> Quick question. Anything specific I should use to clean my Intrepid's body, neck and fretboard? It's a std. bloodburst, maple fretboard. I've never had a guitar with a satin finish or a maple neck before so I'm just curious about recommendations.



I clean the body of mine with a microfiber cloth, no polish. but any good cotton cloth should do, just wipe that beast down when your done playing with it

For the fretboard, every other restring i use 0000 steel wool ( to get the gunk off if there is any, and it makes the frets nice and shiny, but doesnt hurt anything) then wipe the steel wool filings off(or blow them off) and a little bit of lemon oil on a cloth. Seems to do the trick!


----------



## st2012

I was still at work when mine came by. Nobody was here to sign for it so I have to wait another day.


----------



## Santuzzo

st2012 said:


> I was still at work when mine came by. Nobody was here to sign for it so I have to wait another day.



Sorry to hear that, I know that sucks. I had the same thing happening back 1,5 years ago when I got my RG1527.


----------



## Explorer

JonnHatch said:


> i slapped a .74 on my Intrepid without the need for enlarging my nut slot.. All i needed was to drill the tuner out.. im wondering if the nuts on the intrepids arent consistent. Also, i tune everything down a half step, and even if i tune my low string to Eb, i have no intonation problems, its perfect. Waaaait i forgot to mention, i bought 2 sets of Graphtech saddles, and i filed the bottom of the F# and B stringsaddles down a bit so i could pull the sadddles back some more. Maybe that would help?



That definitely would help. How much more did you have to pay for the replacement saddles to be able to intonate your stock guitar accurately?


----------



## MF_Kitten

st2012 said:


> I was still at work when mine came by. Nobody was here to sign for it so I have to wait another day.



i called fedex today and told them to drop it off at the nearest post office, and they did just that. so i'll pick it up when i come back home to the apartment.


----------



## possumkiller

Explorer said:


> 4mm at the top... nothing at the bottom. It's not the middle of the range at all, Tom, it's scraping the bottom of possible adjustment.
> 
> I can understand, I guess. It's not like more than one person would ever want to tune this down from the F#1, right? No one would ever want even that E1, or a low D1, and that's not what an eight string is all about. It's about going higher... errr, right? *laugh*


 

well honestly its just an entry level 8 so that people can decide if they like the feel of an 8 or not. it was never intended as a custom instrument. probably if youre after some other tunings or something that cant be done on the intrepid you would be better off going to someone like sherman or shamray or plenty of other custom builders out there that would build something to do specifically what you want. rondo isnt a real custom shop so you probably shouldnt expect custom quality from them. especially at the prices they are selling.


----------



## JonnHatch

Explorer said:


> That definitely would help. How much more did you have to pay for the replacement saddles to be able to intonate your stock guitar accurately?


 
50 dollars for the 2 sets of graphtech saddles, but my intonation wasnt THAT bad when i got it. which makes me wonder if there are consistency issues with bridge placement, nut, etc.



MF_Kitten said:


> i called fedex today and told them to drop it off at the nearest post office, and they did just that. so i'll pick it up when i come back home to the apartment.


 

Mine will be here tomorrow... I CANT WAIT to see your pics since your getting yours first! Im really hoping it'll be the lime green that the computer mockup depicted, because Darrens picture had black edges, and it bursted more towards the middle of the guitar, ala "Grilled LizardBurst"


----------



## MF_Kitten

JonnHatch said:


> Mine will be here tomorrow... I CANT WAIT to see your pics since your getting yours first! Im really hoping it'll be the lime green that the computer mockup depicted, because Darrens picture had black edges, and it bursted more towards the middle of the guitar, ala "Grilled LizardBurst"



i'm not going home until friday dude, you're getting yours first


----------



## JonnHatch

Ahhh ok. Well im having mine delivered to work and it arrives tomorrow, so i shall post pics as soon as i open it


----------



## Hollowway

So I got my Interceptor 8 today (http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...gd-interceptor-827-lizard-burst-picstory.html). Looks like the intonation/bridge placement is still an issue: My route on the Kahler looks like it was done a little too far toward the neck, and the whole thing is tipped away from the bass side by the set screw (presumably because the saddles can't be moved back any further).

EDIT: Scratch that. I reset the Kahler to the proper position, and really only needed to change one saddle to get it to intonate (not the F#, mind you). For whatever reason, it was set up so the fretted 12th was flat on the F#. So I just put the adjustment screw back to even with the treble side, and voila, it's good to go. Not sure why the techs spent so much time jacking the trem, though (it's pretty scratched up).


----------



## MF_Kitten

yesterday, while waiting for sleep to strike me, i came to think about how insanely nice a natural intrepid pro dual would look with black/cream zebra pickups. DAYUM!

that's totally what i'm getting if i decide to put BKPs in mine!


----------



## Galius

Not sure about all that. Most other 8s come witht he same bridge and to be honest I feel the Agiles have more potential than most other production 8s. Not sure why some of the Intrepids have better saddle travel than others 


possumkiller said:


> well honestly its just an entry level 8 so that people can decide if they like the feel of an 8 or not. it was never intended as a custom instrument. probably if youre after some other tunings or something that cant be done on the intrepid you would be better off going to someone like sherman or shamray or plenty of other custom builders out there that would build something to do specifically what you want. rondo isnt a real custom shop so you probably shouldnt expect custom quality from them. especially at the prices they are selling.


----------



## Spondus

bloodburst dual pro, i has it


----------



## JonnHatch

just got the Interceptor 827 lizard burst. It actually looks sweet, will post pics after work!! The only problem, and reason i might send it back, is there is a HUGE gap between the bottom of the neck where it is suppose to be flush to the body. I guess they pulled the neck back because of scale length. but still, a 4 month wait and 800 bucks, there shouldnt be a huge gap in the neck pocket like i said, pics will come tonight


----------



## cyril v

possumkiller said:


> well honestly its just an entry level 8 so that people can decide if they like the feel of an 8 or not. it was never intended as a custom instrument. probably if youre after some other tunings or something that cant be done on the intrepid you would be better off going to someone like sherman or shamray or plenty of other custom builders out there that would build something to do specifically what you want. rondo isnt a real custom shop so you probably shouldnt expect custom quality from them. especially at the prices they are selling.



schecter has three different 8-string options in the price range and LTD has two of them... all of them have excellent quality IMO. whats the difference between custom and standard quality practices? I think it's not that hard to just check shit before you send something out.. Some of these mistakes are pretty basic IMO...


----------



## Hawkevil

Just checked tracking. My guitar is now in England WOOT!!

Should hopefully have it by friday...


----------



## MF_Kitten

in case you guys overlooked it, i started a thread in the ERG section about passive-sized 8 string Q-tuners being possible for production, as i've spoken to Erno, the Q-tujner guy, about it. go check it out! we need a minimum of 12 buyers (which is next to nothing!) to make this into a production model.

we also need to get together and decide on the exact dimensions of it.

more info here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-need-buyers-very-possible-passive-sized.html


----------



## Ben.Last

cyril v said:


> schecter has three different 8-string options in the price range and LTD has two of them... all of them have excellent quality IMO. whats the difference between custom and standard quality practices? I think it's not that hard to just check shit before you send something out.. Some of these mistakes are pretty basic IMO...



Don't know if the Schecters being approx. $200 more puts them in the same price range but, assuming it does, since the first run, very few people have had any problems at all with their Intrepids. I don't have a single problem with mine and, quite frankly, the build quality on it is as good as/better than any Schecter I've played. In my opinion, they're very far from anything I would call an "entry level 8"


----------



## MF_Kitten

the price is entry-level though


----------



## AgileLefty

just a heads up for you guys...

Intrepid Pro Natural Dual Cepheus Ebony Board for $785

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Dual Cepheus Ebony FB Nat at HomeOld

B-stock Natural Pro Dual Cepheus Maple board for $499!!!

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus B Stock at HomeOld

also some Interceptors and Septor models


----------



## Santuzzo

AgileLefty said:


> just a heads up for you guys...
> 
> Intrepid Pro Natural Dual Cepheus Ebony Board for $785
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Dual Cepheus Ebony FB Nat at HomeOld
> 
> B-stock Natural Pro Dual Cepheus Maple board for $499!!!
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus B Stock at HomeOld
> 
> also some Interceptors and Septor models



Thanks for posting this.

Do you have links for the Septors and Interceptors?


----------



## AgileLefty

at the bottom left hand side of the Rondo homepage you'll see "New Items and Specials" . that is where all the b-stocks and .... uhh .... new items show up

here is the link..

New Items & Specials


----------



## Santuzzo

AgileLefty said:


> at the bottom left hand side of the Rondo homepage you'll see "New Items and Specials" . that is where all the b-stocks and .... uhh .... new items show up
> 
> here is the link..
> 
> New Items & Specials



OK! Thanks!

The have an Intrepid 8 string fretless 

I still want to wait until they have 8 string Septors or Interceptors available again.


----------



## st2012

Quality wise, the Agile 8's are far beyond most non-custom 8's out there so I wouldn't consider them entry level. Having said that, any guitar that you buy for more than $99 should intonate properly IMO. As many guitars as Kurt handles, there are bound to be a few that have problems but as far as I know, he's always taken care of any customer issues rather quickly. If you contact him about your troubles, I'm sure he'll take care of you...


----------



## Hollowway

I feel like I've twice dodged the bullet on this intonation issue, as my Intrepid Pro and my Interceptor 827 have intonated fine. Either that or I'm an idiot and don't know what I'm doing. Keep your comments to yourselves, please.

Anyway, I will also chime in to say that although a $800 (Interceptor 8) or $675 (Intrepid) guitar is by no means cheap, they do play very well, can get low action, and have really high quality finishes. I've not played a true custom, but they are easily as good as my production guitars retailing well above that price mark.


----------



## MF_Kitten

yeah, my agile baritone 6 string plays and sounds better than any other guitar that i've owned so far. there's no reason an agile would have worse quality than an ibby or ltd or whatever, for the same price. and rondo music even caters to the niches, providing hard-to-find specs for normal prices, and i love that 

arch-top superstrat 7 string with 27" scale, maple board and quilted maple top, and even a matching reversed headstock? with a string-thru TOM?! and... what? did you say... 30" scale 8 string?!?!?! YEAH BOYYYYY! what would that cost? NEXT TO NOTHING BITCH!

so yeah, i love rondo music, and constantly drool at just about all of the guitars on their site. i feel tempted to order tons and tons of pretty-looking cheap guitars, and just swim around in them


----------



## Hawkevil

My lefty agile arrived today!!! A day early haha!!

It's set up really well from what I can tell up to yet.

The only problem with it is the lowest string is a bit too wobbly for my liking so I might have to go up a gauge or two.

Still, awesome guitar, especially for the price!!

I should have some clips up in the next couple of days if anyone is interested!!

Thanks Rondo Music!


----------



## Baldi

Bugger!!!!! FedEx just tried delivering my intrepid n I wasnt in!!!!
Whats the crack now? Anyone else missed the deliver with FedEx?


----------



## caughtinamosh

Baldi said:


> Bugger!!!!! FedEx just tried delivering my intrepid n I wasnt in!!!!
> Whats the crack now? Anyone else missed the deliver with FedEx?



I don't think that I've heard anyone else use that phrase ("What's the crack?") before. I  the UK dudes on here. 

Let us know how much of a hassle the whole process was, man. I'm considering ordering an Intrepid, even though I'm also UK based.


----------



## Hawkevil

Baldi said:


> Bugger!!!!! FedEx just tried delivering my intrepid n I wasnt in!!!!
> Whats the crack now? Anyone else missed the deliver with FedEx?


 
I'm sure if you ring them up they will arrange another delivery for tomorrow or something. 

I'm not 100% on this but I think you could go and pick it up from the store depot if you have the time.


----------



## possumkiller

caughtinamosh said:


> I don't think that I've heard anyone else use that phrase ("What's the crack?") before. I  the UK dudes on here.
> 
> Let us know how much of a hassle the whole process was, man. I'm considering ordering an Intrepid, even though I'm also UK based.


 

i am very new to the uk and have NOBODY to jam with. anybody located close to bristol or weston?


----------



## kvide

AgileLefty said:


> just a heads up for you guys...
> 
> Intrepid Pro Natural Dual Cepheus Ebony Board for $785
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Dual Cepheus Ebony FB Nat at HomeOld
> 
> B-stock Natural Pro Dual Cepheus Maple board for $499!!!
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Natural Dual Cepheus B Stock at HomeOld
> 
> also some Interceptors and Septor models


Just bought the b-stock...


----------



## mgcasella

I just got an email from Jason Ungleich at Hipshot and he said that you can special order the Hipshot bridge used on the Schecter models it will cost _$104_ and if you want to order the individual short saddle this is used for the low F# it will cost _$10_! 

Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me! I wonder why Ron doesn't have these custom bridges on his Pro models?


----------



## TomAwesome

mgcasella said:


> I just got an email from Jason Ungleich at Hipshot and he said that you can special order the Hipshot bridge used on the Schecter models it will cost _$104_ and if you want to order the individual short saddle this is used for the low F# it will cost _$10_!
> 
> Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me! I wonder why Ron doesn't have these custom bridges on his Pro models?



That is fantastic news. I think I'll be spending $10 soon.


----------



## MF_Kitten

if the 30" scale on mine still doesn't intonate (despite the scale length), i'll probably invest in the saddle


----------



## Galius

cool option to add the saddle if needed, but the saddle is the only thing different so buying a new bridge would be pointless.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

Anyone know if any single pup Intrepid were ordered? Hoping to see some of those left over.


----------



## MF_Kitten

just reminding people that we could get 8 string passive sized q-tuners if we just get together for it here!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-need-buyers-very-possible-passive-sized.html


----------



## ra1der2

7deadlysins666 said:


> Anyone know if any single pup Intrepid were ordered? Hoping to see some of those left over.



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...ile-intrepid-8-string-want-sc607-natural.html

One for sale there in charcoal, looks real nice and only $625 plus shipping seller said.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i made an intrepid NGD with a massive picstory for you guys, check it out! 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...y-picstory-and-clip-inside-56k-stay-away.html


----------



## Used666

What case fits the Intrepids?


----------



## Woocifer

Hey guys... so I've been requested to put up some pics or vids showing the idea of scale and such while playing one of these behemoths.

I gotta tell ya...I fucking LOVE this guitar. I figured out the volume pot problem is based on the pot not being properly grounding...that's it. It's intonated, awesome action, right out of the box super hot shit.

Here's some vids:

A song I was screwing with


Clean Tones


Just some improv metal stuff




Have a look!

BTW I'm self taught and have 0 theory behind me so...go easy on me eh?


----------



## mgcasella

*GRUMPY MOD EDIT: Why the fuck did you quote the whole post directly above yours and say nothing yourself*


----------



## JonnHatch

Woocifer said:


> Hey guys... so I've been requested to put up some pics or vids showing the idea of scale and such while playing one of these behemoths.
> 
> I gotta tell ya...I fucking LOVE this guitar. I figured out the volume pot problem is based on the pot not being properly grounding...that's it. It's intonated, awesome action, right out of the box super hot shit.
> 
> Have a look!
> 
> BTW I'm self taught and have 0 theory behind me so...go easy on me eh?


 
DUDE! thanks for the vids, that thing is sooooooo sweet, and your riffs were equally as sweet Im definitely sending back my Interceptor 827 Lizard Burst and putting the deposit on my custom quote now


----------



## Woocifer

Oh hey I forgot one...this one kinda shows what a smoother tone from both pickups is like.

It's Jester Script Transfigured...well some of it.



Screwed up some but whatever...just gives you an idea


----------



## Hawkevil

Finished a song with my Intrepid if anyone is interested?

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/92734-new-song-proliferation-agile-8-string.html


----------



## Hollowway

JonnHatch said:


> just got the Interceptor 827 lizard burst. It actually looks sweet, will post pics after work!! The only problem, and reason i might send it back, is there is a HUGE gap between the bottom of the neck where it is suppose to be flush to the body. I guess they pulled the neck back because of scale length. but still, a 4 month wait and 800 bucks, there shouldnt be a huge gap in the neck pocket like i said, pics will come tonight



Interesting. I have a gap on the forward edge of the Kahler. It appears that they routed it too close to the neck. It plays fine, because the adjustment screws on the back of the Kahler are turned in to pull the bridge toward the butt of the body. Looks like on yours they compensated by moving the neck out some. But definitely post picks - I want to see that gap.


----------



## Baldi

Heeeeeey!
Ive had my intrepid for a few days now and im slowly getting used to it.. The tone is immense, its set up really nicely, intonation is pretty much perfect, no complaints at all - Im one very happy customer! (...cheers for all the helpful info you guys have provided  )

I have a few questions though regarding strings..
What strings/gauges do other intrepid players use?
The reason I ask this is because the tension on the high E string is REALLY tight - almost too much for string bends! Ive just snapped the high E simply trying to do a 2-fret bend!!! Any particular brand/type of strings you guys recommend to overcome this problem?

aaaand, ive been into the guitar shops in Leeds inquiring about string gauges for electric guitars and all the shops im my area only sell guitar strings up to .54 !!! After .54 its onto bass guitar strings, but, Ive noticed if I buy a .73 bass string for the f# it wont fit through the back of the guitar because of the _circular brass loop on the end of the string_ (i have no idea what the correct term for this is!?)
So, where can I buy guitar strings up to .73 that will fit though the back of the intrepid? anywhere online?

(sorry if this subject has been talked about before, ive searched through the forum for about 30mins but couldnt find anything!)
Cheeeers


----------



## JonnHatch

Baldi said:


> Heeeeeey!
> Ive had my intrepid for a few days now and im slowly getting used to it.. The tone is immense, its set up really nicely, intonation is pretty much perfect, no complaints at all - Im one very happy customer! (...cheers for all the helpful info you guys have provided  )
> 
> I have a few questions though regarding strings..
> What strings/gauges do other intrepid players use?
> The reason I ask this is because the tension on the high E string is REALLY tight - almost too much for string bends! Ive just snapped the high E simply trying to do a 2-fret bend!!! Any particular brand/type of strings you guys recommend to overcome this problem?
> 
> aaaand, ive been into the guitar shops in Leeds inquiring about string gauges for electric guitars and all the shops im my area only sell guitar strings up to .54 !!! After .54 its onto bass guitar strings, but, Ive noticed if I buy a .73 bass string for the f# it wont fit through the back of the guitar because of the _circular brass loop on the end of the string_ (i have no idea what the correct term for this is!?)
> So, where can I buy guitar strings up to .73 that will fit though the back of the intrepid? anywhere online?
> 
> (sorry if this subject has been talked about before, ive searched through the forum for about 30mins but couldnt find anything!)
> Cheeeers


 
D'addario makes up to a .80 with a guitar ball-end instead of a bass ball-end. You will probably need to drill a bigger hole into your tuner, so the string fits there too, its not a hard task Also, the tension on your 8 string is greater due to extended scale length. If you are playing in F# standard, a .009 will feel more like a .010 or .011. It'll feel a bit better if you tune a half-step lower, or just move to a .008 or .007 Where is Leeds?


----------



## JonnHatch

Hollowway said:


> Interesting. I have a gap on the forward edge of the Kahler. It appears that they routed it too close to the neck. It plays fine, because the adjustment screws on the back of the Kahler are turned in to pull the bridge toward the butt of the body. Looks like on yours they compensated by moving the neck out some. But definitely post picks - I want to see that gap.


 
View attachment 11689


theres that nasty gap. im sending it back because of it if the pic is small, click that hoe and it should get bigger


----------



## JonnHatch

the Lizard Burst with the rest of the family. Its a shame im returning it


----------



## Baldi

JonnHatch said:


> D'addario makes up to a .80 with a guitar ball-end instead of a bass ball-end. You will probably need to drill a bigger hole into your tuner, so the string fits there too, its not a hard task Also, the tension on your 8 string is greater due to extended scale length. If you are playing in F# standard, a .009 will feel more like a .010 or .011. It'll feel a bit better if you tune a half-step lower, or just move to a .008 or .007 Where is Leeds?



Cheers for the info 
I figured that the extended scale of the guitar would result in more tension on the strings but I was kinda shocked how much of an extra struggle a simple 2-fret bend felt in comparison to a standard length guitar.

I'd prefer to stick with standard tuning instead of tuning down half a step so I think ill try out a .08 - Has anyone had any experience with a gauge .08 on a 28" neck? I understand that the tension will feel better for lead playing but how's the lifespan of a .08? will it handle being tuned up to standard E tuning without snapping very often?

Leeds is in the north of England - there's a fair amount guitar shops around but usually with very standard/boring limited stock!

Sorry for the annoying quesions! Your help/advice is greatly appreciated


----------



## Galius

Baldi said:


> Cheers for the info
> I figured that the extended scale of the guitar would result in more tension on the strings but I was kinda shocked how much of an extra struggle a simple 2-fret bend felt in comparison to a standard length guitar.
> 
> I'd prefer to stick with standard tuning instead of tuning down half a step so I think ill try out a .08 - Has anyone had any experience with a gauge .08 on a 28" neck? I understand that the tension will feel better for lead playing but how's the lifespan of a .08? will it handle being tuned up to standard E tuning without snapping very often?
> 
> Leeds is in the north of England - there's a fair amount guitar shops around but usually with very standard/boring limited stock!
> 
> Sorry for the annoying quesions! Your help/advice is greatly appreciated


 
Im using a set with 10s and have no problems with tension/bends/string breakage. If they were the stock strings that broke on you it was probly because they ship them with trash strings. You should restring it with a medium set and see how you like it. If you like ernie ball strings they sell them in singles on musicians friends site. Ive been using the ernie ball 10-56 7 string set and ordering 72s for my low f on my intrepid.


----------



## Hollowway

JonnHatch said:


> View attachment 11689
> 
> 
> theres that nasty gap. im sending it back because of it if the pic is small, click that hoe and it should get bigger


 
Bummers. I decided to keep mine with the Kahler gap. Bottom line is I like it overall, and don't want to wait for anything else. But that sucks that they have this systematic error on all these. And it's interesting that they chose a different "fix" for yours than mine. That being said, your's isn't visible from the front. But if it bugs you, then send that puppy back.

Also, I can't tell from the photos if I'm seeing it correctly, but it looks like your high E is closer to the edge of the FB than the F#? I ask because mine was. I had to loosen the neck screws and shove it over to recenter it. And that made the Kahler a bit crooked in comparison, so I really backed out the adjustment screw on it to compensate.


----------



## JonnHatch

Hollowway said:


> Bummers. I decided to keep mine with the Kahler gap. Bottom line is I like it overall, and don't want to wait for anything else. But that sucks that they have this systematic error on all these. And it's interesting that they chose a different "fix" for yours than mine. That being said, your's isn't visible from the front. But if it bugs you, then send that puppy back.
> 
> Also, I can't tell from the photos if I'm seeing it correctly, but it looks like your high E is closer to the edge of the FB than the F#? I ask because mine was. I had to loosen the neck screws and shove it over to recenter it. And that made the Kahler a bit crooked in comparison, so I really backed out the adjustment screw on it to compensate.


 
Yeah it was closer, but if you didnt already know, you can actually adjust each saddles string spacing with the philips screw on the saddle, so i did that and it fixed it. I got the Kahler set up like heaven, and i really love how the guitar plays, even better than my Intrepid. But i just feel like im missing out on some tone, due to the fact that my neck isnt snug with the body: the high strings sound very dull, and they dont sustain well, i just feel like the neck joint is causing it. so im sending it back and putting that 800 bucks toward my custom order 8 string


----------



## Galius

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 Ebony FB Bloodburst at HomeOld

I suddenly feel the urge to sell my Bloodburst pro and replace it with this.


----------



## mgcasella

JonnHatch said:


> View attachment 11689
> 
> 
> theres that nasty gap. im sending it back because of it if the pic is small, click that hoe and it should get bigger



Not only does that suck but whenever I see stuff like that I think "What else could they have skimped on in the factory?" It's not very professional to just make that sort of half-assed correction to the neck 

Also, what happens when dirt and grime build up in that pocket from playing with sweaty hands in smokey bars? That would be a pain in the ass to clean.

I don't care if it's a good deal compared to other 8-string guitars out there - that is simply unacceptable to me. I would send it back purely on principle, if anything else.

End of rant.


----------



## JonnHatch

Galius said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 Ebony FB Bloodburst at HomeOld
> 
> I suddenly feel the urge to sell my Bloodburst pro and replace it with this.


 

Would your bloodburst pro happen to be a dual?


----------



## Hollowway

mgcasella said:


> Not only does that suck but whenever I see stuff like that I think "What else could they have skimped on in the factory?" It's not very professional to just make that sort of half-assed correction to the neck
> 
> Also, what happens when dirt and grime build up in that pocket from playing with sweaty hands in smokey bars? That would be a pain in the ass to clean.
> 
> I don't care if it's a good deal compared to other 8-string guitars out there - that is simply unacceptable to me. I would send it back purely on principle, if anything else.
> 
> End of rant.


 
Yeah, especially since at least two (mine and his) of the Lizard Bursts were made 3/8" short of the full 27". How does a large error like that happen and not get seen until the end?


----------



## Galius

No it isnt. If it were I wouldnt find a different fretboard to worth the hastle. Its just a single EMG bloodburst pro with the maple board.


----------



## JonnHatch

Galius said:


> No it isnt. If it were I wouldnt find a different fretboard to worth the hastle. Its just a single EMG bloodburst pro with the maple board.


 
email me if you decide to sell it, i need another guitarist in my band, and my friend wants to do it and needs an 8. he doesnt necessarily need a neck pickup


----------



## dreamsfrag

Galius said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 Ebony FB Bloodburst at HomeOld
> 
> I suddenly feel the urge to sell my Bloodburst pro and replace it with this.



Oh, I just paid for Bloodburst std ebony and should arrive in next week. 

Also just a few question, does agile ever made an 'Intrepid Pro Charcoal' ?


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ? 


kurt


----------



## 7deadlysins666

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt



Yes!! Is it possible? I would prefer 25.5" to 27" but 25.5 to 28.625 is fine also! Intrepid model! That would be insane... you would be the first ever to offer a production model multi scale guitar.


----------



## Issor

YES is all I can say! 25.5" to 27" OR to 28.625" would be amazing, whichever you want to order, we'll buy.


----------



## Galius

I would just like to see more models in rosewood boards, preferably septor style bodies.
BTW anyone else notice the new Intrepid Pro with trem on it?
http://www.rondomusic.com/product2748.html


----------



## splinter8451

A fanned fret hmmm....

That might just push me over the edge to finally ordering an Agile 8!!

And that Intrepid up there is pretty sweet with the vintage trem on it haha. 

Anyone else gonna post pics of their Interceptor and Septor 8's or what?!?!


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> I would just like to see more models in rosewood boards, preferably septor style bodies.
> BTW anyone else notice the new Intrepid Pro with trem on it?
> Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld


 
What the heck kind of trem is that, anyway? It looks like a hardtail with an arm on it. Anyone have an idea of what it is? I'm curious about how well it would stay in tune.


----------



## Galius

Hollowway said:


> What the heck kind of trem is that, anyway? It looks like a hardtail with an arm on it. Anyone have an idea of what it is? I'm curious about how well it would stay in tune.


This is probly the first we are seeing of them so nobody has one im left to assume. It says its a hipshot on the page but who knows?


----------



## JonnHatch

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt


 
I will buy one as SOON as they are available, it'll be my 4th Agile!


----------



## Galius

Damn kurt really went to work today. Tons of new stock popping up.


----------



## Hollowway

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt


 
Yeah, I'd be interested. But is it hard to make those, and should we be at all concerned about that? I ask just because on the first run Intrepids the bridges were a little too close to the FB, and on these Interceptor 827s it looks like the bridges were also about 3/8" too short. That being said, given that you accept returns without hassle, you can count me in.


----------



## MF_Kitten

first of all, a multiscale 8 string agile would be awesome, though i don´t know exactly which scales would work properly. 28.625" to 25.5" would be pretty awesome, as long as it´s not too much. i would love to see a longer version, with the same fanning ration, but with the long end at 30" scale. this would be great for those who like 30" scale better for low notes, but not as much for the high notes. the 28.625"-25.5" scale one would be better for all-round players that like the high strings to sound and feel more normal. we also need to find out where that perpendicular fret should be. we also need to figure out how to "fan" the pickups.

the intrepid with the trem is pretty cool too, by the way, i haven´t seen that before now! not that i like trems even a little, but it´s awesome that it exists for the people who do.

Kurt, if you guys did the multiscale thing, would you also consider using it for 6 and 7 string guitars?


----------



## OrsusMetal

I would love a 25.5 - 27 fan! On a 7 and a 8!


----------



## AvantGuardian

If it could be done affordably ($700-ish for a bare bones model maybe), I'd definitely be interested in a multi-scale Intrepid. Having never played a guitar with fanned frets, I can't say for sure what my preferred scales would be, but 25.5-28.625 sounds nice.


----------



## vansinn

When specifying the compound, please don't forget some (like me) will want to use it with an A4 string.
I dunno which compound range will be better, marketability-wise.. whatever, I'd think it'll play a role too.
Also, as there's not that many pickups around for such outfits, I'd prefer a more moderate compound.

The mentioned 25.5" - 27" seems a good compromise to me.
And please, offer it with an ebony board. Oil finish too much to wish for? (I have very moist hands, so oil works better than lacquers)


----------



## MF_Kitten

i think for the high A people, a 27" to 24" (or 24.75", gibson scale) would be awesome. you´d have a shorter scale length for the high A, and you´d still have a longer scale for the low B. i would love that myself 

so i would of course change my previous statement and go for either a single shorter-scaled fan (high A), or a shorter scale AND a longer-scale fan (low f#). i think the model that would need the fanned frets the most would be the high A one, while the longer scaled ones would be for tone and feel.


----------



## TomAwesome

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt



Seriously? Neat! I think either 25.5"-28.625" or 25"-28" would be great for an 8.


----------



## vansinn

MF_Kitten said:


> i think for the high A people, a 27" to 24" (or 24.75", gibson scale) would be awesome. you´d have a shorter scale length for the high A, and you´d still have a longer scale for the low B. i would love that myself



Didn't dare to mentioned the shorter scale  but yes, a shorter A4 string would be really great.


----------



## Hollowway

vansinn said:


> Didn't dare to mentioned the shorter scale  but yes, a shorter A4 string would be really great.


 
Yeah, but TBH I can't imagine playing anything shorter than a 25.5 in the 19-24th frets. I'd say make the high end a minimum of 25.5 for my use. And I could go with a 26 or 26.5 easily. And you can still get A4 on that pretty easily (with the right string).


----------



## MF_Kitten

i would make it as simple to use as possible though, and "the right string" isn´t always readily available. chris letchford´s sherman 8 strings all have a high G with a .008 string, and that´s on a 25.5" scale. now imagine fanning the scale down a bit, keeping the low end long, but making it possible to turn that G into an A with the .008 string.

.008 strings are made by many larger string companies, and so it´s easier to get a hold of. i would try that first.


----------



## Shredcow

I think a fanned fret model would be great!

However, I'm not sure that the measurements we're throwing out here are appropriate... I've read that if the fanned frets range was too large, things start getting awkward and if the range was too tiny, then it starts to make less of an impact (and less sense to have it).

Sooo... maybe we could have some fanned fret builders to chip in on this matter? 

The worst thing to happen is for Rondo to make some 25.5" - 28.625" fanned fret model that turns out to be "too much" (I'm assuming here) for players... I'm sure that there will be people waiting for the initial reports on these guitars, and if the reports show that user-friendliness is less than ideal... the guitars wouldn't move.


----------



## TomAwesome

^ 3" seems to be a fairly common fan for instruments like this. I've seen some 3" fans that look awkward, and I've seen some that look rather comfortable. I think somewhere in the range of 3" would probably be all right as long as the perpendicular fret is chosen wisely. I've never played a multiscale instrument, though, so that might not be worth very much.


----------



## vortex_infinium

Has anyone seen this yet?

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld


----------



## El Caco

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt



Kurt I would jump on a multi-scale 7 but have no desire to buy a 8 string. If you made a 7 string 25"-27" seems to be the most popular scale here according to the other thread.


----------



## TomAwesome

TomAwesome said:


> Has anyone successfully found direct replacement locking tuners? I know Darren said earlier that he was pretty sure there aren't any existing direct replacements for the Mini Rotomatics, but I noticed that the diagram didn't look the same as the tuner, so I got out the calipers. I believe these are actually Midsize Rotomatics. It looks like the Mini Locking Rotomatics might be a direct replacement, but it's hard to be sure. I don't know why none of these show a measurement from the center of the post hole to the center of the screw hole.
> 
> Edit: I decided to actually read the tuner description.
> 
> "Internal-cam locking string posts and 18:1 fine tuning are *built into Rotomatic midsize cast housings*"
> 
> That looks like good news to me! I assume that would also apply to the Roto-Grip Minis? Too bad they don't sell singles. I don't feel like buying four extra tuners.



I'm not trying to detract from the multiscale discussion, but I figured I'd post a little update about this for anyone who still wanted to get locking tuners for their Intrepids. I finally decided to try something, and I got some Grover Roto-Grip Minis. They came in today, and it looks like I was _almost_ right. For the most part, they fit perfectly, but the holes on the tabs are a bit off. The three tiny guide pins match up perfectly, though, even if the pins on the Roto-Grips are slightly bigger. They seem to be holding the tuner in place, though. I have one tuner switched out, and I'm just going to leave it like this for now until I decide what to do. I'm just kind of confused as to why Grover would make locking tuners that are almost a direct replacement match for the non-locking versions but are off by just enough to not quite be a direct replacement.


----------



## pink freud

Hi, first post on these forums.

I really want to purchase one of these (In fact I DID purchase one until my order was canceled due to "stock error"), but now I'm hesitant to put money down before I find if an idea I had would be possible.

Would Kurt be able to make a piezo model? Have a piezo/magnetic p/u blend knob and two output-jacks (one mixed, or two individual signal paths). If that's possible, I'd much rather have that than the purely magnetic model.

Production piezo 7 string guitar are expensive enough, so an affordable piezo 8 string would be very attractive.


----------



## Hollowway

pink freud said:


> Hi, first post on these forums.
> 
> I really want to purchase one of these (In fact I DID purchase one until my order was canceled due to "stock error"), but now I'm hesitant to put money down before I find if an idea I had would be possible.
> 
> Would Kurt be able to make a piezo model? Have a piezo/magnetic p/u blend knob and two output-jacks (one mixed, or two individual signal paths). If that's possible, I'd much rather have that than the purely magnetic model.
> 
> Production piezo 7 string guitar are expensive enough, so an affordable piezo 8 string would be very attractive.



What did you have that got canceled? 
Oh, and welcome!


----------



## TomAwesome

pink freud said:


> Hi, first post on these forums.
> 
> I really want to purchase one of these (In fact I DID purchase one until my order was canceled due to "stock error"), but now I'm hesitant to put money down before I find if an idea I had would be possible.
> 
> Would Kurt be able to make a piezo model? Have a piezo/magnetic p/u blend knob and two output-jacks (one mixed, or two individual signal paths). If that's possible, I'd much rather have that than the purely magnetic model.
> 
> Production piezo 7 string guitar are expensive enough, so an affordable piezo 8 string would be very attractive.



The Intrepids were built with plenty of extra space in the control cavity for mods, and adding a piezo system is something that could be done aftermarket. You may be able to get one with piezos if you get a custom. That would be something to ask Kurt about.


----------



## amassivetree

I'd be interested in a multiscale intrepid. 28.5-25 sounds fine, although to get maximum benefit from the lowness, 30 inches to whatever sounds reasonable is also good. Does this mean individual string bridges? To echo the other multiscale thread, a fanned Kahler would be awesome.


----------



## El Caco

Oh shit affordable production fanned fret 7 string with piezo..... 

what other guitar companies?


----------



## El Caco

amassivetree said:


> I'd be interested in a multiscale intrepid. 28.5-25 sounds fine, although to get maximum benefit from the lowness, 30 inches to whatever sounds reasonable is also good. Does this mean individual string bridges? To echo the other multiscale thread, a fanned Kahler would be awesome.



why?   

The multiscale Kahler has already been reviewed as not that great, it is expensive and spoils what would be an otherwise nice guitar for a lot of people. Fixed bridge intrepids have had no problem selling so the fixed bridge hasn't been a deterrent. I'm not against trems (I have far more trem equiped guitars then fixed bridge) but I am against putting an ugly inferior trem that would almost double the price into an otherwise awesome guitar.


----------



## pink freud

Hollowway said:


> What did you have that got canceled?
> Oh, and welcome!



Pro Dual 28 Natural Finish (right)


----------



## Ben.Last

No interest in a fanned fret guitar but, I have to say, even putting that aside, I'd prefer seeing Kurt get the kinks out of his production system before he adds any more models. Seriously, I'm a die hard Agile proponent but it just doesn't look good when things don't come as they should. Getting standards up to a point where there's not intonation issues, routing mishaps, poorly fitting neck pockets, neck through guitars coming as bolt ons, and customs coming with wrong specs should not be so costly that it would ruin the incredible place that Rondo has carved out in the market. These mistakes should not be made, even on first production runs. It would, however, get rid of any doubts that they're incredible guitars(and not just "for the money") and fit in with the concern for customer satisfaction that Rondo shows in so many other ways.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there still demand for a multi-scale neck version of the intrepid or interceptor 8 string models ? And if so what would the scale preference be ? 25.5 to 28.625 ?
> 
> 
> kurt



Hell yes there's demand for it! 27 to 25.5 please!


----------



## amassivetree

s7eve said:


> why?
> 
> The multiscale Kahler has already been reviewed as not that great, it is expensive and spoils what would be an otherwise nice guitar for a lot of people. Fixed bridge intrepids have had no problem selling so the fixed bridge hasn't been a deterrent. I'm not against trems (I have far more trem equiped guitars then fixed bridge) but I am against putting an ugly inferior trem that would almost double the price into an otherwise awesome guitar.



Oh, I wasn't aware of this. Was this reviewed on here? I"ll have to search for it. I'm liking my normalscale Kahler, is the multiscale just hideously expensive, or is there some other issue. I take it back then, the low-cost nature of the Intrepid was the whole reason I decided to try an eight-string.


----------



## MFB

Kurt, I say this as a customer who loves his Intrepid Dual from the bottom of his heart, if you make a fanned 8 I will love you and my bank account will hate you nay despise you even...but I'll still probably order one


----------



## El Caco

amassivetree said:


> Oh, I wasn't aware of this. Was this reviewed on here? I"ll have to search for it. I'm liking my normalscale Kahler, is the multiscale just hideously expensive, or is there some other issue. I take it back then, the low-cost nature of the Intrepid was the whole reason I decided to try an eight-string.



Mike Sherman used one in one of his builds and spoke about it on MG, what he said was quoted in the Roter thread. The trem alone is $400+ so with the nut and additional labour it would add at least $500 to the build price unless Kurt managed to get a bulk discount.


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm with Steve on this one. I've got nothing against trems, and I think it would be a neat addition, but given that the point of this model is presumably to offer an affordable entry into new territory, fitting a fanned-fret 8-string with a Kahler just seems like overkill. Typing it and reading it back to myself right now, it sounds ridiculous (not that I'm saying it sounds bad).  It makes more sense to do a fixed-bridge version first, and then if that turns out to be a huge success, a Kahler version can then be considered, like the recent run of Interceptor 8s.


----------



## drmosh

oh fuck yes! would love a 28.625-25.5 multiscale 8!
or even a 27-25.5 multiscale 7


----------



## technomancer

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld

Ack is that a vintage style trem on that? It really looks like an 8 point vintage stye trem.


----------



## Hollowway

technomancer said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld
> 
> Ack is that a vintage style trem on that? It really looks like an 8 point vintage stye trem.


 
Yeah, I looked that up. It's a Hipshot floating trem. I tried to see a little info about them, to see how well they worked, because it appears to be a much simpler solution than a Kahler, but I'm suspicious of how well it works. You just don't hear of those trems much (or ever).


----------



## technomancer

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, I looked that up. It's a Hipshot floating trem. I tried to see a little info about them, to see how well they worked, because it appears to be a much simpler solution than a Kahler, but I'm suspicious of how well it works. You just don't hear of those trems much (or ever).



The hipshot trem is a 2 point ball bearing trem that is supposed to be fantastic... the trem in the picture ain't it as there are no posts.

This is REALLY tiny picture of the 6 string, but you can at least see where the posts would sit


----------



## Hollowway

technomancer said:


> The hipshot trem is a 2 point ball bearing trem that is supposed to be fantastic... the trem in the picture ain't it as there are no posts.
> 
> This is REALLY tiny picture of the 6 string, but you can at least see where the posts would sit


 
Oh, yeah, good point! It says on the description "Hipshot bridge" but it also says "Solid Brass Block Tremolo" so I think they forgot to take the "Hipshot bridge" out from the regular Intrepids. But you're right - no posts, so it must be vintage. Weird choice. Must have been a custom?


----------



## ivancic1al

maybe with like a roller nut or locking tuners, it could work decently, for mild trem effects? i dunno looks questionable though for sure


----------



## Cancer

Fanned frets definitely for the 8 string. IMO it's kinda pointless for the 7 string. and this scale length 25.5" - 28.625" would be fine.

Count me in with the above specs.



TomAwesome said:


> I'm with Steve on this one. I've got nothing against trems, and I think it would be a neat addition, but given that the point of this model is presumably to offer an affordable entry into new territory, fitting a fanned-fret 8-string with a Kahler just seems like overkill. Typing it and reading it back to myself right now, it sounds ridiculous (not that I'm saying it sounds bad).  It makes more sense to do a fixed-bridge version first, and then if that turns out to be a huge success, a Kahler version can then be considered, like the recent run of Interceptor 8s.


----------



## ra1der2

technomancer said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld
> 
> Ack is that a vintage style trem on that? It really looks like an 8 point vintage stye trem.



Yea, that looks just like an 8 string version of the old trems that you could bend down but not really pull back on. There appears to be a cavity on the back though which should mean there are springs attached to it huh? Also notice no fine turners or locks at the nut either...hrmm


----------



## pink freud

ra1der2 said:


> Yea, that looks just like an 8 string version of the old trems that you could bend down but not really pull back on. There appears to be a cavity on the back though which should mean there are springs attached to it huh? Also notice no fine turners or locks at the nut either...hrmm


 
Lack of a locking nut isn't always an indication. Carvin doesn't automatically put one on their FR guitars.

But yeah, that looks like a vintage trem. Wonder how many springs are holding tension?


----------



## Hyper-Rob

I'm coming in very late on this thread- but all I can say is this...

I'm holding out for the multi scale. The intrepids look great as is, but multi-scale is going to put it over the top for me. I will no longer be able to to hold back my credit card.

--
Rob


----------



## AgileLefty

Kurt is now taking preorders for the next batch. you can order em' up anyway you want, including 30" scale and a few new colors like Lizardburst, 2ts, and Natural Ash.


Agile Intrepid Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld


----------



## Santuzzo

AgileLefty said:


> Kurt is now taking preorders for the next batch. you can order em' up anyway you want, including 30" scale and a few new colors like Lizardburst, 2ts, and Natural Ash.
> 
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld



Wow, those look awesome, love those colors, I think Oceanburst and Darkburst are my favorites.
Too bad these come only with one PU 
I'd love to get an oceanburst with bridge and neck pick up.

What scale would you guys say is favorable for an Agile 8-string? 28.625" or 30"? and why?
Does the 30" scale version have more frets, too?


----------



## pink freud

Santuzzo said:


> Wow, those look awesome, love those colors, I think Oceanburst and Darkburst are my favorites.
> Too bad these come only with one PU
> I'd love to get an oceanburst with bridge and neck pick up.
> 
> What scale would you guys say is favorable for an Agile 8-string? 28.625" or 30"? and why?
> Does the 30" scale version have more frets, too?



Pretty sure they're both 24 frets.

Get the 30" if you plan on down-tuning the higher pitched strings for open tunings. Otherwise I'd say go for the 28 5/8.


----------



## Galius

Pretty nice move by Kurt. Its on the edge of getting a custom but with limited options but keep the price low at the same time.  Kurt!
The only thing I dont understand is why 25.5 would be an option but no 27.


----------



## larry

um i don't have much time to read
the rest of the thread but, 

YES kurt multi-scale interceptor, please!!


----------



## RG7

hey guys Im gonna preorder a standard, and im wondering how a green lizard burst would look on a flat top intrepid????


----------



## matttttYCE

Galius said:


> Pretty nice move by Kurt. Its on the edge of getting a custom but with limited options but keep the price low at the same time.  Kurt!
> The only thing I dont understand is why 25.5 would be an option but no 27.



^What he said! Though i think Kurt deserves many more . But my guess as to why no 27" would be that Kurt has another run of the Septor Standard 827s in the works and wants those to sell well. Or maybe the Septor 27s just didn't sell that well or that fast, so he didn't go with 27" Intrepid option to save $.  Idk.



RG7 said:


> hey guys Im gonna preorder a standard, and im wondering how a green lizard burst would look on a flat top intrepid????



I'm thinkin it would look pretty damn sexy! In fact, I think it would look better on a flat body like the Intrepid as opposed to the way it looks on the Interceptor Standards!


----------



## Galius

Santuzzo said:


> Wow, those look awesome, love those colors, I think Oceanburst and Darkburst are my favorites.
> Too bad these come only with one PU
> I'd love to get an oceanburst with bridge and neck pick up.
> 
> What scale would you guys say is favorable for an Agile 8-string? 28.625" or 30"? and why?
> Does the 30" scale version have more frets, too?


 
Give him a minute, im sure he will either post preorders for dual pickup models with that same options to choose from of post a preorder form for each dual pickup color option.


----------



## mgcasella

AgileLefty said:


> Kurt is now taking preorders for the next batch. you can order em' up anyway you want, including 30" scale and a few new colors like Lizardburst, 2ts, and Natural Ash.
> 
> 
> Agile Intrepid Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld



I hope he has the Standard Dual Intrepids up soon, as well as the Pro Duals. That would be cool to put together our own specs for those. 

Question: Why am I not seeing Ghostburst as a finish option? Is it an unpopular finish? I hope Kurt adds it soon as I love how that finish looks


----------



## Meshugger

Incredible offer by Kurt to let the customer do their "customizations", kudos to him.

However, were are the same options for the Septors/Interceptors 8s?


----------



## Santuzzo

pink freud said:


> Pretty sure they're both 24 frets.
> 
> Get the 30" if you plan on down-tuning the higher pitched strings for open tunings. Otherwise I'd say go for the 28 5/8.



Cool, thanks!
I was thinking a 30" scale might be really hard getting used to, no?



Galius said:


> Give him a minute, im sure he will either post preorders for dual pickup models with that same options to choose from of post a preorder form for each dual pickup color option.



Yeah, that'd be awesome !!



Meshugger said:


> Incredible offer by Kurt to let the customer do their "customizations", kudos to him.
> 
> However, were are the same options for the Septors/Interceptors 8s?



I was thinking the same. But I guess, he does it in batches, so now it's the Intrepids, maybe in a few months ot's the Septors that come with all these options.

But to be honest, eventhough I thought I'd prefer the Septor in terms of look, I start liking the Intrepids more and more, especially since I just saw those beautiful colors they come in.

Right now I really like the looks of this one:
http://www.rondomusic.com/product2453.html


----------



## Diezel_FW

If you ever start to offer fanned fret 8 guitars, I will buy one, guaranteed, and I know a few people who would also be interested. If this happens I will be a happy, happy man


----------



## RG7

Okay I have my money ready to go, but I want the dual version. should I wait or give in?


----------



## Santuzzo

RG7 said:


> Okay I have my money ready to go, but I want the dual version. should I wait or give in?



Dual version= two pick ups?

Definitely wait, because I'm sure it's going to be available in a while!


----------



## Total Eclipse

Kurt please!

Solid colors!

7 string Intrepid!


----------



## Hollowway

So don't flame me, but am I the only one that is starting to think I want the best of both worlds - a low F# and a high A? I'd like to see a run of 9 strings. And I promise I won't ask for more - this time I mean it!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

RG7 said:


> Okay I have my money ready to go, but I want the dual version. should I wait or give in?



You got it !


----------



## mgcasella

kurtzentmaier said:


> You got it !



I see the Ghostburst shown but not listed as a finish choice. Will I be able to order an Intrepid with a Ghostburst finish or am I being teased?


----------



## ockis23

Whats up everyone,

Does anyone know what the sound difference is between the maple neck and the rosewood on the new intrepid standard 8? Im really interested in getting one eventually and just wanted an idea.

Thanks in advance


----------



## RG7

kurtzentmaier said:


> You got it !


 

oh man, you even put a choice of ebony in lefty. thanks kurt!


----------



## Ben.Last

Grrrrrr....

I just got my bloodburst dual std, I should not be gassing for a dual std ghostburst with ebony fb. Luckily I don't have the money to do anything about it.


----------



## Santuzzo

kurtzentmaier said:


> You got it !



Awesome !

I just saw it, too

Agile Intrepid Dual Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld


----------



## Ibanezsam4

so the wrong string gauges came on my guitar.... or at least the F# was the wrong gauge, so i ordered some D'Addario XL .70 and now they don't fit the tuning peg! hahaha have any other members dealt with this?


----------



## TomAwesome

Ibanezsam4 said:


> so the wrong string gauges came on my guitar.... or at least the F# was the wrong gauge, so i ordered some D'Addario XL .70 and now they don't fit the tuning peg! hahaha have any other members dealt with this?



None of the Intrepids came with the "right" gauges, presumably for that very reason. It's not a big deal, especially considering getting new strings should be the first thing you do when you get a new guitar, anyway. Just unwrap the outer winding on the lowest string on the area you need to get through the peg hole.


----------



## RG7

Ibanezsam4 said:


> so the wrong string gauges came on my guitar.... or at least the F# was the wrong gauge, so i ordered some D'Addario XL .70 and now they don't fit the tuning peg! hahaha have any other members dealt with this?


 

you'l have to unwind the string to fit it.


----------



## cyril v

i'll definitely be picking something up from the january batch... hopefully there'll be leftovers again when the time comes. I really can't commit right now, and i think at the moment i could used a bass more than another guitar. probably going to be ordering the Brice or Cirrus 5 BXP.

Hopefully Kurt will eventually offer an Interceptor 8 with the Interceptor headstock (reversed or regular). I was a little late trying to get a custom order in this time  . 

too much GAS.!


----------



## JonnHatch

Ibanezsam4 said:


> so the wrong string gauges came on my guitar.... or at least the F# was the wrong gauge, so i ordered some D'Addario XL .70 and now they don't fit the tuning peg! hahaha have any other members dealt with this?


 
I just drilled the tuner hole out a little bit larger. A steady hand and 4 seconds of your time saves you unwinding strings every restring. And i havent had a single problem with this method on both of my 8's


----------



## matttttYCE

RG7 said:


> oh man, you even put a choice of ebony in lefty. thanks kurt!



Seriously! Isn't Kurt awesome, especially to us lefties? If I didn't already have my Intrepid Pro Nat with maple board coming in October I'd be all over that ebony dual Standard! Damn GAS making me second guess my decision to go with the Pro Nat, instead of waiting for all these additional options like I knew there would be!


----------



## MF_Kitten

i didn´t know the string sizes were wrong, but that explains why mine isn´t all that tight in drop E 

it feels just fine in f# stanard though, and it´s not like i get a "boooow" type sound when it´s in E. i´ve even recorded a clip with is in drop D


----------



## kurtzentmaier

mgcasella said:


> I see the Ghostburst shown but not listed as a finish choice. Will I be able to order an Intrepid with a Ghostburst finish or am I being teased?



added ghostburst


----------



## RG7

kurtzentmaier said:


> added ghostburst


 


kurt...there are some colors that are listed that I've never seen before, is it possible to make some kind of mock up?


----------



## AgileLefty

kurt - do you plan on doing the same pre-order deal for the Septor 7 string models as well? i would really love a lefty Septor 727 in white or tribal green to go along with my custom. thanks for everything you do for us southpaws!!


----------



## TomasO

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN Trem at HomeOld something seems different about this one....


----------



## 7deadlysins666

cyril v said:


> Hopefully Kurt will eventually offer an Interceptor 8 with the Interceptor headstock (reversed or regular). I was a little late trying to get a custom order in this time  .
> 
> too much GAS.!



Agile Septor Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld
They have the Septor's with the inline headstock, reversed or regular.


----------



## RG7

7deadlysins666 said:


> Agile Septor Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld
> They have the Septor's with the inline headstock, reversed or regular.


 


jesus man! 

soo many freaking options. this all popped up at once I was set on getting the dual intrepid now I have to think and choose! aha.


----------



## MF_Kitten

if Kurt ends up adding fanned frets, i´d love to see it with angled pickups too. i´m sure they can make a cepheus with a different baseplate and off-set bobbins, so it´s compatible with the fan. that way we can have them rewound to sound like whatever we want. the reason angled pickups are usually not offered, unless it´s a custom job, is because these things aren´t readily available.

if they also added an option in the custom order form (or, by the looks of it, the ordering area) where you could choose your fan (like keep the same fanning ratio, just stretching the whole scale, if that makes any sense), they could please EVERYBODY!

in fact, they could just use the currently available scale lengths (25.5", 27", 28.625", 30"), and have a "fanned" option for them all, keeping the same fanning ratio, but stretching the overall scale.

i don´t know if having different perpendicular frets for each would be a good idea, since it would complicate the hell out of the factory tooling needed, but it would still have been a cool feature. they could offer three different ones: "shredder" (easier to play higher up), "all-round" (equally easy to play across the board), "rhythm" (easier to play further down than further up).

or, we could narrow that down and just stick to "all-round", since that´s the most versatile option, and it´ll save costs too.


----------



## Gitte

do they ship to germany???


----------



## Meshugger

I just ordered a Septor to Finland today, so by following that logic, i would say 
"yes".


And a big thank you to Kurt for making it possible to accomodate my "weird" specs


----------



## misplacedsanity

Will the neck through have a neck through this time?


----------



## pink freud

misplacedsanity said:


> Will the neck through have a neck through this time?


----------



## Galius

Call me crazy but im going to hold off on the custom telecaster 8 for now and order a septor and mabey another intrepid. I would really like a custom tele but given the options hes posted this run i think i will run with a couple others for now. Im thinkinga septor 8with 28.625",rosewood board, lizardburst, reverse headstock. Might order a dual intrepid pro as well. Would be neat to see how one of those pan out in lizardburst as well but if I order 2 different guitars ordering the same finish might be kinda dumb.


----------



## Santuzzo

The one thing I'm a bit concerned about right now is this:



> Orders shipped outside the US & Canada have no warranty and are not refundable



Anybody ever got an Agile that had like small dents or scratches and wanted to return it?

I'm very anal with stuff like that, if I buy a new guitar, a small dent ar mark or whatever would really bother me. And not having the option to send it back is scary.


----------



## AgileLefty

Galius said:


> Im thinkinga septor 8with 28.625",rosewood board, lizardburst, reverse headstock..


 

do it please. that is exactly what i would order, but i kinda wanna see how it turns out first. you can be my guinea pig


----------



## Galius

LOL geeze. Im sure it will look like the lizardburst from this run but without the trem. It would be kinda neat if they left the intrepid headstock on them but I think adapting the headstock from the 7 string versions really goes over well too. Now....has anyone caught the thread in the ERG forum about the agile 8 bridge kurt sent thatguy that looks EXACTLY like a hipshot. Now go look at the specs on all of the pro models and put 2 and 2 together. Anyway I think I can stand to give some more agiles a go before I decide on a final custom.


AgileLefty said:


> do it please. that is exactly what i would order, but i kinda wanna see how it turns out first. you can be my guinea pig


----------



## dreamsfrag

Now Septor Standard 8 available with 28.625 or I miss something.

What about Septor Pro 8 ???


----------



## Gitte

i'm sorry i'm pretty new here... so i can order also a custom intrepid or a custom telecaster??? if so... how???


----------



## COBHC

Gitte said:


> i'm sorry i'm pretty new here... so i can order also a custom intrepid or a custom telecaster??? if so... how???



have to wait for custom shop to be open

got closed couple weeks ago

Im guessing itll be around January for the next one.


----------



## Gitte

no problem  i have time  i'll wait


----------



## Galius

Is it just me or did it seem like there werent alot of NGD threads this run? Im sure the next run will be interesting on here with the mass of options. I put in my order for the Septor standard with lizardburst, 28.625, rosewood, reverse headstock as stated earlier but since I bailed on a $1400 custom im almost tempted to order another with the same options but in tribal green or mail kurt to see if the lizardburst option on the intrepids will have the flame maple top as well or if it will just be a green burst. Pretty cool I can get 2 agiles for the price of a custom


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> Is it just me or did it seem like there werent alot of NGD threads this run? Im sure the next run will be interesting on here with the mass of options. I put in my order for the Septor standard with lizardburst, 28.625, rosewood, reverse headstock as stated earlier but since I bailed on a $1400 custom im almost tempted to order another with the same options but in tribal green or mail kurt to see if the lizardburst option on the intrepids will have the flame maple top as well or if it will just be a green burst. Pretty cool I can get 2 agiles for the price of a custom



No, you're right, there were precious few NGDs. Someone got a black flame Sceptor on this run, and didn't post a NGD. I'd love to see how that one came out.


----------



## Ben.Last

I would have done a NGD thread if I had a camera to take pics with. I may do a belated one at some point.

Back to the string discussion. Put new strings on the Intrepid(d'addario 7 string 9-54 set+72, got them from Ricez on this board actually, I'd wholeheartedly recommend anyone else looking for an 8 string set do the same. Had a great transaction with the guy) and the 72 isn't sitting in the nut slot very well. The string has a muffled/breathy tone to it when I strum it open and I can see light passing between the bottom of the string and the slot. So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to file it a bit. 

It feels like a safe assumption to make that I won't be filing the groove deeper, just ever so slightly wider. I've never needed to file any of the nuts on my previous guitars though so I'm new to it.

Anyone have any suggestions/warnings/info I should keep in mind. Also, if anyone has any recommendations for specific files, I'd appreciate it.


----------



## MF_Kitten

you can use the actual string to file with. it´s not as effective as a proper file, but you´ll get it just the right size. alternatively, just use any file, and just do a little bit at a time on each side of the slot you´re widening, and check regularly.


----------



## Gitte

i would love to take the 28 version maybe also the 30.


----------



## Ben.Last

MF_Kitten said:


> you can use the actual string to file with. it´s not as effective as a proper file, but you´ll get it just the right size. alternatively, just use any file, and just do a little bit at a time on each side of the slot you´re widening, and check regularly.



I did it a bit with the string. Maybe I just didn't do it enough. Hmmm


----------



## E733

I shall be putting in my pre-order this week for an Agile 8 string to be shipped to me in January of 2010 

SO STOKED!!!


----------



## Ben.Last

So, did a bit more of the "string filing" I honestly can't tell if it's working. I think it's the shape of the slot, not the size(if that makes any sense). The string seems to be sitting a bit more correctly but there's still light under it and the sound is still muffled.


----------



## Hollowway

Lern2swim said:


> So, did a bit more of the "string filing" I honestly can't tell if it's working. I think it's the shape of the slot, not the size(if that makes any sense). The string seems to be sitting a bit more correctly but there's still light under it and the sound is still muffled.



Time to bust out a file. I used a couple of disks from my Dremel kit to do mine. The good thing is you don't have to go lower, just wider. So just use anything that's wide enough and have at it (slowly). There are obviously dedicated fret files, but you could pick up virtually anything at the hardware store that's tapered, and just go carefully and slowly.


----------



## elrrek

I was wondering about something with the new Septors and the inline headstock.

With the guitar being string through, and having a scale length of over 28 inches and being an inline headstock, is no one else concerned that they aren't going to be able to get strings for the damn things?

I'm still into getting one of these guitars but I with they'd made the Septor with the Intrepid headstock as an option. Whine whine whine ...


----------



## Meshugger

elrrek said:


> I was wondering about something with the new Septors and the inline headstock.
> 
> With the guitar being string through, and having a scale length of over 28 inches and being an inline headstock, is no one else concerned that they aren't going to be able to get strings for the damn things?
> 
> I'm still into getting one of these guitars but I with they'd made the Septor with the Intrepid headstock as an option. Whine whine whine ...



It is possible though. I remember someone with a 30" Interceptor with an inline headstock (black flame and ebony fretboard iirc?). The strings seemed to be long enough for him.


----------



## elrrek

Good to know Meshugger, don't remember that axe myself but if it's out there then seems like the Septors will be okay.


----------



## Meshugger

elrrek said:


> Good to know Meshugger, don't remember that axe myself but if it's out there then seems like the Septors will be okay.



Here are the screenshots, if you're interested:











I ordered a 28.625" Tribal Red Septor with a reverse headstock myself


----------



## elrrek

All I have to say is  and excuse me while I go and examine my finances!


----------



## Triple7

That scared me because I already ordered a 30" inch scale, purple quilted top, with a reverse headstock.


----------



## cyril v

7deadlysins666 said:


> Agile Septor Standard 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at HomeOld
> They have the Septor's with the inline headstock, reversed or regular.



kurt, you sonovabitch...

how long do i have before these preorders are over? I have the cash, but i'd be in a much better situation in like two weeks since i just spent my last agile refund on a bass, i've got a few bills i could just let sit for a bit... but thats not usually a good idea. lolz

edit: nevermind, found the date, it was pretty huge and bolded, lol

i think i'm going for the septor 8 with reversed headstock. still undecided on the color, depends on the answer to my email.


----------



## Gitte

I'll save up some money and get myself one  should i do some promo here in germany


----------



## Galius

Let me guess.....pure white?? I see he added it to the list of colors today.


cyril v said:


> kurt, you sonovabitch...
> 
> how long do i have before these preorders are over? I have the cash, but i'd be in a much better situation in like two weeks since i just spent my last agile refund on a bass, i've got a few bills i could just let sit for a bit... but thats not usually a good idea. lolz
> 
> edit: nevermind, found the date, it was pretty huge and bolded, lol
> 
> i think i'm going for the septor 8 with reversed headstock. still undecided on the color, depends on the answer to my email.


----------



## cyril v

well i've narrowed it to three... pure white, blue flame and another that isn't available for this guitar. i'm practically begging kurt to add "Tribal Green Dark". If he adds that, I'll take that immediately. If not i'll toss a coin for the other two.

Agile Interceptor Pro 27 Tribal Green Dark EB at RondoMusic.com


edit: okay, I'm going to wait a tiny bit, it seems like he's still adding colors, so theres a chance. this morning he added two more colors for the Septor Standard 8, which are *Tribal Purple Quilt* and *Black Quilt*. Not to be confused with Black Flame which was already on there. Or maybe i have it the other way around, either way, two new ones.

Also, another quick question... 

on the Septor standard 8, it lists both Mahogany and Ash for body woods, but theres no way to select between the two. How do you go about picking which one you want?


----------



## pink freud

I'm intrigued by purple quilt. Any pics of it anywhere?

Wonder if purpleburst would be possible...


----------



## cyril v

pink freud said:


> I'm intrigued by purple quilt. Any pics of it anywhere?
> 
> Wonder if purpleburst would be possible...



I just got an email back and there are no more color changes available... though, I'm sure if you were doing a custom, that more than likely wouldn't be a problem (except the custom ordering being on hold for now of course, lol).

heres a quick shoop i did to add an ebony/rosewood fretboard. i checked a few times, i'm pretty sure the septor standard 8 is the only 8-string w/ tribal purple quilt available.











this whole purple quilt thing just threw me for another loop... i'm going to go throw money in my bank account in an hour or so, then make my gf decide on the white/blue/purple issue.


----------



## pink freud

cyril v said:


> I just got an email back and there are no more color changes available... though, I'm sure if you were doing a custom, that more than likely wouldn't be a problem (except the custom ordering being on hold for now of course, lol).
> 
> heres a quick shoop i did to add an ebony/rosewood fretboard. i checked a few times, i'm pretty sure the septor standard 8 is the only 8-string w/ tribal purple quilt available.


 
That is sexy.


----------



## matttttYCE

cyril v said:


> on the Septor standard 8, it lists both Mahogany and Ash for body woods, but theres no way to select between the two. How do you go about picking which one you want?



I believe that ash comes on only the natural finish ones, other than that it will be mahogany. I'm almost 99% sure about that, but don't flame me if I'm wrong. [email protected]. Emailing Kurt would always be the best way to find out for sure.

And P.S. I vote you get a Septor 8 in either Pure White or Trible Purple Quilt with rosewood fretboard (only because ebony isn't available on the Septor 8s)! But if you must go 7, my vote is for the Purple with ebony!


----------



## Meshugger

matttttYCE said:


> I believe that ash comes on only the natural finish ones, other than that it will be mahogany. I'm almost 99% sure about that, but don't flame me if I'm wrong. [email protected]. Emailing Kurt would always be the best way to find out for sure.



I would also guess that ash is only available if you choose the "Natural Ash" finish. The rest should be mahoganny, I presume. 

Even though that i have already ordered mine in Tribal Red quilt, it would still be nice to see some examples of the other colour options, namely Black Quilt and Oceanburst.

Finally, it would be nice to know if the back of the neck will have the same colour finish as the body. Personally, it would look a bit iffy with a bare maple on the back.


----------



## cyril v

Meshugger said:


> I would also guess that ash is only available if you choose the "Natural Ash" finish. The rest should be mahoganny, I presume.
> 
> Even though that i have already ordered mine in Tribal Red quilt, it would still be nice to see some examples of the other colour options, namely Black Quilt and Oceanburst.
> 
> Finally, it would be nice to know if the back of the neck will have the same colour finish as the body. Personally, it would look a bit iffy with a bare maple on the back.



i believe that depends on whether you're order a neckthru or a bolt-on neck. bolt-ons being bare i'm guessing based off of all the pics on the site.



matttttYCE said:


> I believe that ash comes on only the natural finish ones, other than that it will be mahogany. I'm almost 99% sure about that, but don't flame me if I'm wrong. [email protected]. Emailing Kurt would always be the best way to find out for sure.
> 
> And P.S. I vote you get a Septor 8 in either Pure White or Trible Purple Quilt with rosewood fretboard (only because ebony isn't available on the Septor 8s)! But if you must go 7, my vote is for the Purple with ebony!



Now for the waiting game.


----------



## Santuzzo

I so want to order an Intrepid 8, but the one thing that stops me from doing it is that for orders to Europe there is no warranty nor any kind of a refund or possibility of returning the guitar, even if something's wrong with it.

I know there are some guys from Europe that have ordered Agile's, so my questions to you: have you had any issues? did the guitars come in good condition (ie no dents, marks or little scratches...)?


----------



## Galius

If you order with a case all should be fine. Kurt inspects all the guitars and pretty much every damage story ive heard was from a guitar shipped without the case.


Santuzzo said:


> I so want to order an Intrepid 8, but the one thing that stops me from doing it is that for orders to Europe there is no warranty nor any kind of a refund or possibility of returning the guitar, even if something's wrong with it.
> 
> I know there are some guys from Europe that have ordered Agile's, so my questions to you: have you had any issues? did the guitars come in good condition (ie no dents, marks or little scratches...)?


----------



## Santuzzo

Galius said:


> If you order with a case all should be fine. Kurt inspects all the guitars and pretty much every damage story ive heard was from a guitar shipped without the case.



Yeah, I might be worrying too much about this.
I mean I can understand why overseas shipments are not coeverd by warranty but knowing myself, I'm so anal with stuff, small things like a dent or scratch would worry the he** outta me


----------



## Meshugger

cyril v said:


> i believe that depends on whether you're order a neckthru or a bolt-on neck. bolt-ons being bare i'm guessing based off of all the pics on the site.



Yeah, but since you don't have the option to select between neckthru and bolt-on, i had some wishful thinking going on about the colour of the neck.

Ah well, can't have it all, can you?


----------



## Fred

Santuzzo said:


> I know there are some guys from Europe that have ordered Agile's, so my questions to you: have you had any issues? did the guitars come in good condition (ie no dents, marks or little scratches...)?



Not in the slightest - my custom arrived in pristine condition, even though its case had quite a lot of room for it to move around in!


----------



## cyril v

Meshugger said:


> Yeah, but since you don't have the option to select between neckthru and bolt-on, i had some wishful thinking going on about the colour of the neck.
> 
> Ah well, can't have it all, can you?



ha,. too bad these aren't full-on customs... then again, they're significantly cheaper this way. thats always worth mentioning. 



Santuzzo said:


> Yeah, I might be worrying too much about this.
> I mean I can understand why overseas shipments are not coeverd by warranty but knowing myself, I'm so anal with stuff, small things like a dent or scratch would worry the he** outta me



I'll have to remember to order a case when the time comes because i'm definitely not going to be able to find a suitable case for a reasonable price to fit a fuckin 28" guitar with 8-inline headstock. i can't even fit my sc607 in my hellraiser case, and that thing is just 25.5".


----------



## MF_Kitten

i find the intrepid to be pretty short actually, considering it´s scale length. it´s so compact, and has the string length moved further into the body, plus it has the 4X4 headstock. it feels smaller when compared to it´s scale length and number of strings than an RG, for example.


----------



## Hollowway

MF_Kitten said:


> i find the intrepid to be pretty short actually, considering it´s scale length. it´s so compact, and has the string length moved further into the body, plus it has the 4X4 headstock. it feels smaller when compared to it´s scale length and number of strings than an RG, for example.


 
Yeah, I love that in an ERG! One of the things I find unattractive about PRS's is that there is so much butt of the body beyond the bridge. I like when ERGs have the bridge closer to the end of the body, a la basses. And props to Darren for the Intrepid design, because it is a very well balanced instrument, visually. i.e. the neck doesn't look large and fat compared to the body.


----------



## auxioluck

Oh my science....Kurt, why must you do this to me??? I was just getting used to loving my 7's again, and now you give me the ability to order a semi-custom 8!!

The bad thing is I can afford it now. Must....sleep...on....this....resist...ordering...yet.


----------



## blood8815

* [url=http://www.rondomusic.com/product2446.html]Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN[/URL]
Kurt, would it be possible to have that version in dual in the next batch?

*


----------



## vortex_infinium

blood8815 said:


> * [url=http://www.rondomusic.com/product2446.html]Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN[/URL]
> Kurt, would it be possible to have that version in dual in the next batch?
> 
> *



Couldn't you just pre-order your own made to that spec?

Agile Intrepid Pro 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at RondoMusic.com


----------



## blood8815

vortex_infinium said:


> Couldn't you just pre-order your own made to that spec?
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 (Deposit for Jan 2010) at RondoMusic.com


Theres no option for it to be dual.


----------



## cyril v

blood8815 said:


> * [url=http://www.rondomusic.com/product2446.html]Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Nat MN[/URL]
> Kurt, would it be possible to have that version in dual in the next batch?
> 
> *



Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Dual Cepheus (Deposit for Jan 2010) at RondoMusic.com

what about that one then???

edit: oops. no dual EMGs, sorry.

anyways, by next batch do you mean after these do you mean after the Jan batch? because you can probably put in a custom order after that...


----------



## blood8815

cyril v said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro 8 Dual Cepheus (Deposit for Jan 2010) at RondoMusic.com
> 
> what about that one then???
> 
> edit: oops. no dual EMGs, sorry.
> 
> anyways, by next batch do you mean after these do you mean after the Jan batch? because you can probably put in a custom order after that...


Yeah, thats what I mean, how can I custom order one?


----------



## Ben.Last

It'll end up costing you much more to do it as a custom order. Your best bet is to email Kurt and tell him the option you want. Chances are good that he'll add it to the normal order options.


----------



## Galius

I doubt he will make a dual EMG version unless alot of people ask for it. And instead of ordering it custom and paying alot more you can get the single pickup version and have a neck EMG added for way cheaper.


Lern2swim said:


> It'll end up costing you much more to do it as a custom order. Your best bet is to email Kurt and tell him the option you want. Chances are good that he'll add it to the normal order options.


----------



## Ben.Last

Whoops, I read Cyril's "oops. no dual EMGs, sorry." and got it in my head that he was saying Blood was looking for a pro with dual passives.


----------



## mgcasella

I would say to just get the Dual with passives and then put in a pair of Phase 1 Duncan Blackouts. 

The only problem is Seymour Duncan is really dragging its feet with the Blackout 8's and haven't released them yet 

Seriously, what is up with those guys


----------



## Galius

The Blackout 8s are in some of the new Schecter 8 strings. If I heard correctly you can contact Duncan and order them direct.


mgcasella said:


> I would say to just get the Dual with passives and then put in a pair of Phase 1 Duncan Blackouts.
> 
> The only problem is Seymour Duncan is really dragging its feet with the Blackout 8's and haven't released them yet
> 
> Seriously, what is up with those guys


----------



## mgcasella

I wonder why Seymour Duncan doesn't just offer them outright? 

How much are they going for? 

This option may save blood885http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/members/blood8815.html some money if he likes Blackouts more than EMG's and can't afford a custom Intrepid 

blood885 could always sell off the Cepheus pups to make some money back on what he spends on the Blackouts  I'm sure someone on here would buy them.

I like my idea 




Galius said:


> The Blackout 8s are in some of the new Schecter 8 strings. If I heard correctly you can contact Duncan and order them direct.


----------



## Baldi

I tried recording a few vidz of my new intrepid but quickly realised the sound quality of my camera was pretty bad - just about watchable though!
Not rocking the F# on the first vid so i had a jam along to meshuggah too to show the meatyness of the F#





I've had the intrepid about 3 weeks now and I LOVE IT!!!!


----------



## Meshugger

Sweet bejesuuus


----------



## keeper006

I've read where several of you have switched your strings and I was going to do that, but what are you using that fits in the ferrule of the 8th string? My buddy at work at the zoo is a bassist and brought some DR strings (.70 and .85) for me to switch it, but the ball ends are way to big on those bass strings to fit. He said pretty much all the bass strings he knows have those big ends for bass bridges. What have you guys found that fit in that ferrule? (obviously the other 7 strings are not a problem as they're guitar gauges and any 7 set will have small ends)


----------



## COBHC

i use guitar strings from ernie ball .70 for my low f#


----------



## TomAwesome

keeper006 said:


> I've read where several of you have switched your strings and I was going to do that, but what are you using that fits in the ferrule of the 8th string? My buddy at work at the zoo is a bassist and brought some DR strings (.70 and .85) for me to switch it, but the ball ends are way to big on those bass strings to fit. He said pretty much all the bass strings he knows have those big ends for bass bridges. What have you guys found that fit in that ferrule? (obviously the other 7 strings are not a problem as they're guitar gauges and any 7 set will have small ends)



It doesn't have to fit into the ferrule. I have a DR .080" on my 30" scale guitar, and it works fine. The ball end will be sticking out from the back of the guitar, but it's not an issue. As long as the string fits through the body, bridge, and nut how it's supposed to, you'll be fine.


----------



## keeper006

COBHC said:


> i use guitar strings from ernie ball .70 for my low f#





TomAwesome said:


> It doesn't have to fit into the ferrule. I have a DR .080" on my 30" scale guitar, and it works fine. The ball end will be sticking out from the back of the guitar, but it's not an issue. As long as the string fits through the body, bridge, and nut how it's supposed to, you'll be fine.


Cool thanks guys. I figured it would work with it sticking out the back, but I was concerned it might pull the edge of the ferrule if it fit in the hole in the wood. I didn't see there was a guitar gauge that big either, so both of these answer my question. Thanks again


----------



## mgcasella

I did it! I just barely put down my deposit for my Agile Dual Intrepid! 

It will have the Ghostburst finish, a 30" scale, Cepheus pups, and an ebony fretboard - I can't wait!

Unfortunately, I do not have the money (yet?) to commit to a set of Q-tuners via MF_Kitten's thread. In the meantime, I'm going to try to scrape together what I can to see if it will be at all possible


----------



## MF_Kitten

about those q-tuners, i was thinking since there is a hole damn lot of people getting their 8 string interceptors and intrepids in october, and many of them (if not all) will have passives if any of you people are interested in q-tuner pickups for your 8 strings, even if it´s just for the neck position, we can make that happen. you all just need to commit to an order of one pickup or more. if we get 12 orders going, it will make production, so GET IN THERE!


----------



## TomAwesome

IMO, it would make more sense as a bridge pickup, no? The neck pickup is the one you generally want to sound fat, warm, and organic, while the bridge generally is more likely to demand more tight accuracy, which is why pairing a ceramic bridge with an alnico neck is so popular. Not that it wouldn't work well either way depending on what you''re going for, but just generally speaking.


----------



## MF_Kitten

hell, you could buy it for your bridge, neck, middle whatever. i´m just thinking about the people who, like me, are after super-clean neck pickup sounds. i like my bridge pickups obviously voiced for clarity beneath distortion myself. imagine tesseract/fell silent type clean sounds, except more acoustic-ish. that´s what i like 

you´ve probably heard the Animals As Leaders 8 string tones with the Q-tuner cleans, right? 

that´s why i want one for the neck


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, that's the main reason I added the part about them working well depending on what you're going for. Gorgeous tones there. I'm kind of on the fence about Q-Tuners. I'm not sure whether or not they'd suit me.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i think they´re the ultimate neck pickup, and depending on what you´re after, the ultimate pickup all-over. you can tune their frequency response and stuff by adjusting the pole pieces, and that way seriously change the voicing. and since there are so many pole pieces, you can make the voicing change gradually as you get up to the higher strings.

here´s a decent clip of it in the bridge position: 

i don´t think this guy has "tuned" them though, he mentioned in the comments that he switched back to the EMG´s because they had more mids. i told him he should´ve dialed in more mids with the pole pieces though, waiting to see if he responds 

i´d love to try Q-tuners in both positions on a guitar though, i must say. since they are so unforgivingly accurate and clean though, i´d use them for something other than metal.


----------



## TomAwesome

Eh, I've heard them sound better than that in the bridge position. I like that he played a Devin Townsend riff, though.  Where's that Q-Tuner thread, anyway?


----------



## MF_Kitten

yeah, i know it´s not the best clip, but it doesn´t sound like "flat single coils" like some people are afraid they would 

here´s the thread:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-need-buyers-very-possible-passive-sized.html


----------



## Gitte

hey i just ordered an intrepid pro 8  i'll keep you guys updated


----------



## Santuzzo

Gitte said:


> hey i just ordered an intrepid pro 8  i'll keep you guys updated



Cool !

What options did you choose for (fretboard wood, scale, color)?


----------



## Gitte

i'm freakin excited 

intrepid pro 828 blood burst maple 
28.62 scale
maple neck 
mahogony body


----------



## Santuzzo

Gitte said:


> i'm freakin excited
> 
> intrepid pro 828 blood burst maple
> 28.62 scale
> maple neck
> mahogony body



Awesome !

Glückwunsch!

I still haven't ordered .... (worried about not having the warranty or return/refund option for Europe, but I still have one week to pay a deposit and order)


----------



## TomAwesome

All right, an idea just hit me a little while ago. I'm not sure if it's a great idea or a horrible one. I already have some BKPs on the way over for my Intrepid, but the thought occurred of routing out a middle pickup cavity for a Q-Tuner. Good idea? Bad idea? Would the magnetic pull on the strings be too much?


----------



## Galius

I thought the q tuners have very little magnetism? Thought I read that somewhere.


----------



## TomAwesome

I thought I just heard they weren't much more than a normal ceramic, but there will be three pickups in the guitar if I do that.


----------



## MF_Kitten

they aren´t unusually strong, no. neodymium is moch stronger than ceramics, but they have much smaller magnets to make up for it.

i´d go for it! i´ve thought about it myself, but i´d rather have one in the neck position myself.

as long as you´re able and willing to route for a middle pickup cavity, i´d go for it. (don´t forget to let us know in the Q-tuner thread, so that we can keep tracks!)


----------



## GorillaSalsa

I'd love to get in on the Q-tuner action, but unfortunately my money is diverted elsewhere for a very long time. Hopefully something will cause the Q-tuner people to make them a permanent plan. If not, I'll just get a BL-5 routed into my Agile later...


----------



## MF_Kitten

well, as i said, it will become a permanent product as long as we get 12 orders in to start it off


----------



## Jamesbrootal

Id absolutely love it. 25.5 is great. Id buy one right now.


----------



## MoNsTaR

just ordered an ocean burst septer, 28.625 XD cmon jan 2010


----------



## AlexThorpe

MoNsTaR said:


> just ordered an ocean burst septer, 28.625 XD cmon jan 2010



Did you get the reversed stock? If you did I think me and you have the exact same guitar coming!


----------



## MoNsTaR

i did haha. thats crazy


----------



## Santuzzo

I still haven't decided whether or not to order the Intrepid now....I have to decide until the 31, and I'm running out of time.
What should I do?!?!?!?!


----------



## Hollowway

In the large scheme of things, even if it did show up damaged, the cost to repair it is not likely to be much. And the odds of it arriving damaged are pretty low. I say go for it, otherwise you'll be that little head-baning-against-a-wall emoticon every day until the next order period occurs. And you will eventually get one. Just make it now.


----------



## Santuzzo

Hollowway said:


> In the large scheme of things, even if it did show up damaged, the cost to repair it is not likely to be much. And the odds of it arriving damaged are pretty low. I say go for it, otherwise you'll be that little head-baning-against-a-wall emoticon every day until the next order period occurs. And you will eventually get one. Just make it now.



LOL. I like what you said ! That's the spirit, dude !
And once I have it I will be this one: 

Thanks!!!


----------



## Hollowway

Santuzzo said:


> LOL. I like what you said ! That's the spirit, dude !
> And once I have it I will be this one:
> 
> Thanks!!!



Sure. But you'll thank me now, and be cursing me when you order your second, then third Agiles - like me.  Six strings were fun, seven was an eye opener, and 8 is an addiction!


----------



## Santuzzo

Hollowway said:


> Sure. But you'll thank me now, and be cursing me when you order your second, then third Agiles - like me.  Six strings were fun, seven was an eye opener, and 8 is an addiction!



LOL!!!

To me the 7 is already an addiction.

I'm not sure if an 8 is going to be my main guitar, I just wanna try it and see what happens. Right now I'd guess the 7 will still be my main guitar, but I will see ... maybe same thing that happened to you will happen to me ...


----------



## AlexThorpe

I had a quick question regarding the septer 8 strings...
Are all the bodies ash, or are some mahogany
? I might be crazy but I think I remember reading that all the bodies are mahogany except for the natural ash one.

Thanks!


----------



## Galius

This


AlexThorpe said:


> all the bodies are mahogany except for the natural ash one.


----------



## mgcasella

I wonder if any of us who have put in orders for Jan 2010 will get their Intrepids in October? A few people got their Intrepids early this time around.

I want my Intrepid and I want it now


----------



## Santuzzo

I can't decide on fretborad wood and color 

I was thinking ebony (I have never had a guitar with an ebony fretboard, so, why not try it?)

And the colors I like are ghostburst, oceanburst and darkburst.

Which of those would you tihnk matches an ebony fretboard best?


----------



## Galius

Darkburst for sure.


Santuzzo said:


> I can't decide on fretborad wood and color
> 
> I was thinking ebony (I have never had a guitar with an ebony fretboard, so, why not try it?)
> 
> And the colors I like are ghostburst, oceanburst and darkburst.
> 
> Which of those would you tihnk matches an ebony fretboard best?


----------



## mgcasella

Perhaps, but the Ghostburst finish rules all 

I would get the Ghostburst finish with an ebony fretboard - in fact, that is exactly what I ordered 


Galius said:


> Darkburst for sure.


----------



## matttttYCE

I thought I'd mention this just because there's been some people who somehow haven't noticed... 

Anyone still trying to decide on options from agile, be it on a 7 or an 8, better make up your minds quick. *The last day to order is Monday, August 31st!*




mgcasella said:


> I wonder if any of us who have put in orders for Jan 2010 will get their Intrepids in October? A few people got their Intrepids early this time around.
> 
> I want my Intrepid and I want it now



I'd bet a substaintial amount of money there will be at least a few (maybe not as many as last run but who knows), because there's always some people that cancel or cannot pay.




Santuzzo said:


> I can't decide on fretborad wood and color
> 
> I was thinking ebony (I have never had a guitar with an ebony fretboard, so, why not try it?)
> 
> And the colors I like are ghostburst, oceanburst and darkburst.
> 
> Which of those would you tihnk matches an ebony fretboard best?



I just thought I'd jump in and say that personally, I think the oceanburst w/ ebony looks the best. But darkbust w/ ebony would probably be my second choice. And with so many options (especially now) is it any wonder why some people get multiple Agiles?


----------



## Galius

matttttYCE said:


> And with so many options (especially now) is it any wonder why some people get multiple Agiles?


 
<<<<<<<Guilty

I already ordered a lizardburst Septor 8 with a rosewood/reverse but now im trying to decide on another rosewood/reverse septor 8 with either tribal green quilt or black quilt. I almost dont want to cop out and get a black guitar but the finish does have a nice effect on the look of the guitar.


----------



## matttttYCE

Galius said:


> <<<<<<<Guilty
> 
> I already ordered a lizardburst Septor 8 with a rosewood/reverse but now im trying to decide on another rosewood/reverse septor 8 with either tribal green quilt or black quilt. I almost dont want to cop out and get a black guitar but the finish does have a nice effect on the look of the guitar.



Seriously. If I had the money, I'd have placed orders for two different versions of the Septor 8s, like 3 other versions of the Intrepids, and an Interceptor 7 or two. Anyways, as long as it's not solid black gloss, it really doesn't count as black, IMO . There's actually some definition and life to the black quilt (or flame) as opposed to the boring, lifeless solid gloss black.

On a related note, I also share your love for rosewood boards and I am kinda pissed at myself for not waiting until this run so I could've gotten my Intrepid Pro with rosewood instead of maple. I just may decide to try and trade someone for a rosewood or maybe even ebony model + some cash.


----------



## Galius

matttttYCE said:


> Seriously. If I had the money, I'd have placed orders for two different versions of the Septor 8s, like 3 other versions of the Intrepids, and an Interceptor 7 or two. Anyways, as long as it's not solid black gloss, it really doesn't count as black, IMO . There's actually some definition and life to the black quilt (or flame) as opposed to the boring, lifeless solid gloss black.
> 
> On a related note, I also share your love for rosewood boards and I am kinda pissed at myself for not waiting until this run so I could've gotten my Intrepid Pro with rosewood instead of maple. I just may decide to try and trade someone for a rosewood or maybe even ebony model + some cash.


 
I actually think the maple fretboard looks almost better on some of the intrepid models, but there are some that could look better either way or just with rosewood/ebony. I had major GAS to sell my bloodburst pro maple to buy one with a dark fretboard but in the and I decided the maple contrasted very well on it and made it look more unique. I cant think of one bad I have played with that had a maple board and when they see my Intrepid they think its a custom or something LOL. So I figure I will order 2 Septor 8s and either keep em both since theyre such a good price or just order 2 with different colors and see how well the finishes turn out (the quilt/flame finishes seem to vary sometimes with Agiles) and sell the one I like the least.

But the deadline for orders is in 2 days and pressure is building!!
Tribal Green Quilt or Black Quilt????


----------



## matttttYCE

Galius said:


> I actually think the maple fretboard looks almost better on some of the intrepid models, but there are some that could look better either way or just with rosewood/ebony. I had major GAS to sell my bloodburst pro maple to buy one with a dark fretboard but in the and I decided the maple contrasted very well on it and made it look more unique. I cant think of one bad I have played with that had a maple board and when they see my Intrepid they think its a custom or something LOL. So I figure I will order 2 Septor 8s and either keep em both since theyre such a good price or just order 2 with different colors and see how well the finishes turn out (the quilt/flame finishes seem to vary sometimes with Agiles) and sell the one I like the least.
> 
> But the deadline for orders is in 2 days and pressure is building!!
> Tribal Green Quilt or Black Quilt????




Yea, I might decide I really like the maple board once I get it because it's so contrasting from most guitars and no other 8s besides Agiles have maple, so we'll just have to wait and see.

And as much as I like the tribal green, if you've already got a lizardburst on the way, I'd say go with the black quilt.


----------



## Galius

Damn its just so hard to choose. I just feel that I have to take advantage incase this is the only run Kurt does with "choose your own options". I really hope it does go over well and is a permanent so we can always get what we want


----------



## Santuzzo

Galius said:


> Darkburst for sure.



Thanks! 

I think they all look very nice, hence my problem of making a decision. But I wasn ot sure whether they alll would ,atch equally well with a dark fretboard as opposed to the maple.



mgcasella said:


> Perhaps, but the Ghostburst finish rules all
> 
> I would get the Ghostburst finish with an ebony fretboard - in fact, that is exactly what I ordered



Cool! What scale did you decide one?

I think I want the middle option 28.625"



matttttYCE said:


> I thought I'd mention this just because there's been some people who somehow haven't noticed...
> 
> Anyone still trying to decide on options from agile, be it on a 7 or an 8, better make up your minds quick. *The last day to order is Monday, August 31st!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd bet a substaintial amount of money there will be at least a few (maybe not as many as last run but who knows), because there's always some people that cancel or cannot pay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just thought I'd jump in and say that personally, I think the oceanburst w/ ebony looks the best. But darkbust w/ ebony would probably be my second choice. And with so many options (especially now) is it any wonder why some people get multiple Agiles?



Thanks! Yeah, they are all nice colors....hard to decide.


----------



## mgcasella

I ordered the 30" scale 

I decided to go all out and have a guitar with a scale of a short-scale bass. Also, I'm hoping that the 30" will minimize the intonation problems from the previous runs. 

Finger-stretching isn't much of a concern for me either. Hopefully I'll be able to get used to the scale quickly since my other guitar has a 28" scale with a neck that is fatter than that of an Intrepid.




Santuzzo said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I think they all look very nice, hence my problem of making a decision. But I wasn ot sure whether they alll would ,atch equally well with a dark fretboard as opposed to the maple.
> 
> 
> 
> Cool! What scale did you decide one?
> 
> I think I want the middle option 28.625"
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Yeah, they are all nice colors....hard to decide.


----------



## Galius

Pulled the GAS trigger on a 2nd Septor 8. 

28.625
reverse/rosewood
black quilt

Had to do it even if it is a standard guitar color.....im just a sucker for black.


----------



## Santuzzo

Today is the last day that Rondomusic takes deposits/orders for Intrepids and Septors and I'm still undecided.
So, I think, I will pass and hopefully the next time I will be ready to decide on what to get.
I just am not sure enough yet on what scale, color and fretboard I'd want, and I don't want to rush this. Maybe better to wait for the next round ....


----------



## kslight

Hey just happened upon this site awhile back and been lurking... I have something of a related question... What has anybody's experience been with the 30" 8-strings vs. the 28 3/4..? Obviously tighter feel...but what kind of tuning difference do you achieve, or does it just take some flop out? Is the low F string useful? Is it possible to put heavier strings on it? 

I ask this because I currently play a Bass VI type guitar (Schecter Hellcat VI) as my primary instrument, a 30" six string bass tuned E-E, so I wouldn't have any issues adjusting to the scale. While through me and some others on a separate forum Kurt has decided to make an Agile Bass VI...I am still intrigued by the long 8 string guitars.


----------



## Niels

Santuzzo said:


> Today is the last day that Rondomusic takes deposits/orders for Intrepids and Septors and I'm still undecided.
> So, I think, I will pass and hopefully the next time I will be ready to decide on what to get.
> I just am not sure enough yet on what scale, color and fretboard I'd want, and I don't want to rush this. Maybe better to wait for the next round ....



You will slap yourself in the head many times in the future for passing up, just because you are considering now 
Same deal here but I eventually ended up with a ghostburst dual passive standard intrepid and a lizardburst dual passive standard septor with the kahler. Both love them, their my maines now


----------



## Santuzzo

Niels said:


> You will slap yourself in the head many times in the future for passing up, just because you are considering now
> Same deal here but I eventually ended up with a ghostburst dual passive standard intrepid and a lizardburst dual passive standard septor with the kahler. Both love them, their my maines now



 Yeah.

Well, I just was not ready yet to decide on scale, color and fretboard. And I just hate having to make a rushed decision.
I will order one the next time around then.


----------



## Hollowway

Niels said:


> You will slap yourself in the head many times in the future for passing up, just because you are considering now
> Same deal here but I eventually ended up with a ghostburst dual passive standard intrepid and a lizardburst dual passive standard septor with the kahler. Both love them, their my maines now



Well, well, well. There's that other LB Interceptor 8! I don't seem to recall a NGD post, though. Hmmm?

Seriously, though, did you get the 27" or 25.5? And did you have the neck backed out of the pocket or a routing gap on the front edge of the Kahler? The rest of us did in this run. 

And can you post a couple of pics of the LB and the Intrepid?


----------



## Niels

Yeah sorry, I do not own any camera's (I'm actually kinda afraid of camera's for no apperant reason).
I got the 25,5" for the high A, and with the exception of some small scratches on the kahler the guitar is flawless ^^
I'll do my best to get some pictures alright?


----------



## MF_Kitten

i just made another clip with an idea using the intrepid. check the recording forum


----------



## Hollowway

Niels said:


> Yeah sorry, I do not own any camera's (I'm actually kinda afraid of camera's for no apperant reason).
> I got the 25,5" for the high A, and with the exception of some small scratches on the kahler the guitar is flawless ^^
> I'll do my best to get some pictures alright?


 
So do you have the high A on it yet? I got the 27" because I wanted the option of the high A or the low F#, but I currently just have the low string on.


----------



## Niels

Yep, I had ordered 10 high a strings from gary a month before I got the guitar.
So as soon as I got it, I re-strung it. Whenever I string up a high a, I do it when watching a movie or something, then I slowly wind up the string with long rests.
And now I already use it a couple of months ^^


----------



## Ben.Last

Does anyone know if Graph Tech(or any other companies of similar quality) makes nuts that fit 8 string necks? I figure, since I'm having trouble with my low F# at the nut, might as well upgrade to a better material. I was looking at their black tusq line but didn't see a whole lot of length options.


----------



## TomAwesome

Lern2swim said:


> Does anyone know if Graph Tech(or any other companies of similar quality) makes nuts that fit 8 string necks? I figure, since I'm having trouble with my low F# at the nut, might as well upgrade to a better material. I was looking at their black tusq line but didn't see a whole lot of length options.



What kind of trouble? If it's binding a little, a little bit of a file and some lubing up with graphite from a mechanical pencil should help.


----------



## Ben.Last

The string sounds muffled and "breathy"(for lack of a better term) when played open. I can see light under the string between it and the nut slot. I looked online for files but I couldn't find any that were close to .072 gauge. I'm kind of hesitant to get a smaller one and attempt the shaping by hand myself, especially if replacements are hard to come by. So, I was figuring on taking it to a tech(which would require me finding one in the area as I've never really needed one before) and figured, if I'm going to go that route anyway, might as well have him install an upgraded nut.


----------



## TomAwesome

Sometimes you can file the nut down a bit just by taking a section of the string itself and running it back and forth through the slot repetitively. It's far from ideal, but it can work.


----------



## Ben.Last

I did that a bit already. Only problem was, since I didn't really notice this until I got the new string on, I only had a very short length of the .072 to do it with so it was even further from ideal. Maybe, if I don't get it into a tech before then, I'll give this another go next time I change strings.


----------



## xmetalhead69

Hey guys, so I just got my agile 8 today, (btw I think I may have gotten the last one with the through neck and ebony fretboard.) It seems pretty awesome, but The action seems a little high to me. suggestions?


----------



## TomAwesome

xmetalhead69 said:


> Hey guys, so I just got my agile 8 today, (btw I think I may have gotten the last one with the through neck and ebony fretboard.) It seems pretty awesome, but The action seems a little high to me. suggestions?



Try lowering the action.


----------



## xmetalhead69

TomAwesome said:


> Try lowering the action.


 hahah yeah good call. Idk how though, I've never done it myself.


----------



## TomAwesome

xmetalhead69 said:


> hahah yeah good call. Idk how though, I've never done it myself.



Ah. See those hex screws on the saddles? Those are for adjusting the action.


----------



## Santuzzo

xmetalhead69 said:


> hahah yeah good call. Idk how though, I've never done it myself.



lower the saddles at the bridge.

and post some pictures of your new guitar!


----------



## xmetalhead69

TomAwesome said:


> Ah. See those hex screws on the saddles? Those are for adjusting the action.


 hah wow man thanks. I'm so used to floyds, that having the workings of fixed bridges are still mysterious to me. That made a huge difference especially on the high strings, now its as awesome as I was expecting.


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## Hollowway

Check the action at the nut as well (i.e. how far the strings are off the first fret). The gap between the string and fret should be almost imperceptable there, requiring very little force to push it down. On my Intrepid I felt it was way to high, so I filed the nut down more. If it's high there it will limit how low you can get the overall action without buzzing. You can use nut files (sounds painful!) to do it, but they're kinda spendy. I just used a little rotary disk from my Dremel and held it in my fingers and pushed it back and forth til I got the height I wanted. And from what I understand you can just take the wound strings and rub them back and forth until you get the right height.

Also, before you do so on the 8th string, get yourself an actual .068 or higher gauge. Rondo's web site states that the guitars ship with a .072, but it's actually like a .062 or something really tiny. And then, step 3) Kick out the james!

EDIT: Don't be shy with that camera, dude! Let's get some pics of that bad boy up here, STAT!


----------



## xmetalhead69

word. Pictures are attached


----------



## Hollowway

Nice! Lovin' the ebony FB! That's exactly what I have, except I have an OB with maple FB. Enjoy! (P.s. Might as well put your sixers up for sale - cuz you won't be going back!)


----------



## matttttYCE

xmetalhead69 said:


> word. Pictures are attached



Now I'm really sad I didn't wait to get an ebony or mahogany boarded one!  That looks so nice! Anybody want to trade lefty Pro nat models, maple board for a mahogany board once we get them?  hahah


----------



## Santuzzo

xmetalhead69 said:


> word. Pictures are attached



Very nice !

Thanks for posting those pictures!


----------



## Ben.Last

Hollowway said:


> Nice! Lovin' the ebony FB! That's exactly what I have, except I have an OB with maple FB. Enjoy! (P.s. Might as well put your sixers up for sale - cuz you won't be going back!)




So... in other words... not exactly what you have at all. Hahahaha


----------



## xmetalhead69

thanks guys. Yeah it's pretty awesome since I lowered the action, but I'm definitely thinking I need to get a lower gauge for the F#.


----------



## darren

Beautiful! (not that i'm biased or anything  )

That's one heck of a slab of ebony on there, too! Nice buy!


----------



## george galatis

*SUPER-HANDSOME MOD EDIT:* goddammit, George This aint on.


----------



## Hollowway

Hey George Galatis, what's with posting that same vid on the different threads? And the photos aren't working in this thread either.

EDIT: Now the photos are up. That's an interesting finish on the Ibby. What is that?


----------



## george galatis

Hollowway said:


> Hey George Galatis, what's with posting that same vid on the different threads? And the photos aren't working in this thread either.
> 
> EDIT: Now the photos are up. That's an interesting finish on the Ibby. What is that?



the ibby it's an rg2620...yeah i notice someone removed the pictures but anw i hope that work:

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af309/milko13/DSC03652.jpg


----------



## xmetalhead69

george galatis said:


> the ibby it's an rg2620...yeah i notice someone removed the pictures but anw i hope that work:
> 
> http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af309/milko13/DSC03652.jpg



hair bands FTW


----------



## nothingface

I will be getting my intrepid on friday. I ended up with the pro model with an 808,I noticed there is no tone knob. Does anyone know in what frequency range is the pickup set (is it centered between high-bass evenly?).
Also has anyone tried the emg exg with the 808?


----------



## Galius

Ive been thinking...I might add a flame veneer top to my Pro when I get my Septor 8s. Anyone think that would be too much trouble removing the finish just for that? LOL


----------



## possumkiller

anyone else think the pros shouldve looked like this?

Brice Defiant 6 Lizard Burst at RondoMusic.com


----------



## matttttYCE

possumkiller said:


> anyone else think the pros shouldve looked like this?
> 
> Brice Defiant 6 Lizard Burst at RondoMusic.com



Still not a yellow, green burst "lizard burst" like I would have liked and what was proposed in one of the color mockups, but it looks much better than the Interceptor version aka charred lizard finish


----------



## possumkiller

i just meant the maple top with neck lams and gloss finish. looks badass. reminds me of old bc rich.


----------



## DrewsifStalin

possumkiller said:


> i just meant the maple top with neck lams and gloss finish. looks badass. reminds me of old bc rich.


it looks tacky.


----------



## Hollowway

possumkiller said:


> anyone else think the pros shouldve looked like this?
> 
> Brice Defiant 6 Lizard Burst at RondoMusic.com



Yeah, that IS pretty tasty. Maybe if Kurt does the fanned Sceptor (in a pro model) we can get it to look like that.


----------



## xmetalhead69

should I get a .90 or a .80 gauge for my F# string?


----------



## Hollowway

xmetalhead69 said:


> should I get a .90 or a .80 gauge for my F# string?



Before you do that, do you still have the stock strings on? Because, although it says they ship with .072s, they actually ship with a .062 or .064 or something tiny like that. I went up to a .068 and it was a HUGE improvement. On my 27" Interceptor 8 I have a .072. But I definitely like the .068 best on the Intrepids. It still has a very bright sound, and isn't all bassy and muddy.


----------



## xmetalhead69

Hollowway said:


> Before you do that, do you still have the stock strings on? Because, although it says they ship with .072s, they actually ship with a .062 or .064 or something tiny like that. I went up to a .068 and it was a HUGE improvement. On my 27" Interceptor 8 I have a .072. But I definitely like the .068 best on the Intrepids. It still has a very bright sound, and isn't all bassy and muddy.



I have the 29" scale so I'm thinking go with something bigger than what they shipped it with.


----------



## Ben.Last

xmetalhead69 said:


> I have the 29" scale so I'm thinking go with something bigger than what they shipped it with.



Yeah. And what he's saying is that they only ship with something around a .062. So, try out a .072 or so first.


----------



## TomAwesome

.090" or .080" is probably overkill for F# at that scale. Hell, I'm using a .068" for Eb below that at the same scale length (I'm assuming by 29" you meant 28.625").


----------



## xmetalhead69

Lern2swim said:


> Yeah. And what he's saying is that they only ship with something around a .062. So, try out a .072 or so first.


 ah, ok, yeah I didnt really know, sounds good, I dont want to over do it.


----------



## zachardy01234

So i just got my email from rondo saying my 8 string order has been recieved and they asked me about a case i emailed confirming i wanted a case...about how long am i looking until delivery


----------



## TomAwesome

zachardy01234 said:


> So i just got my email from rondo saying my 8 string order has been recieved and they asked me about a case i emailed confirming i wanted a case...about how long am i looking until delivery



For the preorders? January, I think.


----------



## hubbell1202

...i want one...


----------



## mgcasella

My Agile is going to have a 30" scale  and I was going to use the leftover strings from my Agile Baritone (13, 18w, 26w, 36, 46, 60) and I will use a 10 for the high E.

Does this mean I should also use a 72 for the F#?

I was going to get an 80 but, after reading this, I'm not quite so sure.




Lern2swim said:


> Yeah. And what he's saying is that they only ship with something around a .062. So, try out a .072 or so first.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Just an update http://www.rondomusic.com/photos/multiscale.jpg

Multi-Scale Intrepid Proto is moving along nicely. Hope to start taking deposits in early 2010

kurt


----------



## possumkiller

that is freakin awesome! wow i cant believe thats actually happening!!


----------



## Meshugger

At the end of the neck, is that a "zero"-fret or something?


----------



## darren

Wow! :wow:


----------



## xmetalhead69

wtf thats awesome. makes me wish I would have waited on getting my 8. :\


----------



## Niels

Mine! =D


----------



## Hollowway

possumkiller said:


> that is freakin awesome! wow i cant believe thats actually happening!!


 
^^This!


----------



## Galius

I dont know how anyone makes it through this......it hasnt even been 3 months and still about 3 to go before we get our orders. Its driving me nuts!! I was lucky enough to order an extra in stock intrepid when I got my first.


----------



## AlexThorpe

Does anyone have any idea what the pricing could end up looking like, and the total scale length?
I didn't follow the voting thread to see and now I wish I did


----------



## MF_Kitten

wait, WHAT? that shit is actually happening? my god, that is so awesome! 

i see it´s a 7 too, which i assume means they´ll be doing fanned fret 7 AND 8 strings?

i´ll have to sell more stuff!!! (nope, not really, but i´ll want one some day for sure!)


----------



## TomAwesome

kurtzentmaier said:


> Just an update http://www.rondomusic.com/photos/multiscale.jpg
> 
> Multi-Scale Intrepid Proto is moving along nicely. Hope to start taking deposits in early 2010
> 
> kurt


----------



## Ben.Last

Meshugger said:


> At the end of the neck, is that a "zero"-fret or something?



I'd assume that that's just a prototype to get the angles of the frets worked out. 

...I hope(even though I won't be getting one)


----------



## TomAwesome

^ I'm pretty sure it is.


----------



## Ben.Last

mgcasella said:


> My Agile is going to have a 30" scale  and I was going to use the leftover strings from my Agile Baritone (13, 18w, 26w, 36, 46, 60) and I will use a 10 for the high E.
> 
> Does this mean I should also use a 72 for the F#?
> 
> I was going to get an 80 but, after reading this, I'm not quite so sure.



With the 30" scale and the gauges of the other strings you're going with, you'll probably be fine with the 72. I've got a 72 on my 28" now. I may possibly end up settling on a 74


----------



## Santuzzo

kurtzentmaier said:


> Just an update http://www.rondomusic.com/photos/multiscale.jpg
> 
> Multi-Scale Intrepid Proto is moving along nicely. Hope to start taking deposits in early 2010
> 
> kurt



AWESOME !!!! Then it will be time for me to finally order an Agile !!!


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> I dont know how anyone makes it through this......it hasnt even been 3 months and still about 3 to go before we get our orders. Its driving me nuts!! I was lucky enough to order an extra in stock intrepid when I got my first.


 
Right there with you, man. I feel kind of nerdy and childish and the same time to be this jazzed about waiting for this multiscale. The most surefire way to get a strange look is tell a non-guitarist how you just can't WAIT for "this guitar with slanted frets from this cool builder."


----------



## xmetalhead69

now I'm thinking about selling the 8 I just got and ordering one of these. Would anyone be interested in an Intrepid pro with an ebony fretboard?


----------



## pirateparty

xmetalhead69 said:


> now I'm thinking about selling the 8 I just got and ordering one of these. Would anyone be interested in an Intrepid pro with an ebony fretboard?


What pickup configuration?


----------



## xmetalhead69

pirateparty said:


> What pickup configuration?


just a single EMG. I posted pics earlier in this thread. page 405 to be exact


----------



## MF_Kitten

just got my 30" scale intrepid back from the guitar workshop with BKP installed, new (more balanced) strings, and a complete setup job. a .74 for low E tuning sounds and feels really good, with a tension that isn´t tight, but isn´t sloppy. very guitar-like overall. i´m pleased, and can´t wait to try it with the pod


----------



## usagi

What BKP did you get?


----------



## MF_Kitten

painkiller. it´s amazing! i´m in love with it! i´m posting clips and all soon.


----------



## chimpinatux

Hey guys, you know where it says on rondo that international orders should be bought with a case? will i have to add one to the cart manually and if so which case is it to fit the intrepids?


----------



## TomAwesome

chimpinatux said:


> Hey guys, you know where it says on rondo that international orders should be bought with a case? will i have to add one to the cart manually and if so which case is it to fit the intrepids?



Yes, and this one.


----------



## chimpinatux

TomAwesome said:


> Yes, and this one.



Cheers
wooo, finally getting an ERG 

I went for the darkburst standard


----------



## Ironberry

MF_Kitten said:


> painkiller. it´s amazing! i´m in love with it! i´m posting clips and all soon.



HOW SOON?!


----------



## federock90

is it still possible to buy a Septor 827 now?how much shipping to italy?tnx


----------



## MF_Kitten

i´ve recorded a quick video to how off the intrepid with the BKP, and i´m editing as we speak. wee!


----------



## AgileLefty

MF_Kitten said:


> i´ve recorded a quick video to how off the intrepid with the BKP, and i´m editing as we speak. wee!


 

i'm staying awake until you post it here


----------



## TomAwesome

MF_Kitten said:


> i´ve recorded a quick video to how off the intrepid with the BKP, and i´m editing as we speak. wee!



[action=TomAwesome]taps his foot and waits.[/action]

Hey Morten, did you run into any trouble when installing the BKPs? I'm trying to put my Pigs in now, and the tabs are more than slightly too long.


----------



## m13os86

alright... ive been drinkin tonight (as usual) so ive been feeling a little loose with my money lol. decided to check out rondomusic's b-stock guitars, then came across this:
Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Dual Nat B Stock w/Case at RondoMusic.com
i just hope it gets here soon dammit!

can't say that the "yellow stains" will bother me, as i already have plans for this guitar


----------



## MF_Kitten

there were issues with the BKP tab sizes, but you can just cut those short and file/drill the holes so they are longer (different mounting screw spacings). mine are seated into the same pickup route, with the baseplate cut and filed a bit.

and the video won´t be ready for a while, it´s rendering. and if any of you have ever done video editing, you´ll know that shit takes FIFTEEN AGES.


----------



## MFB

Yeah, I just got my BKPs and it looks like there's still enough room to cut off but leave the mounting hole intact. We'll see Friday when I go to my tech/teacher's house to put them in.


----------



## TomAwesome

Well, I got them in. I had to trim down the tabs enough to lose half of the screw holes and angle what's left of the tabs, but there's enough left for the screw's head to get a good grip on. It made me sad to chop up the tabs on my brand new pickups, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good! I won't be able to hear them for a while since it looks like I'll need to order some new strings after all, but the Pigs even look a hell of a lot meaner than the Cepheus pickups. This guitar is starting to look like it means serious business.  Oh, and for those of you who I was talking to about them last night, the inlay decals were a success. They look great.

As a side note, when I opened up the control cavity last night, I noticed that there are actually Alpha pots in there. I expect to see cheap pots and switches in a Korean built "budget" guitar, but it's a pleasant surprise to see that even the little details are quality components.


----------



## MF_Kitten

okay, so the video is uploading to youtube right now. yaaay!

also, i´m surprised you had to cut that much, my pickups still have the whole screw holes intact.


----------



## TomAwesome

I wasn't able to get away with that.  Weird.


----------



## MF_Kitten

doesn´t really matter though. as long as it fits, and wont "un-fit", it´s a success. 

and yeah, the BKP stuff looks so manly and rugged, even with the standard black coils, because they look a tiny bit worn-in. love it!

youtube uploading is gunna take a while, it´s a high quality widescreen video file, and it´s over 700 mb in size. even when i try to do a video quick and dirty, i end up nitpicking about quality details 

i even used two camera angles at the same time, while also recording the audio directly, just to make sure i caught everything. i even added a totally random WTF ending just for you guys


----------



## MFB

Only problem so far is that with the way they box them is that you have no way of knowing which is the neck and which is the bridge pickup


----------



## TomAwesome

If you look at the wire runs, they have little flags on them that say _NECK_ and _BRIDGE_. Very handy, though I suppose you're kind of screwed if those come off.


----------



## MF_Kitten

you could probably find out by checking which direction the screw pole pieces are facing VS where the wire comes out. the wire should come out from the right side of the pickup when viewed from the top. when in that orientation, the screw-poles should be on the top coil for neck, bottom coil for bridge.

in other news, firefox crashed because of some facebook app, and i have to restart the youtube upload. 4 hours left. fuck.

edit: youtube upload failed because the video was too long. i´m now cutting it down to 10 minutes by removing excess content and stuff. i thought i had made it sooo short 

so yeah, it´ll be up tonight, i´m hoping.

re-edit: video is up, made a thread about it. waiting for HQ version to encode.


----------



## AgileLefty

TomAwesome said:


> Oh, and for those of you who I was talking to about them last night, the inlay decals were a success. They look great.


 


what are these decals you speak of? i'd love to see them cause i've been considering getting some for my Intrepid too


----------



## TomAwesome

AgileLefty said:


> what are these decals you speak of? i'd love to see them cause i've been considering getting some for my Intrepid too



They're basically really thin vinyl decals that you stick on the fretboard. There are a lot of them on eBay. I think there was a thread about them a few weeks or so ago. I got the "black" version of these, though they're really more of a dark blue.


----------



## m13os86

I'm finally a member of the intrepid club now! I just posted a NGD:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/97340-ngd-b-stock-intrepid-content.html


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Does anybody have an idea of what the multi-scales will cost? I'm budgeting for $1000 because the non-multiscale ones are ~$650-$800 new depending on features, correct?


----------



## Hollowway

Not sure what the multiscale will be, but I'm going to bet it's fairly south of $1000. Kurt is pretty good about making sure these things are affordable for us, and if the price starts getting up there he cuts other specs to keep it in line. (e.g. he changed the Interceptor 8 Kahlers from the 2228 USA to the 72228 Hybrid to keep the cost at $800 for the next run - since he underpriced the first run). For the current prices, a pro Intrepid ends up just under $700, depending on how many pickups and which kind. The Interceptor standard 8s are $800. So I would expect the multiscale to be safely under $1000.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Sweet. As long as the finish options are as desirable as the normal Intrepids, and I'm still financially stable by January (likely), you can count on me purchasing one Kurt. 

I'm excited.


----------



## xmetalhead69

This really makes me which I would have waited on going for the intrepid.


----------



## gunshow86de

GorillaSalsa said:


> Does anybody have an idea of what the multi-scales will cost? I'm budgeting for $1000 because the non-multiscale ones are ~$650-$800 new depending on features, correct?



Does this mean there is, for sure, going to be a multi-scale? And any idea when they will be available for pre-order?

Please don't yell at me for asking this, there's over 400 pages in the thread and I haven't been keeping up.


----------



## GorillaSalsa

gunshow86de said:


> Does this mean there is, for sure, going to be a multi-scale? And any idea when they will be available for pre-order?
> 
> Please don't yell at me for asking this, there's over 400 pages in the thread and I haven't been keeping up.



I understand, but Kurt himself updated us the page before this one.

All signs point to January for preorders.


----------



## gunshow86de

GorillaSalsa said:


> I understand, but Kurt himself updated us the page before this one.
> 
> All signs point to January for preorders.



Well you linked to page 102 of this thread, that's not the right one. And the page before this one doesn't have a post from him either.

But gracias for the informacion, January should be when I actually have money to order, so that works out nicely.

EDIT: Found it => http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...icial-agile-intrepid-8-string-thread-407.html


----------



## TomAwesome

gunshow86de said:


> Well you linked to page 102 of this thread, that's not the right one. And the page before this one doesn't have a post from him either.
> 
> But gracias for the informacion, January should be when I actually have money to order, so that works out nicely.
> 
> EDIT: Found it => http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...icial-agile-intrepid-8-string-thread-407.html



If you have the site set up to show 40 posts per page, the post in question is on page 102, which is the previous page.


----------



## gunshow86de

TomAwesome said:


> If you have the site set up to show 40 posts per page, the post in question is on page 102, which is the previous page.



40 posts per page? That sounds awful, with everyone always quoting pictures.


----------



## TomAwesome

Awful how? It's the exact same content, but you only have to click to move to the next page 1/4 as frequently.


----------



## chimpinatux

I have my DArkburst standard now!

It really is beautiful, im really not finding the scale and neck size difference too much of a problem so far, even with my small hands.

Pics on request


----------



## mgcasella

Do it - do it now!




chimpinatux said:


> I have my DArkburst standard now!
> 
> It really is beautiful, im really not finding the scale and neck size difference too much of a problem so far, even with my small hands.
> 
> Pics on request


----------



## chimpinatux

I'm going to strum myself to ecstasy


----------



## GorillaSalsa

That's a beautiful color. I'm hoping that option is available on the multi-scales, but I'd forgo it in favor of white.


----------



## whisper

Did anyone order one with the Lizard Burst? It got voted out on the second run (my Intrepid), and it was really my first choice.


----------



## xmetalhead69

I'm returning my Intrepid 
Although it was sweet, It was really difficult to adjust to, and for me the F# is kinda pointless. 
Also in the end the end it came down to owning 6 guitars at age 17 or car insurance. damn I need a job.


----------



## tkajr7

just got email that my intrepid will ship soon. very excited!


----------



## Ben.Last

TomAwesome said:


> Awful how? It's the exact same content, but you only have to click to move to the next page 1/4 as frequently.



On my old computer it would take MINUTES for a single page to load if I kept the post/page count at the max... especially if there were pics involved.


----------



## matttttYCE

tkajr7 said:


> just got email that my intrepid will ship soon. very excited!



Got the email today that mine is ready to ship pending payment receipt..damn not having a credit card, leaving me to send a money order and having it take longer to get my new love!


----------



## jayarpeggios

anyone know when the custom shop is opening again? also i was looking through this thread and there was a lot of links to guitars that i did not see on the agile site.... plus none of the like 10 guitars under "8 string" had any options at all..... i wanted to look at some of the septor 8's but none of them are listed on the site but the links on here work and there is still a "add to cart" thing working so.... any help thanks


----------



## Santuzzo

jayarpeggios said:


> anyone know when the custom shop is opening again? also i was looking through this thread and there was a lot of links to guitars that i did not see on the agile site.... plus none of the like 10 guitars under "8 string" had any options at all..... i wanted to look at some of the septor 8's but none of them are listed on the site but the links on here work and there is still a "add to cart" thing working so.... any help thanks



Rondomusic will probabaly take orders again around January 2010.
I just e-mailed Kurt a few days ago with thaty question and that's what he answered!

Can't wait to finally order an Intrepid!


----------



## AvantGuardian

Just got my shipping confirmation/tracking number for my October 15 run Bloodburst Intrepid Dual Standard. Its supposed to be here next Tuesday (10/20)!


----------



## Demeyes

I got my email for the final payment. Luckily I have enough money handy at the moment to get it sorted. I'm looking forward to finally getting this thing!


----------



## matttttYCE

Demeyes said:


> I got my email for the final payment. Luckily I have enough money handy at the moment to get it sorted. I'm looking forward to finally getting this thing!


 
I JUST BARELY had enough money to get mine..no thanks to my first paycheck at my new job NOT showing up when it was supposed to on Friday. Gotta love getting screwed out of money for another two weeks, and knowing there's nothing I can do about it.

Sorry
/rant.


----------



## Hollowway

jayarpeggios said:


> anyone know when the custom shop is opening again? also i was looking through this thread and there was a lot of links to guitars that i did not see on the agile site.... plus none of the like 10 guitars under "8 string" had any options at all..... i wanted to look at some of the septor 8's but none of them are listed on the site but the links on here work and there is still a "add to cart" thing working so.... any help thanks



Yeah, those pages aren't linked when they're not taking orders. But the pages still exist on the web site, so if you do a google search for the guitar you want to see the specs for, it'll likely pull up the orphaned page and you can check it out there.


----------



## daniboy_52

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the agile intrepid pro dual and the agile intrepid pro aside from only having one pickup and that being a EMG 808? Cuz the site says that the one with the EMG is double the price but all the other specs are the same.  Or did I miss something?


----------



## AlexThorpe

daniboy_52 said:


> Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the agile intrepid pro dual and the agile intrepid pro aside from only having one pickup and that being a EMG 808? Cuz the site says that the one with the EMG is double the price but all the other specs are the same.  Or did I miss something?



The ~$350 ones are just deposit price. Pay half now, half once it comes in.


----------



## Riffmagus

I have to say, after only a week of having my Agile Pro 8 - I absolutely adore it. It's currently in the shop having a proper setup and the tuning peg bored out to fit the low .72 on F# - so I'm playing my Jackson DK2 which feels like a kids toy. The only issue I can 'feel' so far with extended scale is pinch harmonics - but I'm working on my melody and groove - so can just Zakk Off on my six strings.

As it currently stands, there's no way I'm forking out for another Gibson ever again. Glad I sold it and got my Agile as a result.


----------



## tkajr7

just got my oceanurst pro today. really great so far. only thing i had to so was adjust the pickup a bit. plays really great


----------



## Santuzzo

tkajr7 said:


> just got my oceanurst pro today. really great so far. only thing i had to so was adjust the pickup a bit. plays really great



pictures, or it didn't happen


----------



## tkajr7

Santuzzo said:


> pictures, or it didn't happen



gotta find the camera. i'll post pics as soon as i can


----------



## Santuzzo

tkajr7 said:


> gotta find the camera. i'll post pics as soon as i can



Cool ! Looking forward to those!


----------



## jayarpeggios

hey on the agile 8's how good are they for the stage... death metal so lots of distortion... are the agile PUPs good enough to handle the range and also not cause feedback at high volume levels (or should i put in 808's?)... and how low can you get the action on these things without buzz(some pictures if you can).. i was thinking about getting a custom one but it has to be good enough for the stage and a professional stage at that... let me know what you guys think and also if you can let me know if youre a hobbist, stage musician, or professional stage musician... thanks


----------



## hairychris

Um, having a Pro, you can set them to a seriously low action. Go passive rather then 808 if possible. Even the 808 winds up well with plenty of gain but I'd rather have a passive (run 2 preorders all the Pros were active).

What I am = played a whole shitload of times on stage but never with an 8, and generally at a financial loss. But I've applied loads of front end gain when I've done it.


----------



## TomAwesome

The pickups are pretty damn decent for stocks. You'll probably want to change them eventually, but they work pretty well in the meantime. I haven't used it live, but I have a decent number of shows under my belt, and I'd feel quite confident using it live, even stock.


----------



## tkajr7

Santuzzo said:


> Cool ! Looking forward to those!



My NGD

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...83-ngd-agile-intrepid-pro-828-oceanburst.html


----------



## vortex_infinium

Didn't read through the past few posts but...

Anyone in the October run hear anything from Kurt yet?


----------



## Ben.Last

So, I took the truss rod cover off my Intrepid and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the screw holes. For the time being, I have just left the screws in there. I'm contemplating getting some shorter, headless hex screws so that the holes are filled but flush with the headstock surface. I'm open to creative solutions though. Ideas?


----------



## Galius

Lern2swim said:


> So, I took the truss rod cover off my Intrepid and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the screw holes. For the time being, I have just left the screws in there. I'm contemplating getting some shorter, headless hex screws so that the holes are filled but flush with the headstock surface. I'm open to creative solutions though. Ideas?


Mabey leave the cover on LOL. I know it didnt look quite right on the old headstock but ive actually had comments saying the cover fir the look of the new headstock.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

*What's up everyone? First time poster here so a million pardons if this question has been brought up already but...

Does ANYONE know the date when custom ordering for the Agile Intrepid 8 will be open again? I'm really contemplating placing an order for the next shipment depending on my financial status at the time. If anybody could answer this question for me it would be most appreciated!

One last question! Does Agile come out on top as the superior instrument above all other 8-strings on the market? I read nothing but good things about Agile and I just need a little more assurance that this is the 8-string I should really buy!

Thanks dudes! Glad to be a part of the forum!
-Justin (greenIVIONSTER)
*


----------



## TomAwesome

greenIVIONSTER said:


> *What's up everyone? First time poster here so a million pardons if this question has been brought up already but...
> 
> Does ANYONE know the date when custom ordering for the Agile Intrepid 8 will be open again? I'm really contemplating placing an order for the next shipment depending on my financial status at the time. If anybody could answer this question for me it would be most appreciated!
> 
> One last question! Does Agile come out on top as the superior instrument above all other 8-strings on the market? I read nothing but good things about Agile and I just need a little more assurance that this is the 8-string I should really buy!
> 
> Thanks dudes! Glad to be a part of the forum!
> -Justin (greenIVIONSTER)
> *





I'd hazzard a guess that the Agile CS will open up again early next year, but it's hard to be sure. If you really need to know, you might want to email Kurt directly. As far as being superior, it depends on what you're after. I doubt it's the most luxuriously crafted production 8 out there (not that I'm trying to say it's lacking; I love mine) but it has specs that aren't available from other manufacturers currently.


----------



## AvantGuardian

vortex_infinium said:


> Didn't read through the past few posts but...
> 
> Anyone in the October run hear anything from Kurt yet?


 
My Bloodburst/Maple Dual Standard was sent out on Tuesday, scheduled to arrive here next Tuesday. Kurt should move his operations here to Seattle to cut down on shipping costs from Korea (my guitar may have passed through here already) and, more importantly, so I get my stuff faster.


----------



## Santuzzo

greenIVIONSTER said:


> *What's up everyone? First time poster here so a million pardons if this question has been brought up already but...
> 
> Does ANYONE know the date when custom ordering for the Agile Intrepid 8 will be open again? I'm really contemplating placing an order for the next shipment depending on my financial status at the time. If anybody could answer this question for me it would be most appreciated!
> 
> One last question! Does Agile come out on top as the superior instrument above all other 8-strings on the market? I read nothing but good things about Agile and I just need a little more assurance that this is the 8-string I should really buy!
> 
> Thanks dudes! Glad to be a part of the forum!
> -Justin (greenIVIONSTER)
> *





TomAwesome said:


> I'd hazzard a guess that the Agile CS will open up again early next year, but it's hard to be sure. If you really need to know, you might want to email Kurt directly. As far as being superior, it depends on what you're after. I doubt it's the most luxuriously crafted production 8 out there (not that I'm trying to say it's lacking; I love mine) but it has specs that aren't available from other manufacturers currently.



I e-mailed Kurt a few days ago:



Santuzzo said:


> Rondomusic will probabaly take orders again around January 2010.
> I just e-mailed Kurt a few days ago with thaty question and that's what he answered!
> 
> Can't wait to finally order an Intrepid!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Thanks a lot Santuzzo! Looks like I've got some saving to do for my first 8-string!!! 

I've already started making a mock-up of the custom I want. Will definitely post it once I decide if it is...THE ONE.

Thanks again!


----------



## Santuzzo

greenIVIONSTER said:


> Thanks a lot Santuzzo! Looks like I've got some saving to do for my first 8-string!!!
> 
> I've already started making a mock-up of the custom I want. Will definitely post it once I decide if it is...THE ONE.
> 
> Thanks again!



No problem, man!

I was almost ordering an Interpid in the last run, but I could not decide on fretboard wood, scale length and color. But the next run I will definitely get an Interpid!!! Can't wait


----------



## Ben.Last

Galius said:


> Mabey leave the cover on LOL. I know it didnt look quite right on the old headstock but ive actually had comments saying the cover fir the look of the new headstock.



 Thanks. Hahaha.

I left the cover on for a while but I just think it looks better with more of the finish showing and thankfully the finish in the truss rod cavities is well done. If I could match the color of the bloodburst then I'd figure out some way to plug the holes and match it but, apart from making a way too huge project out of it, I'm probably not going to go that route.


----------



## matttttYCE

vortex_infinium said:


> Didn't read through the past few posts but...
> 
> Anyone in the October run hear anything from Kurt yet?



I was emailed on Monday the 12th saying my Intrepid was ready for shipment/asking for the final payment (though, I REALLY think this was a leftover Intrepid Pro lefty from LAST run because there's been one up on the site for a long ass time and there's been suspiciously few NGD threads for October run Agiles). I sent the payment Tuesday the 13th (via USPS money order/mail) and I haven't heard anything else yet. I'm beginning to worry that the money order was lost or something because it should've been to Kurt by now. I've just emailed Kurt earlier this evening, so we shall see if he's got it yet or not.


----------



## vortex_infinium

matttttYCE said:


> I was emailed on Monday the 12th saying my Intrepid was ready for shipment/asking for the final payment (though, I REALLY think this was a leftover Intrepid Pro lefty from LAST run because there's been one up on the site for a long ass time and there's been suspiciously few NGD threads for October run Agiles). I sent the payment Tuesday the 13th (via USPS money order/mail) and I haven't heard anything else yet. I'm beginning to worry that the money order was lost or something because it should've been to Kurt by now. I've just emailed Kurt earlier this evening, so we shall see if he's got it yet or not.



I'm not sure if it's a left over from the last run because it's around that time where people would have to pay and have their guitars sent out but it might be too early to receive them? Hopefully in the morning Kurt'll reply saying whether or not he got your money order or not but sometimes delays do happen.

As with my story... Finally a reply!

Pre story: Two months ago? Whenever the last run was they were shipping out some left overs to people from this run. I got a payment request and paid and then Kurt told me that they didn't actually have one for me and I got the second half of my payment refunded.

Anyway. Last night (17th) I sent an email to Kurt asking about my order. He told me that I didn't get a payment request because of the above story. So I paid tonight and hopefully it'll ship out tomorrow or something.


----------



## matttttYCE

vortex_infinium said:


> I'm not sure if it's a left over from the last run because it's around that time where people would have to pay and have their guitars sent out but it might be too early to receive them? Hopefully in the morning Kurt'll reply saying whether or not he got your money order or not but sometimes delays do happen.
> 
> As with my story... Finally a reply!
> 
> Pre story: Two months ago? Whenever the last run was they were shipping out some left overs to people from this run. I got a payment request and paid and then Kurt told me that they didn't actually have one for me and I got the second half of my payment refunded.
> 
> Anyway. Last night (17th) I sent an email to Kurt asking about my order. He told me that I didn't get a payment request because of the above story. So I paid tonight and hopefully it'll ship out tomorrow or something.



Well either way, it doesn't really matter as I don't think anything changed from the last run to the October run..Can anyone confirm that for me? I'm just kinda ticked that I could've had the guitar way earlier if I had had the funds when they contacted me about leftovers from last run. Also, I'm praying to the metal gods that it was just some mailing delay or that Kurt isn't shipping them out until a certain date or he has just been busy and hasn't gotten to it!

That sucks about you not being contacted..you probably could've had yours sooner. But at least yours should ship out very soon! That is, if they are all ready to ship out? Let me/us know if you hear anything from Kurt about yours being sent!


----------



## vortex_infinium

matttttYCE said:


> Well either way, it doesn't really matter as I don't think anything changed from the last run to the October run..Can anyone confirm that for me? I'm just kinda ticked that I could've had the guitar way earlier if I had had the funds when they contacted me about leftovers from last run. Also, I'm praying to the metal gods that it was just some mailing delay or that Kurt isn't shipping them out until a certain date or he has just been busy and hasn't gotten to it!
> 
> That sucks about you not being contacted..you probably could've had yours sooner. But at least yours should ship out very soon! That is, if they are all ready to ship out? Let me/us know if you hear anything from Kurt about yours being sent!




Yea. In the email he said... I'll just quote him below. So i'm willing to assume it'll ship out Monday and be here either end of the week or start of next week if everything goes accordingly.



> Yes it is here!
> 
> I think possibly the receipt and then refund of the second deposit caused some confusion - we are just waiting for final payment now and we can ship



As well, I remember hearing something about the bridge being moved 3mm back or something, but it didn't affect anyone who wanted to play in standard. Vague memory, someone work on finishing that piece of info for me.


----------



## matttttYCE

vortex_infinium said:


> As well, I remember hearing something about the bridge being moved 3mm back or something, but it didn't affect anyone who wanted to play in standard. Vague memory, someone work on finishing that piece of info for me.



If that's the case, and I end up getting a leftover from last run, I'm gonna be a little upset. It's not a HUGE deal, it's just a little more of a pain in the ass because I'll probably be dropping mine down a half a step and/or trying some drop E. And I did order one for the October run AND I specifically said I wanted to wait for the October run and not take a leftover.

Also, no email from Kurt directly, but I got one from Rondo Music saying that my order status has been updated - "Oct 19, 2009 10:02AM: Ready to Ship". So I don't know if that means Kurt received the payment or if he hasn't received it and he's waiting for it so he can ship the guitar. ...Doesn't ease my mind any more so than not hearing anything! AHhhhg


----------



## darren

"Ready to ship" basically means they're waiting for the shipment to come in from the factory.


----------



## matttttYCE

darren said:


> "Ready to ship" basically means they're waiting for the shipment to come in from the factory.



As in "they have my payment and they're waiting for the shipment to come in from the factory so they can ship it to me" or "they are still waiting for my payment and for the shipment from the factory, so once they get both, I get my guitar"?

Sorry. I realize I'm sounding really retarded about this. I'm just impatient and worried and thinking of the worst (like that the money order I sent was lost in the mail or something).

EDIT: Just got word from Kurt via email confirming that my payment was received late Friday and that he would be shipping later today! Don't bother responding to the above worry-wart question. Apparently "Ready to ship" may also mean the guitar is in hand and almost about to ship out...at least in my case


----------



## vortex_infinium

matttttYCE said:


> If that's the case, and I end up getting a leftover from last run, I'm gonna be a little upset. It's not a HUGE deal, it's just a little more of a pain in the ass because I'll probably be dropping mine down a half a step and/or trying some drop E. And I did order one for the October run AND I specifically said I wanted to wait for the October run and not take a leftover.



This was a long time ago. End of August maybe? So anything received in this run isn't a leftover. And again, i'm not sure which run had the bridge moved if it was even moved at all. 

And if Ready To Ship means the above. I got lucky. Said it was ready to ship on the 18th (Sunday) and I paid then. Shipped out today (Monday); got my Fed Ex tracking number.


----------



## matttttYCE

vortex_infinium said:


> This was a long time ago. End of August maybe? So anything received in this run isn't a leftover. And again, i'm not sure which run had the bridge moved if it was even moved at all.
> 
> And if Ready To Ship means the above. I got lucky. Said it was ready to ship on the 18th (Sunday) and I paid then. Shipped out today (Monday); got my Fed Ex tracking number.



IIRC the last run was July. And I was offered a leftover (Intrepid Pro Nat Lefty) on July 20th but I couldn't afford it then. And all the leftovers they couldn't sell or get customers for the Oct. run to take went up on the site shortly after. So it's pretty safe to say the lefty Nat Pros that went up were indeed leftovers from that run (I don't believe there were any up prior to that) and there were two up for the longest time and then only one. Which is still up currently and that was what I thought I'd be getting. But it still shows one on the site, so I'm thinking I got a newer one since I too was notified that mine shipped out today as well. Then again maybe Kurt gave me the older one and kept the newer one. Who knows. We still don't know which run had the bridge moved? Anyone?


----------



## coreysMonster

can't wait for the next run, I'll be definately getting another Agile 8-string. by that time, I'll actually have money to order one with the 30" scale (my 28" Agile is awesome for playing djent and normal chords, as for playing live without changing guitars, but for recording I'd like a 30" to really get the F as tight as possible without using tree-trunks for strings)


----------



## mgcasella

My Intrepid is coming in January! 

It is a 30" standard Ghostburst with an ebony fretboard - I can't wait!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

mgcasella said:


> My Intrepid is coming in January!
> 
> It is a 30" standard Ghostburst with an ebony fretboard - I can't wait!


You MUST post pics/vids of that beast when it comes in! I was thinking of doing that same set up as well, perhaps the charcoal finish instead.


----------



## mgcasella

I will definitely create and unboxing thread in honor of the Intrepid 

As far as vids - I'll have to see if any of my friends can help me out. However, don't worry, everyone will have a chance to bask in its glory 



greenIVIONSTER said:


> You MUST post pics/vids of that beast when it comes in! I was thinking of doing that same set up as well, perhaps the charcoal finish instead.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

For sure dude! I already know that 30" ebony fretboard is going to look sassy with the ghostburst! I'm gonna be all over that whenever custom ordering is available again. I hope that will be in the near future because I want an 8-string NOW!!!


----------



## AvantGuardian

My October run Intrepid arrived last night. I was too tired to take pics though (back to back 12+ hour days of work). My initial impression though is very good. No noticable flaws and a good setup out of the box. Hopefully I can do the NGD post this evening.


----------



## matttttYCE

AvantGuardian said:


> My October run Intrepid arrived last night. I was too tired to take pics though (back to back 12+ hour days of work). My initial impression though is very good. No noticable flaws and a good setup out of the box. Hopefully I can do the NGD post this evening.


 
We're waiting!  ...I don't think I ever get tired of seeing Intrepid (or any Agile for that matter) NGD threads!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

matttttYCE said:


> We're waiting!  ...I don't think I ever get tired of seeing Intrepid (or any Agile for that matter) NGD threads!


I think I love NGD posts because it makes me feel like it's me opening it! But then there is a very big let down at the end of the pic story or video and then I get really depressed because "oh yeah...NOT MY GUITAR!"


----------



## Demeyes

Well I just got my Intrepid today. I went and got the Dual Standard in the bloodburst finish. Its a nice guitar, I'm going to give it a setup once I get my hands on some strings for it. The strings on it now are bit too light for me. I'm not sure what tuning I'll stick with yet. I may go with regular tuning but I like the drop E too.


----------



## vortex_infinium

Mind came in the mail today. I checked FedEx tracking from college after lunch and saw it had arrived... 5 hours of class later... Woo!


----------



## matttttYCE

greenIVIONSTER said:


> I think I love NGD posts because it makes me feel like it's me opening it! But then there is a very big let down at the end of the pic story or video and then I get really depressed because "oh yeah...NOT MY GUITAR!"



I know exactly what ya mean!

I'm doing nothing but  and  waiting for mine! Why wouldn't I live basically on the other side of the country from Kurt?


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

matttttYCE said:


> I know exactly what ya mean!
> 
> I'm doing nothing but  and  waiting for mine! Why wouldn't I live basically on the other side of the country from Kurt?


Yeah no kidding. I'm at least half way from him maybe a little less.

I make a motion that we clone Kurt 50 times so we can put one of him in every state! Yes? No? hahaha


----------



## baryton

Hello everyone!

I'm new here and a new proud owner of an Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 Natural finish with Ebony fretboard^^





I really enjoy this instrument but i'm not really statisfied with the Cepheus Pick up especially the bridge one, 

So I need your advice for a new set, The BKP seem to be very good, and I want to play some death metal or meshuggah style, the warpigs and Musicman seems to be very nice
Some of you has already try one of those?

Sorry for my poor english^^

Thx


----------



## matttttYCE

^ How is it that people half way across the world from Kurt are getting theirs before me, only being on the other side of the SAME COUNTRY!?  They don't ship directly from the factory, do they?

That's an amazing guitar, though. I love the look of a darker board on the Intrepids! I kind of hate you a little bit right now, baryton.  But CONGRATS! And where's the NGD thread?




greenIVIONSTER said:


> Yeah no kidding. I'm at least half way from him maybe a little less.
> 
> I make a motion that we clone Kurt 50 times so we can put one of him in every state! Yes? No? hahaha



If only that would solve the problem of the factory being halfway across the world and the shipping times to a Kurt in each state remaining relatively the same, I would be the main proponent!


----------



## baryton

matttttYCE said:


> ^ How is it that people half way across the world from Kurt are getting theirs before me, only being on the other side of the SAME COUNTRY!?  They don't ship directly from the factory, do they?



Maybe because this one is a B-stock, shipped in5 days 







It has this 2 yellows stains, I bought it 590 USD


----------



## matttttYCE

baryton said:


> Maybe because this one is a B-stock, shipped in5 days
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has this 2 yellows stains, I bought it 590 USD




OH! Well, that explains that! The price cut for two yellow stains that aren't even that noticeable is amazing! Double congrats, you got a nice deal!


----------



## TomAwesome

The new dark burst is pretty damn nice lookin'.


----------



## baryton

AWESOME

I just send an email to Tim (BKP pickup Boss), He replied to me one minute after!! In France now it's 11.30 PM ô_O
He adviced to me to get the Painkiller Humbucker, Is someone already try it on a 8 String guitar???

Thx


----------



## MFB

baryton said:


> AWESOME
> 
> I just send an email to Tim (BKP pickup Boss), He replied to me one minute after!! In France now it's 11.30 PM ô_O
> He adviced to me to get the Painkiller Humbucker, Is someone already try it on a 8 String guitar???
> 
> Thx



MF_Kitten has one in his Intrepid with a 30" scale I believe


----------



## Hollowway

TomAwesome said:


> The new dark burst is pretty damn nice lookin'.


Is that the new one? That looks like some sort of a custom given the flamed top. I'd be interested to know what the story on that guy is.


----------



## TomAwesome

baryton said:


> AWESOME
> 
> I just send an email to Tim (BKP pickup Boss), He replied to me one minute after!! In France now it's 11.30 PM ô_O
> He adviced to me to get the Painkiller Humbucker, Is someone already try it on a 8 String guitar???
> 
> Thx



If you like a really bright and focused sound, the PK is great in an Intrepid. If you want a thicker sound, maybe consider Warpigs instead.


----------



## matttttYCE

Hollowway said:


> Is that the new one? That looks like some sort of a custom given the flamed top. I'd be interested to know what the story on that guy is.



I would too! Though, on the page it says "Note  Photo is Artists Impression. Actual may vary slightly" ...so I don't know what to think about that.

Whatever the case, it says there's only THREE left, just so everyone knows


----------



## MF_Kitten

matttttYCE said:


> I would too! Though, on the page it says "Note  Photo is Artists Impression. Actual may vary slightly" ...so I don't know what to think about that.



they just haven't removed that from when Darren's mockups were used as reference pics.






fuck me sideways!!!


----------



## matttttYCE

MF_Kitten said:


> they just haven't removed that from when Darren's mockups were used as reference pics.
> 
> ...
> 
> fuck me sideways!!!



Oh okay. And you can say that again...






So can anyone remind me why is it again that all these new ones look so much sexier?


----------



## 7deadlysins666

matttttYCE said:


> Oh okay. And you can say that again...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So can anyone remind me why is it again that all these new ones look so much sexier?



(edit) Nevermind these are in stock NOW!?!?! ewghrufthr fuck me.


----------



## matttttYCE

7deadlysins666 said:


> (edit) Nevermind these are in stock NOW!?!?! ewghrufthr fuck me.



Yea, but it appears there are only 3 ocean bursts, 3 darkburst, and 4 charcoals in stock currently. Maybe these are leftovers from the October run? Maybe they're extras? Maybe more are coming in? I don't know. What I do know is they're all sexy!


----------



## mlp187

I don't see how that's "Oceanburst," but it is sexy ( I know the website lists them as oceanburst).

I do miss the grain of the ash, but these look great too. Now we just need a neck pup.


----------



## MF_Kitten

nicer colours and flamed maple tops. simple changes, but they look awesome!


----------



## 7deadlysins666

mlp187 said:


> I don't see how that's "Oceanburst," but it is sexy ( I know the website lists them as oceanburst).
> 
> I do miss the grain of the ash, but these look great too. Now we just need a neck pup.



1 Pup, 1 Knob is my favorite setup. Actually both of my guitars are setup like this, and finding 7s and 8s that come stock like this almost kill me when I don't have the $$ to afford them. Its like I need to snag it before they only make the dual pickup version.


----------



## matttttYCE

mlp187 said:


> I don't see how that's "Oceanburst," but it is sexy ( I know the website lists them as oceanburst).
> 
> I do miss the grain of the ash, but these look great too. Now we just need a neck pup.



It's just barely a darker blue on the edges and a lighter blue towards the middle. Hell, the color itself looks more ocean like, than the older ocean burst standards did! And patients, my friend. Duals are inevitably not far behind, I'm sure.



7deadlysins666 said:


> 1 Pup, 1 Knob is my favorite setup. Actually both of my guitars are setup like this, and finding 7s and 8s that come stock like this almost kill me when I don't have the $$ to afford them. Its like I need to snag it before they only make the dual pickup version.



Oh, they won't stop making the single version. At least I don't see why they would when it's more affordable and they still sell to many people, like yourself, wanting only one pup.


----------



## Hollowway

I don't know, are those mockups? They look real, except where the flame goes over the arm bevel. I'm not sure they could do flame there without it being an EXTREMELY thick cap, and that would definitely kick up the cost. One of us needs to email Kurt or hunt through this thread for Darren's mockups.


----------



## ra1der2

Oooh that blue flame 828, me likey....but I have way too many agiles as it is, eh whats one more going to hurt? NOOOOOOOO stop this insanity! Are there any professionals that handle GAS addiction? 



Hollowway said:


> I don't know, are those mockups? They look real, except where the flame goes over the arm bevel. I'm not sure they could do flame there without it being an EXTREMELY thick cap, and that would definitely kick up the cost. One of us needs to email Kurt or hunt through this thread for Darren's mockups.



They definitely look real to me, perhaps the flame top is so thin that it can be applied and shaped after the edge is routed?


----------



## darren

Nice! I wonder if those are still ash backs, or if they're maple/mahogany.


----------



## Ben.Last

matttttYCE said:


> So can anyone remind me why is it again that all these new ones look so much sexier?



Eh, I still like the looks of the capless ones better.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Hollowway said:


> I don't know, are those mockups? They look real, except where the flame goes over the arm bevel. I'm not sure they could do flame there without it being an EXTREMELY thick cap, and that would definitely kick up the cost. One of us needs to email Kurt or hunt through this thread for Darren's mockups.



My bet; it's a veneer.



darren said:


> Nice! I wonder if those are still ash backs, or if they're maple/mahogany.



Site says Ash, but then again it says nothing about the veneers.


----------



## possumkiller

maybe its not even a veneer. maybe its some good ol photo flame paper lol.


----------



## kurtzentmaier

We never use photo flame paper - even on the $99 SX models
Ok one exception the QMD SX basses at $129 is that photo flame stuff

The Tops on all the rest of the Agile models (flame, quilt, Spalt) is about 1/16" thick. Exceptions are noted in the description - such as 

Agile TC-1200 Nat Spalted at RondoMusic.com

In general the 3/8" and 3/4" sold top flame, spalt or quilt cost about 10 times the price and the quality of flame or quilt etc is never as good as the 1/16 stuff. Not to mention is very hard to get and not great for the enviro....

Kurt


----------



## possumkiller

will graphtech piezo saddles fit on the intrepid standard bridge?

and to mr zentmaier, will we be seeing any more of these flame top models? im wondering if i should snag a dark burst now or wait and see if the same thing with dual pickups and rosewood or ebony fretboard pops up soon.


----------



## pirateparty

I wish Kurt would make an Intrepid Pro w/ an Ebony board and 2 pickups instead of just 1


----------



## GorillaSalsa

^^^ Amen! ^^^


----------



## Splees

Oh myyy I LOVE the new darkburst.


----------



## Explorer

pirateparty said:


> I wish Kurt would make an Intrepid Pro w/ an Ebony board and 2 pickups instead of just 1



I have one from the summer run. It's awesome. 

I thought this was even a possibility in the most recent custom shop choices: dual Cepheus, ebony FB, and a choice of scale lengths. Since I've had success with downtuning my FM-408, I almost committed to a 25.5" dual pup ebony board Pro the last time the shop option was open, but knew that my finances would be tight when they came in, so I've decided to hold off until a later run.

I was originally thinking of replacing the dual Cepheus pickups with Q-tuners, doing a route for the larger pups, but they're surprising clean, and I've been pretty happy with them....


----------



## Hollowway

Explorer said:


> I have one from the summer run. It's awesome.
> 
> I thought this was even a possibility in the most recent custom shop choices: dual Cepheus, ebony FB, and a choice of scale lengths. Since I've had success with downtuning my FM-408, I almost committed to a 25.5" dual pup ebony board Pro the last time the shop option was open, but knew that my finances would be tight when they came in, so I've decided to hold off until a later run.
> 
> I was originally thinking of replacing the dual Cepheus pickups with Q-tuners, doing a route for the larger pups, but they're surprising clean, and I've been pretty happy with them....



Oh yeah? What string gauge are you using (for the lowest) and what are you tuning down to. I've only played 27" and 28 5/8" scales at F#.


----------



## Explorer

Currently I'm using an Ernie Ball .090 (small ball end) to get down to Ab0, but when time opens up, I'll spend some time on optimising and will probably get some customs from O4+....


----------



## Martin_777

baryton said:


> Maybe because this one is a B-stock, shipped in5 days
> 
> It has this 2 yellows stains, I bought it 590 USD



This is all? 2 little stains?
Currently they are down to $499,99. I am very very very tempted ... 

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Dual Cepheus MN Nat B Stock


----------



## Adam

Martin_777 said:


> This is all? 2 little stains?
> Currently they are down to $499,99. I am very very very tempted ...
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Dual Cepheus MN Nat B Stock



That's mine now


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

MF_Kitten said:


> they just haven't removed that from when Darren's mockups were used as reference pics.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> fuck me sideways!!!


I am sooooo close to buying this one....


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

So today I played my buddies custom Agile Intrepid 8-string Dual Standard and I must say I am definitely sold on the hype of these guitars. Very comfortable to play and that was the first time I have ever played an 8-string! His has a 30" scale and it seems to bring out the clarity of all the strings.

Once custom ordering comes around I am going to buy one of these and become a proud owner of an Agile Intrepid! I hope custom ordering is available once January's run ships!


----------



## nogg

What's the Opinion on the Tremolo Option ?


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

nogg said:


> What's the Opinion on the Tremolo Option?



Personally, I wouldn't even use a tremolo on an 8-string. I don't see a reason for it really but, to each their own! That's my


----------



## Mattnh79

dude you can, the septor 727 is like 500 bucks, totally get it, but with totally new pickups, i recommend bkp, specifically the painkiller, als for detuning i'd get a 27" scale, not the regular 25.5", i know over the top, but just trying to help  hope it dus


----------



## ra1der2

nogg said:


> What's the Opinion on the Tremolo Option ?



I have one of these and love it! When it arrived the stock springs were so strong that it was basically a fixed bridge with dive bomb capability only. I swapped out the springs with some allparts springs and got it tweaked so it is fully floating now. It stays in tune very well unless you go really crazy on it.


----------



## possumkiller

ra1der2 said:


> I have one of these and love it! When it arrived the stock springs were so strong that it was basically a fixed bridge with dive bomb capability only. I swapped out the springs with some allparts springs and got it tweaked so it is fully floating now. It stays in tune very well unless you go really crazy on it.


 
awesome. i was looking at that as well but i wasnt sure about it. that with some locking tuners would probably be sweet. i wish it were an option on other models and other finishes though.


----------



## nogg

That's a nice piece of Mahogany - matching Headstock cap makes it right.


----------



## headibanez

if we email kurt can there be a seven string intrepid? i would buy one
especially if it was the redburst wit a hipshot


----------



## RG7

Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Ocean Burst MN at RondoMusic.com


is this a glossy or satin finish???


----------



## MFB

I believe all Intrepids are Satin


----------



## Santuzzo

RG7 said:


> Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Ocean Burst MN at RondoMusic.com
> 
> 
> is this a glossy or satin finish???



What does 'glossy' or 'satin' finish mean?


----------



## vgta

Santuzzo said:


> What does 'glossy' or 'satin' finish mean?



glossy finish :
Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Ocean Burst MN at RondoMusic.com
The finish is shiny

satin finish :
Agile Intrepid Dual Standard Maple Charcoal Left at RondoMusic.com
The finish is between matte and shiny


----------



## Santuzzo

vgta said:


> glossy finish :
> Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Ocean Burst MN at RondoMusic.com
> The finish is shiny
> 
> satin finish :
> Agile Intrepid Dual Standard Maple Charcoal Left at RondoMusic.com
> The finish is between matte and shiny



Oh, ok !

Thanks !


----------



## MF_Kitten

vgta said:


> glossy finish :
> Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Ocean Burst MN at RondoMusic.com
> The finish is shiny
> 
> satin finish :
> Agile Intrepid Dual Standard Maple Charcoal Left at RondoMusic.com
> The finish is between matte and shiny



not the best example on the shiny one, since both of those are satin


----------



## Santuzzo

MF_Kitten said:


> not the best example on the shiny one, since both of those are satin



now I'm confused


----------



## Martin_777

Damn ... seems that all the b-stock models have gone now. 
And the worst thing is ... I DIDN'T GET ONE!  
But way too many left handed models. 

Rondo Music Electric Guitars

Does anybody know when new Pro Dual 828 MN Nat models will be available again? I'm gasing for one so badly now.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Santuzzo said:


> now I'm confused



it´s pretty simple, really. the explanation was good, the examples were wrong (or, the glossy one was)

glossy:














satin:









and beyond satin, approaching matte:





edit: has anyone else here seen ibanez´s "rubber red" finish? it´s the most matte finish i´ve ever seen, and it looks absolutley insane! it absolutely doesn´t reflect light!


----------



## Santuzzo

MF_Kitten said:


> it´s pretty simple, really. the explanation was good, the examples were wrong (or, the glossy one was)



OK.
Thanks, Morten!


----------



## Hypothermia

when is the next interceptor/intrepid run?


----------



## Ben.Last

Martin_777 said:


> But way too many left handed models.



You shut your filthy right handed mouth


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Hypothermia said:


> when is the next interceptor/intrepid run?



That's a question all of us NON-Agile owners have been asking for a while! 

I wish SOMEONE would let us know at least around what month custom ordering will begin...


----------



## Santuzzo

Hypothermia said:


> when is the next interceptor/intrepid run?





greenIVIONSTER said:


> That's a question all of us NON-Agile owners have been asking for a while!
> 
> I wish SOMEONE would let us know at least around what month custom ordering will begin...



I e-mailed and asked Kurt about this a few weeks ago and he answered that Rondomusic will probably be taking orders in January for early 2010 produtcion.


----------



## possumkiller

just got my standard darkburst flame maple top intrepid in about 7 minutes ago. im waiting for my thread to get unlocked so i can post some pics. this thing is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!


----------



## El Caco

Start a new thread, that one isn't getting unlocked.


----------



## possumkiller

oh well


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Looking for input on colors for the first run of the fan frets - Basic Specs are

* 7 String 25.5-27" Scale
* 3pc maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
* Bolt neck joint
* 1 x Cephius (Agile) pickup
* 1 Volume 
* Custom Bridge (Much like the Z bass)
* Grover tuner
* Chrome hardware
* Mahogany Body

Model Name "Pendulum"

Target Price $600 to $699

Should be available around the end of April - with some pre-production models before that.

This is just the first go - I expect higher end versions set neck or neck through, upgraded pickups etc (and prices closer to $999) and 8 string versions to come later in the year.

Kurt


----------



## djohns74

Sounds awesome Kurt, thanks for the update! Just curious, what's the body shape on this going to be? 

I would think that most of the color options offered thus far on the Intrepid would be a hit. In particular, a traditional sunburst (Darkburst) and the Bloodburst both seem pretty popular. I would suggest for solid colors, both a pure white and a black would be popular choices. Boring by some people's standards I'm sure, but black is always a safe bet, and it seems like every time a mock-up is done in pure white, a bunch of people are all over it.

We probably should have a separate thread started for color ideas, leading eventually to a poll to choose the most popular. I don't expect that there will be any figured tops/veneers on this first run, would that be a safe assumption?


----------



## Customisbetter

kurtzentmaier said:


> Looking for input on colors for the first run of the fan frets - Basic Specs are
> 
> * 7 String 25.5-27" Scale
> * 3pc maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
> * Bolt neck joint
> * 1 x Cephius (Agile) pickup
> * 1 Volume
> * Custom Bridge (Much like the Z bass)
> * Grover tuner
> * Chrome hardware
> * Mahogany Body
> 
> Model Name "Pendulum"
> 
> Target Price $600 to $699
> 
> Should be available around the end of April - with some pre-production models before that.
> 
> This is just the first go - I expect higher end versions set neck or neck through, upgraded pickups etc (and prices closer to $999) and 8 string versions to come later in the year.
> 
> Kurt



Well Kurt. I WAS going to buy an intrepid next month, but i think you just convinced me to wait. 

On the Subject of Color, (i am in the minority here) i love Orange guitars, so a satin translucent Orange would be sweet. But ill take anything that isn't black.  I'm sure you've seen the Color recommendation Interceptor thread with the huge poll...

HERE
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...color-options-on-some-agile-interceptors.html

EVERYONE! the first one is MINE!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Well guys...

I just ordered myself an Agile Intrepid Standard Dual 830 EB (right handed) with a case! They just put this up today and I snagged it before anyone else could! Sorry to those of you who had your eye on it! I'll be sure to let you know how it is!  J/K!

Here are some pics of it!












I'm going to do a "Vid Story" when it comes in! Should be here next week sometime!


----------



## Customisbetter

^If you do a Meshuggah cover on that, i will seriously disappointed.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Customisbetter said:


> ^If you do a Meshuggah cover on that, i will seriously disappointed.



Haha well I do love me some Meshuggah...but no I won't. Most likely it'll be a video of me and my drummer playing one of our songs or something like that.

No congrats for me joining the Intrepid Club??


----------



## Customisbetter

Id congratulate you but i don't have one. 

I hope you enjoy it though.


----------



## mgcasella

Bloodburst, flame black and matte black fo sho 

Also, I think a purple burst finish would be good for this model. I don't know why but, for some reason, I just keep seeing this guitar in that color 




kurtzentmaier said:


> Looking for input on colors for the first run of the fan frets - Basic Specs are
> 
> * 7 String 25.5-27" Scale
> * 3pc maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
> * Bolt neck joint
> * 1 x Cephius (Agile) pickup
> * 1 Volume
> * Custom Bridge (Much like the Z bass)
> * Grover tuner
> * Chrome hardware
> * Mahogany Body
> 
> Model Name "Pendulum"
> 
> Target Price $600 to $699
> 
> Should be available around the end of April - with some pre-production models before that.
> 
> This is just the first go - I expect higher end versions set neck or neck through, upgraded pickups etc (and prices closer to $999) and 8 string versions to come later in the year.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Customisbetter said:


> Id congratulate you but i don't have one.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it though.



That is totally understandable my friend! You'll get it one day I'm sure! Cheers!


----------



## Santuzzo

greenIVIONSTER said:


> Well guys...
> 
> I just ordered myself an Agile Intrepid Standard Dual 830 EB (right handed) with a case! They just put this up today and I snagged it before anyone else could! Sorry to those of you who had your eye on it! I'll be sure to let you know how it is!  J/K!
> 
> Here are some pics of it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to do a "Vid Story" when it comes in! Should be here next week sometime!



Nice !

I just saw it on the Rondomsuic site and thought I'd post a link here then I saw you already posted it.
So, did they only have one model of these?


----------



## darren

That 830 EB is stunning! Nice score. The site is showing 1 in stock, dunno if Kurt's inventory is updated in real time.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

darren said:


> That 830 EB is stunning! Nice score. The site is showing 1 in stock, dunno if Kurt's inventory is updated in real time.



Man I sure hope I was the one who got it...that would be an EPIC LETDOWN. I'd probably vomit... 

Thanks for the compliment on the guitar by the way!


----------



## Santuzzo

Isn't that EB 830 an 30"scale?
It says 28.625, but I thought the model number 8*30* would give an indication for the scale?


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Santuzzo said:


> Isn't that EB 830 an 30"scale?
> It says 28.625, but I thought the model number 8*30* would give an indication for the scale?



Dude if you're right I'm going to be soooooooooo happy! hahaha

I'll measure the neck when I get it and I'll let you know!


----------



## Santuzzo

greenIVIONSTER said:


> Dude if you're right I'm going to be soooooooooo happy! hahaha
> 
> I'll measure the neck when I get it and I'll let you know!



awesome !

I think you will be happy with this guitar either way


----------



## Meshugger

kurtzentmaier said:


> Looking for input on colors for the first run of the fan frets - Basic Specs are
> 
> * 7 String 25.5-27" Scale
> * 3pc maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
> * Bolt neck joint
> * 1 x Cephius (Agile) pickup
> * 1 Volume
> * Custom Bridge (Much like the Z bass)
> * Grover tuner
> * Chrome hardware
> * Mahogany Body
> 
> Model Name "Pendulum"
> 
> Target Price $600 to $699
> 
> Should be available around the end of April - with some pre-production models before that.
> 
> This is just the first go - I expect higher end versions set neck or neck through, upgraded pickups etc (and prices closer to $999) and 8 string versions to come later in the year.
> 
> Kurt



Try something that makes it more special, like the blue satin found in this thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sev...erceptors.html


----------



## El Caco

Flat Black, Tribal Red.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Santuzzo said:


> awesome !
> 
> I think you will be happy with this guitar either way





I think I'd be happier if it did end up being a 30" scale because I really want that size neck and it would be a nice surprise. However, 28.625" is close enough for me!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

This is with an Agathis Body.
Production will use Mahogany body, but the agathis is pleasantly light. (about 6 lbs !)
Also plan on angling the pickup a bit.

So Flat black and Some kind of Red ?


Kurt


----------



## Customisbetter

Nice one Kurt!


----------



## darren

Oiled (or satin-finished) natural mahogany would be pretty sweet.


----------



## dooredge

kurtzentmaier said:


> So Flat black and Some kind of Red ?[Kurt


 
Flat black, with black hardware, would indeed be a nice colour selection!


----------



## El Caco

Tribal red is my favorite Agile finish but if it doesn't have the maple top then I don't actually like red 

For Mahogany Blacks would be my favorites, distressed black followed by Satin black and your charcoal finish isn't bad either. Natural and dark stains work too. All the current transparent Intrepid finishes look good. As far as solid finishes go the only one other than satin black that screams out at me is white.


----------



## Fred

kurtzentmaier said:


> This is with an Agathis Body.
> Production will use Mahogany body, but the agathis is pleasantly light. (about 6 lbs !)
> Also plan on angling the pickup a bit.
> 
> So Flat black and Some kind of Red ?
> 
> 
> Kurt



Oh crap... Oh crap. I can't afford another guitar, come on, I don't need another one. Just a little one? Just a teeny little multiscale? Well... I guess I probably should, right?

As for colours, any single one of the colour options you have for the interceptors, septors and intrepids already (apart from oceanburst, not a massive fan of that) would go down an absolute treat!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

"Nov 6, 2009 7:03AM: Ready to Ship"

Man this is gonna be a rough week...



*Scheduled Delivery:* 11-November-2009 



Apparently my Intrepid will be here the day after the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! This is the best November I've EVER had!


----------



## RG7

kurt...what about you try glossy finishes? Matte feels good but I can't take them seriously cuz they scratch like crazy.


----------



## dreamsfrag

greenIVIONSTER said:


> "Nov 6, 2009 7:03AM: Ready to Ship"
> 
> Man this is gonna be a rough week...
> 
> 
> 
> *Scheduled Delivery:* 11-November-2009
> 
> 
> 
> Apparently my Intrepid will be here the day after the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! This is the best November I've EVER had!



Congrat !!!
Kurt changed profile to 30". I love charcoal finish with ebony but now it sold out


----------



## wannabguitarist

Is the nut straight on that prototype? Something looks a little off to me, then again it is a fanned fret guitar 

At the price point you're shooting for I'm definitely interested.


----------



## Ben.Last

wannabguitarist said:


> Is the nut straight on that prototype? Something looks a little off to me, then again it is a fanned fret guitar
> 
> At the price point you're shooting for I'm definitely interested.



I'm assuming(and we all know how that turns out) that it's set up with that first fret as a zero fret. After all, it looks like it would be rather hart to fret that one anyway. This is the only way I could see it making sense, since the fret board is traditionally shaped anyway instead of being angled at the ends like most fanned fretboards.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Lern2swim said:


> I'm assuming(and we all know how that turns out) that it's set up with that first fret as a zero fret. After all, it looks like it would be rather hart to fret that one anyway. This is the only way I could see it making sense, since the fret board is traditionally shaped anyway instead of being angled at the ends like most fanned fretboards.



Totally missed the zero fret 

The straight fretboard ends is a big aesthetic no on a fanned guitar imo


----------



## Mr. Big Noodles

wannabguitarist said:


> Totally missed the zero fret
> 
> The straight fretboard ends is a big aesthetic no on a fanned guitar imo



Agreed, it should be angled, like the headstock on the mockup from this thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...mock-up-attempt-agile-septor-multi-scale.html


----------



## MaxOfMetal

This seems to be a VERY rough prototype, I'm still very interested though.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

dreamsfrag said:


> Congrat !!!
> Kurt changed profile to 30". I love charcoal finish with ebony but now it sold out




I saw that correction made before it was sold out! It makes me even more excited knowing mine will have a 30" scale. I got REAL lucky on this one. I almost bought a different model and I sure am glad I waited to order! Otherwise, things would've gotten ugly!

Those new Intrepids that have been posted also have 30" scales and look rather nice. I will have a pic story up Wednesday night followed by some video of me playing it another day!


----------



## lefty robb

Awesome to see that the factory workers can pull of fanned frets. Natural is always win, as well as any quilt or flame tops, and I would LOVE to see some burls for once., also gotta see dual pickups!! Multiscale screams shred, because honestly multiscale is pointless with 1 pickup.

Please tell me these can come in lefties...


----------



## GorillaSalsa

Does anybody know what the upper fret access is like on the 8-string Septors? I'm gassing for one, apparently.


----------



## Hollowway

GorillaSalsa said:


> Does anybody know what the upper fret access is like on the 8-string Septors? I'm gassing for one, apparently.


 
Not bad. Technically the Intrepid has a cut out a couple of frets deeper, but I can get to the 24th on it pretty easily. And FWIW mine is a bolt-on, and that doesn't seem to be an issue for accessiblilty either (compared to my thru Intrepid).


----------



## Santuzzo

I'm pretty sure now what to get when Rondomusic takes orders for the next run. I want an Intrepid ghostburst with a 28.625" scale! probably maple fretboard!!!


----------



## gatesofcarnage

I think natural mahogany, puple quilt, and silver burst would all look fucking great for this guitar


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

TOMORROW IS THE DAY...

Oh...and Modern Warfare 2 is AMAZING if anyone is into that game at all! What a great week so far!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

SchecterWhore said:


> Agreed, it should be angled, like the headstock on the mockup from this thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...mock-up-attempt-agile-septor-multi-scale.html



Would people prefer the intrepid headstock (as shown in the sample) or a 7 in line Interceptor Headstock for this model ? And if 7 in line - Referse or Standard ?

Kurt


----------



## MF_Kitten

i would want to keep the interceptor and intrepid as separated as possible, so they don´t kinda make eachother redundant. the intrepid headstock is part of the identity of that guitar, so i wouldn´t use it on an interceptor. and interceptor is an interceptor! let it have it´s normal headstock.

i would go for a reversed headstock, too. it´s just meant to be.


----------



## El Caco

I'd go with that headstock as pictured






but that's just me and I think I'm going to be broke from the Roter Multiscales for some time anyway.


----------



## OrsusMetal

kurtzentmaier said:


> Would people prefer the intrepid headstock (as shown in the sample) or a 7 in line Interceptor Headstock for this model ? And if 7 in line - Referse or Standard ?
> 
> Kurt



I said it in the other thread too, but I want to make sure I say it here too! 

I vote for the 7 in line headstock. Reversed of course!


----------



## Rommel

I like it with the Intrepid headstock.


----------



## darren

I'd prefer that the Intrepid headstock weren't used across the whole product line.


----------



## eegor

I'd like the 7-string Intrepid headstock on this model only if it won't be used on other 7-string models. Like darren said, I don't want it to get overused.


----------



## MFB

I'd say if you're gonna do an Interceptor body for the fanned fret then keep the Interceptor headstock versus doing a mix-n-match between guitars


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

This is officially the slowest day of my life! Still no Intrepid yet...but I do have another 2 hours and 30 minutes before they actually stop delivering. I got screwed over by FedEx once with a similar issue recently and I just hope history doesn't repeat itself and I have to wait one or two more days!  

My opinion on the fanned fret models headstock is that you should definitely NOT mix and match between the Intrepid and the Interceptor! The way they look in the mock up that I've seen on the more recent pages looks good as it is.


----------



## mgcasella

4 x 4, please 



kurtzentmaier said:


> Would people prefer the intrepid headstock (as shown in the sample) or a 7 in line Interceptor Headstock for this model ? And if 7 in line - Referse or Standard ?
> 
> Kurt


----------



## Customisbetter

MF_Kitten said:


> i would want to keep the interceptor and intrepid as separated as possible, so they don´t kinda make eachother redundant. the intrepid headstock is part of the identity of that guitar, so i wouldn´t use it on an interceptor. and interceptor is an interceptor! let it have it´s normal headstock.
> 
> i would go for a reversed headstock, too. it´s just meant to be.



THIS

the intrepid head looks silly with 7 strings.


----------



## zeroisacat

Just got my Intrepid Dual Pro EB BloodBurst delivered Monday!!!!!! F'n lovin' it boy I tell you [email protected]# I've hardly put it down since it got here... Sounds great coming through my VT100. When I crank it up to 100 watts and turn on the noise with them sweet juicy low strangs it shakes the whole damn house!!! Sounds great with clean tones too. All around excellent guitar, built like a tank...and it's so purdy too... I'll definitely be buyin' rondo again...thinkin' about a six string banjo...

Thanks fer the sweet axe JonnHatch!!!


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok, I think it's a good plan in general to keep the intrepid headstock with the interpid body and Interceptor Headstock with Interceptor body !

kurt


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

Check out my NGD post guys! And yes, there are pics! haha


----------



## Customisbetter

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, I think it's a good plan in general to keep the intrepid headstock with the interpid body and Interceptor Headstock with Interceptor body !
> 
> kurt


----------



## gunshow86de

Customisbetter said:


> THIS
> 
> the intrepid head looks silly with 7 strings.



I disagree.


----------



## xr2m

Just got one of those 30" Agile Intrepid Pros with Bloodburst finish yesterday. Awesome guitar. There was some discoloration on the upper frets, but other than that, things were fine, and I have loved playing it. I've had an Agile 7-string Hornet for about a year and was really wanting to try out an 8-string. I'd like to thank everyone on this forum for posting their info about the Agile 8s. It's helped a lot.  I cannot believe the quality Agile has for the price. I own a Parker Fly Mojo, and still probably play that Agile 7-string more than the Parker, which I never thought I would do.

By the way, if anyone is interested in buying some older guitars, let me know. I have a 6-string Ibanez S prestige, the aforementioned Agile 7-string Hornet V, and an old ESP LTD 7-string that I'm interested in selling. Pictures available on request. Probably not the best choice for a first post, but I thought I'd try.


----------



## Santuzzo

gunshow86de said:


> I disagree.



I must say, this looks VERY nice!
Cute dog, too.
And very nice wooden floor!



xr2m said:


> Just got one of those 30" Agile Intrepid Pros with Bloodburst finish yesterday. Awesome guitar. There was some discoloration on the upper frets, but other than that, things were fine, and I have loved playing it. I've had an Agile 7-string Hornet for about a year and was really wanting to try out an 8-string. I'd like to thank everyone on this forum for posting their info about the Agile 8s. It's helped a lot.  I cannot believe the quality Agile has for the price. I own a Parker Fly Mojo, and still probably play that Agile 7-string more than the Parker, which I never thought I would do.
> 
> By the way, if anyone is interested in buying some older guitars, let me know. I have a 6-string Ibanez S prestige, the aforementioned Agile 7-string Hornet V, and an old ESP LTD 7-string that I'm interested in selling. Pictures available on request. Probably not the best choice for a first post, but I thought I'd try.



PICS of the new 8 string, please!!!!


----------



## xr2m

Santuzzo said:


> PICS of the new 8 string, please!!!!



No problem, man! Sorry if the pics are kinda shitty, but I took them on my cell phone.


----------



## Santuzzo

xr2m said:


> No problem, man! Sorry if the pics are kinda shitty, but I took them on my cell phone.



Awesome ! That is a nice looking guitar! Congrats!
Thanks for posting those pics!

Did you pre-order this one in August or was it one they had on the website?

What is that discoloration you mentioned? I could not see anything on the pics. Is that on the fretboard?


----------



## xr2m

Santuzzo said:


> Awesome ! That is a nice looking guitar! Congrats!
> Thanks for posting those pics!
> 
> Did you pre-order this one in August or was it one they had on the website?
> 
> What is that discoloration you mentioned? I could not see anything on the pics. Is that on the fretboard?



It's one they had on the website. Unfortunately I missed the pre-order. The discoloration is on the actual frets. Typically they're a silver color, but the higher frets have a lot of gold and black-colored oxidation. It's something that you can generally polish off, so I'm not too worried about. Nobody would probably even notice if I didn't point it out, and it doesn't affect the playing at all, so it's not a problem. I've had older guitars that have had the same problem, but I was a little surprised to see it on a new one.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

xr2m said:


> No problem, man! Sorry if the pics are kinda shitty, but I took them on my cell phone.



She's a beaut! I can't really see the discoloration but if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?


----------



## xr2m

greenIVIONSTER said:


> She's a beaut! I can't really see the discoloration but if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?



It would be hard to see if I didn't take a super close-up pic, so who cares, right?  The main thing that matters to me is the intonation, etc., and all that stuff is perfect!

Wish I had a real camera besides my phone so I could do this axe justice, but it's killer! Agile has never let me down! I'm already salivating over the prospects of a fanned 8 string!


----------



## DrewsifStalin

Yeah, I think i'll be selling my intrepid when the fanned fret rolls around... maybe


----------



## jezuse

hey guys this is my first post and i have a few questions about this guitar.

i haves the money and im ready to order one asap but i cant shake the fact that the scale lengths are 28 and 30

now i play ibanez and i do have some agiles and douglases but usually in the scales of 25.5,24, ect.

so switching over to 28/30 would be a diffy. but is it total diffy?


nother question is i haven't ever had EMGs nor really cared to play a guitar with em
every guitar i end up with i usually put DiMarzios in em.

so along with the scale question
what do you prefer? 28 or 30? passive or active?

also should i order now or wait for the new January batch?
if so would u know if the septor/interceptor body style would be available?

that concludes my post
thx for your time


----------



## darren

The 28.625" scale is exactly two frets longer than 25.5" scale, at the bottom end of the neck. From the second fret up, the spacing is exactly the same.

I think 30" scale makes it more of a short-scale extended-range bass than a guitar. It really changes the tonality of the strings.

I've never owned active pickups except for the brief time i owned an Intrepid Pro (i ordered a Pro and a Standard from the first run and kept the Standard). I actually didn't mind the EMG 808 at all. I prefer passive pickups but wouldn't mind having at least one guitar with actives, just for the variation in tone. I've never played DiMarzios i liked. It's all a matter of personal preference.


----------



## mgcasella

I have small hands and, ideally, 24.5" is the best scale for me. However, I took a chance and bought an Agile AB-3500 Baritone a couple of years ago. It's scale is 28" and I was worried it would be too big  but here's what I decided:

1. Everything was fine and now I have an Agile Dual Intrepid 30" scale arriving in January.
2. Think about the last time you played a short-scale bass and forget the fact it only had four strings that were really thick - it wasn't difficult to play, was it? 
3. IMHO when your scale gets extended beyond "normal" ranges, standard fingering techniques (for a 25.5" or 24.5", for example) don't apply. I think it's best to just rethink/re-examine a lot of technique entirely at that point.

So, that's my two cents concerning scale lengths  

As for actives vs passives, I prefer passives but everyone is different. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Buy the Agile - you won't regret it! 



jezuse said:


> hey guys this is my first post and i have a few questions about this guitar.
> 
> i haves the money and im ready to order one asap but i cant shake the fact that the scale lengths are 28 and 30
> 
> now i play ibanez and i do have some agiles and douglases but usually in the scales of 25.5,24, ect.
> 
> so switching over to 28/30 would be a diffy. but is it total diffy?
> 
> 
> nother question is i haven't ever had EMGs nor really cared to play a guitar with em
> every guitar i end up with i usually put DiMarzios in em.
> 
> so along with the scale question
> what do you prefer? 28 or 30? passive or active?
> 
> also should i order now or wait for the new January batch?
> if so would u know if the septor/interceptor body style would be available?
> 
> that concludes my post
> thx for your time


----------



## Werwolf999

Does Agile do custom paint jobs as special orders? I'm thinking I'd really like to get an 8 w/ passives and a Silverburst paint job.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Werwolf999 said:


> Does Agile do custom paint jobs as special orders? I'm thinking I'd really like to get an 8 w/ passives and a Silverburst paint job.



When the custom shop reopens, yes. Though for the price hike, you may want to look into changing more then just the color.


----------



## Werwolf999

MaxOfMetal said:


> When the custom shop reopens, yes. Though for the price hike, you may want to look into changing more then just the color.



Just looking to get one w/ 1 bridge passive and a fixed bridge. Really want that Silverburst paint job though.


----------



## mgcasella

An Intrepid with a silverburst finish would look pretty cool 

I saw Black Cobra play a couple of weeks ago and the singer/guitar player had a silverburst Gibson Les Paul. I never realized how awesome those finishes looked until I saw one in person.

You should order an Intrepid with the silverburst finish...so I can come over and look at it


----------



## Werwolf999

I never gave them much thought until a couple of years ago when Gibson did a limited run of LPs and SGs in silverburst. I remember seeing them online and thinking to myself those are pretty cool looking. I then saw one first hand in a local music store and decided that ,come hell or high water, I was going to own a guitar w/ that for a paint job.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how much Agile would charge for something like that?


----------



## Ironberry

Werwolf999 said:


> I never gave them much thought until a couple of years ago when Gibson did a limited run of LPs and SGs in silverburst. I remember seeing them online and thinking to myself those are pretty cool looking. I then saw one first hand in a local music store and decided that ,come hell or high water, I was going to own a guitar w/ that for a paint job.
> 
> Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how much Agile would charge for something like that?



If you go for a full custom, it would not be worth what you pay for i when you can get something comparable in a different finish. They offered "Ghostburst" in the last semi-custom run, which is fairly similar.


----------



## Meshugger

Hey, why has this thread been un-stickied?


----------



## TomAwesome

Meshugger said:


> Hey, why has this thread been un-stickied?



The Intrepid has been put into production, so now it's just a regular thread.


----------



## possumkiller

the ibanez 2228 and esp steph models are also in production


----------



## Setnakt

TomAwesome said:


> The Intrepid has been put into production



As opposed to the RG2228?


----------



## TomAwesome

I see your point. I'm not sure why the "Ibanez RG2228 Thread" and "ESP/LTD Stef B-8, 608B, LTD FM-408 Thread" are still stickied if this one isn't.


----------



## possumkiller

I dont know about everyone else, but I liked my Official Agile Intrepid Thread where it was...... easy to find at the top of the page.


----------



## Demeyes

I liked it up at the top, and with the constant variety of models coming out with new options I think it still has some useful discussion left. However, at lot of questions are getting repeated over and over.


----------



## Werwolf999

Ironberry said:


> If you go for a full custom, it would not be worth what you pay for i when you can get something comparable in a different finish. They offered "Ghostburst" in the last semi-custom run, which is fairly similar.



Had a msg from Kurt in my inbox this morning. Said they'll be taking deposits on custom shop orders in Jan 2010. Couldn't quote me a price, but I figure if it costs too much to get done, I can easily live w/ one in red.


----------



## technomancer

PM'ed a mod and got this restickied for you guys


----------



## CooleyJr

I love my Intrepid 







EDIT: By the way, this is the oceanburst model with a maple fretboard


----------



## jayarpeggios

the rondo music site is kinda confusing... like the two 8 strings that say (deposit for jan 2010) but the others are all at full price so...... does this mean that the ones that dont say the deposit for jan you can buy and get shipped asap? and the ones with the deposit for jan... does that mean that you will be recieving them in jan or that is when the other half of the payment is due?

sorry this is a long post but how is the fret work on these agiles... i have the money to get a rg2228 i guess but i i think the saving a thousand for some recording stuff would be nice... i have heard that the fret work isnt as nice on the agiles.. however ive only played the rg2228 once and it was tosin abasi's so im sure his might be a little better... just give me all the cons about the agiles. thanks


----------



## possumkiller

theres like 400+ pages on here not to mention countless threads that have pictures, reviews, sound clips, videos. im sure you can find something. as for me, ive owned an rg2228 and 3 agile intrepids. i like the agile better.


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

jayarpeggios said:


> the rondo music site is kinda confusing... like the two 8 strings that say (deposit for jan 2010) but the others are all at full price so...... does this mean that the ones that dont say the deposit for jan you can buy and get shipped asap? and the ones with the deposit for jan... does that mean that you will be recieving them in jan or that is when the other half of the payment is due?
> 
> sorry this is a long post but how is the fret work on these agiles... i have the money to get a rg2228 i guess but i i think the saving a thousand for some recording stuff would be nice... i have heard that the fret work isnt as nice on the agiles.. however ive only played the rg2228 once and it was tosin abasi's so im sure his might be a little better... just give me all the cons about the agiles. thanks



The 2010 models are the ones you would have to wait on. You pay half now and when January rolls around you pay the remaining balance. The others are available and ready to ship now. I live in Indiana and it only took one week to be delivered.

I wouldn't trade my Agile Intrepid for TWO RG2228's! I love my Intrepid. I personally never played the RG2228 but I have played ESP's 8-string model and I must say I was not impressed at all. They basically slapped an 8-string neck on a 6-string sized body and it just looks silly. I'm sure Ibanez did the same thing. The neck seemed way too short and I feel that the longer the scale for an 8-string, the better your tone will be.


----------



## jayarpeggios

thank you green for your comment that helped.... i was thinking about this one Intrepid Dual Bloodburst Maple Fretboard 8 String Guitar i would like a different color but red is nice too.. i cant tell but i hope it doesnt have those 3 lines in the finish.. not a fan of that ..... either way i dont understand how this is only going for 650$ just scared the action is going to be to high or something lol... i doubt it but just saying. i dont have any guitars without inlays so hopeful that doesnt take too much to get use too we will see.. for this price and knowing i could have this in my hands in a week i think i may order it tonight i need to research this exact model a little more but most likely im gonna get one tonight... if any of you have the same model let me know what you think in a pm or on here thanks!


edit: or maybe this one cause of the 808's http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidprodualbb830.html but it does have the 3 lines >_<


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

jayarpeggios said:


> thank you green for your comment that helped.... i was thinking about this one Intrepid Dual Bloodburst Maple Fretboard 8 String Guitar i would like a different color but red is nice too.. i cant tell but i hope it doesnt have those 3 lines in the finish.. not a fan of that ..... either way i dont understand how this is only going for 650$ just scared the action is going to be to high or something lol... i doubt it but just saying. i dont have any guitars without inlays so hopeful that doesnt take too much to get use too we will see.. for this price and knowing i could have this in my hands in a week i think i may order it tonight i need to research this exact model a little more but most likely im gonna get one tonight... if any of you have the same model let me know what you think in a pm or on here thanks!



Not a problem dude! I myself have a standard model. Same body wood, same pickups, except mine has a 30" scale and has an ebony fretboard and charcoal finish. You still have fret markers on the side of the neck so it's really not too bad. When my Intrepid arrived I immediately changed the strings and tuned it up. No fret buzz, action was perfect (for me at least), and the overall guitar was in amazing condition.

EDIT: My other guitarist has the Bloodburst Pro you just posted. It plays amazingly and feels rather light compared to mine. The racing stripes I don't care for either but on this guitar it doesn't look bad. You'd definitely be happy with that guitar!


----------



## jayarpeggios

kurt should give you 5$ green cause i think you just made him a sale lol... im for sure getting the Agile Intrepid Standard Dual 828 BloodBurst RN at RondoMusic.com or the mn of that... the only difference is the maple fret board color (cant decide which looks better >_<)... or as far as the specs thats the only difference. anyways i will give a full review of it when i get it and ill try my best to compare it to the rg2228 cause i know there needs to be more of that.


----------



## vgta

today I tried to buy this guitar:
Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com

but with paypal or Mastercard , zip code problem...ok I live in France , but normally there's no problem with this country..
I sent an email to Kurt , no answer yet..

Any idea ?


----------



## Werwolf999

greenIVIONSTER said:


> Not a problem dude! I myself have a standard model. Same body wood, same pickups, except mine has a 30" scale and has an ebony fretboard and charcoal finish. You still have fret markers on the side of the neck so it's really not too bad. When my Intrepid arrived I immediately changed the strings and tuned it up. No fret buzz, action was perfect (for me at least), and the overall guitar was in amazing condition.
> 
> EDIT: My other guitarist has the Bloodburst Pro you just posted. It plays amazingly and feels rather light compared to mine. The racing stripes I don't care for either but on this guitar it doesn't look bad. You'd definitely be happy with that guitar!



What, in your opinion, was wrong w/ the stock strings?



jayarpeggios said:


> kurt should give you 5$ green cause i think you just made him a sale lol... im for sure getting the Agile Intrepid Standard Dual 828 BloodBurst RN at RondoMusic.com or the mn of that... the only difference is the maple fret board color (cant decide which looks better >_<)... or as far as the specs thats the only difference. anyways i will give a full review of it when i get it and ill try my best to compare it to the rg2228 cause i know there needs to be more of that.



Lol, I'm thinking of buying the exact same one, and am having the same trouble choosing between the maple and ebony fretboards myself!


----------



## jayarpeggios

@werwolf999 yeah i think i decided to go for the maple i like the look of the light color wood.


----------



## Ben.Last

Werwolf999 said:


> What, in your opinion, was wrong w/ the stock strings?



Ummm... they're stock strings. Stock strings always suck.


----------



## Werwolf999

Lern2swim said:


> Ummm... they're stock strings. Stock strings always suck.



Lol, point taken!


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

@werwolf999

The stock strings weren't bad. But when I tuned it to F Standard (half step down) they just felt too flimsy and I was afraid that it would sacrifice the tone and sustain to keep them on there so I got a 7-string set .010-.059 and got a .074 for my low F and it feels perfect to me! Plus I had read that they were sending out these guitars with the wrong sized strings than listed so I bought new strings just in case.


----------



## Werwolf999

greenIVIONSTER said:


> @werwolf999
> 
> The stock strings weren't bad. But when I tuned it to F Standard (half step down) they just felt too flimsy and I was afraid that it would sacrifice the tone and sustain to keep them on there so I got a 7-string set .010-.059 and got a .074 for my low F and it feels perfect to me! Plus I had read that they were sending out these guitars with the wrong sized strings than listed so I bought new strings just in case.



Have you found that one brand of strings better than another for 8s?


----------



## greenIVIONSTER

So far I like the D'addarios I have on there now. I'm curious to try DR Strings and see how much longer they last.


----------



## jayarpeggios

well i got the guitar! Intrepid Dual Bloodburst Maple Fretboard 8 String Guitar























sorry about the quality i had to use the camera on my phone.. so far its flawless the action on it was perfect out of the box i thought i was going to have to set it up but no.. and i havent found any buzzing frets even with the low action! thank you kurt... and thank you green.. not weed i mean the guy above this post.


----------



## Travmack199

Ordering one next week...

I'm pretty used to playing a standard Bass and a 25.5 scale 7 string.

I'm just having trouble deciding between getting a 28.8" or a 30"?


----------



## jayarpeggios

@Travmack199

i dunno what scale length your use to on bass but going from 25.5 to 30 is a big jump... if i was you id go for the 28


----------



## Gitte

go for the 28. even with my big hands 30 is baaad


----------



## Polyrythman

Awesome mocks! I would definitely get the Agile with the ash body with a set neck. Do you use a special program to make these mock-ups?


----------



## Werwolf999

jayarpeggios said:


> @Travmack199
> 
> i dunno what scale length your use to on bass but going from 25.5 to 30 is a big jump... if i was you id go for the 28



You're new 8 looks amazing! Please posts some sound clips when you get a chance.


----------



## djohns74

Polyrythman said:


> Awesome mocks! I would definitely get the Agile with the ash body with a set neck. Do you use a special program to make these mock-ups?



FYI, we're WAY past the mock-up phase at this point.


----------



## jayarpeggios

Werwolf999 said:


> You're new 8 looks amazing! Please posts some sound clips when you get a chance.



where should i? youtube? soundclick? i need to get something better to record with.. maybe this isnt the spot to ask but anyone recommend anything to record with thats less than 200$ (maybe more depending on the quality) ?

it does sound great.. i think the 808's (dont have any have used tho) might be better for the heavier distorted stuff but these cepheus pups sound great for clean and distortion.. im still tweaking the tone so yea but i am more than happy with the guitar im thinking i might buy another with the 808's (or maybe put some lundgren m8's) in it but blue..


----------



## mgcasella

Be a man and go with the 30"! 




Travmack199 said:


> Ordering one next week...
> 
> I'm pretty used to playing a standard Bass and a 25.5 scale 7 string.
> 
> I'm just having trouble deciding between getting a 28.8" or a 30"?


----------



## Jarabowa

Travmack199 said:


> Ordering one next week...
> 
> I'm pretty used to playing a standard Bass and a 25.5 scale 7 string.
> 
> I'm just having trouble deciding between getting a 28.8" or a 30"?



I went for the 30'' Intrepid with zero baritone scale experience, and it's really not as bad as it may seem. It took me about a week of playing to get used to the longer scale, but now I've built up a bit more hand strength and dexterity.


----------



## Werwolf999

jayarpeggios said:


> where should i? youtube? soundclick? i need to get something better to record with.. maybe this isnt the spot to ask but anyone recommend anything to record with thats less than 200$ (maybe more depending on the quality) ?
> 
> it does sound great.. i think the 808's (dont have any have used tho) might be better for the heavier distorted stuff but these cepheus pups sound great for clean and distortion.. im still tweaking the tone so yea but i am more than happy with the guitar im thinking i might buy another with the 808's (or maybe put some lundgren m8's) in it but blue..



I don't think you can beat a Line 6 Guitar Port for the money, but I'm sure if someone knows of something better they'll tell you.

I've had some really good results w/ the BKP Warpig I put in a 7 string about 6 months ago. Don't have any experience w/ their 8 string versions, but, going on the tones I'm getting out of the 7 now, I think I just might go w/ another one of those if I go w/ an Agile 8.


----------



## Hollowway

If you're going to be doing a lot of recording, and especially if you record something other than distorted guitar, I'd invest in an Apogee Duet. You can have the best possible guitar and pickup, but if you record through something crappy you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.


----------



## Werwolf999

Hollowway said:


> If you're going to be doing a lot of recording, and especially if you record something other than distorted guitar, I'd invest in an Apogee Duet. You can have the best possible guitar and pickup, but if you record through something crappy you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.



Aren't those Mac only?


----------



## jayarpeggios

well im going to being doing a lot of clean and distorted... my style is some what like animals as leaders.... some what lol... the point is that if the tone would sound good for that then most likely it will sound good for me.... i will do a sound test for you guys when i get something to recorded with.. still deciding tho but when i do i think ill post me doing tosin abasi's point to point i cant express how much fun this song is.. i dont have it fully tabbed out but i am almost done with it.

oh and i changed my mind about the price... im removing my limit cause i need it to be good enough quality for a project ive been working on/still working on... and should i make a new thread for this cause this is recording for the agile 8... but im not sure if that fits here.. maybe i should just link it in here.


----------



## Hollowway

Werwolf999 said:


> Aren't those Mac only?


 Oh, crap, you're right. Sorry! I totally didn't even think of that. I switched from Cubase to Logic about 18 months ago and just have a bit of tunnel vision now, I guess.


----------



## Polyrythman

djohns74 said:


> FYI, we're WAY past the mock-up phase at this point.



I'm sorry if i missed something.
I've seen mock-ups before on this site, i just assumed. No biggy.


----------



## dan_xiii

Hey guys

Got my Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Dark Burst MN a couple of weeks ago. Just finished my first recording with it and I absolutely love it! These pics ain't great (used built in cam on mac) but listen to the song to see what this beast can do!











(btw the camera reverses images - im not a lefty)

SoundClick artist: Fallen Skies - This is stuff I have been recording. Currently looking for band members in UK (Reading/Newbury area)
Used podfarm for the recordings.

Enjoy!


----------



## zeal0us

dan_xiii said:


>



Fixed  (you can use MS Paint... Image -> Flip/Rotate)

Congrats on the axe, man... I'm expecting one next week. Pretty nice track, made good use of that low string.


----------



## mgcasella

Good job using the low-end! 



dan_xiii said:


> Hey guys
> 
> Got my Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Dark Burst MN a couple of weeks ago. Just finished my first recording with it and I absolutely love it! These pics ain't great (used built in cam on mac) but listen to the song to see what this beast can do!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (btw the camera reverses images - im not a lefty)
> 
> SoundClick artist: Fallen Skies - This is stuff I have been recording. Currently looking for band members in UK (Reading/Newbury area)
> Used podfarm for the recordings.
> 
> Enjoy!


----------



## RG7

dan_xiii said:


> Hey guys
> 
> Got my Agile Intrepid Standard 828 MF Dark Burst MN a couple of weeks ago. Just finished my first recording with it and I absolutely love it! These pics ain't great (used built in cam on mac) but listen to the song to see what this beast can do!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (btw the camera reverses images - im not a lefty)
> 
> SoundClick artist: Fallen Skies - This is stuff I have been recording. Currently looking for band members in UK (Reading/Newbury area)
> Used podfarm for the recordings.
> 
> Enjoy!



sick shit dude.

You make me want.


----------



## Werwolf999

Dan xiii,

What tuning are you using on that clip?


----------



## dan_xiii

Hey guys

Im tuned down half a step to F - but the whole recording was done over a few weeks so it may be a bit flat or sharp in some parts. Also, i would have used ms paint if i was using a microsoft machine 

Also big thanks to everyone thats listened to the clip - I'm number 1 in alternative metal and number 6 in metal charts on soundclick!


----------



## Travmack199

Someone snatched up the 30" scale Nat finish model 

I'm thinking about the 28.5whatever" or a 7 string urghhh

I hate decisions.


----------



## Gameboypdc

My Agile Intrepid 8 string 30" scale was delivered to my door today, just maybe 15 minutes ago! WOOOT!!!! This baby plays like a dream.

I must say THANK YOU SS.org MEMBERS!!! You guys popped my 8 string cherry. I made the blind purchase cause of yall and thanks to Rondo Music for supplying such an amazing product at a price that blows my mind. I can't wait to get another when more 30's come into stock or Custom shop starts up again.

WOOOOT!!!!


----------



## AngryGoldfish

*Dan* - I'm thinking of picking up pretty much the exact model you've got there. What are the stock pickups like, though? What do _you _think on them?


----------



## Galius

Has anyone run the string sizes posted in the rondo site through a tension calculator? Just wondering how balanced their default strings panned out for tension.


----------



## mgcasella

Dude - all I can say is "Time for a NGD thread with tons of pics!" 



Gameboypdc said:


> My Agile Intrepid 8 string 30" scale was delivered to my door today, just maybe 15 minutes ago! WOOOT!!!! This baby plays like a dream.
> 
> I must say THANK YOU SS.org MEMBERS!!! You guys popped my 8 string cherry. I made the blind purchase cause of yall and thanks to Rondo Music for supplying such an amazing product at a price that blows my mind. I can't wait to get another when more 30's come into stock or Custom shop starts up again.
> 
> WOOOOT!!!!


----------



## Splees

The gauges were chosen based of the calculations of forum members in the beginning.


----------



## dan_xiii

AngryGoldfish said:


> *Dan* - I'm thinking of picking up pretty much the exact model you've got there. What are the stock pickups like, though? What do _you _think on them?



Hey mate - I'm pretty impressed with the stock pickup, tried it through my line 6 HD147 for first time tonight and was pretty pleased. Although the high notes/strings get a bit twangy and don't sound great, but I'm guessing it's just because its in the bridge position. I've got a few more recordings using my 8 string on my soundclick account if you wanna have a listen SoundClick artist: Fallen Skies - This is stuff I have been recording. Currently looking for band members in UK (Reading/Newbury area) 

But, I dare say if i get some extra cash then I'll upgrade to Bare Knuckle painkiller or cold sweat or the Lundgren M8.


----------



## mattofvengeance

I'm having some sick GAS for this


----------



## Internection

OMG that thig is beautiful. i wish they had more on the site right now =[. such as that one


----------



## Galius

just one more month or so and and I will have my new Septor 8s!!! Its seemed like forever........


----------



## mlp187

mattofvengeance said:


> I'm having some sick GAS for this


 
I ordered one when they were last in stock and it a week letter I got a refund and a message advising there was a stocking error. Goddamnit.


----------



## mlp187

Galius said:


> just one more month or so and and I will have my new Septor 8s!!! Its seemed like forever........


 
OT, but are you still working on that Tele build?

On Topic, 2 septors or more?!?!?!? Tell us more porfavor.


----------



## Samer

Are the septor 8's still for sale or no?


----------



## mlp187

Kurt hopes to be taking pre-orders in January.


----------



## Galius

mlp187 said:


> OT, but are you still working on that Tele build?
> 
> On Topic, 2 septors or more?!?!?!? Tell us more porfavor.


I decided to hold off on the tele....I couldnt resist the limited custom run. Right as I was ready to send payment to begin the tele kurt added the limited option run of septors/interceptor/intrepids I figured I can get 2 septors for the price of the tele. I ended up ordering both with reverse in-line headstocks, rosewood boards, in lizardburst and black quilted maple.


----------



## darren

You ordered two of the same?


----------



## Galius

darren said:


> You ordered two of the same?


Yeah figuring I would decide which finish turned out the best. Then if I like both I might sell my intrepid (need 2 so I have a backup at shows and such). The specs I picked were the only ones I would prefer on an agile 8 now beside the color so there was no reason to order different specs on them. Oh yeah 28.625 inch scale on both as well.


----------



## mlp187

Congrats Galius!


----------



## Galius

mlp187 said:


> Congrats Galius!


Thanks. I will be doing a NGD for sure when they arrive.


----------



## Shredmon

hy guys! do anyone of you know when kurt takes orders or produces the next intrepid models? it would be soo cool to have one of those!


----------



## TomAwesome

I think he has some stuff coming in late January or so. There may or may not be Intrepids among them.


----------



## Galius

Hey anyone know details on adding a case with final payment on pre-orders? If I didnt order them at the time of pre-order is there an easy way of doing it at the time of final payment? I would ask kurt but I figure if anyone knows here it will save me from bothering kurt when hes trying to get our guitars out.


----------



## Ben.Last

Galius said:


> Hey anyone know details on adding a case with final payment on pre-orders? If I didnt order them at the time of pre-order is there an easy way of doing it at the time of final payment? I would ask kurt but I figure if anyone knows here it will save me from bothering kurt when hes trying to get our guitars out.



I had to do just that. Email Kurt and tell him that you want to add a case and you'll be set.


----------



## MoNsTaR

anyone recieved the email to pay the last bit so we can get out guitars  i want my 8 string


----------



## TomAwesome

MoNsTaR said:


> anyone recieved the email to pay the last bit so we can get out guitars  i want my 8 string



It's only the 2nd. It could be as long as about another month before the preorders are ready to get paid off and ship.


----------



## MoNsTaR

TomAwesome said:


> It's only the 2nd. It could be as long as about another month before the preorders are ready to get paid off and ship.


 

......but i want it NNNNOOOOOOWWWWWWW


----------



## Guitarwiz2k

A little sideways from the topic, but has anyone tried putting a set of 10's on their Agile 8 string yet? Just from 1 - 6, but leave the 54 and 72 in place... I'd love to know how it was to set up after that. Balance of the Kahler, intonation, Tuning, Neck strength from the added tension, and any need of truss-rod adjusting.


----------



## mgcasella

Does anyone know when we will be getting our January Intrepids? 

I don't want to email Kurt because I want him to spend time getting out our orders, as opposed to answering our emails 

Besides, I'm sure one of you already knows. So...when are they coming???


----------



## pirateparty

Does anyone know what quality of Rosewood is used on the expensive Intrepids and 8 string Interceptors?


----------



## TomAwesome

mgcasella said:


> Does anyone know when we will be getting our January Intrepids?
> 
> I don't want to email Kurt because I want him to spend time getting out our orders, as opposed to answering our emails
> 
> Besides, I'm sure one of you already knows. So...when are they coming???



We'll get them after he does. be patient.


----------



## Meshugger

mgcasella said:


> Does anyone know when we will be getting our January Intrepids?
> 
> I don't want to email Kurt because I want him to spend time getting out our orders, as opposed to answering our emails
> 
> Besides, I'm sure one of you already knows. So...when are they coming???



Kurt told me in an email that my Septor 8 is ready to be shipped by the last week of January (ordered in August like the rest). Your Intrepid will probably be shipped around the same time.


----------



## Santuzzo

Did you guys see all the new 8-string Septors (for May pre-order) on the Rondomusic website? Those look awesome!
I hope there will be Intrepid 8-strings added for May preorder, too!
This time I will order one if the Intrepid will be available in this run!!!


----------



## whisper

Guitarwiz2k said:


> A little sideways from the topic, but has anyone tried putting a set of 10's on their Agile 8 string yet? Just from 1 - 6, but leave the 54 and 72 in place... I'd love to know how it was to set up after that. Balance of the Kahler, intonation, Tuning, Neck strength from the added tension, and any need of truss-rod adjusting.



I don't have a trem, but, I put 10's on mine when I got it - because I always used 10's on my other (regular scale) guitars. I found the unwound strings tension to be a little too tight for my taste. Dropped to 9's and all's well.


----------



## Guitarwiz2k

whisper said:


> I don't have a trem, but, I put 10's on mine when I got it - because I always used 10's on my other (regular scale) guitars. I found the unwound strings tension to be a little too tight for my taste. Dropped to 9's and all's well.


 
Thanks for the info... I always play 10's as well... I mean, I have 9 guitars and they are all outfitted with 10's even my Ibanez 540s7, but I do like mine just a little slinky. As long as it doesn't screw with the neck too much, I may just do it, cuase I'm used to the higher tension already anyway. I do have to consider that I'm getting a 28.XXX scale guitar too. So that may have some bearing on my overall choice.


----------



## mgcasella

Thanks! 



Meshugger said:


> Kurt told me in an email that my Septor 8 is ready to be shipped by the last week of January (ordered in August like the rest). Your Intrepid will probably be shipped around the same time.


----------



## hog1

Hi Guys, I'm new here.

Just a quick question. Is the Agile 8 string definately Mahogany or is it NATO? I know NATO is in the Mahogany family.

Thanks


----------



## Galius

If it says mahogany its mahogany


----------



## El Caco

Galius said:


> If it says mahogany its mahogany



 if only that was true, so many manufacturers label so many species as mahogany you really can't be sure of what you are getting, some of the species called mahogany are not related to South American mahogany in sound or species. Swietenia is protected, heavily regulated and expensive, you can be sure that the mahogany in an agile is not honduran or any other species of swietenia, you would be lucky if it is a cross breed or close relative such as sipo which often has the mahogany suffix applied to it however there is always the possibility that it is one of the many timbers used as mahogany substitutes that are falsely called mahogany.

Not that it makes a difference if the guitar sounds good.


----------



## Galius

s7eve said:


> if only that was true, so many manufacturers label so many species as mahogany you really can't be sure of what you are getting, some of the species called mahogany are not related to South American mahogany in sound or species. Swietenia is protected, heavily regulated and expensive, you can be sure that the mahogany in an agile is not honduran or any other species of swietenia, you would be lucky if it is a cross breed or close relative such as sipo which often has the mahogany suffix applied to it however there is always the possibility that it is one of the many timbers used as mahogany substitutes that are falsely called mahogany.
> 
> Not that it makes a difference if the guitar sounds good.


 
Dude.....I SAID IT IS MAHOGANY!!!! LOL


----------



## steffgang

Hi guys, I'm a new one here looking for my first 8 string spec.

What do you think about a neck-thru ash agile - is it possible to be custom ordered and what will be the sound of that?!


----------



## mlp187

Custom shop is closed for a while now. 

FWIW, I love the sound of ash, but I honestly don't know if a neck-thru will give you the full sound of a solid ash body.


----------



## space frog

Alright guys, I would like an Agile 8 string guitar, but I would also like to get to try one before buying. So I was told to come here and that maybe someone would let me try his... So if there is any gentleman living around Montreal that wouldn't care about letting me touch his axe, just PM me and we'll arrange a jam!!
BTW are they worth it? Should I consider the Interceptor instead?


----------



## Customisbetter

^I can vouch for this kid. I sent him here from UG.

Welcome!


----------



## Galius

space frog said:


> Alright guys, I would like an Agile 8 string guitar, but I would also like to get to try one before buying. So I was told to come here and that maybe someone would let me try his... So if there is any gentleman living around Montreal that wouldn't care about letting me touch his axe, just PM me and we'll arrange a jam!!
> BTW are they worth it? Should I consider the Interceptor instead?


 
Havent played the interceptor but for the price/features any 8 string agile makes is worth it, that is if youre sure you would like to make the plunge to try it out.


----------



## space frog

I am pretty much sure I want it, but my budget is quite limited and all I found so far were 2000$ + guitars except the ESP Carpenter model which doesn't interest me. So Agile is my first pick but I'd prefer to be sure that I put the money somewhere I cannot be disappointed...

Edit: just received my answer from Kurt and there's nowhere I can try it as people told me and as I thought, so the only way I could is if someone would let me play his, which I doubt will happen...


----------



## Customisbetter

You do know that kurt will give you a full refund if you don't like the guitar for any reason...


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Customisbetter said:


> You do know that kurt will give you a full refund if you don't like the guitar for any reason...



Not outside the US.


----------



## space frog

^^Yeah I know...

^I thought it was possible in Canada too? Aren't all policies for USA + Canada? It's like 7 days to get full refund + shipping, 30 days for full refund but you pay the shipping...


----------



## MaxOfMetal

space frog said:


> ^^Yeah I know...
> 
> ^I thought it was possible in Canada too? Aren't all policies for USA + Canada? It's like 7 days to get full refund + shipping, 30 days for full refund but you pay the shipping...



E-mail Kurt to be sure.


----------



## space frog

Thanx, I will.


----------



## mgcasella

Hey bud,

My advice to you is, honestly, just to go for it 

There have been nothing but awesome reviews for the Intrepids, as well as other stuff put out by Kurt. I remember, before I bought my Agile AB-3500 Baritone, I thought "Will I like it? I want to try one out before-hand". Of course, I couldn't find anything close to it to try - the closest I came was a 26.5" seven-string Schecter. 

After all the hemming and hawing, I just bought one and now I am in love  and I can't wait for my Intrepid! 

Just do it man - I'm sure you won't regret it 



space frog said:


> I am pretty much sure I want it, but my budget is quite limited and all I found so far were 2000$ + guitars except the ESP Carpenter model which doesn't interest me. So Agile is my first pick but I'd prefer to be sure that I put the money somewhere I cannot be disappointed...
> 
> Edit: just received my answer from Kurt and there's nowhere I can try it as people told me and as I thought, so the only way I could is if someone would let me play his, which I doubt will happen...


----------



## space frog

Yeah I decided to just go for it. But I was told to wait for the Interceptor... 2 EMG actives plus a Kahler Bridge... 1000$, but I'd have to wait until May... So I might search for a used 7 string and then buy the 8 string Interceptor.

As you said i haven't heard anyone say anything negative about Agile guitars in general, and everyone or so told me to go for it...

But thanks for the advice.


----------



## Galius

Actually if you watch Rondo for the next few weeks im sure he will have leftovers from this run that is shipping this month.


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

Hey, guys!
I've been lurking this forum for a while and finally decided to sign up. I just got an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 in yesterday and wanted to post some picture. I know a million other people already have, but there could never be enough pics of eight strings floating around on the web. 
First off, I definitely recommend doing business with Rondo and Kurt. They're pretty friendly and helpful with any questions you might have. I originally placed my order for the Oceanburst but then Kurt told me they might be sold out so I told him Bloodburst would be fine if they were out of stock, so when the box came in I had no idea what would be in it. 
I've been playing it constantly since yesterday and I can't believe how well it sounds and plays for the money. I could only spot a couple of minor cosmetic flaws that can barely be noticed (a couple of spots where dust or something may have gotten under the finish, scratches under the saddles which I've seen with a few other guitars on here, etc.). I assumed that the setup would suck, which is almost always the case when buying a new guitar from any company, but I was surprised to find that it was pretty spot on, even the intonation. I'm definitely going to try tracking down some new strings. The F# is a little floppy and slinky like. I think a .72 is on it, I'm going to try and find a .74 or .76 if they even make those. Pictures really can't do this guitar justice. I posted a pic with it next to an Ibanez RG if anyone thinking about buying one is concerned about the scale length. It does make some stretches a little difficult, but I think that after playing on it for a few weeks I won't even notice it. The change doesn't feel as drastic as I thought it would.


----------



## Santuzzo

Whiskey_Funeral said:


> Hey, guys!
> I've been lurking this forum for a while and finally decided to sign up. I just got an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 in yesterday and wanted to post some picture. I know a million other people already have, but there could never be enough pics of eight strings floating around on the web.
> First off, I definitely recommend doing business with Rondo and Kurt. They're pretty friendly and helpful with any questions you might have. I originally placed my order for the Oceanburst but then Kurt told me they might be sold out so I told him Bloodburst would be fine if they were out of stock, so when the box came in I had no idea what would be in it.
> I've been playing it constantly since yesterday and I can't believe how well it sounds and plays for the money. I could only spot a couple of minor cosmetic flaws that can barely be noticed (a couple of spots where dust or something may have gotten under the finish, scratches under the saddles which I've seen with a few other guitars on here, etc.). I assumed that the setup would suck, which is almost always the case when buying a new guitar from any company, but I was surprised to find that it was pretty spot on, even the intonation. I'm definitely going to try tracking down some new strings. The F# is a little floppy and slinky like. I think a .72 is on it, I'm going to try and find a .74 or .76 if they even make those. Pictures really can't do this guitar justice. I posted a pic with it next to an Ibanez RG if anyone thinking about buying one is concerned about the scale length. It does make some stretches a little difficult, but I think that after playing on it for a few weeks I won't even notice it. The change doesn't feel as drastic as I thought it would.



Awesome !

Thanks for posting these pics and the information.
And welcome to the forum.

Lars


----------



## Hollowway

Whiskey_Funeral said:


> Hey, guys!
> I've been lurking this forum for a while and finally decided to sign up. I just got an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 in yesterday and wanted to post some picture. I know a million other people already have, but there could never be enough pics of eight strings floating around on the web.
> First off, I definitely recommend doing business with Rondo and Kurt. They're pretty friendly and helpful with any questions you might have. I originally placed my order for the Oceanburst but then Kurt told me they might be sold out so I told him Bloodburst would be fine if they were out of stock, so when the box came in I had no idea what would be in it.
> I've been playing it constantly since yesterday and I can't believe how well it sounds and plays for the money. I could only spot a couple of minor cosmetic flaws that can barely be noticed (a couple of spots where dust or something may have gotten under the finish, scratches under the saddles which I've seen with a few other guitars on here, etc.). I assumed that the setup would suck, which is almost always the case when buying a new guitar from any company, but I was surprised to find that it was pretty spot on, even the intonation. I'm definitely going to try tracking down some new strings. The F# is a little floppy and slinky like. I think a .72 is on it, I'm going to try and find a .74 or .76 if they even make those. Pictures really can't do this guitar justice. I posted a pic with it next to an Ibanez RG if anyone thinking about buying one is concerned about the scale length. It does make some stretches a little difficult, but I think that after playing on it for a few weeks I won't even notice it. The change doesn't feel as drastic as I thought it would.



Ditto to what Lars said - NEVER feel guilty about posting pics! I have the exact same Intrepid, and I just love it!


----------



## space frog

Yeah really nice pictures. I wasn't sure about the look of the oceanburst Intrepid when I was looking at it on the website but on those pictures it looks absolutely gorgeous!



Galius said:


> Actually if you watch Rondo for the next few weeks im sure he will have leftovers from this run that is shipping this month.



Did they do any interceptors in that run? Cuz if not I'll wait until May to have one...
And a 30" scale is quite too long if I want to put a high A string instead of the low F# right? I'd better go with the 28,625" scale...


----------



## mgcasella

Don't worry, Rondo makes 8-strings that also have 25" and 27" scales, so the A string shouldn't be a problem for you 



space frog said:


> Yeah really nice pictures. I wasn't sure about the look of the oceanburst Intrepid when I was looking at it on the website but on those pictures it looks absolutely gorgeous!
> 
> 
> 
> Did they do any interceptors in that run? Cuz if not I'll wait until May to have one...
> And a 30" scale is quite too long if I want to put a high A string instead of the low F# right? I'd better go with the 28,625" scale...


----------



## space frog

^Yeah but not for the interceptor with EMG's? Anyways it doesn't matter since I'll tune it 1½ step down, so the high A string will become a F# and the low B string will become a G#, I'll only need to find extra light strings i guess...
Not too sure though (I don't know much about the guitar itself yet...), it's the lighter gauges that need less tension to reach the wanted note right? For example a lighter E string will have less tension than a heavier one right?


----------



## MF_Kitten

space frog said:


> ^Yeah but not for the interceptor with EMG's? Anyways it doesn't matter since I'll tune it 1½ step down, so the high A string will become a F# and the low B string will become a G#, I'll only need to find extra light strings i guess...
> Not too sure though (I don't know much about the guitar itself yet...), it's the lighter gauges that need less tension to reach the wanted note right? For example a lighter E string will have less tension than a heavier one right?



you can do the high f# with normal strings, but it´ll be a bit tight. a .08 will work pretty nicely for that.


----------



## space frog

Even with a 30" scale?
I'll try, but I might as well find a set of strings that's the same as a 7 string pack with a high A and tune it down, I prefer strings to be looser...


----------



## Galius

Got a NPD thread for my Intrepid if anyone cares to take a gander
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/pi...9-npd-picstory-agile-and-alcohol-content.html


----------



## Santuzzo

I just did it !

I placed my order for an Intrepid Dual 828 MN Darkburst!!!!!


----------



## Customisbetter

^Epic.


----------



## mlp187

I believe that will have a Rosewood neck, according to the description I read earlier this week.


----------



## Santuzzo

mlp187 said:


> I believe that will have a Rosewood neck, according to the description I read earlier this week.



Yes, I read that, too, but I e-mailed Kurt, since I thought it was a mistake. He confirmed and changed it on the website


----------



## space frog

Santuzzo said:


> I just did it !
> 
> I placed my order for an Intrepid Dual 828 MN Darkburst!!!!!



Tasty


----------



## Universe74

Can any Canadian chime in and give a final cost on a Dual Standard with shipping and duty/taxes?


----------



## RG7

Universe74 said:


> Can any Canadian chime in and give a final cost on a Dual Standard with shipping and duty/taxes?



your total shipping/custom charges should be approx 90$. I think the customs taxes are paid in shipping charges ( because I'm sure at that price you could probably send a guitar to europe)


----------



## Universe74

RG7 said:


> your total shipping/custom charges should be approx 90$. I think the customs taxes are paid in shipping charges ( because I'm sure at that price you could probably send a guitar to europe)



Excellent, thanks.

Another question if I may...if Kurts site says May Target ship date..is that the date the ship from the factory?


----------



## RG7

Universe74 said:


> Excellent, thanks.
> 
> Another question if I may...if Kurts site says May Target ship date..is that the date the ship from the factory?




I think when he mentions target ship dates by months he means by the end of the month your guitars should ship out to the buyer. 

for example, the run due for january should start to ship january 31st. Of course It may come give or take some days but it should basically ship at the end of may. unless stated otherwise.


----------



## Universe74

RG7 said:


> I think when he mentions target ship dates by months he means by the end of the month your guitars should ship out to the buyer.
> 
> for example, the run due for january should start to ship january 31st. Of course It may come give or take some days but it should basically ship at the end of may. unless stated otherwise.



Cool, thanks again.


----------



## space frog

RG7 said:


> I think when he mentions target ship dates by months he means by the end of the month your guitars should ship out to the buyer.
> 
> for example, the run due for january should start to ship january 31st. Of course It may come give or take some days but it should basically ship at the end of may. unless stated otherwise.



That's what I thought it would be too. I'll wait a bit though. Cuz if they did interceptors in the last run and have some "leftovers" I'll definitely have one instead of waiting until... June to have one. Damn that would be LONG!


----------



## Universe74

So Kurt said the May run cutoff is tomorrow or the next day. How long is there usually between runs? Will the next one be in September? Thanks.

Edit: Trigger pulled on Darkburst with maple board. Let the waiting begin.

Edit2: Can anyone confirm the crazy shipping charge of 116 dollars, and if it covers customs? Seems steep for Fedex Ground.


----------



## Jbrum18

Universe74 said:


> Edit2: Can anyone confirm the crazy shipping charge of 116 dollars, and if it covers customs? Seems steep for Fedex Ground.



Yeah mine was $108, it should for that price.


----------



## RG7

Universe74 said:


> So Kurt said the May run cutoff is tomorrow or the next day. How long is there usually between runs? Will the next one be in September? Thanks.
> 
> Edit: Trigger pulled on Darkburst with maple board. Let the waiting begin.
> 
> Edit2: Can anyone confirm the crazy shipping charge of 116 dollars, and if it covers customs? Seems steep for Fedex Ground.



I just noticed you were located in BC. considering I live all the way near on the atlantic side of canada, Ontario, shipping charges would be less considering kurt's warehouse isn't really that far away. 116 SHOULD cover customs too. Or else I don't think kurt would have any international customers with a shipping price that insane.


----------



## Meshugger

Just got my confirmation form Kurt that my guitar is ready to ship and they will charge 325$ and later ship it.

How does this work really? Will they send a separate link for the final purchase or will they automatically charge from the same credit card that i used when i pre-ordered? 

And shipping cost, what the hell is wrong with the canadian customs? I payed 117$ for sending it to Finland, literally across the globe


----------



## Jbrum18

Meshugger said:


> Just got my confirmation form Kurt that my guitar is ready to ship and they will charge 325$ and later ship it.
> 
> How does this work really? Will they send a separate link for the final purchase or will they automatically charge from the same credit card that i used when i pre-ordered?
> 
> And shipping cost, what the hell is wrong with the canadian customs? I payed 117$ for sending it to Finland, literally across the globe



Wow that's ridiculous hahaha!


----------



## space frog

Kind of weird. But think about it. I ordered wood to build a guitar and for 100$ shipping was 50... USPS priority but still it is expansive!!! It should cover local taxes though... Does it?


----------



## Galius

Yay final payment sent!! Hopefully I will have a DNGD soon!


----------



## Explorer

I had the final amount charged from the same card, and didn't receive a request for the second half in case I wanted to change the payment method....


----------



## mgcasella

Just got word that my guitar is ready to ship!!!! 
I can't wait


----------



## Santuzzo

Dudes, I got very lucky. I had made a payment for the May run on an Intrepid 828 MN Dual Darkburst, and 2 days ago I got an e-mail from Kurt offering me to get one of the present run since there have been some cancellations on exactly that model. Needless to say I grabbed one!!!!

It's gonna be shipped tomorrow or on monday!!!!


----------



## Grey

The shipping charge is pretty damn steep considering on top of that you have to spend $60 on a hardcase for it to be shipped in, and that doesn't cover import taxes either. About a month after I got my 8, I got a letter saying I owe £103 in import taxes O_O


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Is there an interest in a 9 string ?

Kurt


----------



## Universe74

:O


----------



## TomAwesome

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt



Seriously?



That's actually pretty tempting.


----------



## djohns74

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt


Less interest than an 8 string I'm sure. That having been said, especially with the excellent reputation and price point of the Agile 8 strings, if you were to offer one, I'm quite sure you'd have several orders almost instantly. Hell, I have absolutely zero practical use for one and I'd still be tempted just because I know that it would be awesome.


----------



## space frog

Santuzzo said:


> Dudes, I got very lucky. I had made a payment for the May run on an Intrepid 828 MN Dual Darkburst, and 2 days ago I got an e-mail from Kurt offering me to get one of the present run since there have been some cancellations on exactly that model. Needless to say I grabbed one!!!!
> 
> It's gonna be shipped tomorrow or on monday!!!!



Do you know if there were any Interceptors in that run?



kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt




*Raises hand*

Oh yes there is!


----------



## Santuzzo

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt





What kind of tuning and scale would that be?


----------



## TomAwesome

Santuzzo said:


> What kind of tuning and scale would that be?



I'd think it would just about have to be fanned to be practical to most people. I'd also assume it would be made around the idea of a 2 low + 1 high tuning, which sounds rather nice.


----------



## zeal0us

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt



OMG yes! 

It would be ideal IMO to go one string higher this time, so what scale length do you have in mind? A fanned fret 9 string will probably sound right... or _maybe_ a fixed 26.5" or so...


EDIT: 'd by TomAwesome


----------



## slanderous777

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt




Very much so, sign me up for one!


----------



## Meshugger

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt



Dude, you got to be kidding me


----------



## Ironberry

I might have to think about one if it was made. I personally hate multiscales, so I would surely vote to have a standard scale. 27" might work.


----------



## RG7

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt


----------



## slanderous777

RG7 said:


>




Thats what people said about 8's originally


----------



## Magero

I can't see myself wanting to own a 9-string. I'm not a shredder, so I don't need the extra high string and if it went LOWER, well, I already play bass....


----------



## RG7

slanderous777 said:


> Thats what people said about 8's originally



Yea I know, but I honestly think he suggested it WAY to soon, he has to let the 8 concept go through.


----------



## TomAwesome

RG7 said:


> Yea I know, but I honestly think he suggested it WAY to soon, he has to let the 8 concept go through.



What do you mean go through? I think it has been pretty successful. Kurt seems to really be into making these crazy instruments, and I think that's great. As the number of strings increases, the niche gets smaller, but if Agile is the only company out there making affordable production 9s, that will give it a bit of a boost. In this respect, the sooner the better.


----------



## Hollowway

kurtzentmaier said:


> Is there an interest in a 9 string ?
> 
> Kurt



Yes!! 
You make one, I'll buy it. F#-A fanned 24-27 or something would probably be the most realistic, but count me in for whatever you produce.


----------



## MF_Kitten

if a 9 string agile is made, it NEEDS to be fanned to have any practical use. 

edit: that is, considering people will be using commercially available strings


----------



## plyta

Kurt wants our money and he knows how to get into our wallets


----------



## kurtzentmaier

I think a fixed scale - 27 or 28.625 to start - still working out the "kinks" in a fanned fret 7 - then will do an 8 shortly after. I did have some interesting discussions with Kayler on a 9 string trem if that would be.... desirable?

kurt


----------



## TomAwesome

A Kahler 9? I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy that.


----------



## RG7

Kurt, I think a 9 string should be fanned. 

At this point, 25.5-28.625 or 25.5-27 would work well and look good as well.


----------



## Customisbetter

kurtzentmaier said:


> I think a fixed scale - 27 or 28.625 to start - still working out the "kinks" in a fanned fret 7 - then will do an 8 shortly after. I did have some interesting discussions with Kayler on a 9 string trem if that would be.... desirable?
> 
> kurt



do you make it your job to go above and beyond?

a Kahler 9 would be Godly, i think i would buy one on principle.


----------



## space frog

I would get one cuz... cuz... it has nine strings! Nah seriously, the range of such an instrument would be perfect for me. But I bet it's not before many months/years that we could see such thing right?


----------



## Words_Of_Demise

I would pay about 2k or some more for an agile multi-scale 8 string guitar.

I would have put the deposit down for the trans-black kahler trem 8 string but I am waiting on the fanned version.

I would love to see it in some nice exotic woods such as wenge tops with ziricote fingerboard, passive slanted pickups, inverted headstock, piezo option, 25.5/ 27 ... I know I am dreaming here but it would def be something amazing


----------



## slanderous777

kurtzentmaier said:


> I think a fixed scale - 27 or 28.625 to start - still working out the "kinks" in a fanned fret 7 - then will do an 8 shortly after. I did have some interesting discussions with Kayler on a 9 string trem if that would be.... desirable?
> 
> kurt



I'm sure that straight fret models would sell ridiculously fast.

Btw any idea when you expect to have your fanned 7's and 8's ready for market?


----------



## Hollowway

kurtzentmaier said:


> I think a fixed scale - 27 or 28.625 to start - still working out the "kinks" in a fanned fret 7 - then will do an 8 shortly after. I did have some interesting discussions with Kayler on a 9 string trem if that would be.... desirable?
> 
> kurt



Kurt, I'm quite open to any 9 string, but what did you have in mind, tuning wise, with the 27 or 28.625 lengths? Are you thinking adding a low C#, or a high G, or a E-G, or ?

And the Kahler 9 would be awesome. In terms of saving money, I'd go right for the 7229 rather than the 2229, since as best as I can tell they are of the same quality, but with less options (in terms of swapping out rollers, etc).


----------



## kurtzentmaier

Ok, just worked out pricing on the Kahler 9 - all USA made - (not the hybrid) at a good price. We can develop a Intrepid type bridge (Agile -8 Bridge but a 9 string version) as well.

Now we need to decide on the range - High G would be easier, but I am concerned with excessive string breakage. For the Low C# I think the grovers will not accept larger than .75 or .80 before they split when we drill them out. Going with bass tuners is a possibility. 
We could use 009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .060 .072 so some variation and keep the grovers. Any suggestions?

Kurt


----------



## Meshugger

Kahler 9s?! sweet!

For string settings, I would vouch for the high G. With 009 or even 007 it should do just fine as long as players don't pretend that they can bend strings like David Gilmour.


----------



## glassmoon0fo

OH MY GOD i cant believe this is happening


----------



## ra1der2

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, just worked out pricing on the Kahler 9 - all USA made - (not the hybrid) at a good price. We can develop a Intrepid type bridge (Agile -8 Bridge but a 9 string version) as well.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Kurt




Kurt, I just got my JAN 2010 agile interceptor pro 8 w/kahler today and it is completely incapable of intonating the LB and F#, it also has a lot of quality control issues. 

I have spent a lot of money with you and I love the agile's that I have purchased up to this point. They aren't all perfect aesthetically but they work as they should. However, this guitar was supposed to be better than all the others and it is literally an epic failure. I have already requested the return.

I'd say before anything you really need to have the factory these are made at learn how to install these kahlers properly. Right now it really seems like hit or miss.


----------



## space frog

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, just worked out pricing on the Kahler 9 - all USA made - (not the hybrid) at a good price. We can develop a Intrepid type bridge (Agile -8 Bridge but a 9 string version) as well.
> 
> Now we need to decide on the range - High G would be easier, but I am concerned with excessive string breakage. For the Low C# I think the grovers will not accept larger than .75 or .80 before they split when we drill them out. Going with bass tuners is a possibility.
> We could use 009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .060 .072 so some variation and keep the grovers. Any suggestions?
> 
> Kurt



I'd prefer personnally a high G (or A... but it seems unreal) rather than a low C#. If you were to go for the C# though, I'd see it fanned frets with 3 bass tuners and 6 guitar tuners.

Also are there any interceptor pro 8 strings cancellations from the Jan run? I'd want one but waiting for it 4 months would be torture... Please PM me if you have an answer for me. Thanx.


----------



## Galius

ra1der2 said:


> Kurt, I just got my JAN 2010 agile interceptor pro 8 w/kahler today and it is completely incapable of intonating the LB and F#, it also has a lot of quality control issues.
> 
> I have spent a lot of money with you and I love the agile's that I have purchased up to this point. They aren't all perfect aesthetically but they work as they should. However, this guitar was supposed to be better than all the others and it is literally an epic failure. I have already requested the return.
> 
> I'd say before anything you really need to have the factory these are made at learn how to install these kahlers properly. Right now it really seems like hit or miss.


 
Im wondering mabey if the limited option run had them in a bit of a pinch??


----------



## Lasik124

ra1der2 said:


> Kurt, I just got my JAN 2010 agile interceptor pro 8 w/kahler today and it is completely incapable of intonating the LB and F#, it also has a lot of quality control issues.
> 
> I have spent a lot of money with you and I love the agile's that I have purchased up to this point. They aren't all perfect aesthetically but they work as they should. However, this guitar was supposed to be better than all the others and it is literally an epic failure. I have already requested the return.
> 
> I'd say before anything you really need to have the factory these are made at learn how to install these kahlers properly. Right now it really seems like hit or miss.



This worries me as mine is on its way, Anyone else have the problem?


----------



## Hollowway

Lasik124 said:


> This worries me as mine is on its way, Anyone else have the problem?



I have one from the previous run. On that run the Kahler's themselves were fine, but the scale length was messed up a little bit. As a consequence, you can see the route for the trem on the neck side of the trem itself (i.e. the route was done to a 26.75" scale, but the trem was put at 27"). That run had a lot of issues like that (another user had the neck backed out of the socket 1/4" to compensate). And technically I think my Kahler would have worked better recessed 1/8" because I needed to polish the intonation screw heads down to get the strings to rest on the rollers (instead of said screws). All that being said, it's pretty well dialed in now, and I can get the F# to intonate fine. I would have returned mine, except my Intrepid came with some flaws too, so I just kind of figured that was par for Rondo. And I had one of the few 8 string Kahler guitars in existence, and I got it for $800, so I decided to keep it. 
All that being said, Ra1der2 had a butt load of these first run Interceptors, and he was pretty happy with those (iirc) so I think he's not being particularly finicky about this new one of his. Hopefully it's just a fluke and not a systematic build error.


----------



## whisper

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, just worked out pricing on the Kahler 9 - all USA made - (not the hybrid) at a good price. We can develop a Intrepid type bridge (Agile -8 Bridge but a 9 string version) as well.
> 
> Now we need to decide on the range - High G would be easier, but I am concerned with excessive string breakage. For the Low C# I think the grovers will not accept larger than .75 or .80 before they split when we drill them out. Going with bass tuners is a possibility.
> We could use 009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .060 .072 so some variation and keep the grovers. Any suggestions?
> 
> Kurt



I'm definitely in for the C#, but the scale might have to be 30 (or more? 27 - 30.5 fan?)to keep it from flopping around wildly, even with a thick ass string. What type tuner did that Halo 10 stringer have for the C#?

edit-
just realized you said the 1st run will probably be fixed trem - 30in scale at least, def use the Intrepid body. The XSI used gotoh I believe.


----------



## ra1der2

Yeah, I own five interceptor 8's, not including the jan 2010 run guitar which would be my 6th. so I am definitely not bashing rondo at all, nor trying to stir the pot. I am very happy with the guitars I have, this new one is the exception.

I hope mine was the only one with issues as well.

Perhaps it would be worth looking into an intrepid / kahler setup? I have a feeling the arched heel of the interceptor may be part of the issue in getting the bridge in the correct spot when going greater than 27" scale length.


----------



## Hollowway

ra1der2 said:


> Yeah, I own five interceptor 8's, not including the jan 2010 run guitar which would be my 6th. so I am definitely not bashing rondo at all, nor trying to stir the pot. I am very happy with the guitars I have, this new one is the exception.
> 
> I hope mine was the only one with issues as well.
> 
> Perhaps it would be worth looking into an intrepid / kahler setup? I have a feeling the arched heel of the interceptor may be part of the issue in getting the bridge in the correct spot when going greater than 27" scale length.



You know, I was thinking the same thing. Technically speaking, the arch top Kahlers typically have the little screw in things that go where the TOM studs were, and the front edge of the Kahler is supposed to rest on that. But in the case of the Interceptors rests on the body itself, which is curved. Then again, if it's put on the Intrepid, with it's hardtail bridge, you'd probably have to sink it a bit (route the body).

So let me ask you a question about this most recent Interceptor of yours: did you try using the adjustments screws on the studs to pull the trem as far toward the butt of the guitar as possible? I've actually got mine pulled quite a ways back to get it to intonate correctly. Again, mine was routed 1/4" too close to the neck, so I had to compensate with those screws because the studs were off by about 1/8".

EDIT: Btw, what scale length did you get on that one? I'm wondering if the 28.625 would sound as good as my Intrepid on the F#, because on the 27" it's just a tad muddier (due to a need for a thicker string, I think).


----------



## Lasik124

ra1der2 said:


> Yeah, I own five interceptor 8's, not including the jan 2010 run guitar which would be my 6th. so I am definitely not bashing rondo at all, nor trying to stir the pot. I am very happy with the guitars I have, this new one is the exception.
> 
> I hope mine was the only one with issues as well.
> 
> Perhaps it would be worth looking into an intrepid / kahler setup? I have a feeling the arched heel of the interceptor may be part of the issue in getting the bridge in the correct spot when going greater than 27" scale length.



Ah well I hope mines okay then too, Do any of your other 8's have kahlers?
If so any problems? How will I know if mines okay?


----------



## Hollowway

Lasik124 said:


> Ah well I hope mines okay then too, Do any of your other 8's have kahlers?
> If so any problems? How will I know if mines okay?



My 8 and all of his have the Kahler's (Interceptors, by definition, have a trem. Otherwise they're called Sceptors). And you'll know if yours is OK if:
1) It intonates correctly
2) You can adjust the action to a reasonable level

I can't imagine any other major issues with it. But, of course, those of us with them from the last run have worked out the kinks, so let us know if you have Qs.


----------



## Lasik124

Hollowway said:


> My 8 and all of his have the Kahler's (Interceptors, by definition, have a trem. Otherwise they're called Sceptors). And you'll know if yours is OK if:
> 1) It intonates correctly
> 2) You can adjust the action to a reasonable level
> 
> I can't imagine any other major issues with it. But, of course, those of us with them from the last run have worked out the kinks, so let us know if you have Qs.



Oh! well I learned something new thanks for the little piece of info, did not know Interceptors came standard with Kahler 

And okay! Thank you, I will everyone on this forum is very helpful!

Fedex says I'll have it by Thursday very excited and hoping for the best!


----------



## ra1der2

Hollowway said:


> You know, I was thinking the same thing. Technically speaking, the arch top Kahlers typically have the little screw in things that go where the TOM studs were, and the front edge of the Kahler is supposed to rest on that. But in the case of the Interceptors rests on the body itself, which is curved. Then again, if it's put on the Intrepid, with it's hardtail bridge, you'd probably have to sink it a bit (route the body).
> 
> So let me ask you a question about this most recent Interceptor of yours: did you try using the adjustments screws on the studs to pull the trem as far toward the butt of the guitar as possible? I've actually got mine pulled quite a ways back to get it to intonate correctly. Again, mine was routed 1/4" too close to the neck, so I had to compensate with those screws because the studs were off by about 1/8".
> 
> EDIT: Btw, what scale length did you get on that one? I'm wondering if the 28.625 would sound as good as my Intrepid on the F#, because on the 27" it's just a tad muddier (due to a need for a thicker string, I think).



I think the intrepid being a flat top would make it easier on them, but who knows really.

I chose the 28.625" scale. Yeah, I moved it back to the point that the trem no longer functioned at all because it was hitting the edge of the route and the LB and F# were still way out of whack. The bridge would have to be re-routed at least another 1/4" to 1/2" back for it to intonate properly, and of course moving that back would not only expose routing in front of the bridge, but place the bridge pickup in a bad position as well, it's just an epic fail man. I am really depressed about the whole thing, which is why I suggested that Kurt spend a little time to figure out why it happened so it doesn't happen again, you know.


----------



## Nosedevil

A pic of my Intrepid Standard 828.


----------



## Universe74

^ hot


----------



## RG7

Nosedevil said:


> A pic of my Intrepid Standard 828.


----------



## space frog

When should the next run be? After May I mean...


----------



## Universe74

Nosedevil said:


> A pic of my Intrepid Standard 828.



Can you tell us where you got the pickguard?


----------



## Galius

Universe74 said:


> Can you tell us where you got the pickguard?


 
I hate pickguards, but somehow this does look kinda neat.


----------



## Nosedevil

Universe74 said:


> Can you tell us where you got the pickguard?



Made it myself. I got the blank sheet from StewMac.


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> I hate pickguards, but somehow this does look kinda neat.



Haha, totally! Exactly what I was thinking.



ra1der2 said:


> I think the intrepid being a flat top would make it easier on them, but who knows really.
> 
> I chose the 28.625" scale. Yeah, I moved it back to the point that the trem no longer functioned at all because it was hitting the edge of the route and the LB and F# were still way out of whack. The bridge would have to be re-routed at least another 1/4" to 1/2" back for it to intonate properly, and of course moving that back would not only expose routing in front of the bridge, but place the bridge pickup in a bad position as well, it's just an epic fail man. I am really depressed about the whole thing, which is why I suggested that Kurt spend a little time to figure out why it happened so it doesn't happen again, you know.



Yeah, sounds like it's the exact same issue as on the last run. Somebody needs a new ruler over in Korea or something. I'm not one to criticize, being as how I've never built a guitar, but it would seem like routing a bridge in the correct location would be one of the easier parts of the build. Sucks in your case, but you could return it and cross your fingers another one shows up on the website and nab that.


----------



## space frog

Probably that he could get it exchanged too...
Also the pickguard on the intrepid is really sexy. I'm not a fan of pickguards either, but it is a nice add to the look of the axe IMO.


----------



## mgcasella

ra1der2 said:


> I think the intrepid being a flat top would make it easier on them, but who knows really.
> 
> I chose the 28.625" scale. Yeah, I moved it back to the point that the trem no longer functioned at all because it was hitting the edge of the route and the LB and F# were still way out of whack. The bridge would have to be re-routed at least another 1/4" to 1/2" back for it to intonate properly, and of course moving that back would not only expose routing in front of the bridge, but place the bridge pickup in a bad position as well, it's just an epic fail man. I am really depressed about the whole thing, which is why I suggested that Kurt spend a little time to figure out why it happened so it doesn't happen again, you know.



If I were you, I would definitely return it to Kurt. I've heard he is awesome with customer service so I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. 

Also, if I were Kurt, I would want to see with my own eyes what and where the factory screwed up. If anything it would probably be helpful for him for when he discusses it with his contact in South Korea.

Also, regardless, you paid for a 100% functional guitar and this this doesn't sound to me like it is 100% functional.

It's a win-win situation all around if you return the Agile - do it!


----------



## Nosedevil

Before and after. To be honest, I'm also not a fan of pickguards, but gave it a shot anyways. It came out looking really sexy, indeed.


----------



## Meshugger

What brand of strings are on the Intrepid/Interceptor/Septors as standard? I am just asking, because they have to be the sharpest things that i ever have had layed my hands on! I managed to cut my thumb on the high E _after_ downtuning them a half of semitone.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Meshugger said:


> What brand of strings are on the Intrepid/Interceptor/Septors as standard? I am just asking, because they have to be the sharpest things that i ever have had layed my hands on! I managed to cut my thumb on the high E _after_ downtuning them a half of semitone.



hahah! that´s insane!

i would use .09´s or .08´s. maybe the strings on there were .10´s or something. it should be .09´s though.


----------



## Meshugger

MF_Kitten said:


> hahah! that´s insane!
> 
> i would use .09´s or .08´s. maybe the strings on there were .10´s or something. it should be .09´s though.



Aww, shucks then.

I have a bunch of 10-46 elixir strings + a separate .056 D'Addario for the low B, and a .074 D'Addario for the low F#. Would that require a trussrod adjustment, or am i still in the "safe" zone?

Maybe the elixirs aren't as sharp then, hopefully.


----------



## Nosedevil

MF_Kitten said:


> hahah! that´s insane!
> 
> i would use .09´s or .08´s. maybe the strings on there were .10´s or something. it should be .09´s though.



Totally true. The bigger the gauge, the tighter the string due to the scale length. I've got EB .008 on my guitars and they did not require any truss rod adjustment.


----------



## Galius

Anyone think we should see if kurt will do some Intrepids and Septor/Interceptor 8s with a bubinga, spalted, and zebra wood tops like on some of the basses??? I think it would make them look alot more exotic.


----------



## Ben.Last

Spalted would probably be the easiest thing to ask for as he has had plenty of product with spalted tops before.


----------



## Hollowway

I'd like to see some options like that, sure. But from what I've seen the Rondo spalted maple is not the best. Very little figuring and not much depth. My vote would be for the bubinga, or anything else with a lot of character like that. And given the paucity of decent ebony, we should probably stick with woods that would match well with maple or rosewood FBs. Like, I think that bubinga body would go really well with a maple FB.


----------



## mgcasella

I vote for the Bubinga


----------



## Galius

Hollowway said:


> I'd like to see some options like that, sure. But from what I've seen the Rondo spalted maple is not the best. Very little figuring and not much depth. My vote would be for the bubinga, or anything else with a lot of character like that. And given the paucity of decent ebony, we should probably stick with woods that would match well with maple or rosewood FBs. Like, I think that bubinga body would go really well with a maple FB.


 
I somewhat agree on the spalted, but ive seen more extremely nice looking spalted come out of there than I have lame ones. Zebra wood would be my least favorite but I figured I would throw it on there. But the other 2 seem like they could mix really well with any of the 3 fretboard types and look great. If they are made in the same factories as those basses I couldnt imagine it would cost much to do it either since they are only charging about $300 for those basses. I just think if its something that could be done it could possibly give them the look of some of the nicer more expensive handbuilt 8s that people have interest in. Mabey I should have Evan (SPBY) make some quick mockups and run a poll thread to see if theres enough interest to email Kurt.

The last damn thing I need is another 8 but damn it, I would probly jump on one more LOL


----------



## FacelessUnknown

Bubinga would look sick for sure...


----------



## space frog

If bubinga was the darkest wood top, I vote for it.


----------



## Galius

Uhhh...I need help. Ive been using Ernie Ball singles on my Intrepid since I bought it and just went to restring my Septor 8s with reverse headstocks with the same sets. The 27" was alright and had some string to work with on the low F# but the 28.625" is about an inch too short to reach the low tuner. Is there anyone who has restrung a reverse headstock 28.625 with a sting that was long enough.


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> The last damn thing I need is another 8 but damn it, I would probly jump on one more LOL



EXACTLY what I was thinking when you posted the question about those wood tops. I want to bury my head in the sand so as to stop the GAS.


----------



## Galius

Hollowway said:


> EXACTLY what I was thinking when you posted the question about those wood tops. I want to bury my head in the sand so as to stop the GAS.


 
Yeah im pretty guitarded . But at least im not blowing my money on stupid things and have something to show for my money.


----------



## Hollowway

Galius said:


> Yeah im pretty guitarded . But at least im not blowing my money on stupid things and have something to show for my money.


No joke. Guitars suffer very little depreciation over time, unlike pretty much anything else I might wanna get. I'll spend $1000 on a guitar knowing I'll be able to sell that guitar 10 years later for at least some % of the original cost. Whereas a $1000 computer or TV or whatever? Not so much.


----------



## Meshugger

Galius said:


> Uhhh...I need help. Ive been using Ernie Ball singles on my Intrepid since I bought it and just went to restring my Septor 8s with reverse headstocks with the same sets. The 27" was alright and had some string to work with on the low F# but the 28.625" is about an inch too short to reach the low tuner. Is there anyone who has restrung a reverse headstock 28.625 with a sting that was long enough.



Oh man, you're really are out of luck 

I have a .074 D'Addario string (Nickel wound) for my low F on my 28.625 scale Septor. It was long enough to roll around the tuner once and then inserting it into the stringhole. It's enough, but there's really not much headroom either.


----------



## guitarplayerone

hey guys, maybe someone could fill me in here... how come there isn't a sceptor pro model? i don't want an interceptor since i'm planning on sticking some graphtech ghost saddles into there and i really prefer the aesthetics of the headstock of the sceptor. however, i think that tonally a neck-through maple body with mahogany wings would work much better for an 8 than just a mahogany body itself. any thoughts?


----------



## Ironberry

kurtzentmaier said:


> Ok, just worked out pricing on the Kahler 9 - all USA made - (not the hybrid) at a good price. We can develop a Intrepid type bridge (Agile -8 Bridge but a 9 string version) as well.
> 
> Now we need to decide on the range - High G would be easier, but I am concerned with excessive string breakage. For the Low C# I think the grovers will not accept larger than .75 or .80 before they split when we drill them out. Going with bass tuners is a possibility.
> We could use 009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .060 .072 so some variation and keep the grovers. Any suggestions?
> 
> Kurt



If you used bass tuners, the C# would be much more doable than the high G on an extended scale instrument. I believe that a bass tuner would also be a very good thing to use for an F# for everyone who wants very high tension. The bass tuner would make it easier to accommodate a larger string. I'd be all for it if I got the money together.


----------



## Galius

guitarplayerone said:


> hey guys, maybe someone could fill me in here... how come there isn't a sceptor pro model? i don't want an interceptor since i'm planning on sticking some graphtech ghost saddles into there and i really prefer the aesthetics of the headstock of the sceptor. however, i think that tonally a neck-through maple body with mahogany wings would work much better for an 8 than just a mahogany body itself. any thoughts?


 
If you look at the new agile 8 finish poll on the first page I think thats what I would like us to shoot for. I was thinking a fixed bridge neck thru pro model with passive pickups and possibly ebony boards. As of now we are just checking out opinions on finishes but im going to pitch the "pro" idea to kurt as we still have plenty of time before the next run.


----------



## El Caco

There is also the custom option, Kurt will pretty much build any of his models with as many strings as you want and an incredible range of options including some not on the order form, next time he has the custom order form up just send him an email and ask for any options not listed and I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised at how accommodating he is. Of course the downside is there is a bit of a price premium on customs.


----------



## Santuzzo

I have had my Intrepid for about a week now. I love it, it's an amazing guitar.

Nevertheless I still think that the 7 string will remain my main guitar, for soloing I feel much more comfortable on the 7, but for some really low riffs nothing could beat that 8 string!


----------



## space frog

^Yeah it's probably more comfortable on a 7 string. But once I have a 8 string I plan on tuning it low G# to high F# so that I can do low riffs and solos pretty comfortably. And maybe play some Architects ehe.


----------



## guitarplayerone

Galius said:


> If you look at the new agile 8 finish poll on the first page I think thats what I would like us to shoot for. I was thinking a fixed bridge neck thru pro model with passive pickups and possibly ebony boards. As of now we are just checking out opinions on finishes but im going to pitch the "pro" idea to kurt as we still have plenty of time before the next run.




yes definitely. could any owners tell me one thing- i plan on taking out the pickup switching and sticking in a knob for piezo volume (and drilling out for a new pickup selector switch, and a piezo switch). can anyone tell me if the route for the pickup selector is the same size as the one for teh knobs on the sceptor? (as the knobs are recessed)


----------



## Galius

guitarplayerone said:


> yes definitely. could any owners tell me one thing- i plan on taking out the pickup switching and sticking in a knob for piezo volume (and drilling out for a new pickup selector switch, and a piezo switch). can anyone tell me if the route for the pickup selector is the same size as the one for teh knobs on the sceptor? (as the knobs are recessed)


 
Do you mean the hole or the recess itself?? If you mean the recess then yes, the switch recess is the exact same size as the volume recesses.


----------



## _-77aurious77-_

MY god!!! I want an 8 string soooooo bad. I've seen Agile Guitars and went to the Rondo site. Are these guitars "good"? I saw them priced "VERY" low and I wonder since they are cheap in price, if their construction would be cheap as well? Any of you rock these?


----------



## Galius

_-77aurious77-_ said:


> MY god!!! I want an 8 string soooooo bad. I've seen Agile Guitars and went to the Rondo site. Are these guitars "good"? I saw them priced "VERY" low and I wonder since they are cheap in price, if their construction would be cheap as well? Any of you rock these?


 
I currently own 3 agile 8s and yes they are very "good". The build/material quality is extrememly good considering the price, but every once in awhile you MAY have slight cosmetic flaws. Usually not enough to be a concerned with. The neck thru Intrepid I own was virtually perfect and feels super solid. The bolt on Septors I have are REALLY nice too but I always associate neck thru instruments as being higher end. The one had a slightly skewed neck but I just had to unscrew the neck bolts and re-align the neck so it wasnt a big problem, while the other Septor was pretty flawless. But they are cheaper because there is not alot of QC though most small things that slip through you can usually resolve yourself so its worth it, plus Rondo is great about customer service so if it happens to be something youre not satisfied with Kurt will make sure to take care of you.


----------



## mgcasella

The reason the prices are so ridiculously low is because Agile sells direct - in other words, it comes from the factory in South Korea to Rondo and then to you. Essentially, there's no "middle man" (such as Musician's Friend) to share in the profits and thus make the price go higher 

I own an Agile AB-3500, as well as an Agile Dual Intrepid and they are AWESOME 

Do yourself a favor and buy one 



_-77aurious77-_ said:


> MY god!!! I want an 8 string soooooo bad. I've seen Agile Guitars and went to the Rondo site. Are these guitars "good"? I saw them priced "VERY" low and I wonder since they are cheap in price, if their construction would be cheap as well? Any of you rock these?


----------



## slanderous777

_-77aurious77-_ said:


> MY god!!! I want an 8 string soooooo bad. I've seen Agile Guitars and went to the Rondo site. Are these guitars "good"? I saw them priced "VERY" low and I wonder since they are cheap in price, if their construction would be cheap as well? Any of you rock these?



Their prices are low but some posted prices are deposit prices dont forget, so click for their description to see what their full price will be. The ones that say (deposit for May 2010) for example post about 50% of the price where you have to pay the second half before shipment. When in doubt just check the full description of each,


----------



## guitarplayerone

Galius said:


> If you look at the new agile 8 finish poll on the first page I think thats what I would like us to shoot for. I was thinking a fixed bridge neck thru pro model with passive pickups and possibly ebony boards. As of now we are just checking out opinions on finishes but im going to pitch the "pro" idea to kurt as we still have plenty of time before the next run.



definitely dude, i would put a deposit down pretty fast if the scale length was at least 28 5/8", ebony boards, and neck through. that's what i want to see from them.

please ask Kurt to make sure that the routes are not for active pickups like we had on the latest batch of interceptors.


----------



## space frog

slanderous777 said:


> Their prices are low but some posted prices are deposit prices dont forget, so click for their description to see what their full price will be. The ones that say (deposit for May 2010) for example post about 50% of the price where you have to pay the second half before shipment. When in doubt just check the full description of each,



And if it's international shipping you MUST order a case, which is about 60$ if I remember correctly.


----------



## slanderous777

space frog said:


> And if it's international shipping you MUST order a case, which is about 60$ if I remember correctly.




Ya,but if you buy them from his ebay they don't need a case I believe. Not sure but going to canada is almost the same as shipping to the continental USA you just have a few extra days in customs but I don't see how it's any rougher for the guitar than standard shipping in the usa would be.


----------



## RG7

slanderous777 said:


> Ya,but if you buy them from his ebay they don't need a case I believe. Not sure but going to canada is almost the same as shipping to the continental USA you just have a few extra days in customs but I don't see how it's any rougher for the guitar than standard shipping in the usa would be.




Shipping to canada is a lot more pricer then shipping to the 48 states, not including taxes.


----------



## Meshugger

RG7 said:


> Shipping to canada is a lot more pricer then shipping to the 48 states, not including taxes.



If you look back in the thread, the FedEx shipping costs to send an Agile guitar is the same to Canada as it is to Europe.


----------



## RG7

Meshugger said:


> If you look back in the thread, the FedEx shipping costs to send an Agile guitar is the same to Canada as it is to Europe.



I know, which is hilariously stupid.


----------



## screamindaemon

Agreed. Except it's not so funny for those of us actually in Canada .


----------



## RG7

It's probably why I kinda refuse ordering something low end from the site.
the Al series deal won't be that much of a deal anymore then 75 dollars is added+ a case which I don't even want.


----------



## Rational Gaze

Anyone here own the Agile Intrepid Pro 828 MN Oceanburst MN? I LOVE the way this thing looks but I'm wondering how it plays and sounds. Gracias.


----------



## Hollowway

Rational Gaze said:


> Anyone here own the Agile Intrepid Pro 828 MN Oceanburst MN? I LOVE the way this thing looks but I'm wondering how it plays and sounds. Gracias.


 
Yup. That would be me. I LOVE the thing. I had to file the nut down some (I'm very finicky about my action at the first fret) but it plays like buttah. And mine has a single EMG808, which I actually have no problem with (18V mod). A lot of people hate the EMGs, but I like this one. I keep getting ready to sell it, because I have another 2 8s in the pipeline, and I'm not sure I'll need 4 8 string guitars, but every time I play it, I feel like I should keep it. So I say, go for it! I actually think the Intrepids plays better than my 8 string Interceptor std.


----------



## darren

Keep in mind that the FedEx charge you pay for shipping to Canada does include taxes and customs brokerage.


----------



## slanderous777

darren said:


> Keep in mind that the FedEx charge you pay for shipping to Canada does include taxes and customs brokerage.



Didn't on the last 2 peices of gear I've ordered from the states. No idea why. But anyways I've shipped alot of sold gear to the stes and to canada and there is usually only a 10$ difference between the two. Not sure why it would be a big difference the other way around.


----------



## FacelessUnknown

Guys, eight strings are driving me crazy. I have been wanting to order one, but i decided to wait, to see if i could get a b stock or a left over. I missed my chance to get a sweet b stock recently so now im just wondering if i should get the Intrepid Pro 828 MN Nat. Should i wait for others or should i get the Intrepid? what are the down sides to getting this particular intrepid? 
Agile Intrepid Pro 828 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Demeyes

I did my first gig with the Intrepid on Sunday. It's one from the October run, it's a dual standard bloodburst. I thought I might post the pics here. I've had it a while but only really started bringing into my bands music over the last few practice sessions, no recordings with it yet.


----------



## space frog

^Seems pretty sweet.
I really wished they would have made an interceptor pro with a shorter scale. I want to tune my 8 string (low to high) G# to F# (like B to A 1½ step down) and 28.625 is way too much, 30 is outrageous... If they ever do one I'll seriously be interested.


----------



## Meshugger

space frog said:


> ^Seems pretty sweet.
> I really wished they would have made an interceptor pro with a shorter scale. I want to tune my 8 string (low to high) G# to F# (like B to A 1½ step down) and 28.625 is way too much, 30 is outrageous... If they ever do one I'll seriously be interested.



There was a Lizard burst Interceptor with 25.5" scale back in January, but it looks like it is gone for the moment (the Interceptors seems to be reaaally popular). Be sure to check it out every now and again, because you never now when a B stock might show up until may.

Point being, Rondo _does_ offer 25.5" 8-stringers.


----------



## Galius

I contacted Kurt about replacing the 808s with the new 808X pickups. Hes going to look into it and see if he can get them about the same price.


----------



## slanderous777

Galius said:


> I contacted Kurt about replacing the 808s with the new 808X pickups. Hes going to look into it and see if he can get them about the same price.




Great idea! Not a big fan of actives at all but the x series is better than the normal ones. I'll probably still go for some 8 string passives.


----------



## space frog

Meshugger said:


> There was a Lizard burst Interceptor with 25.5" scale back in January, but it looks like it is gone for the moment (the Interceptors seems to be reaaally popular). Be sure to check it out every now and again, because you never now when a B stock might show up until may.
> 
> Point being, Rondo _does_ offer 25.5" 8-stringers.



Mmh, yeah I think I saw it... the thing is that at that moment I still had not decided what I wanted, and lately options have been running out... If there is a 9 string out at one time though, I WILL get one, whatever the scale is.
And then I'll build a 10 strings guitar.


----------



## Galius

slanderous777 said:


> Great idea! Not a big fan of actives at all but the x series is better than the normal ones. I'll probably still go for some 8 string passives.


 
Well I like both kinds of pickups, but the 808s kinda sounded like doo doo. I did replace my 808 with a Blackout 8 but if he can get a way better active to put in im sure everyone will be more than happy. It almost sounds like the X series is EMGs answer TO the blackouts.


----------



## slanderous777

Galius said:


> Well I like both kinds of pickups, but the 808s kinda sounded like doo doo. I did replace my 808 with a Blackout 8 but if he can get a way better active to put in im sure everyone will be more than happy. It almost sounds like the X series is EMGs answer TO the blackouts.



They are I believe. Emg's weren't really doing much to change up the formula until you saw the blackouts on the scene. Blackouts got big for their headroom so emg wanted to hop aboard this train I'm guessing. I would really love to see some 808tw's instead of X's since an 18volt mod on an original 808 is close enough in my opinion. Again I would love to see dimarzio make some 8's.


----------



## Galius

slanderous777 said:


> They are I believe. Emg's weren't really doing much to change up the formula until you saw the blackouts on the scene. Blackouts got big for their headroom so emg wanted to hop aboard this train I'm guessing. I would really love to see some 808tw's instead of X's since an 18volt mod on an original 808 is close enough in my opinion. Again I would love to see dimarzio make some 8's.


 
Well it would be nice to see all of the companies make 8 string pickups LOL. I got a quote from Duncan on an 8 string Invader and they said $200 with a 4 week wait. I dont know if I will do it or not but im half tempted to try one out on at least one of my septor 8s.


----------



## slanderous777

Galius said:


> Well it would be nice to see all of the companies make 8 string pickups LOL. I got a quote from Duncan on an 8 string Invader and they said $200 with a 4 week wait. I dont know if I will do it or not but im half tempted to try one out on at least one of my septor 8s.




I agree we need more 8 string pups! Not sure about that 200$ SD. For that price I am much more tempted to get a bare knuckle (185$) or even a lundgren(263$) for a bit more. I might ask dimarzio for a quote. They usually are pretty fair with their pricing.


----------



## Galius

slanderous777 said:


> I agree we need more 8 string pups! Not sure about that 200$ SD. For that price I am much more tempted to get a bare knuckle (185$) or even a lundgren(263$) for a bit more. I might ask dimarzio for a quote. They usually are pretty fair with their pricing.


 
I would be more for trying one of those if I had actually had experience with them, but I loved the invader in my les paul 7 sooooo much.


----------



## slanderous777

Galius said:


> I would be more for trying one of those if I had actually had experience with them, but I loved the invader in my les paul 7 sooooo much.




Nice, If your looking for that specific sound then that what be the way to go. I just sent dimarzio an email asking if they could make any 8 string pups. Currently waiting for a response.

Edit: Wow..... Literally a response in under 5mins.... Dimarzio has their sh*t together. 

Response wasn't really what I was looking for.. But still great customer service.

"Sorry, we are not making any 8-string models at this time."


----------



## Galius

slanderous777 said:


> Nice, If your looking for that specific sound then that what be the way to go. I just sent dimarzio an email asking if they could make any 8 string pups. Currently waiting for a response.
> 
> Edit: Wow..... Literally a response in under 5mins.... Dimarzio has their sh*t together.
> 
> Response wasn't really what I was looking for.. But still great customer service.
> 
> "Sorry, we are not making any 8-string models at this time."


 
Well in that case you should email them back a huge picture of you flipping the middle finger!!


----------



## mgcasella

Has anyone heard the difference between the regular EMG's and the EMGX's? Do the X's sound like the Blackouts or are they a totally different animal?

I'm very interested in this because I love the Blackouts in my baritone but am going back to passives (BKP Warpigs) for use in my Intrepid.



Galius said:


> I contacted Kurt about replacing the 808s with the new 808X pickups. Hes going to look into it and see if he can get them about the same price.



I emailed DiMarzio a few months ago to ask about buying a custom 8 string pup - I was hoping for an 8-string D-Sonic. I got the same response you did.

I wonder what their deal is? You and I can't be the ONLY ones who have asked. Also, what I like about DiMarzio is that they really seem to be dedicated to heavy music so I don't know why they wouldn't start jumping on the 8-string craze 

Oh well - maybe they have something secret and awesome they are planning 



slanderous777 said:


> Nice, If your looking for that specific sound then that what be the way to go. I just sent dimarzio an email asking if they could make any 8 string pups. Currently waiting for a response.
> 
> Edit: Wow..... Literally a response in under 5mins.... Dimarzio has their sh*t together.
> 
> Response wasn't really what I was looking for.. But still great customer service.
> 
> "Sorry, we are not making any 8-string models at this time."


----------



## Hollowway

FacelessUnknown said:


> Guys, eight strings are driving me crazy. I have been wanting to order one, but i decided to wait, to see if i could get a b stock or a left over. I missed my chance to get a sweet b stock recently so now im just wondering if i should get the Intrepid Pro 828 MN Nat. Should i wait for others or should i get the Intrepid? what are the down sides to getting this particular intrepid?
> Agile Intrepid Pro 828 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com



I'd go for it, personally. Like I said above, I'm suuuuuper happy with mine. I'm normally a 2 pickup and trem guy, but there's no denying how well it plays. Great quality for the price.


----------



## slanderous777

mgcasella said:


> Has anyone heard the difference between the regular EMG's and the EMGX's? Do the X's sound like the Blackouts or are they a totally different animal?
> 
> I'm very interested in this because I love the Blackouts in my baritone but am going back to passives (BKP Warpigs) for use in my Intrepid.
> 
> 
> 
> I emailed DiMarzio a few months ago to ask about buying a custom 8 string pup - I was hoping for an 8-string D-Sonic. I got the same response you did.
> 
> I wonder what their deal is? You and I can't be the ONLY ones who have asked. Also, what I like about DiMarzio is that they really seem to be dedicated to heavy music so I don't know why they wouldn't start jumping on the 8-string craze
> 
> Oh well - maybe they have something secret and awesome they are planning




I did alot of research and some rough comparisons a few months back on the whole active situation. 

My findings were :

Emg (least headroom)
EmgX (more than a standard emg but less than a blackout)
Blackout (most headroom of actives)
Passive (significantly more headroom in general)

All three actives are EQ'd differently obviously but the difference was more subtle than you would hear in passives IMO. In a real life application I could see someone being able to hear whether your playing actives versus passives but I would find it unlikely for anyone to really be able to pick up which actives they were listening to exactly.

Really if someone had emg's in their guitar I probably couldn't justify recommending them to switch to blackouts or even emgX's unless they are looking for a different EQ while still playing active. Just alot of money for such a small change. 


About dimarzio staying out of the 8 string pup game I don't think it's wise business wise. I mean they have a much larger 7 string selection than their largest competitor Seymour duncan so I don't understand why they would let the ERG peice of the pie fall to SD. SD has the 8 string blackout and released about 3 new 7 string pups this year. If I was working for dimarzio I would wake up and see that my edge was being lost. Both EMG and SD are offering production 8's and if they don't jump in soon they will lose ground. Is the majority of business in 6 string pickups? Yes it is but when given an opportunity to get a foothold in a niche it's best to take it because you've got guys like rockfield entering in as major players in the pup game and they are offering 6's at a more affordable price than dimarzio. Dimarzio has to stay evolving and not rely on signature pickups to keep them afloat.


----------



## space frog

Are you talking about Duncan blackouts? Cuz if they sound like the 7's, man that is a ton of bricks! Actually I've got a Schecter 8 string in the mail with blackouts, and I can't wait to hear the thing.


----------



## slanderous777

space frog said:


> Are you talking about Duncan blackouts? Cuz if they sound like the 7's, man that is a ton of bricks! Actually I've got a Schecter 8 string in the mail with blackouts, and I can't wait to hear the thing.



I am talking about the seymour duncans and yes the same is true about the 8's


----------



## space frog

^Fuck yeah!!! I really can't wait to get this sweet sexy axe.
Btw are the EMG 81TW great pickups? I am building a guitar and I wanted only one pickup, I wanted to try EMG's and I thought that if they had coil tap it might be a nice deal...


----------



## RG7

space frog said:


> ^Fuck yeah!!! I really can't wait to get this sweet sexy axe.
> Btw are the EMG 81TW great pickups? I am building a guitar and I wanted only one pickup, I wanted to try EMG's and I thought that if they had coil tap it might be a nice deal...



I've owned emg coil taps before, and they don't single coil your tone, they can thin out your tone for a much brighter type gain. I say it really works with extremely articulate riffing. with the right amp settings you can probably sound like a telecaster. not sparkly like a strat, but a defined twang like a strat.


----------



## slanderous777

space frog said:


> ^Fuck yeah!!! I really can't wait to get this sweet sexy axe.
> Btw are the EMG 81TW great pickups? I am building a guitar and I wanted only one pickup, I wanted to try EMG's and I thought that if they had coil tap it might be a nice deal...




I used to have a schecter hellraiser C-1FR with that pickup in the bridge. Like RG7 says it's not a real single coil type thing as in passive pups. I would recommend a passive humbucker if your only going to have one. Maybe a seymour duncan full shred.

What wood were you going to use for the body and neck?


----------



## darren

The 81TW doesn't "split" like a normal humbucker, but it goes one better... it actually has an EMG-81 and an EMG-SA under the cover, and when you "split" it, you're actually switching between the two.


----------



## space frog

^Ok, that seems nice. I thought of getting an 81 at first and like I said the fact that there are 2 "modes" seemed appealing to me. I didn't want to go for the best parts I could get for this cuz it's my first build, but I thought this would be a great deal.
And my body is made of ash. The rest is maple.


----------



## Ben.Last

In case people don't happen to see the post I made about this, I just wanted to let everyone know in here, Schaller mini locking tuners are a direct fit replacement for the ones used on the Intrepids. Use the old screws though, not the ones that come with the Schallers.


----------



## NaYoN

Are the pickups on the intrepid pro's any good? I don't really understand pickups but all I want is a clear tone overall where you can hear each note. By the way, I'm talking about the one with just one EMG.


----------



## guitarplayerone

is there any way we could please.... PLEASE have a run of the same exact thing as the intrepid dual pro maple board.... except as a sceptor? (neck through) 



NaYoN said:


> Are the pickups on the intrepid pro's any good? I don't really understand pickups but all I want is a clear tone overall where you can hear each note. By the way, I'm talking about the one with just one EMG.



if they have EMG's then they have EMGs. I played an intrepid with a cepheus pickup a week ago or so, they sounded to my ears a lot like a Dimarzio evolution... definitely the perfect sort of passive for the job, and very nice for a stock pickup (then again it's an 800 dollar guitar)

btw has anyone tried sanding the neck on their intrepids/sceptors?

the neck felt pretty nice, but just a *tad* too thick for my personal taste.

if it was just like a mm or two thinner (like -should-be-acceptable-to-sand-that-much-without-compromising-integrity- thinner), it would be perfect.

don't get me wrong, the neck was just a bit thicker than my J custom but imo with the extra strings and 28.625" scale, a few mm thinner necks would be nice... that's a few more mm you could stretch.

and it seems my music has taken a liking to a lot of add9's and other sorts of 'crap this might be hard to do on an 8 below the fifth fret) sort of stretches


----------



## Universe74

Lern2swim said:


> In case people don't happen to see the post I made about this, I just wanted to let everyone know in here, Schaller mini locking tuners are a direct fit replacement for the ones used on the Intrepids. Use the old screws though, not the ones that come with the Schallers.



Great info. I might grab a set of these. I'll have to see if they are available in Canada. I'll likely try to drill them larger to avoid unwinding.


----------



## Ben.Last

Universe74 said:


> Great info. I might grab a set of these. I'll have to see if they are available in Canada. I'll likely try to drill them larger to avoid unwinding.



Check to see if Warmoth ships to Canada, that's where I ordered mine from. They sell them as singles so you don't end up having to buy 12. As for drilling them out for bigger gauges, I'm not sure how that would work out. The locking system is basically a bearing(that's what it looks like) pushed up against the string within the tuner hole. Drilling would also damage the bearing and probably damage the tuner to the point of it not working. I suppose if you were able to disassemble the whole thing you could do it. I didn't try to see if they disassemble completely though. Even then, considering a .054 didn't fit, drilling for a .074 would require quite a bit of a size increase. It may damage the system, disassembled or not. On the plus side, Warmoth has them for $10 each so if someone wants to experiment, have at it and let us know how it goes.


----------



## Santuzzo

Lern2swim said:


> In case people don't happen to see the post I made about this, I just wanted to let everyone know in here, Schaller mini locking tuners are a direct fit replacement for the ones used on the Intrepids. Use the old screws though, not the ones that come with the Schallers.



Thanks for the info!

Have you installed your on your Intrepid yet?
If yes, did that work out fine?

The tunes that came with my Intrepid are fine, and I haven't had any tuning issues so far.
Did you have any problems with the original tuners that were on your Intrepid? Of did you get the locking tuners for the improved tuning stability?


----------



## Ben.Last

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-locking-tuner-questions-for-an-intrepid.html

There's the link to my thread. I posted the pics in there along with a bit more info on how the install went. I didn't really have any problems with the stock tuners. I got these for a bit of increased stability and, also, it makes changing strings much easier. The Schallers definitely are a bit smoother when tuning up also.


----------



## Santuzzo

Lern2swim said:


> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-locking-tuner-questions-for-an-intrepid.html
> 
> There's the link to my thread. I posted the pics in there along with a bit more info on how the install went. I didn't really have any problems with the stock tuners. I got these for a bit of increased stability and, also, it makes changing strings much easier. The Schallers definitely are a bit smoother when tuning up also.



Thanks ! I will check out your thread


----------



## Universe74

Lern2swim said:


> Check to see if Warmoth ships to Canada, that's where I ordered mine from. They sell them as singles so you don't end up having to buy 12. As for drilling them out for bigger gauges, I'm not sure how that would work out. The locking system is basically a bearing(that's what it looks like) pushed up against the string within the tuner hole. Drilling would also damage the bearing and probably damage the tuner to the point of it not working. I suppose if you were able to disassemble the whole thing you could do it. I didn't try to see if they disassemble completely though. Even then, considering a .054 didn't fit, drilling for a .074 would require quite a bit of a size increase. It may damage the system, disassembled or not. On the plus side, Warmoth has them for $10 each so if someone wants to experiment, have at it and let us know how it goes.



Good info...I see they do ship to canada. Thanks.


----------



## Galius

guitarplayerone said:


> is there any way we could please.... PLEASE have a run of the same exact thing as the intrepid dual pro maple board.... except as a sceptor? (neck through)


 
There is a poll that I started about 2-3 pages in that are pretty much exactly what youre asking about. Ive been talking to kurt about it and its looking pretty promising but it wont happen until later this summer likely.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...ossible-agile-8-string-wood-top-finishes.html


----------



## space frog

Good news: There are interceptors available in 25.5 inch scale right now.
Bad news: I got no cash.


----------



## slanderous777

space frog said:


> Good news: There are interceptors available in 25.5 inch scale right now.
> Bad news: I got no cash.



25.5 would be really loose for an 8 string. I know your schecter will be 26.5 which should be the minimum on 8 string's. I played an ibanez 2228 with it's 27 inch scale and the F# was all over the place with the stock gauges.


----------



## Ben.Last

slanderous777 said:


> 25.5 would be really loose for an 8 string. I know your schecter will be 26.5 which should be the minimum on 8 string's. I played an ibanez 2228 with it's 27 inch scale and the F# was all over the place with the stock gauges.



Unless he plans on going with a high A, in which case, 25.5 would be fine.


----------



## slanderous777

Lern2swim said:


> Unless he plans on going with a high A, in which case, 25.5 would be fine.



True, that would be interesting.


----------



## space frog

That's exactly what I plan on doing, putting a high A. But at the same time I plan on tuning it 1 and a half step down afterwards... anyways...


----------



## guitarplayerone

Galius said:


> There is a poll that I started about 2-3 pages in that are pretty much exactly what youre asking about. Ive been talking to kurt about it and its looking pretty promising but it wont happen until later this summer likely.
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...ossible-agile-8-string-wood-top-finishes.html



btw galius, i don't want to sound like an ass, but imo for a lot of people the passive pickup covers would be a dealbreaker. i really hope the sceptors stick with the regular passive pickup design...


----------



## Galius

guitarplayerone said:


> btw galius, i don't want to sound like an ass, but imo for a lot of people the passive pickup covers would be a dealbreaker. i really hope the sceptors stick with the regular passive pickup design...


 
We werent really shooting for anything but standard passives. I had just noticed he was shipping some with covered passives and wasnt sure what the deal was with them.


----------



## Dopethrone

Hi all,
I am new of the forum and I would thanks you all for the important things I've always read here.

Well, I would like to buy an Agile Intrepid 828 MN Charcoal at RondoMusic.com but:
-I'm not sure about the tax from US to Italy
-anyone has ever had exeperience with shipping to Italy?

Anyway I would like to have the most of information you can give to me about shipping to Italy.

Thanks, Daniele


(Se c'è qualche italiano che ha avuto esperienze al riguardo mi contatti in privato o tramite Msn)


----------



## jymellis

i bought a knife from frank beltrame in italy. to have it shipped to america cost me 100.00 bux  dont know if it is because it is a switchblade or what?


----------



## Dopethrone

I'd like also to know if ship with fed ex is safe or if I'll get my guitar broken or ruined.


----------



## swayman

Dopethrone said:


> I'd like also to know if ship with fed ex is safe or if I'll get my guitar broken or ruined.



From my experience with Fedex, I'd definitely use them again.

I had my guitar shipped from Rondo in the US to Australia, no problems. It took them just over 3 days to get it to me.

Not sure what taxes you'll have to pay, you should call your customs department, tell them what you're shipping in, how much the guitar costs, they should be able to tell you if there are any charges to bring it in.

Hope that helps!


----------



## Louis Cypher

Ive shipped stuff from the US to the UK and basically really quick rule of thumb for here is to just swap the $ sign for a £ sign on the price and thats roughly what it would be after shipping/customs/VAT, not sure what Italy is like for those sort of things but UK is pretty high when it comes to import charges


----------



## PnKnG

Louis Cypher said:


> Ive shipped stuff from the US to the UK and basically really quick rule of thumb for here is to just swap the $ sign for a £ sign on the price and thats roughly what it would be after shipping/customs/VAT, not sure what Italy is like for those sort of things but UK is pretty high when it comes to import charges



Yeah. Same thing works over here in Sweden. Just switch the $ with kr (Swedish kronor) and add a 0 at the end (exchange rate is 1 $ = 7 - 8 kr depending on the current rate). The rest is customs/VAT.
Rondo has shipping for most guitars at ~ 120 $ for a guitar with case to most oversee countries.


----------



## Efilnikufesin

space frog said:


> ^Fuck yeah!!! I really can't wait to get this sweet sexy axe.
> Btw are the EMG 81TW great pickups? I am building a guitar and I wanted only one pickup, I wanted to try EMG's and I thought that if they had coil tap it might be a nice deal...


I'm not as well versed in 8 string technology as the other people on this forum, but if Meshuggah is any guide, I'd go with lundgren m8's.


----------



## space frog

^Thanx for the info. I am not building an 8 string guitar right now though, but if I ever do, I'll check them out.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

just a quick question to those of you with a bolt on model, i am really hesitant about bolt ons, i just haven't had good experiences with them. however the only agile 8 string that i can find with all the other options that i want is a bolt on, and im having a hard time getting myself to buy it. so for the people out there with a bolt on model, is it worth the extra $ for a neck through or are you content with the bolt on?


----------



## Hollowway

I'm pretty much a neck thru guy, so I'm going to have to vote for that, but I will tell you that if it's the heel you're worried about, be careful of the heel on the neck thru. I'm not sure why Rondo leaves it so bulky, but the neck through has a pretty substantial heel on it. That being said, I still prefer my Agile neck through to my Agile bolt-on.


----------



## Fler

Is anyone aware of any updates in the development of the Pendulum/fanned fretted guitar Agile have on the way?


----------



## swayman

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> just a quick question to those of you with a bolt on model, i am really hesitant about bolt ons, i just haven't had good experiences with them. however the only agile 8 string that i can find with all the other options that i want is a bolt on, and im having a hard time getting myself to buy it. so for the people out there with a bolt on model, is it worth the extra $ for a neck through or are you content with the bolt on?



I have a bolt on buddy, I'm more than happy with it.

Just out of curiosity what are the bad experiences you've had with them?


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

Hollowway said:


> I'm pretty much a neck thru guy, so I'm going to have to vote for that, but I will tell you that if it's the heel you're worried about, be careful of the heel on the neck thru. I'm not sure why Rondo leaves it so bulky, but the neck through has a pretty substantial heel on it. That being said, I still prefer my Agile neck through to my Agile bolt-on.



as long as it balances while i am standing im not to worried about the bulkiness of it, thanks.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

swayman said:


> I have a bolt on buddy, I'm more than happy with it.
> 
> Just out of curiosity what are the bad experiences you've had with them?



the only 2 bolt on guitars i have ever had i experienced alot of intonation problems, i had an ibanez set up professionally nice low action no buzz and then about a week later i notice the neck starting to bow alot. and i just dont like knowing that a guitar was made in 2 pieces and then stuck together, its like a person walking around with their body and someone else's legs. its strange i know. most of the time you see lower end guitars that are bolt on, thats not always the case but i feel that if i get a neck through i am getting a higher quality instrument.


----------



## space frog

^I think neck through is more stable. I like the idea that the guitar itself is only the neck, and that the wings of the body are only there for electronics and comfort.
I totally get what you mean, neck through is more like ONE guitar.


----------



## mgcasella

I've had both neck-thru guitars, as well as bolt-on ones and all have served me well. 

As for the Agile Intrepids, mine is a bolt-on and I love it. I have had it about a month and have experienced zero issues 




6Christ6Denied6 said:


> just a quick question to those of you with a bolt on model, i am really hesitant about bolt ons, i just haven't had good experiences with them. however the only agile 8 string that i can find with all the other options that i want is a bolt on, and im having a hard time getting myself to buy it. so for the people out there with a bolt on model, is it worth the extra $ for a neck through or are you content with the bolt on?


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

Guys, I've put up a for trade post for an Ocean Burst Intrepid Pro 828 as a feeler if anyone has been wanting one of these!


----------



## Dopethrone

Up, anything else?


----------



## Demeyes

I had a guitar shipped from Rondo to Ireland and it arrived very quickly and without any damage. You will have to pay customs when the guitar gets to your country. How much that is depends on the rates for Italy.
Be aware though that you have no warranty on that guitar. Rondo don't cover people overseas so if you have problems with your guitar when you get it, you won't be covered by the usual full warranty that the people get in the states.


----------



## mgcasella

My neck feels a little rough in a few spots. It's no big deal but I was wondering what grit would be appropriate for sanding it down.

Also, is the neck unfinished? That's what it appears but I don't recall people on this forum mentioning it. I was thinking about buying some tung oil from Stew-Mac for finishing the neck. Does this provide adequate protection while keeping the neck smooth?

A quick search on how to refinish a neck did not turn up any results. Does anyone know where I can find out how to do this?

Sorry for the n00b questions - I just received this beast and have no prior experience with Intrepids.


----------



## mrhankey87

Vai tranquillo, io ne ho comprata una a febbraio. le tasse sono il 23% del totale pagato a Rondomusic....in sei giorni mi è arrivata a casa, dagli USA!


----------



## Dopethrone

mrhankey87 said:


> Vai tranquillo, io ne ho comprata una a febbraio. le tasse sono il 23% del totale pagato a Rondomusic....in sei giorni mi è arrivata a casa, dagli USA!


 Non hai avuto nessun tipo di problema con la dogana o simili? Per quanto riguarda il costo finale devo aggiungere un 23% del totale pagato a Rondo comprese le spedizioni? Grazie.


----------



## mrhankey87

Dopethrone said:


> Non hai avuto nessun tipo di problema con la dogana o simili? Per quanto riguarda il costo finale devo aggiungere un 23% del totale pagato a Rondo comprese le spedizioni? Grazie.



Compro settimanalmente dagli Usa, mai e ripeto MAI avuti problemi...FedEx poi sono eccezionali...sì il 23% del totale comprese le spese di spedizione. forse anche il 25%, ogni tanto fanno la cresta...


----------



## Santuzzo

I don't know what it will be like for Italy, but I just got my invoice from FedEx for the import and VAT tax last week and it was 144 Euro. I don't think that was bad, I was expecting something like 200.
So those 144 are an import tax and the VAT tax (which is 19% in The Netherlands)

You can look up what the import taxes are for Italy, I'm sure there must be a website.


----------



## OrsusMetal

Fler said:


> Is anyone aware of any updates in the development of the Pendulum/fanned fretted guitar Agile have on the way?



I've emailed Kurt a few times and he said the prototypes (about 10 or so of them) will be on the site around the end of March (target date) and the actual models will be around May.


----------



## Fler

Rad! That's some great news! Looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Probably will hang out for the actual models rather than jump at a proto though. That would be a cool little thing to own though...Shall see how it goes.


----------



## OrsusMetal

I was planning to jump on one of the prototype models, but after playing one of their 7's with the same neck profile (uniform), I'm going to pass. It was a bit thicker than I was wanting to go and the Pendulum is supposed to have the same neck profile. I was hoping for the slim profile instead.

Regardless, the Pendulum is badass and I might still get one just because.  A fan for that cheap is great.


----------



## Fler

Yeah I can't remember what the projected costs were to be like, but it should be a good buy regardless.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

what is the difference between the standard and the pro models besides one is neck thru and the other is bolt on?


----------



## RG7

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> what is the difference between the standard and the pro models besides one is neck thru and the other is bolt on?




standard has an ash body and pro has a mahogany body with a 5-piece neck-thru walnut maple neck (correct me if i'm wrong)

and I think the single pickup pro models come with an EMG 808 which I believe this forum hates, and the standard has " Cepheus " pickups.

I think rest is the same, length, tuners, bridge, radius, width, finish, nut etc.


----------



## RG7

question, is the ash body on the standard intrepid model 3 piece, 2 or 1?


----------



## space frog

Ordered an Intrepid 828 Pro Dual in natural finish! Can't wait!!!!


----------



## mgcasella

Congrats, buddy!


----------



## possumkiller

Ive never had any problems with a bolt on neck joint.


----------



## space frog

It happened that I had to exchange a guitar cuz the neck was bolted so wrong that the E string would be on the fretboard from the 15th to the 24th frets. That's the kind of things that can happen with bolted necks, so that's why I prefer neck through guitars.


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> It happened that I had to exchange a guitar cuz the neck was bolted so wrong that the E string would be on the fretboard from the 15th to the 24th frets. That's the kind of things that can happen with bolted necks, so that's why I prefer neck through guitars.



Correction: That's the kind of thing that can happen with shitty guitars. In all honesty, you probably could have fixed that yourself in 5 minutes. Had it been a set neck with that problem, however, you really would have been out of luck. Just because low end guitars use bolt on assembly does not mean that bolt on itself needs to be low end.


----------



## space frog

Eh... I don't think that a Jackson DK2M Dinky is a shitty guitar. I got another one with the neck set correctly and honestly I've always felt like I paid that guitar way too cheap. And I was 15 years old, knew nothing about guitars, and even now that I'm building my own guitar and that I know much more about the instrument itself, I'm not sure if I'd unbolt a neck and fix it myself. If the holes are done wrong, then you have very few chances of replacing it right IMO.


----------



## Born4metal85

wow!!! Altough I'm not really interested in 8strings.....these guitars look awesome!!!


----------



## Dave Camarillo

Did you guys look at the new 8's for September deposit?

Rondo Music Electric Guitars

Do they keep adding new body types for deposit? 2 at a time? Sorry for my ignorance. Thanks


----------



## Ben.Last

I love how the single pup Intrepids still have the same route for the passives. I think that proves that the alleged "feature" of having routes that work for 808s is nothing more than a cost cutting move by Kurt so he only has to pay for 2 different body/route combinations for the Intrepids.


----------



## Explorer

Lern2swim said:


> I love how the single pup Intrepids still have the same route for the passives. I think that proves that the alleged "feature" of having routes that work for 808s is nothing more than a cost cutting move by Kurt so he only has to pay for 2 different body/route combinations for the Intrepids.



Interesting. I hadn't noticed the larger routes on the Intrepids with Cepheus pickups. 

I have a natural Pro with dual Cepheus pups, and waver off and on about signing up for the custom-sized Q-Tuners to fit the Cepheus routes. Since it was the only dual passive Intrepid Pro with an ebony fretboard I've seen, I don't really regret my purchase, and the Cepheus pickups have surprised me with their usefulness. Maybe I'll finally go the Q-Tuner route in the next five years....


----------



## space frog

Dave Camarillo said:


> Did you guys look at the new 8's for September deposit?
> 
> Rondo Music Electric Guitars
> 
> Do they keep adding new body types for deposit? 2 at a time? Sorry for my ignorance. Thanks



I don't really dig that headstock on the charcoal... Anyways I'll pick up mine tonight 
And for the deposits, I don't know cuz I first started looking at those when the May run was up for deposit and virtually all the guitars available now were available at that time for deposit, so... I don't really know dude...


----------



## Ben.Last

It does, however, look like Kurt is backing off on the lefties


----------



## space frog

Well he's got a lot of them still available from previous runs so if they don't sell it's not surprising that he backs off a little...

Also I have a new guitar...


----------



## pirateparty

Hows the tuning stability on the non-locking 8's? All of my guitars, even the ones with grovers, come out of tune at least once a day. I might just get whatever 8 with a Khaler and ebony board that pops up first but they always sell so fast


----------



## MaxOfMetal

pirateparty said:


> Hows the tuning stability on the non-locking 8's? All of my guitars, even the ones with grovers, come out of tune at least once a day. I might just get whatever 8 with a Khaler and ebony board that pops up first but they always sell so fast



Sounds like you have a problem with your nuts.


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> Well he's got a lot of them still available from previous runs so if they don't sell it's not surprising that he backs off a little




Eh. All he's got left are 2 with the shitty routes, which I won't buy, and an oceanburst, which I'm not a fan of. Oh well, I guess it'll just stop me from spending money I shouldn't be spending yet. Hopefully he'll go back to the correct routes next time.


----------



## MerlinTKD

I'm planning on having a Pendulum, saving for it as we speak... what exactly is the difference between the 'uniform' neck profile and the slim profile you mention (other than the obvious of course)? I find the ESP/LTD neck profile generally pretty comfortable, is the uniform profile like that?





OrsusMetal said:


> I was planning to jump on one of the prototype models, but after playing one of their 7's with the same neck profile (uniform), I'm going to pass. It was a bit thicker than I was wanting to go and the Pendulum is supposed to have the same neck profile. I was hoping for the slim profile instead.
> 
> Regardless, the Pendulum is badass and I might still get one just because.  A fan for that cheap is great.


----------



## Werwolf999

Has anyone here replaced their stock pups with anything different? And if so, what did you use, and are you happy w/ it.


----------



## pirateparty

Man I hate whenever the only Intrepids up are ones with maple fretboards only.


----------



## Galius

pirateparty said:


> Man I hate whenever the only Intrepids up are ones with maple fretboards only.


Yeah, I like the maple for certain ones but I do wish they had rosewood more often. When I bought my bloodburst pro I wanted a rosewood board, and now that I played the cephus passives and love em I wish I could replace it with a dual passive pro with a rosewood board.


----------



## space frog

I think there should be more 8's with ebony fingerboards... I like maple but I really prefer ebony... and I hate rosewood. Btw my Intrepid 828 dual pro is really awesome. I love the maple fretboard on that thing.


----------



## NaYoN

Got the 830 Interceptor pro dual satin mahogany. Hopefully it will arrive in 2-3 days and then I can post an extended review and/or clips!


----------



## Galius

Man, someone bumped their head. Rondo now has the labella crazy 8s string packs in for $16, but you can get them through Big City for about $10


----------



## TomAwesome

Actually, right now (unless it's over already) they're running a 2 for 1 promo, so you can in effect get that same set for $5 a pop. I built up a tiny stockpile of 7- and 8-string sets.


----------



## Galius

Im pretty sure the 2 for 1 is over. I think it was just thru march. Either way I picked me up 4 sets and wanted to get another 4 before the sale was over but didnt get a chance.


----------



## MTech

It was just through March. I'm not sure what else is going to be going on as everybody is just getting back from the Messe but we'll see. I was going to do a sample pack promo but I'm hitting the road so I can't do it as time is limited.


----------



## pirateparty

i just ordered the B-stock Intrepid 828 ebony fretboard that popped up this morning. Theres a crack from the 1st fret to the 4th fret on the fretboard, so I'm hoping its not too noticeable. 

Now for the longest week of my life while I wait for it to get here


----------



## Dave Camarillo

Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame B Stock at RondoMusic.com

I was just looking at that. I would have jumped, but it has a Tremolo!!!! no!!!!


----------



## technomancer

Dave Camarillo said:


> Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame B Stock at RondoMusic.com
> 
> I was just looking at that. I would have jumped, but it has a Tremolo!!!! no!!!!



The Kahler has a screw that locks it, so turn a screw and instant fixed bridge. I wish this had been posted before I bought my 827 as it would already be on its way here as I prefer the longer scale length  Though on the flip side I HATE EMGs so I would have had to rewire the whole thing


----------



## Galius

Damn...I was gonna buy that one too....but someone beat me to it.


----------



## Werwolf999

Just bought the 828 Intrepid Ghostburst! 

I am one friggin' happy camper atm!


----------



## Santuzzo

Werwolf999 said:


> Just bought the 828 Intrepid Ghostburst!
> 
> I am one friggin' happy camper atm!



Awesome ! That one looks very nice!


----------



## Hollowway

Dave Camarillo said:


> Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame B Stock at RondoMusic.com
> 
> I was just looking at that. I would have jumped, but it has a Tremolo!!!! no!!!!



Holy cow that didn't last long! You guys have some itchy trigger fingers! But the last thing I need is another 8 string, I suppose...


----------



## Aulecai

Every single Agile 8 body looks so good, all the specs are so great and are so affordable but every single one of their models has the same 2x4 Elmer's Glue special neck that could make God's guitar look like an 8 year old's first guitar...

Why? just... why....


----------



## Ben.Last

Aulecai said:


> Every single Agile 8 body looks so good, all the specs are so great and are so affordable but every single one of their models has the same 2x4 Elmer's Glue special neck that could make God's guitar look like an 8 year old's first guitar...
> 
> Why? just... why....



What the hell are you on about?


----------



## mgcasella

I'm glad you said something! Every time I looked at that I felt like I was going crazy 



Lern2swim said:


> What the hell are you on about?


----------



## m3ta1head

Hey guys, about to join the club. Pulling the trigger on an Intrepid Pro 828 Nat with the maple fretboard and single EMG808. I am very stoked to pick it up this Saturday.

How is the 808 in this guitar?


----------



## Galius

m3ta1head said:


> Hey guys, about to join the club. Pulling the trigger on an Intrepid Pro 828 Nat with the maple fretboard and single EMG808. I am very stoked to pick it up this Saturday.
> 
> How is the 808 in this guitar?


 
Not as good as allother EMGs, but a Blackout is a good replacement if you dont like it. There are also options for adding a passive with a plastic active style cover if gaps with passives bother you. The agile cephus passives are really nice so it kinda sucks they just dont use it in all of the guitars.


----------



## AATTWDIS

Just jumped on a 828 Single PU Sunburst for $399. Couldn't resist and was planing on getting one in a month or so. I'll jump for some savings.

I'm thinking in the near future to switch out the PU if I don't like the Cepheus, any suggestions? Thinking Bareknuckle or Lundgren?


----------



## pirateparty

My Intrepid 828 EB pro just came in today, the description said there were cracks in the ebony from the 1st to 4th fret, but I cant find a single one. The only thing I found was that the bridge pickup didn't work at first but it seems to be working fine now.

Weird how its a B stock considering I cant find anything wrong with the fretboard. I was expecting massive cracking in the fretboard that I was afraid I'd have to fill, but there isn't even a scratch.


----------



## Galius

pirateparty said:


> My Intrepid 828 EB pro just came in today, the description said there were cracks in the ebony from the 1st to 4th fret, but I cant find a single one. The only thing I found was that the bridge pickup didn't work at first but it seems to be working fine now.
> 
> Weird how its a B stock considering I cant find anything wrong with the fretboard. I was expecting massive cracking in the fretboard that I was afraid I'd have to fill, but there isn't even a scratch.


 
Which finish was it?


----------



## MF_Kitten

pirateparty said:


> My Intrepid 828 EB pro just came in today, the description said there were cracks in the ebony from the 1st to 4th fret, but I cant find a single one. The only thing I found was that the bridge pickup didn't work at first but it seems to be working fine now.
> 
> Weird how its a B stock considering I cant find anything wrong with the fretboard. I was expecting massive cracking in the fretboard that I was afraid I'd have to fill, but there isn't even a scratch.



cracks like that are deceptive. they aren´t open, they´re closed, but the wood is still cracked apart, yet pushed together. it only becomes noticable once you get more or less humidity in the fretboard in a way that makes it contract or expand.

it might be a problem some day, or it might not.


----------



## pirateparty

MF_Kitten said:


> cracks like that are deceptive. they aren´t open, they´re closed, but the wood is still cracked apart, yet pushed together. it only becomes noticable once you get more or less humidity in the fretboard in a way that makes it contract or expand.
> 
> it might be a problem some day, or it might not.



damn so I gotta wait for my fretboard to hit puberty before I can see if anythings wrong with it?

and its the natural finish, might do a NGD after work this weekend


----------



## Hollowway

pirateparty said:


> damn so I gotta wait for my fretboard to hit puberty before I can see if anythings wrong with it?
> 
> and its the natural finish, might do a NGD after work this weekend



I'd check the guitar over for other things as well. I've noticed that the guitars that were returned and resold as B stock were returned for one flaw and listed as another. So it could be one of these bridges mounted too close to the FB things, or something like that.


----------



## thezerofret

I apologize if this has been mentioned...

I'm a big fan of Kahler trems and was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of how these 8-string trems are.


----------



## NaYoN

I got my guitar, an interceptor pro 830, should I do a NGD? I mean it's not a custom, so is it worth it? I don't know too much about this NGD business. If I do so, what should I put in my post?


----------



## mgcasella

DO IT! DO IT NOW! 



NaYoN said:


> I got my guitar, an interceptor pro 830, should I do a NGD? I mean it's not a custom, so is it worth it? I don't know too much about this NGD business. If I do so, what should I put in my post?


----------



## Variant

This:







...if it happens in 30", my deposit goes Agile's way. I can't get on board with the natural looking 830's. An eighter needs to be black and sinister (and a little classy).


----------



## chucknorrishred

@VARIANT

does that trem hold out pretty good, would u know

that a truly awesome guitar......how much?


----------



## Variant

^
I don't have one. Yet. Like I said, if Kurt can make them happen in 30", both me and Marco will order one each. I really want to go full custom but don't have the bread or time right now to sort all that. 

From what I've heard, the low string(s) don't tend to stay in tune because of the multi-layer wraps moving around. This is true of bass trems as well. Its the *strings* not the _*trem*_. 

That said, Kahlers, sometimes have a "zeroing" issue which can be minimized by keeping the moving parts well lubed. The other issue, that I think the Kahler is going to have in this situation, is they work way better when they are recessed somewhat, as opposed to being surface mounted. I will likely have someone route a recess to take it down a bit if Rondo hasn't figured this out yet. Note how the Jerry Cantrell G&L has a recess for a "surface mount" Kahler.  

What I think I'm going to do if I find myself in Kahlerland is take the two bottom strings _*off the cam*_, and modify the saddles so there's a fixed pickup point just behind the roller. This would mean only the top six strings would move while the bottom two (an .080 and a .120 in my case) stay in place and stay stable. I don't generally wank the wang on the A0 and D1 anyway.


----------



## m3ta1head

Variant said:


> ^
> I don't have one. Yet. Like I said, if Kurt can make them happen in 30", both me and Marco will order one each. I really want to go full custom but don't have the bread or time right now to sort all that.
> 
> From what I've heard, the low string(s) don't tend to stay in tune because of the multi-layer wraps moving around. This is true of bass trems as well. Its the *strings* not the _*trem*_.
> 
> That said, Kahlers, sometimes have a "zeroing" issue which can be minimized by keeping the moving parts well lubed. The other issue, that I think the Kahler is going to have in this situation, is they work way better when they are recessed somewhat, as opposed to being surface mounted. I will likely have someone route a recess to take it down a bit if Rondo hasn't figured this out yet. Note how the Jerry Cantrell G&L has a recess for a "surface mount" Kahler.
> 
> What I think I'm going to do if I find myself in Kahlerland is take the two bottom strings _*off the cam*_, and modify the saddles so there's a fixed pickup point just behind the roller. This would mean only the top six strings would move while the bottom two (an .080 and a .130 in my case) stay in place and stay stable. I don't generally wank the wang on the A0 and D1 anyway.



Have you played a 30" scale instrument before? Just a heads up, because I'm having a hard time adjusting from 25.5" to 28.625"-the frets are vastly wider. Can't imagine playing a 30"...talk about finger stretches


----------



## Jbrum18

chucknorrishred said:


> @VARIANT
> 
> does that trem hold out pretty good, would u know
> 
> that a truly awesome guitar......how much?



I have this guitar in 28.625" and I can honestly say I've had no problems with it. The Kahler works great, stays in tune all the time and I rarely keep the thing locked. The intonation adjustments worked perfectly which was the main thing I was worried about with a Kahler. I personally would not want it in 30", this is probably the biggest I'd go. They're offering this guitar for the September run but in 27" scale which I sorta wish they offered first but I'm happy now that I'm used to a slightly larger scale. If you're undecided but got the money I'd say pull the trigger, you won't be disappointed.


----------



## space frog

They offer it in 25" too I think... this is ridiculously too small.


----------



## Variant

m3ta1head said:


> Have you played a 30" scale instrument before? Just a heads up, because I'm having a hard time adjusting from 25.5" to 28.625"-the frets are vastly wider. Can't imagine playing a 30"...talk about finger stretches



Well, I play a 34", seven string bass all the time , and my guitar is a 28 5/8" which I do with ease. I don't any issues on stretches, because, well... mine suck on a 25.5", so I find the best way to avoid any issues is not to write anything I can't play.


----------



## chucknorrishred

Jbrum18 said:


> I have this guitar in 28.625" and I can honestly say I've had no problems with it. The Kahler works great, stays in tune all the time and I rarely keep the thing locked. The intonation adjustments worked perfectly which was the main thing I was worried about with a Kahler. I personally would not want it in 30", this is probably the biggest I'd go. They're offering this guitar for the September run but in 27" scale which I sorta wish they offered first but I'm happy now that I'm used to a slightly larger scale. If you're undecided but got the money I'd say pull the trigger, you won't be disappointed.



interesting .... im looking into their 8 strings but have never tried a Kahler trem before, either way i need to save some cash 

im on the same boat of being able to play on monster necks since i played on a 6 string bass for a good while but anyways thax for the "first hand" type review

I'll need to travel like 200 miles and try a Kahler trem to see if its my styl


----------



## technomancer

Just a warning note, the B-stock 27" Intrepid w/Kahler in Lizardburst that was just relisted has more issues than what are included in the description... I bought it and returned it. The guitar needs a fret level as it has some low frets on the treble side.

Agile Interceptor 827 MN Lizard Burst B Stock at RondoMusic.com


----------



## chucknorrishred

technomancer said:


> Just a warning note, the B-stock 27" Intrepid w/Kahler in Lizardburst that was just relisted has more issues than what are included in the description... I bought it and returned it. The guitar needs a fret level as it has some low frets on the treble side.
> 
> Agile Interceptor 827 MN Lizard Burst B Stock at RondoMusic.com


 thats the one i was looking into, thax for the heads up


----------



## Richie666

Hey Intrepid freaks out there! I think i'm ready to dive into the realm of 8 strings and have been thinking about purchasing an Intrepid. The only specification I've really determined that I want is passive pickups and being a lefty, this severely limits my options. Currently on Rondo is a Natural Pro dual as well as a deposit for a Charcoal standard single pup.

The pro is a little pricy for what I see as an experimental guitar, but I don't want to be limiting myself to only a bridge. Do any single pup Intrepid owners have any qualms with the this configuration? Also, do you think the September deposit guitars will really take that long? Any other Rondo tips?


----------



## TomAwesome

I think it just comes down to how much you personally want/need a neck pickup. Deposits generally take about half a year, I think.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Hm on the 830's, how low in tuning can you go to make it still audible/clear?

Im most likely gonna look into Stick type instruments, NS/Stick or Megatar, but I'd love to get something that actually somewhat resembles a guitar, not a plank of wood. Hmm. Also, concerned slightly if I did like 4/5 bass strings + 6/7 guitar strings, that the neck is going to be massive, where if I can just tune a 8 string in 4ths, I can still get pretty decently high (thats how the NS/stick does it, only 8 strings but starting from B1)


----------



## Richie666

I'm curious about the 28.6s limitations as well. Think it could pull off a low E? Low D even?


----------



## Variant

^
I regularly drop my G1 down to D1 on my 28.625" Synapse and it holds the tension pretty well. You have to be a little light with the picking (or if you _*want*_ to pick hard and get the bow sound, do it closer to the bridge), but it works fine.


----------



## MTech

NickCormier said:


> I'd love to get something that actually somewhat resembles a guitar, not a plank of wood. Hmm. Also, concerned slightly if I did like 4/5 bass strings + 6/7 guitar strings



Sounds like something you'd get from Novax Guitars.


----------



## SnowfaLL

MTech said:


> Sounds like something you'd get from Novax Guitars.



Yea, I do want to do something similar to Charlie Hunter.

I think im gonna settle with Krappy Guitars building me a touchstyle, with guitar and bass. Im just not sure if I should stick with 4bass/6guitar, or 5bass/7guitar.. The extra width is somewhat concerning, at that point it starts to look stupid, and become beyond-hard to play, yet its nice to have the extra range.

It'd be sweet if a 830 Agile could tune that low tho, they definately look sexy as fuck. I wish I had someone local to test one out, even if it was only in E2 (bass 4 string E), that would probably be enough... Altho since it uses thinner strings and everything, I wonder how different it'll sound than a bass. Probably quite different.


----------



## thefpb2

Just Got an Intrepid 828, looking to put a Q-tuner and a BareKnuckle Cold sweat in it


----------



## Meshugger

thefpb2 said:


> Just Got an Intrepid 828, looking to put a Q-tuner and a BareKnuckle Cold sweat in it



In cases such as these, video-/soundclips are mandatory


----------



## thefpb2

haha agreed, have not gotten the pickups yet, waiting for some money


----------



## space frog

NickCormier said:


> Yea, I do want to do something similar to Charlie Hunter.
> 
> I think im gonna settle with Krappy Guitars building me a touchstyle, with guitar and bass. Im just not sure if I should stick with 4bass/6guitar, or 5bass/7guitar.. The extra width is somewhat concerning, at that point it starts to look stupid, and become beyond-hard to play, yet its nice to have the extra range.
> 
> It'd be sweet if a 830 Agile could tune that low tho, they definately look sexy as fuck. I wish I had someone local to test one out, even if it was only in E2 (bass 4 string E), that would probably be enough... Altho since it uses thinner strings and everything, I wonder how different it'll sound than a bass. Probably quite different.



Man I have a 828 that at one point I decided to tune down 1½ steps, which means I had a D#2, and it was ridiculously too slack. And I doubt a thicker string would be nice... its either too slack either too thick, so dunno... for lower tuning I'd prefer a fanned 9...


----------



## pirateparty

thefpb2 said:


> Just Got an Intrepid 828, looking to put a Q-tuner and a BareKnuckle Cold sweat in it



dude ive been thinking of the same combonation in my new 828

luckily the b stock i got has EMG routes so a q tuner will fit


----------



## Galius

Woo hoo!. Just picked me up a project. Someone had a ebony board pro with no pickups on the bay for $400.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...tem=110522215123&amp;ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT 
Probly gonna put a cephus in there with the plactic pickup cover mod, and mabey a bubinga (or some kind of exotic wood) veneer job on the top of the guitar.


----------



## Santuzzo

A question to you guys playing a 28" scale Intrepid:

What gauge do you use for the 8th string?
I was gonna get D'Addario 7-string sets 009-054 and add singles of 072 for the 8th string.
Is that a good match in terms of gauge?
(I think that's also the same gauge the guitar came with, not 100% sure, though)

Thanks,
Lars


----------



## Galius

Santuzzo said:


> A question to you guys playing a 28" scale Intrepid:
> 
> What gauge do you use for the 8th string?
> I was gonna get D'Addario 7-string sets 009-054 and add singles of 072 for the 8th string.
> Is that a good match in terms of gauge?
> (I think that's also the same gauge the guitar came with, not 100% sure, though)
> 
> Thanks,
> Lars


 
Ive been using the same sizes as stated on the Rondo site and with the 28" it works pretty spot on. If you prefer you could even bump up a couple gauges on the 2 lower strings.


----------



## Santuzzo

Galius said:


> Ive been using the same sizes as stated on the Rondo site and with the 28" it works pretty spot on. If you prefer you could even bump up a couple gauges on the 2 lower strings.



Thanks !


----------



## Ben.Last

Santuzzo said:


> A question to you guys playing a 28" scale Intrepid:
> 
> What gauge do you use for the 8th string?
> I was gonna get D'Addario 7-string sets 009-054 and add singles of 072 for the 8th string.
> Is that a good match in terms of gauge?
> (I think that's also the same gauge the guitar came with, not 100% sure, though)
> 
> Thanks,
> Lars



I use exactly that set but add a .074. The .072 was just slightly too light.


----------



## Santuzzo

Lern2swim said:


> I use exactly that set but add a .074. The .072 was just slightly too light.



Thanks ! I might give that a try


----------



## coreysMonster

I can't decide what pickups to get for my Agile. The Lundgrens, Duncan Blackouts or the EMG 808. I've heard great things about Lundgren, obviously, but they're so damn pricey.

wat to do, what to do.


----------



## FlexYoFace

Explorer said:


> Interesting. I hadn't noticed the larger routes on the Intrepids with Cepheus pickups.
> 
> I have a natural Pro with dual Cepheus pups, and waver off and on about signing up for the custom-sized Q-Tuners to fit the Cepheus routes. Since it was the only dual passive Intrepid Pro with an ebony fretboard I've seen, I don't really regret my purchase, and the Cepheus pickups have surprised me with their usefulness. Maybe I'll finally go the Q-Tuner route in the next five years....


 
I also have a natural pro with dual Cepheus pups and I was curious to know if you're completely sure the BL-5's won't fit my guitar. Will it only fit the neck route or will it fit both the neck and bridge fine? or will it not fit either route if you have Cepheus pickups? 

I emailed Erno, and he didn't know about the Cepheus routing on pro intrepids. 

If anyone can clear this up, I'd be very grateful, I wasn't able to find this info anywhere else.


----------



## Galius

coreysMonster said:


> I can't decide what pickups to get for my Agile. The Lundgrens, Duncan Blackouts or the EMG 808. I've heard great things about Lundgren, obviously, but they're so damn pricey.
> 
> wat to do, what to do.


 
To be honest if you get one with the cephus pickups I would hold off and give them a chance. They are quite nice


----------



## mgcasella

Definitely - the Cepheus pups sound great!

If you decide you want to experiment, however, I would go with the SD Blackouts or you could wait for a used set of BKP's to show up for sale here




Galius said:


> To be honest if you get one with the cephus pickups I would hold off and give them a chance. They are quite nice


----------



## Hypothermia

Im seriousely thinking of pulling the trigger on that black lefty 8string septor. 

Anyone know how long they will be taking orders? I have some money i need to cash in first


----------



## RG7

Hypothermia said:


> Im seriousely thinking of pulling the trigger on that black lefty 8string septor.
> 
> Anyone know how long they will be taking orders? I have some money i need to cash in first



hey im putting a deposit on one too!

I already have the cash, just deciding how to pay shipping with the FINAL deposit because right now its charging me 75 $ upfront and it hasn't even shipped.


----------



## coreysMonster

Galius said:


> To be honest if you get one with the cephus pickups I would hold off and give them a chance. They are quite nice


oh, I've been playing with the Cerphaeus pups for a year now, and they're pretty good, but I'm looking for a more "punchy" sound, if you know what I mean, and thought a differnt pickup might do the trick..


----------



## Galius

coreysMonster said:


> oh, I've been playing with the Cerphaeus pups for a year now, and they're pretty good, but I'm looking for a more "punchy" sound, if you know what I mean, and thought a differnt pickup might do the trick..


 
Ahhhh got ya. I assumed you were going to be new to them. Alot of people seem to order a new Agile and order a new pickup without trying the stock one only to find they would have been just fine with it the way it was. I remember in someones side by side review they said the Cephus pickups were pretty damn close to the M8s surprisingly. Im sure the higer end pickups are tits but ive been able to dial in the sweetest sound with the Cephus'.


----------



## Spondus

Do the Pros still come with the hipshot bridge? the pictures on the rondo site look like the generic agile bridge, that makes me a sad pands as I love the hipshot on my pro...


----------



## Galius

Spondus said:


> Do the Pros still come with the hipshot bridge? the pictures on the rondo site look like the generic agile bridge, that makes me a sad pands as I love the hipshot on my pro...


 
It likely depends on whats in the description. Sometimes he uses slightly different pictures. But I will point out that after using both bridges I prefer the Agile bridge. Even though they both feel similar the saddle travel is longer and the bridge plate dont scratch so easily. If you really want to make sure of the bridge your best option would be to e-mail kurt though.


----------



## thefpb2

Absolutely, hardest step is funding the project


----------



## Hypothermia

Will pull the trigger on the 8 string lefty Septor as soon as the money arrives to my PayPal account.

Damn the wait to september is going to fucking kill me


----------



## TimothyLeary

do you know how much an second hand intrepid pro (first run), as new, would cost?


----------



## Explorer

TimothyLeary said:


> do you know how much an second hand intrepid pro (first run), as new, would cost?



Although I don't know off the top of my head, and am about to dash off to work, you can do what I'd do if I had the time: do a search on the Guitars for Sale forum here at SS.org, and see how much they've sold for. I figure it would have taken me less than 10 minutes for a good answer, and you probably have more motivation to find an answer, since it's your question.

Others might be curious, though, so be sure to post the answer when you find it....

Regarding the Hipshot/Agile bridges, I don't know how similar the saddles are between them, but I have a Hipshot on my Agile Pro, and I'm most pleased at having bought the shorter saddles directly from Hipshot. Intonation at extreme depths is a dream on both the Intrepid (Ab0 at 28.625") and my FM-408 (sometimes Bb0 at 25.5"), and cost me less than $10US per string (plus nominal shipping on the whole order). If the Agile bridge can take the short Hipshot saddles, I can't see any reason why not to replace the lowest one or two saddles... if super deep low end is your thing, of course.


----------



## space frog

So I changed the strings to tune from G# to F# (low to high) and took heavier strings, but now my action is too high. I tried to lower it using the truss rods but the fact that there are 2 kindof f*cked me up, so I was wondering what I might have done wrong and if I would simply need to put lighter strings on it... a little help would be appreciated.

Also I did this vid with my intrepid. check it out if you're interested...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q7Mx596r-w&feature=related


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> So I changed the strings to tune from G# to F# (low to high) and took heavier strings, but now my action is too high. I tried to lower it using the truss rods but the fact that there are 2 kindof f*cked me up, so I was wondering what I might have done wrong and if I would simply need to put lighter strings on it... a little help would be appreciated.
> 
> Also I did this vid with my intrepid. check it out if you're interested...
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q7Mx596r-w&feature=related



Did you try adjusting the saddles before you messed with the truss rods? How has adjusting the truss rods fucked you up? How much did you adjust them?


----------



## Hollowway

Lern2swim said:


> Did you try adjusting the saddles before you messed with the truss rods? How has adjusting the truss rods fucked you up? How much did you adjust them?



Yes, NEVER EVER EVER use your truss rod(s) to adjust your action. The purpose of the truss rods has absolutely nothing to do with action. Adjust the saddles to adjust the action, and adjust the truss rod to correct neck curvature.


----------



## glassmoon0fo

Hollowway said:


> Yes, NEVER EVER EVER use your truss rod(s) to adjust your action. The purpose of the truss rods has absolutely nothing to do with action. Adjust the saddles to adjust the action, and adjust the truss rod to correct neck curvature.


 
weeeeeeell the neck has to have the right amount of relief to offer the best action, so the two kinda go hand in hand, yes? there needs to be a combination of relief and saddle height for good action. speaking of, i picked up my agile 8 for the first time in a few weeks today, and was blown away by how good the action was after the fret leveling and nut filing i had done awhile back. so, i would say that a combination of lots of factors in necessary, including the right relief in the neck. if youre going to adjust one of these factors, you need to make sure all the rest are in order as well.


----------



## Hollowway

glassmoon0fo said:


> weeeeeeell the neck has to have the right amount of relief to offer the best action, so the two kinda go hand in hand, yes? there needs to be a combination of relief and saddle height for good action. speaking of, i picked up my agile 8 for the first time in a few weeks today, and was blown away by how good the action was after the fret leveling and nut filing i had done awhile back. so, i would say that a combination of lots of factors in necessary, including the right relief in the neck. if youre going to adjust one of these factors, you need to make sure all the rest are in order as well.


Yeah, that's true. A lot of people see high action and think "adjust the truss rod!" But the truss rod is for neck relief, which, as you say, needs to be correct for good action. And I had to lower the nut on my Intrepid and Interceptor as well to get the action correct. They come really high! (And I like my action super low - probably to compensate for my crappy ability!)


----------



## Ben.Last

The truss rod should be the last thing done in the series of "action" adjustments unless it's incredibly obvious that it's the bow of the neck that's causing the problem.

I'd still like to know the answers to my initial questions because that would give a much clearer picture of where the guy's got to go from where he is.


----------



## TomAwesome

The truss rods should not be involved in setting the action. The truss rods should be set so that the neck has the proper amount of bow. Then, the action is set with the saddles. If something is still wrong, something else needs to be looked at. Truss rod adjustment and action adjustment are related but separate adjustments.


----------



## space frog

Lern2swim said:


> Did you try adjusting the saddles before you messed with the truss rods? How has adjusting the truss rods fucked you up? How much did you adjust them?


I didn't know the saddles could be adjusted on a hardtail... Anyways, it's not that fact that I messed with the truss rod that fucked it up, the action was messed up when I changed strings. It was still the same after I looked at the truss rods. Don't get me wrong, I was very careful and I didn't want to mess the guitar up. I'm a tech n00b but not that much. I had already adjusted the truss rod on my Schecter for another action problem and it worked out well. But I'll look at the saddles... Once again, I'm kind of a n00b on the tech side of guitar...


----------



## MTech

For Reference.


----------



## jbab

I'd give anything to have that: Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 MN NA Left at RondoMusic.com with the charcoal finish!!


----------



## space frog

@Mtech
Tx I'll check how it is set up.


----------



## Dethfield

Ordered on of the Bloodburst intrepid Pro 828s that came in stock recently. NGD to follow!


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> I didn't know the saddles could be adjusted on a hardtail...



Do you see the little hex screws on each saddle???


----------



## space frog

Yeah I see them, I'll adjust them. that's what I thought it was, it just really seemed as a round hole at first lol. Tx.


----------



## Parasitic Coil

Thinking about putting an order in for the arrival of the *Agile Interceptor Pro 830 RN Nat Satin (Deposit for September 2010)** . I have researched all the 8 strings there are and understand everything about how they work and im buying this because i dont have the money for a blackmachine 8. just wondering peoples opinions with the company and this particular guitar*


----------



## JamesM

Impatiently waiting for a fanned 8 from Agile... Very, VERY impatiently waiting...


----------



## whisper

The Armada said:


> Impatiently waiting for a fanned 8 from Agile... Very, VERY impatiently waiting...



+1 buddy


----------



## kurtzentmaier

First prototype done - final specs sent off to Kahler - should see some production before year end.
(have to get the fan 7 working before the fan 8)


----------



## kurtzentmaier

and another fun project...


----------



## Prydogga

This needs to be seen! Hopefully this will get the orders of the fanned models rolling!


----------



## TomAwesome

Now that Pendulum is something I might be able to sink my teeth into. And that 9-string... holy crap! Now if the two were combined into a fanned 9 (I know there are many steps in between before that can seriously be considered), I just might nut myself.

The pickup on the Intrepid 9 seems kind of far from the bridge, like on the 8s, especially when you consider how far back the saddles are on the low strings. Is that likely to be the permanent placement?

I'm wondering if maybe the truss rods should be a little further apart, too, but I suppose I should wait for someone who actually knows what they're talking about to chime in about that rather than say too much about it myself.


----------



## bachandroll

Kurt, that 9 looks S-I-C-K! The blond on blond is just a great look. I want one yesterday!

I would like the high A to be a bit easier so a fanned fret option is the way to go (27"-23" would be ideal). To that end, stringing from the top rather than from the rear is a bit easier on that high A. Also, stainless steel frets are the wave of the future. They give such a fast feel.

I just want it all. Is that too much to ask? lol


----------



## Hoff

bachandroll said:


> Kurt, that 9 looks S-I-C-K! The blond on blond is just a great look. I want one yesterday!



So true! Until i saw that picture, I've always felt that 8 strings were quite enough for me. Not anymore...

The pendulum looks to be coming along very nicely too! Personally I'm gonna wait for the 8 (or maybe 9) string version


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

That updated pendulum is more like it 

and holy crap a 9 string, the untapped market


----------



## 77zark77

Intrepid 9 !!!!! aaaaaaaargh ! couldn't buy an 8string yet, you 're gassing me with the 9-strings ?

T-O-R-T-U-R-E !!!


----------



## eyebanez333

That intrepid 9 string looks amazing!


----------



## Ironberry

Is that set up to have a low C# or high A?


----------



## raisingfear101

Ironberry said:


> Is that set up to have a low C# or high A?



Looks like an A to me.


----------



## whisper

eyebanez333 said:


> That intrepid 9 string looks amazing!



very nice color combination, hoping for a fan of the 9 eventually, for us that prefer C#, probably have to be like a 30 or 31? to 27?


----------



## Adam

whisper said:


> very nice color combination, hoping for a fan of the 9 eventually, for us that prefer C#, probably have to be like a 30 or 31? to 27?



30" works great for me, now for the string I'm guessing they didn't have a guitar string thick enough for C#1 so they substituted another high E for photo purposes, since that looks like a 28.625" scale to me and the file name is Intrepid 9284. Also I very much doubt Kurt bought high A strings from Garry, since Garry himself was asking me what tuning was being used on this instrument.


----------



## Explorer

kurtzentmaier said:


> and another fun project...



My big hope for this would be that Kurt would decide to put two bass tuners on the two bottom strings. If I had to drill out my tuners just to accommodate something above .069, I would rather just avoid any problems with larger strings by having the tuners (and the string-through-body holes) done right in the first place.

I'm still very happy with my ebony fingerboarded Intrepid Pro with dual Cepheus pickups, so it would take some improvements to get me to move on another one at this point....


----------



## Adam

Explorer said:


> My big hope for this would be that Kurt would decide to put two bass tuners on the two bottom strings. If I had to drill out my tuners just to accommodate something above .069, I would rather just avoid any problems with larger strings by having the tuners (and the string-through-body holes) done right in the first place.
> 
> I'm still very happy with my ebony fingerboarded Intrepid Pro with dual Cepheus pickups, so it would take some improvements to get me to move on another one at this point....



Just unwind the strings after the nut its much easier than you think. I still do that on my 11 and it has bass tuners for its 4 lowest strings. A problem I found with not unwinding strings larger than .100 its that they would break where it bends when wrapping around the tuner, and unwrapping the first winding relieved some of that stress. This is not an issue for basses though since by the time the string reaches the tuners they have already tapered thin enough to avoid this problem. But we're dealing with instruments with less than 34" scale lengths.


----------



## space frog

I want that 9 string guitar. THAT VERY ONE!!!


----------



## 7deadlysins666

kurtzentmaier said:


> and another fun project...



 badass 9 string is badass.


----------



## coreysMonster

holy balls, that 9-string is too much awesome for me to handle


----------



## Customisbetter

Ill buy a 23"+ fanned 9 string. Need that High A.


----------



## glassmoon0fo

i fear im just not creative enough for 9 strings haha. btw what body wood is that? it's fuckin gorgeous and i want it.


----------



## Hoff

glassmoon0fo said:


> i fear im just not creative enough for 9 strings haha. btw what body wood is that? it's fuckin gorgeous and i want it.



I'm guessing maple with a clear coat of some sort, since the patterns in the grain looks a bit like the fretboard.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

glassmoon0fo said:


> i fear im just not creative enough for 9 strings haha. btw what body wood is that? it's fuckin gorgeous and i want it.



It looks like some unfinished scrap they had lying around, most likely a cheaper wood such as poplar, agathis, etc. 

It is an unfinished prototype after all.


----------



## E Lucevan Le Stelle

I can't really see how I would use a 9 to be honest - C#1 is just a bit low to be really usable through a guitar rig without split pickups IMO and that guitar would really need a fanned board in order to handle a high A. Not to mention I don't think I could really write anything with it other than "lower-than-thou" really generic extreme metal or just using it as a Chapman stick equivalent (which is an instrument that HAS really interested me though...), so all in all I might have talked myself into considering it 

I will, however, be getting one (or two!) of the fanned 8s when they come out  I experimented with an 8 and realised that, for me, I'd really need fanned frets to make it terribly usable for what I want.


----------



## TomAwesome

A high A should be doable at that scale with a Goodman string. That's what I'd do with it. I'd still really prefer a fanned design, though. But it's really neat that it's even going to be offered at all.


----------



## Hollowway

I have no need for a fanned 8, but I agree a fanned 9 would work best. That being said, if I could get a GG string on there for the high A, that would be just fine. I just don't trust myself to tune it up at 27" or > and not break it. But I agree, I have no need for an even lower string!


----------



## SYLrules88

i agree with space frog. i want that exact 9! for being a prototype, it still looks sexy. that body looks like ivory to me 

i could get by without a fanned 9. id just tune it down a step so it would be E to G. still might be tough to get the G on a scale beyond 27. but i wouldnt know, ive never tried. i need to experiment and see the highest i can get on my 28 5/8"s intrepid.


----------



## Richie666

Should have my intrepid coming in tomorrow  NGD soon to follow

That 9 string intrepid looks sweet! Looks like marble


----------



## space frog

SYLrules88 said:


> i agree with space frog. i want that exact 9! for being a prototype, it still looks sexy. that body looks like ivory to me
> 
> i could get by without a fanned 9. id just tune it down a step so it would be E to G. still might be tough to get the G on a scale beyond 27. but i wouldnt know, ive never tried. i need to experiment and see the highest i can get on my 28 5/8"s intrepid.



I tuned my 8 from low G# to high F# with a .008 string I think, and it's a 28.625" scale intrepid, so it would definitely be doable.


----------



## Hypothermia

Didn't know where to post this but i hope this is right.

I've put down the deposit for an Agile Septor 827 that will arrive in september and i am seriously considering upgrading to Blackouts when i get the guitar (even if i have heard lots of good things about the original pups, i do love the sound of blackouts). However, i was thinking about how much of a problem there would be to change to Active pickups, would i need to make a battery cabinet or could i just have the battery next to the input routing?


I'm a real noob when it comes to modifications and routing.


----------



## screamindaemon

With Agile's, you really won't have a problem. Did you get the active size pickup routing?
When you replace the pickups, you will run a set of wires through the holes drilled from the pickup cavity to the electronic cavity. You'd have to do this regardless of passive/active. There will be a wire where you need to solder or connect the 9V plug to (I honestly dont' know how Blackouts are wired, but it shouldn't be too much of a hassle). There is plenty of real estate in the current electronics cavity. You shouldn't have to route anything there.


----------



## wilsky757

ok its my first post but i have been checkin this site out for a little bit now and just want some advice . i am getting a intrepid pro 828 eb and i think its routed for passive pickups and im really interessted in trying out bkps and just want to now whats the best one for death/grind i know its prolly a noob question but i thought id ask 
thanks


----------



## screamindaemon

Welcome to the boards then!

I believe people will answer a resounding NailBomb or ColdSweat...
I personally think the stock pickups are just fine however.


----------



## wilsky757

cool. yea i was def gonna try the originals out i just wanted and see what the word on the street was

thanks for the welcoming


----------



## mgcasella

wilsky757 said:


> ok its my first post but i have been checkin this site out for a little bit now and just want some advice . i am getting a intrepid pro 828 eb and i think its routed for passive pickups and im really interessted in trying out bkps and just want to now whats the best one for death/grind i know its prolly a noob question but i thought id ask
> thanks



I tried Warpigs and they were a little too much for me. I don't know if it was just the pups, the fact that my amp has a ton high gain, or a combination of the two. Next time a good deal pops up on a set of BKP Cold Sweats I'll go for it if I have the money 

Zimbloth will be able to give you the best advice, however, as he is a BKP dealer.

BTW - I had to do a tiney bit of routing in order to get the BKP's to fit in my Dual Agile Intrepid 830.


----------



## wilsky757

yea i was kinda expecting that routing issue but its cool. ill hit him i appreciate the advice fellas


----------



## mgcasella

wilsky757 said:


> cool. yea i was def gonna try the originals out i just wanted and see what the word on the street was
> 
> thanks for the welcoming



I forgot to add - I absolutely LOVE  the Cepheus pups that came in my Intrepid - they sound great and are quite versatile. However, they just didn't have _quite_ enough oomph, djent, etc for death metal and grindcore for me.

That being said, definitely wait until you've used the Cepheus pups before throwing down some cash for BKP's. If anything just so you can figure out what you like and dislike about them - that will make it much easier to communicate to Zimbloth what you want.

PS: Welcome to the forum!


----------



## wilsky757

hell yea thanks dude . yea i def want something with some ass behind it for when we go to record our album this fall . def want to try the origanals out before i drop cash too


----------



## space frog

I think it's the Cepheus passives right? Anyways, I love them. They sound really clear, and even with some heavy distortion you feel what you play. I like the fact that I can hear the notes come from the strings rather than only hearing notes on all my other guitars that have actives...



Probably that no one will understand what I meant, but oh well, I like them.


----------



## Xanithon

I pulled the trigger on a Intrepid 828 Dark Burst B stock after convincing my Dad to pay for it now.

I wonder how long it will take to ship to NZL... Expect a NGD soonish?


----------



## mgcasella

Xanithon said:


> I pulled the trigger on a Intrepid 828 Dark Burst B stock after convincing my Dad to pay for it now.
> 
> I wonder how long it will take to ship to NZL... Expect a NGD soonish?



I miss those days of the up-front 0% interest loans from my parents 

BTW - congrats on the new Intrepid!


----------



## Richie666

Xanithon said:


> I pulled the trigger on a Intrepid 828 Dark Burst B stock after convincing my Dad to pay for it now.
> 
> I wonder how long it will take to ship to NZL... Expect a NGD soonish?



The left handed one? If I didn't just get mine, I would have jumped on that. I really have to post some pics of the beast when I get the chance.


----------



## RG7

Richie666 said:


> The left handed one? If I didn't just get mine, I would have jumped on that. I really have to post some pics of the beast when I get the chance.




What intrepid did you buy?


----------



## Richie666

AgileLefty's Intrepid pro with dual cepheus. it's sweet


----------



## RG7

Richie666 said:


> AgileLefty's Intrepid pro with dual cepheus. it's sweet



aweh thats sounds pretty brutal.
I was really thinking of buying that 499$ lefty Intrepid standard with that one passive cepheus pickup and the flame maple top.
This a bad idea because I know il be missing out on the neck pickup...?


----------



## space frog

Well... the neck pick up can always come in handy IMO... I only use the bridge one but I would not like to have a guitar with only one pick up because I even if I don't use the neck pick up, I can if I ever need to, so it's pretty much the potential that I like...


----------



## mattofvengeance

RG7 said:


> aweh thats sounds pretty brutal.
> I was really thinking of buying that 499$ lefty Intrepid standard with that one passive cepheus pickup and the flame maple top.
> This a bad idea because I know il be missing out on the neck pickup...?



Definitely. I can't have a guitar with a single pickup. Drives me absolutely insane.


----------



## RG7

mattofvengeance said:


> Definitely. I can't have a guitar with a single pickup. Drives me absolutely insane.




I got quoted 100 dollars for a neck route job and installation of two blackouts. 
Will Long and Mcquade (equivalent to GC) be able to pull this off without fucking up my guitar? It's a pretty straight forward procedure because its a flat top with a thin finish and plenty of space, but honestly, should I go for it?


----------



## maccayoung

Xanithon said:


> I pulled the trigger on a Intrepid 828 Dark Burst B stock after convincing my Dad to pay for it now.
> 
> I wonder how long it will take to ship to NZL... Expect a NGD soonish?



It's pretty quick, I just ordered one on Saturday and it's already in Auckland. I guess it depends on how long it takes to clear customs. 

You should get an email with fedex tracking once they ship it.

I got one of these:
http://www.rondomusic.com/interceptor828rnnatsatin.html


----------



## ockis23

, Wow this thing is beautiful, this is exactly how I would want mine in terms of looks. I would definitly want the high A as opposed to a Low C#, 28.625 but I wonder how the high A would fair on that length?

Anyone know how much this might cost? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Xanithon

maccayoung said:


> It's pretty quick, I just ordered one on Saturday and it's already in Auckland. I guess it depends on how long it takes to clear customs.
> 
> You should get an email with fedex tracking once they ship it.
> 
> I got one of these:
> Agile Interceptor 828 RN Nat Satin at RondoMusic.com



Yeah me too, my dad woke me up to tell me that.

Its possible that they're on the same path all the way down hahaha.

I got the Intrepid 828 Darkburst B stock because it was CHEAP as hell.


----------



## mattofvengeance

RG7 said:


> I got quoted 100 dollars for a neck route job and installation of two blackouts.
> Will Long and Mcquade (equivalent to GC) be able to pull this off without fucking up my guitar? It's a pretty straight forward procedure because its a flat top with a thin finish and plenty of space, but honestly, should I go for it?



100 bucks really isn't that bad, man. I don't see why not. 

On a slightly related subject, I'm now a part of the club!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...uve-all-been-waiting-for-first-8-content.html


----------



## wilsky757

finally pulled the trigger on a intrepid pro dual rn bloodburst and im ready to shit my pants with joy and i will post a ngd with mad pics


----------



## space frog

Congrats dude!


----------



## wilsky757

yea thanks dude . i had ordered one a few weeks ago and there was a miscomunication on wich one i had wanted and before i shipped it back i played it little and fell in love. def good stuff


----------



## Remokari

Ordered a custom Interceptor 8 in pure white with a 30" scale and ebony board.. I was actually about an hour late and the website link was gone, but Kurt was kind enough to send me the link and let me place an deposit. I'm so fucking excited, but I have to contain myself until December.. At that point, I plan to tell people that the guitar was originally black but turned white after I jizzed all over it.


----------



## mgcasella

Remokari said:


> Ordered a custom Interceptor 8 in pure white with a 30" scale and ebony board.. I was actually about an hour late and the website link was gone, but Kurt was kind enough to send me the link and let me place an deposit. I'm so fucking excited, but I have to contain myself until December.. At that point, I plan to tell people that the guitar was originally black but turned white after I jizzed all over it.



Jizz


----------



## CalebHartsell

So this is my first post, I just recently joined. I have been playing an Ibanez 7 for a while, and I have decided that I think the agile intrepid is the right guitar for me. 

How do I order one, because that seems to be the funky thing with them? all this talk about waiting for when the link opens and everything is fairly harrowing. Any suggestions?


----------



## CalebHartsell

Thank you guys for any help, it is much appreciated!!


----------



## TomAwesome

Just go here and pick out one you like:

Rondo Music Electric Guitars


----------



## Hypothermia

So i will be getting a 827 Septor for the september shipment and i was thinking about ordering Blackouts to change the pups when i get it (it has the cepheus factory pickups). I've heared good things about the factory pups but i am wondering how they compare to the Blackouts in terms of Output and "meaty" sound.

Of course the Blackouts are better but, is it worth it changing?


----------



## maccayoung

Hypothermia said:


> So i will be getting a 827 Septor for the september shipment and i was thinking about ordering Blackouts to change the pups when i get it (it has the cepheus factory pickups). I've heared good things about the factory pups but i am wondering how they compare to the Blackouts in terms of Output and "meaty" sound.
> 
> Of course the Blackouts are better but, is it worth it changing?



The factory pickups aren't bad at all. I'd say give them a good go before you decide to swap them out. I was pleasantly surprised at how decent they were.


----------



## CalebHartsell

but if I were to say order one tonight, would I have to wait months for it come. People have talked about putting down the money now a shipment in december. How does this work?


----------



## maccayoung

CalebHartsell said:


> but if I were to say order one tonight, would I have to wait months for it come. People have talked about putting down the money now a shipment in december. How does this work?



Basically if you click on the guitar you're after and it doesn't say deposit on the web page that means it's in stock and should ship right away. The guitars that have deposit for (month) on the web page haven't been made yet. So you're putting in a deposit and you pay the rest when it's ready.


----------



## CalebHartsell

okay awesome!! Thank you so much. I guess I just have been lucky and haven't encountered that on the models I'm interested in.


----------



## 101101110110001

kurtzentmaier said:


> First prototype done - final specs sent off to Kahler - should see some production before year end.
> (have to get the fan 7 working before the fan 8)



Hello from Russia for Kurt and everybody. This is my first post. I'm 8 string Agile fan from Russia. sorry for my bad english.) 
This pendulum 7 with kahler - very good idea! I have a few questions for Kurt about it :
1) do you planned to build 8 string agile pendulum with kahler term like on picture for serial production?
2) if answer on first question - yes, then when it see the light?

thanks for answer!


----------



## JaeSwift

Im not Kurt but I can answer that for you as I asked the same; Yes, and hopefully before the years end


----------



## 101101110110001

seriously?! 8 str multiscale with kahler? in this year? you asked Kurt about it?


----------



## Galius

101101110110001 said:


> seriously?! 8 str multiscale with kahler? in this year? you asked Kurt about it?


Kurt was refering to the 7 string models. Then when those are all worked out then he will be having the 8 string fanned fret models. If I remeber he is having Khaler work out the 8 string bridges.


----------



## JaeSwift

I asked him actually, but come to think of it he said ''soon'' rather than ''before the years end'' (was reading a thread about the 7strings when I posted this so I got mixed up, sorry).


----------



## Trespass

kurtzentmaier said:


> First prototype done - final specs sent off to Kahler - should see some production before year end.
> (have to get the fan 7 working before the fan 8)



That's far more like it! What a beautiful guitar.


----------



## anne

How does the Intrepid 8 fretboard radius compare to a C-8? The C-8 neck feels like jesus to me (if it's as flat as an Ibanez Wizard, my fingers won't work with it), but it's short scale, and the pups can't coil split.


----------



## Lostmapants

Just ordered an Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB NAT. I can't wait to get it! Let the epic djent quest begin! I hear a lot of good things about these guitars so, I just had to have one. I used to play an Ibanez S7420, but not happy with the 25.5 inch scale length. Thank You Agile Guitars for making an awesome, affordable 8 string death machine!!!


----------



## Hollowway

Lostmapants said:


> Just ordered an Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB NAT. I can't wait to get it! Let the epic djent quest begin! I hear a lot of good things about these guitars so, I just had to have one. I used to play an Ibanez S7420, but not happy with the 25.5 inch scale length. Thank You Agile Guitars for making an awesome, affordable 8 string death machine!!!



You're going to love it, man! I got my first 8 (Intrepid Pro also) 18 months ago, and it totally invigorated me and changed my music focus forever. Do yourself a favor though- start saving now, because you WILL want to buy another 8 soon after. They're addicting!


----------



## leprechaun dave

Hypothermia said:


> So i will be getting a 827 Septor for the september shipment and i was thinking about ordering Blackouts to change the pups when i get it (it has the cepheus factory pickups). I've heared good things about the factory pups but i am wondering how they compare to the Blackouts in terms of Output and "meaty" sound.
> 
> Of course the Blackouts are better but, is it worth it changing?




The factory pickups are the cheapest things ever made for an 8 string. Blackouts are definitely the way to go, that's what I put in my Agile 828


----------



## 8string

leprechaun dave said:


> The factory pickups are the cheapest things ever made for an 8 string. Blackouts are definitely the way to go, that's what I put in my Agile 828



I don't know about that. The cepheus is th closest thing to a lundgren I've heard. One of the best stock pups out there imo.


----------



## 77zark77

it'd be interesting to know where/by whom the Cepheus and the Lundgren are made


----------



## Hollowway

8string said:


> I don't know about that. The cepheus is th closest thing to a lundgren I've heard. One of the best stock pups out there imo.



+1. I have no intention of swapping out the stock pups in my Interceptor 827. I think you'll find that the vast majority of people on here are happier with the Cepheus pups than they are with even the EMG 808s.


----------



## TomAwesome

Cepheus pickups aren't bad, really. They're not quite going to blow away Blackouts or BKPs, but for generic stocks, they handle the full range of the 8 surprisingly well. I don't think it sounds much like my Lundgren, though, from what I remember of it.


----------



## Necrophagist777

I get my first 8 (Intrepid 828 Pro) this Friday. I've been gas'n for one for so long. Cannot wait to start writing some tunes with it. Bought it from alex103188, great seller so far. 

Thread from where said guitar was procured:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/guitars-for-sale-trade-wanted/122636-agile-intrepid-828-nat.html


----------



## Hypothermia

How much do you think the shipping may be?
If the guitar costs 360$ + shipping, will the shipping be over 20$ to northern europe?
I have no idea in what price range it may be


----------



## Ben.Last

Hypothermia said:


> How much do you think the shipping may be?
> If the guitar costs 360$ + shipping, will the shipping be over 20$ to northern europe?
> I have no idea in what price range it may be



Yes. Shipping was more than that for me (if I remember correctly) and I'm in the US.


----------



## Demeyes

Hypothermia said:


> How much do you think the shipping may be?
> If the guitar costs 360$ + shipping, will the shipping be over 20$ to northern europe?
> I have no idea in what price range it may be



If you add the cart and go through some steps you'll see that shipping to the EU is around $100 or so. Also I don't think any of the Intrepids are as cheap as $360. Are you sure that's not the deposit? Some guitars are ready to ship and have a full price on display, while some are downpayments on a future run and are only 50% deposits. If you want something from the US you also have to pay customs on importing which depending on your country will be 15-25% of the cost of the guitar, case and shipping added on.


----------



## TomAwesome

Just for fun, I decided to take pictures of some different 8-string pickups. In order from left to right are an Agile Cepheus bridge, a Lundgren M8 bridge, and a Bareknuckle Black Dog bridge. I used the Black Dog instead of my Warpig, because the tabs on the Warpig are cut up to fit in the Intrepid.











You can see that the BKP has a bigger baseplate and much wider tabs compared to the other two, so that should give an idea of how much will need to be taken off to get it to fit. The Lundgren and Cepheus have pretty similar dimensions. The M8 is slightly bigger and has slightly wider tabs than the Cepheus with smaller screw holes than both of the other two. I'm hoping I don't have to drill the tabs out to accommodate bigger screws. The BKP looks a bit messy, but the other BKPs I have don't look like that. You can see where it looks like two 6-string bobbins were cut and put together to make an 8-string bobbin. This is probably an older pickup (I got it used), as my Warpig 8s don't look like that. I find it kind of funny that the Cepheus pickup looks cleaner and more professionally put together from the front than the Lundgren (and in this case, the BKP as well), since that's not really the case.


----------



## space frog

TomAwesome said:


> Cepheus pickups aren't bad, really. They're not quite going to blow away Blackouts or BKPs, but for generic stocks, they handle the full range of the 8 surprisingly well. I don't think it sounds much like my Lundgren, though, from what I remember of it.



Yeah, the Cepheus pups are really satisfying for stock pups. I only think that sometimes they could be a little louder IMO... but maybe that's just cuz I'm used to active pups.


----------



## jayarpeggios

I have been using the cepheus pups for about 7 months now... and i would have to agree they sound decent but i would recommend replacing them with some BKP or something.. the cepheus pups just dont have enough "bite" and i really struggle getting the clarity out of them that i want.... btw im on axe fx ultra so its not my amp.. plus the guitar is very bright so leaves it down to the pups. anyways i would replace mine but im putting cold sweats in my coming custom 8 string and selling the agile : / its a great guitar tho and BY FAR the best bang for your buck. my ears have just been overly sensitive later but for most people the cepheus pups will be great.


----------



## Robert W

What's the heaviest gauge strings people have used on their Agile Intrepid 8s w/o having to do any alterations to either the strings or the tuning pegs?

Also, even though I know this is a somewhat subjective question, but do the heavier gauges really produce noticeably more strings tension than light or medium gauge ones?


----------



## Hypothermia

Robert W said:


> What's the heaviest gauge strings people have used on their Agile Intrepid 8s w/o having to do any alterations to either the strings or the tuning pegs?
> 
> *Also, even though I know this is a somewhat subjective question, but do the heavier gauges really produce noticeably more strings tension than light or medium gauge ones?*




Yes of course they do. When i'd just started playing 7s i used a .60 for my low A and i really thought it was flobby so i started using a 0.72 and the difference is HUGE.


----------



## darkinners

hi guys, I am new to SSO and I have a question about Agile Intrepid Pro
I've read a lot about the Agile Intrepid in here and I am going to get one.
now I have a question about the pickup.

I never played/owned a 8-strings and I am going to get the Intrepid pro as my first one .
I see many fellas here said a lot of bad on EMG 808 and praise the passive Cepheus.
is that EMG 808 that bad?
I am looking for the tone with a lot bite, tight and good low end clarity.
will that EMG 808 able to deliver? or really I choose the model with Cepheus pickup will be better choice for my preference?

I might upgrade the pickup to Lundgren m8, BKP or Blackout but not very soon.
I also found the model of intrepid pro came with Cepheus, the pickup route seem to be smaller. I think those models cannot compatible with EMG808 or Blackout? 

so, please advice me, should I get the EMG 808 one or Cepheus? thanks!


----------



## TomAwesome

What's your general preference? If EMGs are what you usually go for, and if you like the 707, the 808 will probably work for you. If you like passives, the Cepheus will probably be good enough until you get something else in there.


----------



## Galius

darkinners said:


> hi guys, I am new to SSO and I have a question about Agile Intrepid Pro
> I've read a lot about the Agile Intrepid in here and I am going to get one.
> now I have a question about the pickup.
> 
> I never played/owned a 8-strings and I am going to get the Intrepid pro as my first one .
> I see many fellas here said a lot of bad on EMG 808 and praise the passive Cepheus.
> is that EMG 808 that bad?
> I am looking for the tone with a lot bite, tight and good low end clarity.
> will that EMG 808 able to deliver? or really I choose the model with Cepheus pickup will be better choice for my preference?
> 
> I might upgrade the pickup to Lundgren m8, BKP or Blackout but not very soon.
> I also found the model of intrepid pro came with Cepheus, the pickup route seem to be smaller. I think those models cannot compatible with EMG808 or Blackout?
> 
> so, please advice me, should I get the EMG 808 one or Cepheus? thanks!


 
I would suggest getting a dual passive pro or mabey order the single pickup pro with EMG and see if you like it. If you dont like the EMG you can always sell the pickup and buy a Cepheus or mabey a Lundgren or Bareknuckle. You will have the extra gap on the EMG route but it dosent look that bad. Heres mine after replacing the EMG with the Cepheus. I dig the passive way more than the active, even ofer the SD Blackout I tried.


----------



## darkinners

TomAwesome said:


> What's your general preference? If EMGs are what you usually go for, and if you like the 707, the 808 will probably work for you. If you like passives, the Cepheus will probably be good enough until you get something else in there.




Ironically, I never liked EMG lol, I can say I hated it, never tried 707 tho.
but I used tohave a B.C Rich guitar with EMG 81,85 and hated them.
scooped and lifeless sound to my ears, they are very clean tho, I can give it that.


I don't know if EMG 808 will sound with the similiar nature to the 85,81 I have experienced, if so I think I have no way to like them 

all of my guitars are with passive pickups, Gibson stock, SD , BKP, loved them.

I know it sound silly that my general perferences are all passive pickups and ask the question about EMGs but since I really have zero experiences in 8-strings and EMG 808 and I love Meshuggah, I kinda hope I could get some tight djent like Meshuggah's out of the Intrepid Pro, so I am asking if the EMG 808 up for it or maybe I should choose the Cepheus? Thanks for answering man :> )


----------



## darkinners

Galius said:


> I would suggest getting a dual passive pro or mabey order the single pickup pro with EMG and see if you like it. If you dont like the EMG you can always sell the pickup and buy a Cepheus or mabey a Lundgren or Bareknuckle. You will have the extra gap on the EMG route but it dosent look that bad. Heres mine after replacing the EMG with the Cepheus. I dig the passive way more than the active, even ofer the SD Blackout I tried.




thanks for the info man, so I see you modded your intrepid pro, is that a coil split? very nice intrepid pro you have man!
yours look really nice and yeah I am going to get this one : ) 

or this one
http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepiddual828ebblood.htmlhttp://www.rondomusic.com/intrepiddual828rnblood.html

I wanted a Intrepid pro single passive pup with Charcoal finish so bad.
too bad they don't have it available now 

and I just checked the hardcase is out of stock at this moment, bummer : (


----------



## TomAwesome

If you like passives and hate EMGs, get the one with passive pickups.


----------



## Galius

darkinners said:


> thanks for the info man, so I see you modded your intrepid pro, is that a coil split? very nice intrepid pro you have man!
> yours look really nice and yeah I am going to get this one : )
> 
> or this one
> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 RN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com
> 
> I wanted a Intrepid pro single passive pup with Charcoal finish so bad.
> too bad they don't have it available now
> 
> and I just checked the hardcase is out of stock at this moment, bummer : (


Im pretty sure the only pro model with passives they make is with dual pickups. The bloodburst one you linked is pure win, absolutely love that one. That was actually the first one I wanted but when I ordered my first one they didnt have any in stock. Yeah its a coil tap. I bought the guitar off eBay with no electronics and hardware for $300 and just bought a Cepheus, and locking tuners and called it a day. So I really ended up with an upgraded pro model for a couple hundred less. If you really just want a bridge pickup im sure you can offload the EMG to cover most of the cost of at least a Cepheus and you will be very happy!

This would probly be a good affordable option to grab
http://www.rondomusic.com/product3626.html


----------



## darkinners

Thanks so much,TowAwesome and Galius for the assistance.

I just placed the order of
Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 RN Bloodburst

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 RN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com

since their hardcase is currently out of stock, I have to seek a baritone guitar case in local music store : (

the guitar and with two packs of La Bella strings + shipping
total is USD838.54(ships to Hong Kong)
if the guitar really as good as many people said in here, definitely the best fucking bang for the bucks!

can't wait to have it and have a NGD post : ) will let you guys know. Thanks a lot again!


----------



## Galius

For sure hit us with a NGD because I really love the model you picked up. Would be neat as an ebony board but still sexy either way I think you will be pretty happy with your purchase


darkinners said:


> Thanks so much,TowAwesome and Galius for the assistance.
> 
> I just placed the order of
> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 RN Bloodburst
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 RN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com
> 
> since their hardcase is currently out of stock, I have to seek a baritone guitar case in local music store : (
> 
> the guitar and with two packs of La Bella strings + shipping
> total is USD838.54(ships to Hong Kong)
> if the guitar really as good as many people said in here, definitely the best fucking bang for the bucks!
> 
> can't wait to have it and have a NGD post : ) will let you guys know. Thanks a lot again!


----------



## darkinners

Galius said:


> For sure hit us with a NGD because I really love the model you picked up. Would be neat as an ebony board but still sexy either way I think you will be pretty happy with your purchase




I just received the Fedex tracking number, the estimated arrival date is 18/8 \m/

Since they don't have hardcase in stock. now my guitar shipping with the carton box only..I kinda worry if the guitar came and became 2 pieces lol.
Kurt did warn me but he also tell those factory guys pack well because it's for international shipping. hope nothing went wrong .
Kurt really a great dude, very helpful and responsive!

and I do hope the color of the guitar really as dark as the website shown.
we'll see! can't wait for the day


----------



## darkinners

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/128159-ngd-agile-intrepid-pro-828-bloodburst-56k-warning.html

so I officially joined the club now : ) 
Thanks again TomAwesome and Galius!!
this site is evil, I've been GASing a 8 strings for 2 years and sine I joined this site few days that my GAS gone mad


----------



## possumkiller

kurtzentmaier said:


> and another fun project...


 
Sorry guys I just need to quote that and say OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO WANT!! Also what body wood is that and why is that getup not a currently available option on the Intrepid 8s????? That thing is so simple yet elegant!

EDIT: Also Kurt, could we please get the Intrepids from the factory with no trussrod cover like this? It looks far better that way. I know its nitpicky and I can just take it off, but then it has those screw holes just glaring at me.


----------



## Hypothermia

I just recieved an email from Kurt saying my guitar is due to next week!!!


----------



## shanike

Hypothermia said:


> How much do you think the shipping may be?
> If the guitar costs 360$ + shipping, will the shipping be over 20$ to northern europe?
> I have no idea in what price range it may be




around 160$ + tax + customs


----------



## wwjfd

possumkiller said:


> Sorry guys I just need to quote that and say OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO WANT!! Also what body wood is that and why is that getup not a currently available option on the Intrepid 8s????? That thing is so simple yet elegant!
> 
> EDIT: Also Kurt, could we please get the Intrepids from the factory with no trussrod cover like this? It looks far better that way. I know its nitpicky and I can just take it off, but then it has those screw holes just glaring at me.


 

so is this 9 string set up for an extra bottom string (like low C#) or is it set up for an extra high string (like high A)

i realize that you can go either way but how would this come to you fron rond? with an extra bottom string or an extra upper string?


----------



## furywhip

Ordered my Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 EB Nat yesterday. Just got my tracking info and it will be here on Wednesday. Pix to come.


----------



## mäns

Freshly delivred from this morning. 

Septor 830 Pro custom and 828 EB Pro


----------



## Hoff

That's beautiful. The Custom in particular is a piece of art!


----------



## eegor

Only rarely do I feel such powerful jealousy and admiration simultaneously.


----------



## furywhip

It's here.


----------



## Hypothermia

furywhip said:


> It's here.


Mine to.

Septor 827 black flame lefty.


----------



## Galius

Oh my....if this were a neck through I would be on this like flies on shit!! Still nice looking though.

Agile Septor 828 EB White at RondoMusic.com


----------



## techjsteele

Galius said:


> Oh my....if this were a neck through I would be on this like flies on shit!! Still nice looking though.
> 
> Agile Septor 828 EB White at RondoMusic.com





If I wasn't getting my white Septor 727, I would be all over this.


----------



## Santuzzo

I am considering getting a Septor as well, I really like the nat ash finish, but I was interested in an Ebony board.
Ubnfortunately it only comes with maple or rosweood fretboards, but there is the white Septor with ebony fretboard which also looks very nice.

Agile Septor 828 RN Nat Ash at RondoMusic.com

or 

Agile Septor 828 EB White at RondoMusic.com

Those of you who have played ebony and rosewood boards, are there big tonal differences?
Or would the difference in body wood in the guitars I mentioned make a much bigger difference (mahagony / ash)?


----------



## RG7

Hypothermia said:


> Mine to.
> 
> Septor 827 black flame lefty.



pics now


----------



## Hypothermia

RG7 said:


> pics now


i will try to take some when i get my camera back.



Anyway, i just discovered that my blackout will not fit in the original cavity? what the fuck, i thought it had been routed large enough to fit EMGs and blackouts?


----------



## -One-

Can you get Blackouts with the custom 8-strings, or will I be stuck with EMGs when I end up ordering one? I'm really trying to go out of my comfort zone on my next guitar, so I figure I'll move up to 8 strings, 28" scale, Blackouts, a Kahler or Hipshot, and a maple fretboard.


----------



## Hypothermia

-One- said:


> Can you get Blackouts with the custom 8-strings, or will I be stuck with EMGs when I end up ordering one? I'm really trying to go out of my comfort zone on my next guitar, so I figure I'll move up to 8 strings, 28" scale, Blackouts, a Kahler or Hipshot, and a maple fretboard.




If the guitar is shipped with EMGs you will be able to change to blackouts. For some reason, some of the Septors with passive pickups did not get their cavitys routed large enough for additional electronics, Kurt sad it was sort of a "transition" year so some of the guitars where not shipped with the specs provided at the website.


I wonder how much i will have to pay my local guitarshop to make the cavity bigger so my Blackout fits.


----------



## -One-

Hypothermia said:


> If the guitar is shipped with EMGs you will be able to change to blackouts.


I mean, will my only options be passive or EMGs, or will Blackouts be an option? Because if at all possible, I'd like to have it shipped to me with Blackouts, but if I can't I'll just have it shipped with EMGs, buy some Blackouts, sell the EMGs, and install the Blackouts.


----------



## Jdotization

I own this guitar and let me say its amazing. easy to adapt to, smooth neck, and a great sounding pickup to boot. The only thing that i have to say is that if you get the single-bridge pickup model, prepare to route and add a pickup


----------



## Metaloaf

Don't know if anyone spotted this already but, Rondo has now started production on two NEW 9-STRING GUITARS!!!

Rondo Music Electric Guitars

Holy crap! I thought it would happen later in year not this soon.
Btw, is there really such demand for 9-strings for Kurt to start production for them? I'm sure there are people who want them but I didn't think it would be enough to justify it. Oh well, is good to see them available already but I'm just waiting to see how the multi-scale 7s with the kahler trem turn out.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

trasherfromhell said:


> Don't know if anyone spotted this already but, Rondo has now started production on two NEW 9-STRING GUITARS!!!
> 
> Rondo Music Electric Guitars
> 
> Holy crap! I thought it would happen later in year not this soon.
> Btw, is there really such demand for 9-strings for Kurt to start production for them? I'm sure there are people who want them but I didn't think it would be enough to justify it. Oh well, is good to see them available already but I'm just waiting to see how the multi-scale 7s with the kahler trem turn out.



There's a whole thread about the 9s at the top of the ERG section, right under the stickies.


----------



## trepanaterra

hello, sory for my englisch ...but...

i have some extended range guitars (Dean evo7, Hufschmid, Capelli 8..Ibanez AC307) and i am now Interested for the Argile Septor 8, how its possible to change the Humbucker ? i play now on the Capelli with a BKN Painkiller Ceramic (realy nice...) i'ts possible to change the humbucker original with a Holly driver without cutting ?


----------



## TomAwesome

trepanaterra said:


> hello, sory for my englisch ...but...
> 
> i have some extended range guitars (Dean evo7, Hufschmid, Capelli 8..Ibanez AC307) and i am now Interested for the Argile Septor 8, how its possible to change the Humbucker ? i play now on the Capelli with a BKN Painkiller Ceramic (realy nice...) i'ts possible to change the humbucker original with a Holly driver without cutting ?



Yeah. Do a search; lots of people have done this. I had some BKPs in mine, though I did have to trim the tabs down a bit, which took about half a minute.


----------



## JamesM

Fanned fret 8, Kurt! Fanned fret 8! I'm taking pictures of my Gibson Explorer to sell as I type, and I don't want to have to hold on to that money for too long! ;D


----------



## GabrielePala

I wrote to Kurt if there is any plan for a fannet fred 8 string... (lefty too because I am so).
Here is his answer:

*Yes, some day we will have one &#8211; lefty will take a bit longer



kurt*


----------



## JamesM

No! Not "someday!" Lol.

EDIT:



Kurt said:


> Yes we will develop, but I don&#8217;t expect to see any in this year, or if we do, quantities will be very small, like the 9 string. We WILL develop a multi Scale hard tail 8 and probably a trem model as well. I would expect them to be scarce throughout 2011.



Dammit Kurt, don't make me wait too long! Lol.


----------



## 101101110110001

WANT!!!!!! Agile Pendulum Pro 8 w/Kahler. and 2 pickups please. WANT!!!!!!!


----------



## eyebanez333

101101110110001 said:


> WANT!!!!!! Agile Pendulum Pro 8 w/Kahler. and 2 pickups please. WANT!!!!!!!


 
+1 

Selling a Cepheus neck pickup out of a brand new Intrepid..thread here if anybody is interested:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...ted/131930-agile-cepheus-pickup-8-string.html


----------



## alexguge

Hi, I'm planning to buy this soon Agile Intrepid 828 MN Ocean Burst at RondoMusic.com
But I noticed that the intrepid case were out of stock so I mailed Rondo Music about it, and Kurt answered:

"I dont expect any back in this year.

Depending on the intrepid used  the BGC-200 ¾ case works with that model


kurt"

Is it this case that he talks about?
Douglas BGC-200 3/4 BK Short Scale Bass Case at RondoMusic.com
Will it fit the 28.625 scale?

Thanks.


----------



## djohns74

As long as you're already having a dialog with Kurt, why not just ask Kurt? One would have to suppose that he would be the expert.


----------



## alexguge

I suppose you're right, but I don't feel like bothering him, enough of SS.org members mailing him already, but i'll might do it anyway. Don't know why I didn't think about it in the first place though


----------



## djohns74

For what it's worth, that does appear to be the case he's referring to, and from what I remember, 43" of interior length is sufficient for a 28.625" Intrepid. I'd have to measure mine later tonight, but I thought they were in the range of 41-42" in total length. I may be completely making that up though.


----------



## alexguge

After some email exchanges with Kurt, he told me that this case will fit, thanks anyways!


----------



## Flames VIII

This sounds like something I qualify for!

I have an Agile Intrepid 828 Dual with maple neck!

Thinking of changing the pick-ups for BK cold sweats if the routing takes it


----------



## GreenTheLight

I have tried twice now to place a custom order with Kurt and have been turned down both times. Where does a guy have to go to get an 8 string reverse headstock neck thru these days? lol Honestly I think that should be the industry standard. But is this guy really that popular? He told me today that their custom shop wont be open again for a year. FTW. I are such a sad panda.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

GreenTheLight said:


> I have tried twice now to place a custom order with Kurt and have been turned down both times. Where does a guy have to go to get an 8 string reverse headstock neck thru these days? lol Honestly I think that should be the industry standard. But is this guy really that popular? He told me today that their custom shop wont be open again for a year. FTW. I are such a sad panda.



The Rondo Custom Shop opens and closes at regular intervals, just sign up for the newsletter and you should be informed of when it's opening next.


----------



## JamesM

^What do custom jobs there cost on average?


----------



## TomAwesome

I think a custom costs roughly 1.5 times the cost of the base model plus expenses of added features.


----------



## JamesM

Not bad at all...


----------



## GreenTheLight

Are you talking about the mailing list on their website?


----------



## Groff

GreenTheLight said:


> Are you talking about the mailing list on their website?



Yes, but be patient, it doesn't happen very often.


----------



## GreenTheLight

Groff said:


> Yes, but be patient, it doesn't happen very often.


D:< NO BUENO!

Thanks for the information though.


----------



## GreenTheLight

*MOD EDIT: Have an issue with rep? Speak to one of us. *


----------



## JamesM

Wow!


----------



## pwilldabeast14

i just got an agile 828 bloodburst and i love it, except for one thing. i wanted the extended scale because i heard it provides better string tension but when i got it the strings where just too loose for me especially on the low strings. will thicker gauges fix that? i hve .009 .012 .015 .022 .030 .040 .054 .072 and i want to use drop tuning to play after the burial, periphery type stuff, what companies make good 8 string sets? also i know octave4plus has a good high A string but how is the rest of the set


----------



## Groff

pwilldabeast14 said:


> i just got an agile 828 bloodburst and i love it, except for one thing. i wanted the extended scale because i heard it provides better string tension but when i got it the strings where just too loose for me especially on the low strings. will thicker gauges fix that? i hve .009 .012 .015 .022 .030 .040 .054 .072 and i want to use drop tuning to play after the burial, periphery type stuff, what companies make good 8 string sets? also i know octave4plus has a good high A string but how is the rest of the set



I had the same exact problem. The strings that come stock on them are NOT what they say they are. I use .09-.059 on my 7 strings, and the .069 was visably THICKER than the 8th string on my Agile 8. Buy a set of d'addario 9-59's and add a .072 bass string (It barely fits). And you'll see that your string tension will be GREATLY improved. I don't know what they're putting on their guitars, but they are a lot lighter than 9's, that's for sure!

Move up to .010 - .074 if you need them to be tighter for down tuning. I used the above set at a 1/2 step down and it felt great.


----------



## Kairos

pwilldabeast14 said:


> i wanted the extended scale because i heard it provides better string tension but when i got it the strings where just too loose for me especially on the low strings. will thicker gauges fix that?



Yeah. The thicker the gauge, the lower the string resonates, so thicker strings = more tension (in the same tuning).

Also, I don't think there is an string set, You just have to buy the gauge you want individually, for the B and F# strings at least. I'd get a standard 6 string pack that I like then buy the other two as singles.


----------



## pwilldabeast14

thanks guys for the help, and actually octave4plus has a .010-.074 8 string set but you can customize your gauges im pretty sure


----------



## MTech

pwilldabeast14 said:


> i just got an agile 828 bloodburst and i love it, except for one thing. i wanted the extended scale because i heard it provides better string tension but when i got it the strings where just too loose for me especially on the low strings. will thicker gauges fix that? i hve .009 .012 .015 .022 .030 .040 .054 .072 and i want to use drop tuning to play after the burial, periphery type stuff, what companies make good 8 string sets? also i know octave4plus has a good high A string but how is the rest of the set



After the Burial only uses 9-74 and that's on the 27in scale...

LaBella can make you any gauge though just call Leo and put in an order for custom HRS 
http://www.bigcitystrings.com/order.htm


----------



## jymellis

theres an intrepid pro 8 string on my local c.l. for 500

intrepid pro Agile guitar 8 string


----------



## JayTalbott

Will a Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 MN NA fit into a Douglas EGC-200 Baritone Case?
because this Douglas EGC Intrepid Case is out of stock and not listed on rondomusic at all.


----------



## JamesM

Email Kurt and ask.


----------



## Galius

Thought I would share a little custom job I did on my Intrepid 
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...epid-828-bloodburst-whiteout.html#post2192576


----------



## Galius

I remeber there being discussion a long time ago about a 6 string version of the Intrepid. Looks like Kurt came through for you 6ers that wanted one 

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 625 MN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com







Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 625 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Psycho J

Interesting...

Looks small around the neck though  But still pretty interesting.


----------



## possumkiller

WOW. The neck looks anorexic.


----------



## Rommel

I like it. Reminds me of the Schecter Celloblasters for some reason.


----------



## Sir Euric

Thats awesome!


----------



## Demiurge

I kind of like that red one more than my Intrepid 828.


----------



## scherzo1928

possumkiller said:


> WOW. The neck looks anorexic.


 
At first I thought "meh, Im simply used to seeing 2 more strings on that".
But i checked the specs, and it is 1 5/8" wide at the nut... that's 41.2mm
An ibanez super wizard prestige neck has 43mm.  shredtastic.


----------



## hypermagic

Bass horn is freakin massive, the whole thing looks big since it originated as a bass before it became an 8.

Still kninda like it though. It'd be an excellent no-frills player's guitar.


----------



## Duke318

I really like the red one. Only thing with Agile's is that I'm not a fan of the thick poly finishes.


----------



## darren

Wow! I sure hope they scaled the body down on that, because it was pretty big on the 8-strings, being that it was a bass body.


----------



## XeoFLCL

Wow, I absolutely love it. Looks perfect to me.. I want one. Awesome one, Kurt!


----------



## guitar4tw

Looks absolutely AWESOME. I am getting one of these for sure.


----------



## AvantGuardian

Looks cool, but it'd be nice to see a picture of an average-sized person playing it. I had an Intrepid 8 and the body was huge, but it seemed to work okay for an 8. I would hope the body is noticably smaller on the 6.


----------



## maxdgad

Looks cool but it's missing a string and that headstock looks wonky on a 6 string. If kurt makes an intrepid 727 with a non-reverse interceptor headstock I'll definately buy it.


----------



## Krankguitarist

Looks cool...

But a 1 5/8" nut?

Eeek. That's exactly why I sold my Brian Moore and EBMM.


----------



## ry_z

Galius said:


>



aaaaaaaaaa

Insta-GAS.


----------



## JayTalbott

I just got my new Agile Interpid 828 today check out it out! Sounds beautiful! Here is clip
YouTube - Wave of Babies intro cover


----------



## Gitte

just ordered my white septor 828





can't wait  and soon i'll have two bareknuckle pickups (aftermath for bridge and coldsweat for neck) to put in this beauty


----------



## pwilldabeast14

Gitte said:


> just ordered my white septor 828
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> can't wait  and soon i'll have two bareknuckle pickups (aftermath for bridge and coldsweat for neck) to put in this beauty



dude nasty guitar! agiles are definately the shit, and i like the pickup configuration i really want the cold sweat or aftermath i cant decide, but one of each would be amazing


----------



## Gitte

she will be here on the 9th  cant wait


----------



## Richie666

Anyone see the new 6 string Intrepids? They look really nice, though 6 strings are sort of irrelevant to me as far as electrics go haha.

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 625 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com

And I just saw the thread about it but the new ghostburst pro is fucking sweet! Only if it came in left handed...

http://www.rondomusic.com/intrepidpro828ebghost.html


----------



## zeaoth

Looking for a Agile that is comparable to a RGA8 minus the muddy pups. Need some recommendations. Looking for a djenty sound i.e. Meshuggah, Tesseract, Vildhjarta. More of a rhythm player (the one string master F# clarity ). Please no actives! 

Got a POD 2 and UX1. 

Budget 750. HELP!


----------



## Prydogga

You could just get some good passive pickups and install them in some EMG style covers, they are available on the net, I don't have a link to where though.

Also, there really isn't an Agile to recommend, if you go to the site, they're all just variations on 2 body shapes, and it's either EMG, Blackout or passive stock pickups for choices.


----------



## JamesM

Intrepid mate. Not "comparable" but fits what you wanna play to a T.


----------



## XEN

The Armada said:


> Intrepid mate. Not "comparable" but fits what you wanna play to a T.


Seconded. They're great guitars.


----------



## zeaoth

The Armada said:


> Intrepid mate. Not "comparable" but fits what you wanna play to a T.



Interesting. How thick is the neck compared to the RGA8? played a Schecter Damien E8 and that thing is a log


----------



## JamesM

It's pretty damn thick. But you'll adjust.

If I didn't just buy my Pendulum 8 I'd for sure own an Intrepid 8 Dual. Played my buddy's extensively though.


----------



## XEN

It's no Schecter, that's for sure. My hands are somewhat average in size but I found the neck extremely comfortable. I think you'd really like it.


----------



## zeaoth

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 MN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com

Definantly liking this one. The neck thru looks sick.  28.825 is pretty awesome too. How are the passives? Was thinking of getting some BK Coldsweats with it. Just wondering if the stock pups are ok, would not mind sticking with those.


----------



## JamesM

I liked the pickups. Like Lundgrens, but budget. Lol. With that, obviously they won't be as good.


----------



## XEN

I found them to be quite articulate and bright, balanced and clear. I had a single pickup version, but because of the wide range of great tones I could get out of it I never felt the need to swap it out. I really regret selling my intrepid, but life happens, eh?


----------



## zeaoth

Thanks for the help guys. Really appreciated. Will post clips as soon as I get it.


----------



## XEN

Cool! Looking forward to checking them out.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

zeaoth said:


> Interesting. How thick is the neck compared to the RGA8? played a Schecter Damien E8 and that thing is a log





I actually think my DE8's neck could stand to be slightly thicker


----------



## zeaoth

WarriorOfMetal said:


> I actually think my DE8's neck could stand to be slightly thicker



Dude! You could always tape 2 necks together.


----------



## Lon

had a Agile 727, now having a ibanez universe, and if you're a whore for uber-thin necks don't go the agile route, dont get me wrong the guitar was great for the price and i thought i'd adjust but it was just too thick (and i have big hands), i just wanna emphasize its a matter of preference but for me it was non-adjustable.

why don't you buy the RGA8, change the pickups and fix the Bridge screw? or try to snag a used 2228

&#8364;dit: just saw your budget of 750, try to snag a used RGA 8 and change the pickups ,this should be within budget


----------



## possumkiller

urklvt said:


> Seconded. They're great guitars.


 
Thirded. Ive had 3 myself and they are indeed sweet.


----------



## Barney

Just put a set of Bare Knuckle pickups in it and that's it.
That's what I'm gonna do once I have the cash to fund this "operation".
Check out PeteyG's clips on youtube, his RGA with the BKPs sounds great.


----------



## tbar

I own an agile intrepid 828 with passive pickups in it and an ibanez rg 2228 with emg 808s in it, i totally favour the ibanez its way more comfortable to play, the agile scale length is way to big and hinders my playing, my agile has a 28 inch scale as opposed to my ibanez rg that has
a 27 inch scale, the 27 inch scale with the ibanez neck is what i favour.

the agile...





the ibanez ...


----------



## XEN

If scale length is the only issue there are 27" Agiles.
I liked the Ibanez immensely too. Adjusting to the scale length was a breeze, the tone was almost perfect, and it felt like I was playing a quality instrument. However, i've been playing the 28.625" scale for quite a while with my Dolan customized Ibanez 7420, so when I got the Agile it didn't require any adjustment at all.
Also, considering the price difference between the two, the Agile becomes a no-brainer.


----------



## xmetalhead69

dude, I just put some blackouts in my RGA8 and now it sounds awesome


----------



## JamesM

^This equals more cost.


----------



## tbar

id really like to check out a gurealla 8 string, good canadian made metal shredders.

Guerilla Guitars


----------



## Hypothermia

Is it just me or is the paint/finish on the septors extremely fragile? I've already got 2 chips of paint flying of for simply bumping it lightly into a chair.


----------



## XEN

For the price of a Guerilla you could get 3 Agiles.


----------



## MTech

Groff said:


> I had the same exact problem. The strings that come stock on them are NOT what they say they are. I use .09-.059 on my 7 strings, and the .069 was visably THICKER than the 8th string on my Agile 8.



It's not thicker, d'addario just uses larger wrap wire so it creates that illusion.


----------



## Phlegethon

tbar said:


> id really like to check out a gurealla 8 string, good canadian made metal shredders.
> 
> Guerilla Guitars




you mean there's a canadian guitar company that DOESN'T try to reproduce nothing but 59 les pauls, 54 strats, and the like? to be honest .. I'm a little disbelieving and wondering if they'll try to sneak a semi hollow 6 into your possession if you try to buy that eight. although it's certainly a great thing. having more variety is better, especially when it comes to ERG territory


----------



## zeaoth

I forgot to mention that I do have an RGA8. Just hate the sound/muddy actives that comes out of it. I'll try out a few things def like the BK coldsweats. Do the the bk's fit in EMG covers? Does that alter the tone in any way( being in emg covers)?

Thanks guys.


----------



## Fionn

blackouts? straight swap! apparently sick!


----------



## chucknorrishred

i wouldn't mind getting the hornet 8 with a pick up swap


----------



## troyguitar

You want similar to RGA8 but with passive pickups, I give you this:

Agile Septor 827 RN Black Quilt at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Galius

Heres a real steal
Agile Interceptor 828 RN Nat Satin B Stock at RondoMusic.com


----------



## chucknorrishred

didnt see that one there

its def a steal


----------



## blackzar84

Santuzzo, in a week i'll be in Amsterdam.
Can you tell me the exact amount of taxes in % for Netherlands??? Not only the VAT!!!
And would also like to know a couple of things more:

1 - Which amp u suggest to use with these guitars?
2 - Are really these guitars long scale (28.6) ones ??? Cos they seems to be smaller...


----------



## Koshchei

zeaoth said:


> Looking for a Agile that is comparable to a RGA8 minus the muddy pups. Need some recommendations. Looking for a djenty sound i.e. Meshuggah, Tesseract, Vildhjarta. More of a rhythm player (the one string master F# clarity ). Please no actives!
> 
> Got a POD 2 and UX1.
> 
> Budget 750. HELP!



Why get an 8, if you really only need a low F#? Get a bari 6, which will save you a bundle on strings and not ruin your back.


----------



## clintsal

I have spent much time reading on the different characteristics between the two woods, and I am still trying to decide which one would be better for me. Either way I will choose the rosewood board, I like the feel of it best. 

I have decided (subject to change, as always) that I want to go with the following pickup configuration: 

BKP Aftermath bridge for the heavy heavies
BKP Warpig neck for darker jazz, thick lead (I do not [read:cannot] play high register shred-style leads)
Graphtech piezo-loaded hipshot saddles for clean, bright chording

Given my chosen pickup configuration (particularly the Warpig neck and Piezo system), which body wood would you choose, and why? 

I am leaning towards the Ash, so that the Warpig balances it out, but I am unsure about the interaction between ash and the piezo or Aftermath. Anyone have experience?


----------



## JamesM

I've heard bad things about a Warpig in ash, but fantastic things about a Warpig in Mahogany. I myself prefer Ash.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Why are you choosing the pickups before you decide on the body wood? Shouldn't you choose the wood first then make up your mind on the pickups?


----------



## clintsal

There are clearly stated and verified tonal characteristics of the pickups I have selected, but the same cannot necessarily be said for body woods. I have literally been reading forums and builder websites for months trying to make sense of which wood I should go with, and simply cannot do it. However, based on experience, and descriptions and reviews of pickups, I definitely know how I want them to perform. 

To break down my preferences, I would say this:

Fingerboard: I strongly prefer the feel of rosewood/ebony over finished maple. While my comparison is between completely different guitars, I also preferred rosewood over ebony for cleans. It seemed to have more 'give' and warmth. 

Bridge pickup: I use this position for tight, lower-register riffing (Petrucci - Jaws of Life), djenting (Periphery - The Walk), palm muting, and coil-split for twangy/snappy biting sounds (Incubus - Sick Sad Little World). 'Tight' and 'hard' are terms I would use to describe my desired bridge tone. 

Neck pickup: I use this position for jazz-style chording and phrasing, I like a darker but clear tone here. I don't do 'shred-solos', so that is not a priority from the neck. 'Smooth' and 'liquid' are terms I would use to describe my desired neck tone. 

Piezo: I want a guitar with hipshot bridge so that I can have this. I have a Qtuner in another guitar and love it, but would like to have the option for the bright clarity that the Qtuner has, as well as a darker, warmer tone of a jazz-voiced neck pickup. I will use the piezo for brighter, more hi-fi chording than the neck. 'Clear' and 'crisp' sounds are what I want to achieve w/ the piezo. 

Because of my preferences for each position, it is hard to decide which wood can cover all that ground, whereas I know the various pickups that can address each sound. 

With all that said, do I make any more sense? Unorthodox approach, I know, but thats what I do.


----------



## JamesM

For starters, if you are feeling the fretboard at all, you're doing it wrong.

Second, wood is the starting place, not the pickups, as pickups can sound drastically different in different tone woods.


----------



## clintsal

by feel, i meant the response of the fretboard, via the strings to my fingers, not that i was making contact w/ the board with my fingers. 

and if you all insist that i start with wood choice first, which of the two, mahogany or ash, can be both warm in the neck and tight in the bridge? 

It seems from what i've read that mahogany would be better for my neck tones, but ash may be better for my bridge tones. 

what do you say?


----------



## scherzo1928

I think you should stick with mahogany. it will help on your thick neck tone, also +1 for rosewood. As for the bridge, the aftermath doesnt seem to need much help in the tight department from the samples Ive heard.

Still, my best advice is to pm zimbloth or nolly , since they seem to know what BKP fits best with what wood and style.


----------



## EBEADGBE

Just as a disclaimer, I have an intrepid pro 828, and have recently just received the douglas BCG-200 3/4 BK short scale bass case. It does not fit. The guitar measures about a foot and 3/4 inch in the body, which I believe is the same dimension as the case. But the thickness of the case and the padding on the inside cut that dimension by at least an inch. Alexguge, did you run into this issue...???


----------



## SYLrules88

^  i love the name

i emailed kurt about this last week and didnt get a reply. good thing i didnt just go ahead and buy it though. is there any way to kind of stuff the guitar in there or beat down some of the padded areas so it will fit? i know it sounds like a terrible thing to do to a case but


----------



## EBEADGBE

Hah thanks man! :]
Well unfortunately, thing is I read on this particular thread that someone was in contacts with Kurt and he said that would fit so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it. 

Yeah...I definitely tried to shove it in there...hah, which I just did NOT feel comfortable doing. I could provide a picture when I have more time....but basically, it's as if you have a bunch of clothes in a cardboard box and you close the top, but its bulging out the top so as to created a "dome" kind of effect. THAT's what it felt like, like it's not even close, I was not able to get it in there.

I emailed Kurt about it, hopefully that qualifies as defective and I don't have to pay return shipping AND new shipping for another product hah.


----------



## Gitte

Dopethrone said:


> I'd like also to know if ship with fed ex is safe or if I'll get my guitar broken or ruined.


i just got mine a few days ago. i live in germany and everything was fine  shipping took 5 days and i will do it again, definetily


----------



## Black_tear

I bought one myself and i'm from Portugal. Everything went fine. As long as you know the costs involved there's no reason to be afraid.


----------



## alexguge

EBEADGBE said:


> Alexguge, did you run into this issue...???


I haven't bought the guitar yet, waiting for christmas, hehe.


----------



## EBEADGBE

Ok gotcha...
Well good news is Kurt told me yesterday that the agile cases should be in the first week of december. As far as I know, that's the only way to go, case wise. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to do searches for "8 string guitar hard cases." Maybe it makes sense though, given their popularity among most music stores. Just make sure you DON'T buy the douglas 3/4 short scale bass case in place of something else, it is not even a close fit.


----------



## alexguge

thanks a lot for figuring this out man! I think many people appreciate this. At least I did kudos!


----------



## technomancer

Slightly retasked this thread, it is now officially for all things Agile 8 string related. So if you have a question, or a new model gets posted to the Agile site, etc etc this is where it goes.

NGD threads are an exception so if you buy one and want to post a thread about it go for it


----------



## pwilldabeast14

zeaoth said:


> Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 MN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com
> 
> Definantly liking this one. The neck thru looks sick.  28.825 is pretty awesome too. How are the passives? Was thinking of getting some BK Coldsweats with it. Just wondering if the stock pups are ok, would not mind sticking with those.



hey man, just got this same guitar! i will not lie to you it is badass. hah as long as you the hands to use it! but anyway the stocks are aightt i guess but def get the bkps, im bought to buy the new aftermath soon it looks even tighter than coldsweats. NOTE: buy new strings. the stock strings are not that great and too loose on the low end. and ive ordered some octave4plus strings soon to come!


----------



## DoctorStoner

any word on when the next run of 82527s will be out? 
mahogany w/ ebony and no trem would be 100% perfect for me


----------



## Hypothermia

Are the standard Cepheus pickups the exact same size as a Lundgren M8? i want to change pickups without needing to drill in my guitar


----------



## TomAwesome

Hypothermia said:


> Are the standard Cepheus pickups the exact same size as a Lundgren M8? i want to change pickups without needing to drill in my guitar



I took some comparison pictures a while back.




TomAwesome said:


> Just for fun, I decided to take pictures of some different 8-string pickups. In order from left to right are an Agile Cepheus bridge, a Lundgren M8 bridge, and a Bareknuckle Black Dog bridge. I used the Black Dog instead of my Warpig, because the tabs on the Warpig are cut up to fit in the Intrepid.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see that the BKP has a bigger baseplate and much wider tabs compared to the other two, so that should give an idea of how much will need to be taken off to get it to fit. The Lundgren and Cepheus have pretty similar dimensions. The M8 is slightly bigger and has slightly wider tabs than the Cepheus with smaller screw holes than both of the other two. I'm hoping I don't have to drill the tabs out to accommodate bigger screws. The BKP looks a bit messy, but the other BKPs I have don't look like that. You can see where it looks like two 6-string bobbins were cut and put together to make an 8-string bobbin. This is probably an older pickup (I got it used), as my Warpig 8s don't look like that. I find it kind of funny that the Cepheus pickup looks cleaner and more professionally put together from the front than the Lundgren (and in this case, the BKP as well), since that's not really the case.



I think I ended up having to drill the holes and trim the tabs a bit on the M8.


----------



## Hypothermia

TomAwesome said:


> I took some comparison pictures a while back.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I ended up having to drill the holes and trim the tabs a bit on the M8.



Awesome!

I have a Septor 827 and i bought Blackouts to it since it said on the rondo site that the cavity had been routed to fit other pickups. Then Kurt told me, when i already had got the guitar that it was a "transition" year or something, so only some of the new Septors got the bigger cavity.

I can only change pickups if they are almost the exact same size as the Cepheus


----------



## mgcasella

Hypothermia said:


> Awesome!
> 
> I have a Septor 827 and i bought Blackouts to it since it said on the rondo site that the cavity had been routed to fit other pickups. Then Kurt told me, when i already had got the guitar that it was a "transition" year or something, so only some of the new Septors got the bigger cavity.
> 
> I can only change pickups if they are almost the exact same size as the Cepheus



Hey bud I know it can be scary taking a Dremel and routing a guitar pickup cavity - especially in a new Agile! If it makes you feel any better, I had to do that in order to get a pair of BKP's in my brand new Agile Intrpeid and I had never used a Dremel before  However, everything turned out just fine and it was great to get the pups in and not have to pay $100+ to have some guy do it for me 

Just practice on a few pieces of wood first if you're nervous - I'm sure you'll be just fine


----------



## astaroth

Kurt's newsletter says no new models this year. Damn! I want my dual PU Pendulum!


----------



## overdark

Hey guys, I've always wanted an 8er and I considered Agile since they make longer scales and also they're greater for the budget. I've talked to a few other people and I figured out that the 830 Ebony fretboard/ash body is the best one for me. Any thoughts/opinions on this? I've read that mahogany tends to get muddy on extended range, and active pups may be necessary to counter that.


----------



## Galius

I have a mahogany/ebony/passive combination and I dont have any issues with muddiness.


overdark said:


> Hey guys, I've always wanted an 8er and I considered Agile since they make longer scales and also they're greater for the budget. I've talked to a few other people and I figured out that the 830 Ebony fretboard/ash body is the best one for me. Any thoughts/opinions on this? I've read that mahogany tends to get muddy on extended range, and active pups may be necessary to counter that.


----------



## overdark

Galius said:


> I have a mahogany/ebony/passive combination and I dont have any issues with muddiness.



Alright then. But, how much of a difference is ash+ebony vs mahogany+rosewood? I've read it's supposed to sound tighter or something like that. I'm no guru though. And even if there is a difference, how big of a difference is it?


----------



## Customisbetter

the body wood will have a larger effect on sound. Wood is wood and is barely a science.

IN GENERAL Ash is on the brighter side with lots of attack. 

Mahogany is a blanket name for a ton of different species of wood. However the Mahogany used in Agiles is generally on the darker side tonally. It has a compressed midrange and "boomier" low end. That isn't the best description but thats the best i can do. Just remember that different mahoganies sound different. In my expirience, Sapele (usually classified as mahogany) is pretty bright sounding.


----------



## DuneTALE

I definitely want to pick one of these up one day. I've noticed them over the summer and I almost cried. I bought a Scechter Damien Elite-8 and it's been doing decently so far, other than the pick-ups needing accessive batteries after constant use, but still not too bad for the price. I joined the forum because i'm looking for other guitarists who play 8-strings themselves because we're looking to get a 7-piece band together. If any of you are from Jersey and are down for something new and a bit out there, contact me and my friend ant. We'd greatly appreciate it. We're a studio band as of right now.

www.facebook.com/taletheprojects


----------



## SickTreeHugger

Hello everybody, as you can see I am new to this forum. I just have a couple questions regarding an Agile 8-string guitar and was looking for some guidance from someone with experience. 

Ok so basically I have decided to buy my first 8-string after a few years of playing an Ibanez 7-string. After looking around I have come to the conclusion that Agile is regarded as THE brand to buy from in the case of someone like me that just wants to experiment. I have looked around and decided that I want a 30" scale with Cepheus pickups and an ebony fretboard. 

I have narrowed it down to: 

Agile Intrepid Dual 830 EB Charcoal at RondoMusic.com

or​ 
Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 RN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com​ 
My first is about neck style. Can anyone give me a little description as to the difference in sound between the bolt-on and neck-thru verson of these guitars? Also, how difficult is it to transition from a 27" scale to a 30" scale in general?​ 
My second question is about the Cepheus pickups. I have heard good things about them, so I am not planning on switching them out unless they seem just _terrible_ to me. According to the website, the first guitar (the one with the bolt-on neck) comes with "Cepheus "Alpha" passive pickup in the bridge position and Cepheus "Beta" in the neck position", whereas the second guitar (neck-thru) comes with "Dual Cepheus Pickups". I am assuming that this means both pickups are the "Alpha" kind. Is this correct? Or are they the "Alpha" _and_ "Beta"? Also, could someone please tell me a little about the difference between these?​ 
Thank you very much in advance for helping me out. 
Also, any other useful information regarding these two guitars would be very much appreciated. ​


----------



## Insanity

I'm sure you had a standard sixstring 25.5" before you got the 27". Expect the same as then


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah, the pickups are the same. And they're actually really good, so I bet you won't replace them right off the bat.
Wrt to the bolt on vs neck thru, I have both and while the neck thru should technically give better fret access, the Agile heels are pretty substantial, so it's not as big of a difference as you might expect. I wouldn't make the neck thru your deciding factor.

What you do need to consider, though, is the scale length. Going from 25.5 to 27 is nothing like going from 27 to 30. First of all, it's double the difference. Secondly, there are few things I can't accomplish on a 27 that I can on a 25.5. But that extra distance really starts becoming significant above that. If you're going to stick with F# standard you should go with 28.625, IMO. You can plenty of tension at that length.
What tuning are you going to use?


----------



## SickTreeHugger

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, the pickups are the same. And they're actually really good, so I bet you won't replace them right off the bat.
> Wrt to the bolt on vs neck thru, I have both and while the neck thru should technically give better fret access, the Agile heels are pretty substantial, so it's not as big of a difference as you might expect. I wouldn't make the neck thru your deciding factor.
> 
> What you do need to consider, though, is the scale length. Going from 25.5 to 27 is nothing like going from 27 to 30. First of all, it's double the difference. Secondly, there are few things I can't accomplish on a 27 that I can on a 25.5. But that extra distance really starts becoming significant above that. If you're going to stick with F# standard you should go with 28.625, IMO. You can plenty of tension at that length.
> What tuning are you going to use?


 
Thank you for your response, Hollowway. In all honesty, I have no idea what kind of tuning I might use with it. The only basis I had for deciding on the 30 is that I read somewhere that Meshuggah uses 30.5 or something like that, and I have had bad experience with scale length coming up short in the past. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be playing a bunch of Meshuggah covers, I was just using them as a basis because I love their sound. Anyways, it will most likely just be in standard or F. I see that Agile makes an Intrepid with the same specs as the first guitar I linked to, but with the 28.625" scale. Hmmmmmmm  I wonder if I should go with that.


----------



## Guamskyy

Hey guys, is it true that the bolt-ons have a thinner neck profile than the neck thru's?


----------



## Richie666

I've been wondering what string gauge I should use to put a little more tension on the 7th string and to allow drop A to become less muddy on a 28.625 scale on my intrepid. Anyone have any suggestions? I've been thinking .58. I'm pretty sure it's a .52 on there right now. 

I have a .60 lying around, but I'm afraid it will be too thick.


----------



## pwilldabeast14

Richie666 said:


> I've been wondering what string gauge I should use to put a little more tension on the 7th string and to allow drop A to become less muddy on a 28.625 scale on my intrepid. Anyone have any suggestions? I've been thinking .58. I'm pretty sure it's a .52 on there right now.
> 
> I have a .60 lying around, but I'm afraid it will be too thick.



actually i think the .060 would be great depending on what brand it is, but really i dont know your tension preference cause if your used to the .052 (which i have and dont like) then mayb not. anyway just got some octave4plus strings and the 7th for B is a .060


----------



## Trauty_MR

i have a question....

after playing my fellow band members Agile 8 -string i have fallen in love....so im going to buy one,,,probably in Jan....

BUT, do they really ony supply in the US?
the delivery charge was like $115 dollars to my house in the uk....i thought that this was a bit steep???

any thoughts or ways around this or am i just going to have to man up and pay?

Cheers


----------



## DeathMetalDean

Yeah they only supply them in the US, I paied the $115 dollars and got mine last monday  IT IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER PLAYED lol I completely love it man, man up and pay! It's worth it 

Anywayz does anyone know what strings they put on the agile intrepid pro 828 ? for when I have to change strings


----------



## Richie666

String gauges: .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072

They're pretty good about listing all the specs on the Rondo website


----------



## alexguge

I ordered this yesterday: Agile Intrepid 828 MN Ocean Burst at RondoMusic.com

I'm so excited!


----------



## TridentChaos

The Intrepid 828 no doubt has a unique design and and body shape, but how does it fair better than its interceptor counterpart in the same price in relation to playabilty,feel and comfort? since they are both in the
same price range.
Also and agile interceptor 827 bolt on neck with kahler trem is 799,
but intrepid pro set neck with hardtail is 650, is the interceptor
an inferior guitar with the higher price just for the kahler?


----------



## astaroth

Jus saw the newsletter, the deposits for 8-string Agile Pendulums next year are still single PUs ARGH!


----------



## Ben.Last

TridentChaos said:


> The Intrepid 828 no doubt has a unique design and and body shape, but how does it fair better than its interceptor counterpart in the same price in relation to playabilty,feel and comfort? since they are both in the
> same price range.
> Also and agile interceptor 827 bolt on neck with kahler trem is 799,
> but intrepid pro set neck with hardtail is 650, is the interceptor
> an inferior guitar with the higher price just for the kahler?



Why are you under the impression that the Interceptor is inferior? Given, I personally like the Intrepid more but, really, the only advantage that the Intrepid has is slightly more access to the upper frets.

Also, yes, that Interceptor is only more expensive because of the Kahler. Trems are expensive.


----------



## TridentChaos

Lern2swim said:


> Why are you under the impression that the Interceptor is inferior? Given, I personally like the Intrepid more but, really, the only advantage that the Intrepid has is slightly more access to the upper frets.
> 
> Also, yes, that Interceptor is only more expensive because of the Kahler. Trems are expensive.


 
It seems that rondo's first prototype 8 string was the intrepid so im assuming it was designed from the start for 8 string and 8 string alone, so by merit of attention to design i was wondering was it overall better to its interceptor counterpart which wasnt designed purely for 8 string since its the 7 string model extended.
that's my reasoning, hence why im asking for opinion's on one agaisnt the other to clarify if this is the case, so i can make a more educated decision on a purchase.


----------



## Ben.Last

TridentChaos said:


> It seems that rondo's first prototype 8 string was the intrepid so im assuming it was designed from the start for 8 string and 8 string alone, so by merit of attention to design i was wondering was it overall better to its interceptor counterpart which wasnt designed purely for 8 string since its the 7 string model extended.
> that's my reasoning, hence why im asking for opinion's on one agaisnt the other to clarify if this is the case, so i can make a more educated decision on a purchase.



The Intrepid body was originally a bass actually. So, it really wasn't designed specifically as an 8 string either. Honestly, barring trem differences and such, the only noticeable differences are aesthetic.


----------



## Dethfield

I own both an intrepid and an interceptor, and overall for my purposes i like the interceptor better, mostly due to the kahler trem (awesome bridge, superior to a floyd imo) and both bridge and neck EMG pickups (intrepids only seem to come in 1 pup configs with EMGs). Both of the body shapes are comfortable, ergonomic, balanced, and have excellent upper fret access (the intrepid's being slightly better). The intrepid body is overall more contoured, but is also physically larger. I could really go either way, i just prefer the interceptor based on the hardware options. 

That being said, if i were to order a custom shop agile, i would get an 8 string intrepid with dual blackouts or EMGs, kahler trem, ebony fretboard and 28" scale.


----------



## TridentChaos

Dethfield said:


> I own both an intrepid and an interceptor, and overall for my purposes i like the interceptor better, mostly due to the kahler trem (awesome bridge, superior to a floyd imo) and both bridge and neck EMG pickups (intrepids only seem to come in 1 pup configs with EMGs). Both of the body shapes are comfortable, ergonomic, balanced, and have excellent upper fret access (the intrepid's being slightly better). The intrepid body is overall more contoured, but is also physically larger. I could really go either way, i just prefer the interceptor based on the hardware options.
> 
> That being said, if i were to order a custom shop agile, i would get an 8 string intrepid with dual blackouts or EMGs, kahler trem, ebony fretboard and 28" scale.


 
Cheers man that was really helpful, it seems that there is very little difference in terms of quality and contruction, just wondered was there a huge preference of one over the other, seems like a buy before you try situation though! (esp in my case!) 
i was interested in the interceptor 827 lefty option but bolt on neck and colour wasnt to my taste, perhaps ill wait to see what comes out next year, can wait to try the intrepid though! im waitning on the arrival of schecter ATX C-8 lefty with blackouts, intrepid next!


----------



## Hypothermia

Would a set of Bareknuckles fit into the pickup cavitys on my Agile Septor 827 with Cepheus? The cavitys where NOT big enough for Blackouts (selling mine, contact me if interested) but from pictures i've seen the Cepheus an d Bareknuckles looks almost to be the exact same size.


Can someone here confirm this?


----------



## AlexThorpe

Hypothermia said:


> Would a set of Bareknuckles fit into the pickup cavitys on my Agile Septor 827 with Cepheus? The cavitys where NOT big enough for Blackouts (selling mine, contact me if interested) but from pictures i've seen the Cepheus an d Bareknuckles looks almost to be the exact same size.
> 
> 
> Can someone here confirm this?




From everything I've seen posted about that, they do fit although you might have to modify the mounting tabs a bit.


----------



## mgcasella

AlexThorpe said:


> From everything I've seen posted about that, they do fit although you might have to modify the mounting tabs a bit.



I had to file down the mounting tabs and then expand the pup cavities a tad.


----------



## Hypothermia

mgcasella said:


> I had to file down the mounting tabs and then expand the pup cavities a tad.


How did you expand the cavity?


----------



## mgcasella

Hypothermia said:


> How did you expand the cavity?




I used a Dremel to grind down the BKP tabs (almost to nothing) and then expand the pup cavities. An important thing to remember is:

1. I also ground down the corners of the BKP baseplate. This enabled the BKP's to fit in the cavities quite easily.
2. I only had to expand the pup cavities in the areas routed for the tabs. 
3. I was terrified of using the dremel at first, however, it wasn't as difficult or scary as I thought it would be in the end  

Dremels are awesome! Luckily I don't have to buy one right now because I have a friend who repairs pianos and lets me use her shop 

Just let me know if you have any other questions.


----------



## -One-

Well damn. $250 extra up-front from the base price ($325) if I want to custom order my 8-string now, and I don't have $575. Fuck.


----------



## Explorer

Dethfield said:


> I own both an intrepid and an interceptor, and overall for my purposes i like the interceptor better, mostly due to the kahler trem (awesome bridge, superior to a floyd imo) and both bridge and neck EMG pickups (intrepids only seem to come in 1 pup configs with EMGs).



Having seen quite a few Intrepids with dual EMG pickups, I just wanted to comment that they often seem to fly out the door when the new shipments come in, but they are not non-existent....


----------



## eegor

Agile Interceptor Pro Custom w/Case Deposit for May 2011 at RondoMusic.com

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual Custom w/Case (Deposit for May 2011) at RondoMusic.com

Agile Septor Pro Custom w/Case Deposit for May 2011 at RondoMusic.com

Yep, this shit is back up and running, still basically a semi-custom deal, though. And we can get nine-strings with Kahlers in with a Septor/Interceptor body shape.

I'm going to definitely try to get one of these.

Edit: ok fine, it's only semi custom. You still get the point.


----------



## ArkaneDemon

eegor said:


> we can get nine-strings with Kahlers in with a Septor/Interceptor body shape.



dude wat.


----------



## Daevasmodeus

How long did the custom shop stay open last time?


----------



## Evil7

not custom shop.. just some custom options... Custom Shop means you can "have it your way" ... Binding of your choice.....anything... ect


----------



## eegor

It's advertised as custom guitars. You get the point.


----------



## Explorer

I don't know about last time, but the website says that the shop might close the week of December 12th this time around.

Regarding the clueless-sounding "Dude wat", why not go to the links provided if you want to know?


----------



## Guamskyy

I'm soo on this!


----------



## Evil7

eegor said:


> It's advertised as custom guitars. You get the point.


 I understand .... but agile has true custom shop that opens from time to time.... Tis why a mod changed the subject. 

wow i sound smartass... not my intentions


----------



## Explorer

I put in a semi-custom order earlier today. 

I love the look and most of the feel of my Intrepid Pro, but as I've been using my FM408 more and more, I decided to get another Intrepid Pro with ebony fretboard and dual pickups, but with EMG808s instead of the Cepheus pickups and at a 25.5" scale length instead of 28.625". 

I'm hoping, of course, that Q-Tuner starts making pickups again, in which case I can go that route as well. I think the red-wound transparents would look killer in a natural Intrepid Pro....


----------



## Guamskyy

I just placed an order for a lefty intrepid bloodburst. maple fretboard, and 27" scale.
And +1 to Explorer, I hope they start making them again. But on a side note, the wait is going to kill me!


----------



## Hollowway

eegor said:


> Yep, this shit is back up and running, still basically a semi-custom deal, though. And we can get nine-strings with Kahlers in with a Septor/Interceptor body shape.


 
I saw that and I was wondering if that was a mistake. The only option with the 9 strings is the Interceptors. So there are 9 string Kahlers? Do we know that for sure? I'm thinking I might need to email Kurt to confirm, because I've never heard of that... And the Septors can't even be configured for 9 strings, so it must be the case. But I'm wondering how big of a string can fit in those Kahler claws.

EDIT: I just emailed this to Kurt:

Kurt, I see on the semi-customs page that the Interceptors are available with 9 strings now. So, just to confirm, you have 9 string Kahlers now? And will the lowest string claw be different to accomodate a string larger than the .072 size (for those of us who want to put a low C# on there)?
Thx,
Andy


----------



## Hollowway

Just got this back from Kurt...

yes 9 string Kahlers are available (as are 10 strings) - lowest 2 or 3 string claws accomidate up to .090

Kurt


----------



## Trauty_MR

Trauty_MR said:


> i have a question....
> 
> after playing my fellow band members Agile 8 -string i have fallen in love....so im going to buy one,,,probably in Jan....
> 
> BUT, do they really ony supply in the US?
> the delivery charge was like $115 dollars to my house in the uk....i thought that this was a bit steep???
> 
> any thoughts or ways around this or am i just going to have to man up and pay?
> 
> Cheers


 
oh my god!!!!

i just had a look at rondo music and the tribal purple one with the maple neck isnt there.............!!!!! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?.....is there anywhere else that sells them?????

HELP!!!


----------



## arctopus

I wish Agile will have a warranty for west-europe one day..


----------



## Explorer

Trauty_MR said:


> oh my god!!!! i just had a look at rondo music and the tribal purple one with the maple neck isnt there.............!!!!! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?.....is there anywhere else that sells them?????
> 
> HELP!!!



Are you serious?

No, Rondo is the one source for Agile instruments. You might want to read this thread, if you don't know it works. 

Is the problem that you didn't move on something, and eventually someone else did? If so, be assured that normally things do show up again.


----------



## Allhailpantera123

Got an Agile Interceptor Pro-B 828 w/ Blackouts a while ago, best item I have ever purchased, hands down. I bow to you, RondoMusic.


----------



## Hollowway

Allhailpantera123 said:


> Got an Agile Interceptor Pro-B 828 w/ Blackouts a while ago, best item I have ever purchased, hands down. I bow to you, RondoMusic.



Pics or it didn't happen. Which means if you don't give us a NGD, one day you'll wake up and find that your Schrodinger's Guitar has disappeared. So gig to it, fella!!


----------



## Explorer

Incidentally, Holloway... were you going to take the plunge on a 9?


----------



## Hollowway

Explorer said:


> Incidentally, Holloway... were you going to take the plunge on a 9?


 
Aahhhh, I don't know. If I do, I'll either tune it C#-E or F#-A, but I'm not sure which I'll want, so I was going to wait until I get my Oakland Axe Factory 10 string and figure it out from there. And then there's the little fact that I already have 4 customs I've ordered over the past year or so - none of which the wife knows about - and it appears they're all going to arrive within a few weeks of each other. So much for sneaking them in and pretending I've always owned them. So I might need to take a bit of a break! I think I may have caught a bad case of Gasitis of Technomancer.


----------



## Lostmapants

I bought an Intrepid Pro 828 Natural w/ Ebony fretboard at the beginning of this year. I love it! I'm working on gettin a BKP put in. I like the EMG 808, but A BKP Cold Sweat would be much better! I checked out Rondo when I found out about Agile's 9 string and I saw that the same guitar that I purchased was $295 more than what I paid for it. That made me smile


----------



## OminousMike

Lostmapants said:


> I bought an Intrepid Pro 828 Natural w/ Ebony fretboard at the beginning of this year. I love it! I'm working on gettin a BKP put in. I like the EMG 808, but A BKP Cold Sweat would be much better! I checked out Rondo when I found out about Agile's 9 string and I saw that the same guitar that I purchased was $295 more than what I paid for it. That made me smile



Yea for real man, anybody considering buying an agile I say get 'em soon; I've noticed that the models they've had for a while are only going up in price. I would think that's because of the increasing demand for them.


----------



## Meatbucket

...of throwing down $600 for this guitar.
Agile Hornet 825 EB Black w/Case at RondoMusic.com
I just want to know any of your thoughts on the scale and the feel of it for those of you that have similar Agile guitars.

Also, hopefully this is the right section of the forum and that I'm not making an ass of myself.


----------



## shogunate

25.5 is generally regarded as a shoddy scale if you're aiming for F# tuning, but if you're tuning higher I'd say go for it 

If you like the short scale feel and can get away with regular/light gauge strings on Gibson scale guitars, you may like it though. Some people love shorter scales, and that is about the shortest that you can get for 8 string tunings, but certainly not for everyone.


----------



## Hollowway

Meh, that's kind of a weird guitar in that it has a 25.5" length, which would lend itself to B-A4, but the upper fret access isn't that good. I ususally associate A4 tuning with someone who likes to play solos/shred, so I'd think you'd want the upper fret access. On the other hand, the low F# chugging (where you wouldn't need the upper frets) will be better suited at a >27" length.


----------



## Meatbucket

Ah, I see. Yeah, I'm not a very good shredder and I already play in a dropped tuning so that A4 won't do me much good either.

So as bitchin' as the Agile V-wing is, it wouldn't be the optimum choice for F# because of it's smaller scale? Back to the drawing board for 8-string V's then.

Thanks for the replies though.


----------



## Explorer

shogunate said:


> 25.5 is generally regarded as a shoddy scale if you're aiming for F# tuning, but if you're tuning higher I'd say go for it
> 
> If you like the short scale feel and can get away with regular/light gauge strings on Gibson scale guitars, you may like it though. Some people love shorter scales, and that is about the shortest that you can get for 8 string tunings, but certainly not for everyone.



And, as always, I have to point out that 25.5" works for me for E1 tuning. My bottom string is a .090.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

Explorer said:


> And, as always, I have to point out that 25.5" works for me for E1 tuning. My bottom string is a .090.



Why do I feel that that would be awesome for slapping? What other strings do you use?


----------



## Explorer

I use the Ernie Ball 2837 wound bass set (.090 .074 .054 .042 .030 .020, guitar-size ball ends), with a plain .016 and .012 at the top, tuned E1 A1 D2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4. Normal electric bass on the bottom, whole step detuned guitar on the top, with full access to funk chords. 

I do have to point out that I use the full range, not just for funk, and that the tone at the bottom is consistent with the rest of the guitar. I know that a lot of people talk about how thick strings sound like a bass, but I play enough instruments with a full range of notes (normally at least five octaves), and I know what ringing strings sound like. I'm not sure if the expectations are that a thick string will have the same inharmonics as a thin string; my expectations are more that a string will have inharmonics consistent with its pitch, beyond the sound of the plectrum.

And, of course, I'm a huge fan of active pickups at this point. My incoming 25.5" Agile Intrepid Pro will have dual EMG 808 pickups, and I'll probably upgrade the electronics to the EMG TBC system, to have the ability to blend the pickups just as I like, as well as controlling the treble and bass levels against the mids.

I am doing a lot of stuff currently where I'm covering orchestral instrument tones, high flutes, low cellos, gamelan orchestras, and so forth. Shredding, not so much. *laugh*


----------



## Hollowway

Explorer said:


> not sure if the expectations are that a thick string will have the same inharmonics as a thin string; my expectations are more that a string will have inharmonics consistent with its pitch, beyond the sound of the plectrum.



So do you have any guitars scaled longer than 25.5? If so, what do you think of the sound at those scales compared to yours? I've never used a 25.5 tuned that low, so I don't know how it would sound. But technically speaking it would have way higher inharmonicity. But you aren't finding that, huh?


----------



## Explorer

I have a 28.625" Agile Intrepid Pro. However, it has the Cepheus passives, while the 408s have EMG 808s in them. 

I'm not having any problems with inharmonicities or even good tone. I did run across that problem when I had one of my carbon fiber acoustics set up for baritone, but my Ibanez acoustic 7-string has a low B at 25.5" (I think), and it sounds fine; I suspect that the jumbo body makes the difference in how much of the lows can come through acoustically. 

I'm a little sick right now, but had more to write about how I used to have the Intrepid Pro and one of the 408s tuned down much lower, since I was using full fifths. I'll try to remember that I owe a little more information on this....


----------



## TheSleeper

I emailed Kurt asking about any new neck-thru, string-thru 8's planned for the next couple of months, as well as any possible multi-scale ones, and his answer was:

Yes and yes, however we are not pre-releasing any details at this time
I will post on the site when I have news

Seems promising, and I'll have a reason not to buy expensive stuff 'til I know what he's cooking.


----------



## sp33d

Take a look at rondomusic now, they have 9 strings available.


----------



## ALAN_C

shogunate said:


> 25.5 is generally regarded as a shoddy scale if you're aiming for F# tuning, but if you're tuning higher I'd say go for it
> 
> If you like the short scale feel and can get away with regular/light gauge strings on Gibson scale guitars, you may like it though. Some people love shorter scales, and that is about the shortest that you can get for 8 string tunings, but certainly not for everyone.


 it's means if you want more low tuning , must be choose 27" + ?


----------



## ShreddingDragon

ALAN_C said:


> it's means if you want more low tuning , must be choose 27" + ?



Same question... Hollowway, you mentioned earlier that going from 27" to 30" is a big jump, and that 28.625" should be enough tension. Will that be enough if I were to play in say, F# standard, F standard and possibly dropping the lowest string to E sometimes? In what scenario would I need the 30" scale?

I have the ultimatest GAS ever right now for the Agile semi-custom order because of the inlays and 30", but I seriously want the Intrepid Bloodburst look instead of the Septor body - and the regular Intrepid Dual 828 RN BloodBurst is in 28.625" scale only... GAS dilemma.


----------



## Hollowway

ShreddingDragon said:


> Same question... Hollowway, you mentioned earlier that going from 27" to 30" is a big jump, and that 28.625" should be enough tension. Will that be enough if I were to play in say, F# standard, F standard and possibly dropping the lowest string to E sometimes? In what scenario would I need the 30" scale?
> 
> I have the ultimatest GAS ever right now for the Agile semi-custom order because of the inlays and 30", but I seriously want the Intrepid Bloodburst look instead of the Septor body - and the regular Intrepid Dual 828 RN BloodBurst is in 28.625" scale only... GAS dilemma.


 
Well, you can tune to pretty much anything at any length by compensating with string tension. So you could tune to E on a 27" or a 28.625", but you'd just need to compensate for the decreased string tension by increasing the gauge. The primary problem with increasing the gauge (i.e. the reason that everyone doesn't use thicker strings and stick with a 25.5" length) is that the thicker the string and shorter the length the more the string behaves like a rod (rather than a string), which means that the harmonic overtones are going to clash. Bostjan on here did a thread a couple of years ago (you can search on google with "inharmonicity site:sevenstring.org" to find it (don't use the quotes). In it he showed that according to his estimations a 28.625" scale at F# would give an acceptable level of inharmonic content. 
On the flip side of the issue, if you increase the scale length you end up with either higher tension or thinner strings on the treble side, which sounds worse than the shorter scale length. So really it ends up being a compromise if you plan on playing all over the neck.
If you're going to stick with F# and occasionally go down to E I'd say 28.625" would work really well. And FWIW, in comparing my Intrepid and Interceptor (same body as Septor), I prefer the ergonomics of the Intrepid. When sitting I can easily play all over the neck and it has better high fret access.


----------



## ShreddingDragon

Hollowway said:


> Well, you can tune to pretty much anything at any length by compensating with string tension. So you could tune to E on a 27" or a 28.625", but you'd just need to compensate for the decreased string tension by increasing the gauge. The primary problem with increasing the gauge (i.e. the reason that everyone doesn't use thicker strings and stick with a 25.5" length) is that the thicker the string and shorter the length the more the string behaves like a rod (rather than a string), which means that the harmonic overtones are going to clash. Bostjan on here did a thread a couple of years ago (you can search on google with "inharmonicity site:sevenstring.org" to find it (don't use the quotes). In it he showed that according to his estimations a 28.625" scale at F# would give an acceptable level of inharmonic content.
> On the flip side of the issue, if you increase the scale length you end up with either higher tension or thinner strings on the treble side, which sounds worse than the shorter scale length. So really it ends up being a compromise if you plan on playing all over the neck.
> If you're going to stick with F# and occasionally go down to E I'd say 28.625" would work really well. And FWIW, in comparing my Intrepid and Interceptor (same body as Septor), I prefer the ergonomics of the Intrepid. When sitting I can easily play all over the neck and it has better high fret access.



Thank you very much for a profound answer.


----------



## Guamskyy

FUCKING SHIT!Rondo Music Special Order / Custom Order Guitars

I haven't even got my intrepid custom and I want to get a 27" scale 9 string tuned low E to high A(or high G for a scale the summit minor 3rd kinda thing). That or a 30" 8 string!


----------



## Ben.Last

Jebus, almost a year lead time for this go-round?


----------



## Ginsu

Where do Agile 8-strings, specifically Agile semi-customs, fall on the quality scale compared to say, the different lines of Ibanez guitars? (i.e. RG, RG Prestige, J-Custom.....)


----------



## remington

I have a Agile Interceptor 828 and I think it's pretty nice. I can't say anything about the ibanez guitars since I've only really playd a rg 7 string and a quite old rg 6 string for longer than 10 seconds. Nice solid parts, and everything on mine seems to be really good except for my bridge issues. I got the kahler with it and i can't get it to not sound like a banjo. If you do get the kahler make sure to ask to route the cavity for the bridge deeper than normal since it doesn't really work the other way around.


----------



## Customisbetter

Agile Semi customs are solid playable-out-of-the-box instruments.

Comparing them to a high end ibby is no contest though.

Although I've only owned 4 Agiles and 10 ibbies.


----------



## Steve-Om

remington said:


> I have a Agile Interceptor 828 and I think it's pretty nice. I can't say anything about the ibanez guitars since I've only really playd a rg 7 string and a quite old rg 6 string for longer than 10 seconds. Nice solid parts, and everything on mine seems to be really good except for my bridge issues. I got the kahler with it and i can't get it to not sound like a banjo. If you do get the kahler make sure to ask to route the cavity for the bridge deeper than normal since it doesn't really work the other way around.



have you checked the infamous issue with the saddle screws been taller??

to the OP, I can vouch for the quality of Agiles, I got an AL2000 about a year ago (LP style) and I cannot think of another LP style guitar that packs such a high level of craftmanship at such affordable price, right now im planning on getting an 8 stringer, so you get the idea


----------



## Steve-Om

Customisbetter said:


> Agile Semi customs are solid playable-out-of-the-box instruments.
> 
> Comparing them to a high end ibby is no contest though.



agreed, of course theyre not $5000+ instruments, but high quality though


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

You get what you pay for. I haven't played an Agile, but I have yet to hear something bad about them.


----------



## CryptopsyAndWhatnot

How well do they pack the instruments for shipping? jw


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

CryptopsyAndWhatnot said:


> How well do they pack the instruments for shipping? jw


 judge from this I guess.


----------



## remington

Steve-Om said:


> have you checked the infamous issue with the saddle screws been taller??
> 
> to the OP, I can vouch for the quality of Agiles, I got an AL2000 about a year ago (LP style) and I cannot think of another LP style guitar that packs such a high level of craftmanship at such affordable price, right now im planning on getting an 8 stringer, so you get the idea



Yup, going the hardware store this weekend, hopefully they have the size


----------



## whisper

CryptopsyAndWhatnot said:


> How well do they pack the instruments for shipping? jw



if you order with a case, ships in the case (if both are in stock at the same time - you can ask Kurt to hold the guitar until the case comes in I'm sure). Other wise, just like any other guitar ships, wrapped in an instrument box.

On a side note, I've ordered a few guitars on the internet over the past years and one one has been shipped in the case (recently my fretless Agile), I must say the design of these instrument boxes these days is quite good!


----------



## Philligan

I can vouch for the Agiles, too. The owner Kurt's a great guy, and they're some of the best deals you can get


----------



## Aerospace274

What do you guys think? Should I go for the natural or bloodburst? I like natural finishes but i'm worried I might get one with an ugly grain or something. Does that ever happen with Agiles? I like them both but it's hard as hell to decide!


Natural: Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN NA at RondoMusic.com
Bloodburst: Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN Bloodburst at RondoMusic.com


----------



## johnythehero

BLOOOD wait no get the other one I want the bloodburst lol but I personally always like the way the bloodburst looks


----------



## AcousticMinja

I think the maple fretboard looks best on the natural one.


----------



## proto

i have an 828 and an 830 and they both play great -


----------



## Maniacal

I got a second hand 8 string Agile recently. I don't know much about guitar tech but the playability and sound is great. 

Although, you need a PHD is powerlifting to stand up with it for long periods of time.


----------



## brutus627

i think when it comes to agiles you'll find that they play pretty well and look pretty good. but it's kinda like when your driving down the street and see what you think is a really hot chick, you stop get out and try to get a better look and find that she's not the showstoppa you saw from your car. you more than likely would have no problems and probably be happy if you bought one, but when you look closely at them they all have their own little flaws like anything i suppose (atleast the ones i had)...i guess the bottom line is that in a stack of ten ibbys and 10 agiles, i think you would find more flaws in the agiles. i've owned 2 agiles btw and a 2228, i now own an FM418 and WOULD fuck it if it were possible.


----------



## MetalDaze

brutus627 said:


> i think when it comes to agiles you'll find that they play pretty well and look pretty good. but it's kinda like when your driving down the street and see what you think is a really hot chick, you stop get out and try to get a better look and find that she's not the showstoppa you saw from your car. you more than likely would have no problems and probably be happy if you bought one, but when you look closely at them they all have their own little flaws like anything i suppose (atleast the ones i had)...i guess the bottom line is that in a stack of ten ibbys and 10 agiles, i think you would find more flaws in the agiles. i've owned 2 agiles btw and a 2228, i now own an FM418 and WOULD fuck it if it were possible.


 
This is the best, most realistic description I've seen. 

If you are anal about your guitars, you might be disappointed with Agile. However, if you are looking for a good 'bang for your buck' and you don't mind a little flaw here and there, they are a good deal.


----------



## 77zark77

I own a InterceptorPro 725 : my note is 7/10


----------



## gfactor

Natural all the way!


----------



## darren

Wow! 200 pages and almost five years later, this thread is still going! This must be one of the oldest active threads on the forum.


----------



## Lukifer

I was just about to post a thread like this but glad I searched. I had the same questions although I want a 7 string. Until I became a member here I never heard of Agile. I love the looks of them and the price is right on!!! I want an 8 string now because of them too!! I cant seem to find their website though when I google Agile.


----------



## Coffee Elf

Lukifer said:


> I was just about to post a thread like this but glad I searched. I had the same questions although I want a 7 string. Until I became a member here I never heard of Agile. I love the looks of them and the price is right on!!! I want an 8 string now because of them too!! I cant seem to find their website though when I google Agile.



Rondo Music Home Page


----------



## AxeHappy

Before today, I could not have made a comment in a thread like this.

The shop I work at got an Agile 7 string (Tribal Purple I think, maybe a member of this forum's guitar even!) in to get setup in Drop A. So naturally I gave it a look after reading a bunch about them on this forum.

They're probably the best bang for your buck out there. That said, they are pretty cheap. I'd put the construction on par with Samick really. Samick just doesn't make awesome coloured, quilted maple topped 8 string guitar.

However, I'm pretty picky with what I like so even though I'd say they're medicore guitars, that's in comparison to like Golden Age Ibanez S540s and RG7620s.


----------



## Lukifer

I did find that page. Is that a distributor or who actually makes them?? Either way I still like them looks wise!!! Wish somewhere where I lived carried one.


----------



## MikeH

My 828 is fucking awesome. That's all I really have to say about it. An RG2228 would be nicer, but for your money, Agile is the way to go.


----------



## bbp

Lukifer said:


> I did find that page. Is that a distributor or who actually makes them?? Either way I still like them looks wise!!! Wish somewhere where I lived carried one.


It depends on your definition of "make" really. The guitars are made by an independent manufacturer in south-east Asia, I forget the country at the moment, but they're made to Rondo's specs. Also, as far as I know, the only way to get them is through Rondo.


----------



## SGStrummer61

Agiles are made in Korea, something that makes me like them even more since Korea has much better quality than anything from China. My AL-3100 is absolutely fantastic and I couldn't have hoped for a better guitar for the $350 I paid for it. For me personally, of all the Gibsons I've played, mine still comes out on top and that includes having played a Les Paul Supreme (which actually had a backwards pickup selector). 

The only thing I have seen that is wrong with it is a little bleed over of glue on a fret or two, but other than that its fine. What I have found great about the guitar is how the neck feels as in it feels solid, not hollow like many guitars I have played. Also, my dad owns the AL-2000 gold top w/P90s and he's said its the best guitar he's ever played (the same as leftyguitarjoe has played).


----------



## sonofabias

This thread is a blast of much needed air. Most of my questions about Agile have been answered here !


----------



## Lukifer

Same here!!! No need to post my own thread about it!!! I always thought Agiles looked great but now I know all I need to know I want one. I love my 7421 but its a black plank! I love the finishes and fretboard options on the Agiles. I guess you could say they have more flair for the money paid.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

I decided to give Agile a go as part of the Jan 2010 run (?). The models I was seeing and the accounts I was hearing of how they're amazing bang for buck really interested me, and put a deposit down. I was pissed off when I received my Agile Septor Pro 7, it felt cheaper than every other Korean guitar I currently own (2 x LTD Deluxes) and have owned in the past (LTD FM-408, Schecter Loomis NT, other LTD Deluxes). Hell, my indonesian G&L Tele eclipses it in quality control alone. 

My main issues were with unfinished fretwork and the ridiculously thin laminated top, letting you see the neck-thru ply's straight through the top. I was seriously questioning whether the top was a print top or not - I still believe it was. I've owned a Samick Greg Bennett Ultramatic III which had a print top, the two tops looked identical. Moving the guitar around in the light there was NO movement. 
But really...the guitar just felt cheap. NOT what I wanted after paying just under $1000, including international shipping AND _compulsory hardcase_. Most of the pics are pretty shitty, but you get the idea. 































Kurt offered me a partial refund, I can't even remember if I took it or not - I've just kind of pushed the whole experience from my mind. I probably took it, seeing as it was better than nothing.

This is entirely IMO, but their "strictly no international returns policy" led me to believe they sort through the instruments when they get to the US and keep the better/finished ones for circulation within the US, due to their return policy within the US. They then palm the unfinished/blem'd ones off internationally. This, combined with reading a few other dissatisfied international customers' accounts of their NGDs being let downs makes me believe my aforementioned theory strongly.

Whenever Agiles are brought up, people always say "you get what you pay for". It's not that simple for some of us. I know I'm never going near an Agile again. As an example, the quality control I see in LTD's Deluxe range is not only better than what I've seen from Agile/Rondo, but all up it'd work out cheaper for the LTD even if I bought from the US.


----------



## notasian

check it out!!!! 
also alot more guitars have been added!!! woot lol


----------



## MikeH

Fixed bridge? Nice.


----------



## notasian

im soo excited they have exactly what i want, the 62527 pro with 2 pups!  im drooling lol, they have like 6 new pendulums!!!


----------



## 13point9

once they do a 27-30 im there


----------



## Subz

my bad it does have an ebony fretboard.


----------



## darren

Woo! Over 5000 posts!


----------



## mark105

I saw those pics, they look impressive, do want to jam on a couple of em.


----------



## blastbeatdown

i'm buying an Agile Intrepid 828 this week, i have a few questions. i read a while back that the grover tuners aren't big enough to compensate for thicker strings such as a .80, did they ever fix this? because i really don't feel like getting it bored out. 

and also, does anyone play in drop E here? what guage do you prefer for the low E? i use kind of a hybrid set for my 25.5" 7 string, 9s with a heavy .60 on top (its in drop A) so i think an .80 might be the way to go, but i've never played a longer scale guitar before so i really don't know. i'll have to experiment of course, but i'm about to order some single strings right now so i'll have them when the guitar comes.


----------



## Neil

Have there been any QC issues with the Pendulum multiscale guitars?


----------



## Aerospace274

Just ordered my Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN NA!! Can't wait! Should be here by Wednesday at the latest! i'm so pumped!


----------



## dashuni

Hollowway said:


> Well, you can tune to pretty much anything at any length by compensating with string tension. So you could tune to E on a 27" or a 28.625", but you'd just need to compensate for the decreased string tension by increasing the gauge. The primary problem with increasing the gauge (i.e. the reason that everyone doesn't use thicker strings and stick with a 25.5" length) is that the thicker the string and shorter the length the more the string behaves like a rod (rather than a string), which means that the harmonic overtones are going to clash...
> On the flip side of the issue, if you increase the scale length you end up with either higher tension or thinner strings on the treble side, which sounds worse than the shorter scale length. So really it ends up being a compromise if you plan on playing all over the neck.
> If you're going to stick with F# and occasionally go down to E I'd say 28.625" would work really well. And FWIW, in comparing my Intrepid and Interceptor (same body as Septor), I prefer the ergonomics of the Intrepid. When sitting I can easily play all over the neck and it has better high fret access.



I am getting a 28.625" scale 8 string from rondo and was going to tune to EBEADGBe. Do you believe this will work, or not? i was thinking i would need a 0.80 string for the lowest E


----------



## Winspear

dashuni said:


> I am getting a 28.625" scale 8 string from rondo and was going to tune to EBEADGBe. Do you believe this will work, or not? i was thinking i would need a 0.80 string for the lowest E



That will be pretty much ideal. Tosin uses .080 I think, for 27" E. From the videos I've seen of him playing clean, there's not enough tension. 28.625" should be good


----------



## dashuni

thanks alot, i thought it would be enough.. but other people have said that it wouldn't be long enough so i thought 30"... 30" = too long


----------



## MTech

EtherealEntity said:


> That will be pretty much ideal. Tosin uses .080 I think, for 27" E. From the videos I've seen of him playing clean, there's not enough tension. 28.625" should be good



Yea he's using an .080 on the 27" E and White Chapel are using the .080 for the E on their 25.5" LTD 8's since ESP has yet to give us an 8 string with a neck pickup and proper scale.


----------



## Waelstrum

I read in a thread about the 8 string hornet that the upper fret access isn't very good, but does anyone know if the upper fret access on the reaper is any good?

I ask because Agile Hornet Pro Semi Custom w/Case (Deposit for December 2011) at RondoMusic.com as a reaper 25.5 inch (high Ab) tribal purple would be brutal.


----------



## space frog

I assume the reaper shape is the one just below the trad hornet shape? Then higher fret access must be easier since there is an additionnal cutaway going from like the 17th fret to the 22nd near the high string or something like that.


----------



## JamesM

Badass new finish.


----------



## Goatfork

Ok, so I've been looking for an 8 for a while now, hopefully an Intrepid, but none of them had quite what I wanted. This is the closest thing yet:

Agile Intrepid Pro 830 EB Charcoal at RondoMusic.com

The specs I wanted was:

Ebony fretboard
Jumbo/extra jumbo frets
Cool headstock/body (Intrepid fits the bill)
One pickup
One master volume
Fixed bridge
Neck-though
27" scale or greater, bigger the better (30" = win)
Dark and cool finish
Reasonable price

This guitar is pretty much exactly what I want, my only issue is that I can't tell with the photos provided if I like the finish or not, and that's where you guys come in. Is it just me, or is the middle section greenish? Also, are the 'wings' of the body a weird brown/black to you? It would make sense because it's called charcoal, but idk if it'll work with a green middle stripe in the middle, lol. Just curious.


----------



## FrostyTheDroMan

That new EB Charcoal is SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!


----------



## Jango

Ordered this yesterday; should be here by thursday!
Agile Septor 828 RN Nat Ash at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Papaoneil

Im in the market for an agile 8 string but have never owned a 7 string, but the ideas that i have in my head lead me to just want to skip the 7 string and go straight for the 8


----------



## Jango

Do it. I wish I had waited and skipped 7, and besides, if you go Agile you can always send it back if you don't dig it, and use the money to buy a 7.


----------



## Waelstrum

Another new finish:


----------



## CooleyJr

Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB Nat Spalted at RondoMusic.com





So.. So so so so sexy.
Someone buy it immediately. I want to see a NGD!


----------



## Aerospace274

If only it were an 830... *swoons*


----------



## CooleyJr

There's only about an inch and 1/4 difference!


----------



## Aerospace274

Oh man, I know!  I've been wanting a nice spalted 8 for a long while! So awesome!!!


----------



## TimSE

SPALTED MAPLE!


----------



## 77zark77

Waelstrum said:


> Another new finish:


 
 love it !


----------



## Jango

Fuck my life >_< Totally would've bought this if I hadn't bought the 828 I mentioned earlier...though still time to send it back...hrmm


----------



## Cmak

This is [a copy of] my first post here, gonna skip the extended introduction for now... been heavily lurking 7string.org for well over a year, I've been meaning to get an Agile Intrepid Pro 830 (Natural finish) for a while now, and I came across the new Charcoal finish a couple days ago. I MUST have it. This finish is PERFECT and it just describes me and my style... perfectly. The specs are all the way I want them (Ebony Fretboard, 30" scale...) and this is just a total miracle.

NEXT THING I KNOW, it's sold out. It's stil on the 8-strings page but when I add it to the cart, it says it's out of stock. TEAR TO-THE-DROP TO-THE-SEND-AN-EMAIL-TO-KURT.

In the meantime, I'd like to ask that if any of you who are reading this right now managed to get one of these orders in for the Intrepid Pro 830 EB Charcoal (Agile Intrepid Pro 830 EB Charcoal at RondoMusic.com), PLEASE consider selling it to me at as-inflated-a-price-as-you-wish. My email is linked to the forum account so feel free contact me through that or through PM or however. Any and all advice from you guys on how else I may go about getting one of these would be more than appreciated.

Much thanks to everyone!
-Chris


----------



## Abandon Gaia

if you're interested in how the new 830 CHARCOAL looks like in "real life" check out my NGD!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/151777-ngd-agile-intrepid-pro-830-eb-charcoal.html#post2398783

cheers


----------



## Meximelt

Had the ideas for the new hampshire spalted top intrepid for my next guitar. Awesome to actually be able to see it. Beautiful, now I'm sure it's gonna happen.


----------



## Shannon

New Thought:
Now that we're having 8 & 9 string Agile options, I think it's I think it's high time for some fanned fret option to optimize the instrument for specific applications. I don't think I'm alone when I say the current 9 string factory tunings aren't what we'd use.

23.5-27" for those that want a high A (8: BEADGBEA, 9:F#BEADGBEA)
25.5-30" standard tuning (8: F#BEADGBE, 9: C#F#BEADGBE)
27-32" for uber low guitar/bass hybrid applications (8:C#F#BEADGB or F#BEADGBE, 9:C#F#BEADGBE or a step lower for short scale bass/guitar hyrbrid BEADGCFAD)

I would also suggest a redesign of the current headstock w/ 3 bass tuners on top + 5-6 guitar tuners on bottom (think of the Novax headstock). This would greatly increased the ability to use correct bass strings for the lower strings.






Hell, go the full monty & do a 8 & 9 string bass!
Something like 25-35"... 

Kurt?


----------



## HighGain510

Shannon said:


> New Thought:
> Now that we're having 8 & 9 string Agile options, I think it's I think it's high time for some fanned fret option to optimize the instrument for specific applications. I don't think I'm alone when I say the current 9 string factory tunings aren't what we'd use.
> 
> 23.5-27" for those that want a high A (8: BEADGBEA, 9:F#BEADGBEA)
> 25.5-30" standard tuning (8: F#BEADGBE, 9: C#F#BEADGBE)
> 27-32" for uber low guitar/bass hybrid applications (8:C#F#BEADGB or F#BEADGBE, 9:C#F#BEADGBE or a step lower for short scale bass/guitar hyrbrid BEADGCFAD)
> 
> I would also suggest a redesign of the current headstock w/ 3 bass tuners on top + 5-6 guitar tuners on bottom (think of the Novax headstock). This would greatly increased the ability to use correct bass strings for the lower strings.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hell, go the full monty & do a 8 & 9 string bass!
> Something like 25-35"...
> 
> Kurt?



Shannon, two questions: Have you ever played a fanned fret guitar? Have you ever played a 5"-fanned guitar? Based on my experience with a WAY more subtle fan and the experience of SEVERAL luthiers who build fanned instruments on a regular basis that I questioned about fanned scales, extreme fans like what you're suggesting would be *incredibly* uncomfortable. As far as switching to bass tuners, do they still work for standard-sized guitar strings? Not everyone needs a .85 for a low F#, not to mention if you're doing that for all three of the low strings, how heavy do you normally get on the E string?


----------



## Shannon

HighGain510 said:


> Shannon, two questions: Have you ever played a fanned fret guitar? Have you ever played a 5"-fanned guitar? Based on my experience with a WAY more subtle fan and the experience of SEVERAL luthiers who build fanned instruments on a regular basis that I questioned about fanned scales, extreme fans like what you're suggesting would be *incredibly* uncomfortable.


Yes, I have & they weren't uncomfortable at all. 
I've played THIS 9-string bass numerous times & it was glorious (scale 28-33"). 
No one here was afraid to jump from a 6-string guitar to an ERB. 
No one here was afraid to jump from standard frets to multiscale. 
So, why not try the next step to accomodate the massive extended ranges of these instruments? A 1.5" fan is child's play in the multiscale world. It's all about the next level. 



> As far as switching to bass tuners, do they still work for standard-sized guitar strings? Not everyone needs a .85 for a low F#, not to mention if you're doing that for all three of the low strings, how heavy do you normally get on the E string?


It's not that everyone needs it, but it's there *IF/WHEN* you need it. Using a standard guitar tuner with anything larger than a 60, in most cases, means modifying the tuner or string itself in order for it to fit. 
Your argument is invalid when you look at the standard bass string gauges....
G 40-50
D 60-70
A 80-90
E 100-110
So why would using bass tuner, which accomodates larger gauge strings without modification, be such a stretch when the string they'd be used for would be of similar bass gauges? This is especially true for instruments like 9-strings that will go well below standard guitar range.


----------



## HighGain510

My argument is invalid?  Okay Shannon.  How was chording, particularly near the nut, working out? Having talked to a few luthiers who built GUITARS (comparing it to a bass is invalid, it's not the same instrument and really not played in the same manner either) with extreme fans told me they felt they were not comfortable. Saying you played a bass with a large fan isn't the same thing as you don't play them the same way. Not everyone wants a bass just because they are playing an ERG, that's all I'm saying. Those specs might work well on a fanned BASS, but we're not talking about a bass right?


----------



## Shannon

I used the bass as an example because I could show you a pic to display that a 5" spread isn't bad at all. but yes, I've played 3-4 guitars as well & it was fine. Like any modified instrument, there will be an adjustment period, but it doesn't mean it will be uncomfortable. I've watched numerous 6string players say the same about ERGs. 

But, for the purposes of agile, we can split the difference & say a 3" spread....


----------



## Shannon

23.5-27 for high a
25-28.625 for standard
28.625-32 for uber low

Maybe a touch over 3", but nothing unmanageable for the afraid.


----------



## Meximelt

To get the fanned frets someones basically gotta be willing to go first and pay the extensive (over a grand, so really not that extensive) prototype price. Cause face it the market isn't that big for 8 nevermind a 9 string fanned fret, and in my opinion kurt has already done an amazing job and brought us great products, in all regards, at even greater prices.


----------



## Knyas

Meximelt said:


> To get the fanned frets someones basically gotta be willing to go first and pay the extensive (over a grand, so really not that extensive) prototype price. Cause face it the market isn't that big for 8 nevermind a 9 string fanned fret, and in my opinion kurt has already done an amazing job and brought us great products, in all regards, at even greater prices.



I'd very much second this sentiment towards the issue. Shannon, in all honesty what you're asking for is something that you should just have custom built, there's almost no market for 9 strings with FF's compared to say the 7's or 8's. Sure a few people would buy them, but the cost of making them and actually having enough people to sell them too probably wouldn't be worth the trouble. I'd rather just see more base colour options, pup configs and hardware choices on existing instruments.


----------



## Shannon

Knyas said:


> I'd very much second this sentiment towards the issue. Shannon, in all honesty what you're asking for is something that you should just have custom built, there's almost no market for 9 strings with FF's compared to say the 7's or 8's. Sure a few people would buy them, but the cost of making them and actually having enough people to sell them too probably wouldn't be worth the trouble. I'd rather just see more base colour options, pup configs and hardware choices on existing instruments.



Oh I agree. I just noticed that Rondo started making the 9s. I was sure if people on here started demanding it heavily from Kurt, but if people are going to do that route, some multiscale options should be introduced to put out a more quality product. For me, I'm still a 7 player who dabbled here & there with an 8. That's more than enough for now...


----------



## Knyas

Shannon said:


> That's more than enough for now...



There's no such thing when it comes to owning and playing guitars


----------



## Shannon

I meant, "for me"


----------



## Frogman

Would you say the necks are different between the Pro models and the Standard models?

Which are thinner?

Are the Pro models "better" (construction, playability, etc)


----------



## space frog

^Pro models usually have neck through construction, which is the main difference iirc. Maybe that woods are different too but I'm not sure about that...


----------



## Frogman

space frog said:


> ^Pro models usually have neck through construction, which is the main difference iirc. Maybe that woods are different too but I'm not sure about that...



Yeah the woods are different.

I was just wondering if the quality is lesser on the Standard model, or if the only
difference is woods and neck construction.


----------



## space frog

Then I dont think the quality is lesser, except if you believe (like me ) that bolt ons are less stable than neck-throughs and therefore that neckthroughs are better


----------



## In Search Of Sight

*I PLAY GUITAR FOR IN SEARCH OF SIGHT, CHECK OUT MY AGILES!*


----------



## greyhound

I was just about to go for it.. and then I saw this, and I agree with you. It seems that they really leave the shitty ones for the europe.. so when you get it, you can only start crying. while you guys from USA can say only the best about these guitars. people from other parts of the world are getting cheapness. this right here makes me despise them.


----------



## Subz

I currently own a Septor 827 elite and am very pleased with it. Its Just as good if not better quality wise to other similarly priced guitars around here and has features that are hard to find at this price. (ebony fingerboard, neckthru.)


----------



## wannabguitarist

TheSixthWheel said:


> _Pictures and text of shitty Agile_



I got my guitar from the same run with the same issues pretty much. Luckily I was able to get a full refund because I'm located in the US but I could never recommend Agile to anyone outside of the US because of the lax QC and shitty return policy. Hell, I don't I'd recommend them to someone in the US with all the similar options you can get from other companies now.

TL;DR: If you're in the US it's worth it to take a risk but they're not as nice as everyone says they are. If you aren't spend your money elsewhere.


----------



## Frogman

wannabguitarist said:


> Hell, I don't I'd recommend them to someone in the US with all the similar options you can get from *other companies* now.



Like who?

Where else can you get 28.625" and 30" guitars, without going to a custom luthier?


----------



## wannabguitarist

Frogman said:


> Like who?
> 
> Where else can you get 28.625" and 30" guitars, without going to a custom luthier?



Those scale lengths (and fanned frets) are the only things I can think of that they offer you can't get anywhere else. Schecter offers hard-tail and trem (OFR too) 6 and 7 strings with extended scales at a slightly higher price, you can get a S7320 for the same price as an Interceptor (and a cheaper RGA).

I guess if you're looking at 8-strings they have that market cornered but other than that I would go for the other options


----------



## polarizationguitars

I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!


----------



## Waelstrum

^^ Wow, that was brilliant. Nice chops, clever use of the range, and just an all round good sounding piece of music.

I like the silly face at the end.


----------



## Lukifer

Sweet guitar but even sweeter chops!!!


----------



## Santuzzo

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!



Man, that was AMAZING !!!!! Awesome song and playing!
I LOLed at the end when you did the crazy faces.

Oh, and welcome to the forum


----------



## Ben.Last

wannabguitarist said:


> Those scale lengths (and fanned frets) are the only things I can think of that they offer you can't get anywhere else. Schecter offers hard-tail and trem (OFR too) 6 and 7 strings with extended scales at a slightly higher price, you can get a S7320 for the same price as an Interceptor (and a cheaper RGA).



Yeah? I don't like TOM bridges and don't want a trem, what exactly am I going to get from Schecter? Also, let's not even get into the variety of finishes, body woods, pickups and neck/fretboard woods vs. Schecter and Ibanez. Not to mention, excluding the various scale lengths just because it points out that your statement was wrong seems pretty on the nose. Also, I won't even get into how the market looks to a lefty like myself.

Trust me, I've been vocal in the past that Kurt needs to step up with a few things. But to write them off and say that there's other brands out there offering better for the money, in general, is just false. Are there exceptions? Of course.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Lern2swim said:


> Yeah? I don't like TOM bridges and don't want a trem, what exactly am I going to get from Schecter? Also, let's not even get into the variety of finishes, body woods, pickups and neck/fretboard woods vs. Schecter and Ibanez. Not to mention, excluding the various scale lengths just because it points out that your statement was wrong seems pretty on the nose. Also, I won't even get into how the market looks to a lefty like myself.
> 
> Trust me, I've been vocal in the past that Kurt needs to step up with a few things. But to write them off and say that there's other brands out there offering better for the money, in general, is just false. Are there exceptions? Of course.



Bar scale legnth and 8-strings, as those are two things Agile offers far more options for, Carvin has a much high quality to value ratio. Heck, they even have a pile of options Agile has never offered, even on Customs. Yeah the Carvin will be a few hundred more, depending on specs of course, but I don't think there's a single doubt that the Carvin would be the superior instrument. 

All that being said, if you're looking for 27"+ scales or 8-strings Agile has you covered better than anyone, from an options stand point at least.


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

I owned two Agile Intrepid Pro 828's. They were both playable and sounded great, but each had issues that I wasn't really satisfied with. They both had minor blemishes in the finish and scratches on the hardware. The biggest issue for me was sloppy fretwork and glue along where the neck met the body. On my second Agile, it had small cracks in the fretboard and sharp fret ends on the side of the neck. I'm not anal about my guitars, and they didn't impede the playability, but the issues I've personally seen and issues I've seen on this forum are inexcusable when you're paying money for a BRAND NEW instrument. On the other side of the spectrum, I've heard people who swear by Agile and have never had any problems, so it seems hit and miss.

Here are some pics:


----------



## TheSixthWheel

MaxOfMetal said:


> Bar scale legnth and 8-strings, as those are two things Agile offers far more options for, Carvin has a much high quality to value ratio. Heck, they even have a pile of options Agile has never offered, even on Customs. Yeah the Carvin will be a few hundred more, depending on specs of course, but I don't think there's a single doubt that the Carvin would be the superior instrument.
> 
> All that being said, if you're looking for 27"+ scales or 8-strings Agile has you covered better than anyone, from an options stand point at least.



Carvin would undoubtedly slaughter. Options are awesome, but only if they're functional options. I'd prefer a MIJ Jackson COW 7 with zero options to a MIK Agile 7 with options coming out my ears because I believe there's no point to something if it's not done well.


----------



## Guamskyy

Hey I was just wondering, but did anyone who ordered a custom agile intrepid from december last year get the email from Kurt for the final payment?


----------



## Splinterhead

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!




That was great! Great use of the range and cool chord voicings!


----------



## Nile

People should really understand it's hit and miss. If your not US I can see you getting fucked so why try it? If you want one and your not in the US just get it used so you know what your getting. But even if you got screwed don't throw the whole idea and company of Agile away for other people, cause they could be getting something pretty damn good for the price.
And as for Schecter, it's always the same finishes and guitar most of the time. Except for the Blackjacks and Loomis, those things in a nutshell are awesome.
Ibanez's are usually flat black boards to me, never that many exciting finishes and always have plain inlays like dots which I never like.
One thing Agile does wholesomly right is the AL series. AL's and ESP/LTD EC's are I'd say the best LP shapes you can get. Beats Epiphone in quality and playability and Gibson in playability and price until you reach the 2k+ range on the Gibsons.


And for the price why complain at needing to fix the little problems? Of course you will have some flaws for the price, why do you have your expectations so high?


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

Nile said:


> People should really understand it's hit and miss...
> And for the price why complain at needing to fix the little problems? Of course you will have some flaws for the price, why do you have your expectations so high?



Uh...because it's a brand new guitar and you shouldn't have to spend extra money on it to make it a product that isn't substandard?

I think that most everyone would agree that they'd rather Agile charge a little extra for guitars that aren't effed up.


----------



## Nile

Whiskey_Funeral said:


> Uh...because it's a brand new guitar and you shouldn't have to spend extra money on it to make it a product that isn't substandard?
> 
> I think that most everyone would agree that they'd rather Agile charge a little extra for guitars that aren't effed up.


 Again, this is Korea, they do fuck up quite a bit.
And I also would'nt call it substandard really.
But still their stuff does look 10x nicer than any other things in that price range and they offer things that most companies wouldn't.


----------



## FrostyTheDroMan

My Septor 828 exceeded my expectations, great instrument!!


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

Nile said:


> Again, this is Korea, they do fuck up quite a bit.
> And I also would'nt call it substandard really.
> But still their stuff does look 10x nicer than any other things in that price range and they offer things that most companies wouldn't.



Right, but there are plenty of other manufacturers who have factories in Korea and make some decently built guitars (Schecter, Ibanez, LTD). I hate to say it (and this is just my personal opinion), but I'd feel more comfortable and confident ordering a new Squier or something more than I would an Agile. With my past experiences, I've decided that I'll never buy another Agile unless it's used so I can see exactly what I'm getting. I don't see how a lot of these have passed inspection before getting shipped out to customers.

You are right though, I have seen some gorgeous looking Agiles and there isn't really any other company out there who caters to ERG players like they do, most especially in this price range and there isn't any company who offers the options that they do for 7's and 8's. I just wish they'd get their shit together QC wise.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Nile said:


> Again, this is Korea, they do fuck up quite a bit.
> And I also would'nt call it substandard really.
> But still their stuff does look 10x nicer than any other things in that price range and they offer things that most companies wouldn't.



Dude, both SixthWheel's and Whiksey Funeral's guitars are definitely sub-par for $700 instruments (mine was similar to Sixthwheel's and there were a couple of other guitars from that run with issues as wheel). No one is expecting a perfect instrument but there is a certain threshold of quality that people want and while Agile/Rondo seems to meet that for a lot of people they also seem to put out quite a few sub-par instruments. Kurt is a great guy to deal with when something goes wrong but I feel like they should actually look at the instrument before they send it out to the customers, especially if it's a pre-order that the customer has been waiting on for 6+ months

Sure they look great but at this point I'd rather go with Carvin, Schecter, or Ibanez if I was getting a 7-string.


----------



## AxeHappy

If you're going 8 String or Multi-Scale I think Agile is likely the way to go, unless you can afford to shell out for an 2228 or custom, but other than that, or the cheap Les Paul copies as has been mentioned, I'd avoid them.

You can pick up a used RG7420 or 7620 for less than an Agile and it'll be a vastly superior guitar. 

I'll likely get an 8 string at some point (hopefully a multi-scale, but at the $1000 price point I might just save up for an Oakland Axe Factory guitar) but only if by the time I have the money somebody else hasn't come up with something better at the price point or Kurt hasn't jacked up his prices again.


----------



## Nile

wannabguitarist said:


> Dude, both SixthWheel's and Whiksey Funeral's guitars are definitely sub-par for $700 instruments (mine was similar to Sixthwheel's and there were a couple of other guitars from that run with issues as wheel). No one is expecting a perfect instrument but there is a certain threshold of quality that people want and while Agile/Rondo seems to meet that for a lot of people they also seem to put out quite a few sub-par instruments. Kurt is a great guy to deal with when something goes wrong but I feel like they should actually look at the instrument before they send it out to the customers, especially if it's a pre-order that the customer has been waiting on for 6+ months
> 
> Sure they look great but at this point I'd rather go with Carvin, Schecter, or Ibanez if I was getting a 7-string.


 
I know Kurt doesn't look at every guitar just because of the amount there is, but I think he takes in the orders for his guitars, they get shipped to the warehouse, and then shipped out to the customer from there.
There is less QC to keep the cost down too.
Shit someone here or something should start their own shit like Agile but with better 6 string options and better QC, now that would rule but would never happen.


----------



## Ben.Last

MaxOfMetal said:


> Bar scale legnth and 8-strings, as those are two things Agile offers far more options for, Carvin has a much high quality to value ratio. Heck, they even have a pile of options Agile has never offered, even on Customs. Yeah the Carvin will be a few hundred more, depending on specs of course, but I don't think there's a single doubt that the Carvin would be the superior instrument.
> 
> All that being said, if you're looking for 27"+ scales or 8-strings Agile has you covered better than anyone, from an options stand point at least.



I would absolutely agree with you. I wasn't negating this in what I was saying.


----------



## greyhound

does anyone knows when will the custom shop be opened again.. ???


----------



## Knyas

greyhound said:


> does anyone knows when will the custom shop be opened again.. ???



I'd also like to know this, but I think it's sometime way later in the year.


----------



## greyhound

Knyas said:


> I'd also like to know this, but I think it's sometime way later in the year.



i sent a mail, and he said possibly in the fall.


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3

dont know how to put images so heres a link i abotu creamed myself 

Agile Septor Elite 827 EB DNC Tribal Purple at RondoMusic.com


i need better control of my GAS i just bought a 7 so no money :[


----------



## darren

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!




 Wow! That was awesome.


----------



## space frog

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!




Wow epic faces at the end XD
na seriously, I loooove that!!! what did you use as a recording interface?? plug-ins? axe-fx?


----------



## Mithrandir

Just traded in my COW 7 for this obese beauty 





I can die now a happy man.


----------



## space frog

^congrats it looks great, and trust me it plays great too


----------



## possumkiller

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!





That is amazing. Where do I get your album?


----------



## shaggydogJV

polarizationguitars said:


> I Thought this would be an appropriate place to put this video!!! Its my Agile Septor 828 with Bare Knuckle pickups (Aftermaths). The guitar is just amazing! and the pickups sound and feel great!




HA! So I'm not the only one who uses all my fingers for picking no matter what I'm playing. 

The song is nice too.


----------



## Hyliannightmare

possumkiller said:


> That is amazing. Where do I get your album?


 
this


----------



## VILARIKA

77zark77 said:


> love it !


 
This is the greatest Agile my eyes have laid upon.


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3

Hey guys i was looking at the camo septor 828  does anyoen ahve any pics of the camo that arent stock photos?


----------



## Zei

So, for my graduation present I'm getting a new guitar from my parents. I decided about a year ago my next guitar would be an 8 string, so I've been looking around at the different options and eventually settled that Agile was the best for the price.

Here's where the problem comes: There are 3 different 8-string options available by Rondo Music, the Intrepid, the Septor and the Interceptor. I've ruled out the Interceptor because I don't want a tremolo bar, but the other two... I don't know the differences between them. Does anyone here have any advice on this matter? Moreso the pros and cons of each. I'm looking at them side by side, but it's all going over my head.

Thanks for the help, guys.

EDIT: And would you guys recommend fanned frets or not?


----------



## Winspear

Zei said:


> And would you guys recommend fanned frets or not?



As far as Septor vs Intrepid - not sure, haven't got time to look at the details. 
As far as I know though they are just different body shapes? They will each have their own range of qualities and options. One thing I did notice is Intrepids often don't have a neck pup, so those few models are a no in my opinion (entirely up to you!)

What do you plan to tune to? That will be important in your decision. Thankfully, Agile offer many scale length options. 

Fanned frets are great on a guitar with 7 strings or more. The more strings, the bigger the benefit. If tuning with a high A string for example, you kinda need a 25.5" on the high end to prevent snapping the string, but might want longer on the low end. If tuning with a low string, you don't NEED a short high end, but might want one because the tone is nicer on short scales for the higher strings.
This is the only fanned 8 they offer:
Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB Nat at RondoMusic.com
25.5"-27". Good for tuning BEADGBEA or so. The 27" is sufficient for the standard 8 string tuning F#BEADGBE, and you get to retain the tone of a 25.5" high end. However, no neck pickup, limited to the Cepheus pickup they supply (fanned fret pickups are hard come by).

I would usually say go for fanned frets, but in this case I think you'll benefit more not doing so. You get more scale length options, pickup options etc. And in my opinion if you are tuning to F# or below, go longer than 27" if you can. 

Post back with your tuning and I'll give you my opinion and narrow down the guitars tomorrow.


----------



## Zei

Thanks for the reply, man.

I plan on probably using it in Drop E.

I ask about fanned frets, cause I plan on grabbing a custom when they open next time and noticed that that was an option. I was probably going to get it with the 28.65" scale, as I doubt I'll be going any lower than Drop E. The fanned frets seemed like a good idea since I don't want to sacrifice any tone on the upper strings for such a long scale.

Do you know if I were to get a custom whether or not it would have a neck pup if I got fanned frets?

EDIT: I might be tuning it down a step to EADGCFAD


----------



## Winspear

^ Yup would recommend 28.625" or 30" for that, with an .80 gauge should be fine  On the top end I'd go for as much fan as you can handle.
I don't know what their options for fanning on the customs are. But 28.625"-25.5" / 30"-27" sounds good to me.
I have no idea if they offer neck pickup on the customs or not, sorry


----------



## Reion

Agile Septor Elite 827 EB EMG White at RondoMusic.com







White, Ebony fretboard, 27" scale, 8 strings

Would not mind owning this one! Looks damn good, i'll say


----------



## Baldi




----------



## Edika

Without wanting to necrobump this thread (it's been over a month since the last post), I would like the opinion of some experienced members. I didn't want to start a new thread since this exists and is discussing quality of Agiles. I saw this in the Rondo site today:

Agile Septor Elite 727 DNC EB White at RondoMusic.com

Very attractive guitar with nice specs, hipshot bridge, grover tuners, seymour duncan blackouts, ebony fretboard, 27" scale (or 25.5 for people not wanting baritones), neckthrough with multilaminate. My problem with this guitar is the price. I mean with the same amount of money you get a schecter atx blackjack which has similar specs, the differences being a set neck, a TOM bridge, maybe chunkier neck and the 26.5" scale. Aside from the problems and QC issues one might encounter is a flawless Agile comparable with a Schecter atx in terms of quality? I am sure the cost of the quality components is what is increasing the price, but why should someone choose an Agile elite over a Schecter atx? I am not trying to down play Rondo and Agiles because for other models and the les paul clones the pricing is very good.


----------



## Winspear

^ The price is not the same. ~490 british pounds for the Agile and ~700 for the Schecter.

Being in France your paying import too so counting that yes, it's not far off. For Americans, the Agiles are a great option. Outside the U.S though, I think they are more something to look at if you can't find the specs you want elsewhere - because of the great amount of options they offer  You're paying that extra on the import for the specs you want imo.

I don't know about the Schecter but I'd put the Agile I played right between Ibanez and Ibanez Prestige - and the price (including import) sits right there too. Assuming that Schecter is similar quality to the prestige, no, the Agile isn't quite as good.


----------



## Erick Kroenen

Edika said:


> Without wanting to necrobump this thread (it's been over a month since the last post), I would like the opinion of some experienced members. I didn't want to start a new thread since this exists and is discussing quality of Agiles. I saw this in the Rondo site today:
> 
> Agile Septor Elite 727 DNC EB White at RondoMusic.com
> 
> Very attractive guitar with nice specs, hipshot bridge, grover tuners, seymour duncan blackouts, ebony fretboard, 27" scale (or 25.5 for people not wanting baritones), neckthrough with multilaminate. My problem with this guitar is the price. I mean with the same amount of money you get a schecter atx blackjack which has similar specs, the differences being a set neck, a TOM bridge, maybe chunkier neck and the 26.5" scale. Aside from the problems and QC issues one might encounter is a flawless Agile comparable with a Schecter atx in terms of quality? I am sure the cost of the quality components is what is increasing the price, but why should someone choose an Agile elite over a Schecter atx? I am not trying to down play Rondo and Agiles because for other models and the les paul clones the pricing is very good.



I have to say agiles have problems (not every guitar) i have the 727 eb white etc.. is great! but i must say i had the Jeff Loomis FR and was much better (i sold it coz of the neck to thick for me wrist problems)... 

the agile is just ok for the price if another brand makes the same with better QC i'd buy the other brand for instance schecter with thinner neck's

Just my opinion...


----------



## Eric Christian

My local GC (Beaverton, Oregon) has a used Septor RN 828 Camo. I played it for about 15 minutes and I thought it was pretty decent for the price. I prefer big monster frets and the Septor frets are medium so that was a turn off though. Just like every non-locking guitar though once I started doing some extreme string bending the tuning went all out of wack. In that regard I prefer my RGA8 and RG2228 over this particular model because they simply stay in tune. Also, the neck is almost as thin as my Ibanez guitars as well. Overall I thought it was a great guitar though and I'm still thinking about a buying a Interceptor 828 Black Flame with a Kahler and EMG's.


----------



## Edika

EtherealEntity said:


> ^ The price is not the same. ~490 british pounds for the Agile and ~700 for the Schecter.
> 
> Being in France your paying import too so counting that yes, it's not far off. For Americans, the Agiles are a great option. Outside the U.S though, I think they are more something to look at if you can't find the specs you want elsewhere - because of the great amount of options they offer  You're paying that extra on the import for the specs you want imo.
> 
> I don't know about the Schecter but I'd put the Agile I played right between Ibanez and Ibanez Prestige - and the price (including import) sits right there too. Assuming that Schecter is similar quality to the prestige, no, the Agile isn't quite as good.



In general agiles seem to be nice guitars for what you pay. But this model even though it has nice specs has a similar price tag in the US for the Schecter atx. If you compare prices with Europe and UK then the Schecter seems more expensive but as you said with shipping costs and import tax it comes near the Schecter as you mentioned. For some other models from Rondo, like the multiscales, the 8 strings and some interceptor models it seems to be a decent deal. But this model is just to expensive for the inconsistencies in the QC of Rondo.


----------



## Explorer

The assertion that Rondo sorts through instruments and sends bad ones outside the US seems a little off to me. 

Basically, as the story earlier mentions, the partial refund offer when things aren't up to spec is pretty standard. If someone doesn't take it in the US, he takes back the instrument and sells it as B-stock for the price he offers to the original purchaser. 

A lot of these instruments are pre-purchased with specific specs. If you buy a model in a color with a particular neck style with a particular fretboard, it doesn't seem likely that he has a pile of instruments with that exact same spec to sort through and hand-select. If he did open all the boxes individually when they come in from the shipping container, there wouldnt be all those stories about guitars not even being close to the specs; he'd have caught that. 

From the way my Intrepid came in last Monday, and the markings on the box, the look of the inner packing materials, and so on, I'd say that it hasn't been outside its case and shipping materials since before it was put into that shipping container. 

----

It's entirely fair to not want to buy something from a place which doesn't offer returns. Rondo doesn't offer such outside of the US; that shouldn't be a surprise, as Rondo itself has it posted. 

It also shouldn't be a surprise that Agiles can sometimes be a miss. Prudence would recommend that one do one's own research, and the brand has *always* had its share of stories, both positive and negative. There has been even more discussion regarding whether it's worth buying from Rondo if you're not in the US. 

If you didn't know all this, even though you're an SS.org member... well, it's your choice to search or not. 

I understand that options are limited in certain parts of the world. That's unfortunate.

I understand that I'll never have a multimillion dollar inheritance. That's unfortunate.

But that's just life. I have to make the best choices I can, including deciding if I want to take a chance on something with no returns, just as you all do.

Good luck!


----------



## Reion

That pretty much sums it up right there. There's also the whole thing about how there's inflated reports about negative things, since most people who are happy with their instruments, tend to be too busy playing them to write positive reviews.

I ordered an Agile Intrepid 828 a month ago, and it's awesome. Shipping was fine and no damage, and I live in Norway  As far as I can tell, the quality is well beyond what I'd expect for that price. There's some tiny tiny marks on the back of the guitar next to one of the string ferrules. Needless to say, it doesn't affect sound, nor appearance.
The pickups are great for metulz, installing a coil tap(easy peasy) gave me the glassy cleans i wanted too. Could i ask for more? Sure, I'd like a fanned fretboard, lundgrens, rare awesome looking woods and a custom finish. But not for $650  (the Darkburst model i got, actually dropped to 599 like right after I bought it.. Damn you lady luck!). So yeah, there you have it. At least one clear account of happyness with Rondomusic's instruments. It's solid as hell, and i could probably smack an orc in the chest plate and knock its wind out without damaging it


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Heeeeey People! I've played guitar for a good time and i want to test a eightstring. I've seen that Rondomusic has good offers but i wonder whats the best of these Agile 8strings? 

Greetings From Norway 

Need help buying 8string!


----------



## Reion

MannyMoonjava said:


> Heeeeey People! I've played guitar for a good time and i want to test a eightstring. I've seen that Rondomusic has good offers but i wonder whats the best of these Agile 8strings?
> 
> Greetings From Norway
> 
> Need help buying 8string!




"The best" is a very subjective term when it comes to guitars, as it boils down to taste in most aspects. What kind of specs are you looking for? Do you want a tremolo unit? 1 or 2 pickups? What kind of scale? Neck-thru or bolt on?
Other than that, all of them are of good quality(for the price, and there are definitely lemons now and again). I recently got a 828 myself, and I'm very happy with it.


----------



## Failureinvanity

We use Agiles and they are wonderful guitars!! Failure In Vanity | Facebook


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Reion said:


> "The best" is a very subjective term when it comes to guitars, as it boils down to taste in most aspects. What kind of specs are you looking for? Do you want a tremolo unit? 1 or 2 pickups? What kind of scale? Neck-thru or bolt on?
> Other than that, all of them are of good quality(for the price, and there are definitely lemons now and again). I recently got a 828 myself, and I'm very happy with it.



Im really into the Agile Hornet 825 EB Tribal Red because of the 25.5" scale, tonecontroll and switch between the pickups. But the pickups are unfamiliar to me. Have you (or anyone else here) experienced Cepheus passive pickups?

whats tremolo unit? is it the vib system?


----------



## Psionicist

I thouht the Agile Cepheus passives were fine, as I have an Intrepid. Some people will "need" a pickup upgrade. I just play because I enjoy it, so I have no pressure to have a certain sound that being in a band mght provide. 

Tremolo = unit attached to whammy barthat allows you to do dives without going out of tune.


----------



## Guamskyy

MannyMoonjava said:


> Im really into the Agile Hornet 825 EB Tribal Red because of the 25.5" scale, tonecontroll and switch between the pickups. But the pickups are unfamiliar to me. Have you (or anyone else here) experienced Cepheus passive pickups?
> 
> whats tremolo unit? is it the vib system?



I have a custom agile intrepid 827( 27" instead of 28.625" scale), and I chose cepheus passives. They sound pretty good for stock pickups, not as hot output as I thought but the amount of output is usually directly proportional to the amount of clarity in chords and the low 8th string, which means that to get clarity on low string and chords, you got to sacrifice some "hotness."

Sure, they're pickups that defy my idea, but it's usually the case. I'm keeping these pickups in this guitar and maybe I'll switch the pickups in a future ERG, if I get one.


----------



## space frog

MannyMoonjava said:


> Im really into the Agile Hornet 825 EB Tribal Red because of the 25.5" scale, tonecontroll and switch between the pickups. But the pickups are unfamiliar to me. Have you (or anyone else here) experienced Cepheus passive pickups?
> 
> whats tremolo unit? is it the vib system?



about the cepheus, that might give you a good idea of their potential


----------



## King Crimson

Reading all the horror stories about the RGA8 mid-post bridge pin ripping out worries me.

Any folks here have any good/bad experience to share about the "Agile Intrepid Dual 828 RN" or the "Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB" or the "Agile Septor 828 RN"?

And what's the difference between the RN & EB models?

And whats the deal with the $600 price tag  seems awfully low.

Thanks.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

They're solid instruments, just look at all the happy folks who own them on tgis forum.

The low price comes from the fact they're sold distributor direct so there is no retail mark up.


----------



## King Crimson

Very cool MaxOfMetal.

I just got a email reply from Kurt Zentmaier at Rondo Music. Looks like I'll be ordering the Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB (ebony) and Kurt says they ship out within 2 business day.

I totally f'n jazzed now that I don't need to dish out $2K for a 2228. 

Oh, and what is the tgis forum?

Thanks.


----------



## Winspear

This*


----------



## Ishan

he meant "this" I guess 
edit : burned!!


----------



## King Crimson

EtherealEntity said:


> This*


'this' is a dynamic pointer in C++.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Agile 828s are sick. I have one in my profile pic. Only my top bitch makes it to the profile pic.


----------



## King Crimson

Sweet Konfyouzd - checked out your Agile pic. What a thing of beauty.

I'm failrly certain that I'm going with the "Agile Interceptor 825 EB DOT Black Flame" - it just has DAVID written all over it.


----------



## Konfyouzd

^ I want an Inteceptor 8 too, but I'm worried about whether or not I'll like Kahler trems...


----------



## Poparad

space frog said:


> about the cepheus, that might give you a good idea of their potential





What software did you use to do the split screen video stuff?


----------



## space frog

^sony vegas pro


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Im new with 8strings and wondered about: what is this 27"etc. scale everyone keeps fuzzing about?
found this beauty at rondo Agile Interceptor 830 RN Nat Satin at RondoMusic.com 
it says it has 30" but i've got noooo idea of what this means.. HEEEEEEELP


----------



## Zei

MannyMoonjava said:


> Im new with 8strings and wondered about: what is this 27"etc. scale everyone keeps fuzzing about?
> found this beauty at rondo Agile Interceptor 830 RN Nat Satin at RondoMusic.com
> it says it has 30" but i've got noooo idea of what this means.. HEEEEEEELP



It's the length of the neck. People like longer necks to compensate for the added tension of the thicker strings, so as not to lose any tone.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Zei said:


> It's the length of the neck. People like longer necks to compensate for the added tension of the thicker strings, so as not to lose any tone.



aha so that makes gives the guitar longer frets? or something..
i've got a fernandes with 24 frets.
Does the Interceptor 830 have 30 frets then?


----------



## Zei

MannyMoonjava said:


> aha so that makes gives the guitar longer frets? or something..
> i've got a fernandes with 24 frets.
> Does the Interceptor 830 have 30 frets then?


Doubt it. I'm not an expert, but I can imagine that the longer the scale, the bigger the frets. That should be something easy to look up though.


----------



## thedrummerkid

It has the same number of frets (24). With the longer scale, the notes are stretched out and the frets have to be placed to match.


----------



## AntiTankDog

The trem can be locked, so you don't have to deal with it if you don't want to.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Then I'm better off w/ my intrepid at that point.


----------



## space frog

MannyMoonjava said:


> aha so that makes gives the guitar longer frets? or something..
> i've got a fernandes with 24 frets.
> Does the Interceptor 830 have 30 frets then?



no, still 24 frets but they are wider. If you have small hands, try to get a Interceptor 827, cuz the scale will be 3 inches smaller.


----------



## gr8Har V

is an 830 necessary for a low F tuning (F-Bb-Eb, etc.)?? cuz theres no way the higher strings can sound good on a 30" scale for chords or bending. and 30 would be quite an adjustment for me. could i get away with that tuning on an 828?


----------



## Explorer

gr8Har V said:


> is an 830 necessary for a low F tuning (F-Bb-Eb, etc.)?? cuz theres no way the higher strings can sound good on a 30" scale for chords or bending. and 30 would be quite an adjustment for me. could i get away with that tuning on an 828?



Are you talking about F1, almost an octave below the low E2 on six-string? 

If so, it is definitely possible to get down to even E1 at 25.5", and even lower. 

There are numerous posts and topics about doing calculations and determining the correct string gauges for various tensions, scale lengths and tunings. I'm sure if you are curious, you'll easily find the information, so I'll not repost it all again. 

Good luck!


----------



## space frog

You can get that not with any scale, but you need different sting gauges depending on the scale. As Explorer stated here, you might want to go in other specified threads as the String tension thread or maybe even the Tuning thread to get some more info.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Anyone know anything about the Agile Intrepid Dual 828 MN Oceanburst. How do it play? No string-lock, how is the tuning doing? She's a beauty and i need her to deliver the goods!


----------



## Explorer

MannyMoonjava said:


> Anyone know anything about the Agile Intrepid Dual 828 MN Oceanburst. How do it play?



Yes, many people know about the Agile Intrepid Dual 828 model. 

There has been a lot written about it here on SS.org. I'm a little surprised you haven't found anything. 

Let me Google that for you.

Happy reading!


----------



## space frog

There's a vid of me playing one just on the last page if it might help you out. It's the exact same guitar youre talking about, but in Natural finish.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

space frog said:


> There's a vid of me playing one just on the last page if it might help you out. It's the exact same guitar youre talking about, but in Natural finish.



nice!


----------



## notasian

i see alot of agiles that say, "Designed based on specs requested by our customers"
.......can i just tell them to make something and theyll produce it??  that would be awsome, 
my idea-8 string multiscale 27-25.5, neck through, dual angled active pups, kalher trem, 

lol i doubt it but everyone can dream right?


----------



## space frog

^mmh it's not the first time I see ppl asking for a 25.5 - 27 multiscale guitar, so it might happen in a few production lines... e-mail kurt at rondo about it, and suggest that! its the best way to get your propositions somewhere they can become reality.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

I still dont get it!? Whats the point in longer scale? the 30" is ENORMOUS!


----------



## space frog

30" is for outrageously low tunings


----------



## Bigfan

space frog said:


> 30" is for outrageously low tunings



I like 30" scales for B standard.


----------



## Guamskyy

Bigfan said:


> I like 30" scales for B standard.


----------



## space frog

Bigfan said:


> I like 30" scales for B standard.



yea of course but if you wanna go very low, you're better off with a 30" scale than with a 25" scale IMO


----------



## sell2792

This is pretty much perfect, except the 30" inch scale. If they make a fanned version (25-27 inch) of these and I'll sell all my gear to have one.


----------



## Guamskyy

Agile Hornet Pro 830 Black PCEB FX at RondoMusic.com

Only a man with the brutality of a monster can wield this beast.


----------



## Captain Axx

Agile Hornet Pro 830 Black PCEB FX at RondoMusic.com

don't know if anyone else has seen this, but i prefer this one because of the scale, the other hornet is a bit too short for me.

still would love a agile ghost 8 string though...


----------



## metal_sam14

first thing that comes to mind:

NECK DIVE

other than that, looks sweet!


----------



## 13point9

'NO CASES currently available'

also neck dive and as i have the 25.5" hornet 7 and knowing how big they are thats going to be one unruly beast to get to grips with


----------



## Meshugger

"USA made EMG 707 pickups" --oops 

Still though, someone buy the thing and put it on youtube! I seriously want to see it in action.


----------



## thatguy5557123

Captain Axx said:


> Agile Hornet Pro 830 Black PCEB FX at RondoMusic.com
> 
> don't know if anyone else has seen this, but i prefer this one because of the scale, the other hornet is a bit too short for me.
> 
> still would love a agile ghost 8 string though...


 
Ghost 8 would be the definition of Win


----------



## NeoG

As cool as it seems, this screams neck dive for sure. And yeah it would be good to see some 8 string ghost. even on the semi custom options would be cool.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

That upper fret access.....


----------



## johnythehero

^ What upper fret access?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Yeah, I should have said "lack there of".


----------



## sell2792

I don't see anything over a seven string in the V shape being too practical, and even then it seems like it'd be hard to manage the higher fret access and neck dive.


----------



## noob_pwn

that looks to me, like a terrible idea!


----------



## celticelk

sell2792 said:


> I don't see anything over a seven string in the V shape being too practical, and even then it seems like it'd be hard to manage the higher fret access and neck dive.



Lap steel?


----------



## ra1der2

Agile Hornet Pro 830 Black PCEB FX at RondoMusic.com

Neck dive capital of the World? Quite possibly  Also no sitting down comfortably with that beastie, but still I like it lol.

30" scale, ebony board, says emg707 but I am guessing it's 808's has anyone clarified this with Kurt cuz it shows passives yet says emg's?


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3

You do realize there is a Agile 8 string thread for this stuff? I was excited to see a NGD for one of these then opened and saw alink. 

There is a thread for this and yeah it looks awesome ^_^


----------



## space frog

^this is the Agile 8 string thread it has just been renamed to ERG.


----------



## Zei

space frog said:


> ^this is the Agile 8 string thread it has just been renamed to ERG.



Thread merges are a bitch, ain't they?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

You all need to appreciate Darren more


----------



## Explorer

I appreciate Darren very much. I found this forum when I started searching on Google for something beyond the 7-strings I had run across since the '90s. I watched the first two Intrepid shipments come in before I ordered one, and was very pleased with it. 

Darren's drive to make the Intrepid happen affected many people, and this forum is the better for it.


----------



## Zei

Darren..?
Sorry, I am pretty new-ish...


----------



## Explorer

Read the thread you're in from the beginning if you want to know.


----------



## Zei

Explorer said:


> Read the thread you're in from the beginning if you want to know.



Ah thank you. I read it awhile ago, but forgot the name.

Though, Stealthtastic, why do you say we need to appreciate him more? You mean we should post HERE rather than make an Agile related thread? If so, I agree... but I also didn't notice this thread until AFTER I had posted my Agile related thread.


----------



## Element77

Hi all.

I was wondering if anyone has the Intrepid Pro in a Oceanburst finish? I really,really like the way it looks... But on closer inspection, a lot of the pictures I've seen, it seems as if the burst paint spray was blocked by the neck while it was being done, or that's usually how it is, but it's normally hidden by the neck pick-up. Not a flame-bait, but I feel for the price, that paint work would not be acceptable.

I'm a lefty, so it's slim-pickens for me, ecspecially in the extended range department. And I would just like some opinions, that's all.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

how is the USA Made EMG 808 active pickups? I want the Agile Interceptor Pro 830 EB Blue Flame DOT!!


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Element77 said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone has the Intrepid Pro in a Oceanburst finish? I really,really like the way it looks... But on closer inspection, a lot of the pictures I've seen, it seems as if the burst paint spray was blocked by the neck while it was being done, or that's usually how it is, but it's normally hidden by the neck pick-up. Not a flame-bait, but I feel for the price, that paint work would not be acceptable.
> 
> I'm a lefty, so it's slim-pickens for me, ecspecially in the extended range department. And I would just like some opinions, that's all.



You could ask this dude



But yeah, highfive for oceanburst on mahogany, shit's glorious.


----------



## sell2792

Dat 830 with the Kahler in oceanburst.


----------



## TheOrangeChannel

To either sperzels or the grover locking machines?


----------



## nostealbucket

If you do sperzel locking tuners, they can't fit a string any higher than something in the mid .060's. I tried to put a .068 on my 7 with sperzels, and it couldn't even fit through the hole in the tuner. So, I suggest grovers.


----------



## TheOrangeChannel

nostealbucket said:


> If you do sperzel locking tuners, they can't fit a string any higher than something in the mid .060's. I tried to put a .068 on my 7 with sperzels, and it couldn't even fit through the hole in the tuner. So, I suggest grovers.



Yeah I figured that on account of some of those sperzels needing modding or unwinding the doubles to fit it thru the hole...not to mention the grovers'd retrofit it. Thanks dude!


----------



## eegor

I put Hipshot locking tuners on mine and A) they were a direct fit, and B) they fit all the way up to .080, although a little snug.


----------



## TheOrangeChannel

eegor said:


> I put Hipshot locking tuners on mine and A) they were a direct fit, and B) they fit all the way up to .080, although a little snug.



Even better! Those keys are awesome actually...nice tactile feel too. As an aside is the hipshot bridge a direct retrofit on these (anybody know?). I'm currently a 6 and 7 player (suhr's and ibby 1527's) that wants to get my low F# on...kinda funny I haven't posted here since like '05 but this'd be the best resource on this stuff. To boot I've been waffling on the RGA8 and the Agile, I'm thinking the ash and maple would be great for the lower tunings (my main 7 is a 1527M and it blows my rosewood boarded 1527 away)... and then the horror stories about the rga's bridge anchor is pushing me towards the Agile...


----------



## space frog

^Get an Agile. The Intrepid Dual Pro is amazing. I own one and it is worth every penny.


----------



## Konfyouzd

gr8Har V said:


> is an 830 necessary for a low F tuning (F-Bb-Eb, etc.)?? cuz theres no way the higher strings can sound good on a 30" scale for chords or bending. and 30 would be quite an adjustment for me. could i get away with that tuning on an 828?


no


space frog said:


> ^Get an Agile. The Intrepid Dual Pro is amazing. I own one and it is worth every penny.



agreed 100%

i'm in love w/ mine. especially now that my dimarzios came in.


----------



## Explorer

Konfyouzd, since I already answered "yes" to gr8Har V immediately after his post a few pages ago, and gave a few details, I'm assuming your "no" is negating needing an 830 to get to low F, right?


----------



## MetalBuddah

Got my Agile on friday and there is no turning back! I am now an 8 string player and my 828 pro is the best guitar I have laid hands on


----------



## nightflameauto

ra1der2 said:


> Agile Hornet Pro 830 Black PCEB FX at RondoMusic.com
> 
> Neck dive capital of the World? Quite possibly  Also no sitting down comfortably with that beastie, but still I like it lol.
> 
> 30" scale, ebony board, says emg707 but I am guessing it's 808's has anyone clarified this with Kurt cuz it shows passives yet says emg's?



I'd have to ask why no sitting down with it? I have a Hornet 825 and it's about the most comfortable sitting guitar I have. Or at least it is now that I have an angle ended cord for it. And it's surprisingly balanced. I'd imagine the 30 would have a touch more head-heaviness, but nothing a counterweight on the strap or in the control cavity couldn't fix.

Honestly, I'm pretty tempted. I love my 825 and would like to doubletrack with the 830 on the other side. One bolt 25.5 and one set neck 30 would probably have some interesting tonal differences.

Also, the pickups look like Cepheus to me. I'm guessing they copied the 7 string hornet description and forgot to change the pickup type.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Whats the "best" pickups for 8string guitars? 
I think im going to buy the Agile Interceptor Pro 830 EB Blue Flame DOT, but I've heard that the EMG active pickups suck.. (?)


----------



## Opion

There are no "best" pickups for any guitar in theory - it's all about preference, what kind of sound you're going for.

If you're looking at actives, some people like EMGs - some prefer Duncan Blackouts. Passive wise, I hear the new Dimarzio D-Activator 8 sounds very nice - at half the price of Bare Knuckles. I personally love the shit out of BKP's, they're everything I want in a pickup and more, they just cost twice as much as regular pups. IMO, however, they're worth every penny.


----------



## space frog

^That's what I think of BKP's too, but after hearing the D-Activator 8's, I'm almost GASing... really the sound is incredible. Even the lowest strings sound absolutely clear with the neck pup. Eargasm guaranteed.


----------



## sell2792

Kurt confirmed with me today via email that more multiscales are coming very soon, but didn't answer any questions about specs. He also ignored my question regarding the possibilities of headless Agiles.

Still
 I'm stoked for multiscales.


----------



## Reion

Pashow, just ordered a DiMarzio D-Activator 8 for my Intrepid. Went for only bridge, even though I'd prefer to get a set. Blasted bills dug out a larger chunk of my paycheck than I thought. Maybe I'll come closer to getting the low end more defined now


----------



## electricred

How does the Agile Intrepid 830 quality compare to Ibanez RGA8? I own an RGA8 with EMG 808X pickups, and I'm shopping for something with a 30" scale length. I was originally planning on getting a Strictly 7 custom, but Rondo Music's latest email has a gorgeous Intrepid 830 Ghostburst that I could grab and slap in some Deactivator 8s for less than a grand. It could be a better decision to get a production model to be certain I can handle the extended scale length before commissioning a custom shop, but if the Intrepids aren't much higher quality than the RGA8, then I'm not going to bother. I'm looking for an upgrade and longer scale length, not crossgrade to something of equal or worse quality.


----------



## Reion

New Rondo Music Items

Kurt posted some new 8 and 9 strings today(plus an imho delicious looking strat, but thats besides the point)

I have to say some of the new stuff looks pretty good, liking the trans black finish, also liking the intrepid pro with darkburst, looks very tasty!

Some interesting models with Kahlers, and 9 strings with 27 inch scale. Makes me seriously consider trying one out with some Octave4Plus strings for that mythical high A I hear people talking about. Certainly the most affordable 9 strings with those specs i've ever seen, ha


----------



## space frog

Agile Interceptor Pro 930 EB Tribal Purple at RondoMusic.com


----------



## NeoG

Those new Intrepids 830 transblack have a very meshuggah look. Which is awesome by me!


----------



## JonnHatch

What is the width of the nut on the Intrepid in millimeters, from end to end? also, what is the string spacing in mm?


----------



## electricred

NeoG said:


> Those new Intrepids 830 transblack have a very meshuggah look. Which is awesome by me!


Yeah, it does. I'm having a hard time not grabbing it soon. I sold the RGA8 to a forum member, and now I'm either going to get an Agile 830 or a custom Strictly 7. I'm having trouble deciding.


----------



## NeoG

i own an intrepid 830 and i have an order with jim too. The intrepid is very good for price you pay imo. While those transblack 830 look totally killer, Id honestly advise to go with Strictly 7 if you have the extra money and patience. Plus jim is really cool to work with. Has very good communication and always seems in a good mood.


----------



## espman

57.15mm at the nut, no idea on the string spacing though.


----------



## electricred

Yeah, Jim's been talking with me for about a month and he seems like a good dude. Honestly, a custom 8 through S7 with similar specs isn't much greater than the Intrepid 830 and high-end pickup swap would cost. The wait time is going to be murder though, but it's much more reasonable than other shops. I need something that's an upgrade from the RGA8, which was fine, but I worry Agile would be about the same quality.


----------



## Guamskyy

The string spacing from e to E is about 53 mm.


----------



## demigod

is that from high e to dropped E(below regular E)?


----------



## Guamskyy

demigod said:


> is that from high e to dropped E(below regular E)?



No, just e to the 6th string E.


----------



## demigod

Where on the neck is string spacing measured? At the 12th fret or headstock?


----------



## FarBeyondMetal

Quick question: can you use a standard amp to play a 9 string guitar (since the 8th and 9th string are 2 bass strings)?


----------



## JamesM

Yep.


----------



## MannyMoonjava

I've ordered the Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Tribal Green Q today!!
I'll se it around about 2-3 weeks, since i live in norway!


----------



## space frog

congrats!


----------



## VILARIKA

Do you guys think the Agile Pendulum Pro Dual 82527 EB Nat will ever return? I would love to own one...


----------



## Explorer

Most likely it will return.

Rondo gets at least two shipments a year. I think the next one will come in around December, so that's how long you'll have to wait. 

Don't feel bad, though. I'm waiting to order a semi-custom 9-string at the same time, so you're not the only one being forced to be patient. *laugh*


----------



## VILARIKA

Hey it's not so bad right, only gotta wait half a year? .... 

Anyways, what are your specs so far for the semi custom 9?


----------



## space frog

waiting for a 9 string semi custom... god... that is tempting


----------



## Explorer

VILARIKA said:


> Anyways, what are your specs so far for the semi custom 9?



The specs will be the same as what has worked for me so far, but adding one more string:

25.5" scale length
Ebony fretboard
Neck through
Natural finish
Active pickups

I figure, if the actives are up to EMG snuff, I can slap a pair of wider EMG bass pickups in. I started a thread asking about their suitability a while ago, with this possible upgrade route in mind. 

I've been very happy working at 25.5", and three of my four 8-strings are 25.5". I've been working bass guitar a bit more, and am now open to the idea of having a low B0 beneath my low E1. I've gone that low before when I had two eight strings tuned in full fifths, but ultimately came back to low E tuning (E1-A1-D2-G2-C3-F3-A3-D4) because it preserved the chord shapes and habits I've spent more than 30 years learning. Since one of the full-fifth guitars was 25.5", and had a working Bb0, going a half-step higher to B0 shouldn't be a problem.


----------



## space frog

do you think 25.5-27" multiscale would be possible for a semi custom order?


----------



## VILARIKA

Explorer said:


> The specs will be the same as what has worked for me so far, but adding one more string:
> 
> 25.5" scale length
> Ebony fretboard
> Neck through
> Natural finish
> Active pickups
> 
> I figure, if the actives are up to EMG snuff, I can slap a pair of wider EMG bass pickups in. I started a thread asking about their suitability a while ago, with this possible upgrade route in mind.
> 
> I've been very happy working at 25.5", and three of my four 8-strings are 25.5". I've been working bass guitar a bit more, and am now open to the idea of having a low B0 beneath my low E1. I've gone that low before when I had two eight strings tuned in full fifths, but ultimately came back to low E tuning (E1-A1-D2-G2-C3-F3-A3-D4) because it preserved the chord shapes and habits I've spent more than 30 years learning. Since one of the full-fifth guitars was 25.5", and had a working Bb0, going a half-step higher to B0 shouldn't be a problem.


 

Simplicity towards specs. Always works, never fails! And I find more people going towards shorter scales lately with ERG customs... It seems like the odd thing to do on an ERG imo, but I find it more comfortable and better sounding. Interesting tuning also, it's like incorporating the old with the new!


----------



## Explorer

I was thinking about the longer scale lengths, and about how I use instruments of that sort, and I think I'm going to investigate the difference in string spacing between my now fallow Intrepid Pro 828 and my four-string 34" fretless bass. I love fretless, and only use it as a bass, but I've been doing a lot more with my fretless Agile LP 6-string. 

If the string spacing can come close to the basses I find specifically usable for bass technique, I might convert the 828 to an 8-string ERB, simultaneously having the frets removed and the fret slots filled. Hmm... I'd also have to go for a more bass-oriented preamp, but I think Artec sells something with stacked knobs which I can drop in, using only the three existing holes... or not, since they don't have a stacked volume/blend pot. I'd need a mids knob to control the "mwah" of the fretless.

I was thinking of selling this, but if it costs less than $200 to do, that could be well worth it....


----------



## sh4z

Do you guys think rondomusic will make a 28.x" scale production agile 7 string?

Considering they have made them in 30" before... not sure why there isn't some 28.8" / 28.6"? already!


----------



## WesleyG

So I am just now starting to take interest into these 8 strings (and am also new to this site, hello all!) I'm all self taught so, I guess I'll just see how it goes. Agile definitely seems to be the way to go, I'm just not looking to drop a heck of a lot. The only thing that is deterring me from the lower end models is the bolt on neck. For a guitar of this size I would think that the bolt on neck might affect sustain or something along those lines, plus I just like the way set/thru necks look. Any feedback?


----------



## Bigfan

WesleyG said:


> *For a guitar of this size I would think that the bolt on neck might affect sustain* Any feedback?



Depends on how many days you want it to sustain. I can assure you sustain won't be an issue, as long as you're not a member of Sunn O))).


----------



## somniumaeternum

hey guys.. I'm really thinking my current "dream" guitar is the agile pendulum pro dual. I'm wondering, have there been any made in the Ocrean burst color??

I basically just want to know if I could actually potentially find one used or trade or if I'm better off just convincing rondo to make me a custom one. I know the pendulum pro duals now appear to not be availble any more. 

This color is just pure hotness:
Agile Septor 827 RN Ocrean Burst at RondoMusic.com


----------



## vampiregenocide

Is that supposed to be ocean burst?


----------



## JamesM

Typo.


No, the only Pendulums I've seen are Natural, black and quilted red maple.


----------



## Guamskyy




----------



## JamesM

It's not that funny.  That typo has been popping up on Rondo for about two years now.


----------



## somniumaeternum

Good to know actually.. cause at first I thought it was a typo and when I re-read it I figured what the hell.. they can name it whatever they want. (Side note: Fixed the title at least)

Thanks for the color confirmation Armada. Now I won't have to look for one


----------



## Rotten Deadite

The Armada said:


> Typo.



Crazy-ass people all cuba divin' in the middle of the damn okean. You ain't never gonna catch me cuba divin' in the damn middle of the damn okean.

I been norkelin', though. 'Yall ever been norkelin'?


----------



## MannyMoonjava

Just got my Agile Interceptor Pro! Very easy to play, soft and smooth neck! 
I cant complain about the EMG 808 pickups..
Very thick and spicy sound on clean. ;P

But with my Line 6 on red Metal the Bb and F string is a little muddy in the sound, all the other strings; Perfect.


----------



## Infamous Impact

Rotten Deadite said:


> Crazy-ass people all cuba divin' in the middle of the damn okean. You ain't never gonna catch me cuba divin' in the damn middle of the damn okean.
> 
> I been norkelin', though. 'Yall ever been norkelin'?


 I saw that a while ago, don't remember who it was...
Anyways, DAT FINISH!


----------



## space frog

MannyMoonjava said:


> Just got my Agile Interceptor Pro! Very easy to play, soft and smooth neck!
> I cant complain about the EMG 808 pickups..
> Very thick and spicy sound on clean. ;P
> 
> But with my Line 6 on red Metal the Bb and F string is a little muddy in the sound, all the other strings; Perfect.



you might wanna check if their intonation is set properly. It's a common bug with the Kahler iirc.


----------



## Guamskyy

Once Kurt opens up the custom shop again, I want my next 8 string to be exactly like this, just left handed :

Agile Septor 828 RN Tribal Red at RondoMusic.com

Dat finish and headstock


----------



## ma5h

Hi guys, just bought a used Interceptor 827. Specs: exactly same as the website except Schaller locking tuners, missing nut locks. the previous owner is a guitar-tech in training, so this thing is pretty well taken care of. It shows signs of use; however it feels like its at that point where a guitar is broken in enough to be comfortable but not too old. I m liking it so far. 
The neck is a bit chunkier than Ibanez necks in general, but nothing significant. the body is (according to Rondo) "light" mahogany, which is funny because it weighs as much as a medium sized dog or child...or my legs.
the bridge, is an unnecessary and useless thing (for me). I m not a a big term user; therefore having a complicated bridge is pointless. Its currently locked and will hopefully stay that way forever. 
The pickups - I must say, the Cepheus' sound great and as Dendroaspis stated in his Agile/Ibanez comparison/review, it looks and sounds a lot like an M8. I have a set of Dimarzio D-activator 8s at home and have been considering putting them in; however having played the Cepheus', I m having second tought....maybe just the bridge?...anyway, I m attaching some early pics, will most more once pickup change has been completed. I will also try to post clips with both Cepheus and D-activators. until then, happy djent/chug.


----------



## space frog

Congrats! Looks great!


----------



## Explorer

If the semi-custom Septors had the option of a 4+4 or 4+5 headstock, instead of all inline tuners, I'd have made my last guitar a Septor instead of an Intrepid, as well as my next one.

+1 on not needing a complicated bridge, and unfortunately the Intrepid is the only Agile ERG which combines my favorite headstock with my favorite bridge....


----------



## ma5h

Having played my interceptor for the last couple of days, I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts on potentially replacing the Kahler term with a hipshot. I ve played Schecter 8s with Hipshots and they felt great. straightforward and works well. The Kahler isn't giving me any trouble yet, but I m just wondering if this is possible without too much hassle and if anyone has tried this ?


----------



## ma5h

Explorer said:


> If the semi-custom Septors had the option of a 4+4 or 4+5 headstock, instead of all inline tuners, I'd have made my last guitar a Septor instead of an Intrepid, as well as my next one.
> 
> +1 on not needing a complicated bridge, and unfortunately the Intrepid is the only Agile ERG which combines my favorite headstock with my favorite bridge....



I hear ya! I really like the Septors too, a few dudes I know here have them and I completely agree, a 4+4 or 4+5 headstock with hipshot bridges would make life sweet. Next batch of custom Interceptors maybe? 
I m seriously considering the Hipshot switch though. Eventually when I have some time, I d definitely like to get rid of the Kahler and put in a .125 Hipshot, in fact based on personal experience and some information I ve obtained, the string angle at the saddle on the kahler is rubbish, its almost straight. A sharper angle should in theory create a cleaner break on the string, thus increasing tension/improving tone etc. Although, my most trusted and knowledgeable source of all things guitar has told me that this issue can be dealt with my changing the neck angle, thus making the string break more at the saddle without sacrificing comfortable string height/action. So much to consider!!


----------



## ma5h

So I did this as a test of the Interceptor 827. It has stock Cepheus pickups, which I mentioned earlier, sound pretty good. I used my usual Line6 X3live patches on it. Going to put Dimarzio D-activators in soon, will have another video up as soon as its done.
The playing isn't too fancy or clean, but hey. 

&#x202a;mash- Green Horn (Agile Interceptor 827 test)&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube

Hope you like it


----------



## brokenstr1ngs

ma5h said:


> So I did this as a test of the Interceptor 827. It has stock Cepheus pickups, which I mentioned earlier, sound pretty good. I used my usual Line6 X3live patches on it. Going to put Dimarzio D-activators in soon, will have another video up as soon as its done.
> The playing isn't too fancy or clean, but hey.
> 
> &#x202a;mash- Green Horn (Agile Interceptor 827 test)&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube
> 
> Hope you like it



Cool stuff dude! Enjoyed the slapping part with ambient chords over top...


----------



## space frog

ma5h said:


> So I did this as a test of the Interceptor 827. It has stock Cepheus pickups, which I mentioned earlier, sound pretty good. I used my usual Line6 X3live patches on it. Going to put Dimarzio D-activators in soon, will have another video up as soon as its done.
> The playing isn't too fancy or clean, but hey.
> 
> &#x202a;mash- Green Horn (Agile Interceptor 827 test)&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube
> 
> Hope you like it





tasty


----------



## F0rte

Hey everyone,

I've recently been looking into buying an 8 string guitar and a friend of mine showed me RondoMusic.

I was contacted by the guitarist of Scale the Summit about an 8 string guitar and I asked him what her preferred which would be the extra high string which isn't what im looking for.
I'm mainly looking to get an 8 string to do some AAL covers and then begin writing my own music.
So, if you could recommend one 8 string guitar to me for playing music like AAL what would it be? (From Rondomusic without a Floyd Rose)
What modifications would you make on the guitar when you got it as well?

I appreciate all feedback! Thanks


----------



## Konfyouzd

If an Agile is what you want any of them will do what you ask...


----------



## pathos45

im rockin a intrepid 828 with single pickup that i replaced with a dimarzio dactivator 8 and the guitar fuckin slays. The scale is long enough for you to drop down to e with a .74+ right now im rockin a .68 in standard f#,b,e,a,d,g,b,e and its pretty good would rather a bit more tension but def the intrepids and septors can do the AAL's stuff.


----------



## F0rte

Konfyouzd said:


> If an Agile is what you want any of them will do what you ask...



Well yes, I know that.
But having a guitar with a 30 scale wouldn't be the best for that kind of music I would think.


----------



## Bigfan

LolWotGuitar said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> 
> So, if you could recommend one 8 string guitar to me for playing music like AAL what would it be? (From Rondomusic without a Floyd Rose)



Agile doesn't even make eightstrings with floyds. 

Are you comfortable with extended scale lengths? If so I'd go for the 28.625" scale option. Do you like actives or passives? bolt-on or neck-through?


----------



## pathos45

Bigfan said:


> Agile doesn't even make eightstrings with floyds.
> 
> Are you comfortable with extended scale lengths? If so I'd go for the 28.625" scale option. Do you like actives or passives? bolt-on or neck-through?


 
the higher end ones have the kahler trem.


----------



## Daken1134

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/guitars-sale-trade-wanted/165390-ft-feeler-intrepid-pro-828-w-neck-pu.html

things sounds amazing just dont use it cause ive got an rg2228


----------



## F0rte

Bigfan said:


> Agile doesn't even make eightstrings with floyds.
> 
> Are you comfortable with extended scale lengths? If so I'd go for the 28.625" scale option. Do you like actives or passives? bolt-on or neck-through?



I'm too used to floyd's so I just say that because not many guitars use different trems.
And I would prefer a neck-through.
I also would prefer Passives but actives are alright.
I probably will end up switching pickups anyway, so that doesn't really matter.

EDIT: I'd probably be able to work with extended scale lengths as well after practicing enough.
A friend of mine had a 30 which was fucking giant haha. It might take some practice but i'd get used to it i'm sure.


----------



## Daken1134

if you are interested in mine i can sweeten the pot, im going to see AAL this friday and ima get the backplate signed by everyone


----------



## F0rte

Daken1134 said:


> if you are interested in mine i can sweeten the pot, im going to see AAL this friday and ima get the backplate signed by everyone



Hmm, not quite sure.
I'll have to think about it mate and plus it's out of state stuff which I haven't dealt with much.

But ill see man.

Keep the ideas coming everyone!


----------



## baptizedinblood

Honestly bud, the guitar won't make-or-break the genre/style of music. The music will come from your creativity, and skill as a musician overall. With that being said, your best bet would be to find an 8 string that you can play _comfortably_, while also agreeing with the hardware portion of it (scale length, pickups, etc.). If you don't mind me asking, what's your budget that you're willing to spend on an 8 string? If it's about 1000$ tops, it seems as if Agile guitars would be a great choice for what you are after. If you'd prefer another guitar, take a look at the Ibanez RGA8. I'm personally not much of a Shecter fan, but I've heard good things about their 8 strings as well.


----------



## Santuzzo

A question to those of you who have an Agile 8-string with a Kahler:
How well does the Kahler work? Does the guitar stay in tune well?
And what scale length do you have on your Kahler equipped 8-string?

Thanks,
Lars


----------



## ma5h

Santuzzo said:


> A question to those of you who have an Agile 8-string with a Kahler:
> How well does the Kahler work? Does the guitar stay in tune well?
> And what scale length do you have on your Kahler equipped 8-string?
> 
> Thanks,
> Lars



If you lock it properly and everything is tightened well it works fine. Mine is 27" scale.
The Kahler has a whole bunch of adjustable options, which is a novel idea, but on an 8 string it seems really unnecessary (IMHO). More adjustable options also mean more things that can go wrong and more things that need to be considered when working on it. I personally have mine locked and don't plan on unlocking it...unless i m bored and really want to cause myself some stress. If there is a way, maybe sometime in the future I might get it routed to house a hipshot.

Also, one of the fellow jedi master posters did some nice mods to his Interceptor with a Kahler. Turns out the string break angle at the saddle isn't enough for a strident tone, especially for the low F#. I cant seem to find the thread, but please search for it and read up. I m looking to make this modification myself, will keep you posted. 

Other than that Kahlers work fine, but Hipshot wins.


----------



## Santuzzo

ma5h said:


> If you lock it properly and everything is tightened well it works fine. Mine is 27" scale.
> The Kahler has a whole bunch of adjustable options, which is a novel idea, but on an 8 string it seems really unnecessary (IMHO). More adjustable options also mean more things that can go wrong and more things that need to be considered when working on it. I personally have mine locked and don't plan on unlocking it...unless i m bored and really want to cause myself some stress. If there is a way, maybe sometime in the future I might get it routed to house a hipshot.
> 
> Also, one of the fellow jedi master posters did some nice mods to his Interceptor with a Kahler. Turns out the string break angle at the saddle isn't enough for a strident tone, especially for the low F#. I cant seem to find the thread, but please search for it and read up. I m looking to make this modification myself, will keep you posted.
> 
> Other than that Kahlers work fine, but Hipshot wins.



Thank you very much.
I have one intrepid, and it has no trem, because I thought I really don't need a trem on an 8 string. But now I see those nice Septors, and some of them have the Kahler, I was wondering, why not?!
Not sure, though, if I'd ever use it that much if I got a Kahler.


----------



## robostomo1

LolWotGuitar said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I've recently been looking into buying an 8 string guitar and a friend of mine showed me RondoMusic.
> 
> I was contacted by the guitarist of Scale the Summit about an 8 string guitar and I asked him what her preferred which would be the extra high string which isn't what im looking for.
> I'm mainly looking to get an 8 string to do some AAL covers and then begin writing my own music.
> So, if you could recommend one 8 string guitar to me for playing music like AAL what would it be? (From Rondomusic without a Floyd Rose)
> What modifications would you make on the guitar when you got it as well?
> 
> I appreciate all feedback! Thanks




i have an intrepid 828 dual with a maple board and ocean burst, which i got for roughly 600$ and it handles the job stock, so something along the lines of this Agile Intrepid Dual 828 MN Darkburst at RondoMusic.com should do


----------



## Hollowway

Santuzzo said:


> A question to those of you who have an Agile 8-string with a Kahler:
> How well does the Kahler work? Does the guitar stay in tune well?
> And what scale length do you have on your Kahler equipped 8-string?
> 
> Thanks,
> Lars



Yeah, the Kahler's seem to stay in tune well (I have a 27" 8 string and a 27.5" 8 string). But one thing I noticed is that the thicker the string, the less you need to press the trem arm to get it to go slack. It's the nature of the cam, and how the string goes over it. A thinner string will pass pretty much right over the cam, so that pressing the bar moves the saddle closer to the nut by a tiny bit, but the cam itself doesn't really get involved. It only moves in a horizontal vector. So even with the bar pushed to the body of the guitar the pitch only drops 1.5 steps. On the other hand, the .072 on the F# is so thick that the string has to go up and over the cam (i.e. the core of the string is higher at the cam than at the saddle). So when the arm is pressed the saddle not only comes forward but it raises as well and comes up to the level of the string on the top of the cam. So then you have the vertical vector added in. What that means in practicality is that pressing the bar less than an inch causes a complete slackening of the string. A knife edge trem wouldn't suffer the same consequence as much (although it would a little due to the lower strings having the saddles back further for intonation). 

Anyway, I can barely tolerate the 8th string on these, so I have zero intention of getting a Kahler on the 9 string guitars.


----------



## Santuzzo

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, the Kahler's seem to stay in tune well (I have a 27" 8 string and a 27.5" 8 string). But one thing I noticed is that the thicker the string, the less you need to press the trem arm to get it to go slack. It's the nature of the cam, and how the string goes over it. A thinner string will pass pretty much right over the cam, so that pressing the bar moves the saddle closer to the nut by a tiny bit, but the cam itself doesn't really get involved. It only moves in a horizontal vector. So even with the bar pushed to the body of the guitar the pitch only drops 1.5 steps. On the other hand, the .072 on the F# is so thick that the string has to go up and over the cam (i.e. the core of the string is higher at the cam than at the saddle). So when the arm is pressed the saddle not only comes forward but it raises as well and comes up to the level of the string on the top of the cam. So then you have the vertical vector added in. What that means in practicality is that pressing the bar less than an inch causes a complete slackening of the string. A knife edge trem wouldn't suffer the same consequence as much (although it would a little due to the lower strings having the saddles back further for intonation).
> 
> Anyway, I can barely tolerate the 8th string on these, so I have zero intention of getting a Kahler on the 9 string guitars.



Thanks !


----------



## Reion

> Great news! Your guitar is due in ahead of schedule, around the end of August or early September. We will inspect and ship as soon as it arrives in. Please send your ballance of 375.00 to [email protected] via paypal.com Refer to order xxxxxx in the comments of your payment


Whoa, when I ordered it, it was due for December :S

Time to move some money around, didn't plan for this lol


edit: anyone else getting theirs early?


----------



## Santuzzo

Reion said:


> Whoa, when I ordered it, it was due for December :S
> 
> Time to move some money around, didn't plan for this lol
> 
> 
> edit: anyone else getting theirs early?



Great !

Which one did you order?


----------



## Reion

8 string Trans white Intrepid pro, 28.628" scale with Ebony Fretboard and active pups  Should turn out nice


----------



## Poparad

Reion said:


> Whoa, when I ordered it, it was due for December :S
> 
> Time to move some money around, didn't plan for this lol
> 
> 
> edit: anyone else getting theirs early?



I got an e-mail, too, about mine. I ordered an Intrepid 928. Looking forward to trying out my first ERG!


----------



## Poparad

Anyone else on here put in an order for a December 2011 custom? I'm waiting for an Intrepid 928. I got an e-mail a few weeks ago saying that the order is ahead of schedule and should be arriving end of August/beginning of September. Great, now I'm getting antsy.

Here are the specs on mine:

Intrepid Pro Dual 928 EB CP 2TS w/Case 
2TS (Plain top)
28.628"
Ebony Fretboard
Cepheus Passive
9 String (+150) ;+150
Right Handed



Post yours!


----------



## Reion

Got the same mail  been waiting(rather impatiently, if i might add) ever since 

Heres my specs:
Intrepid Pro Dual 828 EB CA Trans White w/Case 
Trans White
28.628"
Ebony Fretboard
Cepheus Active
8 String
Right Handed


----------



## Poparad

Well, so much for having a thread dedicated so waiting. Does everything even remotely Agile related get tossed into this main thread? It kind of makes having discussions on specific aspects of a topic impossible.


----------



## Ben.Last

Poparad said:


> Well, so much for having a thread dedicated so waiting. Does everything even remotely Agile related get tossed into this main thread? It kind of makes having discussions on specific aspects of a topic impossible.



Imagine if they did it with Ibanez. There would be 14 total topics on the board.


----------



## Explorer

Poparad said:


> *Well, so much for having a thread dedicated so waiting.* Does everything even remotely Agile related get tossed into this main thread? It kind of makes having discussions on specific aspects of a topic impossible.



I suppose it's better than getting slammed by a mod for having an ANGD (anticipated new guitar day) thread, which is against the rules IIRC....


----------



## Poparad

Explorer said:


> I suppose it's better than getting slammed by a mod for having an ANGD (anticipated new guitar day) thread, which is against the rules IIRC....



Sheesh. There are times I really considering leaving this forum. I moderate at a very high profile music forum owned by a large music company and the moderation attitude there is nowhere near as restrictive and rigid to the rules as it is here. If someone isn't spamming, trolling, or otherwise being offensive, and there's no issue with a certain topic flooding out other ones (which to a degree I can see the point of an Agile omnibus thread), then it seems absurd to squash on topic discussion on a discussion board.


----------



## Reion

Well sure, but rules are rules, and they're up to the admin/owner to set, and we agree to abide by them when we register here. The choices are simple, abide or leave, and I honestly understand the rigid strictness of the rules considering the history of this site. If you _really_ dislike the rules and believe you find a major flaw in them, it would be wiser to take this up with an admin or mod by PM, nothing good will come of talking about it in this thread(these kinds of topics get heated fast, which leads to bans and a bitter atmosphere). 

And back to topic; Anyone have experience with the Cepheus Actives? How do they compare with EMG808 and EMG808x?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Poparad said:


> Sheesh. There are times I really considering leaving this forum.


 
Which is fine. If you're not happy here, then please leave. I'd hate for you to not be happy. Really. I'm not being sarcastic. This free forum is fine with folks coming and going. Such is life. 



> I moderate at a very high profile music forum owned by a large music company


 
Just say Harmony Central. We won't throw bricks at you or anything. 

For a quick comparison, HC has well over a dozen active Mods, and roughly 50,000 users. We have only four active Mods, and some guys that help when they can, to run a forum with close to 20,000 active users, roughly 1,000 on an average day. We have to keep up on things or else it just piles up. 



> and the moderation attitude there is nowhere near as restrictive and rigid to the rules as it is here.


 
Every forum is different. I'm on a few myself, and things vary wildly from super-strict-every-post-deleted-thread-locked to ones more akin to "the wild west". We enforce agreed upon rules based on the community. Are we rigid? Yes. Are we willing to negotiate/make expections? Of course. I like to think we keep this forum close to the middles with a slight lean on keeping up the rules, especially those set forth by the Admin. It's his site.



> If someone isn't spamming, trolling, or otherwise being offensive, and there's no issue with a certain topic flooding out other ones (which to a degree I can see the point of an Agile omnibus thread), then it seems absurd to squash on topic discussion on a discussion board.


 
Maybe I missed something, as I don't think I've merged a topic in here in quite some time, but was anything deleted? It appears things were just joined together. 

Regardless. If you have a problem, just PM one of us. Our names are in blue (duh ), and we'll be happy to talk. We're human, and sometimes we make mistakes, so please feel free to reach out to us.


----------



## Poparad

MaxOfMetal said:


> Which is fine. If you're not happy here, then please leave. I'd hate for you to not be happy. Really. I'm not being sarcastic. This free forum is fine with folks coming and going. Such is life.
> 
> 
> 
> Just say Harmony Central. We won't throw bricks at you or anything.
> 
> For a quick comparison, HC has well over a dozen active Mods, and roughly 50,000 users. We have only four active Mods, and some guys that help when they can, to run a forum with close to 20,000 active users, roughly 1,000 on an average day. We have to keep up on things or else it just piles up.
> 
> 
> 
> Every forum is different. I'm on a few myself, and things vary wildly from super-strict-every-post-deleted-thread-locked to ones more akin to "the wild west". We enforce agreed upon rules based on the community. Are we rigid? Yes. Are we willing to negotiate/make expections? Of course. I like to think we keep this forum close to the middles with a slight lean on keeping up the rules, especially those set forth by the Admin. It's his site.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe I missed something, as I don't think I've merged a topic in here in quite some time, but was anything deleted? It appears things were just joined together.
> 
> Regardless. If you have a problem, just PM one of us. Our names are in blue (duh ), and we'll be happy to talk. We're human, and sometimes we make mistakes, so please feel free to reach out to us.




I understand and pretty much agree with all of that. I guess I'm only mildly annoyed by the thread locking/merging. Annoyed enough to post a comment in a thread about it, but not enough to be bothered to PM anyone about seriously changing it. You are right though, every forum has its dynamic. I guess I'm just used to forums that are a little more laissez-faire about things. I also have no familiarity with the history of the forum beyond when I joined earlier this year, so that may shade my perception of the site dynamics quite a bit.


----------



## Poparad

Oh, and it's nice to know I can relax about the brick throwing.


----------



## AmishRefugee

Sooooo,

I may be getting an Agile in the coming weeks/months and there are a few things I still need to figure out

First, how does the tone differ from the 828 to the 830? I would rather have the 830 for the maple fret board and the pickup routing that can accept actives (if I ever want to change them) but I'm not sure how the scale will sound. any advice on that?

Also, can they do small changes to stock guitars without it becoming a custom order, or if it is a custom order, would it be significantly more expensive or take a lot longer to get? The scale of change I mean is something like changing the wood on the fretboard of the 828 to Maple.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

AmishRefugee said:


> Sooooo,
> 
> I may be getting an Agile in the coming weeks/months and there are a few things I still need to figure out
> 
> First, how does the tone differ from the 828 to the 830? I would rather have the 830 for the maple fret board and the pickup routing that can accept actives (if I ever want to change them) but I'm not sure how the scale will sound. any advice on that?
> 
> Also, can they do small changes to stock guitars without it becoming a custom order, or if it is a custom order, would it be significantly more expensive or take a lot longer to get? The scale of change I mean is something like changing the wood on the fretboard of the 828 to Maple.



The difference in tone between the 28.265" and 30" scales is really going to depend on what you plan on tuning to, as well as the string gauge you prefer to use. Typically though, the longer the scale the brighter the higher strings sound, and the clearer the lower strings sound, though that's speaking to using the same gauge of strings in the same, Standard, tuning. Overall though, it's something you can compensate for to some degree. 

Rondo/Agile does not modify their guitars, as they're just a store. What they have in stock is what you get. If you're really set on something like fretboard wood or pickup routes send Kurt an e-mail asking if he's expecting any new Intrepid shipments. The stock at Rondo is ever changing, and they don't leave up the pages on guitars they don't have in stock. So it's possible that the EXACT guitar you want is just a few shipments away.


----------



## AmishRefugee

I see, thanks for the info

I guess I'll end up with the 30 then. And as for tuning, I don't think I'll do much other than standard or drop E for Tosin goodness (like I'm anywhere near good enough to play AAL songs )


----------



## aWoodenShip

Definitely maybe hopefully getting the 830. Anybody know exactly how heavy these things are supposed to be?


----------



## RockerAlex

So guys, I was thinking of picking up an Agile 8 because of the extra scale length on those babies ... do you think I could achieve somewhat low action and no fret buzz with the bigger scale? Cause right now on my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 26.5 I can't ...


----------



## Konfyouzd

Yes


----------



## RockerAlex

Konfyouzd said:


> Yes



Good, I'm sold.


----------



## -One-

So, I pulled the trigger on my first 8-string on Tuesday. It's an Agile semi-custom (lefty, had to if I wanted a nice one) Septor Elite 828 with Blackouts, a maple fretboard, a flametop and the oceanburst finish. My first seven was an Agile too, so I'm not worried about the quality, I love my Agile, but should I worry about making the jump from an Interceptor 725 to a Septor 828? Or should the three inches and extra string not be too big of an issue?


----------



## RockerAlex

Just noticed that there's 2 different Interceptor Pros ... one with a 27" scale and one with a 28.625" scale ...

So which one do I get?


----------



## -One-

RockerAlex said:


> Just noticed that there's 2 different Interceptor Pros ... one with a 27" scale and one with a 28.625" scale ...
> 
> So which one do I get?


What do you want to tune to?


----------



## RockerAlex

-One- said:


> What do you want to tune to?



Just standard 8 string.


----------



## -One-

27" should be fine, but if you plan on going lower, I'd get the 28.625".


----------



## RockerAlex

-One- said:


> 27" should be fine, but if you plan on going lower, I'd get the 28.625".



Any pros at all for going up to 28.625"?


----------



## sadicus

Greetings,
I am doing research on 8 string guitars (this will be my first purchase)
any users that can answer a few questions.

*Agile*
1) besides price, What is the difference in the Pro models vs the others?
2) What are the advantages of EMG (or any actives recommended)

3) Anyone using a HEX pickup with an 8 string? (Ghost hexpander or Roland Gk3) ~ yes, i realize MIDI controllers only go to 6
4) Opinions / experience with Neck thru vs bolt on

thanks for any help with this!


----------



## -One-

RockerAlex said:


> Any pros at all for going up to 28.625"?


You can use lower gauge strings to achieve low tunings. I hear the high end on 28-30" scales sounds more bell or piano-like, if you're into that.


----------



## RockerAlex

-One- said:


> You can use lower gauge strings to achieve low tunings. I hear the high end on 28-30" scales sounds more bell or piano-like, if you're into that.



The difference between the 2 is literally only fret dots, scale length and $100 ... I've had problems with other 8s F# being far too floppy (26.5" scale), so I assume 28.625" is the way to go to fix that?


----------



## -One-

sadicus said:


> Greetings,
> I am doing research on 8 string guitars (this will be my first purchase)
> any users that can answer a few questions.
> 
> *Agile*
> 1) besides price, What is the difference in the Pro models vs the others?
> 2) What are the advantages of EMG (or any actives recommended)
> 
> 3) Anyone using a HEX pickup with an 8 string? (Ghost hexpander or Roland Gk3) ~ yes, i realize MIDI controllers only go to 6
> 4) Opinions / experience with Neck thru vs bolt on
> 
> thanks for any help with this!



I own an Agile seven-string, and have an eight on preorder, and use EMGs in all my guitars (got Blackouts with the eight though), so I can help you on all with question three.

1) Pro models are neck-thru, and come with active pickups (usually EMG-808s, or Duncan Blackouts).
2) Active pickups give a lot more clarity (which is an advantage to a very clean player, but it's a double-edged blade if you're sloppy, you'll hear all your mistakes, but you'll strive harder to improve them), a very even response across all the strings (good when you've got more than six), and I personally just really like the tone.
4) Agile's neck-thrus have a pretty big heel, and a lot of people say that you might as well just get a bolt-on, but I love the neck on my Interceptor Pro. Looks better than set or bold-on, and I think it's super comfortable.

Overall, I would recommend the pro models. My seven-string is a Pro, and my eight-string is an Elite (same thing, but with a Hipshot fixed bridge).


----------



## -One-

RockerAlex said:


> The difference between the 2 is literally only fret dots, scale length and $100 ... I've had problems with other 8s F# being far too floppy (26.5" scale), so I assume 28.625" is the way to go to fix that?


I don't have my 8-string yet, but it all depends on what gauge string you'd use. May I see links to the two, just out of curiosity?


----------



## RockerAlex

-One- said:


> I don't have my 8-string yet, but it all depends on what gauge string you'd use. May I see links to the two, just out of curiosity?



Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame DOT at RondoMusic.com

Agile Interceptor Pro 827 RN Black Flame at RondoMusic.com

I'd probably stick with the La Bella crazy 8s set ... but I don't want any flop at all, that's why I'm taking my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 back, because even up at 0.80 gauge, the F# flops around like crazy and buzzes off everything.


----------



## -One-

RockerAlex said:


> Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame DOT at RondoMusic.com
> 
> Agile Interceptor Pro 827 RN Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
> 
> I'd probably stick with the La Bella crazy 8s set ... but I don't want any flop at all, that's why I'm taking my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 back, because even up at 0.80 gauge, the F# flops around like crazy and buzzes off everything.


Personally, I'd get the 28.625", because I like to tune down, and I _despise_ rosewood fretboards. Not sure, but I think you'd be fine at 0.72 at F# on 27" though.


----------



## RockerAlex

-One- said:


> Personally, I'd get the 28.625", because I like to tune down, and I _despise_ rosewood fretboards. Not sure, but I think you'd be fine at 0.72 at F# on 27" though.



I'm curious, what is it about the rosewood necks you don't like?


----------



## -One-

RockerAlex said:


> I'm curious, what is it about the rosewood necks you don't like?


The three six-strings I have all have rosewood, and I just don't like the feel of it. It sounds fantastic, but I prefer the smoother, closed-grain feel of maple and ebony.


----------



## sadicus

*Godin Multiac ACS SA*
25 1/2" Scale

This is the closet i have to a wide neck guitar (this feels more like my classical guitars)

...so I already have a bit of trouble with this scale. I'm thinking anything larger will feel more like Chording a bass.

*What about the string hight acion?* 
none of my guitars (Ibanez 6 RG series) have "LesPaul" action, so i'm use to a whole step bend at best.

*What about the 4x 4 or 8 in a row, tuners ? does it effect the balance, or ease uf use?*


----------



## Explorer

RockerAlex said:


> that's why I'm taking my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 back, because even up at 0.80 gauge, the F# flops around like crazy and buzzes off everything.



Wow! I'm impressed that your .080 can flop like crazy with a tension of more than 18.5 pounds. I'd suspect the set-up and not the string tension....


----------



## RockerAlex

Explorer said:


> Wow! I'm impressed that your .080 can flop like crazy with a tension of more than 18.5 pounds. I'd suspect the set-up and not the string tension....



It was more the buzzing giving me a headache ... I suspect it had uneven frets and I don't think it's worth the money to bother fixing. I'm not impressed by Schecter 8 strings at all ... the scale length is far too short.


----------



## Explorer

RockerAlex said:


> So guys, I was thinking of picking up an Agile 8 because of the extra scale length on those babies ... *do you think I could achieve somewhat low action and no fret buzz with the bigger scale? Cause right now on my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 26.5 I can't ...*





RockerAlex said:


> The difference between the 2 is literally only fret dots, scale length and $100 ... *I've had problems with other 8s F# being far too floppy (26.5" scale), so I assume 28.625" is the way to go to fix that?*



You kept talking about the problem being the scale length, so I noted...



Explorer said:


> Wow! I'm impressed that your .080 can flop like crazy with a tension of more than 18.5 pounds. *I'd suspect the set-up and not the string tension....*



I thought you agreed... but then you went right back...



RockerAlex said:


> *It was more the buzzing giving me a headache ... I suspect it had uneven frets* and I don't think it's worth the money to bother fixing. I'm not impressed by Schecter 8 strings at all ... *the scale length is far too short.*



What's up with that? 

I own three 25.5" 8-strings, all currently tuned EADGCFAD, and don't have the problems you're talking about. Two of them were tuned down to Bb0 for a few years, again with no problem. 

I'm just suggesting thinking through where you think the problem lies, and about your own preferences. It's okay to like longer or shorter scale lengths, but to blame something on scale length (or on any other characteristic) instead of identifying the real source of your problem means you'll always be trying to fix the wrong thing.


----------



## RockerAlex

Perhaps I was trying to fix the wrong thing, but I cannot imagine a 25.5" 8 string with a 0.80 having anywhere near the right tension for a F# ... I'd really love to see it for myself. 

The Schecters 26.5" scale couldn't handle the action I wanted across the board without buzzing like crazy, 4 different local guitar techs even said this themselves.

I don't understand the point in making an 8 string with a scale less than 27" but it's being done out there so I guess it's all down to personal preference.


----------



## Ben.Last

RockerAlex said:


> I don't understand the point in making an 8 string with a scale less than 27" but it's being done out there so I guess it's all down to personal preference.



This makes no more or less sense than saying that one doesn't understand the point of making an 8 string with a scale more than 27". It IS personal taste and figuring out what works best for you. Trust Explorer, when it comes to figuring out how various scales can work with various setups, he's always struck me as the man to talk to on this board.


----------



## space frog

Lern2swim said:


> This makes no more or less sense than saying that one doesn't understand the point of making an 8 string with a scale more than 27". It IS personal taste and figuring out what works best for you. Trust Explorer, when it comes to figuring out how various scales can work with various setups, he's always struck me as the man to talk to on this board.



It's also a matter of tuning sometimes. If you want a 8 string guitar with a high A instead of a low F#, then less than 27" might be a better fit.


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> It's also a matter of tuning sometimes. If you want a 8 string guitar with a high A instead of a low F#, then less than 27" might be a better fit.



Yes. But, no matter what, there WILL be a balance between scale, tuning, tension, gauge, and action.


----------



## RomaIV

8 strings are great... Agile do good ones i hear, as do Ibanez... i personally have an RGA8 with the Ibanez EMG pickups... it's a great instrument. It's not too different to a 7 string, so investing in one is definitely not that risky. I've been looking at Agiles' more extended range guitars and found the Interceptor Pro 928 EB... Definitely getting one!!


----------



## sadicus

NONE of the guitar shops within 100 miles have an 8 string in stock, or fanned frets. I really would like to play the different scale lengths,
so i appeal to those of you who have played on these guitars 

1) Headstock tuners better to have 8 per side or 4 per side? 
2) is it just for looks, or does it effect sustain?
3) any advantage to playing on fanned frets for two hand tapping?


----------



## Awake77

Hey guys,

I've been considering an 8 string for quite some time now, and when i saw this on rondo's site:

Agile Septor Elite 827 EB DNC Black Flame at RondoMusic.com

I'm thinking it may be time. A few questions:

-is 27" scale enough to keep that low F# nice and defined? I'm coming from an Ibanez RG1077XL, which is also 27". I'm really used to the longer scale, and wouldn't mind going to a 28" if it meant better tone.

-I've never owned a set neck guitar. I've read that bolt on necks have a more defined tone in the lower registers - is this bs? Anyone have any problems with set neck Agiles? How's the access to the upper frets?

-I was planning on getting a fixed bridge, but I see some of the other 8's with Khaler trems. What's the deal with these? Is this a full trem like Floyd? Is it just as big of a pain in the ass? I am always changing my tuning and have a Tremel-No on my Ibby. Can that Khaler 8 be locked to a fixed bridge? A trem on an 8 string sounds like a bad idea, but I'm curious.

-Finally, the neck's feel. For those of you Ibanez 7 guys who went with Agile for an 8, how was the transition? I love the neck on my 7, but also like playing my Dean which feels like a chunk of firewood in comparison. 

Thanks in advance for the help!

-A77


----------



## crg123

Awake77 said:


> -is 27" scale enough to keep that low F# nice and defined? I'm coming from an Ibanez RG1077XL, which is also 27". I'm really used to the longer scale, and wouldn't mind going to a 28" if it meant better tone.



I own a Septor Elite 827, and I really like the 27" scale. The tension is great, but I'd recommend increasing the stock gauges. I use an .080 for my F#/E and a .062 for my B. If your already use to a 27" scale, and if you don't like thick strings, going to the 28.825" scale would be a good choice IMO. But chords might to start get quite annoying...



Awake77 said:


> -I've never owned a set neck guitar. I've read that bolt on necks have a more defined tone in the lower registers - is this bs? Anyone have any problems with set neck Agiles? How's the access to the upper frets?



Its a 5 piece neck thru design, not a set neck  but I call BS on the lower registers bit, my guitar is super clear and defined on every string, even distorted. (Your going to love those blackouts btw, I hate actives and I love these) The ebony strips really improve the sustain, and the weight of the guitar is very evenly distributed. Its a slim D profile btw, which you'll love coming from an Ibby. 



Awake77 said:


> -I was planning on getting a fixed bridge, but I see some of the other 8's with Khaler trems. What's the deal with these? Is this a full trem like Floyd? Is it just as big of a pain in the ass? I am always changing my tuning and have a Tremel-No on my Ibby. Can that Khaler 8 be locked to a fixed bridge? A trem on an 8 string sounds like a bad idea, but I'm curious.



This is a matter of personal opinion and someone else please chim in with theirs but... I feel that unless your going to use the trem alot I wouldn't go for it. As someone who has 2 guitars with floyds and 2 with a standard trem, the tone out and sustain out of fixed bridges is much fuller sounding. Tuning is a hell of alot more stable, especially if your using multiple tuning all the time, if you dont use a trem. Even if it is stable its still a pain in the ass to change.

On that note, the kahler trems are top notch. I think the hybrid in the name means it can be locked but don't quote me on that.



Awake77 said:


> -Finally, the neck's feel. For those of you Ibanez 7 guys who went with Agile for an 8, how was the transition? I love the neck on my 7, but also like playing my Dean which feels like a chunk of firewood in comparison.



I absolutly love the neck on this guitar. I don't own an Ibanez 7, but my friend owns a Ibby Prestige 6 which I jam with all the time. The Agile neck is extremely slender for an 8, I went from a 6 string to an 8 and the transfer wasn't difficult at all, if that says anything haha. Its not as thin as a wizard neck, but I think you wont have a problem playing it at all. It has a very heavy gloss feel, which took getting use to but I think its a really fast playing neck and is extremely comfortable.

That's just my 2 cents though

Let me know what you decide. Buying my agile 8 was the best purchase I've made in my 8 years of playing guitar. Great price, even greater guitar.


----------



## Subz

I have a 827 in the same model as the one posted and it is a amazing guitar. I also use a .80 on the low F# but i tune it down to E and im happy with the tension. The metal tones are awesome and when i play a clean tone with my fingers it is equally impressive. I highly recommend this guitar.


----------



## geofreesun

that's definitely a well-made guitar. one thing i would like to point out is, having a neck-thru means that the dominant wood will be maple for this guitar and it affects the tone accordingly. personally i prefer a bolt-on just because it's easier to adjust the neck and break angles.


----------



## Perplexed-Perception

Awake77 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I've been considering an 8 string for quite some time now, and when i saw this on rondo's site:
> 
> Agile Septor Elite 827 EB DNC Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
> 
> I'm thinking it may be time. A few questions:
> 
> -is 27" scale enough to keep that low F# nice and defined? I'm coming from an Ibanez RG1077XL, which is also 27". I'm really used to the longer scale, and wouldn't mind going to a 28" if it meant better tone.
> 
> -I've never owned a set neck guitar. I've read that bolt on necks have a more defined tone in the lower registers - is this bs? Anyone have any problems with set neck Agiles? How's the access to the upper frets?
> 
> -I was planning on getting a fixed bridge, but I see some of the other 8's with Khaler trems. What's the deal with these? Is this a full trem like Floyd? Is it just as big of a pain in the ass? I am always changing my tuning and have a Tremel-No on my Ibby. Can that Khaler 8 be locked to a fixed bridge? A trem on an 8 string sounds like a bad idea, but I'm curious.
> 
> -Finally, the neck's feel. For those of you Ibanez 7 guys who went with Agile for an 8, how was the transition? I love the neck on my 7, but also like playing my Dean which feels like a chunk of firewood in comparison.
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help!
> 
> -A77


 
i have a 28 intrepid and found that the longer the scale the harder it is to djent im thinking lighter strings will be in order but if it is not what your going to use it for then you don't need to worry about it


----------



## Solodini

I agree with CRG entirely. I think you'd be safer going 828. It gives you a bit more variety on what strings you can use. Mine is tuned down to F on a 70 but I'm going back 80s as I like heavy strings with lots of tension. 

As stated: best decision of my guitar playing life. Great guitars, great prices.


----------



## RockerAlex

sadicus said:


> NONE of the guitar shops within 100 miles have an 8 string in stock, or fanned frets. I really would like to play the different scale lengths,
> so i appeal to those of you who have played on these guitars
> 
> 1) Headstock tuners better to have 8 per side or 4 per side?
> 2) is it just for looks, or does it effect sustain?
> 3) any advantage to playing on fanned frets for two hand tapping?



I can pretty much see it being a disadvantage in every way for all the techniques you know on a regular scale guitar ... I can imagine sweep picking patterns being the most fucked up.


----------



## aWoodenShip

I actually had a question about one of these. I realize that what's on the site, isn't exactly a direct representation of all of his guitars, just what's in stock. But I'm looking for something specific and was just wondering if anyone knows if it's even an option from him. 

I'm interested in this guitar, Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN NA at RondoMusic.com, but in a 28" scale. I've been checking every now and then to see if it comes up, but nothing yet.


----------



## Poparad

aWoodenShip said:


> I actually had a question about one of these. I realize that what's on the site, isn't exactly a direct representation of all of his guitars, just what's in stock. But I'm looking for something specific and was just wondering if anyone knows if it's even an option from him.
> 
> I'm interested in this guitar, Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN NA at RondoMusic.com, but in a 28" scale. I've been checking every now and then to see if it comes up, but nothing yet.



You might be best off placing a custom order. I have a 9 string coming in a few days that's dual passive with 28" scale like you're looking at.


----------



## AnarchyDivine88

The 27" scale would be no problem as long as you get different strings, as crg123 already pointed out. It would be comfortable to you to since you already have a 27". But if you like a more tight sound and feel or you plan on doing some really low tunings than 28" would be the way to go. However, if you do a lot of wide stretching chords on the lower end of the neck than the 28 might be a little difficult for that.

bolt on or neck thru either way you'll have a well defined low end. It's just that with bolt on you'll have a nice sort of percussive bite that sounds good for those low strings, where as neck thru has a smoother tone and increased sustain. geofreesun made a good point though. If you prefer the tone of mahogany than go with the bolt on, but if you like maple than go with the neck thru, because most of the tone will come from the maple/ebony. I have an Agile Septor 827 and the upper fret access isn't bad, but it's not by any means an AANJ. The joint of the body is carved well but the actual neck joint isn't sculpted like an Ibanez neck. However the neck thru guitars Agile makes have excellent access to the upper frets and for that reason I would suggest the neck thru.

The Kahler 72228K Hybrid that Agile uses is a locking/floating bridge so you can lock at as a fixed bridge which gives you more options. If you use your tremolo a lot than I would recommend the Kahler. 

I don't think you'll have a problem transitioning from an Ibanez 7 to an Agile 8 neck. I went from a Prestige 6 with a Wizard neck to an Agile 8 and obviously it's not as thin, but it's about as thin a neck as you're going to get for an 8 string and its a very comfortable D contour much like your Ibanez.

Well that's my take on it anyway! Good luck with your new axe if you get it!


----------



## Awake77

Thanks for all the great responses!! I'm looking through my gear now to see what I can sell to get this beast asap. I've always wanted this Ibanez custom 7 with a black flame maple top, but that's way too expensive and 25.5" feels a little cramped now. When I saw that Agile I got that feeling that you get when you know a purchase is inevitable  
I don't really need the trem, and 27" scale should work as I use a 10-60 set on the 1077 and it feels great.

I'll be sure to post up a review after she arrives.


----------



## Ben.Last

I have both an Intrepid 828 and and a Septor 827; I use the same string sets on both (.09-.074) and the tension difference is damn near imperceptible. It's certainly not enough to affect playability at all.


----------



## animalwithin

> Kahler. Keep in mind that if you go too crazy on the trem dive bombing and pulling up than it will go out of tune because Kahlers work best with a locking nut and there are no locking nuts for 8 strings as of yet. If you use the trem appropriately than the locking tuners will work fine. Some guitarists even use floyds with locking tuners, you just can't go too crazy on the trem.


 
Kinda off topic but I see Steve Vai go crazy on his trem all the time and he pulls of everything fine. I know the Edge trem is possibly the best trem out there but what makes it so good?


----------



## Awake77

animalwithin said:


> Kinda off topic but I see Steve Vai go crazy on his trem all the time and he pulls of everything fine. I know the Edge trem is possibly the best trem out there but what makes it so good?



The Edge trems on my Ibanez's are great and never go out of tune, probably due to the locking nut more than anything else.


----------



## -One-

AnarchyDivine88 said:


> The Kahler 72228K Hybrid that Agile uses is a locking/floating bridge so you can lock at as a fixed bridge which gives you more options. If you use your tremolo a lot than I would recommend the Kahler. Keep in mind that if you go too crazy on the trem dive bombing and pulling up than it will go out of tune because Kahlers work best with a locking nut and *there are no locking nuts for 8 strings as of yet*. If you use the trem appropriately than the locking tuners will work fine. Some guitarists even use floyds with locking tuners, you just can't go too crazy on the trem.


 Bullshit.

EDIT: Not to be a dick or anything. Just, they've been out for a while. As long as Rondo's had 8's, I think. The RGA8 has one too.


----------



## AnarchyDivine88

-One- said:


> Bullshit.
> 
> EDIT: Not to be a dick or anything. Just, they've been out for a while. As long as Rondo's had 8's, I think. The RGA8 has one too.




Oh, you're right dude, haha  one of the guys from Halo had told me they didn't make any for more than 7's but that was probably just back then. My mistake. I'll edit that out of my post so as not to steer anyone wrong.

In that case, I would def go with the Kahler.


----------



## AnarchyDivine88

animalwithin said:


> Kinda off topic but I see Steve Vai go crazy on his trem all the time and he pulls of everything fine. I know the Edge trem is possibly the best trem out there but what makes it so good?




Yeah but he uses a locking nut, so it's no problem for him. Guitarists like Tony MacAlpine for instance, would use a floyd with locking tuners, which worked great for the type of tremolo techniques he uses but, wouldn't work so great for some of the things Steve Vai does.

Yeah, I have a Lo-Pro Edge trem on my Ibanez and it's amazing. So comfortable, easy to manipulate the trem bar, and pretty much stays in tune no matter what I do with it.


----------



## MTech

AnarchyDivine88 said:


> Oh, you're right dude, haha  one of the guys from Halo had told me they didn't make any for more than 7's but that was probably just back then. My mistake. I'll edit that out of my post so as not to steer anyone wrong.
> 
> In that case, I would def go with the Kahler.



Kahler didn't (still doesn't not sure), that's why you see the Floyd Style Locking nuts on all these guitars...and IMO the Floyd ones are better anyways I've always used their style w/ a Kahler rather than the Kahler locking nut.


----------



## MGasparotto

So I'm getting this guitar
Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 EB Oceanburst at RondoMusic.com

Thing is, I don't know all that much about it. I've looked around a whole lot(reviews and the likes) and I still can't seem to find out much about it. It'd be great to get some feedback from you guys that have this guitar or similar guitars. I guess i'm just looking for information about it, stuff i'm gonna need to know or should know. Going straight from a 25.5 6 string to this 28.825 8 string. Also i'll be replacing the pickups, I want EMG 808x but can I put those in without having to change the guitar around? Or should i just go with bareknuckles or something. Hearing some pros and cons would be good too. And am I going to need to set it up when I get it? Thanks guys.


----------



## Explorer

There is a HUGE amount of information regarding the Intrepid 828 on this board. There's a search function which can find you results about going from 25.5" to 28.625", about the difference between 808 and 808x pickups, and so on. 

You can also find results by using Google, and including the string "site:sevenstring.org".

Happy reading!


----------



## drjeffreyodweyer

My new agile is in clearance delay since sunday... Nooooooooo cant wait anymore


----------



## Dunloper

What happened to the Intrepid pro dual 727? I was on rondo music and that model isn't on their website anymore.


----------



## nightflameauto

What you see on the site is usually just what they have in stock and available right at that moment. They must have just sold the last of that model.

But, like usual, when in doubt email them. Sometimes they take a while to respond, but they do respond.


----------



## AmishRefugee

Just bought a purple Septor 828

I would have bought the shit out of a 28.675" oceanburst version

NGD coming once the guitar gets here

Edit: sweet baby jesus that was fast


----------



## Oceans

Ok this might not be the most significant question, and I'm pretty sure it's been asked before. But I didn't feel like using the search forum. There's these two guitars
Agile Septor 827 MN Blue Flame at RondoMusic.com
Agile Septor Elite 827 EB DNC Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
Crg told me to save and get the elite, which is the 2nd one (the black one) it has blackouts which I would probably kill for. But the top one, I absolutely love the finish. I know that may seem silly, but it's true, I just can't get over the color... It has Cepheus passive pickups, which I was told it does well on clean but mediocre on distortion, and you know the whole point of having an 8 string is to be able to access the lower notes. I do want my 8 string to be able to shape the notes and make it sound clear to where it can balance the lows in the highs. So my question is, what do you think? What would you do if you loved the finish of a guitar, but you could buy another one for 200 dollars more, and was 10 times better?

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed I posted this in sevenstring guitars, I know this should be moved to extended range, my fault...


----------



## stevemcqueen

Check out the custom shop. You will be able to select what you want there.


----------



## Lankles

The saving will be enough to replace at least one of the pickups if you don't like them.


----------



## Oceans

stevemcqueen said:


> Check out the custom shop. You will be able to select what you want there.


that's a bit time consuming and pricey for me...I did think about that...I like the idea if I didn't have to pay 400 extra bucks just for them to ship it.


----------



## Oceans

Lankles said:


> The saving will be enough to replace at least one of the pickups if you don't like them.


which one would I replace? the one near the neck or bridge?


----------



## Lankles

Bridge IMO, but you should probably play it first to see how you like them. You might not have any problems with them at all. My Agile 8 w/cepheus sounded just fine clean, just lacked a bit of punch for high-gain, fast rhythm parts.


----------



## Oceans

Lankles said:


> Bridge IMO, but you should probably play it first to see how you like them. You might not have any problems with them at all. My Agile 8 w/cepheus sounded just fine clean, just lacked a bit of punch for high-gain, fast rhythm parts.


cool, thanks


----------



## Ben.Last

Go with the blue. As has been stated, you can swap out the pickups. But Lankle is correct, play it first, the Cephius pickups are not bad at all.


----------



## drjeffreyodweyer

Id suggest the same.
I play a agile septor 827 with cepheus pups and they sound pretty solid. But its true, the distorted sounds arent as great as clean sounds. So I think Im gonna change the bridge pu, maybe a dimarzio dactivator.


----------



## nightflameauto

I found when push came to shove that all the Cepheus passives needed to sound amazing distorted was the push of a bad monkey/tube screamer between the guitar and the amp. Crank level, gain below 9:00, bass and treble to taste results in big, ballsy tone.

Not that they sound that bad to begin with, but a boost really helps a lot.


----------



## legacy5k

Sup dudes!

I have been playing a 7-string Ibanez for years and I think I'm ready to make the move to an 8-string. My current axe is a Japanese RG-7621. (by the way if anyone wants to buy it, PM me) 

What I wanted to ask about is scale length on an 8-string guitar. I am looking at the Agile Intrepids and I see that they come in [about] 25.5", 27", 28.5", 30" scale lengths. WTF do I want to get? I don't really know which would make me happier. Is it just about string tension?

Some of the guitars I'm looking at:

Agile Intrepid Elite 825 EB EMG Nat at RondoMusic.com

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 828 MN NA at RondoMusic.com

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual 830 MN NA at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Winspear

There's a _lot_ of discussion around here on this so just do a search.

But yes, string tension and also tone. Longer scale = same tension with same strings but tuned lower. Less need for thick strings to achieve playable tensions in X tuning. Also, the longer the scale, the thicker string it can accomodate before loss of upper harmonics, regardless of tuning.

I.e. Drop A on 25.5" with .066 gauge and drop G# on 27" with .066 gauge will have the same tension but the 27" will sound slightly better tone wise (less like a bass guitar)

Google: site:sevestring.org scale length for X tuning - and see what you get.

What tuning do you want?

In terms of playability, 27" is one fret longer than 25.5", 28.625" two frets, 30" three frets. By that I mean it's as if a fret was added behind the nut, the 24th (now 25th) fret removed, and the neck pickup moved back. I.e the string length and fret/pickup spacing is stretched proportionally.


----------



## legacy5k

Thanks for the reply...

I plan on keeping the thing in standard tuning for the most part... maybe I'd drop-tune the F# down to an E occasionally, but I plan to keep it standard mostly. I guess I'm sure that it's not horrible if they make 'em in that scale, but it's confusing and I've never played an extended range guitar.

I just want to get the right thing and it's really shitty that it is basically impossible for me to try these before buying. (just went to Guitar Center today and they had zero 8-strings)


----------



## MaxOfMetal

MTech said:


> Kahler didn't (still doesn't not sure), that's why you see the Floyd Style Locking nuts on all these guitars...and IMO the Floyd ones are better anyways I've always used their style w/ a Kahler rather than the Kahler locking nut.



What you have pictured is the original Kahler "StringLock", which was developed to go between a guitar's existing nut and tuners, about where you find the string retainer bar on most FR equipped guitars. Kahler though has made FR style locking nuts for quite some time. 

They now make them for 7s and 8s as well:










Also, as bad as those older Kahler nuts were, nothing beats the craptastic-ness of the lever style units. Great idea, just not engineered well enough. Perhaps they'll go back to the drawing board with it. I hope someone does.


----------



## Winspear

legacy5k said:


> Thanks for the reply...
> 
> I plan on keeping the thing in standard tuning for the most part... maybe I'd drop-tune the F# down to an E occasionally, but I plan to keep it standard mostly. I guess I'm sure that it's not horrible if they make 'em in that scale, but it's confusing and I've never played an extended range guitar.
> 
> I just want to get the right thing and it's really shitty that it is basically impossible for me to try these before buying. (just went to Guitar Center today and they had zero 8-strings)



Yeah, I feel ya! 
Best thing you can do is buy some thick strings and test out the tensions you like, remembering that one fret longer scale length = one semitone lower with the same tension with that string.
Also try capo a bass at the relevent fret to make it's scale length equal to the intended guitar.
And try playing stuff the relevant amount of frets lower and see if you can manage the stretches.

For F#/E I'd recommend the 28.625 - 2 frets longer than 25.5". Do the best you can to see if you think you can handle that.


----------



## knuckle_head

EtherealEntity said:


> For F#/E I'd recommend the 28.625 - 2 frets longer than 25.5". Do the best you can to see if you think you can handle that.



In the interest of science . . . .



If you're testing gauges against scale lengths and have a standard scale bass handy putting a capo at the first fret is 32.125", second is 30.3", third is 28.625", and fourth is 27". Fifth is 25.5".


----------



## nightflameauto

knuckle_head said:


> In the interest of science . . . .
> 
> 
> 
> If you're testing gauges against scale lengths and have a standard scale bass handy putting a capo at the first fret is 32.125", second is 30.3", third is 28.625", and fourth is 27". Fifth is 25.5".



This is a good idea actually.

I would also like to add to all the people trying to say longer scale = better tone, there's something to be said for preference here. It's a different tone, to be certain. But like all things tone, it isn't better or worse. It's a matter of what the person using the instrument wants to achieve.

Basically, shorter scale (25.5 in this case) will give you deeper/thicker tones, while longer scales will progressively result in brighter/tighter tones even if using the same string gauge. While the general consensus around here is that brighter is always better, I'll be the wing-nut to and say sometimes you want deeper tone, even at F# or low E.

However, if you want full speed ahead style metal, you're probably going to be seeking more brightness at that tuning. I think the propensity around here to jump to eights to play modern metal leads to the idea that only longer scale lengths will do.

I think there's a place for both, but it's up to you and your intended use what scale length is going to work for you. The idea of grabbing a bass and a capo to try out scale lengths is really a brilliant one though. It won't tell you what it will sound like, but it will give you a good idea of what your fingers will be able to do on those lower frets.


----------



## AmishRefugee

I got my Septor 828 today. It's pretty, it sounds like sex, and I love it. 

Don't feel like making an NGD, it's not a very unusual guitar. 

Also gold volume knobs FTW






also a few things:

Dropping the F# to E sounds just fine with the 0.72s it comes with stock
the balance of the guitar is a lot different from all the other guitars I have. The neck and body are almost the exact same weight, making it balance right at the highest bolt on the neck. 
Also the headstock is HUGE. it's 9.5" long


----------



## Ben.Last

AmishRefugee said:


> the balance of the guitar is a lot different from all the other guitars I have. The neck and body are almost the exact same weight, making it balance right at the highest bolt on the neck.
> Also the headstock is HUGE. it's 9.5" long



Yeah. Getting used to the balance of my Septor is pretty interesting after using just my Intrepid for so long. The intrepid, despite it's added inch and a half+ balances like a dream for how I play (neck more vertical, guitar body around waist level). I'm still working on getting comfortable with the Septor's parallel to the floor leanings.


----------



## Djent

Agile Septor Elite 830 EB DNC Nat Satin Ash at RondoMusic.com
GAS attack!!!


----------



## aWoodenShip

^ YES YES YES YES. THIS. BUT 28" YES YES YES.


----------



## sh4z

onetimeoneplace said:


> Agile Septor Elite 830 EB DNC Nat Satin Ash at RondoMusic.com
> GAS attack!!!





aWoodenShip said:


> ^ YES YES YES YES. THIS. BUT 28" YES YES YES.



So f***ing tempted...


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Hey guys what agile 8 is the djentiest? I want a big djent tone. Thx!


----------



## Galius

Stealthtastic said:


> Hey guys what agile 8 is the djentiest? I want a big djent tone. Thx!


I would say any model with a 27" or higer scale neck-thru with passives or some blackouts


----------



## col

AmishRefugee said:


> I got my Septor 828 today. It's pretty, it sounds like sex, and I love it.
> 
> Don't feel like making an NGD, it's not a very unusual guitar.
> 
> Also gold volume knobs FTW
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> also a few things:
> 
> Dropping the F# to E sounds just fine with the 0.72s it comes with stock
> the balance of the guitar is a lot different from all the other guitars I have. The neck and body are almost the exact same weight, making it balance right at the highest bolt on the neck.
> Also the headstock is HUGE. it's 9.5" long



Hey man, is it very heavy compared to say a 7-string? I had an Interceptor 8 before but the weight of the thing was just too much for me and I've been wondering since I sold it if the Septor would be lighter.


----------



## AmishRefugee

It's lighter than my Schecter 8, but definitely heavier than my neck-through 6 string. It doesn't seem especially heavy to me


----------



## ChristopherLee7

RockerAlex said:


> So guys, I was thinking of picking up an Agile 8 because of the extra scale length on those babies ... do you think I could achieve somewhat low action and no fret buzz with the bigger scale? Cause right now on my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 26.5 I can't ...


IMHO, The Agile 828 or 830 will make you very happy as a player. I have been playing guitar for about 27 years, and have owned a lot of guitars. I have never had an instrument function as such a perfect tool as my Intrepid 830. The action is amazing, the tension is impeccable, the tone is beautiful, and of course the price is unbelievable. I had a Schecter Hellraiser Devil 8 (1 of 50) and it could not even begin to compare to the Agile, so I sold it and bought a 2nd Agile. I am in awe of that companies designs, craftsmanship, and quality.

I say go for it!!!

~Cheerz


----------



## ChristopherLee7

Love this blog


----------



## Knyas

Not sure whether these Trem's are new or I've just missed them for the last 2 years? Either way here's the link:

Agile Interceptor CEP 827 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com


----------



## aawshred

Saw this too and thought i was just missing it for a while! If this is as its described than i'm really really excited!


----------



## larry

geez!
kurt / rondo music is kicking ass. 
what's next? high end agiles?

it looks like rondo has just single handedly out done all other
guitar manufacturers in the erg market. i can't think of anyone
offering a wider selection of extended range guitars.

i would not be upset if rondo were around another 50 years.


----------



## The Reverend

larry said:


> geez!
> kurt / rondo music is kicking ass.
> what's next? high end agiles?
> 
> it looks like rondo has just single handedly out done all other
> guitar manufacturers in the erg market. i can't think of anyone
> offering a wider selection of extended range guitars.
> 
> i would not be upset if rondo were around another 50 years.



You know, if this ERG thing doesn't stop being a trend like it was the first go-round, Agile might really fuck up the market by introducing high-end, uber-quality guitars. They do have a great range, with a shit-ton of options, and the only thing holding them back is the sometimes less-than-par QC. This is pretty interesting to think about.


----------



## MABGuitar

That bridge looks comfortable... too bad it must come with a non fanned frets 8 stringer. =/


----------



## MikeH

Look like it could be really awesome or really shitty.


----------



## Hollowway

Holy cow, that's awesome! Finally someone makes a production Floyd 8. Why is Rondo the only one that listens to us? Kurt is amazingly cool (and smart).
Now we just need someone to get one and test it out and make sure it works decently well.


----------



## dantel666

That bridge looks really comfortable to play on, reminds me of the Gibraltar bridge on my 7321. If these stay in production till I can afford to buy a new guitar I will definitely think about picking one up.


----------



## Dayn

The Reverend said:


> You know, if this ERG thing doesn't stop being a trend like it was the first go-round, Agile might really fuck up the market by introducing high-end, uber-quality guitars. They do have a great range, with a shit-ton of options, and the only thing holding them back is the sometimes less-than-par QC. This is pretty interesting to think about.


The only thing holding _me_ back is the less-than-par QC. Being an Australian, buying an Agile guitar is a gamble I'm not willing to take. I would, however, be willing to pay 500 odd more or so for good quality control.

Regardless, that bridge is rather pretty.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

Hollowway said:


> Holy cow, that's awesome! Finally someone makes a production Floyd 8.


 
I would call the bridge more of a Kahler/Floyd hybrid 

Definitely a nice guitar with a one of a kind bridge.


----------



## Reion

Non-locking floating trem? On 8 strings? No thanks, can't imagine the tuning stability being particularly stellar.. Like the idea, though, hope he makes versions with locking at both bridge and nut, would be interested then


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Why put fine tuners, then leave out a locking nut? At least if it used a roller nut you'd have decent tuning stability. If the nut on there is a mediocre as the ones I've seen on other Agiles the tuning stability is going to be pretty awful. Not to mention it's not locking. 

I guess I just don't understand why they did all the work designing a new trem which will be plagued by tuning issues (at least on paper), when they could have just used an tried and true FR design. 

I'm glad to see more trems on 8s, but even as someone who's not a fan of Kahlers, I'd probably still get one of those over these. I'll wait to see how these fair.

EDIT: "tuning percussion of a Kahler"


----------



## vansinn

Look both well engineered and comfy. Arm mount looks sufficiently off the nicely rounded saddles, so parm muting should work well - depending on how tight springs are set up.
Given that the whole mechnism pivots, I'm not sure I understand the use of rollers, as whammy action should hardly make strings move over the saddles.

I feel Rondo should've done the trem routing more close all around the bridge. Especially the plugs being left this free doesn't suit the otherwise good looks of bridge and instrument.
Other that that, kudos to Kurt


----------



## larry

in general this is very cool. hopefuly kurt improves the overall execution of this trem.
it's kinda make or break. i noticed the missing locking nut too.

the qc issue definately sucks. it's the reason i wated so long to order.


----------



## aawshred

What does he mean exactly by "tuning percussion"?


----------



## Hollowway

rythmic_pulses said:


> I would call the bridge more of a Kahler/Floyd hybrid



Ah, crap, you're right. I was on my iphone and got all excited when I saw the bridge studs. Dang! I reeeeeeally want a double locking Floyd type 8. Without having to machine one myself. That being said I'm sure we'll see one from Kurt at some point. Lord knows no other company cares to make one.


----------



## celticelk

aawshred said:


> What does he mean exactly by "tuning percussion"?



I'm guessing he meant "tuning precision" and had an autocorrect fail.


----------



## Djent

...they're doing 10 strings now

Agile Intrepid Pro Dual Custom w/Case (Deposit for May 2012) at RondoMusic.com

Note the option for a 10 string. From what the options show, it'll have a Kahler trem as an option.

Check out the other options, including multi-scale.


----------



## jr1092

Now this is just getting ridiculous.


----------



## celticelk

That's interesting. Seems like you might want a slightly larger fan option if you're going for a 10-string, but I suppose that with an O4P string you might be able to make it work. It'd be interesting also to see some tappers experimenting with options for two-handed tunings like those seen on the Stick. Rondo might be able to start luring some more economy-minded players away from Warr and other high-end builders with these.


----------



## Murdstone

I can't say I didn't see it coming.
Looks like there's going to be a lot more of us in the club soon.


----------



## notasian

MAY OF 2012!!!!!!  THATS A LONG WAIT! lol rondo we love you!!! if they had a stock in the market i would buy all of them lol cause i predict rondo being the top soon! 

i knew 8-10 string kahlers would be on the menu yum, even the muli scale ones!


----------



## crg123

YESSSSSSSSS that's awesome, I really wish they had an option for a larger fan though. Bareknuckles just came out with a 9 string pickup. Maybe we'll see a 10 string pickup in the next few years, maybe even just a custom shop option. I guess you always get your pickups rewound by them. Oh no.. the G.A.S. oh no...


----------



## guitareben

What do you even Tune that too :O

And also, i gotta say, RondoMusic is by far one of the coolest guitar companies out there, i mean what other company does shit like this for such awesome prices :O Heck, they are the only non full custom company (ya know, they sorta mass produce stuff... sorta) that does nine strings and stuff :O <3 RondoMusic


----------



## orakle

9 strings is the most id go

hell I dont even think ill get an 8 string


----------



## clark81

OMG lets see when will this adding a string test will stop....


----------



## vansinn

Sexy! have to rep Kurt for showing bravery in this biz, bringing out production ready (+ build time) on-the-edge customer-selectable designs where hardly any others dare go 

While 10 strings are over the top for me, a tribal green fixed bridge low'n'high tuned 25.5-27" scale with ebony board and Blackouts @$870 does sound.. _scarily tempting.._
Kurt, you need to make them available to those of us outside continental usa, with the same warrenties.


----------



## Trip78

I'm excited about it! If I hadn't just ordered a semi-custom Interceptor 930, I'd definitely pick one up. Wonder if Kurt will make these for the 9 and new 10 strings?


----------



## Explorer

I was planning on getting a 9-string, although paying for hand surgery means I probably can't do so this time. 

My planned tuning for the 9 was going to be B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4. I know that I'll not be adding more at the low end. 

However... in thinking about it, I see that I can add one more string at the top without needing a specialty string: 

B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4 G4

That will move my embedded six-string tuning over one course. Will that be insurmountable, or just needing an adjustment period? It's hard to tell, since I can't even play at the moment, even if I retune.

----



vansinn said:


> Kurt, you need to make them available to those of us outside continental usa, with the same warrenties.



I think one of the problems might be the inability to hold one party responsible if the thing gets damaged in transit. Shipping outside the US means that many cooks get involved in shipping, and the item can be opened multiple times when crossing borders. 

If someone was willing to pay a huge amount to have courier service outbound, and the same courier service coming back, I imagine Kurt would be willing to offer a warranty. That would just cause more grousing, though, since people outside the US would still have to pay more to have the same "single shipper" option that one has within one country's national borders. That's just the facts in shipping across borders.

----

Although my hands were locking up enough that I couldn't work, and so I had to have surgery, I'm a little sorry Kurt didn't put these up as an option a month ago. I'd have put off the surgery bills and put down the down payment. As it is, it will be another week before I can look at my finances and decide if I can afford a 9-string this go-around... or even a 10.


----------



## F0rte

Not a bad idea at all.

They are just widening their range as a manufacturer.
Go Rondo!


----------



## Winspear

Explorer said:


> That will move my embedded six-string tuning over one course. Will that be insurmountable, or just needing an adjustment period? It's hard to tell, since I can't even play at the moment, even if I retune.



It's cool, I strung my 7 with a high A for a while and it was real nice.


----------



## AntiTankDog

I'm stopping at 9, although I think its totally cool they're doing a 10.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Variety is the spice of life


----------



## loktide

i guess this qualifies it as a touch guitar now


----------



## that short guy

at some point someone is going to have to point out that having more strings doesn't make you a better player, it just makes you look like a bigger tool for having that many more strings you never use. 90% of the people that will get the 10 string version will probably only use 4-6 of the strings


----------



## TomAwesome

All right! I had wanted to get a 9-string for the sake of being ridiculous, but I told myself I'd hold out for the 10-string. I didn't think it would actually happen this soon, though. 

Also, from the standpoint of practicality:



celticelk said:


> It'd be interesting also to see some tappers experimenting with options for two-handed tunings like those seen on the Stick. Rondo might be able to start luring some more economy-minded players away from Warr and other high-end builders with these.





I keep thinking about asking Kurt if he'd be interested in doing something like a Chapman Stick, but that would just be one more thing I'd want to buy.


----------



## Explorer

that short guy said:


> at some point someone is going to have to point out that having more strings doesn't make you a better player, it just makes you look like a bigger tool for having that many more strings you never use. 90% of the people that will get the 10 string version will probably only use 4-6 of the strings



I guess I even think of that point because I assume that people are like me, and use the full range of their instrument. 

Which leads to the question... how did that thought occur to *you*?

*laugh*

Regarding CelticElk's and TomAwesome's point...



TomAwesome said:


> I LIKE JUICE!!!



...er... I mean the one about tapping... most of the current tappers have wider string spacing than the spacing on guitar. I suspect that established tappers might have a hard time making the change.

However, I don't see why one couldn't make a two-region tapper out of the 10-string, or even an 8-string. I just prefer to have my strings laid out guitaristically, so that I can not just tap, but also play straightforwardly in a normal guitar/bass/hybrid idiom.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

I would probably move the pin so I could keep it in a hybrid of normal position and stick position, set the action ridiculously low, get it with a trem, and relase the taps. It's essentially a budget Warr guitar. 



TomAwesome said:


> I keep thinking about asking Kurt if he'd be interested in doing something like a Chapman Stick, but that would just be one more thing I'd want to buy.



Well, if you were to chop off the wings you would pretty much have a stick. I would love to see a budget Grand Stick, though.


----------



## troyguitar

Whoa, they also now have a 24-25.5" scale option. Very interesting.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

troyguitar said:


> Whoa, they also now have a 24-25.5" scale option. Very interesting.









Why does Rondo have to tempt me with things I want! An eight tuned B-A or a nine tune F# to A with a fan like that would be amazing!


----------



## F4R537KTP09

I just wonder wether the sound quality goes within the looks of it or not. I mean, imagine you get the famous 10 string guitar and you want, say, to have three more bass strings and one more high tuned string. The range is quite "extended" as it is. But still, are the bass sounds and the highest sounds, sounding out properly, or is it just an "approximation" with a good quality just on the sound of the "regular" strings and tuning?
All these options, for this price, are however absolutely awesome, and I wouldn't ask if not tempted even just a little bit...
Still, like most people already said, I guess I will stop to nine...


----------



## Strawberry Man

I'm not digging how wide the routes for this are all at all.


----------



## in-pursuit

this is so incredibly tempting, I'm almost certain I'm going to get in on this. only thing I'm concerned about is whether an extra 3 low strings will sound good with 27"ish scale.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

Hollowway said:


> Ah, crap, you're right. I was on my iphone and got all excited when I saw the bridge studs. Dang! I reeeeeeally want a double locking Floyd type 8. Without having to machine one myself. That being said I'm sure we'll see one from Kurt at some point. Lord knows no other company cares to make one.


 
Stability would definitely be an issue with an 8 string floyd, it would take some time to plan out, how much tension is too much on one side of the bridge and what tensions are suitable and so forth.

I can't imagine an FR 8 string bridge because from what I heard about the early Ibanez RG2228 prototypes with floating tremolo's is that they just couldn't get the intonation right on them due to the bridge's experimental flaws and such, they just took that design and turned it into a double locking hardtail.

I would like to see those Ibanez prototypes, see what was wrong with the bridge and hopefully work out a sort of norm for those early floyd-like bridges for the RG2228's. 

It would take a damn long time though...

The finished Ibanez RG2228's do have the same bridge as both Fredrik Thordendal's and Marten Hagstrom's LACS RG8's so they must have been in the experimental stage for a long time too.


----------



## Hollowway

^ yeah the intonation thing would have to be worked out with long saddle ranges for the lowest string. But the tension doesn't make a difference because most people are going to use strings with relatively equal tension, or only off by a few lbs. Unless you out a ridiculously high tension low string on it's going to be pretty equal. And 6 string Floyds do fine with skinny top heavy bottom EBs. 
Either way, though, there have been a few homemade varieties on here that have apparently done well. So a guy can dream!


----------



## Waelstrum

troyguitar said:


> Whoa, they also now have a 24-25.5" scale option. Very interesting.



Yeah, wish they had that last time around. Oh well.


----------



## squid-boy

EtherealEntity said:


> It's cool, I strung my 7 with a high A for a while and it was real nice.



It is _real_ nice.


----------



## Explorer

dragonblade629 said:


> Why does Rondo have to tempt me with things I want! An eight tuned B-A or a nine tune F# to A with a fan like that would be amazing!



I'm tempted to get that 24" - 25.5" fan for my 10 string. It will be the brootalz. *laugh*



F4R537KTP09 said:


> I just wonder wether the sound quality goes within the looks of it or not. I mean, imagine you get the famous 10 string guitar and you want, say, to have three more bass strings and one more high tuned string. The range is quite "extended" as it is. But still, are the bass sounds and the highest sounds, sounding out properly, or is it just an "approximation" with a good quality just on the sound of the "regular" strings and tuning?



There are a lot of people who have been happy with the sound of their ERGs. I own four 8-strings, and the sound quality is great. 

You might not be aware of this, but the earlier posts here on SS.org had people unable to find pickups, and therefore resorting to larger/wider bass pickups. The EMG active line, for example, has a wide frequency range, which is why it was usable for both bass and guitar. 

So, if those pickups were good guitar while being designed for bass, then I suspect there won't be a problem heading in the other direction.


----------



## Hollowway

in-pursuit said:


> this is so incredibly tempting, I'm almost certain I'm going to get in on this. only thing I'm concerned about is whether an extra 3 low strings will sound good with 27"ish scale.



There are a number of people doing F# at 25.5", so the 27 would seem fine, but the C#1 on my 30" 10 string is just barely cutting it. I think it sounds to bassy (imagine that! ) so I'm actually wanting to do a longer scale build to allow me to use a thinner string to get a more guitarlike tone. But getting up over 8 strings makes it really tough to not fan the frets. And I think a 10 string is just about impossible to not fan if you're going to tune in 4ths. The A4 is just too scary at that length.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

Hollowway said:


> ^ yeah the intonation thing would have to be worked out with long saddle ranges for the lowest string. But the tension doesn't make a difference because most people are going to use strings with relatively equal tension, or only off by a few lbs. Unless you out a ridiculously high tension low string on it's going to be pretty equal. And 6 string Floyds do fine with skinny top heavy bottom EBs.
> Either way, though, there have been a few homemade varieties on here that have apparently done well. So a guy can dream!


 
It would help to have the option though, things are really picky for 8 strings at the moment because the haven't really existed for that long, people are still finding ways and means of creating a tremolo that works with the 8 string and unfortunately Kahler are the only truly stable tremolo's so far, but if I see one with an 8 string Bigsby that is the day when...


----------



## AntiTankDog

^
yeah, an A4 at 30 inches will break if you look at it funny.


----------



## Necris

Sorry Kurt, I'm not spending that much money on an Agile, 10 string or not.


----------



## thatguy5557123

Not for me, I don't need more then 8 I don't think, but it's super cool it'll be an option....NGDS?


----------



## Hollowway

Necris said:


> Sorry Kurt, I'm not spending that much money on an Agile, 10 string or not.



Yeah, cuz there are so many different options for 10 strings at $950.


----------



## bce5150

I'm glad they're doing it and that the instrument is evolving... but I still feel way less comfortable on my 7 than my 6... I'll be a new born babe on that monstrosity


----------



## in-pursuit

Hollowway said:


> There are a number of people doing F# at 25.5", so the 27 would seem fine, but the C#1 on my 30" 10 string is just barely cutting it. I think it sounds to bassy (imagine that! ) so I'm actually wanting to do a longer scale build to allow me to use a thinner string to get a more guitarlike tone. But getting up over 8 strings makes it really tough to not fan the frets. And I think a 10 string is just about impossible to not fan if you're going to tune in 4ths. The A4 is just too scary at that length.



Cheers for the info I was gonna ask how the OAF 10's performed with the extra low strings, I think I'll just stick to 8/9 for now. now I just have to think of a way to justify this to the wife


----------



## rythmic_pulses

I played on one of those 9's Agile make that my friend had imported, I have to admit though I do have small fingers so I could only just reach the 9th string at a stretch, it was really fun to mess around on, but 10 is too much for me, what would the basic tuning for that even be because I only know tunings up to 8 strings?


----------



## XEN

Kurt did say it would happen if there were enough interest. He's a man of his word!


----------



## misingonestring

Prepare to start chugging a low Ab.


----------



## Hollowway

misingonestring said:


> Prepare to start chugging a low Ab.



 I was going to spec out a 9 string C#1-E, but now I'm actually thinking I want a longer scale and do a 10 string G#0-E. I don't know what the hell I'm thinking. I'm starting to think maybe my wife is right. Is it time we form ERGA and develop a 12 step program?


----------



## Waelstrum

^ Don't you mean a 12 course program?


----------



## Explorer

I was going to rep Hollowway before his wife kills him, but I apparently repped him too recently to add to his Make A Wish dreams. 

At least his death wish will come true.

*laugh*


----------



## that short guy

Explorer said:


> I guess I even think of that point because I assume that people are like me, and use the full range of their instrument.
> 
> Which leads to the question... how did that thought occur to *you*?
> 
> *laugh*


 
Lol too many people these days get 8 and 9 string guitars because they say they want a bigger range but all they do is chug around on they top 3 three strings. Don't get me wrong if you can actually use all 10 strings congrats you're doing better than most of the people that will get them.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

that short guy said:


> Lol too many people these days get 8 and 9 string guitars because they say they want a bigger range but all they do is chug around on they top 3 three strings. Don't get me wrong if you can actually use all 10 strings congrats you're doing better than most of the people that will get them.


 
Listen to some Monuments, only then will you understand


----------



## Dayn

Nice.

Now they just need an option for good quality control and a warranty, then it may be feasible to consider. An extra $500 is worth it to not end up with a non-refundable $1,000 lemon.


----------



## 77zark77

a 24"-27" fan for a 9 string should be more relevant !
more strings we have, less difficulties we have with a wide fan 

(if that sentence isn't correct in English, I can say it in French! haha !)


----------



## Necris

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, cuz there are so many different options for 10 strings at $950.



Oh wow, I'm a total fucking Idiot. I completely misread the pricing, for some reason I was convinced it was half now, half later (your statement would still apply then too).


----------



## iron blast

77zark77 said:


> a 24"-27" fan for a 9 string should be more relevant !
> more strings we have, less difficulties we have with a wide fan
> 
> (if that sentence isn't correct in English, I can say it in French! haha !)



words of truth here


----------



## vansinn

Has anyone actually tried this trem?

Personally, I'd simply block an 8-string trem against pulls; all I need is to dip my strings.
Even so, a slight soft vibrato can still be done, provided the block has a soft'ish meeting contact to work against the clonks return sound.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

I'm more stoked about seeing fanned frets on an Intrepid. While I'm not Agile's biggest cheerleader, I still LOVE the Intrepid body shape. It felt much better and well thought out with more strings than the typical arched top, super strat of the Septor/Interceptor. 

I will say though, that having a fanned 8, and playing some others, those fans are pretty mediocre. I'd say a 4" or 5" would be ideal, especially if going for an "extra" high string. Though, I can see why it wouldn't be used on such an instrument, as only a few would option for those scales. A 3" 27" to 30" would be nice for those looking to go lower.


----------



## BIG ND SWEATY

EDIT: nvm
OT- i think its awesome for rondo to broaden their horizons again, but i cant imagine playing anything other than touch style or maybe thats just me.


----------



## Necris

that short guy said:


> at some point someone is going to have to point out that having more strings doesn't make you a better player, it just makes you look like a bigger tool for having that many more strings you never use. 90% of the people that will get the 10 string version will probably only use 4-6 of the strings



First off, the obligatory :

I can only speak for myself but if I wanted to only use the top three strings I would tune a 6 string way down rather than spend money on a 10, it's a more logical thing to do in my opinion. I am now considering one of these and have every intention of using every string, just like I do with my 8 string.


----------



## Hollowway

Necris said:


> I can only speak for myself but if I wanted to only use the top three strings I would tune a 6 string way down rather than spend money on a 10, it's a more logical thing to do in my opinion. I am now considering one of these and have every intention of using every string, just like I do with my 8 string.



Yeah, totally. I was thinking about getting a 9 with a super long scale length and go G#0 to B, but I'd really miss that high E. I'd say if anything I'm guilty for not using the middle strings on my 10 string. There's something about having that extra range that just draws me to the extremes. Having an ERG is like trying a new tuning in that it gets you out of a rut and composing new stuff FAST.


----------



## Splinterhead

I say good for Kurt. He saw a niche and he's trying to fill it. I love my Pendulum 8
...9 string? 
...10 string?.


----------



## Explorer

vansinn said:


> Given that the whole mechnism pivots, I'm not sure I understand the use of rollers, as whammy action should hardly make strings move over the saddles.



+1 to that. Given that the trem rotates on those two bolts, what's the point of those rollers? Does any know?


----------



## teamSKDM

What doesnt make sense : Why have fine tuners, on a guitar that doesnt have a locking nut?!? granted, i dont like locking nut guitars, and this trem looks amazing, i dont see the purpose of the fine tuners. lol.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

I have a feeling that the lack of a locking nut was on the factories end, possibly something like not having the eight string locking nuts built, but wanting to get them out early. I suspect they'll be on it when, if, a second run comes out.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

dragonblade629 said:


> I have a feeling that the lack of a locking nut was on the factories end, possibly something like not having the eight string locking nuts built, but wanting to get them out early. I suspect they'll be on it when, if, a second run comes out.



They seem to have plenty of 8-string locking nuts for the Kahler equipped 8s.


----------



## Kstring

I like it. I would use it as a 2 in 1 instrument bass/guitar, it would be tuned 

D,A,F#,B,E,A,D,g,b,e with 27-28 fan. Too bad im a broke ass college student damn do i have 10 string GAS lol


----------



## ra1der2

Kurt's an innovator there is no question, mad props. Kind of wish he would have asked here though as we would have told him in like 2 seconds whats up w/that design.

I just can see it having any tuning stability with use of the bar involved. Unless the springs are perfectly balanced to counter the exact tension of the strings, you're in deep shit as soon as you touch that bar IMO.

That doesn't mean it can't be done, I have the classic style trem intrepids and those stay in tune great w/trem floating after I've taken the time to balance the springs to my string tension, but out of the box I don't think that guitar would stay in tune very well - if you touch the bar.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

teamSKDM said:


> What doesnt make sense : Why have fine tuners, on a guitar that doesnt have a locking nut?!? granted, i dont like locking nut guitars, and this trem looks amazing, i dont see the purpose of the fine tuners. lol.



My best bet would be if you're playing on the fly and need to quickly adjust a string, having the fine tuners is a lot easier to go to (and sneakier) than reaching around and adjusting the headstock tuners, and possibly fiddling with them too long. Maybe it's a custom option? I'm not sure, as we'll probably see other versions of this in the near future. I'd love one in either an ebony fretboard or rosewood, so I'm sure that's not the only version of it we're getting. All that I know for sure is that that bridge looks like it could be pretty freaking badass, and hopefully not a piece of $300 crap. xD


----------



## Slunk Dragon

At this point I'd rather just buy a Chapman Stick. XD


----------



## Sepultorture

ok i gander the low F and high A for 9th and first string but what the hell would you slap on a 10?

i've seen 11 string ( and more) basses but what the hell are you gunna add to this without making it into a bass for 10 string guitar


----------



## vansinn

Noone says you have to tune it the usual way.
A 9-stringer in major-3rd tuning would be really sexy for Arab/Indial inspired scales and intonations.
A 10(+) stringer could have the upper part tuned in all fourth, and the lower more closely for finger picking bass lines.

It's about thinking out of the box 
I currently have my 8-stringer tuned B1...E4 + G4, i.e. a minor-3rd on top. Adds some interesting capabilities for extended chord works, plus it has it's uses for high pitched shredding (with some getting used to).
A 7-string barré at 7th fret with two fingers at 9th gives me a big 8-string minor chord with a low B1. Nice!
I'm now starting to have wet dreams about number nine, but ten strings? never! (or..)


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Slunk Dragon said:


> My best bet would be if you're playing on the fly and need to quickly adjust a string, having the fine tuners is a lot easier to go to (and sneakier) than reaching around and adjusting the headstock tuners, and possibly fiddling with them too long.



Fine tuners don't really have that kind of range and it's far from their intended purpose. At least those found on floating bridges. It seems here that they're just one more thing to knock into that'll put the whole thing out of tune.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

So what everyone is saying, is basically this is a flawed design and not quite thought through?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

rythmic_pulses said:


> So what everyone is saying is basically this is a flawed design and not quite thought through?



It just looks like the designer didn't know what they wanted really. Did they want an FR, Kahler, Hipshot? It's like they took bits and pieces from all three without thinking of how they'd all work together. The saddles from a Kahler, the fine tuners and route of an FR, with the installation of a Hipshot. 

If the quality is there, then a few tweaks could make this thing awesome, it's just not quite there yet.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

MaxOfMetal said:


> It just looks like the designer didn't know what they wanted really. Did they want an FR, Kahler, Hipshot? It's like they took bits and pieces from all three without thinking of how they'd all work together. The saddles from a Kahler, the fine tuners and route of an FR, with the installation of a Hipshot.
> 
> If the quality is there, then a few tweaks could make this thing awesome, it's just not quite there yet.


 
I know what you mean, the bridge looks like some genetically modified Kahler, the guitar has no locking nut either, one way or another this guitar is going out of tune.


----------



## TomAwesome

Very interesting. I'd like to see where this bridge is at a few more production runs down the road. Now if they'd only use real jumbo frets.


----------



## Reion

MaxOfMetal said:


> It just looks like the designer didn't know what they wanted really. Did they want an FR, Kahler, Hipshot? It's like they took bits and pieces from all three without thinking of how they'd all work together. The saddles from a Kahler, the fine tuners and route of an FR, with the installation of a Hipshot.
> 
> If the quality is there, then a few tweaks could make this thing awesome, it's just not quite there yet.



Pretty much this. The biggest flaw I see(at least considering my own potential use) is the lack of a locking system. I can only see strings slipping at the nut, all day and all night unless you plan on using the trem like a vintage fender trem.
I mean, if it was double locking, it could be worth getting if not only just to block off the trem and have the advantage of the tuning stability a floyd gives you(many people do this)

All just seems to be like a classic case of trying to mix up several good ideas, and ending up with the shitty drawbacks of all ideas :/
I hope I'm wrong though, always like new things in the guitar world, glad to see someone pushing the boundries


----------



## MF_Kitten

9 string is as far as i would go too, with a drop B tuning. I would need fanned frets though, with something like a 32"-30" scale to get the right sound from the low B. And i'd have to think very carefully about the choice of pickup and stuff. And i'd have to do something very interesting tone and mix-wise. I an imagine i would have to work on figuring out how to milk it's potential.


----------



## beneharris

MaxOfMetal said:


> They seem to have plenty of 8-string locking nuts for the Kahler equipped 8s.



could their intention be to put one on before they actually ship? maybe its just the pictured guitar doesn't have one. i have seen their pictures not be 100% right before. maybe this was just the prototype one? that seems like an awfully big thing to overlook


----------



## teamSKDM

Maybe the fine tuners can adjust string tension, for instance strings will be tighter when down, and also be looser when up, because the back of the string is being pulled back. Anyone think that's also possible?


----------



## wannabguitarist

teamSKDM said:


> Maybe the fine tuners can adjust string tension, for instance strings will be tighter when down, and also be looser when up, because the back of the string is being pulled back. Anyone think that's also possible?



Isn't that kinda how fine tuners already work? Whenever you change the tension of a string you change the note.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

wannabguitarist said:


> Isn't that kinda how fine tuners already work? Whenever you change the tension of a string you change the note.



Yeah.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

teamSKDM said:


> Maybe the fine tuners can adjust string tension, for instance strings will be tighter when down, and also be looser when up, because the back of the string is being pulled back. Anyone think that's also possible?



If they're fine tuners then the name is self explanatory. They're for making slight adjustments to the tuning at the bridge for the sake of tuning accuracy. If this had a locking nut it'd also be to correct the tuning after the nut is locked.


----------



## Scordare

Reminds me of the Fender System 1 tremolo...which is an awesome trem. It has a great feel and stays in tune...always returns to zero! 

I like the design but whats up with no locking nut though?


----------



## rythmic_pulses

Scordare said:


> Reminds me of the Fender System 1 tremolo...which is an awesome trem. It has a great feel and stays in tune...always returns to zero!
> 
> I like the design but whats up with no locking nut though?


 
By any chance is that an 80's tremolo because that would explain why.


----------



## mishabasi

I'm a sucker for multi-piece neck-through guitars and a natural finish. Beautiful instrument!


----------



## Eric Christian

I like Agile guitars but simple logic says this guitar will have severe tuning stability issues. A tremolo without a locking nut makes no sense to me. You dive bomb this guitar and you'll spend the next minute or so tuning it. I can't even imagine what will happen when you start pulling up on the bar...


----------



## Setnakt

You guys have been tripping all over the same argument you've been making for 3 pages without anyone having played the thing.

What if there are fine tuners on this guitar because that's how the bridge was designed? What if even when they forget to mount or run out of stock of locking nuts, they have to use the same trem with locking tuners because they're not going to design and produce different bridges with and without fine tuners for just such an occurrence?

I think they made this to have another part they could make in house and cut costs on (perhaps to pass on the savings on to the customer) while also giving people something in a style they were familiar with and might want.

That and I think Kahlers are supposed to be on a guitar with a neck angle when the bridge is flat mounted, and they'd rather use a different bridge than completely redesign all of their guitars or make bridge routes at a weird angle.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Setnakt said:


> You guys have been tripping all over the same argument you've been making for 3 pages without anyone having played the thing.



I might not have played this exact unit, but I've played ones which operate on the exact same principles. There's no magic of trems, all fulcrum designs operate similarly. 



> What if there are fine tuners on this guitar because that's how the bridge was designed?



Obviously the fine tuners were meant to be there, I doubt they just appeared accidentally. What is at question is the purpose they serve, given what fine tuners do. Once again, many bridges have fine tuners so it's not any new tech. We all know what they do. 



> What if even when they forget to mount or run out of stock of locking nuts, they have to use the same trem with locking tuners because they're not going to design and produce different bridges with and without fine tuners for just such an occurrence?



In the last three years of them using Kahler bridges they've yet to run out of locking nuts. How they'd run out of them here is pretty suspect. If they did just happen to run out, what would be the benefit of releasing, for all intensive purposes, an incomplete guitar. 

Also, locking tuners and locking nuts are VERY different. Locking tuners, besides what a few misinformed folks on here believe, do NOT replace a locking nut in any way, shape, or form. They still allow for the same tuning defects as standard, non-locking tuners. Hence why they didn't include locking tuners on this guitar.



> I think they made this to have another part they could make in house and cut costs on (perhaps to pass on the savings on to the customer)



But look at the pricing of the Kahler equipped Interceptor 8s. You aren't saving anything by going with this bridge over a Kahler. Not to mention the Kahler equipped Interceptors have a locking nut. 



> while also giving people something in a style they were familiar with and might want.



Can't argue that, some folks, myself included, definitely want to see an 8-string FR style trem.....only that's not what this is. It's essentially a Hipshot style unit with fine tuners and rollers. 



> That and I think Kahlers are supposed to be on a guitar with a neck angle when the bridge is flat mounted, and they'd rather use a different bridge than completely redesign all of their guitars or make bridge routes at a weird angle.



Never stopped them from putting Kahlers on neck-thru 8-string Interceptors before, so they most definitely have the designs and CNC plans drawn up for Kahler installation. They've been doing it for close to three years now. 

Like I've said, I'd love to see some tweaks to the design and setup of this bridge. It's so close to something a lot of us have been looking for. As fun as it would be to praise it, it's far more constructive to criticize.


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah, basically Kurt is a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy. Which I LOVE in situations like these, because there are a million reasons why he shouldn't make a trem like this, or make a 10 string, or offer a bazillion different scale lengths, or just about any of the crazy stuff he's released. But the fact is he listens to all of our criticism and uses it to improve what he's doing. We all complained about the straight pups on fanned guitars in a similar thread and BOOM he gives us the option of slanted or straight. Kurt is insanely nimble and can make huge adjustments to his product line seemingly overnight. And he never complains, never makes excuses, he just cranks out cool stuff one after another. So he'll see this thread and my money is on a locking nut showing up for these bad boys sometime in the near future.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, basically Kurt is a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy. Which I LOVE in situations like these, because there are a million reasons why he shouldn't make a trem like this, or make a 10 string, or offer a bazillion different scale lengths, or just about any of the crazy stuff he's released. But the fact is he listens to all of our criticism and uses it to improve what he's doing. We all complained about the straight pups on fanned guitars in a similar thread and BOOM he gives us the option of slanted or straight. Kurt is insanely nimble and can make huge adjustments to his product line seemingly overnight. And he never complains, never makes excuses, he just cranks out cool stuff one after another. So he'll see this thread and my money is on a locking nut showing up for these bad boys sometime in the near future.



Exactly. I'm not posting in here to lambaste him or Agile, I'm hoping he sees this and makes v2 of this a home run. He has a knack for that.


----------



## Setnakt

MaxOfMetal said:


> I might not have played this exact unit, but I've played ones which operate on the exact same principles. There's no magic of trems, all fulcrum designs operate similarly.


Granted, but how many times over how many pages does it need to be said? In the same thread, without interruption?



> Obviously the fine tuners were meant to be there, I doubt they just appeared accidentally. What is at question is the purpose they serve, given what fine tuners do. Once again, many bridges have fine tuners so it's not any new tech. We all know what they do.


Now, was it really necessary to be this pedantic by taking that one sentence out of the context of the paragraph I wrote and writing a full paragraph about it?



> In the last three years of them using Kahler bridges they've yet to run out of locking nuts. How they'd run out of them here is pretty suspect. If they did just happen to run out, what would be the benefit of releasing, for all intensive purposes, an incomplete guitar.


For all we know they may have only bought 1 nut for each Kahler, I don't know. I'm saying it may have been an oversight, not conscious design. Which would be a bad thing. But we don't know for sure that it was intentional, it's not like they haven't made mistakes before.



> Also, locking tuners and locking nuts are VERY different. Locking tuners, besides what a few misinformed folks on here believe, do NOT replace a locking nut in any way, shape, or form. They still allow for the same tuning defects as standard, non-locking tuners. Hence why they didn't include locking tuners on this guitar.


Typing "locking tuners" was actually a mistake on my part, I meant fine tuners.




> But look at the pricing of the Kahler equipped Interceptor 8s. You aren't saving anything by going with this bridge over a Kahler. Not to mention the Kahler equipped Interceptors have a locking nut.


Well maybe that will change after Kurt sees 1, or 2, or 45 posts on the subject in the same thread.



> Never stopped them from putting Kahlers on neck-thru 8-string Interceptors before, so they most definitely have the designs and CNC plans drawn up for Kahler installation. They've been doing it for close to three years now.


For all we know they might want to move away from Kahlers in the future.



> Like I've said, I'd love to see some tweaks to the design and setup of this bridge. It's so close to something a lot of us have been looking for. As fun as it would be to praise it, it's far more constructive to criticize.


All I'm saying is it was a long read to see the same criticism, ad nauseam, for nearly 4 pages. I get that people feel strongly about this, and are interested in Agiles, but if it's been said, it's been said already. After some point it just becomes a bandwagon, or spam.

Edit:


Hollowway said:


> there are a million reasons why he shouldn't make a trem like this, *or make a 10 string*, or offer a bazillion *different scale lengths*, or just about any of the crazy stuff he's released.


Hey now. Just because it doesn't serve an immediately apparent purpose to you...


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Setnakt said:


> Granted, but how many times over how many pages does it need to be said? In the same thread, without interruption?



As many times I, or other posters, want to because it's a free public forum. 



> Now, was it really necessary to be this pedantic by taking that one sentence out of the context of the paragraph I wrote and writing a full paragraph about it?



I don't think I was being pedantic, so I'm sorry if it came off as such. The internet is not very good at conveying tone. I don't think I took you out of context though, since I quoted your entire post, without deleting anything. 



> For all we know they may have only bought 1 nut for each Kahler, I don't know. I'm saying it may have been an oversight, not conscious design. Which would be a bad thing. But we don't know for sure that it was intentional, it's not like they haven't made mistakes before.



I rather note something and find out it was just a slight oversight than to say nothing in case it was a genuine blunder. 



> Typing "locking tuners" was actually a mistake on my part, I meant fine tuners.



It's okay, we all make mistakes. 



> Well maybe that will change after Kurt sees 1, or 2, or 45 posts on the subject in the same thread.



Hey, we can only hope right? 



> For all we know they might want to move away from Kahlers in the future.



Given they're an option on custom going into mid next year, and plans to ramp up their use on multi-scales I'd say it's likely that they're here to stay, but no one can predict the future. 



> All I'm saying is it was a long read to see the same criticism, ad nauseam, for nearly 4 pages. I get that people feel strongly about this, and are interested in Agiles, but if it's been said, it's been said already. After some point it just becomes a bandwagon, or spam.



I'm sorry you had trouble reading 44 posts. If you were in so much pain, then please take a break, get a snack and just ignore the posts and/or thread entirely. 

Okay, that was pedantic. 

Perhaps by many of us posting in here with the same thought will show Kurt that it's not just one person who sees an issue, but that its something that more potential customers would be interested in. As much as I'd like to be the one whose opinion counts for everything, that's not quite how it works I'm afraid.


----------



## Setnakt

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't think I was being pedantic, so I'm sorry if it came off as such. The internet is not very good at conveying tone. I don't think I took you out of context though, since I quoted your entire post, without deleting anything.


I just saw it as out of context because it was removed from the rest of the paragraph, and responded to separately. It seemed pedantic because it was an introductory sentence to begin with, like writing an essay about how you disagree with the sentence, "Let's see here." 



> I'm sorry you had trouble reading 44 posts. If you were in so much pain, then please take a break, get a snack and just ignore the posts and/or thread entirely.
> 
> Okay, that was pedantic.


I guess I'm sorry I had so much confidence in the posting quality of this forum?



> Perhaps by many of us posting in here with the same thought will show Kurt that it's not just one person who sees an issue, but that its something that more potential customers would be interested in. As much as I'd like to be the one whose opinion counts for everything, that's not quite how it works I'm afraid.


Isn't there a "like" button though?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Setnakt said:


> I just saw it as out of context because it was removed from the rest of the paragraph, and responded to separately. It seemed pedantic because it was an introductory sentence to begin with, like writing an essay about how you disagree with the sentence, "Let's see here."



I see what you mean. I guess that's just the way I tend to type. 



> I guess I'm sorry I had so much confidence in the posting quality of this forum?



I'm not exactly sure how this is a question.  As for post quality in general, this thread seemed to be full of a bunch of like minded folks agreeing on something (Folks agreeing on a guitar forum?! Holy shit!) and adding constructive criticism to one of the few makers who actually tends to work with us, and then all of a sudden someone decided to criticize the criticism. And how? By talking about how we're just bumbling through this whole thread. I fail to see how constructive that is. When I met the few points you made you decided to switch to my posting style, and now here you've decided to make a generalization regarding the quality of posts on this forum.

I thought we were talking about a guitar bridge. 



> Isn't there a "like" button though?



Take a look around, do you really think the "like" feature on this site really means anything? 

Hell, I'm just some pedantic asshole who derails threads that I post in agreeing too much with people, and I have thousands of them.


----------



## Setnakt

> I'm not exactly sure how this is a question.  As for post quality in general, this thread seemed to be full of a bunch of like minded folks agreeing on something (Folks agreeing on a guitar forum?! Holy shit!) and adding constructive criticism to one of the few makers who actually tends to work with us, and then all of a sudden someone decided to criticize the criticism.


A tentative statement I guess. I suppose I'm just used to forums that don't try so much to encourage endless replies consisting of "I agree."



> And how? By talking about how we're just bumbling through this whole thread. I fail to see how constructive that is.


I raised some new points, because I saw people repeating themselves, perhaps in the hope that yet others might raise more points.



> When I met the few points you made you decided to switch to my posting style, and now here you've decided to make a generalization regarding the quality of posts on this forum.
> 
> I thought we were talking about a guitar bridge.


Well, we seem to be breaking down every point each of us is making about how each of us is making each of our points.  I mean you didn't have to start by responding to every sentence in my post. But either way, how we communicate defines what we're communicating.



> Take a look around, do you really think the "like" feature on this site really means anything?


If you say so.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Can we just talk about some guitar hardware?  

I brought up some counterpoints to your post (#45), and was wondering what you, or anyone else, thought. 

We can argue semantics all night, I don't have work till 1:00pm tomorrow, but really, it's not all that fun.


----------



## AwakenNoMore

So lets look at the plus sides of this.
The strings all look to be in-line with the tuners on the headstock. Less likely to bind in the nut.
Easier string changing due to non-locking bridge system.
Looks fucking comfy.
Looks well built.
has Grover tuners, but they don't say if they are locking or not, impossible to tell from pics.
proper arm attachment (no stupid push in or thread in arms)

Truth be told no-one's going to know if its any good until someone ACTUALLY tries it out. What if its epic? Mad boners everywhere.


----------



## Knyas

Agile Pendulum Elite 92527 RN Nat at RondoMusic.com


----------



## JamesM

Look at that huge ass hunk of metal.


----------



## Knyas

The Armada said:


> Look at that huge ass hunk of metal.



You could probably build a tank with it.


----------



## XEN

It's missing a string.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Now that's pretty cool.


----------



## ibanez4lifesz

And I thoughts 6 string floyds were big hunks of metal...wow...


----------



## vansinn

Cute, and now make one scaled 24.5"-27", which will allow F1#...A4.
Or an E1...G4# all-fourth tuning with the G4# bendable at least one semitone without breaking , using ordinary strings.


----------



## celticelk

vansinn said:


> Cute, and now make one scaled 24.5"-27", which will allow F1#...A4.
> Or an E1...G4# all-fourth tuning with the G4# bendable at least one semitone without breaking , using ordinary strings.



How many of those would Rondo sell? Would it be enough to justify the production-line tooling to make those necks? I highly doubt that they're all being done by hand.


----------



## Nonservium

Ironing board with strings.


----------



## Deadnightshade

Why is Agile so afraid of bigger fans?Give that 24.5"-28" and it would be godly.Nom nom.Nom.


----------



## celticelk

Nonservium said:


> Ironing board with strings.


 
*Heavy* ironing board. "Actual weight is only 11 lbs."


----------



## avenger

TomAwesome said:


> Very interesting. I'd like to see where this bridge is at a few more production runs down the road. *Now if they'd only use real jumbo frets.*


Holy shit THIS!


----------



## 77zark77

the Kahler is only here to balance the headstock 

I'd like to have one with a fixed bridge and a 24-27 fan


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Deadnightshade said:


> Why is Agile so afraid of bigger fans?Give that 24.5"-28" and it would be godly.Nom nom.Nom.


 
I don't think it's as much of them being afraid to do other fans, they're just using the ones they've already done in the past.

I bet if we all got together and request a few different ones, and showed that we'd actually buy some, Kurt would have no problem offering another scale. 

It's be cool to see "continued" scales.


----------



## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns

*removed by poster as in retrospect was dumb*


----------



## PinkyandBrain

guitareben said:


> What do you even Tune that too :O
> 
> And also, i gotta say, RondoMusic is by far one of the coolest guitar companies out there, i mean what other company does shit like this for such awesome prices :O Heck, they are the only non full custom company (ya know, they sorta mass produce stuff... sorta) that does nine strings and stuff :O <3 RondoMusic


 It would be either a low G#-1 or a C#0


----------



## Explorer

b1gm3 said:


> If I'm really honest, I don't see why even 9 strings are necessary. I get 8, but once you start going lower that low E just buy a bass or a synth. It seems like having that range for the sake of having it, rather than for any sort of musical fulfillment...



That was an awesome parody post, pretending that you don't have sufficient imagination to picture someone actually using the full range of their instrument. 

Coming onto an ERG forum to make the point that 8 strings is acceptable, but 9 string is the final straw... classic! You should have gone the distance, though, pointing out that anything more than six strings is too much, like the classic trolling posts you're parodying. Still, a good effort!

+1 to your rep for a great parody, good sir!

("Get a bass!" That's great!)


----------



## Hollowway

Anyone play one of these multiscale Kahlers? I know the one on that Sherman multiscale 8 had a lot of trouble on the high A, so I'm wondering what the "in the field" guys think of these. If my will power sinks a bit lower I may want to get one of these 9 or 10 string fanned Agiles, but I'm leery of how well those trems are going to work. 

Also, anyone have any idea what the maximum fan possible is for the Kahlers? I'm wondering if (given the vertical fret as Kurt has it) they can go beyond a 1,5" fan.


----------



## space frog

That multiscale 9 string is awesome. And its only 100$ more than the 7 string version... or 100 less than the 7-string pro w/kahler


----------



## AmishRefugee

We're gonna need bigger hands


----------



## notasian

they just made a sevenstring with a 3 inch fan !!!! 27-30!!!! gasp! i think rondo is winning! 
maybe he will make some 8or9 strings with more of a fan!


----------



## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns

Explorer said:


> That was an awesome parody post, pretending that you don't have sufficient imagination to picture someone actually using the full range of their instrument.
> 
> Coming onto an ERG forum to make the point that 8 strings is acceptable, but 9 string is the final straw... classic! You should have gone the distance, though, pointing out that anything more than six strings is too much, like the classic trolling posts you're parodying. Still, a good effort!
> 
> +1 to your rep for a great parody, good sir!
> 
> ("Get a bass!" That's great!)



Sorry, didn't mean to come across as a jerk. Post edited.


----------



## Explorer

If I could rep you twice, I would.


----------



## space frog

Explorer said:


> If I could rep you twice, I would.



If I could like this comment twice, I would.


----------



## Ben.Last

space frog said:


> If I could like this comment twice, I would.



If I could like this comment, about liking that comment twice, twice, I would.


----------



## Explorer

Fortunately, I like your comments enough to rep *and* like them. *laugh*

Silliness aside, the poster thought about the post, and took action upon reflection. Such actions deserve rep. Well done, friend.


----------



## space frog

Explorer said:


> Fortunately, I like your comments enough to rep *and* like them. *laugh*
> 
> Silliness aside, the poster thought about the post, *and took action upon reflection. Such actions deserve rep.* Well done, friend.



kudos for that. Trolls wouldn't have done that.

on the other hand... you can't double rep or double like, but you came accross a way to double appreciate


----------



## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns

Once again, apologies for that. It was a pretty stupid thing to say. In fact, it seems moreso each time I think about it :L I appreciate the whole not continuing to flip about it though. I'm warming to this site more and more I must say


----------



## SYLrules88

hai folks 

my d activators!! anyone not liking these pickups yet?


----------



## Explorer

b1gm3 said:


> I appreciate the whole not continuing to flip about it though. I'm warming to this site more and more I must say



Well, it was your response which made it clear you would do well here. And now I can rep you again. *laugh* In any case, welcome!



SYLrules88 said:


> my d activators!!



Looks great! I got my set in the mail from the recent group buy through Tom Drinkwater on here, and am planning on putting them in that first 28.625" Intrepid Pro I have. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I have high hopes.

BTW, did you have to mod the pickups or routing to make them fit?

I'll be adding a Fender TBX tone knob at the same time, with a higher resistor on the cap lug for smoother sound transition.

Seeing how they look in your guitar makes me more eager to give this a shot.


----------



## rythmic_pulses

SYLrules88 said:


> hai folks
> 
> my d activators!! anyone not liking these pickups yet?


 
I like Dimarzio's don't get me wrong but the first time I heard these they were really defined and the clarity was excellent but they seemed to lack bottom end and I don't know if it's how the amp was set up or anything but they were kinda thin.

But still, I am thinking of getting the 25.5" pro model of the intrepid simply because I can't really play on the 28.???" model cause I have small hands, but I will be putting those pickups in when I get the money for both.


----------



## Explorer

@rp - The first time I tried my Intrepid through a decent full-range acoustic amp, it sounded so much better than running through a typical electric amp. 

I suggest you listen to the Cepheus pickups before immediately changing them. I think they're pretty decent, and am changing them only because I want to see if the D-Activators give me anything better.


----------



## SYLrules88

Explorer said:


> Looks great! I got my set in the mail from the recent group buy through Tom Drinkwater on here, and am planning on putting them in that first 28.625" Intrepid Pro I have. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I have high hopes.
> 
> BTW, did you have to mod the pickups or routing to make them fit?
> 
> I'll be adding a Fender TBX tone knob at the same time, with a higher resistor on the cap lug for smoother sound transition.
> 
> Seeing how they look in your guitar makes me more eager to give this a shot.


 
yep i had to have a friend take a little bit off of the sides of the pickup routes. i tried to (gently) shove them in place but theres no way that could have worked like it did one time with a SD dimebucker.

ive heard about that fender TBX tone control before but ive never given it a try myself. i do want to try it someday.

oh and also, these split really well. you cant see it in this photo, but i installed a mini toggle for each pup for series/split/parallel. i havent found much use for parallel yet but i love the split sounds.



rythmic_pulses said:


> I like Dimarzio's don't get me wrong but the first time I heard these they were really defined and the clarity was excellent but they seemed to lack bottom end and I don't know if it's how the amp was set up or anything but they were kinda thin.


 
first time i played with these dimarzios, i actually had to turn the bass down on my carvin v3 from where i had it with the cepheus'. for me, the dactivators have plenty of bottom end, and thankfully they dont have this goddamn headache-inducing ugly midrange that i could never get rid of with the cepheus'!


----------



## rythmic_pulses

SYLrules88 said:


> first time i played with these dimarzios, i actually had to turn the bass down on my carvin v3 from where i had it with the cepheus'. for me, the dactivators have plenty of bottom end, and thankfully they dont have this goddamn headache-inducing ugly midrange that i could never get rid of with the cepheus'!


 
Midrange is a good thing, you can shape it to your needs if you can't get rid of it, don't dump on the midrange bro! 

Unless it's muddy midrange that just makes you wanna puke...


----------



## rythmic_pulses

Explorer said:


> @rp - The first time I tried my Intrepid through a decent full-range acoustic amp, it sounded so much better than running through a typical electric amp.
> 
> I suggest you listen to the Cepheus pickups before immediately changing them. I think they're pretty decent, and am changing them only because I want to see if the D-Activators give me anything better.


 
I like the cepheus pickups, like you said they are decent, especially for stock pickups, they are hotter than the dimarzio's and have a great response for stocks too and the responsive midrange works well with the Intrepid pro models because of the Mahogany which is a fair dark and warm sounding wood making it bass heavy, the Dimarzio's on the other hand are fairly bright depending on the model you get, I found a video that shows the difference between the two.


----------



## space frog

ooohhhh they do sound quite thin for the bottom end.... you get the djentdjent but you don't get any bassy feel, or any note from the chugging... arrrgghh to get d'activators or not to get, that is the question -__-


----------



## SYLrules88

rythmic_pulses said:


> Midrange is a good thing, you can shape it to your needs if you can't get rid of it, don't dump on the midrange bro!
> 
> Unless it's muddy midrange that just makes you wanna puke...


 
TRUST ME, the midrange im talking about is the shitty kind. i tried nonstop through my various amps and i could never dial it out. i dont know precisely what frequencies its at, but think of it like this. if you had your head next to a giant bell and some asshole rings it as hard as he can. that feeling that the sound is reaching the very center of your brain. thats what this midrange is like for me.



rythmic_pulses said:


> I like the cepheus pickups, like you said they are decent, especially for stock pickups, they are hotter than the dimarzio's and have a great response for stocks too and the responsive midrange works well with the Intrepid pro models because of the Mahogany which is a fair dark and warm sounding wood making it bass heavy, the Dimarzio's on the other hand are fairly bright depending on the model you get, I found a video that shows the difference between the two.


 
i have to disagree with the cepheus' being hotter than the dimarzios. that was the first thing i noticed when i put the dimarzios in, that i didnt have to dig into the 8th string in particular nearly as much and i got a much more powerful response. my intrepid has an ash body w/ bolt on maple neck/fb if you're curious. and that video doesnt represent how my cepheus' ever sounded. D: to me, they sounded like slightly improved EMG HZs. i definitely gave them a worthy shot of working for me, but they just dont.

EDIT: maybe i should make a vid with my dimarzios and ill make sure to not have a thin bottom end? doesnt take much on my rig


----------



## space frog

^Yeah if you could make a clip that would be cool, I'd like to hear how yours sound.


----------



## Explorer

I was a little worried about the twang on that video on the first clean section, but going to YouTube, I read that all the clean sounds were the D-Activators, which makes me feel a little better that it's just a result of whatever fretting habits of the person making the video. The second set of clean phrases had much better tone.

I do wish there had been a comparison of -Activators and Cepheus pickups doing clean, with everything else identical. Distorted/overdriven guitar can have noises and resonances which are more indicative of one's rig and signal chain than of a particular pickup, so I normally don't use OD to judge how a pickup might sound with *my* rig unless I'm actually using my rig.


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

I don't really wanna search through 200+ pages so I'll just ask. Has anybody here tried out the 9 strings? If so, how responsive are the pickups to such low end? And how is it adding that extra string to your hands?


----------



## space frog

I'd guess the pups respond pretty well... after all the lowest string is only 1 tone lower than on their 8 strings, and many people go even lower than E with their 8s, so even though I never heard these pups I guess they are good.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

rythmic_pulses said:


>




Could anyone really here anything with that distortion? Maybe it's my speakers, but that sounded so buzzy there wasn't much discernible tone.


----------



## Winspear

^ It was fairly fatiguing but quite ok I think


----------



## that short guy

Sorry it took so long to get back and reply to these, Got snagged up on my way back from Iraq. God is it good to be back home. Anywho to reply...




rythmic_pulses said:


> Listen to some Monuments, only then will you understand


 
I gave them a listen and liked it. Thanks for the recommendation.



Necris said:


> First off, the obligatory :
> 
> I can only speak for myself but if I wanted to only use the top three strings I would tune a 6 string way down rather than spend money on a 10, it's a more logical thing to do in my opinion. I am now considering one of these and have every intention of using every string, just like I do with my 8 string.


 
I completely agree with you, that would be the logical thing to do. My commment came from the majority of my friends that are into ERG's going out and getting 8 and 9 string guitars and only using the top few strings. And don't get me wrong I'm not saying that everyone that plays one of these is going to do that, I just meant that most of the people I know playing them do that (and yes, I do I'm well aware of the arguement about their skill level probably isn't too high if they're using the guitars that way lol). And for those people like yourself that do use every string, i really enjoy hearing/watching ya'll play. it's great to see new levels of playing reached.


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

It's all those "djent" players who bought an 8 string just to chug lol.


----------



## The Reverend

DaethedralXiphos7FX said:


> It's all those "djent" players who bought an 8 string just to chug lol.



And what's wrong with those who like to chug, good sir?


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

The Reverend said:


> And what's wrong with those who like to chug, good sir?



People that ride the lower two or three strings and nothing else shouldn't be playing an eight, in my opinion. The point of an eight is so you have a greater range, not extra mass. It just seems a bit silly to me when someone buys an eight and doesn't actually use eight strings, yet that seems to be the ever increasing, thought still minute, fad.

Maybe it's just me.


----------



## space frog

^You're right. You can drop a 6 string virtually as low as you want to chug. And to chug you don't need the high strings, which an 8-string adds/"keeps"


----------



## Ben.Last

dragonblade629 said:


> People that ride the lower two or three strings and nothing else shouldn't be playing an eight, in my opinion. The point of an eight is so you have a greater range, not extra mass. It just seems a bit silly to me when someone buys an eight and doesn't actually use eight strings, yet that seems to be the ever increasing, thought still minute, fad.
> 
> Maybe it's just me.



So, in order to qualify for an 8, what percentage of one's music should incorporate the higher strings? If someone uses that high E string once per album is that enough? Per song?

Don't get me wrong, I get what you mean. My point is simply that even the most chug intensive players are going to throw in a high note every now and then just by virtue of the fact that they're there. So, where does the arbitrary "shouldn't" come in?


----------



## space frog

dude... do like this:


----------



## Winspear

Lern2swim said:


> So, in order to qualify for an 8, what percentage of one's music should incorporate the higher strings? If someone uses that high E string once per album is that enough? Per song?
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I get what you mean. My point is simply that even the most chug intensive players are going to throw in a high note every now and then just by virtue of the fact that they're there. So, where does the arbitrary "shouldn't" come in?



Absolutely this 

To quote myself...



EtherealEntity said:


> I'd look at it like this:
> 
> There are plenty of 6 string players that barely use the high strings. It doesn't mean they should remove those strings. I'm sure nobody would ask questions if they wrote a bunch of songs that didn't use the low E, either.
> 
> You only feel like you 'have' to play that 8th string because it's unusual.
> 
> It's just another string. If you occasionally hit a note on it, maybe just to avoid a position change, then it's worth having. I don't think 6 string players sit around thinking "I haven't used X string in this song yet". There seems to be a mindset that when playing 7 or 8 string guitars, you need to make use of that low string as the center of a song, otherwise you'll get comments like "Why do you need so many strings?" (You'll get them anyway ).



What does it matter if some generic chugger is playing an 8 vs a downtuned 6? If he is happy with the guitar, all is good  Chugging is chugging, the amount of strings on your guitar does not make it any more or less interesting.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Lern2swim said:


> So, in order to qualify for an 8, what percentage of one's music should incorporate the higher strings? If someone uses that high E string once per album is that enough? Per song?
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I get what you mean. My point is simply that even the most chug intensive players are going to throw in a high note every now and then just by virtue of the fact that they're there. So, where does the arbitrary "shouldn't" come in?


 
You said it... It's arbitrary.


----------



## nightflameauto

Reading through these last few posts I was beginning to wonder if I was alone in my thoughts. Somebody chugging on an 8 doesn't change the music. And do the extra strings actively hurt me while listening to it? Nope. It may not have been a wise choice of instruments for them, but what do I care?

And I'll say this, I'd rather hear the chuggers on an 8 than the justification rockers I've heard on occasion that think they need to fit every note on the instrument in every measure of every song. Things can get disjointed fast if you've got a constant stream of "chug chug-weedly-weedly-huge scale-weedly-chug-huge scale-weedly-chug." You just end up wondering if there will ever be a melody or coherent rhythm.

That's a very, very tiny subset of the extended range players I've heard, but when I do hear them it makes me wanna slap them with a full fledged - "SETTLE DOWN, BEAVIS!"


----------



## space frog

I'm not saying chuggers shouldn't get an 8 string. I'm saying it's totally useless and that getting an 8 string "for the show" is worthless.


----------



## yuureikun

I am really dying to know how the new Cepheus tremolo is.

As is, I absolutely love my Interceptor 828 with DiMarzio D Activator 8s.


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

See the way I view things, if you just want chug, then detune a 6 string. But I can see good reasons to get an 8. Think about it, Meshuggah does it for the same reason. The only hing they really do is chug, but it's tone they are going for as well. Two sides to the same coin...


----------



## Explorer

If I;m not buying someone else an instrument, I don't have to worry about how they're going to use it. 

How much do you all have invested in the actions of others? I'm hopeful that such concern arises from your having been very generous to them.

If not... why is it your business?


----------



## Gor22don33

Hmmm... good idea and nice design.  I'm not to big on anything more than 7 strings these days, but if this sees the light of day and is at a reasonable price, I just might pick one up for the hell of it.


----------



## The Reverend

The next guitar on my list to get is going to be an Agile 8. I'm just not sure I'd get, which is the upside of going with them. I think they have like 15 different 8-string models? Good shit, if you ask me. 

Also, going OT a bit, I've said it before and I'll say it again, unless a mod tells me otherwise, that is: telling or implying that people expressing themselves with a musical instrument aren't "doing it right" makes no sense. Imagine if your consensus was law: we'd never have electric guitars, much less ERGs. There's very little difference between what you're saying and what people who go around dissing anything with more than six strings as being unnecessary.


----------



## that short guy

Explorer said:


> If I;m not buying someone else an instrument, I don't have to worry about how they're going to use it.
> 
> How much do you all have invested in the actions of others? I'm hopeful that such concern arises from your having been very generous to them.
> 
> If not... why is it your business?


 
This is a very good point. And by all means it's none of our business. so don't get me wrong I agree with what you said, but it's just peoples (myself included) natural urge to complain about things that rub them the wrong way.


----------



## Customisbetter

I checked and didn't see anything regarding this yet.

Check it out!

Agile Interceptor CEP 828 EB Tribal Purple at RondoMusic.com


----------



## Syriel

Isn't this a repost?

Anyways I would love to try it.

Oh, and inb4lock.


----------



## SirMyghin

I don't feel like having to solder all those ball end winds to get something half functional.


----------



## space frog

Looks legit... also looks like "Kahler licensed" trems... very kahler like, prolly kahler bridges, just cheaper. Cuz look at the price difference between the pro and the CEP... 300$? That's about the price of an 8 string kahler


----------



## Djent

Didn't see this around:
Agile Pendulum Elite 92527 RN Nat at RondoMusic.com
9 string multi-scale!


----------



## Hollowway

onetimeoneplace said:


> Didn't see this around:
> Agile Pendulum Elite 92527 RN Nat at RondoMusic.com
> 9 string multi-scale!


 
Yup, perfect for the high A guys. Supremely perfect for the high A guys that want to break A4 strings with a trem!


----------



## space frog

Hollowway said:


> Yup, perfect for the high A guys. Supremely perfect for the high A guys that want to break A4 strings with a trem!



I would need this. My high f# just broke again on my intrepid... and it was a .009


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

space frog said:


> I would need this. My high f# just broke again on my intrepid... and it was a .009



See I think when I get my 9 string in, I'll change the higher string to a bit thicker gauge. I have a pretty strong attack and usually tune a half step down from standard. Maybe a .011


----------



## tangculiji

I was more or less decided on this little guy: Agile Septor Elite 830 EB DNC Nat Satin Ash at RondoMusic.com... then I logged on today and found that they've sold out! Which one of you guys was quick with the clicks?! 

Kurt doesn't expect any more until "early 2012", but who knows... when does Agile usually get new shipments/models in? Are they pretty regular and predictable, or am I going to have to wait a while for a nice 8-string, 30"?


----------



## space frog

next shipment around december 2011/jan 2012 iirc

They always produce more than the actual customer orders and put them up on their site for direct sale, so they come in at the same time as people receive theirs.


----------



## space frog

space frog said:


> I would need this. My high f# just broke again on my intrepid... and it was a .009



dunno who neg repped me, but if you are going to do this and talk shit at least sign and tell me who you are

I never said chuggers shouldn't buy 8 strings, I just said it's useless, dont talk shit to me cuz of that


----------



## gr8Har V

so i've had my mind set on this Septor Pro 727: Agile Septor Pro 727 EB Black Quilt at RondoMusic.com

but i came across this Septor Elite 828 in an amazing finish: Agile Septor Elite 828 EB EMG Silverburst at RondoMusic.com

and it just looks so much more solid and great, but the only real difference is the extra string and the hip shot bridge.

but with an 8 string at that long of the scale do the high strings really get trebeled out? cuz i'd rather have a 27-28.625 multiscale. i saw kurt has a septor design available for custom 

does the low string buzz or hum when not muted, or is it harder to be clean with fast stuff?


----------



## Ben.Last

gr8Har V said:


> so i've had my mind set on this Septor Pro 727: Agile Septor Pro 727 EB Black Quilt at RondoMusic.com
> 
> but i came across this Septor Elite 828 in an amazing finish: Agile Septor Elite 828 EB EMG Silverburst at RondoMusic.com
> 
> and it just looks so much more solid and great, but the only real difference is the extra string and the hip shot bridge.
> 
> but with an 8 string at that long of the scale do the high strings really get trebeled out? cuz i'd rather have a 27-28.625 multiscale. i saw kurt has a septor design available for custom
> 
> does the low string buzz or hum when not muted, or is it harder to be clean with fast stuff?



In my humble opinion, the 8.625 scale is fine for an 8 string. That's the scale of my Intrepid and I don't have any issues with the higher strings. Also in my opinion, the necessity of multiscales for 8 strings is greatly exaggerated.


----------



## space frog

Agile now offers 10 string guitars through their custom order


----------



## aWoodenShip

Septor Custom shop opened back up.


----------



## AmishRefugee

I just bought a 0.08 for my F# (dropped to E)

it barely fits on my Septor 828, but OH MY FUCKING GOD I'M SO GLAD I SPENT THAT $3 

i love you juststrings.com


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

Was wondering if some could help me out with tuning on a 9 string? I get standard is C#-F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E, but what would be a half step down? C tuning; C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb? And so on and so forth. I'm experimenting and in need of advice.


----------



## gr8Har V

DaethedralXiphos7FX said:


> Was wondering if some could help me out with tuning on a 9 string? I get standard is C#-F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E, but what would be a half step down? C tuning; C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb? And so on and so forth. I'm experimenting and in need of advice.


 
i dont get it, what do u need advice on? thats the correct half-step down tuning. if i had a 9 string i would probably try tuning it a half step UP first: D-G-C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-C-F

i think a low D would be quite epic, and a low C on the 7th is good, but idk about the low G on the 8th. I cant imagine an open G being too great, but just experiment around and you'll find what you like and what u dont like.


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

gr8Har V said:


> i dont get it, what do u need advice on? thats the correct half-step down tuning. if i had a 9 string i would probably try tuning it a half step UP first: D-G-C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-C-F
> 
> i think a low D would be quite epic, and a low C on the 7th is good, but idk about the low G on the 8th. I cant imagine an open G being too great, but just experiment around and you'll find what you like and what u dont like.



That's what I was looking for, good advice, lol. See I was thinking about trying to cross over two octaves tuning with B-E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E with 3 strings tuned to B and 3 tuned to E. I think I might get some really cool resonances with that. But I like the idea of a low D, tuning higher. Sounds like it could be wicked.


----------



## fusion1

Are the bolt on necks tolerable on the Agiles 8 strings?


----------



## Ben.Last

fusion1 said:


> Are the bolt on necks tolerable on the Agiles 8 strings?



Tolerable for what? 

They're perfectly fine for the 5% of the time, at most, that most players will spend fretting that high. 

They're not quite AANJ but they're also not blocks like Fenders have had for decades (and numerous players have not had a problem dealing with)


----------



## fusion1

Any better than the Schecter Damien Elites that I've read are horrible, but never played first hand. I have 1 coming my way so I will see if the Damien Elite 8 is as bad as they say.


----------



## Ben.Last

fusion1 said:


> Any better than the Schecter Damien Elites that I've read are horrible, but never played first hand. I have 1 coming my way so I will see if the Damien Elite 8 is as bad as they say.



From what I've seen, Schecters are more squared off. Also, note that Intrepids have a bit better access than Septors/Interceptors. 

Again, though, none should really be a prohibitive issue.


----------



## rainbowbrite

i imagine the new floating cepheus bridge is a cost saving measure, because kahlers have never been cheap. i would be highly skeptical of the quality, durability, and tuning stability of a floating 8 string bridge. there is good reason why other manufacturers are not offering them or developing them...


----------



## Hollowway

rainbowbrite said:


> i imagine the new floating cepheus bridge is a cost saving measure, because kahlers have never been cheap. i would be highly skeptical of the quality, durability, and tuning stability of a floating 8 string bridge. there is good reason why other manufacturers are not offering them or developing them...



Yes but that reason is that it's a tremendously niche market. .I'm not aware of any other reason. .You?


----------



## rainbowbrite

Hollowway said:


> Yes but that reason is that it's a tremendously niche market. .I'm not aware of any other reason. .You?



if a major manufacturer eg ibanez, esp, schecter, etc is selling them, it is not as niche as you think. 7 years ago, yes, there were very few 8 stringed instruments produced outside of custom shops. today, i can order one from any number of online retailers for less than $700....


----------



## Hollowway

rainbowbrite said:


> if a major manufacturer eg ibanez, esp, schecter, etc is selling them, it is not as niche as you think. 7 years ago, yes, there were very few 8 stringed instruments produced outside of custom shops. today, i can order one from any number of online retailers for less than $700....



Yeah, but I thought you were talking about the trems? Trems on 8s aren't requested very much. It will come, but as you said, it's taken time to grow. We can debate the definition of niche, but companies will make what sells. When they think they have enough customers to tool up to make a floating trem, they will. But you implied in your post that there is some reason no one is making the trems, as if there were some physical reason why they wouldn't work. I'm saying the reason they're not isn't because they can't overcome some R&D issue, it's a business decision.


----------



## aWoodenShip

Pendulum custom shop reopened as well.

EDIT:Not very custom now that I've looked at it. What the sauce?


----------



## Seizetoday

aWoodenShip said:


> Septor Custom shop opened back up.


 
pretty sure god helps stuart make his basses


----------



## Seizetoday

Seizetoday said:


> If anyone on here loves to play there 7 string or any stringed instrument post a video to facebooks Quick riffs. its a musicians network that just started


 
you can add pics of your sick guitars too!


----------



## Deadlycookies

*Cepheus tremolo*. Tried it?


----------



## grievous_coil

anyone ordered one outside the US or Canada?

Looking at an interceptor, but a bit unsure about shipping etc.


----------



## The Reverend

grievous_coil said:


> anyone ordered one outside the US or Canada?
> 
> Looking at an interceptor, but a bit unsure about shipping etc.



I don't have an Agile, nor do I live outside the US, but I do know that they won't do returns on international orders. That leads me to believe that the shipping costs must be fairly prohibitive, as their return policy for US costumers is very accommodating.


----------



## Explorer

GC, there's a lot of previous discussion on this issue. The internal search can be difficult when trying for some things, so here's a link to a search here:

Let me google that for you

Happy reading!


----------



## JP Universe

Just put an order through for my first 8 string.... this is more of an experiment than anything, just want to know if the 8 string is for me. I went for class on my purchase, NGD coming soon


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

ya i was going to get an 8 string, but then I took an arrow to the knee


----------



## Galius

DaethedralXiphos7FX said:


> ya i was going to get an 8 string, but then I took an arrow to the knee


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

sorry i had to! lol. but i honestly was thinking about getting an 8 string at first from my 7, but honestly after seeing some of Agile's 9 string, it's hard not to resist, there is so much more opened up to you in tone and scale and range.


----------



## Ben.Last

DaethedralXiphos7FX said:


> sorry i had to! lol.



No, you didn't.


----------



## jake7doyle

they all look amazing. anyone know the best way to get hold of an agile in the UK?


----------



## space frog

I think customs will make the price bounce a lot if you order it from rondomusic.com, so you might wanna check the used market, there are always some goodies in the UK I think


----------



## DaethedralXiphos7FX

I actually saw a used agile intrepid 828 at guitar center here in Portland. So they do turn up here and there.


----------



## Guitarjon

How many of you guys have Agiles with ebony fretboard?
I'm thinking about buying another intrepid, but this time 30 inches.
And I don't know whether to get an Ebony or Maple fretboard...
I like the maple fretboard on my other intrepid, but the black ebony looks more badass.
The reason for my doubt is the fact that a buddy of mine has a septor 7 string with ebony but it quickly developed a crack in it from about the 24th fret till maybe the 19th fret or so.... right in the middle.
I don't want to take a risk like that because I live in europe.
I'm wondering what other peoples experiences are with the Agile Ebony fretboards....
Also if you look closely at his septor it kinda looks like the ebony is more like a veneer on the fretboard.... so it looks as if it is a double fretboard... because in one spot you can clearly see a much lighter brown underneath the 'ebony' maybe a brown stain in the ebony?
Thanks!


----------



## nightflameauto

Guitarjon said:


> Also if you look closely at his septor it kinda looks like the ebony is more like a veneer on the fretboard.... so it looks as if it is a double fretboard... because in one spot you can clearly see a much lighter brown underneath the 'ebony' maybe a brown stain in the ebony?
> Thanks!



You've got that backwards there. It's actually a black stain over the top of the ebony, and they probably missed that spot that appears lighter brown in the staining process. Ebony comes in all sorts of shades. Most manufacturers, Agile included, have decided to dye the boards to jet black. Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of this process because I just prefer natural wood and some of the dyes they use rub off for the first few months or even years of the guitar's life.

I lucked out and got a "B-stock" guitar with an ebony board from Agile. It was B-stocked because they forgot to stain the board. It's beautiful with some nice grain patterns. I haven't seen any signs of cracking on this fretboard.







Is the brown on your friend's board somewhere around the same shade as the light streak down the right side of this picture? That's one of the natural colors for the ebony they use on Agiles.


----------



## Counterspell

Yo Dudes!! I know that this is not the forum for posting youtube cover vids, but I figured with all the interest in anything regarding 9 strings in this thread, it would be useful to share it here. 

Droped in a low E riff at about 2:00 into just for you guys ;p


----------



## Xplora

What has the thinner neck, Pendulum or Intrepid? I think there is an 8 string fanned fret in the future, but I'm skeptical about the neck thickness... Kurt's info doesn't make much sense to me. The Septor is a fast neck, with a 13" radius? huh?


----------



## nomnomnom

Guitarjon said:


> How many of you guys have Agiles with ebony fretboard?
> I'm thinking about buying another intrepid, but this time 30 inches.
> And I don't know whether to get an Ebony or Maple fretboard...
> I like the maple fretboard on my other intrepid, but the black ebony looks more badass.
> The reason for my doubt is the fact that a buddy of mine has a septor 7 string with ebony but it quickly developed a crack in it from about the 24th fret till maybe the 19th fret or so.... right in the middle.
> I don't want to take a risk like that because I live in europe.
> I'm wondering what other peoples experiences are with the Agile Ebony fretboards....
> Also if you look closely at his septor it kinda looks like the ebony is more like a veneer on the fretboard.... so it looks as if it is a double fretboard... because in one spot you can clearly see a much lighter brown underneath the 'ebony' maybe a brown stain in the ebony?
> Thanks!


 
I've got a 27" interceptor pro with an ebony finger board- it's amazing! flawless!


----------



## Galius

So I dont know if anyone has noticed that Kurt has been posting alot of the 8 string cheaper over the past month. Looks like anywhere from 100-400 less. Like I noticed a bolt on Intrepid he posted for $400 instead of $500, some bolt on Interceptors with Kahlers for $600 instead of $800, and this weekend he has an Interceptor Pro 828 with Blackouts for $800. Those usually go for 1100-1200 alone. They arent B stocks either.


----------



## Djent

Agile Harm 1 FG Ash Toast Extended Scale Guitar at RondoMusic.com

30" semi-hollow


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Hey guys,

So, I have been debating between a Carvin DC800 8-string (27" neck-thru with Carvin actives) and an Agile Intrepid Dual Pro (28.65" neck-thru with Cepheus passives) 8-string. 

Obviously, the Carvin is more expensive and has high quality, but after reading for days on this thread about Agiles, I'm tempted to check one out. However, I've noticed that all over forums and all over Youtube that people (a TON of people) are selling their Agiles now, plus Kurt has dropped his prices on Agiles recently. WTF?

So what should I go for? Carvin or the Agile? Convince me either way. (Keep it fair, clean, and honest guys!)


----------



## Galius

If you feel like cheaping out Agiles are perfectly capable guitar. I would say if youre new to 8s you can pick up an agile to see if its your thing then either return it withing the return period and invest more into a carvin< or sell the agile later when you think youre ready to upgrade. I have yet to play my Carvin but Agiles are well worth the money.


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

I've read around on other forums, and there are people on there that say that us members here at SS.org look down on Agiles. After reading through multiple threads on here, I DISAGREE with that statement. I just believe that we see Agiles are "slightly inferior". (I mean, shoot, the price says it all, right?)

I find it funny how Keith Merrow was all praising Agile (and he really gave Kurt at RondoMusic a kickstart), but once he got his custom-made Rico, oh wow, did Merrow's opinion change. he said that Agiles are not even close in quality to some of these other guitars.

I'm starting to agree and see the point. Saving up for a Carvin then, might be my choice.


----------



## Andrenighthound

Hell yeh! Just bought my third Agile, 830 Intrepid Pro in Bloodburst. I play clean a lot and really appreciate the clear bass. I don't see how much better a carvin can be than an Agile. For one thing I like that agiles offer more than one scale length and come with the 3 piece or 5 piece neck. The Carvins may be prettier with there wood stain selection and different tops, but sorry that don't make the guitar sound good, that's just pure aesthetics, which is really why people are buying them. The wood construction on the agiles are great, maybe some need a level and crown or new some new pots and switch, but after that is set and done, what can carvin do better than the agile? Agiles have double truss rods, and carvins don't. I just did a 16 city tour from Arizona to Denver and was in all climates and the agiles delivered! From what I heard so far with the carvins the tone is not impressing me. But that hard to tell because everyone demo I hear is played with so much distortion, you can even hear the notes. Being I'm hitting the road in about 6 weeks, I won't be around to get it so I will order a carvin dc800 just for shits and giggles when I get back from my european and Australian tour. And more more thing the Agile headstock is nicer than the Carvin.


----------



## nightflameauto

I've owned nine Carvins over the years, and have a couple Agiles and have had a Brice bass, so I feel it's fair for me to make a comparison.

1. Carvin electronics need a little (emphasis, a little) work most of the time. I never had a switch last longer than about two months out of the gate, but usually switches and jacks were the only things that ever needed replaced. Agile electronics run the gamut from perfectly acceptable to needing fully gutted and replaced all-out depending on which model you get.

2. I only ever had one setup issue with any of my Carvins, and that was a nut that was cut too low on one string. I wasn't happy about it, but they fixed it no problem. My Agiles and my Brice needed setup work to be perfect, though they were acceptable. Carvin fret jobs are unbelievably nice. Agiles can be made nice if you have the skills and/or patience and/or tech to do the work for you. After an evening of work I'm just as happy with either.

3. Carvin is more focused on build to order, Agile is order what you see and have it in three days. This can lead to frustrations because you don't always get exactly what you ordered after waiting 8 plus weeks from Carvin, and you're almost always going to be either stuck waiting another 8 plus weeks, or getting stuck with a guitar you always remember as "almost what I wanted." This can also lead to frustration if CS decides to be buttheads with you. And it does happen.

It's really two very different worlds. I'm trying to be fair here despite the fact that I've had a major, MAJOR falling out with Carvin. Basically, if you want to save some coin up front, or get some options that aren't available with Carvin currently (trem, longer scale, EMGs or Blackouts) and don't mind doing setup work or hiring setup work done after the sale, Agile's a pretty acceptable alternative.


----------



## Xplora

Wings of Obsidian said:


> I find it funny how Keith Merrow was all praising Agile (and he really gave Kurt at RondoMusic a kickstart), but once he got his custom-made Rico, oh wow, did Merrow's opinion change. he said that Agiles are not even close in quality to some of these other guitars.



I wouldn't expect an Agile to compare to a custom Rico, but you'd be an idiot to think that it would. Sounds like flat out endorsement prostitution really, I won't hate the player... but you'd be a fool to not realise there is a game.


----------



## morestrings111

space frog said:


> Agile now offers 10 string guitars through their custom order


Did anybody order one of these? I'm really anxious to see what they look like.


----------



## Hollowway

morestrings111 said:


> Did anybody order one of these? I'm really anxious to see what they look like.


 
I talked with Kurt over email last week and he said no one has ordered one yet. I was hoping to get my hands on a Cepheus 10 string pup. But they haven't even made them.


----------



## morestrings111

Hollowway said:


> I talked with Kurt over email last week and he said no one has ordered one yet. I was hoping to get my hands on a Cepheus 10 string pup. But they haven't even made them.


 Darn it! Thanks for the info.


----------



## EndOfWill

I'm looking to get my first 8 string.
I know that I'm going to start using them, so it's not really a question of should I get one to see if I like 8's and whatnot...
I was considering waiting til the summer and getting an rg2228.
But I would like to get one sooner to use with my band.
How good are agiles?
I was looking at this:
Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB CP Charcoal at RondoMusic.com
If I got that put in Lundgrens or something do you think it would be worth it?


----------



## yuureikun

EndOfWill said:


> I'm looking to get my first 8 string.
> I know that I'm going to start using them, so it's not really a question of should I get one to see if I like 8's and whatnot...
> I was considering waiting til the summer and getting an rg2228.
> But I would like to get one sooner to use with my band.
> How good are agiles?
> I was looking at this:
> Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB CP Charcoal at RondoMusic.com
> If I got that put in Lundgrens or something do you think it would be worth it?



The other guitarist in my band has that same guitar in Bloodburst. It is a great guitar, and I am sure it would suit your needs, especially if it is your first 8 string. You also would have the trial period to see how you like it, and if it isn't your thing, send it right back for a refund. I would say give it a shot!


----------



## EndOfWill

yuureikun said:


> The other guitarist in my band has that same guitar in Bloodburst. It is a great guitar, and I am sure it would suit your needs, especially if it is your first 8 string. You also would have the trial period to see how you like it, and if it isn't your thing, send it right back for a refund. I would say give it a shot!


I actually might get a neckthrough model and refinish it since I want the charcoal.. but thanks for the advice man, I'll probably end up getting an agile!


----------



## mcleanab

Agile Intrepid 925 MN Nat at RondoMusic.com

I'm thinking of selling off some old gear to finance this...

Holy crap this looks fun... the caveat being that I have yet to ever even touch a 7 or 8 string guitar AT ALL. I have a friend that said he played one and found it to be incredibly playable and smooth, but as far as the heavy gain djent world, it was too much.


----------



## teslasdeathray

I posted this somewhere else and was to told it would proboly be moved here. ooooops. So I ordered an agile septor while waiting on my custom ESP, and really loved the intrepid body style because it reminded me of a caparison horus, the overall concept of the shape that is. So the question is if I find a good luthier do you think its possible to combine a septor bolt neck to an intrepid bolt body? 

Someone mentioned earlier to ask if the neck pockets were the same and if the bridge lined up andI I emailed Kurt at rondo and he said they were not. So I guess this isnt possible huh?


----------



## Explorer

Dude, almost anything can be made to work.




The question is, how much are you willing to pay to make it work?

As in most things in life, there are trade-offs. I like the Septor body and hardtail, but can't stand in-line headstocks. I'm lucky, though, in that I'm working towards getting a Septor 10-string, which has the Intrepid headstock. I don't think you have that option. 

However... your question to Kurt was whether the Septor neck would work on an Intrepid body. You might try instead asking for what you want, a guitar with the Intrepid body shape but an inline headstock.

(By the way, the guy also has plans for his wife's scooter. Here's his web page.)


----------



## teslasdeathray

lol AWESOME! Anyway I asked kurt if this was possible and his reply was that they did not offer this type of guitar right now. Thats its! does that mean "we might have that in the future" or "nope we will never do that" or "let me ask my manager" LOL J/k! I wonder If they could CNC me some parts and sell em to me lol.


----------



## Explorer

In terms of Kurt talking to his manager... he's the one who makes every decisions at Rondo, including whether it's cost effective to make a new line or changes to a current model, and then orders the guitars from the factory which makes the Rondo lines. 

There's room for some variation, which is why he has the semi-custom shop order options when he's going to put in an order (usually twice a year). 

However, I've never seen the Intrepid body offered with the Septor headstock. 

----

His decisions are driven by demand. The Intrepid 8-string came about because of demand from SS.org, as did the other ERG and fanned options. 

Since you're the only one looking for the Intrepid with an inline at the moment, it's not likely to happen, but things could change. 

I just happened to luck out in that it's easier to build a 9- and 10-string Septor with the Intrepid headstock than with an inline....


----------



## Rap Hat

I was pretty disappointed with the Agile 8 reverse inlines, TBH. The size is problematic; while I can fit my Pendulum 82527 in a regular HSC the extended size of the Septor 827 meant I had to use a bass gig bag. Also, the amount of ringing behind the nut meant I had to use hair ties or foam. While that's not a problem per say I'd prefer to keep the guitar cleaner visually. The tuners were also a bitch to use. They were so close together using a string winder meant I'd knock the adjacent tuners out unless they were vertical, and being 18:1 a string winder's pretty much necessary.

None of these issues were a dealbreaker (and I've been pining for my 827 now that I traded it), but if I get another Agile 8 it'll be the Intrepid headstock, no doubt.


----------



## MFB

Anyone know when the next runs of Pendulums is gonna happen? I know there's a custom run for September (I believe, might be October) and the only ones for sale right now are a Tribal Green pro and Tribal Red passive. I've been wanting a FF-7 for some time and was gonna pick one up but neither of those are striking my fancy, so I'm hoping someone here might have some info.


----------



## motabaco

Rap Hat said:


> I was pretty disappointed with the Agile 8 reverse inlines, TBH. The size is problematic; while I can fit my Pendulum 82527 in a regular HSC the extended size of the Septor 827 meant I had to use a bass gig bag. Also, the amount of ringing behind the nut meant I had to use hair ties or foam. While that's not a problem per say I'd prefer to keep the guitar cleaner visually. The tuners were also a bitch to use. They were so close together using a string winder meant I'd knock the adjacent tuners out unless they were vertical, and being 18:1 a string winder's pretty much necessary.
> 
> None of these issues were a dealbreaker (and I've been pining for my 827 now that I traded it), but if I get another Agile 8 it'll be the Intrepid headstock, no doubt.


I have the same exact issues with my Septor Elite 828, and yeah the string winder thing too.. it tires you out cranking those tuners..
however I gotta admit.. the guitar looks badass with a reverse headstock


----------



## motabaco

... by the way I'm not too familiar with grover tuners.. are those just standard grovers?? or are they mini rotomatics??


----------



## motabaco

Guitarjon said:


> How many of you guys have Agiles with ebony fretboard?
> I'm thinking about buying another intrepid, but this time 30 inches.
> And I don't know whether to get an Ebony or Maple fretboard...
> I like the maple fretboard on my other intrepid, but the black ebony looks more badass.
> The reason for my doubt is the fact that a buddy of mine has a septor 7 string with ebony but it quickly developed a crack in it from about the 24th fret till maybe the 19th fret or so.... right in the middle.
> I don't want to take a risk like that because I live in europe.
> I'm wondering what other peoples experiences are with the Agile Ebony fretboards....
> Also if you look closely at his septor it kinda looks like the ebony is more like a veneer on the fretboard.... so it looks as if it is a double fretboard... because in one spot you can clearly see a much lighter brown underneath the 'ebony' maybe a brown stain in the ebony?
> Thanks!


I have the Agile Septor Elite 828 with ebony board... I've never seen Ebony look like that.. I know they dye/stained it though because in direct light you can see some of the grain where the side dots are, and you can see the Fret edges under a coating of dye/stain.. but the front part of the board is so smooth.. like a babies butt.. you have to be right up on it to see any grain at all even then it's thin.. like a strand of hair.. it's totally awesome!!!


----------



## Brohoodofsteel75

Is it me or has Kurt been upping the prices? I remember a Septor 827 was $100 bucks less than it is now.


----------



## Galius

I dont know, ive been noticing the prices in fact dropping. The 8 string septors with trems used to be about 800 but alot of them have been popping up for 600 now.

Also when he first started selling the Septors 82X models they ran about 625-650 and theyre only going for 659 now.


----------



## Rap Hat

Sometimes he'll add a "new" model, which has the same listed specs as a previous one but at a higher or lower price point. I've always assumed that the actual guitar is slightly different, and as a result the price has changed even if the pics haven't. Sometimes a model will appear that has the same specs as a lower priced one but the pic is different, and shows a guitar with much nicer looking woods. I don't have any firsthand buying experience in this case, but higher price could mean nicer looking/sounding woods (to the degree that Agiles' can have that variation)

I know when a model gets updated (i.e. proper staggered ferrules, different bridge, moved bridge location) the price generally stays the same. When I got my Septor Elite 827 white DNC it had the straight-line ferrules and hipshot, then the next time they showed up on the store they were the same price but with proper ferrule staggering and the Agile bridge.

Like Galius I've noticed some lower prices, generally around $50-100 and sometimes $2-300 on various guitars. Sometimes they're blowouts (like the Interceptor Pro with the fancier Kahler neck through for $699 instead of $999 or the Pendulum 7 for $399 instead of $499 or $599), but some have stuck with the lower prices.
Of course prices do raise. Not as much as I've seen with the major players in the past 10 years but enough to push certain models out of the "awesome budget" category and into the "tons of comparable guitars for that price" one.


----------



## phillisbeuford

I wish that they would come out with a 27" scale 7 string Intrepid. Natural finish, with maple fretboard. IMO its one of the sexiest guit-fiddles out there. I would buy one, just sayin.........


----------



## edkaye

Bugger!

I've been eyeing up a sexy lizard burst septor 930 on the Rondo music site for a while. It's basically exactly what I want, with a 30" scale, neck-thru construction, ebony board etc.

So I finally got the money together to order it, and it's disappeared off the site. I emailed Kurt, but he says they probably won't be getting any more 

I guess I'll have to wait until he starts taking semi-custom orders again, and order one then. It'll probably end up costing me more too. Bah!


----------



## crg123

So I was just curious. Has anyone heard any progress about that 10 String custom run that Rondo had awhile back. Did anyone receive one yet and I missed their NGD thread, or are they still being built/no one ordered one. Thanks

Edit: Damnit just looked at this thread a page back. I'm shocked no one has ordered one yet. I would love to see how that beast would look. Some one should jump on it before he takes the option away! It could be a "rare" guitar


----------



## edkaye

crg123 said:


> So I was just curious. Has anyone heard any progress about that 10 String custom run that Rondo had awhile back. Did anyone receive one yet and I missed their NGD thread, or are they still being built/no one ordered one. Thanks
> 
> Edit: Damnit just looked at this thread a page back. I'm shocked no one has ordered one yet. I would love to see how that beast would look. Some one should jump on it before he takes the option away! It could be a "rare" guitar



The last batch of semi-customs isn't due to be shipped until September, so it'll be a while before you start seeing them. The deadline has passed for ordering from this batch, and he'll be doing another round in the summer sometime.

I thought about ordering one, just for kicks, but I don't see it working well with any of the scales available. I'm not too interested in a high A, because it's a nightmare to tune those hair thin strings, even on a shorter scale. Trying it on a 30" would be a hell of a pain. For the low end you'd have to go with a 30" scale, but even then, it's not going to be long enough to tune the lowest string down to G# even with incredibly thick strings. With an 0.120 labella you'd only have 13lbs of tension, so it would be floppy as hell.

I'd like to fanned 10 from 34 to 30


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah he told me no one ordered a 10 yet. I doubt he will offer a length over 30" because the market is pretty small for even the 9 strings. Kurt uses the custom shop as a bit of an incubator for specs and then if a particular option is popular he turns it into a production guitar. But since no one has ordered a 10 yet, I'm not sure he'd bother with the design options for a scale over 30". Time will tell, though.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

I'm thinking about picking up an Pendulum 82730 (fan-fret) and tuning it like my other baritones. Gauges/tensions would be:

B3: 13p 17.2 lbs.	
F#3 17p 17.1
D3 22p 18.6
A2 43 21.6
E2 46 22.1
B1 60 22.3
F#1 80 22.3	
C#1 98 22.3

Call me crazy, but this seems like the right way to string and tune this guitar, but I don't see anybody doing it. Anybody see a problem with it?

Cheers.


----------



## Hollowway

2ManyShoes said:


> Call me crazy, but this seems like the right way to string and tune this guitar, but I don't see anybody doing it. Anybody see a problem with it?
> 
> Cheers.



Nope, looks good to me. That's what I have on my 10 string 27-30" (not Agile). I use a lighter gauge though - a .090 on the C#1. I think a lot of people don't do that on the 8s just because they don't want to lose the E4.


----------



## Tiger

I just got my Agile for a new recording spree. Its 7 strings and 30 inch scale with EMG's in it and I absolutely adore it. I can finally get rid of my old ERG or at least part it out.

Super quality for a completely affordable price, Im thrilled by the purchase.


----------



## space frog

2ManyShoes said:


> I'm thinking about picking up an Pendulum 82730 (fan-fret) and tuning it like my other baritones. Gauges/tensions would be:
> 
> B3: 13p 17.2 lbs.
> F#3 17p 17.1
> D3 22p 18.6
> A2 43 21.6
> E2 46 22.1
> B1 60 22.3
> F#1 80 22.3
> C#1 98 22.3
> 
> Call me crazy, but this seems like the right way to string and tune this guitar, but I don't see anybody doing it. Anybody see a problem with it?
> 
> Cheers.



Looks legit! If it were me I'd go drop F# with a high 9p f# or smthg like that, but for C# looks good.


----------



## AmishRefugee

I dunno if you guys are into deathcore at all, but hey, here's some brutal deathcore a la The Faceless with Agile 8-strings

Still not sure if I like it due to the vocals (the bass player is awesome regardless) but it's nice to see almost the exact Agile I have being used to make reasonably well-produced music


----------



## Brohoodofsteel75

AmishRefugee said:


> I dunno if you guys are into deathcore at all, but hey, here's some brutal deathcore a la The Faceless with Agile 8-strings
> 
> Still not sure if I like it due to the vocals (the bass player is awesome regardless) but it's nice to see almost the exact Agile I have being used to make reasonably well-produced music





DAT BASSIST!


----------



## Funleash

Pretty sure the guitarist in the tank top has almost the exact same guitar I'll be getting soon. Can't wait!


----------



## robintpup2

Saw this in the weekly Rondomusic emails, and was stunned by its awesomeness!






I'd switch the EMG's to some bare knuckles though!

Agile Septor Elite 827 EB EMG Oceanburst Flame DOT - RondoMusic.com

(Please no-one buy too many of these, I don't want them to sell out before I have enough money/the need for an 8-string )


----------



## ERGaddict

I was looking arround the rondo website and i realized they dont show all the 8 strings they make. Most of the links from this thread lead to guitars that i couldnt find by searching the website and i was wondering why. Does the website show only the guitars they have in stock or am I just missing something?


----------



## 2ManyShoes

It just shows what's in stock. The pages for "sold" items are frequently still up, but you have to navigate directly to them (i.e., they don't show up if you're just browsing the site).


----------



## Rommel

Agile Septor Pro 1030 EB CA Green Flame - RondoMusic.com

Agile 1030 now available.


----------



## mcleanab

Rommel said:


> Agile Septor Pro 1030 EB CA Green Flame - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Agile 1030 now available.



Oh, to be a millionaire.... I guess I'll go see PROMETHEUS in the morning instead after wailing on my 925...


----------



## IronGoliath

Oh my goodness that must way a TON with so much ebony!!! My shoulder is already burning!


----------



## Philligan

How does that tuning work? Wouldn't the bass G at .054 be a higher note than the guitar low E at .040? 

Looks sick though  If I wanted that much range I'd be all over it


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah, I can't figure out for sure what's going on with that, because the nut width is listed the same as the nut width of a 930. Yet the 12th and 24th fret widths are different, so I'm not sure it's a typo (which is common on Rondo's website). Thick strings and narrow nut widths can be difficult to navigate for my fingers.


----------



## Philligan

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, I can't figure out for sure what's going on with that, because the nut width is listed the same as the nut width of a 930. Yet the 12th and 24th fret widths are different, so I'm not sure it's a typo (which is common on Rondo's website). Thick strings and narrow nut widths can be difficult to navigate for my fingers.



I'm dying to buy it just to see, but if I could afford this I'd be getting a S7+1 custom.

Not sure if I'd keep tuning this down like standard or try some alternate tunings, but I love that Kurt keeps pushing the envelope


----------



## Trip78

If that was multiscale, I'd add a high A and tune the rest like I do my Interceptor 930. Low to High B E B E A D G B E (A) Think you could do a 25-30 multi?


----------



## sh4z

25-30 is probably too much fan to be playable .. imo


----------



## Omar Devone Little

Rommel said:


> Agile Septor Pro 1030 EB CA Green Flame - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Agile 1030 now available.




I just saw that on MetalSucks...lets just say I agree with their take:

THE MUSICAL EQUIVALENT OF RIDING A HARLEY | MetalSucks


----------



## Ben.Last

Omar Devone Little said:


> I just saw that on MetalSucks...lets just say I agree with their take:
> 
> THE MUSICAL EQUIVALENT OF RIDING A HARLEY | MetalSucks



Even though "their take" totally lacks any understanding of what the guitar is actually intended for? 

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go near it, but that's because I have no desire to play guitar and bass, Chapman stick style. Not because I'm under the impression that this is supposed to be used as some sub-sonic extension of an 8 string, like the fucking Luddites on MS are apparently intent to do.


----------



## Omar Devone Little

I think that they just think that this thing is pretty lame, regardless of what it's supposed to be used for. At a certain point this stops being music and starts being a gimmick. I'm unsure if this is it, but it seems like we are reaching that point.


----------



## Ben.Last

Omar Devone Little said:


> I think that they just think that this thing is pretty lame, regardless of what it's supposed to be used for. At a certain point this stops being music and starts being a gimmick. I'm unsure if this is it, but it seems like we are reaching that point.



No, I'm pretty sure they just have no clue and are being their normal, "we're Metalsucks and we're on the rag all the time" selves. Tapping guitars (like what that 10 string is intended for) have been around for a long time. They're not meant to be played the same way that a normal guitar would be played; so the idea that it's just a case of "I need more strings to compensate for a small penis" is really fucking dumb. It's meant to be an entirely different instrument. They might as well bitch about pianos.


----------



## Hollowway

Omar Devone Little said:


> I just saw that on MetalSucks...lets just say I agree with their take:
> 
> THE MUSICAL EQUIVALENT OF RIDING A HARLEY | MetalSucks



Do you also joint Harley sites and talk about how stupid Harleys are? Because you could, you know, just not join those sites. There are a crap load of things I think are stupid, but I personally have better things to do with my time than going to people who like those things and telling them I don't. 

FWIW, I don't know how big someone like Scott Fernandez's penis is, but when I listen to him play I find that I'm enjoying listening to his music more than thinking about his penis.


----------



## Scott Fernandez

Hollowway said:


> Do you also joint Harley sites and talk about how stupid Harleys are? Because you could, you know, just not join those sites. There are a crap load of things I think are stupid, but I personally have better things to do with my time than going to people who like those things and telling them I don't.
> 
> FWIW, I don't know how big someone like Scott Fernandez's penis is, but when I listen to him play I find that I'm enjoying listening to his music more than thinking about his penis.



I've never heard any complaints. Also, for good measure, my 4 string is EXTRA small... just so people don't think I'm out to show of my stringed wiener =)


----------



## Hollowway

Scott Fernandez said:


> I've never heard any complaints. Also, for good measure, my 4 string is EXTRA small... just so people don't think I'm out to show off my stringed wiener =)


----------



## DancingCloseToU

Lern2swim said:


> They might as well bitch about pianos.





I know it's been said before...

To say 10 strings are too many for a normal guitar, is to say "100 keys is too many for a normal (88key) piano"... 

Edit: to correct drunken grammar.


----------



## Hollowway

DancingCloseToU said:


> I know it's been said before...
> 
> To say 10 strings are too many for a normal guitar, is to say "100 keys is too many for a normal (88key) piano"...
> 
> Edit: to correct drunken grammar.



lol at your username. 

But yeah, back in Mozart's day pianos only spanned 5 octaves. So there was likely an internet site called Classicalsucks.com that showed a picture of a piano with a few more keys and called out those players. Fast forward to today, and players of all penis sizes use full range pianos.


----------



## Rap Hat

To bring this back from keyboard vs. wang sizes (I use a 25-key and need a wheelbarrow to hold my dong), I recently got an Intrepid for the first time. The pictures don't show it well, but the body is huge! It's an ash bolt-on and the weight is nice (8.4lbs balanced pretty evenly). Came with DA8s, which I've fallen in love with. They compliment the XBar in my Pendulum so damn well!

There are definitely some nice touches I didn't notice from pics: the belly cut extends into a bevel all the way up the top horn and the neck is a bit smoother than the satin finish on a neck-through Agile. It actually feels thinner than them too, but I'm pretty sure it's not.


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah, I actually really like he Intrepid body style. In photos the Septor looks nicer, but the Intrepid feels really good to play.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I was going to purchase the blue flamed Septor 8 string with a maple board, but someone snatched it right out from under me.  But, I ended up getting a B Stock of the same model but in green, so it's okay because I saved a load of $ and got a case as well! And all because of a dent.


----------



## nothingleft09

Captain Butterscotch said:


> I was going to purchase the blue flamed Septor 8 string with a maple board, but someone snatched it right out from under me.  But, I ended up getting a B Stock of the same model but in green, so it's okay because I saved a load of $ and got a case as well! And all because of a dent.


 
If you're talking about the one gsingleton had I was after it too. But gary got this PRS Se he wanted I ended up with the Septor 827 with the BKP Aftermath in it for cheaper also.  Things work out well. lol


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Worked out wonderfully


----------



## jnukes2

Edit: Whoops... didn't know ERG meant beyond 7 strings. I will read the forums more carefully!


----------



## 2ManyShoes

jnukes2 said:


> Edit: Whoops... didn't know ERG meant beyond 7 strings. I will read the forums more carefully!



I believe it also applies to extended scale lengths (i.e., baritone guitars, "up-tuned" guitars, etc.). Somebody ding me if that's wrong.


----------



## xchristopherx

I've been thinking about an agile. The neck thru looks really cool to me with the single pickup. I'm looking for a second 8 to compliment my sc608b


----------



## 2ManyShoes

ERGaddict said:


> I was looking arround the rondo website and i realized they dont show all the 8 strings they make. Most of the links from this thread lead to guitars that i couldnt find by searching the website and i was wondering why. Does the website show only the guitars they have in stock or am I just missing something?


 
Yep, that's it. Pages for "sold" guitars linger for quite a while--invisible to the search function--but eventually Kurt deletes them.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

robintpup2 said:


> Saw this in the weekly Rondomusic emails, and was stunned by its awesomeness!


 
Has anybody ever determined whether Agile's "flamed maple caps"' are really flamed maple (or any kind of wood) or just a picture glued to the mahogany body?  I took mine to a good repair shop and 5 of the 5 techs there voted for a glued-on picture. The cap is paper-thin, on a carved top, and the flame certainly doesn't "move" when you change your viewing angle in the way that every other flamed cap I have moves.


----------



## Rap Hat

They're real, just paper thin veneers. Like 1/32" thin or something. That leads to no depth to the figuring. Though on my AL627 one single "flame" is 3D, at the very least that shows it's not a photo top.

E: Rondo at one point did use photo tops, and you could tell by the pixelization. Also IIRC they weren't listed as real wood.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Rap Hat said:


> Rondo at one point did use photo tops, and you could tell by the pixelization. Also IIRC they weren't listed as real wood.



Rondo still used photo-flame on many of the sub-$300 guitars under the SX and Douglas brand name, but they are honest about doing so. 

Honestly, given how thin the veneers are, it doesn't make a difference tonally (or price for that matter) if they are veneers or photos. 

All the "tops" on the various Agiles I've owned have looked terribly one dimensional, but given the price and specs of the instruments I was never too bothered by it. You get what you pay for. 

Plenty of companies such as Schecter, Ibanez, ESP/LTD, etc. have used super thin veneers and _called_ them tops.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

MaxOfMetal said:


> Rondo still used photo-flame on many of the sub-$300 guitars under the SX and Douglas brand name, but they are honest about doing so.
> 
> Honestly, given how thin the veneers are, it doesn't make a difference tonally (or price for that matter) if they are veneers or photos.
> 
> All the "tops" on the various Agiles I've owned have looked terribly one dimensional, but given the price and specs of the instruments I was never too bothered by it. You get what you pay for.
> 
> Plenty of companies such as Schecter, Ibanez, ESP/LTD, etc. have used super thin veneers and _called_ them tops.



Agreed about the Agile price point--what you get for what you pay is remarkable.


----------



## Brill

Is there a reason there is only American dealers? I'm sure it wouldn't cost a hell of a lot to get some international distributors? 
Personally I'd buy a lot of agiles if there was a return policy or something for international buyers..


----------



## Rap Hat

Loxodrome said:


> Is there a reason there is only American dealers? I'm sure it wouldn't cost a hell of a lot to get some international distributors?
> Personally I'd buy a lot of agiles if there was a return policy or something for international buyers..



Rondo commissions the guitars to be built from whatever the factory is, so in effect Rondo is like every other import brand who have their guitars built out-of-house. If there was international it would be after Rondo in the chain, at least for Agile guitars.

But I do know that the factory that builds them also does similar specced guitars for other companies. There was a thread here where someone in Europe? found a guitar which looked exactly like a Septor, and found out it was made in the same factory. It was also extremely expensive (Gibson Les Paul Standard pricing iirc ).


----------



## crg123

^ I would love to see that thread if you remember where it was/ stumble upon it. It would be interesting.


----------



## yuureikun

I believe this is the thread he is referring to:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-guitars/194741-overpriced-agile-ripoff-o_o.html


----------



## phaeded0ut

Just picked up my first Agile ERG (I've an ES-335 clone 12-string that I really enjoy), an older, used 927 Interceptor (bolt-on neck three piece maple neck with maple fingerboard, Cepheus passive pickups, Kahler tremolo) that I'm seriously digging. 
I'm tuning it a little differently than what is suggested on the website (using: C#, F#, B, E, A, D, G, B, E) with the LaBella strings that are posted on the Rondo Music site and have been very happy (my neighbors a little less so).

Honestly thought that it would be a bit more of a stretch, but I find the width in string spacing to be quite comfortable down and up the neck. 

Kurt, thanks again!


----------



## Reion

Hey fellas, on my Agile 828 Darkburst model, one of the saddles intonation screw and spring has somehow vanished out of existence.
I'm wondering if anyone know the dimension of said screw? Possibly also means to get a new one?


----------



## DeKay

Wow I am depressed now, I just wanted to order the Agile Intrepid Dual 830 EB CP Charcoal - RondoMusic.com since it was avaible yesterday and what do I see... it's sold. I wanted this guitar since nearly 2 years now, my mouth is always watering for that 8 string since I never had one... I dislike all their other designs online currently.

I am unlucky


----------



## DeKay

Ok got this mail by Kurt:

Thanks Dominik
I am expecting some in 28.625&#8221; scale in charcoal by the end of the month and some 30s possibly again in October

Kurt


----------



## DeKay

You guys won't steal that will you? I want to order but if I miss it by one day it's stolen again


----------



## thrsher

so i sold off all my high end guitars to lower debt to purchase a houseand went with an agile 828 intrepid to hold me over. gotta say, im impressed for the money. have yet to plug it in and check out the pickups through my rig but ill post my thoughts on that afterwards.


----------



## Hollowway

thrsher said:


> so i sold off all my high end guitars to lower debt to purchase a houseand went with an agile 828 intrepid to hold me over. gotta say, im impressed for the money. have yet to plug it in and check out the pickups through my rig but ill post my thoughts on that afterwards.



If they're the Cepheus passives you'll be pleasantly surprised. I really like the sound of those.


----------



## Cremated

^So you sold that marbelized green KxK?


----------



## thrsher

Both kxks and carvins.. had to downgrade to lower debt..buying a house


----------



## The Reverend

Seems like every Hawker ever made has been bought, and I only now have the money to buy one. 

Oh well, maybe the next run will have a Hipshot/knockoff option? I'd love that.


----------



## thrsher

Hollowway said:


> If they're the Cepheus passives you'll be pleasantly surprised. I really like the sound of those.


 
pleasantly suprised i was. along with an engl/vader/isp/dbx 131. im extremely happy with the tone


----------



## Galius

Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB CP Nat Ash - RondoMusic.com


Pendulum 8s now available with passive pickups


----------



## darren

That looks great, but man, i wish they'd cut the end of the fretboard parallel to the last fret and move the neck pickup forward.


----------



## Bretton

Question:

What's the difference between the Septor and the Interceptor? To me they look like they have the exact same superstrat shape.


----------



## darren

Septor = Fixed bridge

Interceptor = Trem


----------



## 2ManyShoes

I've heard this from several people. What a bizarre glitch. Apparently, Kurt is happy to replace the missing parts.


----------



## Valentine109

If that came at a reasonable price, I would purchase that. I've tried to tune my 7 string down to F Standard to emulate the sound, but I would really prefer to try an actual 8 string.


----------



## Seanthesheep

kinda thinking of picking up one of those 399$ 8 string agiles. anyone have any idea what taxes are with shipping an agile into ontario canada?

worst case, ill get it shipped to somewhere near the buffalo border, pick it up, save on shipping and deal with taxes at the border


----------



## Ben.Last

Seanthesheep said:


> kinda thinking of picking up one of those 399$ 8 string agiles. anyone have any idea what taxes are with shipping an agile into ontario canada?
> 
> worst case, ill get it shipped to somewhere near the buffalo border, pick it up, save on shipping and deal with taxes at the border



I'd do that anyway, so that you don't have to worry about the "no international returns" rule.


----------



## IdentityDevice

Anyone know the Allen wrench size on the agile 828 for the string height adjustment?


----------



## SPNKr

Hello. Just honeymooning with mine so I'll post this http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...b-cp-charcoal-x-post-reddit-com-r-guitar.html here and join the club.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic




----------



## SPNKr

Ah there she is. I first saw 3 guitars there, then I looked again, 4, looked again and went WTF 5?!

Nice photo and Agile.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

SPNKr said:


> Ah there she is. I first saw 3 guitars there, then I looked again, 4, looked again and went WTF 5?!
> 
> Nice photo and Agile.



xD that uh "Fender" over there is a Rock Band controller.
I DO own 5 guitars, but the fifth is my acoustic, which isn't in the picture.


----------



## cakejetski

Just ordered my first ERG: an Agile Interceptor 727 RN Black Flame!

Wish me luck bros, I also picked up a 6-string set of 10-52 Ernie Balls, along with an additional 66 for the 7th. I plan on playing mostly in ACGCFAD and GDGCFAD, so I think this setup should be fine for the 27" scale. Anyone care to shed some insight?

I'll return with pictures once she arrives!


----------



## Mr GriND

My Agile semi custom 10 string wait the delivery for late january ! May 2012 to January february 2013 !


----------



## jarnozz

Gas for the june depo. 8 string charcoal mahogany body with maple neck and fretboard and golden hardware. passive dimarzio´s. might pull the trigger on that one


----------



## donray1527

Nice agile bro.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Here's a somewhat better pic I suppose.


----------



## Anthonok

Hope to pick this up maybe Next month.
Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB EMG Nat


----------



## SYLrules88

ive got an agile al727 on the way! i enjoyed the hell out of my 8 str intrepid i had. i sold it to fund my carvin dc800, which i just sold too . ive got some nice pups that are going in this baby right when i get it too


----------



## Mr GriND

Somebody has it received its Agile 10 string custom order ? KURT said that he had received with the wrong pups. Somebody else in the same situation?


----------



## jonajon91

So my friend is planning on getting his first ERG from agile (8 string). He is looking at the intrepid body shape, but is undecided on pickups. He is either going for the passive cephus pickups that are much cheaper ($699), or the more expensive EMGs ($899) that have a poor clean and low end. However we also hear that is is easier to swap out passive pickups so he could fit some DiMarzio's in a year or so. 
Any advice on this? Is it worth saving 200 dollars and getting the passives that he will be able to switch out or just to go with the EMG's?
How good are the stock cephus pickups?


----------



## jonajon91

My friend is looking at his first ERG at the moment (8 string) and is looking at the interpid body shape, but is torn on the pickups. Would it be better to get the passive cephus pickups ($699) and save two hundred dollars, or would it be better to get the active EMG's ($899) with the poor clean tone and the muddy low end? Also, we hear that passive pickups are easier to swap out, so he could fit some DiMarzio pickups in a year or so.

How good are the stock cephus pickups?
What do you agile owners think of the cephus'?
passive VS active?
Cephus stock and then swap to DiMarzio or $200 dollars for EMG's?

Any help apreciated


----------



## jonajon91

Also, what is the difference between the intrepid / intrepid pro / intrepid elite. I think the pro has a different scale length and a raised bass bridge, but I have no idea what that means :l


----------



## Bretton

Agile Interceptor - Price list and stock at AgileGuitars.org


----------



## Shazgurot

Hello fellow guitar players,

I'm planning to buy an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 but there's one thing that still holds me back: The Tremolo (USA Kahler)

I read somewhere on this forum that it's easily possible to "block" those an turn them into a fixed bridge which would make it similiar to a Ibanez RG2228.

If not, how are your experiences with tuning stability on Agile 8 String including a tremolo? My main guitar has a original floyd rose which stays in tune like..forever, but I have no experience with those Kahlers.

Hope you can help me out here =)


----------



## SYLrules88

hopefully buying a red BKP miracle man to go in the bridge as soon as i sell my covered MM that doesnt quite fit 

weighs 11 pounds but plays wonderfully and has great sustain


----------



## axxessdenied

Seanthesheep said:


> kinda thinking of picking up one of those 399$ 8 string agiles. anyone have any idea what taxes are with shipping an agile into ontario canada?
> 
> worst case, ill get it shipped to somewhere near the buffalo border, pick it up, save on shipping and deal with taxes at the border



I've had guitars shipped from Rondo and Carvin to Ontario and both companies paid for all the taxes & duties as part of the shipping fee. So, it is definitely worth paying the shipping cost, imo!
I've had two Agiles shipped from Rondo and my DC800 from carvin. Didn't pay a penny to UPS upon arrival.


----------



## jonajon91

I would love to see some fanned fret Agiles being built with a higher A4 string. I think there is a bit of a market for that on here. especially the Aal, Scale the summit fans.


----------



## Brohoodofsteel75

Shazgurot said:


> Hello fellow guitar players,
> 
> I'm planning to buy an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 but there's one thing that still holds me back: The Tremolo (USA Kahler)
> 
> I read somewhere on this forum that it's easily possible to "block" those an turn them into a fixed bridge which would make it similiar to a Ibanez RG2228.
> 
> If not, how are your experiences with tuning stability on Agile 8 String including a tremolo? My main guitar has a original floyd rose which stays in tune like..forever, but I have no experience with those Kahlers.
> 
> Hope you can help me out here =)



It works fine. Locks, stays in tune, it's really comfortable.


----------



## Hollowway

Shazgurot said:


> Hello fellow guitar players,
> 
> I'm planning to buy an Agile Interceptor Pro 828 but there's one thing that still holds me back: The Tremolo (USA Kahler)
> 
> I read somewhere on this forum that it's easily possible to "block" those an turn them into a fixed bridge which would make it similiar to a Ibanez RG2228.
> 
> If not, how are your experiences with tuning stability on Agile 8 String including a tremolo? My main guitar has a original floyd rose which stays in tune like..forever, but I have no experience with those Kahlers.
> 
> Hope you can help me out here =)



No problems on tuning from me, either. I will say that if you get a neck thru model from Rondo make sure the Kahler is not too high on the body compared to the neck. On my bolt on interceptor I had to shim the neck to get the action down while still having the string rest on the roller a sufficient amount. My guitar is 2 years old, so this problem may have been solved, though.

The other issue I have with kahlers is that the way the cam works has a larger effect on thicker strings, so if you dive the bar all the way into the body you'll only drop the high E 1.5 steps. But the lowest string (F#) will go completely slack if the bar is pressed down only like 1/3 the distance. Floyds tend to drop more evenly. That being said, I have Kahlers on 3 of my 8 strings.


----------



## HL7DS

Hello guys!
I am looking for a hardshell case that would work for an intrepid 828. The original intrepid cases on rondomusic website are currently our of stock, so maybe there are other good options that you could recommend from your experience? 
Thank you


----------



## Brohoodofsteel75

HL7DS said:


> Hello guys!
> I am looking for a hardshell case that would work for an intrepid 828. The original intrepid cases on rondomusic website are currently our of stock, so maybe there are other good options that you could recommend from your experience?
> Thank you



Make one yourself. Its not very hard and it might be cheaper too.


----------



## Galius

HL7DS said:


> Hello guys!
> I am looking for a hardshell case that would work for an intrepid 828. The original intrepid cases on rondomusic website are currently our of stock, so maybe there are other good options that you could recommend from your experience?
> Thank you



I would say just take it to a music store and try some bass cases. I ordered a cheap bass case online before and it worked great. Most online retailers will have the inside dimensions posted for you to compare. Hope this helps.


----------



## Mr GriND

10 STRING IS IN THE HOUSE !!!!


----------



## jonajon91

Mr GriND said:


> 10 STRING IS IN THE HOUSE !!!!



NGD and video! (?)


----------



## obZenity

Just e-mailed them about a digital camo neck-thru Intrepid 828 with a single pickup (Duncan Distortion active housing me thinks). Ebony board, etc. Hopefully they can do it


----------



## OmegaDoyle

This is directed to anyone who own an Elite 830. I tried using the search, but there were still hundreds of results.

Where do you purchase your strings? With through-body construction, an in-line headstock and a 30" scale, what are the available options? I know they come with Labella, but Labella maxes out at 40 inches as far as I know. Is that long enough?

Nevermind, Labella got back to me today letting me know that their string length does not max out if you specify that you need them to be lengthier.


----------



## Abolyshed

Why are shorter scale lengths inadequate?


----------



## stem

Sorry guys! too many pages...
Can you tell me about flaws of Agile? I want Intrepid Pro 830. But if I buy it, I cannot return (look at my location). Many people consider it great, but many not.

So.. My head is gonna blow!!!


----------



## jonajon91

Really nice guitars and you get a little more than you pay for in quality. One of my friends (UK) was looking at the 828 intrepid, but when he found out about the lack of returns outside America started looking at ibanez instead because 1 in 50 agiles is not up to standard and there have been some atrocious ones out there.


----------



## stem

jonajon91 said:


> Really nice guitars and you get a little more than you pay for in quality. One of my friends (UK) was looking at the 828 intrepid, but when he found out about the lack of returns outside America started looking at ibanez instead because 1 in 50 agiles is not up to standard and there have been some atrocious ones out there.



I really want Agile, but yesterday one of the sevenstring.org's member told me scary story:"Well, it would seem to be universal that the frets are rough and sharp on the agiles, as they haven't really been finished to create a smooth edge. On most cheaper guitars(up to about 350ish$ usd), this is common, but not on guitars in the same price bracket as many Agiles. Many that I have played while on the newer end also have some bad working on the frets, sometimes creating dead spots on the guitar.
But let me add that if this were the end of most issues, it would almost be too much right there for me to consider it in your shoes(for no reason could you return).
Other common issues that I see on a majority of the guitars I have played by them include finish flaws obvious to the factory(some are simply minor inconsistencies, a few are major eyesores, but almost universal like the fretwork), dry/cracked fretboard on arrival, issues with the trussrod(one of them had arrived with a disconnected rod, leaving the instrument unplayable) and overall intonation, and of course, as you said, the pickups, and in instances the hardware on some guitars; one of my friends even was sent the wrong guitar... Keep in mind I think that all stock pickups are more or less garbage, so I don't see this as being specific to Agiles. 
I am just saying I have heard and witnessed almost as many duds as goods with agile, and since you cannot send it back, I would strongly advise against it. However, it is your guitar, and your money, so take my statement as it is, just an opinion of what i would consider in your shoes."

I don't know what to do


----------



## jonajon91

Depending on your budget, look at some of the cheaper Ibanez (RG8, RGa8, S8)

If I was based in america I would be getting new Agiles annually because if you get a dud, you can just get them to send another one.


----------



## kge808

i got an interceptor pro 825 with black flametop with ebony board and an 827 in white with a maple board both with the kahler trem and 808shttp://youtu.be/wXuD[ATTACH]31077.v...[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]31081.vB[/ATTACH]kYfXEeg


----------



## mikeyfresh

Hey guys, I know this has probably been asked before a thousand times, and I'm also not sure if this is where I should post this, so I do apologize, but does anyone know when you can order an Agile Pendulum for 2013??? I just got a little confused on the website. In order to get one this year at all, did I have to order it last year? I really hope not. I'm aware that the custom shop is currently closed, I was just wondering if anyone knew around what time it usually opens up again. ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm dying for this guitar, nothing's else will do. 

Thank you!!!
Mikey


----------



## jmeezle

I'm looking to be a returning customer to Kurt. The Intrepid Pro 828 w/ EMG's I received last summer is absolutely perfect and I love it.

I just emailed Kurt about a custom Intrepid 728. 

Specs:
28.625 scale
charcoal gray stain w/ satin polyurethane finish
ebony fretboard
EMG 707's
Hipshot bridge (or something comparable)
no inlays
right handed

Do you guys think that something like this could even happen?

It's basically this as a 7 w/ two EMG 707's and an ebony board.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

More pictures of the Intrepid mofos!





















Look at that action.  Came set up that way! Don't let anyone tell you Agiles are shit.










<3


----------



## jmeezle

Has Agile ever made an Intrepid Pro Dual 728 w/ Ash body, EMG's, ebony board, stained charcoal finish?

I'm on a quest for one... hopefully one with these specs have been produced. if anyone knows please hit me with a reply.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

jmeezle said:


> Has Agile ever made an Intrepid Pro Dual 728 w/ Ash body, EMG's, ebony board, stained charcoal finish?
> 
> I'm on a quest for one... hopefully one with these specs have been produced. if anyone knows please hit me with a reply.



Not sure about 728, but I have seen those exact specs on an 828 and an 830. I think 728 is actually a custom length; most 7 strings they make are 27s or 25s.

The only Intrepid 7-string they have on Rondo right now is a white hog-body ebony board neck-thru with Cepheus pickups.

Agile Intrepid Pro 727 EB CP White - RondoMusic.com

Still... it's pretty gorgeous.


----------



## jmeezle

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Not sure about 728, but I have seen those exact specs on an 828 and an 830. I think 728 is actually a custom length; most 7 strings they make are 27s or 25s.
> 
> The only Intrepid 7-string they have on Rondo right now is a white hog-body ebony board neck-thru with Cepheus pickups.
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 727 EB CP White - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Still... it's pretty gorgeous.



I'll take a 727! I'm really wanting an ash body, ebony board w/ EMG's... I doubt I'll be able to get one unfortunately.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

jmeezle said:


> I'll take a 727! I'm really wanting an ash body, ebony board w/ EMG's... I doubt I'll be able to get one unfortunately.



He DOES have that in a Septor body style, just not an Intrepid. Honestly, I think Intrepids are more common in 8 strings.


----------



## jmeezle

WaffleTheEpic said:


> He DOES have that in a Septor body style, just not an Intrepid. Honestly, I think Intrepids are more common in 8 strings.



The white Intrepid 7 has me wanting a custom Intrepid. I think I may be asking too much here. 

Edit: I'm partial to the Intrepid body style... I'm also not a fan of Floyds, although if the Septor were a stained charcoal I'd probably buy it.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

jmeezle said:


> The white Intrepid 7 has me wanting a custom Intrepid. I think I may be asking too much here.



Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB EMG Nat Ash Dot - RondoMusic.com

To your specs, plus or minus the Floyd Rose.

It's not too much to ask if you have the money.


----------



## jmeezle

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB EMG Nat Ash Dot - RondoMusic.com
> 
> To your specs, plus or minus the Floyd Rose.
> 
> It's not too much to ask if you have the money.



I've thought about that guitar a lot. I'd love to have it but shelling out $800+ and not being 100% happy with what I bought kind of bothers me.

I just want this as a 7 w/ dual EMG 707's, 27 or 28 inch scale:


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

^ Great lookin. Would be awesome in a seven for sure man.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Send Kurt an email! He's a super awesome dude, he'd probably be up for it.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Yeah kurts great. He will hook you up man for sure.


----------



## jmeezle

I sent him an email around 9:00am this morning, hope to hear back from him soon! If he could pull this off I'd shit myself.


----------



## jmeezle

> Hi Jon,
> Yes I think a custom intrepid is fairly likely and those options are fairly
> likely to be available.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## WaffleTheEpic




----------



## hand amputation

Must... Fight... Urge...


If they had an Intrepid in the blood burst with an ebony board I may have caved.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

hand amputation said:


> Must... Fight... Urge...
> 
> 
> If they had an Intrepid in the blood burst with an ebony board I may have caved.



They have this, which imo is a lot more gorgeous

Agile Intrepid 828 EB CP Darkburst - RondoMusic.com


----------



## hand amputation

^^^ Pretty, but I want something DARK! ^^^

Any reason to go with a bolt on over a neck-through? I've never bonded with a neck-through guitar...


----------



## Ben.Last

hand amputation said:


> ^^^ Pretty, but I want something DARK! ^^^
> 
> Any reason to go with a bolt on over a neck-through? I've never bonded with a neck-through guitar...



If something ever goes wrong with a neck through, you're pretty fucked. With a bolt on, the neck can be replaced. Also, it's been demonstrated numerous times that, if it's done well, a bolt on neck has all the benefits that proponents of neck throughs point to.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

hand amputation said:


> ^^^ Pretty, but I want something DARK! ^^^
> 
> Any reason to go with a bolt on over a neck-through? I've never bonded with a neck-through guitar...



My only real qualms with getting a bolt-on wer that the neck is a three-piece instead of 5 piece maple/walnut, and that the heel was kinda big. But when I actually got the guitar, those doubts instantly disappeared because it was a splendid neck and the heel was not obtrusive in the least. Didn't affect sustain or anything.

The Agile I've got now is a neck-thru, and really, I can't say there's much of a difference in sustain between the two. In theory, neck thrus should have more, but since a bolt is wood on wood directly with no glue, I guess it holds its own. 

Not to mention yeah, the neck can be replaced if you ever need to.

Pick you up one of these!
Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB CP Charcoal - RondoMusic.com


----------



## hand amputation

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Pick you up one of these!
> Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB CP Charcoal - RondoMusic.com



That is SEXY.

I really want to find a bloodburst w/ebony or oceanburst w/maple... used.

One day I *WILL* have one.


----------



## pestilentdecay

They got 3 new 10 strings in stock, also an Agile Sitar lol


----------



## COBBCUSTOMS

A few months ago, I modded my Intrepid 930.
The guitar is now almost unrrecognizable! And i love everything about it.
What do you think? 

BEFORE






AFTER


----------



## jonajon91

Dude, thats sick!
also, you put the before and after the wrong way round ... I hope


----------



## COBBCUSTOMS

jonajon91 said:


> Dude, thats sick!
> also, you put the before and after the wrong way round ... I hope



You're right. Thanks


----------



## Rap Hat

Woah, that's a really awesome mod! I've always thought the Intrepid was a cool base shape, but now that I've seen where it can go...

I'm really temped to reshape mine now, it just looks so much better.


----------



## COBBCUSTOMS

I'm wondering if it counts as NFPD guitar...
I think i can make a thread just for it


----------



## COBBCUSTOMS

Rap Hat said:


> Woah, that's a really awesome mod! I've always thought the Intrepid was a cool base shape, but now that I've seen where it can go...
> 
> I'm really temped to reshape mine now, it just looks so much better.



It's not just the looks. It's the combination of ergonomic reshape and it's positive consecuences, like comfortable playing and awesome unique style.


----------



## 77zark77

real amazing mod ! you have taste and skills ! Congrats


----------



## Equivoke

Sick mod, needs in action videos!


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Looks fn awesome man. Great job!


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Getting another agile. But what color do i want? Help me choose my agile brothers.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

All of the colors!
Get an 8 string Intrepid man  Join the club! Arkansas needs more of them!


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Thats what im looking at just dont what damn color i want lol.


----------



## Bleach31

I'm looking at getting a Septor and can't decide between the 725 and the 727. I play a 34" bass, but all of my guitars are around 25". Do you think I'd be able to adjust, and can I get the 725 in a color besides black flame? This seemed the best place to ask.


----------



## crg123

I would go with the 27 scale. I am a bit biased because I love that scale since it fits my hands and my playing style perfectly. You probably won't have trouble adjusting to it especially if you play bass. It took me like a week to become fully comfortable with the switch from my 24.25 6 string to my 827 Septor Elite. It's worth a shot. I love mine. Since you're in the US Rondo Music's return policy is amazing so I would take a chance and if you don't like it just return it or swap it for one you'll like.


----------



## Bleach31

Sweet. Thank man!


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Well, PM me and hit me up and I'll let you play mine, Matt.

Personally I'm really digging the Darkburst and the Charcoal. XD


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Figure I'll give you guys the satisfaction of seeing some funny distorted pictures of my sister and my Intrepid.


----------



## Halowords

Alright, stupid questions:

1) Will they angle the fretboard to match the highest fret then put the pickup closer to the neck, or is there a reason they put the neck pickup so close to the bridge?

2) Will or have they ever done longer or more extreme necks & fans? I'm curious if they've ever done something like a 30"-27.5" or even a 30"-25" multiscale, and if so how much they charged for that and how/if it worked?

Just figured I'd inquire here before bothering Kurt @ Rondo. Also, if the answers to these are on page 112 or something, sorry. I probably did not get that far.

-Cheers


----------



## Ben.Last

Halowords said:


> Alright, stupid questions:
> 
> 1) Will they angle the fretboard to match the highest fret then put the pickup closer to the neck, or is there a reason they put the neck pickup so close to the bridge?
> 
> 2) Will or have they ever done longer or more extreme necks & fans? I'm curious if they've ever done something like a 30"-27.5" or even a 30"-25" multiscale, and if so how much they charged for that and how/if it worked?
> -Cheers



1) No

2) No

There's always a possibility that they will put something like one or the other of those things into productions, but neither of those things are custom options they've provided at this point. 

Contacting Kurt about it might still be worthwhile, as those kinds of requests tend to be how he figures out new options to provide.


----------



## Rap Hat

They've done 27"-30" fans: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...ing-agile-pendulum-27-30-daedric-content.html

Most of the time it's a semi-custom buy so a total cost will be $1100-1200, but occasionally you'll see one in stock.

E: I've seen them offer 24"-25.5", 25.5"-27", 27"-28.625", 27"-30", and 28.625"-30"


----------



## Halowords

Just throwing this around as an idea. I'd like to get a multiscale 8-string and I'm generally a buy-once kind of guy, however a custom made would be a lot for something I have not even tried, and if I join a band a/o ever do gigs I'm probably not taking a full-on custom job out. I was ready to jump straight into a full-on custom build, however that seems a lot cooler than it is smart. So I'm thinking of an Agile multiscale 8, which I guess means a Pendulum and then maybe a custom-build a ways down the road once I really know what works for me (or doesn't).

Anyway, how do these specs sound?

30"-27" scale fan, just to try and keep the lower strings tight and the higher strings as sweet-yet-articulate as possible. If it makes a difference, I'm thinking of tuning to EBEADGBE, or MAAAAAAAYBE playing with DADGCFAD. Nothing too crazy.

Ebony board

Body: Thinking Mahogany or Swamp Ash. I'm actually thinking of asking for a Mahogany neck and body to try and round out the highs, but I'm also thinking I'd be cool with the standard Maple-striped neck & Ash. Open to thoughts especially if any of you have tried/owned Mahogany & Swamp Ash bodied Agiles or Mahogany & Maple-necked varieties. I have owned all those materials, just never in the same style of guitar.

Neck: In addition to the materials, I'm not sure on neck-through vs. bolt-on. I'm kind of leaning toward bolt-on, however if any of you noted anything particularly advantageous in terms of feel/tone/stability/etc., or find the heel of the neck-through particularly amazing, I'm all ears. I recall reading a few pages back somebody had both and did not really notice much if any difference.

Any thoughts?

-Cheers


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

I've played both a swamp ash bolt on Intrepid and mahogany neck-thru Intrepid (both with ebony boards, love the ebony boards), and I have to say that I personally liked the low-end response of the swamp ash MUCH better. But, seeing as the pickups in my SA Intrepid were passive and the hog Intrepid has actives, that might have something to do with it. *shrug*

The heel on both the BO and NT are about the same, really. For some reason, they decided to make the heel on the neck thru just as big as it is on the bolt on :| No clue why. There's virtually no difference in the sustain, honestly. Agile's bolt ons are such nice quality that there's no problem whatsoever with sustain, but if I absolutely had to choose which had the most sustain out of the two I've owned, I'd say the neck thru did, but probably because of, again, having active pickups.

You'd most likely have to e-mail Kurt about getting a fan done, and your pricing would run you like Rap Hat said, around 1200$. I'd say go for it though, the worst he can do is say no.


----------



## Halowords

WaffleTheEpic said:


> I've played both a swamp ash bolt on Intrepid and mahogany neck-thru Intrepid (both with ebony boards, love the ebony boards), and I have to say that I personally liked the low-end response of the swamp ash MUCH better. But, seeing as the pickups in my SA Intrepid were passive and the hog Intrepid has actives, that might have something to do with it. *shrug*
> 
> The heel on both the BO and NT are about the same, really. For some reason, they decided to make the heel on the neck thru just as big as it is on the bolt on :| No clue why. There's virtually no difference in the sustain, honestly. Agile's bolt ons are such nice quality that there's no problem whatsoever with sustain, but if I absolutely had to choose which had the most sustain out of the two I've owned, I'd say the neck thru did, but probably because of, again, having active pickups.
> 
> You'd most likely have to e-mail Kurt about getting a fan done, and your pricing would run you like Rap Hat said, around 1200$. I'd say go for it though, the worst he can do is say no.



Good info.

I'm thinking of going with a bolt-on with passives because:

1) It's what I know, and;
2) From most of what I read there is some indication that there might be some tonal differences. With the bolt-on you get more impact from the body wood, and you read about them sometimes having more "character." Regardless, I do not see enough advantage with a neck-through to go that route. As for passives, I just like a more organic sound.

I'm thinking Maple bolt-on neck with a natural Swamp Ash body. The Rondo site lists a 27"-30" fan scale is available as an option. I'm just waiting to hear back on whether or not they are planning a slanted-fretboard with a neck pickup mounted closer to the neck. If they have plans for that (and I understand they might) I'd opt for that, just for a warmer neck.

FWIW, I'm planning on going with Vintage Vibe aftermarket pickups unless I love the stock ones. Not because I'm a pickup snob, just because I'm going for something kinda specific for this guitar. That and Vintage Vibe has been very good to me in the past.

Anyway, sounds like I've talked myself into this. I've just got to finalize a couple details on which features to pick, and then I think I'm going for it. So thanks for the input!

-Cheers


----------



## Rap Hat

While it would be nice to have a slanted fretboard at the end, I think the chances of that anytime soon are slim. It's worth asking but I wouldn't get your hopes up (since he has a Korean shop build the guitars and things are generally set way in advance, even if they say yes it could be a year before they set up for it).

I've owned pretty much all the Agile setups (bolt-on, neck-thru, ash, mahogany, 3-pc maple neck, 5-pc maple and walnut, 15" radius, 16" radius, passive, active etc.) and the only noticeable differences are with weight and feel of the neck (from both finish and scale). If I were to get another it would be an ash-bodied 28.625" (or 27"-28.625") Intrepid bolt-on. Not because I think the ash sounds better or the bolt-on has more sustain (not that I could discern), but because of the lighter weight, good tension with the scale and ease of replacing the neck if needed. I also prefer the bolt-on neck finish; it seems to be slightly thinner than the satin on a neck-thru, and therefore easier to play.

That's just my experience though. I fall on the side of species of wood meaning nothing for the tone of an electric, and any differences coming from density/weight of the specific piece. If you feel that a bolt-on ash will have a specific tone you want, go for it!


----------



## Halowords

Rap Hat said:


> While it would be nice to have a slanted fretboard at the end, I think the chances of that anytime soon are slim. It's worth asking but I wouldn't get your hopes up (since he has a Korean shop build the guitars and things are generally set way in advance, even if they say yes it could be a year before they set up for it).



Well, it sounds like it might be happening sooner than you think. 



> I've owned pretty much all the Agile setups (bolt-on, neck-thru, ash, mahogany, 3-pc maple neck, 5-pc maple and walnut, 15" radius, 16" radius, passive, active etc.) and the only noticeable differences are with weight and feel of the neck (from both finish and scale). If I were to get another it would be an ash-bodied 28.625" (or 27"-28.625") Intrepid bolt-on. Not because I think the ash sounds better or the bolt-on has more sustain (not that I could discern), but because of the lighter weight, good tension with the scale and ease of replacing the neck if needed. I also prefer the bolt-on neck finish; it seems to be slightly thinner than the satin on a neck-thru, and therefore easier to play.
> 
> That's just my experience though. I fall on the side of species of wood meaning nothing for the tone of an electric, and any differences coming from density/weight of the specific piece. If you feel that a bolt-on ash will have a specific tone you want, go for it!



Well, I think it makes _A_ difference. How discernible it is, not to mention the (likely huge) role the density/weight/resonance of the specific piece makes are all factors. Especially factoring in pickups, wiring, amp settings, strings, etc. I think each guitar has its own voice based on wood/scale/built/etc., and you can only do so much with each. However, I also believe you can make most guitars sound pretty much how you like them and that distinct voice, even if it's there, might end up being a small factor in the grand scheme of things, and it's all relative a/o variable.

Which probably does nothing to clear things up. Presuming I'm even right.

I was just wondering more along the lines of whether or not Agile had better success with getting great examples (weight/resonance/"tone"/figuring/etc.) from one or more species of wood. Which I know is probably a crapshoot at best, but figured might as well ask first.

-Cheers


----------



## Halowords

Finish question. I'm thinking a Pendulum, so I'm limited to the finishes offered. However, are there any finishes that look particularly great or tend to come out really well? I'm thinking natural Ash, however I'm open to other opinions. The Amber Burst (which is offered) or the Darlburst (which isn't) would be possibilities, however I like subtle-bursts if any so I'm thinking of just going natural. Of course, that could be trumped if any look sensational in real life (it's not always best to judge based on your computer monitor).

-Cheers


----------



## Rap Hat

Halowords said:


> Well, it sounds like it might be happening sooner than you think.
> 
> I was just wondering more along the lines of whether or not Agile had better success with getting great examples (weight/resonance/"tone"/figuring/etc.) from one or more species of wood. Which I know is probably a crapshoot at best, but figured might as well ask first.
> 
> -Cheers



Ooh that's good to hear then! Kurt is good about acting on customer requests, but things tend to move at a "glacial" pace. I asked him about an AL change a while back and he said if he decided to do it it'd have to wait for a future batch (I think it was 6+ months). There's been a bunch of clamoring for the slanted FB though, so maybe it's already been tooled up for that.

In terms of what Agile wood is the "best", I'd say the ash. Their mahogany can get waay too heavy - one of my Septors was over 9lbs, my AL is 10.6 or so, while my ash bodied Intrepid is somewhere on the low end of 8lbs. For acoustic (non-amplified) resonance the mahogany is pretty loud, pretty bassy though. The ash is brighter by a bit, maybe a hair quieter.

I assume you can order finishes with ash since stock ones have that, but it would be worth double checking. I know the natural ash is a separate finish option and normally it's mahogany. Same with bolt-on, as default is neck-thru for the semi-customs. If you can get a finish I think the amber burst looks amazing, and the new 7st multiscale they have with oceanburst is great too. Stay away from charcoal; I've heard a bunch of people say it turns out brown a lot of the time.


----------



## Halowords

So I'm thinking of the 30"-27" fan, largely to get the most defined low-strings I can and get the largest fan of the ones Agile offers. Is there any concern with the guitar being too bright with that long in standard tuning? I'm thinking specifically for playing melodies higher up on the neck. I'm looking for something that is articulate and chimey but can be made warm or at least not harsh and brittle on the upper registers. To some extent I know I can mess with that from the strings, electronics, and amp settings. I'm just wondering how the extra tension would factor into the solos or melodies higher up on the neck.

-Cheers


----------



## Konfyouzd

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Figure I'll give you guys the satisfaction of seeing some funny distorted pictures of my sister and my Intrepid.


 


Do you get your sis to pose with all your guitars?


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Konfyouzd said:


> Do you get your sis to pose with all your guitars?



Nah, that was just a spur of the moment thing, figured you guys would find it funny.


----------



## Cloudy

Just picked up a fanned agile 8, ill have an NGD up soon.

Third agile woooh.


----------



## dspellman

Halowords said:


> 2) Will or have they ever done longer or more extreme necks & fans? I'm curious if they've ever done something like a 30"-27.5" or even a 30"-25" multiscale, and if so how much they charged for that and how/if it worked?



You need to be careful with more extreme fans. You still need to play the things, after all. And the more extreme fans usually make things difficult once you get out toward the ends. 

To see how this works, simply lay out a 30" sheet of paper, and put a 25" sheet of paper next to it. Find the center of each (the 15" mark on the 30" sheet and the 12.5" on the 25") and put the centers side by side. That's your 12th fret (let's say). Measure about 0.7" from the inner edge of each sheet at the very top and lay out a ruler from spot to spot. That's about where your high E and low E strings will be at the nut. Note the angle. The more extreme the difference in scales, the more extreme that angle will be. At some point it's going to be pretty close to unplayable.


----------



## Halowords

dspellman said:


> You need to be careful with more extreme fans. You still need to play the things, after all. And the more extreme fans usually make things difficult once you get out toward the ends.
> 
> To see how this works, simply lay out a 30" sheet of paper, and put a 25" sheet of paper next to it. Find the center of each (the 15" mark on the 30" sheet and the 12.5" on the 25") and put the centers side by side. That's your 12th fret (let's say). Measure about 0.7" from the inner edge of each sheet at the very top and lay out a ruler from spot to spot. That's about where your high E and low E strings will be at the nut. Note the angle. The more extreme the difference in scales, the more extreme that angle will be. At some point it's going to be pretty close to unplayable.



I got the idea from the 30"-25" multiscale here:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...8-string-ive-ever-tried-30-25-multiscale.html

Which apparently plays pretty well. That said, I scaled my enthusiasm back just a bit simply because, well, it IS kind of extreme and I'm 99.9%-repeating that Agile is not making it anyway. I'd be game to try that sometime for more Les Paul-ish highs and really tight lows. However, I'm not game enough to leap into that as my first multiscale when I'd be doing it as a complete custom job. Not to mention the fact that if, for _whatever_ reason, I ever had to sell hypothetical 25"-30" guitar I would have a VERY small niche market of potential buyers. If I came across one though I'd definitely love to try one.

I putzed around with a bass guitar at the guitar shop to try the longer scale and it felt fine so I'm going to try the 27"-30" multiscale. I'm pretty flexible and tend to be fine with most setups once I take the time to get used to it.

Thanks for the input though. After all your Agile & multiscale threads over on TGP I'm surprised to see this was your first thread over here.

-Cheers


----------



## Cloudy

Halowords said:


> I got the idea from the 30"-25" multiscale here:
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...8-string-ive-ever-tried-30-25-multiscale.html
> 
> Which apparently plays pretty well. That said, I scaled my enthusiasm back just a bit simply because, well, it IS kind of extreme and I'm 99.9%-repeating that Agile is not making it anyway. I'd be game to try that sometime for more Les Paul-ish highs and really tight lows. However, I'm not game enough to leap into that as my first multiscale when I'd be doing it as a complete custom job. Not to mention the fact that if, for _whatever_ reason, I ever had to sell hypothetical 25"-30" guitar I would have a VERY small niche market of potential buyers. If I came across one though I'd definitely love to try one.
> 
> I putzed around with a bass guitar at the guitar shop to try the longer scale and it felt fine so I'm going to try the 27"-30" multiscale. I'm pretty flexible and tend to be fine with most setups once I take the time to get used to it.
> 
> Thanks for the input though. After all your Agile & multiscale threads over on TGP I'm surprised to see this was your first thread over here.
> 
> -Cheers



As long as you really enjoy and are comfortable with 30" there should be no problem.

Ive head good things about the 27-30" fan on agiles so I wish you the best of luck.


----------



## Halowords

Cloudy said:


> As long as you really enjoy and are comfortable with 30" there should be no problem.
> 
> Ive head good things about the 27-30" fan on agiles so I wish you the best of luck.



Yeah, it was fine. It was a change, obviously, however it was fine. Also, I was thinking about a Bass VI, so I would have had to adjust to something different anyway.

Thanks for the well-wishing. I think I'll be fine with the extra length, however I appreciate all the luck I can get. 

-Cheers


----------



## AS32

Is there any reason why the price differences between the different models don't seem to make much sense? I've been looking through the 7-string models on the rondomusic website and sometimes the same model with a floyd rose is less expensive than one with it... Am I missing something, since all of the specs besides this seem to look the same?

Example: 
Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB EMG Tribal Red Bound - $769.95
Agile Septor Pro 727 EB EMG Lizardburst Flame - $799.99
Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB Tribal Red - $599.99

Also why is the Interceptor Pro 727 EB Tribal Red so much less expensive than the Tribal Red Bound one? They seem to have everything the same, even the EMG pickups and floyd rose, except the "bound", which doesn't seem worth $200. Does the more expensive one tend to be made better or of higher quality overall? (like less setup involved and stuff like that)

Lastly, I'm planning on getting my first 7-string but still not sure about getting the 27" scale rather than 25.5". The only advantages I've heard of are going lower than G# tuning, which I doubt I ever would, and that the lower scale allows easier bending and is easier to get used to. I am interested in increasing my abilities and trying out a 27", I just would like to know if it's worth it in the end or if it even really makes a difference tone-wise or playing-wise.


----------



## Halowords

AS32 said:


> Also why is the Interceptor Pro 727 EB Tribal Red so much less expensive than the Tribal Red Bound one?



The binding? Binding the body on a carved top seems like a pain, so I'm guessing that's your mark up in price. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that. I know in guitar builds it can add a significant price to the end budget.

-Cheers


----------



## haffner1

AS32 said:


> Is there any reason why the price differences between the different models don't seem to make much sense?



I have notice this for quite a while. My guess is that the ones that are not moving tend to get reduced. Also, the red one without the binding has the old LFR, not the FR special, which at least for me personally, is not as desirable. It seems to me that since he started using the FR special, the older models with LFR have not really moved- hence perhaps the price reduction.


----------



## AS32

haffner1 said:


> I have notice this for quite a while. My guess is that the ones that are not moving tend to get reduced. Also, the red one without the binding has the old LFR, not the FR special, which at least for me personally, is not as desirable. It seems to me that since he started using the FR special, the older models with LFR have not really moved- hence perhaps the price reduction.



That would make sense I suppose. By moved, do you mean like they've just been sitting in storage for a while and not as many people buy them or something? 

Also, compared to other guitars, in terms of playability and overall feel, what do Agiles feel most similar to? Like Ibanez or Schecter or something?


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Uh, I'd say the neck is thinner than a Schecter or LTD but thicker than Ibanez. It's sort of a C shape I'd guess. Really comfortable to me, haha. Thumb wraps around it just fine and gives my entire hand the mobility around the board that it needs, and I'd say I have average sized hands.


----------



## MerlinTKD

AS32 said:


> Also, compared to other guitars, in terms of playability and overall feel, what do Agiles feel most similar to? Like Ibanez or Schecter or something?





WaffleTheEpic said:


> Uh, I'd say the neck is thinner than a Schecter or LTD but thicker than Ibanez. It's sort of a C shape I'd guess. Really comfortable to me, haha. Thumb wraps around it just fine and gives my entire hand the mobility around the board that it needs, and I'd say I have average sized hands.



Definitely thicker, or rather, more rounded, than an Ibanez, and thinner than the Schecters I've played (7's only). My Agile 828 has a remarkably similar feel to my LTD M-207 (a 90's model), and somewhat similar to the current LTD EC-407. Perhaps a tiny bit more rounded than the current LTD 7's. Super comfortable to me as well, thin enough to get on the back of the neck and play in classical positions, but still round enough to grab the top shoulder like you would on a typical 6 (taking the extra fretboard width into account, of course! ).


----------



## AS32

Sounds good. I'm definitely interested in getting an Agile to see what it's all about. But someone told me on a different site that the floyd roses used in Agiles are pretty cheap and will likely lead to tuning issues if not replaced with a "real floyd". How true is this, and is it something to consider?


----------



## Ben.Last

AS32 said:


> Sounds good. I'm definitely interested in getting an Agile to see what it's all about. But someone told me on a different site that the floyd roses used in Agiles are pretty cheap and will likely lead to tuning issues if not replaced with a "real floyd". How true is this, and is it something to consider?



By most accounts, the Floyds used by Agile are pretty good. They'll probably wear down faster than an actual Floyd, since they're made from cheaper metal, but you shouldn't have to worry about tuning stability.


----------



## AS32

Lern2swim said:


> By most accounts, the Floyds used by Agile are pretty good. They'll probably wear down faster than an actual Floyd, since they're made from cheaper metal, but you shouldn't have to worry about tuning stability.



By wear down do you mean like the trem would have to be replaced eventually, or that it'd have to be re-adjusted for intonation and stuff more often?


----------



## Cloudy

AS32 said:


> By wear down do you mean like the trem would have to be replaced eventually, or that it'd have to be re-adjusted for intonation and stuff more often?



Both, personally I would stay away from agile trems or be prepared to replace it right away (or in the near future of purchase)


----------



## AS32

Oh wow, I thought that the FRT-S2000 was of better quality than this but now I'm not sure if I want to get something that would have to be replaced so soon. Maybe I should just stick to a fixed bridge if I want an Agile it seems like.

Thanks for the advice everyone


----------



## Cloudy

AS32 said:


> Oh wow, I thought that the FRT-S2000 was of better quality than this but now I'm not sure if I want to get something that would have to be replaced so soon. Maybe I should just stick to a fixed bridge if I want an Agile it seems like.
> 
> Thanks for the advice everyone



Well they're not terrible but they aren't high quality either, if you want a lasting trem you're better off putting your money somewhere else.

Its not like its a 'within the next couple of months' thing, unless you really beat the shit out of it.


----------



## FruitCakeRonin

I wish I could get an Agile.


----------



## HurrDurr

Anybody know if we'll see any AL 8's soon? He's offering them as a custom shop option now and it would be sick to see them in stock.


----------



## celticelk

HurrDurr said:


> Anybody know if we'll see any AL 8's soon? He's offering them as a custom shop option now and it would be sick to see them in stock.



I'm not expecting any until the current semi-custom run comes through in early 2014. I'm guessing that Kurt will order a few to stock as part of that run, with options combos that are likely to be popular (black with blank ebony boards and active pickups?), and then see how quickly they sell, as well as how many pre-order customers send them back and how hard those instruments are to resell as B-stock. If all of those variables are favorable, maybe we'll start seeing AL-827s in stock more frequently.


----------



## Rommel

Agile Pendulum Pro 82427 EB CA Nat Mah - RondoMusic.com

Pendulum Pro 24 - 27" fan. For those that tune Low B to High A.


----------



## HurrDurr

celticelk said:


> I'm not expecting any until the current semi-custom run comes through in early 2014. I'm guessing that Kurt will order a few to stock as part of that run, with options combos that are likely to be popular (black with blank ebony boards and active pickups?), and then see how quickly they sell, as well as how many pre-order customers send them back and how hard those instruments are to resell as B-stock. If all of those variables are favorable, maybe we'll start seeing AL-827s in stock more frequently.


 
That's been the general assumption from what I can gather so far. A flat black AL-827 would be killer. One thing I've got on my mind is if he'll ever revive the Agile Interceptors as 6-string ERG's in 27"+ scales? Kurt used to have a bunch of Septor and Interceptor 6-strings way back about a year or so ago. I'd kill for a 28" scale Interceptor 6-string right about now.


----------



## Yo_Wattup

Agile Interceptor Pro 630 EB CP Tribal Red DOT - RondoMusic.com

This.. makes me ejaculate. There is no other instrument on the planet that I desire more. I just wanted to post that.... try get it out of my system..


----------



## tripforks

How accurate/consistent are Agile finishes, usually? I've been looking at ordering a semi-custom from them, and really like the look of their new lizardburst. They seem to have 2 different lizard bursts though, and I'm not sure if they changed it or switch between them

Agile Interceptor 827 MN Lizard Burst - RondoMusic.com (older?)

vs.

Agile Interceptor 827 RN CP Lizardburst Flame - RondoMusic.com (newer?)

Hate to be superficial  Just don't wanna get my heart set on one, wait months for it, then get something I didn't want as much
http://www.rondomusic.com/interceptor827rncpliz.html


----------



## tripforks

How accurate/consistent are Agile finishes, usually? I've been looking at ordering a semi-custom from them, and really like the look of their new lizardburst. They seem to have 2 different lizard bursts though, and I'm not sure if they changed it or switch between them

Agile Interceptor 827 MN Lizard Burst - RondoMusic.com (older?)

vs.

Agile Interceptor 827 RN CP Lizardburst Flame - RondoMusic.com (newer?)

Hate to be superficial  Just don't wanna get my heart set on one, wait months for it, then get something different
http://www.rondomusic.com/interceptor827rncpliz.html


----------



## Mr GriND

Agile AL-3XXX Custom w/Case (Deposit for January 2014) - RondoMusic.com Agile make 8 string option for the les paul bodies like !


----------



## AuroraTide

Hey all, this is my first post but I've lurked here for a bit so sorry if this has been answered! 

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Ocean Burst 827 Septor and was wondering if a set of Dimarzio Ionizers will fit in the routing without modifications.

Also anyone have non-stock photos of the guitar?


----------



## Frankb7stringer

I had to make the base plate on my d activator thinner to fit it in my AL seven. It might not be the same but I would still be weary


----------



## ceiling_fan

Not sure what section this goes in, but I'll being using it as an ERG so... I just bought the Agile Harm 1 Extended 30" scale model. I plan on tuning E-E an octave down from standard. Has any one tried this model, or the similarly-tuned Agile Argus 630? 

Agile Harm 1 630 EB SG Toast Extended Scale Guitar - RondoMusic.com

I'll let everyone know my thoughts and impressions when it arrives tomorrow! 

Some of the information on the page doesn't make sense. (Says it uses EADG bass strings and BE guitar strings, then later says it's set up to intonate with 12-54s...) I bought a pack of 24-84s to put on if it indeed comes with 12-54s.

I don't even know what I'll do with it, but it should open up some interesting tones! 





Edit: Got it! It arrived tuned B-B, so now I have to restring in a possibly (probably) file the nut to accommodate the 84  Apart from that (and some minor finish cracks around the neck joint) I'm very happy with it. Sounds great, frets are level and smooth, fretboard is good quality ebony, and sounds good unplugged due to the semi-hollowness. Great deal for under 400!


----------



## PigTrough

This may be helpful for some of you interested in the Agile 8 strings...check out my detailed review with sound clips!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/244528-review-agile-septor-elite-827-a.html


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Anyone got word on the Agile 9's and how good they are?...

Any reviews?

Thoughts on the design and neck especially?


----------



## Roy

Hi,

Just bought an Agile Interceptor Pro 928 a few months ago.
Of course it all depends on how you're planning to use it if you want to make a proper judgement.
I'm using the 928 to play bass, baritone and "sevenstring" in 1 band.
It bothered me to keep switching guitars (and necks...stretching ...) and now I have it all in one. Tuned it A E A D G C F A D.

Personally I really like the sound of the factory set pus while playing it like a 7stirng (A D G C F A D). The 8th string is kinda alright, but could've been better. The 9th string is really muddy and bassy and soundwise it's not even close to a normal guitar sound.
On the other hand : I don't use the thickest few strings for playing guitar (bass-range), so for me that's not much of a problem.
If you want to play progressive rock/metal and plan on going ape on the fretboard, you might want to consider some new pick-ups.

The neck itself feels smooth (pro 928 = neckthru) and surprisingly "narrow".
My hands aren't that big and I can still play everywhere on the neck.
Personally I think the Kahler-system works alright. It doesn't even come close to the Floyd-system I have on my Jackson, but that's a 7string... might not be completely fair to put them side by side..

Oh one small downside : Get yourself a big-ass-guitar-strap (preferably with some kind of locking-system / straplocks). It's somewhat heavy, to say the least.
A 2 hour rehearsal could cause some aches.......


----------



## ceiling_fan

I wish there were fanned frets on the Intrepid body shape and not just Pendulum. Kind of GASing for a theoretical Intrepid pro 92730. Can't complain, fanned frets on a production at all is insane. I'm very impressed with Agile's build quality, I've had no problems with my $379 30" scale Harm 1. It did come tuned B-B and not E-E like the description said though. I emailed Kurt and he said he'll make sure the factory tunes it correctly from now on.


----------



## dicknoluck

Newcomer here, but no stranger to Agiles.

I'm going to be venturing into the wonderful world of extended range guitars for the first time and score myself a Septor 827.

The model in question: Agile Septor 827 EB CP White - RondoMusic.com

Just a couple questions before I decide my fate.
Do you think the pups will sound any good through a 30W Line 6 Spider IV? Or will it even be able to handle the low end? I just want to be able to get a good sound, I'm not very picky when it comes to tone just yet. 

Thanks, kind regards.


----------



## tripforks

ceiling_fan said:


> I wish there were fanned frets on the Intrepid body shape and not just Pendulum. Kind of GASing for a theoretical Intrepid pro 92730. Can't complain, fanned frets on a production at all is insane. I'm very impressed with Agile's build quality, I've had no problems with my $379 30" scale Harm 1. It did come tuned B-B and not E-E like the description said though. I emailed Kurt and he said he'll make sure the factory tunes it correctly from now on.


Looks like you're in luck

Agile Intrepid Pro Custom w/Case (Deposit for April 2014) - RondoMusic.com

Under the scale length option, there's fanned frets for +100 bucks. No 27-30 yet, though.


----------



## Ben.Last

dicknoluck said:


> Newcomer here, but no stranger to Agiles.
> 
> I'm going to be venturing into the wonderful world of extended range guitars for the first time and score myself a Septor 827.
> 
> The model in question: Agile Septor 827 EB CP White - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Just a couple questions before I decide my fate.
> Do you think the pups will sound any good through a 30W Line 6 Spider IV? Or will it even be able to handle the low end? I just want to be able to get a good sound, I'm not very picky when it comes to tone just yet.
> 
> Thanks, kind regards.



You're most likely going to end up with a bunch of people just insulting the Spider, so let me get in before all that to say that, in my opinion and as a general consensus, the Cephius pickups are really good as far as stock pickups go.


----------



## dicknoluck

Ahh, I've heard as much. Not so skeptical about them as I was. My main concern is the amp and whether or not it would be able to manage the low notes


----------



## ceiling_fan

tripforks said:


> Looks like you're in luck
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro Custom w/Case (Deposit for April 2014) - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Under the scale length option, there's fanned frets for +100 bucks. No 27-30 yet, though.



Whoa, awesome! That must be a fairly new option. Now I'm sorely tempted to get one of these.

In other news they have a new Septor Elite 1030 in stock for $999. Not sure what I would do with an ultra low G# but there it is  30" scale is probably still a bit short for a note that low but for $999 I really can't complain.


----------



## mnemonic

I just realized Agile makes a 10 string 

Yeah I haven't been around for a while, I remember when the 8 string intrepid was just being designed 

If I were to have that much range though, I don't think straight frets would cut it. I would think I'd need a stupid huge fan. 27-32 or something.


----------



## shawnperolis

mnemonic said:


> I just realized Agile makes a 10 string
> 
> Yeah I haven't been around for a while, I remember when the 8 string intrepid was just being designed
> 
> If I were to have that much range though, I don't think straight frets would cut it. I would think I'd need a stupid huge fan. 27-32 or something.



I am thinking about a semi-custom 10 stringer with the 28.6-30 scale... Just have to talk the old lady into letting me spend the cash on it.


----------



## mnemonic

shawnperolis said:


> I am thinking about a semi-custom 10 stringer with the 28.6-30 scale... Just have to talk the old lady into letting me spend the cash on it.



I'm looking at 9 and 10 strings thinking that I would never need to go that low, but to be honest, I used to think any notes lower than D sounded bad, then I got a seven string, and I thought tuning lower than Bb or A sounded bad, now I have an RG8 as of a week ago and I think any tuning below F sounds bad... so maybe in a years time I'll think a low C# is awesome, haha.


----------



## shawnperolis

I'm rocking a low B (like a 5 string bass) on my 9 string... If I ever get a 10 I'll be adding a higher string, I don't think I can handle anything lower than B.


----------



## Seraph

looked around for an answer for this, couldn't find anything. does anyone know the math for figuring out the individual scales for each string of a mult-scale? I am thinking about getting an Interceptor 28.625" - 30" and am wondering about proper string gauges for steadily increasing tension from the high to low strings. I asked Kurt and he said they didn't have the info, but since it is a straight line compensation for each string it is just a trig problem to find out the individual scale lengths. Trig was a long time ago for me, does anyone know the trick to figuring this out?

Oh, and ceiling fan, I was right with you, sorely wishing their were a custom option for a fanned fret Intrepid, and then discovering it a few days ago. Can't pass it up now


----------



## Xykhron

For the ones owning a Intrepid Pro 828 with fixed bridge and strings through body....do you know if a bass string (let's say 0.90 gauge) will be fine for the ferrules having in mind the bass string ball end is way bigger than guitar's?


----------



## dicknoluck

Man I'm really itchin' to buy my first 8-string. Do you guys think it's worth it to buy with a case or without, for an 8-string? I bought a 6-string a couple years ago shipped with no case and it arrived fine, albeit with two very, very minor dings. I could place my order tonight, or tomorrow night. I'm just so indecisive haha.

*EDIT:*

Welp, too late. Already placed my order


----------



## ceiling_fan

shawnperolis said:


> I am thinking about a semi-custom 10 stringer with the 28.6-30 scale... Just have to talk the old lady into letting me spend the cash on it.



Are you me?  Lemme guess, Bloodburst with an Ebony board? 



shawnperolis said:


> I'm rocking a low B (like a 5 string bass) on my 9 string... If I ever get a 10 I'll be adding a higher string, I don't think I can handle anything lower than B.



I'm not sure the 28" scale on the high end will be able to handle much more than a regular E. If possible I would get 27-32" tuned G# C# F# B E A D G B E on a flat fretboard.


----------



## shawnperolis

ceiling_fan said:


> Are you me?  Lemme guess, Bloodburst with an Ebony board?



haha not Bloodburst, I went with Tribal Blue. I placed my order yesterday!

Tribal Blue Agile Intrepid Pro Custom 10 String
Swamp Ash Body
5 piece maple/walnut neck-through body design
28.625"-30" Scale
24 Jumbo Frets
Ebony fretboard with 15 radius
No Inlays
Neck profile (thickness): 7/8" at the nut and 15/16" at the 12th fret
5+5 Headstock Configuration
String Through Body
Cepheus Fixed Bridge
Die-cast Grover sealed tuners model GH305-18 with 18-1 ratio for fine tuning
Graphite nut
Right Handed


----------



## Hollowway

shawnperolis said:


> haha not Bloodburst, I went with Tribal Blue. I placed my order yesterday!
> 
> Tribal Blue Agile Intrepid Pro Custom 10 String
> Swamp Ash Body
> 5 piece maple/walnut neck-through body design
> 28.625"-30" Scale
> 24 Jumbo Frets
> Ebony fretboard with 15 radius
> No Inlays
> Neck profile (thickness): 7/8" at the nut and 15/16" at the 12th fret
> 5+5 Headstock Configuration
> String Through Body
> Cepheus Fixed Bridge
> Die-cast Grover sealed tuners model GH305-18 with 18-1 ratio for fine tuning
> Graphite nut
> Right Handed



What did that come to, price-wise?


----------



## shawnperolis

Hollowway said:


> What did that come to, price-wise?



My deposit was $820.00 and I'll make another payment of $425 when it is done. After shipping it will come to a little less than 1,300 bucks. Not bad for what I'm getting, I think. I know it isn't a *true* custom, but it is going to have everything I've ever wanted in a guitar in an awesome color with a sweet body shape.


----------



## Hollowway

Yeah, I'm tempted to put an order in for one myself. I keep playing with the build tool, but I just haven't pulled the trigger.


----------



## shawnperolis

The new options for the Intrepid Pro Custom did it for me... I have an Intrepid 930 and I love it, so being able to build one with exactly what I wanted was awesome.


----------



## dicknoluck

NGD! Agile Septor 827- Blue Flame. 

Wow, guys. She's a beauty. I'm simply awestruck by the quality of this build, and as my first ERG guitar, very pleased. There are 0 inconsistencies. No dings, dents, scratches, marks, nothing. Needs a set up, but it just arrived an hour ago 







Here's a little family photo!


----------



## ceiling_fan

The blue flame looks way better than the stock photos on the website, nicely done.


----------



## User Name

just got this! first multiscale and it looks pretty sexy as well.


----------



## Preacher

Not really sure if this is the place to ask this or not, but im trying to sell a 2003 LTD SC-607b and I have been offered a Agile Intrepid Pro 828 with the single 808 in the bridge. I am very tempted, as I am GASing hard for a longer scale 8, 25.5 just doesnt cut it for A or E :s

Gonna try before hand obviously, but is this a wise trade to make? I dont play my 7 since getting an 8 but I am trying to sell it on ebay (for what might be above market for a 2nd hand guitar, its in the ebay section of the market place £700) as I want a longer scale. I was going to get a M80M if it ever sold, but as the both have single bridge pick up, an 808 will not be as good as the lundgren but i can 18v mod it, but the agile is neck-thru while the ibby is bolt on, but the ibby has an extra 1 3/8 inch on the scale. decisions decisions  I do like the nat finish on the agile's more than the weather black of the m80m to...


----------



## mikeyfresh

Hey guys! I have an Agile Pendulum 82527, and I'm VERY interested in getting Lace Aluma Death-Bar pickups to replace the stock ones. But I'm not quite sure how to pick the right size. I checked out the chart on the Lace website, but I'm still confused (and dumb). I see that there's the 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0. It's a 25.5" to 27" scale guitar. Does anyone know which pickup too choose to get the right size? Thank you very much!


----------



## Galius

If I remember correctly the numbers stand for the pickup measurement in inches. 3.5", 4.0", 4.5", 5.0" and so on. So if you take a ruler or tape measure just see how wide your pickups are that should tell you which ones you need. Standard 8 string housings are 4" so my guess is it will be 4.5-5".



mikeyfresh said:


> Hey guys! I have an Agile Pendulum 82527, and I'm VERY interested in getting Lace Aluma Death-Bar pickups to replace the stock ones. But I'm not quite sure how to pick the right size. I checked out the chart on the Lace website, but I'm still confused (and dumb). I see that there's the 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0. It's a 25.5" to 27" scale guitar. Does anyone know which pickup too choose to get the right size? Thank you very much!


----------



## DancingCloseToU

mikeyfresh said:


> Hey guys! I have an Agile Pendulum 82527, and I'm VERY interested in getting Lace Aluma Death-Bar pickups to replace the stock ones. But I'm not quite sure how to pick the right size. I checked out the chart on the Lace website, but I'm still confused (and dumb). I see that there's the 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0. It's a 25.5" to 27" scale guitar. Does anyone know which pickup too choose to get the right size? Thank you very much!



My 82527 has 4.5" routing and they are quite a bit wider than all 8 strings.
I'd imagine it's the same as mine. Still, just measure the pup that's in there now and you'll have a sure answer.


----------



## wigger

Hey everyone

I have a question regarding the (semi-) custom agile guitars (the pendulum models to be precise) since I'm thinking about an 8+ string build. I'm aware of the custom guitar form on their website, but I'd like to know whether certain things could be customized a bit more.

I just thought I'd first ask here in the forums instead of directly spamming Kurt. So, does anyone know whether options as the following are possible?


custom fan, like 27"-30" or even 27"-32" (pretty extreme, I know)
other pickups than Cepheus, f.e. the Lace Deathbar or whatever.
a single bridge pickup only
different bridge and tuners (f.e. ABM)
tone & volume knobs, kill-switch
fretboard inlays
fretboard radius

This is probably a pretty critical question to ask, but I've heard good and bad things about Agile guitars and thus I'm wondering whether the custom guitars differ in their build quality compared to the stock ones. Does anyone know? I'm not expecting to pay anything below 1k5$ for such a build, but then again I'd still want to make sure the build quality is decent.

Maybe this is all totally impossible, but I'd just like to know your thoughts on this. Any comments are appreciated.

Cheers


----------



## shawnperolis

Kurt is really reasonable, but they are semi-custom built not fully custom. Email him and ask if the factory can do stuff. He just made my guitar with a 27-30 scale. I know they sometimes offer single bridge pickup configuration, so that is one I'd ask about.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Just snagged an Intercepter 827 last night with the Floyd Rose... Pics soon...


----------



## pestilentdecay

daaaamn, 10 string fanned fret
Agile Intrepid Pro 102527 Tribal Red Custom 172974 w/Case - RondoMusic.com


----------



## Konfyouzd

Saw that last night. Looks sweet.


----------



## shawnperolis

That 10 string Agile looks legit... I'm glad, because it is very similar to the 10 string fanned fret Intrepid I have coming in April!


----------



## codycarter

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Figure I'll give you guys the satisfaction of seeing some funny distorted pictures of my sister and my Intrepid.



The most adorable NGD I've ever


----------



## Konfyouzd

Has anyone played both the Floyd'd and Kahler'd Interceptor 8s?

I'm really digging the Floyd'd one


----------



## Tiger

Just wanted to say, two years into owning my agile 7 string, and I absolutely love it. I do not want another guitar, ever. I cant imagine anything being more of a workhorse, and it sounds exactly how I want it.

I spent ten years going through pickups and rigs and it turns out a simple 30" scale 7 string with emg 81/85 combo (like my first Warmoth custom) is all I needed. 

My Agile in action: 

Cant recommend it enough, and Im still thrilled about the price I paid.


----------



## paulyrhythm

So I was checking this out today:
Agile Septor 828 MN Tribal Purple - RondoMusic.com

Pretty good sale, $660 originally on sale for $400? Hmm I wonder if I could fit a real Hipshot bridge on that? 

This one below also on sale for $400... have gas since I'm getting sick of 30" scale...

Agile Septor 828 RN CP Blue Flame - RondoMusic.com

EDIT: And there were many others on sale I didn't post. .. ah well, I pulled the trigger on the Tribal Purple Septor. 
Now the only other scale left to purchase is an 8 string 27" scale- that's for the Carvin ;-)

I heard the stock pickups are surprisingly good so I won't even think about a swap until I try them. But I think any passive would fit if I do decide to swap though.


----------



## jmeezle

Just copped my second Intrepid Pro w/ EMG's earlier. I have a natural finish 828 and coming Monday I'll have an all white 830. Out the door the 830 was $705 including case. Pretty sweet deal, I love my Intrepid(s)!

NGD pics coming Monday.


----------



## jmeezle

A little clip w/ the new Intrepid 830:

https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/ho-chi-minh-clip


----------



## Blood Tempest

jmeezle said:


> A little clip w/ the new Intrepid 830:
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/ho-chi-minh-clip



Sounds KILLER dude!


----------



## firebelly

jmeezle said:


> A little clip w/ the new Intrepid 830:
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/ho-chi-minh-clip



This is the reason you need 27 or more for 8 string. That hit me like a brick wall, unreal tone.

What's your rig?


----------



## BAgodmode

Noob here, they had some 827 septor elites on special last week I picked up a septor elite 827, just put D'Adario EXL 140s (10 to 74). Best investment ever. Especially for only 599. Silverburst, EMG 808. I wanted black outs, but the EMGs aren't bad at all.


----------



## celticelk

Sentinel 725 MN CAR - RondoMusic.com


----------



## that short guy

EDIT: wrong thread... really need to start getting more rest lol sorry guys


----------



## bcolville

One of these don't belong ^


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Agile makes DC800s now?


----------



## that short guy

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Agile makes DC800s now?



See the importance of making sure you're fully awake and before post I just read "official ERG thread".... whoops lol. sorry guys, my bad


----------



## jmeezle

firebelly said:


> This is the reason you need 27 or more for 8 string. That hit me like a brick wall, unreal tone.
> 
> What's your rig?



Thanks man!

Guitars were tracked with the HD500 using Ola's "Handjob" patch + Redwirez Mesa 4x12 cab (57+Royer mics). The beef comes from my Ibanez BTB676 bass, total monster!

That clip is now a full song: https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/replicas-ho-chi-minh-demo

Thanks again!


----------



## Sonofthe7thSign

Does it make me stingy because I dont want to share the awesome deal I found because I want it for myself??? XD


----------



## Rommel

Just make sure you post up an NGD w/ pics.


----------



## wigger

Can anyone explain the difference of the Interceptor, Septor and Pendulum guitars? To my understanding Pendulum models are always multi-scale but it seems like this is the only difference. All three models seem to have to same look, at least regarding the body shape.


----------



## Galius

Septor=bolt on neck with fixed bridge, Interceptor=adds trem, Pro=neck through

And Pendulums are milti-scale


----------



## Literally Elvis

So I've been planning on buying a multiscale for a while now, and probably will do so in the next few weeks. I had decided in the past that I wanted a 27"-25.5" model because I have a 28.625" Intrepid now that gets uncomfortable for me to play with proper technique. However, when navigating to the page to gander at the guitar, I noticed the 27"-24.5" model, and was very intrigued at the potential of having an easier-to-set-up high A string. My only concern is how much closer the pickups are to each other. when going back and forth between photos, it looks like the 24.5" model's neck pickup is actually closer to the strings on the treble end, but the lower end is what worries me. 

Does anybody have experience with this model, and if so, can you tell me if the neck pickup is too bright in your opinion? I tend to like a really warm, jazzy clean tone, so I suppose I could just EQ anything I don't like out, but I'd still like some input.


----------



## jmeezle

My Intrepid Pro 830 at work: https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/god-is-dead-life-is-absurd


----------



## Kii

So, I ordered this Intrepid 828 the other day, and I received it today. It looks to be made out of Swamp Ash instead of Mahogany. I'm not upset or anything, just slightly miffed the guitar isn't to the specs described.

EDIT: Just sent Kurt an e-mail about the wood choice, also mentioned that I found uneven frets across the neck, which to be honest is more of an issue to me.







Full album


----------



## Hollowway

Literally Elvis said:


> So I've been planning on buying a multiscale for a while now, and probably will do so in the next few weeks. I had decided in the past that I wanted a 27"-25.5" model because I have a 28.625" Intrepid now that gets uncomfortable for me to play with proper technique. However, when navigating to the page to gander at the guitar, I noticed the 27"-24.5" model, and was very intrigued at the potential of having an easier-to-set-up high A string. My only concern is how much closer the pickups are to each other. when going back and forth between photos, it looks like the 24.5" model's neck pickup is actually closer to the strings on the treble end, but the lower end is what worries me.
> 
> Does anybody have experience with this model, and if so, can you tell me if the neck pickup is too bright in your opinion? I tend to like a really warm, jazzy clean tone, so I suppose I could just EQ anything I don't like out, but I'd still like some input.



You can lower the neck pickup with the pickup height adjustment screws, so you should be fine. Or did you mean it's closer to the bridge?


----------



## Literally Elvis

Hollowway said:


> You can lower the neck pickup with the pickup height adjustment screws, so you should be fine. Or did you mean it's closer to the bridge?



I mean the pickups themselves are spaced very close to one another. I already pulled the trigger on the guitar, though, I decided it wasn't too worth worrying about. I can always reroute the pickup cavity and have a pickguard made or something.


----------



## MarkMIBG

Pretty new to the site, but happy I found this Agile thread!
I got 2 Interceptor Pro's and they are awesome instruments


----------



## AlexThorpe

Anyone have any experience with cleans on a 30" scale? I want to grab a 9 and I play mostly clean tapping and fingerstyle stuff, but I was worried that the tone on the higher strings would be a bit harsh, and also the tension on the strings would be too high.

I was planning on putting in a deathbar/xbar set, and tuning "standard" 9 string down a half-step, so low C-Eb. My 8 is 27" and I tune that to F-Eb with the highest string being a .009, and I quite like that tension.

Best option would be to get a pendulum 92730, but I haven't seen one of those on the website in a minute and I don't much feel like waiting till June for a semi-custom.

Thanks for your input!


----------



## shawnperolis

AlexThorpe said:


> Anyone have any experience with cleans on a 30" scale? I want to grab a 9 and I play mostly clean tapping and fingerstyle stuff, but I was worried that the tone on the higher strings would be a bit harsh, and also the tension on the strings would be too high.
> 
> I was planning on putting in a deathbar/xbar set, and tuning "standard" 9 string down a half-step, so low C-Eb. My 8 is 27" and I tune that to F-Eb with the highest string being a .009, and I quite like that tension.
> 
> Best option would be to get a pendulum 92730, but I haven't seen one of those on the website in a minute and I don't much feel like waiting till June for a semi-custom.
> 
> Thanks for your input!



I have a 30" scale 9 string. It works great for clean tapping and I'm using the stock cepheus pickups that I *really* like.


----------



## jmeezle

Some Intrepid 830 fun: https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/christmas-music-is-the-worst


----------



## Literally Elvis

I think NGD posts are kind of overrated, but I still want to show off:






Deathbar in the bridge, X-bar in the neck. God damn this thing looks, feels, sounds beautiful.

Totally content.


----------



## Kii

Well, I still haven't heard anything back from Kurt about my guitar.


----------



## notasian

Literally Elvis said:


> I think NGD posts are kind of overrated, but I still want to show off:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Deathbar in the bridge, X-bar in the neck. God damn this thing looks, feels, sounds beautiful.
> 
> Totally content.



dude nice what are the specs?? is that the 24-27? also more pics or it still didnt happen


----------



## notasian

also i cant stop thinking that the intrepids would look amazing with a flame veneer like this schecter bass, i love how it still shows the body on the outsides and it would accent the cut on the armrest part 











any thoughts?


----------



## Literally Elvis

notasian said:


> dude nice what are the specs?? is that the 24-27? also more pics or it still didnt happen



Haha, I'll try to take some more pictures later. It is the 82427. Ebony fretboard, neck through, yadda yadda.


----------



## RV350ALSCYTHE

notasian said:


> also i cant stop thinking that the intrepids would look amazing with a flame veneer like this schecter bass, i love how it still shows the body on the outsides and it would accent the cut on the armrest part
> 
> any thoughts?



The intrepid doesn't have a contoured body like the stiletto basses, which gives that border appearance, you would only see the difference in woods on the armrest/contour unless you beveled the entire body to a rounder shape.


----------



## Kii

I've decided to try and get a full refund on the guitar, even though it's past the 10-day period. I figured since I was actively trying to get a hold of their Customer Support before doing anything about the guitar, they'd let that slide. But honestly, I just got fed up waiting around and said screw it. I guess I'll be looking at Carvin for my 8-string needs.


----------



## quattro19tdi

I emailed Kurt and asked if it was possible to custom order the Agile ST/TC with 28,625" and 30" neck, the next day he had added the 28,625" option, check it out. If a few more guys send him an email, maybe we can get the 30" too, would be awesome  They have done the 30" ST neck before with this guitar, but it would have been really nice to get it with a maple fretboard, and the option to get it with 7 strings.


----------



## michaelkep

Here's MY Agile in action!


----------



## ceiling_fan

I went to play with the builder and saw this:

"Special Note: The Custom Shop Will be Closing to New Orders Shortly After January 15, 2014."

Rondo Music Special Order / Custom Order Guitars | Page 1 of 1


----------



## dicknoluck

jmeezle said:


> Some Intrepid 830 fun: https://soundcloud.com/jm2484/christmas-music-is-the-worst




dude.
sick.


----------



## DeKay

What's the biggest string that fits through the agile body and into the bridge and is perfectly intonate-able?


----------



## Sirppi

Shameless promotion... 

My Agile Intrepid Pro 828 with Dimarzio D-Activators


----------



## DeKay

I wonder if agile prices or models will change now that the mainstream manufacturers started going more into it. I still think agile looses a ton of possible customers by going US normal shipping only. The international shipping hassle is incredibly annoying, would love some easier access to their instruments.


----------



## Ben.Last

DeKay said:


> I wonder if agile prices or models will change now that the mainstream manufacturers started going more into it. I still think agile looses a ton of possible customers by going US normal shipping only. The international shipping hassle is incredibly annoying, would love some easier access to their instruments.



They really need to start dropping their prices back down. I was considering doing a special order Intrepid, but I could get one of the new Schecter Banshees for about the same price. That's just not going to fly.


----------



## DeathClown

Hey can Agile guitars be so cheap with such good specs. It makes me a bit apprehensive to try and purchase one. 

How do people find the quality?


----------



## ceiling_fan

DeKay said:


> What's the biggest string that fits through the agile body and into the bridge and is perfectly intonate-able?



The 10 string models come with a .105 low string


----------



## shawnperolis

DeathClown said:


> Hey can Agile guitars be so cheap with such good specs. It makes me a bit apprehensive to try and purchase one.
> 
> How do people find the quality?



My Agile 9 string is the best guitar I've ever owned. Some people aren't as lucky, but the build quality on mine is pretty much flawless. I've had a couple Rondo guitars, all of them were good instruments for the price - but my Agile is an incredible guitar no matter the price.


----------



## jmeezle

I recorded my bands' EP with an Intrepid Pro 830. Hope you guys dig!


----------



## Coma Cluster Void

Our Agile 10-String arrived!

Ebony Fretboard, Ash Body, 27", Cepheus Passive Pick-Ups ...

Now going to change the strings for a special open tuning for our project COMA CLUSTER VOID


----------



## 8StringX

^That looks awesome! HNGD! Any specifics on the tuning? I've been really interested in 9 and 10-string open tunings lately myself, though mine would absolutely require fanned frets.


----------



## jwade

Haven't bought an instrument, but I did want to put up a little shout-out for how how awesome Kurt was to me. I emailed him about purchasing a certain part, he responded within minutes with a price and shipping costs. I put my order through late last night, and early this morning, got an email that my order had been fulfilled and shipped already. 

Class act, seriously.


----------



## notasian

any one know when pendulums will be back on the custom order page??


----------



## Hollowway

notasian said:


> any one know when pendulums will be back on the custom order page??



Iirc they won't be, because Kurt said they're too difficult and specialized to make, so it bogs down all the custom orders.


----------



## RV350ALSCYTHE

I've been waiting what seems like months for a new batch of 82527 Pendulums to arrive that don't have the square fret board end.
I ordered one of these as soon as I saw them up in the new items section.
Picking it up Monday!
Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB CP Black Flame - RondoMusic.com


----------



## Raven17

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


> I've been waiting what seems like months for a new batch of 82527 Pendulums to arrive that don't have the square fret board end.
> I ordered one of these as soon as I saw them up in the new items section.
> Picking it up Monday!
> Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB CP Black Flame - RondoMusic.com



I just recieved this same guitar yesterday. It's a really good guitar! Anyone have luck replacing the stock pickups? I'm thinking either BKP Aftermath/Cold Sweat set or the new Seymour Nazgul and Sentient set. I assume the passives will just swap out? Thoughts? Thx!


----------



## Mischief

Coma Cluster Void said:


> Our Agile 10-String arrived!
> 
> Ebony Fretboard, Ash Body, 27", Cepheus Passive Pick-Ups ...
> 
> Now going to change the strings for a special open tuning for our project COMA CLUSTER VOID



Holy balls, that is lovely. Which finish is that?


----------



## boxsmiley

Love my fanned fret 9. Looking for a fanned 10. 

All fanned fret Gits at rondo dried up.....booooo cmon Kurt.

Maybe xen time after all, but I could get 2.5 agiles for the price of one.


----------



## 8StringX

boxsmiley said:


> Love my fanned fret 9. Looking for a fanned 10.
> 
> All fanned fret Gits at rondo dried up.....booooo cmon Kurt.
> 
> Maybe xen time after all, but I could get 2.5 agiles for the price of one.



Yeah, not only are all fanned fret options gone, all the 10-string options are gone as well. From what I understand, Kurt is looking to keep the custom shop open continually, rather than closing every few months.

Since I decided I don't want to deal with a fixed scale 10-string, and I can't afford/am not willing to pay for a custom, I'm stuck with a 9-string. And, unfortunately for Kurt, the soon to be available Schecter and Ibanez models seem slightly more appealing.


----------



## SaturdayMorningSnuff

While it is true Shecter and Ibanez will be releasing 9 strings, the problem is their scale length. Neither will come close to the 30" Agile provides for 9's.


----------



## 8StringX

SaturdayMorningSnuff said:


> While it is true Shecter and Ibanez will be releasing 9 strings, the problem is their scale length. Neither will come close to the 30" Agile provides for 9's.



That's actually one of the things I find more appealling about them. Yes, the C# and F# would absolutely benefit from the longer scale length, but it is at the expense of the plain steel strings. As someone who owns a 28.625" scale 8-string, I can say that anything longer would result in VERY tight, shrill plain strings, at least if you stick with standard tuning. I feel a 28" scale is the best fixed scale option for all 9-strings. Now, this is not to say that the added tension, brightness, and clarity from a 30" scale cannot be useful, I just feel that the 28" scale seems like the best compromise for both ends. Also, I've been thinking about tuning a 9-string to open B minor tuning (B0,F#1,B1,F#2,B2,F#3,B3,D4,F#4) and the 28" scale would be much more beneficial for the high F#.

Though, considering how many complaints there have been already regarding their "short" scale length, I'm sure Schecter and Ibanez will release models with longer scales.

Back on topic, does anyone know why Kurt removed the 10-string options from the custom shop guitars?


----------



## boxsmiley

The fanned fret option is gone from the custom options as well guys.

I spec'd out a 27/30 10 stringer on the site and was going to pull the trigger a few months ago, but held off for some reason. I went back in and now the option is gone.


----------



## Hollowway

Kurt said the fanned options really complicate the building line, and they have to change everything around to build the fanned customs, so its off the list.


----------



## notasian

i hate when people buy the guitar i wanted on rondo and dont post an ngd on here


----------



## shawnperolis

Looks like I am one of the lucky few, I'll be getting my fanned fret custom 10 string at the end of April!


----------



## Alex Kenivel

My Agile Intrepid Pro is sitting on sorting on my porch, freshly delivered from Ups and I'm at work and it's raining..


----------



## notasian

shawnperolis said:


> Looks like I am one of the lucky few, I'll be getting my fanned fret custom 10 string at the end of April!




haha all the workers hate you for ordering such a complicated guitar lol custom shop rage lol


----------



## shawnperolis

notasian said:


> haha all the workers hate you for ordering such a complicated guitar lol custom shop rage lol



Oh, I can imagine. They already had problems with making my giant fretboard out of ebony, so they had to make it out of rosewood instead. It also was delayed by a little bit but I'm not sure if that is the fault of the guitar or not.


----------



## jmeezle

Example of a white Intrepid Pro 830 put to work:


----------



## wigger

I really hope that the fanned fret option on custom orders comes back 
Of course such special orders are complicated for the factory and I do understand Kurt regarding that, but Agile really seems to be the only option for affordable fanned fret guitars.


----------



## Blood Tempest

shawnperolis said:


> Oh, I can imagine. They already had problems with making my giant fretboard out of ebony, so they had to make it out of rosewood instead. It also was delayed by a little bit but I'm not sure if that is the fault of the guitar or not.



They ran into the same problem with my Intrepid 102527. Told them to go forward with maple. Not a rosewood fan in the slightest, personally. Can't wait to get mine. Definitely need your thoughts on yours once she arrives at your door!


----------



## notasian

any one know that LBO stands for? almost looks like a pine top haha 

Agile Pendulum Pro 82728 EB CA Nat Mahog LBO - RondoMusic.com

Agile Septor Elite 830 EB DNC NAT Mahog LBO - RondoMusic.com

Agile Pendulum Elite 92527 EB CP Nat LBO - RondoMusic.com


----------



## ceiling_fan

I've spent about 10 minutes trying to figure it out  Maybe it implies no inlays? Or whatever type of finish they put on unpainted guitars?


----------



## Ben.Last

Labella strings?


----------



## notasian

it looks like a mahogany top or something really soft and grainy haha it doesnt look bad


----------



## Rap Hat

notasian said:


> any one know that LBO stands for? almost looks like a pine top haha
> 
> Agile Pendulum Pro 82728 EB CA Nat Mahog LBO - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Agile Septor Elite 830 EB DNC NAT Mahog LBO - RondoMusic.com
> 
> Agile Pendulum Elite 92527 EB CP Nat LBO - RondoMusic.com



It looks like it means the mahogany top covers the neck-thru - pretty much a mahagony veneer.


----------



## DeKay

I'm gassing for an agile 30 scale 9 string  can somebody make me gas even more who got one? Tell me some about how it feels, neck and all that!


----------



## shawnperolis

DeKay said:


> I'm gassing for an agile 30 scale 9 string  can somebody make me gas even more who got one? Tell me some about how it feels, neck and all that!



My 30" scale Agile 9 stringer is my favorite guitar. I play everything on it, even if it doesn't require the bottom 3 strings. I tune it BEBEADGBE currently, but sometimes I drop the 3rd string to an A so I have basically a bass guitar range on the low strings. I really like Agile necks, close second to Ibanez in feel for me (Obviously this is 100% subjective based on my own opinion) but I really dig my Agile 9.


----------



## DeKay

shawnperolis said:


> My 30" scale Agile 9 stringer is my favorite guitar. I play everything on it, even if it doesn't require the bottom 3 strings. I tune it BEBEADGBE currently, but sometimes I drop the 3rd string to an A so I have basically a bass guitar range on the low strings. I really like Agile necks, close second to Ibanez in feel for me (Obviously this is 100% subjective based on my own opinion) but I really dig my Agile 9.



Thank you! I knew you would reply!

I will go for A#, 106 as a string is good enough is it?


----------



## shawnperolis

DeKay said:


> Thank you! I knew you would reply!
> 
> I will go for A#, 106 as a string is good enough is it?



As in A#0 below a 5 string bass? I'd probably go a little thicker. I have a 110 for my B and I actually wish it was a little less wobbly. You'll have to realize that in order for a bass guitar to have a decent B0 sound it is at least a 34" scale and a 130 string. Guitars have almost half the string tension as basses though. Tuning and playability in that range is going to take some serious willpower and effort to get it right... But it is totally possible and super fun, I wish you the best!


----------



## trem licking

to go much higher than .110, you may have to drill out the body of that septor... .106 was pretty tight in mine. also, i have no idea if .120-.130 would intonate on these, just some things to think about. maybe someone on here has done it with an agile?


----------



## DanielLunardi

Hi folks!
My name is Daniel, and i am a 31 year old brazilian guitarist. Last month i made a bought of an Agile Septor 827 with hardcase.. my stepfather travelled to California and took the guitar for me... The guitar survives the flight and arrived 100% save here in Brazil.

here is a picture of me with my new Agile... the next thing to do is to put a Lundgren M8 in the bridge, i found the stock bridge Cepheus too muddy.. the neck pickups is allright ( i won't use it for 99% of time).

I will put an d'addario strings 10-74 to tune in Eb standard, let's see what happens..


----------



## Mr_Metal_575

DanielLunardi said:


> Hi folks!
> My name is Daniel, and i am a 31 year old brazilian guitarist. Last month i made a bought of an Agile Septor 827 with hardcase.. my stepfather travelled to California and took the guitar for me... The guitar survives the flight and arrived 100% save here in Brazil.
> 
> here is a picture of me with my new Agile... the next thing to do is to put a Lundgren M8 in the bridge, i found the stock bridge Cepheus too muddy.. the neck pickups is allright ( i won't use it for 99% of time).
> 
> I will put an d'addario strings 10-74 to tune in Eb standard, let's see what happens..


Very very nice guitar mate. Oceanburst is my favourite Agile finish. If I had to buy an Agile I would buy it in that colour


----------



## shawnperolis

trem licking said:


> to go much higher than .110, you may have to drill out the body of that septor... .106 was pretty tight in mine. also, i have no idea if .120-.130 would intonate on these, just some things to think about. maybe someone on here has done it with an agile?



I had to drill out the body of my Interceptor to fit my .110 from LaBella. Intonation isn't fun, either. It will take some time to get a guitar setup to sound okay in that range. The 30" scale helps a lot though.


----------



## notasian

RONDO PENDULUM CUSTOM SHOP OPEN!!!!!!! FOR OCT 2014


----------



## wigger

notasian said:


> RONDO PENDULUM CUSTOM SHOP OPEN!!!!!!! FOR OCT 2014



gotta go for it this time!


----------



## Halowords

Due to indecisiveness I did not get into the Agile Pendulum run for October. However, had I seen this finish I think I would have opted in.









Agile Pendulum Pro 72425 EB DNC Blown Flame Custom 195784 - RondoMusic.com

I have never heard of blown flame before. I've had a similar finish in my mind for years (either like this or with a subtle brown "unburst" perhaps) and this pretty much nails it! I'd love to see this in an 8-string Pendulum, preferably an 82730. That looks pretty fantastic!

-Cheers


----------



## notasian

wow over a 3 inch fan that might be hard to play looks sick though

Agile Pendulum Pro 72528 EB CP Tribal Purple Custom 199445 - RondoMusic.com


----------



## Rap Hat

Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB EMG Tribal Blue Custom 196098 - RondoMusic.com

Ahh, god *DAMN*! I absolutely love the way the color turned out on this guy, and even though I'm not a fan of EMGs a set of 909s is pretty cool. Wish I'd have enough time to sell a guitar to grab this guy... whoever ends up with this is a lucky dude!


----------



## notasian

arrrf?!?!?!?!




septor headstock on an intrepid body??!!?!?! err?!
Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB CP Nat Ash Custom 204937 - RondoMusic.com


----------



## TKOA-Dex

Hey, sorry for not reading through 200 pages, but I was wondering how good these Agiles are as coma red to say, an Ibanez Iron label or similar. I am looking to get into a highER end 8 string and I am torn between and Ibanez Iron Label, a TAM10, or an Agile Intrepid which I would put DiMarzio Ionizers in.


----------



## shawnperolis

I was going to wait until the guitar arrived... But I wanted to share these update photos that Kurt sent me the other day! 












The guitar isn't done quite yet... but since it was supposed to be here 3 months ago these pictures will do to tide me over until it arrives!


----------



## Hollowway

27-30" on that beast?


----------



## shawnperolis

Hollowway said:


> 27-30" on that beast?



Yessir. Planned tuning is BEAEADGBEF#. I think having full bass range on the bottom with an added high note for weird chords will be super fun to mess around with.


----------



## Halowords

shawnperolis said:


> Yessir. Planned tuning is BEAEADGBEF#. I think having full bass range on the bottom with an added high note for weird chords will be super fun to mess around with.



I've been listening to Explorer's rationale. I'm thinking of, next time they offer the Pendulum semi-customs, going with a 9-string in 27"-30" fan and the BEADGCFAD tuning to add the full bass range (hopefully with the guitar voicing) whilst keep the standard guitar tension so the high-E (2nd fret on the 1st string) would feel roughly like Gibson tuning.

Anyway, my questions are, if I went for the 10 string, if I went one-lower would that even sound usable through a guitar amp? I'm guessing it would be tuned to F#. If I went up, how practical/usable would the highest string be at G or G#? By "usable," or "practical," just wondering about the sound at that length and bendability.

-Cheers


----------



## shawnperolis

Halowords said:


> Anyway, my questions are, if I went for the 10 string, if I went one-lower would that even sound usable through a guitar amp? I'm guessing it would be tuned to F#. If I went up, how practical/usable would the highest string be at G or G#? By "usable," or "practical," just wondering about the sound at that length and bendability.



Tuning these kinds of guitars is always going to be a challenge. I can only get B0 reliably on my 30" scale 9 string. I probably could go lower, but it gets floppy and tuning stability isn't the greatest. I have a normal high E on the 30" scale with a 9 gauge string and that is fine but difficult to bend. I'm hoping that the 27" scale on the higher end will fix that issue though. I don't know how practical a high G will be at 27", but I'll let you know how my F# is once I get this guitar.


----------



## Halowords

shawnperolis said:


> Tuning these kinds of guitars is always going to be a challenge. I can only get B0 reliably on my 30" scale 9 string. I probably could go lower, but it gets floppy and tuning stability isn't the greatest. I have a normal high E on the 30" scale with a 9 gauge string and that is fine but difficult to bend. I'm hoping that the 27" scale on the higher end will fix that issue though.



I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

That is kind of what I like about the BEADGCFAD tuning, at least in theory. B0 should work, and by tuning to 5ths through the 3rd string I maintain the general intervals and chord shapes, while keeping the same standard tuning just two frets up. I'm a creature of habits, so if I change the intervals too much I think it would mess with me. I can probably remember to move up two frets to get where things are on my _other_ guitars though. I think. 

I also like rounder sounding high notes, so for me with a 27" or longer scale I think I'd have to down-tune to be happy with the sound. I also wondered how floppy (or pragmatic) a low F# would be at 30" if going with a 10-string. Your experience seems to validate my concerns in doing so. Just daydreaming, a Pendulum 92730 with a maple Blown Flame finish sounds like a nice way to give it a try.

-Cheers


----------



## DancingCloseToU

New 27" scale Septor 8's for only $299...
Agile Septor 827 RN CP CF Tribal Red - RondoMusic.com

I'll just leave this here.


----------



## Pufferaway

Hi, Guys! Just sharing some pics of my new PenPro with ya!
I had originally purchased same spec Oceanburst, but it had too many neck/fret flaws to keep; This custom showed up on the site just at the right time, as I returned the other. It did need a thorough fret finish and setup, but once done, it was perfection! My gear's still packed from a move, but I'll get some tones up asap! Ya'll stay cool now! 

All the large photos are available for viewing here: AgilePenPro


----------



## UnattendedGolfcart

I'm probably going to get an Agile 8 string as my first 8 string. I'm (very) slowly saving up for one that I'll probably get around Christmas/my birthday in February.

The few I'm looking at are:

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB CP 2TS - RondoMusic.com

Agile Intrepid Pro 828 MN CP Oceanburst - RondoMusic.com

Agile Intrepid 828 EB CP BloodBurst - RondoMusic.com

I like the Intrepids 

Any other ones anyone would recommend as a first 8 string? I don't have many specifics, I really want passive pickups and at least a 27" neck. I might end up getting a cheaper guitar from them if it's taking me too long to save money, around 400-500.


----------



## Ben.Last

The Intrepids are an awesome option. Personally, I'm happier with my 27" guitars than I was with the 28.625 scale on my Intrepid, but you may find that you feel different.

I'm lefty, so I'm not incredibly familiar with the price ranges of the other options out there. I do really like my rg8, but it is not built as well as any of the Agiles I've owned. Schecters are also really nice.


----------



## HUGH JAYNUS

my Septor 727 on the left (Seymour Duncan Nazgul in this pic, currently has a purple BKP Aftermath), and my Septor 625 on the right with Dimarzio Titans

LOVE THEM


----------



## Terminator37

Wow, congratulations! I like the gold hardware, including the covers that came with the DiMarzios.


----------



## redlol

Ok guys, I need some feedback on the Agile pendulum multiscale guitars... Gassing hard for one lately, and just multiscales in general(agile being my only realistic choice due to finances). I would scan thru this thread, but theres over 200 pages and nobody got time for that!  I'm mostly concerned with build quality, fretwork in particular. I've got my eye on that lefty pendulum 8728 on rondo. How is the quality on the finishes as well? I'm not too concerned about the sound, but how do the pickups on the FF 8's sound? I've heard decent things about the normal cepheus 8 and 7s. Also, what are the options for replacing the stock pickups? I'd guess BKP and lace to start..

Any input to my questions is greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!


----------



## Halowords

Is there any demand for or interest (other than me) in a single-cut 30" scale with the option for a semi-hollow or chambered body? Maybe even a multiscale option? I am being cautiously optimistic, but I would love it if Agile did a single-cut version of the Harm Extended Scale, preferably with the option of a solid archtop and semi-hollow construction sort of like like a single-cut Lucille. But, with the option of seven (or eight?) strings. So something like this, but with 7 or 8 strings, a single-cut, and a semi-hollow body (hidden with the solid top):






-Cheers


----------



## Explorer

Wow! What is that?!

Ah, so a limited run 2011 Harm 3 solid body. I love the multiple knobs and carved top. 

Not available. I am disappoint.


----------



## Coma Cluster Void

Agile 10-String, Ebony Fretboard, Ash Body, 27", Cepheus Passive Pick-Ups















Some demos done with this beast:
[SC]http://soundcloud.com/coma-cluster-void/sets/coma-cluster-void-demos[/SC]

-


----------



## Halowords

Explorer said:


> Wow! What is that?!
> 
> Ah, so a limited run 2011 Harm 3 solid body. I love the multiple knobs and carved top.
> 
> Not available. I am disappoint.



The solid-body Harm style may not be available. However, the three-pickup configuration _is_ and I suspect they could do the volume/tone knobs for each pickup if asked. That does not seem too outlandish.

I am wondering about their willingness to do a carved top on them. That adds a certain je ne sais quoi. Of course, I would also love them to make it a single-cut version. Then, if you give the option of 8 or 9 strings (they already offer it in 7), and either get it as a 30" scale (currently available) or multiscale (currently not), you have a nice option in the so-called extended range guitars that fills a niche not currently all that well represented.

-Cheers


----------



## notasian

anyone else notice the longer bridge pieces for the lower strings? wonder what thats about


----------



## trem licking

^that is for more intonation travel, which is very important on the lowest strings of an 8+ string guitar


----------



## notasian

wow.
Agile Pendulum Pro 102730 RN CA Black Flame w/Case - RondoMusic.com


----------



## Hollowway

Holy crap, that's near perfect. A great fan on that beast. Probably better with a high A or G if it's going to be tuned in standard. I don't think a decent G#0 is possible. If I didn't have a 9 string in the works I'd get that beast!


----------



## bcolville

I'm sure this has been covered but please bare with me. I'm looking into getting an agile septor 828 to try out a 28" neck. I have an rg8 already. I know regular strings won't fit it because of the headstock. Do regular circle k strings work? Or are there any other kind? Ill probably want an .80 on top.


----------



## Ben.Last

bcolville said:


> I'm sure this has been covered but please bare with me. I'm looking into getting an agile septor 828 to try out a 28" neck. I have an rg8 already. I know regular strings won't fit it because of the headstock. Do regular circle k strings work? Or are there any other kind? Ill probably want an .80 on top.



Do you mean regular strings won't be long enough? If so, what are you referring to as "regular strings"? As far as I've seen D'Addarios fit. Comparing the DR sets I've used to the D'Addarios I have, I'd say they would also probably fit. 

And, yes, Kalium strings will fit.


----------



## bcolville

Ben.Last said:


> Do you mean regular strings won't be long enough? If so, what are you referring to as "regular strings"? As far as I've seen D'Addarios fit. Comparing the DR sets I've used to the D'Addarios I have, I'd say they would also probably fit.
> 
> And, yes, Kalium strings will fit.



Thanks for the reply. By regular I mean what you can get in a standard pack from brands like ernie ball or d'addario. Right now I use singles from d'addario on my rg8. It would be awesome if someone could confirm that they would work on an Agile Septor Elite 828


----------



## ddawson2012

Don from D'Addario here - we do not make a stock set that has a .080 on top. But like many manufacturers, we offer lots of single strings for this purpose.


----------



## bcolville

ddawson2012 said:


> Don from D'Addario here - we do not make a stock set that has a .080 on top. But like many manufacturers, we offer lots of single strings for this purpose.



Hey Don, I was aware of the .80 only being a single. Do you happen to know the actual length of the string?


----------



## splinter8451

Dunno if anyone posted yet but there is a B stock someone may be interested in:

Agile Renaissance 8 String Acoustic B Stock - RondoMusic.com

Even cheaper Renaissance anyone?


----------



## axiomIII

agile should make a new vibrato to compete with kahlers 10 string multiscale..


----------



## Ben.Last

Why is that posted in a thread about Agile guitars??


----------



## lelandbowman3

Ugh. I wish I could buy a fanned fret one of these off of someone.


----------



## notasian

holy cow. Agile Pendulum Elite 82730 EB EMG Black Flame - RondoMusic.com











this is exactly what i want


----------



## schwiz

notasian said:


> holy cow.
> 
> this is exactly what i want



It looks like they just released some brand new timbers. They even added a lefty multi-scale. If only it was 25-27 instead of 25-28.


----------



## axiomIII

It all looks wonky to me! I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 10 or 11 string with a fan from 27" -32" maybe? 7th perp obviously.

Then we will talk agile... but I could probably make a compromised 48 fret variant with two bass necks sanded and stuck together, + a/two 34"+ scale fret board/s (30") and a little luthery skill.


----------



## notasian

axiomIII said:


> It all looks wonky to me! I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 10 or 11 string with a fan from 27" -32" maybe? 7th perp obviously.
> 
> Then we will talk agile... but I could probably make a compromised 48 fret variant with two bass necks sanded and stuck together, + a/two 34"+ scale fret board/s (30") and a little luthery skill.




well maybe if you email ibanez a couple of times the will put into production something like that im sure it will be a big seller

if youve ever shown up to a guitar center with a multiscale guitar you would appreciate what kurt at rondo is doing for the market


----------



## FTB

Hi everyone, I've been looking at Agile for a while now. Would it be the general consensus that they're the cheapest way (or even only way, without going through a "local" luthier) to get an ERG with specs like, for example, a 30" 8 string with fanned frets?


----------



## Hertz32

FTB said:


> Hi everyone, I've been looking at Agile for a while now. Would it be the general consensus that they're the cheapest way (or even only way, without going through a "local" luthier) to get an ERG with specs like, for example, a 30" 8 string with fanned frets?


yep  Check what kurt has in stock, if he doesn't have it. Order it and he'll make it cheaper than anyone else that does custom work.


----------



## axiomIII

FTB said:


> Hi everyone, I've been looking at Agile for a while now. Would it be the general consensus that they're the cheapest way (or even only way, without going through a "local" luthier) to get an ERG with specs like, for example, a 30" 8 string with fanned frets?





Hertz32 said:


> yep  Check what kurt has in stock, if he doesn't have it. Order it and he'll make it cheaper than anyone else that does custom work.



HAH! And I don't even like Djent! I just want the range.....- Ted Nudjent...


----------



## BrailleDecibel

axiomIII said:


> Ted Nudjent...


----------



## Cbutler

does anyone know how important it is to has the pole peices of the pick ups line up with the corresponding strings? i received my first agile about a week ago, a septor 727, and the bridge pickup is screwed into the body too close to the knobs ( i think, anyways) and hardly lines up.
i have some hipshot, sperzel and dimarzio hardware ive been waiting to take put in it, but i thought i should ask you gentlemen for your opinion before taking it to GC and getting a set up.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

Plug it in and play. If it sounds fine, it's fine. If it sounds wimpy/crappy, then it's not okay. Generally there's not a huge problem if they're not exact. The magnetic field is surprisingly strong.


----------



## Cbutler

honestly, it probably sounds fine to most people, but compared to my other guitar it really lacks the harmonics. i really have to search for the pinch harmonics and when i hit john browne esque dead notes i basically only hear the string and pick attack, no harmonics.

could this just be bunk pickups?


----------



## Cbutler

also- thank you for the reply!


----------



## Chokey Chicken

I actually rather like Agile pickups. It's totally possible the pickups are duds, but it's entirely possible that being askew is ....ing with how they function. Other factors could be the distance they are from the strings. Pictures would help to see just how off they are. 

I've had some pretty badly aligned pickups before and they sounded decent enough. It could just be that cepheus pickups just aren't your cup o' tea.


----------



## Cbutler

after adjusting the screws on the sides it seems that it was mostly in my head and i dont like the cepheus pickups. taking a better look at it in a picture reinforces this thought haha.

i definitely did not intend on sending it back over that, as it seemed really minor, but im really surprised i cant get down with these pickups! ive heard so much good about them, and all the clips ive heard sound fantastic!
 
i may do a ngd when i install the dactivators but ill probably just throw some pics in here.


----------



## Hertz32

Cepheus 7's aren't the same as the 8's I think, The 8's are modelled after and sound like Lundgren's however I think the 7's are just a bit sh*t as they are totally different pickups.


----------



## axiomIII

CJLsky said:


>


----------



## katsusand

I ordered the 7string set of Gotoh blass saddles.(S11)
After recieveing that, I'll replace to my Cepheus 7 bridge...
(I calculated the stock saddle, Stock saddles are 10.5mm pitch. So Rondo's 3/8" is mistaken typing I think)


----------



## Partario

Hertz32 said:


> Cepheus 7's aren't the same as the 8's I think, The 8's are modelled after and sound like Lundgren's however I think the 7's are just a bit sh*t as they are totally different pickups.



Seconded. The Cepheus 7's sound mushy and undefined with distortion. The 8's however, are fantastic. Sounds like M8s!


----------



## Cbutler

yeee i had to swap mine.


----------



## Error10110

http://youtu.be/I55auAmF548

This is a video of me playing an Agile Interceptor Pro I recently bought. Excellent guitar!


----------



## wigger

Do you people know who bought the 10 stringed multiscales which where available at rondo's store? Was it anybody from the sevenstring forum?


----------



## ddawson2012

bcolville said:


> Hey Don, I was aware of the .80 only being a single. Do you happen to know the actual length of the string?



BC - my apologies for taking so long to respond. I didn't see your post. Our strings are cut to 39" 

Don


----------



## Hollowway

This is hot. I swear, if Kurt came out with these models earlier I'd never buy another brand. It's like whatever I want Rondo releases about 2 years later.


----------



## SilentCartographer

Intrepid 8 FF 2730 FTW


----------



## Hertz32

Why don't rondo have an EU distro yet? Seriously, he must ship enough to Europe to know that its a sound plan. I love my Agile to ....ing pieces but I'd love to see them in the UK at their equavalent prices. Rather than massively more expensive because of shipping, import and currency conversion


----------



## Funky D

Hollowway said:


> This is hot. I swear, if Kurt came out with these models earlier I'd never buy another brand. It's like whatever I want Rondo releases about 2 years later.



Am I crazy, or are the pickups on these not matching the angle of the bridge?  One reason I held off on ordering cause it looks weird and seems the sound on the lower strings would suffer. 
I think the 25.5-27" looks better matched.


----------



## MerlinTKD

Looks like they match the angle of the last fret. I've seen other manufacturers put the neck pickup at the fret angle and the bridge pickup at the bridge angle, but it's probably easier (and cheaper) to rout them both the same.

Of course, you have to pay extra to have the bridge 'bucker angled that much on a straight-fret guitar!


----------



## SilentCartographer

Funky D said:


> Am I crazy, or are the pickups on these not matching the angle of the bridge?  One reason I held off on ordering cause it looks weird and seems the sound on the lower strings would suffer.
> I think the 25.5-27" looks better matched.


 
the last couple frets don't look equally spaced either, maybe just the picture but the frets def look just a little wonky

EDIT : I mean to "quote" the picture****


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Hertz32 said:


> Why don't rondo have an EU distro yet? Seriously, he must ship enough to Europe to know that its a sound plan. I love my Agile to ....ing pieces but I'd love to see them in the UK at their equavalent prices. Rather than massively more expensive because of shipping, import and currency conversion



Rondo already acts as a distributor, why would Kurt want to share profit with a secondary distributor? Thanks to the associated taxes, you'd be paying more anyway. 

What you EU guys should really look into is doing large scale orders for bulk discounts. Same concept, but a lot less work on Kurt's end. 

Though, if you want ERGs and want to pay very little, you could always contact the OEMs directly.


----------



## SilentCartographer

Regardless I'm still going to get one very soon, are the "pro" models the way to go? I assume so


----------



## bostjan

MaxOfMetal said:


> Rondo already acts as a distributor, why would Kurt want to share profit with a secondary distributor? Thanks to the associated taxes, you'd be paying more anyway.
> 
> What you EU guys should really look into is doing large scale orders for bulk discounts. Same concept, but a lot less work on Kurt's end.
> 
> Though, if you want ERGs and want to pay very little, you could always contact the OEMs directly.





Or start your own EU analogue to Rondo. Get someone with enough capital to start 'er up, contact several OEMs, and start an online distributor for EU.


----------



## Nour Ayasso

Patrick R Hearn said:


> The 8's however, are fantastic. Sounds like M8s!


...for real? Cause ya know...$$$


----------



## mr coffee

Funky D said:


> Am I crazy, or are the pickups on these not matching the angle of the bridge?  One reason I held off on ordering cause it looks weird and seems the sound on the lower strings would suffer.
> I think the 25.5-27" looks better matched.



Physics, man. The vibration pattern of heavier strings is not as pronounced near the saddle. That's why Strats and Teles have had angled bridge pickups for 60 years. That's also why typically, heavier strings need the saddles adjusted further back. If anything, the lower strings will benefit.

-m


----------



## Mischief

Coma Cluster Void said:


> Agile 10-String, Ebony Fretboard, Ash Body, 27", Cepheus Passive Pick-Ups
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -



Question. Is that Oceanburst?

Question two, and anyone can answer this.
I'm kind of confused about Oceanburst. It seems to have 0 consistency with Rondomusic.















All "Oceanburst".
I've wanted a guitar with the colour of Coma Cluster's for probably a couple years, but damn.. I'm really a bit confused about this. I'm planning on getting a custom for the October run, and I really want that colour.


----------



## Nour Ayasso

mr coffee said:


> Physics, man. The vibration pattern of heavier strings is not as pronounced near the saddle. That's why Strats and Teles have had angled bridge pickups for 60 years. That's also why typically, heavier strings need the saddles adjusted further back. If anything, the lower strings will benefit.


Yeah string vibration gets stronger further from the bridge, but little by little. I'm not saying there isn't a difference, but I think the more noticeable difference (or what is preferred) is the eq tones.


Mischief said:


> All "Oceanburst".


I think the color scheme is pretty similar, the differences is because of the wood and finishes. The bottom left had quilted (flamed or whatever) top and a lacquer finish. The top right looked like just paint with a satin finish. So imo it's going to vary either way.


----------



## RomeApartJizzy

Mischief said:


> Question. Is that Oceanburst?
> 
> Question two, and anyone can answer this.
> I'm kind of confused about Oceanburst. It seems to have 0 consistency with Rondomusic.
> 
> All "Oceanburst".
> I've wanted a guitar with the colour of Coma Cluster's for probably a couple years, but damn.. I'm really a bit confused about this. I'm planning on getting a custom for the October run, and I really want that colour.



I can speak to this concern, I recently purchased a Pendulum Pro based off of the websites picture too (the lower right hand on in your original post). When I did more research, I discovered what the guys and gals over at the Agile forum call "Clowning" and it is a regular occurrance.

Mine, pictured below, wasn't what I had in mind at all, but I ended up liking it still. I am only using it for writing at home so I am not *too* concerned but there are consistency issues with that finish. I even thought of returning it for a different finish if I was allowed to but figured it was too much hassle.


----------



## octatoan

Does anyone know what it would be like to get an Agile to India (or any non-US/non-EU place, really)?

Also, what does a Floyd on an 8 (or 9, or 10) feel like?


----------



## DancingCloseToU

octatoan said:


> Does anyone know what it would be like to get an Agile to India (or any non-US/non-EU place, really)?
> 
> Also, what does a Floyd on an 8 (or 9, or 10) feel like?



It's been done, but its a gamble. You won't be able to return the instrument if theres a problem or if you don't like it.

I haven't tried the 8 string floyd, but I'd imagine it would be a pain to keep in tune. I've never heard of a 9 or 10 string floyd rose, perhaps you're thinking of the Kahler trems? My 8 string Kahler worked pretty well, and they are really the only option if you want a trem on a 9, 10 string or your multiscale.


----------



## techmetalshred

My rig:

Agile Interceptor Pro 727 (EMG 707's)
Ibanez RG8 (stock PUPs)
Line 6 POD HD PRO
Crown XLS 802 Power
Carvin Legacy 2x12


----------



## Halowords

Quick couple of questions, if anybody knows or if there is anything close to a good answer to this. But, do any of you know what sorts of tops they have for their burled maple tops? Just wondering how they tend to be as for as how figured or the types of tops they generally go for.

Also, how dark a brown do their brown burl finishes tend to be?

-Cheers


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Halowords said:


> Quick couple of questions, if anybody knows or if there is anything close to a good answer to this. But, do any of you know what sorts of tops they have for their burled maple tops? Just wondering how they tend to be as for as how figured or the types of tops they generally go for.
> 
> Also, how dark a brown do their brown burl finishes tend to be?
> 
> -Cheers



They don't do full tops, just veneers and they're generally pretty even, but occasionally you get an ugly seem down the middle, not often though. 

The finishes and stains can vary a bit by model, it's kinda one of Agile's little quirks. 

If you're looking for something very specific, you might want to talk to Kurt directly.


----------



## Mountain Drew

I figure this is the best place to ask -- How does an Agile generally compare to a prestige Ibanez?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Mountain Drew said:


> I figure this is the best place to ask -- How does an Agile generally compare to a prestige Ibanez?



Noticeable lower quality materials, hardware, fretwork, fit & finish than MIJ Presitge Ibanez.

The advantages of Agile would be lower price and more options. 

So if you're willing to do some work on an Agile and want certain specs (28.625"+ scale, 10 strings, etc.) it's not a bad option. 

I've owned over a dozen Agiles and while none of them were amazing, and I needed to do work (replace nut, minor fretwork) on most of them, for the price they're a great deal. 

Quality wise, I'd compare them to Indonesian/Korean LTD and Schecter guitars around the $500 to $800 mark.


----------



## Mountain Drew

Thank you. An Agile will work well enough for me, it seems, even if it isn't superb. Now the only thing in question is whether I want blue or purple quilt.

-------

I settled on buying a purple quilt 27" 8-string Septor with a bolt-on maple neck and passive pickups. I will be sure to post pictures once I can take them.


----------



## DancingCloseToU

MaxOfMetal said:


> They don't do full tops...


 
Actually, as of this year Agile's semi-custom order form includes 3/4" and 5mm solid maple top options on various models they offer.


----------



## ghostred7

How is the business side of Rondo affiliated with the ordering? I'm guessing that it's legit, right? I'm ready to move on the old $499 multiscale 7, but i always get nervous when a website looks like it was made in 1994.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

DancingCloseToU said:


> Actually, as of this year Agile's semi-custom order form includes 3/4" and 5mm solid maple top options on various models they offer.



They offer plain versions, but they don't do full-thickness figured tops, which is what the quote you used was replying to. 



ghostred7 said:


> How is the business side of Rondo affiliated with the ordering? I'm guessing that it's legit, right? I'm ready to move on the old $499 multiscale 7, but i always get nervous when a website looks like it was made in 1994.



It's all the same. Kurt and his small team do everything. 

Order with confidence. That circa 94' site is what helps keep things dirt cheap.


----------



## ghostred7

MaxOfMetal said:


> They offer plain versions, but they don't do full-thickness figured tops, which is what the quote you used was replying to.
> 
> 
> 
> It's all the same. Kurt and his small team do everything.
> 
> Order with confidence. That circa 94' site is what helps keep things dirt cheap.



Excellent! I'm ok with old sites as long as the business behind it solid


----------



## ZigglesShredsSevens

Out of curiosity, has anyone here had any lengthy experience with the trem-equipped 8 strings? I've been throwing around the idea of nabbing one, but I'm not sure if I should go with a Floyd or a Kahler, or if it's even worth the trouble of having a trem again. lol


----------



## MaxOfMetal

ZigglesShredsSevens said:


> Out of curiosity, has anyone here had any lengthy experience with the trem-equipped 8 strings? I've been throwing around the idea of nabbing one, but I'm not sure if I should go with a Floyd or a Kahler, or if it's even worth the trouble of having a trem again. lol



Same as a trem on a 6 or 7, as long as it's setup right it'll function perfectly. 

The difference between Floyd and Kahler is going to come down to preferences in feel and range as well as what you want the trem to do.


----------



## ZigglesShredsSevens

I'd be using it pretty sparingly for Polyphia-style trills and dips, mostly. Nothing insanely wanky, just some tasteful additions to solos/chords.


----------



## axiomIII

Do you know how a 0F# sounds on these scale lengths?, - 30&#8221; 31&#8221; 31.5&#8221; 32&#8221; ..If you have videos on you tube I would like to see them please. The reason I ask is because I am considering a 27&#8221; to 32&#8221; scale d4 to F#0 and I &#8216;m not sure if shorter scale on the lower side would be better for the other strings. 

Would a neck through plank be build able with a 34 or 35&#8221; fingerboard? You don&#8217;t have to fret it I just want to know what it would cost? Since my body is a unique hollow body and your customs don&#8217;t do this with the shape I need, I could show you a picture of it if that helped. 
It would be nice but not essential for the 10 string kahler to be also given and maybe the bridge pickup? If these are on the list I would like to know the price before and after adding them. 
If it was up to me I would ask for a 48 fret 10 string 27&#8221; to 32&#8221; (or lower) to be made by you but I don&#8217;t think you fret that high.. so the fretless (or partial,) finger board will have to do. Could you make me a good deal? 
* Fan fret Neck- with finger board (fretting optional but 48 is desired if so.)
*Fretting Optional
*10 string kahler Optional
* Bridge pickup Optional
*All controls and wires separate for my use. Optional


----------



## axiomIII

Do you know how a 0F# sounds on these scale lengths?, - 30 31 31.5 32 ..If you have videos on you tube I would like to see them please. The reason I ask is because I am considering a 27 to 32 scale d4 to F#0 and I m not sure if shorter scale on the lower side would be better for the other strings. 

Would a neck through plank be build able with a 34 or 35 fingerboard? You dont have to fret it I just want to know what it would cost? Since my body is a unique hollow body and your customs dont do this with the shape I need, I could show you a picture of it if that helped. 
It would be nice but not essential for the 10 string kahler to be also given and maybe the bridge pickup? If these are on the list I would like to know the price before and after adding them. 
If it was up to me I would ask for a 48 fret 10 string 27 to 32 (or lower) to be made by you but I dont think you fret that high.. so the fretless (or partial,) finger board will have to do. Could you make me a good deal? 
* Fan fret Neck- with finger board (fretting optional but 48 is desired if so.)
*Fretting Optional
*10 string kahler Optional
* Bridge pickup Optional
*All controls and wires separate for my use. Optional 


halowords? you like hollow body agiles yes? maybe a reverse ritter body with the above stats would be good?


----------



## Halowords

Hey axiomIII,



axiomIII said:


> Do you know how a 0F# sounds on these scale lengths?, - 30&#8221; 31&#8221; 31.5&#8221; 32&#8221; ..If you have videos on you tube I would like to see them please. The reason I ask is because I am considering a 27&#8221; to 32&#8221; scale d4 to F#0 and I &#8216;m not sure if shorter scale on the lower side would be better for the other strings.
> 
> Would a neck through plank be build able with a 34 or 35&#8221; fingerboard? You don&#8217;t have to fret it I just want to know what it would cost? Since my body is a unique hollow body and your customs don&#8217;t do this with the shape I need, I could show you a picture of it if that helped.
> It would be nice but not essential for the 10 string kahler to be also given and maybe the bridge pickup? If these are on the list I would like to know the price before and after adding them.
> If it was up to me I would ask for a 48 fret 10 string 27&#8221; to 32&#8221; (or lower) to be made by you but I don&#8217;t think you fret that high.. so the fretless (or partial,) finger board will have to do. Could you make me a good deal?
> * Fan fret Neck- with finger board (fretting optional but 48 is desired if so.)
> *Fretting Optional
> *10 string kahler Optional
> * Bridge pickup Optional
> *All controls and wires separate for my use. Optional
> 
> 
> halowords? you like hollow body agiles yes? maybe a reverse ritter body with the above stats would be good?



I'm not sure Agile would make something like that to be honest. I can also not give you any direct feedback on that not at that scale.

That said, if thsy do I am curious how yours turns out.

And yes I like hollow body guitars. I actually ordered a 9-string 27"-30" with a Septor body that should be coming in December. My plan is for a BEADGCFAD tuning which will be a bit floppy and maybe a bit dark, but should be usable at least for playing with. We shall see. It is going to be six inches shorter than what that low B would be on a six string bass. I would have liked a semi-hollow body for this, but as for now a multi-scale version of the semi-hollow bodies does not exist (insofar as I know). I may eventually opt for a 30" 8-string semi-hollow baritone (I think that might have been available in the AS-300 body, could work on the HARM body as well) but will likely just get and play the Septor for quite a while before feeling the need for another guitar. I could see an 8-string 30" single-cut semi-hollow or double-cut tuned like a Bass VI on the low end and with high A and D strings being a wonderful addition. Ditto with a 7-string just with a high-A string; that would not lose too much on the high end.

I am not sure what the Ritter body looks like.

-Cheers


----------



## axiomIII

Halowords said:


> Hey axiomIII,
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure Agile would make something like that to be honest. I can also not give you any direct feedback on that not at that scale.
> 
> That said, if thsy do I am curious how yours turns out.
> 
> And yes I like hollow body guitars. I actually ordered a 9-string 27"-30" with a Septor body that should be coming in December. My plan is for a BEADGCFAD tuning which will be a bit floppy and maybe a bit dark, but should be usable at least for playing with. We shall see. It is going to be six inches shorter than what that low B would be on a six string bass. I would have liked a semi-hollow body for this, but as for now a multi-scale version of the semi-hollow bodies does not exist (insofar as I know). I may eventually opt for a 30" 8-string semi-hollow baritone (I think that might have been available in the AS-300 body, could work on the HARM body as well) but will likely just get and play the Septor for quite a while before feeling the need for another guitar. I could see an 8-string 30" single-cut semi-hollow or double-cut tuned like a Bass VI on the low end and with high A and D strings being a wonderful addition. Ditto with a 7-string just with a high-A string; that would not lose too much on the high end.
> 
> I am not sure what the Ritter body looks like.
> 
> -Cheers














Yeah this is what rondo guys wrote.. and the pics I sent them..
"Thank you for your message. We can only accept custom orders for the guitars listed on our custom shop page. We have several Agile models, but none that look like the picture you sent. The custom options are listed for each Agile custom guitar we have available. None of our guitars are available with a scale length longer than 30".
Warm regards"

I can see a custom neck being put on a simple body.. I guess I have to make both.. :/
keep in touch..

And I know, a bit crappy for ms paint! but the general idea is seeded. like geodude....

I'm making this curved nightmare anyway! fec it!


----------



## SimonW

Received my first 8 today.


----------



## Hollowway

Sooooo, this is now mine:






Ebony FB, Floyd, two humbuckers. All for $325. How could I not? I've been wanting a Floyd 8 for EVER, and so I finally decided to pull the trigger. I can't wait! Prepare yourselves for some greasy 80s rock! Or not, since I won't upload any clips.


----------



## Ericjutsu

Agile needs to hurry up and make a 10 string available again


----------



## lewis

Anyone own this, played this or has an opinion on this??

30inch Scale Im seriously gasing for having just seen it


----------



## Hollowway

Hollowway said:


> Sooooo, this is now mine:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ebony FB, Floyd, two humbuckers. All for $325. How could I not? I've been wanting a Floyd 8 for EVER, and so I finally decided to pull the trigger. I can't wait! Prepare yourselves for some greasy 80s rock! Or not, since I won't upload any clips.



So I got it tonight. And my suspicions were confirmed: Floyds work WAY better on 8s than Kahlers do. It's just as glorious as a 6 or 7 string Floyd. Huge pitch drops (I can go from the high E down to B, whereas the Kahler only gets down to C#.) and the 8th string doesn't go completely slack immediately. 

The weird thing about this is the heel is different from my old Interceptor. That one had an AANJ style, whereas this one is a symmetrically rounded one with no beveling or tapering. Kind of a bummer, but for $325 I ain't complaining! 

And as usual, I can't say enough about Agiles. This is my fourth Agile, and I've got loads of other high end customs and production instruments. The Agiles are crazy good for the money. Just amazing value.


----------



## Kittenflower

how do their one piece necks hold up? There's a guitar I'm fancying but I'm wary of the neck. It'd have to ship overseas as well...


----------



## Hollowway

Kittenflower said:


> how do their one piece necks hold up? There's a guitar I'm fancying but I'm wary of the neck. It'd have to ship overseas as well...



No problems from my side. My oldest Agile is only a few years old, but I have guitars that are decades old, and have single piece necks.

In other news, I spent FOREVER adjusting the guitar tonight. I wanted to lover the action farther than the bridge would allow. I normally do that, because I'm OCD about low action. So I had to take off the neck, shim the pocket, and put it back on and then readjust the Floyd. But I'm nice and low now! And once again, I'm in love with Cepheus passives. So raw, open and articulate!!


----------



## Kittenflower

Hollowway said:


> No problems from my side. My oldest Agile is only a few years old, but I have guitars that are decades old, and have single piece necks.




Nice to know  Djeez... The guitar I wanted got a price slash to 399 as B-stock but when I add it to my cart it says it's "not in stock"...


----------



## Kittenflower

Kittenflower said:


> Nice to know  Djeez... The guitar I wanted got a price slash to 399 as B-stock but when I add it to my cart it says it's "not in stock"...



Aaaand it's gone now 

Did anyone snag this one before I could?

Agile Pendulum 72527 RN CP DOBQ Tribal Blue B Stock - RondoMusic.com






Too bad... I really love that color and haven't seen one like it before.


----------



## 77zark77

lewis said:


> Anyone own this, played this or has an opinion on this??
> 
> 30inch Scale Im seriously gasing for having just seen it


 

Nice looking but terrible neck dive


----------



## Blood Tempest

Also, what's with the bridge pickup placement on that? Yikes.


----------



## Hollowway

Blood Tempest said:


> Also, what's with the bridge pickup placement on that? Yikes.



The neck pup, bridge pup, bridge, and tailpiece should all be equidistant from each other. Said no one ever.


----------



## Ben.Last

Blood Tempest said:


> Also, what's with the bridge pickup placement on that? Yikes.



It is a compromise between the fan and tooling simplicity. Doubt anyone could pick out any kind of audible result.


----------



## Hollowway

Ben.Last said:


> It is a compromise between the fan and tooling simplicity. Doubt anyone could pick out any kind of audible result.



I think he was referring to the LP, not the fanned 7.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Blood Tempest said:


> Also, what's with the bridge pickup placement on that? Yikes.



It's simply the traditional pickup location of a LP style guitar; that's been stretched out to be about 20% longer.


----------



## audyint

Kittenflower said:


> Aaaand it's gone now
> 
> Did anyone snag this one before I could?
> 
> Agile Pendulum 72527 RN CP DOBQ Tribal Blue B Stock - RondoMusic.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Too bad... I really love that color and haven't seen one like it before.



I actually got this model. Honestly, I love it. It's my first 7 string and I couldn't be happier. I wish I could play it right now but it's in the shop getting the frets leveled.


----------



## Kittenflower

audyint said:


> I actually got this model. Honestly, I love it. It's my first 7 string and I couldn't be happier. I wish I could play it right now but it's in the shop getting the frets leveled.



Oh lucky you! Glad to hear it plays well 

I'm getting a Legator fanned fret instead now though, also blue ;-)


----------



## tennernoob

Hi all

Hope this ends up in the right place.....

I've been in extended (<<sorry>>) conversation with Kurt and Theresa over at Rondo and have pretty much settled on a Fanned Fret (multi scale 27"-30"), fixed bridge, Intrepid in Lizard Burst from the custom shop and am properly excited!!

My question is : I'm based in the UK so have to ship the beast across. I have asked & researched about Import Tax & Duty etc so thats (ahem) fine. What actually happens when the guitar hits the UK? Do HMRC contact me to settle? Can / how do I pre-advise them (HMRC) of its shipment? Do I have to go somewhere to collect?

Kurt has told me they "complete all the paperwork, all I need to do is pay the govt" but I'm terrified of my pride & joy disappearing into a warehouse never to be seen again!


----------



## MoonJelly

There's a sweet 9 on here right now, would buy but I'm not in the right place for it yet...

Agile Pendulum Pro 92528 EB CP Nat - RondoMusic.com







Thought it might be overlooked because it's grouped with the 8s on the webpage. Do they always do that? I also feel like they don't usually have polished steel on the poles..


----------



## axiomIII

MoonJelly said:


> There's a sweet 9 on here right now, would buy but I'm not in the right place for it yet...
> 
> 
> Thought it might be overlooked because it's grouped with the 8s on the webpage. Do they always do that? I also feel like they don't usually have polished steel on the poles..



just get a Ten... Moar is better.
also be wary the ten isn't strung or spaced like a ten in fourths. (e4 - G#0)
It's strung IIRC like a double neck ed gutardedbass.


----------



## coreysMonster

New Agile Legacy model's out.

Agile Legacy 727 TOM CSB Quilt - RondoMusic.com










Also in black for lefties.


----------



## Ben.Last

Ugh. TOM bridges.


----------



## Mathemagician

Cannot wait for my 7 to get here in September. Hope I don't get a dud/wrong spec.


----------



## sezna

Those new models look _really _good. I just wish that they had a different bridge. :'(


----------



## bostjan

Why don't I see any of the new models when I surf their site?


----------



## coreysMonster

bostjan said:


> Why don't I see any of the new models when I surf their site?


There's one on the left, six rows down.
Rondo Music Electric Guitars | Page 1 of 2


----------



## MiahDrao

The semi-custom shop is seriously calling to me. I do wonder one thing, however. 

I am a fine-tuner-on-guitar-bridges addict, yet have no interest in using a trem for dramatic pitch bends. I couldn't help but notice that the Kahler trem has the option for locking. Since most people don't seem to be a fan of the Kahler's tremolo abilities, how does it function locked? I know it may sound like a weird question because most people who buy guitars with trems won't end up using it as a fixed bridge. I'm just trying to look for the closest imitation of the Fixed Edge iii-8 bridge (personal favorite bridge system) I could get, whether that be the Floyd original, Floyd Special, or Kahler. You can't exactly buy the Ibanez bridge by itself, unfortunately. If anyone else has an obsession with fine tuners or Ibanez bridges, a review on the Agile bridge options would be awesome. 

One more thing worth mentioning: When I inserted all the specs I wanted for the guitar (with the trem and all), the total cost would be just under $1500, which had me thinking I may as well spring for an Ibanez M80M. But I still wanna give Agile a try...


----------



## Ben.Last

The complaint I tend to see related to the Kahler seems to be that the strings can potentially lose their seating when dive bombing because of the the saddle design. This obviously wouldn't be a problem if used in the locked position (and it doesn't even seem to be a huge problem, in general, for most people).


----------



## Elthemor

Anyone noticed this beauty yet? 27-30" Renaissance model. Imagine, for once, an acoustic 8-string with a clean-sounding F&#9839;1 string (or E1; whatever floats your particular boat). The possibilities.
I should clarify that the original multiscale Renaissance models were only 25-27", leaving the 8th string sounding rather weak when kept in standard tuning.


----------



## PBC

It's back






Don't know why it's 27 scale length. It can do high G, but still it would be tough on the lowest string. Reminds me of Coma Cluster Void's 10 string, he used a 110 C1 at this scale.

Agile Septor Elite 1027 EB CA Nat Mahogany - RondoMusic.com


----------



## Kittenflower

Elthemor said:


> Anyone noticed this beauty yet? 27-30" Renaissance model. Imagine, for once, an acoustic 8-string with a clean-sounding F&#9839;1 string (or E1; whatever floats your particular boat). The possibilities.
> I should clarify that the original multiscale Renaissance models were only 25-27", leaving the 8th string sounding rather weak when kept in standard tuning.



Man if importing to EU wasn't such a hassle, price-wise and otherwise, I'd get this instantly... The possibilities...


----------



## bostjan

PBC said:


> It's back
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know why it's 27 scale length. It can do high G, but still it would be tough on the lowest string. Reminds me of Coma Cluster Void's 10 string, he used a 110 C1 at this scale.
> 
> Agile Septor Elite 1027 EB CA Nat Mahogany - RondoMusic.com



That'd be pretty sweet to tune like a standard eight, then two more strings on top in minor seconds: low to high F#BEADGBEFF#


----------



## hodorcore

when is the 10 string coming out mate?


----------



## NotAsian93

Yahhhssss http://www.rondomusic.com/pendpro102730rncabkflm.html


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Just ordered one of these:






Very excited. Both my first 8 and my first multiscale. Coming from a 25.5" Ibanez Universe with a floating trem to a 25.5-28.8" hardtail should be a lot of fun.


----------



## Dahl

And a 30" Septor in black charcoal, with just one pickup and one volume..?


----------



## cesar

How is the octaves tuning on the individual saddles that agile uses on their guitars?
I am thinking in buying one 9 strings fanned fret i am a little afraid of this being an issue ( i am mainly a cellist and off tuning pisses me off)


----------



## bostjan

cesar said:


> How is the octaves tuning on the individual saddles that agile uses on their guitars?
> I am thinking in buying one 9 strings fanned fret i am a little afraid of this being an issue ( i am mainly a cellist and off tuning pisses me off)



Sorry, I'm not clear on the question.

Are you asking about the factory tuning on the Agile 9 string or about intonation adjustment? If the latter, which tuning are you using?


----------



## cesar

bostjan said:


> Sorry, I'm not clear on the question.
> 
> Are you asking about the factory tuning on the Agile 9 string or about intonation adjustment? If the latter, which tuning are you using?



Sorry i was not clear.

My question is about the octaves tuning, as we go up on the fret board there are microtonal differences (since the fret can't hit exact intonation on each note) ,as those differences sums up they really affect the upper notes on the fret board.

The individual saddle adjustment can correct this?

I had a lot of problems with tone'o matic bridges that didn't have enough room to move the saddle to correct those distortions on pitch, some strings went up to one quarter of halt tone flatter

AS for tuning it would go fro low to high : C#F#BEADGCF


----------



## bostjan

Ahh, ok.

This is what we call intonation adjustment. Most modern guitars have bridges that accommodate the adjustment, within reason.

If the fretted notes are sharp, tighten the saddle adjustment screw to lengthen the string.

On ERG, it is not uncommon to run out of adjustment on the bridge, meaning that the string will still be sharp when fretted, even with maximum adjustment. Using a longer scale length will make the need for adjustment slightly less necessary.

Some budget guitars also have the bridge placed in an incorrect position, making adjustment impossible, but the situation can be remedied by moving the bridge posts, which is a fairly complicated job for a casual player.

I've only played a handful of Agile guitars, but I, personally, have not encountered a problem with the bridge being improperly placed. To be fair, though, I tend to use thinner string gauges than most folks on this message board.


----------



## cesar

bostjan said:


> Ahh, ok.
> 
> This is what we call intonation adjustment. Most modern guitars have bridges that accommodate the adjustment, within reason.
> 
> If the fretted notes are sharp, tighten the saddle adjustment screw to lengthen the string.
> 
> On ERG, it is not uncommon to run out of adjustment on the bridge, meaning that the string will still be sharp when fretted, even with maximum adjustment. Using a longer scale length will make the need for adjustment slightly less necessary.
> 
> Some budget guitars also have the bridge placed in an incorrect position, making adjustment impossible, but the situation can be remedied by moving the bridge posts, which is a fairly complicated job for a casual player.
> 
> I've only played a handful of Agile guitars, but I, personally, have not encountered a problem with the bridge being improperly placed. To be fair, though, I tend to use thinner string gauges than most folks on this message board.



That's nice to hear my friend, thanks for your answer, I really appreciate it


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

I forgot to share pictures of this monster when it arrived. 







I still prefer my sixes and seven, but it is a lot of fun to groove on. I recently discovered (based on another thread here) that tuning up a half step makes it sound better to my ear.


----------



## MerlinTKD

Two Agile 8 questions:

- Does anyone know the nut composition? Fairly cheap upgrade, if it's plastic, but if it's not, don't want to waste my money. I can't tell, unfortunately.

- Anyone run in to intonation issues on the 8th string? Granted, I'm tuning drop-Eb with a .076, am I just out of luck getting that string to intonate? (I probably am )


----------



## Backsnack

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I forgot to share pictures of this monster when it arrived.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still prefer my sixes and seven, but it is a lot of fun to groove on. I recently discovered (based on another thread here) that tuning up a half step makes it sound better to my ear.



I'm considering grabbing the same model later this year, just the Oceanburst version. How do you like the shape of the neck? Is it thin, medium, or on the larger side? How's the fretwork, can you get a nice low action without tons of buzz?


----------



## Slimy

I wrote Rondo and asked for a manual for the Gentro LE-8T piezo preamp on the Agile Renaissance series and Theresa graciously provided this to me. It lets you know the frequencies, battery life, etc.


----------



## Slimy

Elthemor said:


> Anyone noticed this beauty yet? 27-30" Renaissance model. Imagine, for once, an acoustic 8-string with a clean-sounding F&#9839;1 string (or E1; whatever floats your particular boat). The possibilities.
> I should clarify that the original multiscale Renaissance models were only 25-27", leaving the 8th string sounding rather weak when kept in standard tuning.
> 
> I did see that, but I opted for the 827 straight scale on sale for $300, woohoo! I must say that when you swap the stock low F# .073 out for the .095 it sounds just fine, quite clear, no buzzing even when dropped to E. I put on the ,070 B and much lighter strings for the rest, then loosened the truss rod a bit. I have large hands and I have two 30" Dano baris and a Dano 6 string bass - honestly, having less of a stretch is quite nice. To each their own, though!


----------



## Slimy

Update: I was told by Rondo in an email that the heavy gauge 8 string Renaissance string set works with no modification to the guitar. This is NOT true! The F# and B do not fit down into the slots, they rest on top of them. They play, but it is not ideal. My guitar is currently at a luthier having a new nut made for it, the spacing was a bit off on the other strings as well. http://www.rondomusic.com/product8362.html


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Backsnack said:


> I'm considering grabbing the same model later this year, just the Oceanburst version. How do you like the shape of the neck? Is it thin, medium, or on the larger side? How's the fretwork, can you get a nice low action without tons of buzz?



Sorry I forgot to respond to this.

The neck is probably what I would call "medium". I think it is about the same as my Strat, which has the "Standard Thin C" neck or whatever they call it. It is nice. I think they publish the thicknesses on the site too.

I would recommend going with a slightly less aggressive fan than this one (25.5-28.5), as I've found it to be just a bit too much. I think they also make it in 25.5-27, and I think that would be much more comfortable.

The fretwork seems good. I haven't worked too hard at getting the action low because I still haven't quite figured out how an 8 string is supposed to feel, but I haven't noticed any problems. I think it has two truss rods, which will make adjusting the neck relief interesting if I ever have to. It is well built, for sure, as Agiles tend to be. Fit and finish are nice. Feels like a loaded weapon.


----------



## EverDream

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I would recommend going with a slightly less aggressive fan than this one (25.5-28.5), as I've found it to be just a bit too much. I think they also make it in 25.5-27, and I think that would be much more comfortable.



BTW it's 28.625" not 28.5", just in case you weren't aware! 

For the fanned frets they make multiple different versions, (the majority are probably sold out or not made yet):

Agile Pendulum (and sometimes Intrepid also) 8-String Guitars:
==============================================

Short fan models (1.375" to 1.625")
----------------------------------
82425 (24.000" - 25.500"): This is ideal for tuning to A, A#, or B
82527 (25.500" - 27.000"): This is ideal for tuning to F#, G, or G#
82728 (27.000" - 28.625"): This is ideal for tuning to D#, E, or F
82830 (28.625" - 30.000"): This is ideal for tuning to C, C#, or D

Long fan models (3" to 3.125")
-----------------------------
82427 (24.000" - 27.000"): This is ideal for tuning to F#, G, G#, A, A#, or B
82528 (25.500" - 28.625"): This is ideal for tuning to D#, E, F, F#, G, or G#
82730 (27.000" - 30.000"): This is ideal for tuning to C, C#, D, D#, E, or F

So as you can see, 25.5" - 27" is ideal as long as you don't plan to tune any lower than F# (standard) tuning.

If you want the shorter fan spread, and you plan to tune lower than F# (standard) tuning... then the 27" - 28.625" (82728) fan model would be more ideal than the 25.5" - 27" (82527) fan model IMO.

However... I don't recall ever seeing a 2728 model, but if there is one, it'd be the perfect fan for tuning down 1-3 half-steps IMO. Anyway if you just want to tune to standard (or even up a little) then the 82527 model should be fine.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Nice write-up, EverDream. 

Yeah I tune standard. If i could do it all over again I'd go 2527 instead of 2528, but this fan is still fun (and I probably just need more practice with it). Maybe I should leave standard tuning to my 6s and use this one to experiment.


----------



## Backsnack

Just pulled the trigger on an 82528EB Oceanburst. First time buying an Agile or from Rondo, ever. After all the positive feedback I've heard and read (exhaustively), I'm hoping I made the right choice.






Might be my endgame 8 string. It has just kind of fan, tonewoods, and style that I'm looking for. Time for some low riffage!


Probably going to swap out the EMGs for a Lace Deathbar/X-Bar combo. Just trying to decide if I want to do the regular, uncovered pickups or get the "stealth" versions with the plastic covers over them. Decisions, decisions ...


----------



## Backsnack

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Sorry I forgot to respond to this.
> 
> The neck is probably what I would call "medium". I think it is about the same as my Strat, which has the "Standard Thin C" neck or whatever they call it. It is nice. I think they publish the thicknesses on the site too.
> 
> I would recommend going with a slightly less aggressive fan than this one (25.5-28.5), as I've found it to be just a bit too much. I think they also make it in 25.5-27, and I think that would be much more comfortable.
> 
> The fretwork seems good. I haven't worked too hard at getting the action low because I still haven't quite figured out how an 8 string is supposed to feel, but I haven't noticed any problems. I think it has two truss rods, which will make adjusting the neck relief interesting if I ever have to. It is well built, for sure, as Agiles tend to be. Fit and finish are nice. Feels like a loaded weapon.


See my previous post. SUPER EXCITED for my new Oceanburst 8 string!


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Backsnack said:


> See my previous post. SUPER EXCITED for my new Oceanburst 8 string!



Congrats! 
I'm loving mine more and more every day. I'm sure you'll be pleased. Ive had a couple ocean burst guitars from them and they can be very cool (though one of mine looked much better than the other)

I haven't swapped my pickups yet but that might have to happen.


----------



## Backsnack

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Congrats!
> I'm loving mine more and more every day. I'm sure you'll be pleased. Ive had a couple ocean burst guitars from them and they can be very cool (though one of mine looked much better than the other)
> 
> I haven't swapped my pickups yet but that might have to happen.


Awesome!

Now I'm deciding if I want to go 0.85 or 0.90 for a drop E tuning. I'm nerding out way too hard over string tension now, lol.


----------



## TheMetalDick

When did Agile stop matching headstock finish to body finish?


----------



## Mathemagician

TheMetalDick said:


> When did Agile stop matching headstock finish to body finish?



It's an option. They often don't do it on their "in stock" models to keep the price down, I would assume. But my custom has a matching headstock.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

TheMetalDick said:


> When did Agile stop matching headstock finish to body finish?



My pendulum from last year has a matching headstock (quilt blue). Probably just depends on the model.


----------



## BetterOffShred

So I have a highly subjective question that I would like to pose, so I guess I'll ask it and then write the conditions. 
Should I get a custom shop Pendulum or an Ibanez RG852..

Ok so I want a maple fretboard, 8 string, passive pickups.. and fixed bridge(s). I kind of want a multiscale because I've been playing all the 8's I visit at guitar stores to EBEadgbe and the low E is just a little floppy. The 28 and 5/8 scale for the pendulum is attractive on that bottom string. 

I added all the features I want to the Rondo custom shop order and it was only $850.. where the Ibanez is 1700.. I am not too concerned about price, but there is a part of me that wants to get the multi scale and be cheaper.. opinions welcome. Sorry it's kind of a dumb subjective question.

EDIT: I misunderstood their payment scenario. So the pendulum I want would be like $1200.


----------



## Hollowway

BetterOffShred said:


> So I have a highly subjective question that I would like to pose, so I guess I'll ask it and then write the conditions.
> Should I get a custom shop Pendulum or an Ibanez RG852..
> 
> Ok so I want a maple fretboard, 8 string, passive pickups.. and fixed bridge(s). I kind of want a multiscale because I've been playing all the 8's I visit at guitar stores to EBEadgbe and the low E is just a little floppy. The 28 and 5/8 scale for the pendulum is attractive on that bottom string.
> 
> I added all the features I want to the Rondo custom shop order and it was only $850.. where the Ibanez is 1700.. I am not too concerned about price, but there is a part of me that wants to get the multi scale and be cheaper.. opinions welcome. Sorry it's kind of a dumb subjective question.
> 
> EDIT: I misunderstood their payment scenario. So the pendulum I want would be like $1200.



Not a dumb question at all! I'm a HUGE Agile fan. (No pun intended, lol.) Mind you, I have a strandberg, KxK, Fast, OAF, XEN, Skervesen, etc. And I'm still blown away by the value of Agiles. Obviously, you're not going to get a $1000 Agile that will compete with a $3000 Skervesen, but much of it has to do with appointments, not playability. 

The only thing that gives me pause is the custom part. Is there not an in-stock version that meets your needs? I haven't ordered a custom, but I've got an Intrepid Pro 828, an Interceptor Pro 827, and a Renaissance 827. They all took a little finessing to get to a good playing position (aka I had to lower the nut in all of them some) but I'm very happy with them.


----------



## BetterOffShred

Hollowway said:


> Not a dumb question at all! I'm a HUGE Agile fan. (No pun intended, lol.) Mind you, I have a strandberg, KxK, Fast, OAF, XEN, Skervesen, etc. And I'm still blown away by the value of Agiles. Obviously, you're not going to get a $1000 Agile that will compete with a $3000 Skervesen, but much of it has to do with appointments, not playability.
> 
> The only thing that gives me pause is the custom part. Is there not an in-stock version that meets your needs? I haven't ordered a custom, but I've got an Intrepid Pro 828, an Interceptor Pro 827, and a Renaissance 827. They all took a little finessing to get to a good playing position (aka I had to lower the nut in all of them some) but I'm very happy with them.



Thanks for the response. No they don't have any multi scale with maple fret board, or passive for that matter last time I looked. I'm not afraid of working on a nut or whatever either.


----------



## LordCashew

BetterOffShred said:


> Should I get a custom shop Pendulum or an Ibanez RG852..
> 
> Ok so I want a maple fretboard, 8 string, passive pickups.. and fixed bridge(s). I kind of want a multiscale because I've been playing all the 8's I visit at guitar stores to EBEadgbe and the low E is just a little floppy. The 28 and 5/8 scale for the pendulum is attractive on that bottom string.



Have you considered an Ormsby GTR? One of their upcoming runs will contain maple-boarded hypemachines, and I imagine they will have some spares available. Their production at WMI has been way behind due to all the CITES nonsense, so it might be a couple more months before they're made, but they seem to check all your other boxes and would only cost a little more than the pendulum. (In fact, they _may_ even be available within the timeframe of a custom order from Rondo. I'm not sure exactly what that would be.)

As an owner of an Intrepid 830 I have nothing but respect for the value of Agile instruments. But given the damn-near-perfect fretwork on my GTR, I personally would rather pony up a little more cash for an Ormsby once we're talking about spending $1k+ on a custom from Agile.


----------



## BetterOffShred

I have not considered an Ormsby, though I've been looking at them for years. Thanks for the sound advice and I'll take a closer look


----------



## kuro_hasegawa

Anyone here ever used Kahler trems before? I'm thinking about getting this guitar, but I've no experience with these trems. My Intrepid has a brass block tremolo.


----------



## Frostbite

kuro_hasegawa said:


> View attachment 56532
> Anyone here ever used Kahler trems before? I'm thinking about getting this guitar, but I've no experience with these trems. My Intrepid has a brass block tremolo.


So I've only used a Kahler once in my life but I still remember it being so amazingly smooth compared to a floyd. The issue with them (going from a buddy who had one and just from random internet forums) is that they have issues staying in tune


----------



## kuro_hasegawa

Frostbite said:


> So I've only used a Kahler once in my life but I still remember it being so amazingly smooth compared to a floyd. The issue with them (going from a buddy who had one and just from random internet forums) is that they have issues staying in tune


Couldn't I just put a Kahler locking nut on it?


----------



## gunch

Something I'd seriously fuck with: a 27"-25" Intrepid Sixer


----------



## Hollowway

kuro_hasegawa said:


> View attachment 56532
> Anyone here ever used Kahler trems before? I'm thinking about getting this guitar, but I've no experience with these trems. My Intrepid has a brass block tremolo.



I have an Interceptor 827. I had one of the first run models, and I had to shim the neck to get it to the point where I could get the action low enough. Since this one (that you posted) is neck through, that won't be possible, so you'd want to double check that the neck angle on these models is such that you have a lot of room to further lower the saddles from wherever they are stock. Maybe ask Kurt to take a close up of the bridge saddles, and ask if they are already just about bottomed out or not.


----------



## PBC

kuro_hasegawa said:


> View attachment 56532
> Anyone here ever used Kahler trems before? I'm thinking about getting this guitar, but I've no experience with these trems. My Intrepid has a brass block tremolo.



I prefer Kahler's over Floyds, though owning both I understand how some people really dislike Kahler's. One of the best things about it, is that there is a screw on the back plate that will completely lock the bridge, turning it into a fixed bridge. So even if you dislike the trem, it can be blocked easily. 



Hollowway said:


> I have an Interceptor 827. I had one of the first run models, and I had to shim the neck to get it to the point where I could get the action low enough. Since this one (that you posted) is neck through, that won't be possible, so you'd want to double check that the neck angle on these models is such that you have a lot of room to further lower the saddles from wherever they are stock. Maybe ask Kurt to take a close up of the bridge saddles, and ask if they are already just about bottomed out or not.



Which action were you trying to reach? I know you like your action low. My Agile Kahler is from within the last year and it doesn't seem to have the issue you're stating. Then again, I lack the reference point.


----------



## bostjan

I've owned guitars with Floyds, Kahlers, Wilkinsons, Traditional/Vintage trem, Parker, etc. I don't mind the Kahler trem at all, but it does feel vastly different to me, than any other system. Obviously, it still feels like a trem, but the way it pivots it just different. It's difficult to explain, but it's readily obvious once you pick one up, IMO.

As far as function, it's a great device. The feel is really a preference thing - you'll either like it, love it, hate it, or tolerate it. The Floyd Rose system was awesome when it was new, but nowadays, honestly, it's kind of clunky - but that clunkiness has developed into a sort of charm over the years. I think the Kahler system is a lot more clever, but it seems to have failed to become recognized as widely. IDK why.

String changes are a little bit of a learning curve at first, too.


----------



## PBC

bostjan said:


> As far as function, it's a great device. The feel is really a preference thing - you'll either like it, love it, hate it, or tolerate it. The Floyd Rose system was awesome when it was new, but nowadays, honestly, it's kind of clunky - but that clunkiness has developed into a sort of charm over the years. I think the Kahler system is a lot more clever, but it seems to have failed to become recognized as widely. IDK why.



I think that has largely to due with Gary Kahler not licensing his design. Floyd Rose had it and with cheaper parts and such, the bridge proliferated among all guitar makers because dozens of manufacturers could product a 'variation' on it, reducing the cost (Kahler's are relatively expensive compared to Floyds). Another problematic issues, if I recall, was that Floyd had the patent to the top screw locking nut system, so Kahler had their awkward and not the most apt behind the nut string lock system. Now that Kahler has it's own proper locking nut, things have gotten much better. Still another thing I prefer about Kahler's is that you know the quality, they all come from one company rather than the zillions of Floyd variations you could receive on a guitar: licensed, special, pro, made in Germany, original ect, ect.


----------



## Hollowway

PBC said:


> Which action were you trying to reach? I know you like your action low. My Agile Kahler is from within the last year and it doesn't seem to have the issue you're stating. Then again, I lack the reference point.



Well, mine was from the first generation of the Kahler 8s. So it's very possible Rondo has changed the design of the Agiles since then. It might no longer be an issue. I do like my action low, but not like a ridiculous amount. I love 1.0mm at the 12 fret on the high E, but I'll accept up to 1.5mm. But the problem I had is that I could lower the saddle, but then the string wasn't in the roller - it was coming right off the cam itself. So there needs to be a certain break angle for the Kahler to work correctly, and that first generation didn't have it.


----------



## Hollowway

bostjan said:


> I've owned guitars with Floyds, Kahlers, Wilkinsons, Traditional/Vintage trem, Parker, etc. I don't mind the Kahler trem at all, but it does feel vastly different to me, than any other system. Obviously, it still feels like a trem, but the way it pivots it just different. It's difficult to explain, but it's readily obvious once you pick one up, IMO.
> 
> As far as function, it's a great device. The feel is really a preference thing - you'll either like it, love it, hate it, or tolerate it. The Floyd Rose system was awesome when it was new, but nowadays, honestly, it's kind of clunky - but that clunkiness has developed into a sort of charm over the years. I think the Kahler system is a lot more clever, but it seems to have failed to become recognized as widely. IDK why.
> 
> String changes are a little bit of a learning curve at first, too.



I think it might be because of the lack of ability to drop all of the strings a significant amount. For myself, I don't like that the high E only goes down 1.5 steps, with the bar pressed to the body. But the lowest strings (especially on an 8) go slack with the bar way less than all the way down. Whereas with a Floyd, I get a decent pitch drop across all strings. I attribute the difference to being that the core of a thick string his higher off the cam center than a thin string, therefore it slackens more when the cam rotates. 

What I LOVE about Kahlers is that Gary is like an honorary ERG member. It took forever just to get an 8 string Floyd, and there's simply no way we'll ever see a 9 or 10 string OFR, much less a multiscale variant. Gary is totally into experimenting, and that makes him fit right in with this guitar community. So, given the opportunity to buy a burrito for one of them (my ultimate homage. Cuz let's face it - the only thing better than a burrito is a FREE burrito! Except breakfast foods, like pancakes, french toast, etc. But, that's not even a fair comparison, because breakfast foods trump all other foods. I mean, does anyone get excited when their parents say they're having dinner for breakfast? Ummmm, nope! But breakfast for dinner? Oh, hell yes. But yeah, burritos (excluding breakfast foods) are the best. (Now, I will grant you that pizza is arguably better. But - hear me out on this - pizza is not a finite meal. There is essentially only will power and stomach size to stop one from eating pizza. A burrito is done when you've cleaned your plate. It's not like you have to do that mental battle of, "Should I have another slice?" Because there are no burrito slices to worry about - just the one, whole, glorious bundle of joy!)) I would totally shell out for a burrito for Gary. No offense, Floyd - you do make a better, trem, but don't be such an old fuddy-duddy with this "9 strings?! Why don't you just play a bass!" business!


----------



## NickLAudio

My local guitar center had a used Interceptor 827 with the Kahler trem on a floor display. Got all excited to give it a quick meedley meedley, picked it up, neck was bent like a banana with action you could probably shoot an arrow with. Poor thing, don't neglect or abuse your ERGs kids...


----------



## Slimy

Behold! A custom 8 string acoustic magnetic soundhole pickup made by MJS Custom Pickups! I contacted them about having an 8 string stacked soundhole humbucker made for my Agile Renaissance 827 NAEQ and they did not disappoint. This is made of Richlite, which you would swear is fine grained ebony. The tone is stupendously amazing! It's a vast improvement over the onboard piezo, or any piezo in my opinion. It is useable straight into a flat mixer channel, delicious with mids cut to taste. These are available as a drop-in setup to plug in to the existing Gentro onboard preamp's 2.5mm jack and include a piece of copper foil tape with wire soldered to it that you use to ground the strings. They work for guitars with no electronics as well, but you have to install an endpin jack. I chose to install the included jack and wire the pickup direct to it passive and process it outboard with a Dano EQ pedal and a Sansamp Para Driver DI. It's the perfect pickup for throwing 1200 Watts at 2 Greenboy f112s and avoiding feedback. I call it the Quackslayer 8000, that's not an official MJS designation. http://www.mjscustompickups.com/ (not an endorser, just a happy customer)


----------



## plainfaced

Hi all.

Been in the market for an 8 String for a short while.. Love the look and price of Agile.

Only problem is, im in Australia... So with shipping from Rondo music, it almost doubles the price of a guitar. To the point where I could just get an JS32-8 or RG8.

Are there any distributors in Aus? Anyone found cheaper shipping? Or do Agile ALL come from Rondo?


----------



## sezna

plainfaced said:


> Hi all.
> 
> Been in the market for an 8 String for a short while.. Love the look and price of Agile.
> 
> Only problem is, im in Australia... So with shipping from Rondo music, it almost doubles the price of a guitar. To the point where I could just get an JS32-8 or RG8.
> 
> Are there any distributors in Aus? Anyone found cheaper shipping? Or do Agile ALL come from Rondo?


The only dealer is Rondo, part of his no-middleman from factory to customer thing. Sorry. Perhaps check the used market?


----------



## plainfaced

sezna said:


> The only dealer is Rondo, part of his no-middleman from factory to customer thing. Sorry. Perhaps check the used market?


ok.. thanks for the info.


----------



## Mathemagician

To the custom order guy. I ordered a custom Agile in 2016 and was fantastic. I only sold it because I put nearly invisible fretboard markers on a maple board, and frankly I can’t play for shit like that. 

Great instrument, awesome build quality. I had a neckthrough 725 fwiw.


----------



## BranchDavidian

Has anyone tried ditting the newer emg 81-8h into one of these pendulums yet? If not ill find out in a few days.

Pic related. Just gave her the feibings leatger dye fretboard treatment


----------



## cardinal

Anyone have a 22-fret 27” scale 8-string AL single cut?

I realize that it would be a custom order. I’ve been kicking around ordering something like that but was hoping to see how it would look. Sometimes IMHO this custom Agiles come out looking a bit wonky because of where they end up placing the bridge and such.


----------



## BranchDavidian

If you cotact them they are pretty good about letting you specify your placements and such on custom orders. Alot of the wonky stuff you see is usually 2006-2009 where they were first starting to test the water on a lot of things


----------



## cardinal

BranchDavidian said:


> If you cotact them they are pretty good about letting you specify your placements and such on custom orders. Alot of the wonky stuff you see is usually 2006-2009 where they were first starting to test the water on a lot of things



Cool, thanks!


----------



## binz

I'm also thinking about aquiring a cheap 8 string and been stroling through this thread. Anything wrong with this Septor 8 or Legacy 8 model?

http://www.rondomusic.com/product8616.html

http://www.rondomusic.com/Agile_Legacy_827_TOM_Nat_Dao.html

For 340$ I would not hesitate to give it a try, but as I live in Germany/EU shipping is + 150 (+50 for the case, compulsory) So I'm around 550 for which I could get an Ibanez RG8 (the white one) which I also fancy and which would be much easier to resell.

This might be a little off topic but another alternative would be a Kraken 8, just for example this one https://reverb.com/item/11906894-kraken-8string-guitar-2017-satin-ogre-blond
This would be even cheaper and only 80 shipping. Do you know if they are still selling "ofiicially"? (Do I remember correctly that Agile = Kraken?)

I also read the legator thread so they are out 

Generally I like simple designs and weird colours, for example something like that





or in pink. Scalewise I cannot really say, I guess 27" is enough, a little fanned multiscale would also be nice but no need. Also prefer headstocks with all the screws on one side. Dont want to spend more than 500.

edit: just found that on reverb for 420+60. This seems pretty cheap as the new one is around 700 ?




https://reverb.com/item/10594685-agile-septor-828-2015-white


----------



## MerlinTKD

I have this exact guitar in natural, and I love it! The 28" scale can be a bit of a stretch on the low frets, for funky chords esp, but I find it pretty comfortable-I don't play any of my other guitars any more The stock pickups are really nice too (the passives anyway, never played the actives).

Best guitar you'll find for $400, IMO!

Edit: just noticed it says it had Duncan Blackouts-so pretty much know what it'll sound like! Not sure about the Made in Japan claim, IIRC most Agiles are made in South Korea, so you may want to check with the seller. Still great guitar for the money!


----------



## thomas lund

I am very satisfied with their work. despite the hate they receive they provide us with some high quality and affordable instruments


----------



## EverDream

MerlinTKD said:


> The 28" scale can be a bit of a stretch on the low frets, for funky chords esp



Just to make sure everyone understands correctly, all Agile 828 models (Septor, Interceptor, Intrepid) have a 28.625" scale length AFAIK, not 28". So it's not 1" longer than the 27" model, it's 1.625" longer, which makes a difference... as 1" longer wouldn't be as much of a difference from 27" as 1.625" is.

28.625" is actually a whole fret longer than 27" while 28" is not. 28" is about 5/8 of a fret longer than 27". I'm not sure if that's what you meant, but I just want to make sure that people reading who may not be aware, know that the Agile 828 models (or any Agile model that ends in 28... so... 628, 728, 828, 928, 1028, etc.) are actually 28.625" in scale length and not 28" (so 5/8 of an inch longer than 28").

Just wanted to make sure that was clear for anyone reading who may not know this, I'm not implying you didn't know Merlin.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

EverDream said:


> Just to make sure everyone understands correctly, all Agile 828 models (Septor, Interceptor, Intrepid) have a 28.625" scale length AFAIK, not 28". So it's not 1" longer than the 27" model, it's 1.625" longer, which makes a difference... as 1" longer wouldn't be as much of a difference from 27" as 1.625" is.
> 
> 28.625" is actually a whole fret longer than 27" while 28" is not. 28" is about 5/8 of a fret longer than 27". I'm not sure if that's what you meant, but I just want to make sure that people reading who may not be aware, know that the Agile 828 models (or any Agile model that ends in 28... so... 628, 728, 828, 928, 1028, etc.) are actually 28.625" in scale length and not 28" (so 5/8 of an inch longer than 28").
> 
> Just wanted to make sure that was clear for anyone reading who may not know this, I'm not implying you didn't know Merlin.



Just like the 725 and 625 models are 25.5"

It's a major difference too on those 28.625"ers. Some stuff is unplayable chord-wise. They serve a purpose though. Some stuff is wayyyyy easier imo. Like chords that have notes scrunched up really close together. Those are difficult on 25.5" scales and sometimes even 26.5". On the 28s, it's super comfy. Just depends on the application. I recommend everyone have a variety imo. I have 25.5" to 28.625" in my arsenal and am thankful for it. Makes my playing more diverse (or less limited at least). There's no "well my fingers can't stretch that far for this idea" or "there's not enough space to put all of my fingers there to do what I want" (that's what he/she said?).


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## summit101

anyone else have intonation problems with agile's?


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## LeviathanKiller

summit101 said:


> anyone else have intonation problems with *guitars*?


Fixed that for you 

But really though, I probably have better intonation and tuning stability on my Agile guitars than my Schecters and PRS and some of those have locking tuners even. Too many designs under the Agile name to pin any intonation issues on the entire brand especially considering plenty of Agile users don't have intonation issues. Most of us wouldn't bother with them if they did.


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## MaxOfMetal

summit101 said:


> anyone else have intonation problems with agile's?



How old is your Agile? There were some Intrepid and Septor runs from around 09'/10' that had improperly placed bridges, but I haven't seen any issues with stuff since then.

What's your problem exactly?


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## trem licking

i had intonation issues with their 8 strings with locking nuts. the locking nuts are cepheus, not floyd, at least on their 8 strings. the cast is so rough and bumpy on the nut surface that any slight variation in string position would throw the intonation off slightly


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## SubzeroJake

trem licking said:


> i had intonation issues with their 8 strings with locking nuts. the locking nuts are cepheus, not floyd, at least on their 8 strings. the cast is so rough and bumpy on the nut surface that any slight variation in string position would throw the intonation off slightly



I had a similar experience. Became extremely frustrating.


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## trem licking

SubzeroJake said:


> I had a similar experience. Became extremely frustrating.



it was indeed... it was driving me mad until i figured out what it was. i wrote Kurt to ask if he would consider switching to a legit floyd rose nut on these models, but he was not willing because the string spacing is tighter. i feel like it would be a VERY good move if he would, though.


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## summit101

The highest strings seem like they have crooked frets slots and the intonation is kind all over the place on the highest strings I’ve noticed mostly


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## Axe Cop

Anyone have experience with agile baritones? I've been eyeing the AB3500.


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## LiveOVErdrive

Axe Cop said:


> Anyone have experience with agile baritones? I've been eyeing the AB3500.


My 25-28 scale 8 stringer is great. Agile build quality is great. Go for it. Just make sure you can fit the pickups you want in it (if it doesn't already have them)


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## KnightBrolaire

Axe Cop said:


> Anyone have experience with agile baritones? I've been eyeing the AB3500.


i have a 27" scale LP from them. very solid guitar for the price point.


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## Acaciastrain360

Just bought me first Agile!

Interceptor 828 Pro
£400

Looking forward to receiving it this week!

P.S can someone give me a ‘Like’ so I can change my F**king signature!!!! Tah

I need 1 more


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## Acaciastrain360

F**k yes!! Thanks @The906


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## binz

when you say pounds I guess youre from the UK? Could you tell me once you receive it how it was with customs and shipping?


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## EverDream

Acaciastrain360 said:


> F**k yes!! Thanks @The906



And I just gave you 3 more!


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## Acaciastrain360

EverDream said:


> And I just gave you 3 more!


You saved my life


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## Acaciastrain360

binz said:


> when you say pounds I guess youre from the UK? Could you tell me once you receive it how it was with customs and shipping?


Yes mate I am, BUT I strictly avoided importing one as it looked as though it was going to be near £200-£250 with all charges and shipping... so I’ve been on the market within UK for a long time and it finally paid off... sorry that I couldn’t shed any light on importing one :/


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## binz

I have a friend from the US (Idaho) visiting me in Europe and she could bring me an Agile. How long does domestic delivery inside the US usually take in your experience?
Also did anyone ever fly with an electric guitar (in a gig bag) as carry-on? I once took a classical acoustic guitar from South America -> Us -> Europe without a problem. Still I dont want to get her in trouble with this.
(aside from the shipping costs I'd especially save customs on the guitar by letting her get it instead of ordering it)

I was considering this Intercepter Pro 727 with EMG 707. Except for the annoying floyd rose and the lack of fanned frets it seemed the best choice of what they currently have on their site 7-string wise. Anything I should consider before getting one of those?
A fanned fret alternative without the annoying floyd rose would be this Interpid Pro 72527 or this Legacy 72527 but both have the passive Cepheus pick ups, are they any good? (also I heard people are not really fans of the legacy ones, is there a particular reason why or just because its the "cheap" series?)


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## LeviathanKiller

binz said:


> I have a friend from the US (Idaho) visiting me in Europe and she could bring me an Agile. How long does domestic delivery inside the US usually take in your experience?
> Also did anyone ever fly with an electric guitar (in a gig bag) as carry-on? I once took a classical acoustic guitar from South America -> Us -> Europe without a problem. Still I dont want to get her in trouble with this.
> (aside from the shipping costs I'd especially save customs on the guitar by letting her get it instead of ordering it)
> 
> I was considering this Intercepter Pro 727 with EMG 707. Except for the annoying floyd rose and the lack of fanned frets it seemed the best choice of what they currently have on their site 7-string wise. Anything I should consider before getting one of those?
> A fanned fret alternative without the annoying floyd rose would be this Interpid Pro 72527 or this Legacy 72527 but both have the passive Cepheus pick ups, are they any good? (also I heard people are not really fans of the legacy ones, is there a particular reason why or just because its the "cheap" series?)




About a week iirc, not more than two I know for sure (I've had 5 shipments so far)

Can't answer your flight question, sadly.

I'd get the Intrepid Pro honestly. There's a lot of active pickups you can get that fit the passive routes if you ever decide to get actives but it's more expensive and/or difficult to get pickups that fit soapbar routes. I regret all of my purchases that have soapbar routes pretty much because now that I'm wanting to change pickups on some of them, it's costing me $40+ USD or more to get what I want in soapbar form.

The Cepheus passive pickups are pretty decent. They've been likened to Lundgrens a lot I believe. They do metal easily. Pretty good for stock pickups.

I love the Intrepid shape btw. Very comfortable. More than the Septor/Interceptor honestly.

The Legacy series is okay-ish. It's a tad rough around the edges (sometimes literally) and the neck is MUCH thicker on those. If you want something to keep for a long time, get the Pro and Elite series of the other models, not the Legacy ones.


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## NickLAudio

It's been a year and still loving this thing...

Intrepid Pro 72730


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## iamaom

I don't want to start a new thread, but has anyone found those new $1300 "Custom Works" guitars bizzare? Why on earth would I buy a pre-built korean guitar for the same price as a custom built kiesel? Not sure what Rondo's business model has been the past few months.


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## MaxOfMetal

iamaom said:


> I don't want to start a new thread, but has anyone found those new $1300 "Custom Works" guitars bizzare? Why on earth would I buy a pre-built korean guitar for the same price as a custom built kiesel? Not sure what Rondo's business model has been the past few months.



Rondo is being Rondo. Order a small batch of off-the-wall guitars and see if it works. I doubt they have their eyes set on Kiesel, but more like Schecter, LTD and Ibanez.

They're marketing to the crowd that doesn't care where they're made, just what the spec sheet looks like, which is a majority of the marketplace.


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## gunch

I just want them to stock more Epics man 

Also their pricing for supposedly the best of their best doesn't seem to far off from like high end WMI shecs and Ibanez Premiums 

A good Agile slays


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## Acaciastrain360

binz said:


> I have a friend from the US (Idaho) visiting me in Europe and she could bring me an Agile. How long does domestic delivery inside the US usually take in your experience?
> Also did anyone ever fly with an electric guitar (in a gig bag) as carry-on? I once took a classical acoustic guitar from South America -> Us -> Europe without a problem. Still I dont want to get her in trouble with this.
> (aside from the shipping costs I'd especially save customs on the guitar by letting her get it instead of ordering it)
> 
> I was considering this Intercepter Pro 727 with EMG 707. Except for the annoying floyd rose and the lack of fanned frets it seemed the best choice of what they currently have on their site 7-string wise. Anything I should consider before getting one of those?
> A fanned fret alternative without the annoying floyd rose would be this Interpid Pro 72527 or this Legacy 72527 but both have the passive Cepheus pick ups, are they any good? (also I heard people are not really fans of the legacy ones, is there a particular reason why or just because its the "cheap" series?)


I love my Interceptor Pro 828... so an interceptor pro 727 would be rad! I know with 828 bridge that you can fix it so it acts like a fixed bridge... not sure what the floyd rose is like!? Anyone??


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## never_2many_strings




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## Acaciastrain360

never_2many_strings said:


> View attachment 67953
> View attachment 67954


Is that an 825?? Looks lovely by the way


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## never_2many_strings

Acaciastrain360 said:


> Is that an 825?? Looks lovely by the way


Thank you! It is an Intrepid Custom Pro 828


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## Mathemagician

All this recent talk of tunings in the Architects thread made me nearly buy a 627 intrepid. Had to remind myself I had a GOC fan coming in first. And if I don’t like it I’ll flip it for something else. 

Rondo does one thing very well and that’s offer popular specs in several options. Love it.


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## Mathemagician

Take the guitar on the plane as a carry on and leave it at the front in the closet with the coats. You can stand it up in its case and it will stay out due to everyone leaving coats in there. Preferable to hoping the flight is empty and trying to shove it in the overhead.


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## NickLAudio

Made a quick play through video of a song off our album that's currently still in production (reamps, edits, mix, etc..) but we got a whole Rondo lineup here..

Agile Intrepid Pro 72730
Brice Defiant 63437
Douglas Hadron 727 that i refinished


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## Maggai

NickLAudio said:


> Made a quick play through video of a song off our album that's currently still in production (reamps, edits, mix, etc..) but we got a whole Rondo lineup here..
> 
> Agile Intrepid Pro 72730
> Brice Defiant 63437
> Douglas Hadron 727 that i refinished




Sounds really cool! I've been looking at that multicale defiant there, would be nice with the 37" to handle some low tunings.


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## gunch

New headless model but the headpiece still looks god awful 

https://www.rondomusic.com/product10275.html


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## Pietjepieter

gunch said:


> New headless model but the headpiece still looks god awful
> 
> https://www.rondomusic.com/product10275.html



I'm digging the model, but indeed the headstock is like "What the hell where they thinking when designing that???"


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## gunch

Saw that bitch off and put a hip shot compact string lock on there


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## Acaciastrain360

Looks like a wooden spatula


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## KnightBrolaire

that "headstock" and the burl ruin it for me. If they make a multiscale version though, Ima buy that shit


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## LordCashew

Acaciastrain360 said:


> Looks like a wooden spatula


An iron one would have been better.


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## Christopher Har V

I've got an Agile Renaissance 8-string Acoustic in action here (along with an electric Septor 830):


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