# NGD AGILE Pendulum Pro. 8 String w/ fanned frets + quick review, pictures



## firebelly (Dec 4, 2012)

AGILE PENDULUM PRO 82527 EB CP Nat Ash
















So guys, I posted this on reddits /r/guitar, then got told to post it here. This site is great, you guys are probably gunna help me choose an amp at some point in the near future 

Anyway I had that feeling that wouldn't be quenched until my wallet was empty.

Agile Pendulum Pro 82527 EB CP Nat Ash - RondoMusic.com
1050AU (1000 USD) including a case and delivery to Australia

*Details*
Multi-scale/Fanned fret design. 25.5 - 27"
Swamp Ash Body
5-piece ThruNeck, maple/mahogany/maple/mahogany/maple
Ebony Fretboard w/ 24 XJ frets, no markers
DiMarzio DActivator 8 Passive p'ups (replaced Cepheus Passive 9)
Grover tuners, Custom Agile Fixed Bridge
[email protected] neck profile

Right, onto the good stuff.
A while ago I picked up an Agile Interceptor 727, which was a fantastic guitar, however I had a chance to sell it at a very profitable price, so I sold it and picked one of these bad guys up!

Picture from my POV incase you lads are wondering how fanned frets seem when holding the guitar





The neck is damn smooth, considering how immense it is. The only criticism I could make is that the frets aren't brilliant. They've got this kinda rough finish on them. Next time I string I'll get some fine gret and sand them down the tiniest bit.
I haven't fiddled too much with the action, but I should be able to get the higher strings reasonably low without too much buzz. Part of the reason I chose a fixey for this guitar is because I 'chug' really heavy so I wanted to be able to raise the lower strings a bit higher without having to fiddle with all the trem and shit. Just as a ballpark figure I'd say I've got the bottom strings at 3.5mm action, and the higher ones at about 2.5mm
The intonation was a little out when I got it, but it was shipped halfway around the world so that's to be expected. The bridge makes setup a breeze, though it _could_ be made of a heavier metal, I kinda get the feeling I'll be replacing these in a few years, but that's just speculation.

Sitting freely on my hand, these are balanced surprisingly well, better than my Schecter 6 that was more expensive 





*MODDING*
As a few of you probably know, Agiles are great to mod.
The biggest complaint I'm going to make about this guitar is the pickups it comes stock with. They're fucking horrible. They sound tinny and fizzy and thin and have no character at all. If anyone willingly buys Cepheus 8 pickups I'd very much like to know why.
Anyway I picked up a couple of these DiMarzio 8s[7] . The DiMarzios fit in the cavity no problem, plenty of room however the mounting holes are different. So just get a drill bit and buzz a few quick pilot holes and you're good to go.





I also recommend these guys, great for extending the life of your straps. Planet Waves elliptical straps. Think I got them for 8 bucks or something.
[IMGhttp://i.imgur.com/uoMWH.jpg[/IMG]






Quick picture of the family including cheese guitar with neon pink guitar strap 





todo: Coil Split, inlays decals, killswitch and possibly scallop the top 12 frets

*NOW* who wants to help me choose an amp?


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## brutalwizard (Dec 4, 2012)

Sick guitar, But that Swiss cheese strat is hot.


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## firebelly (Dec 4, 2012)

Cheers, I made it myself!

I can dig out all the progress pictures if you guys are interested.


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## Exit Existence (Dec 4, 2012)

Happy NGD, try grade 0000 steel wool on the frets. Just remember to put masking tape over the pickups first so the metal fibers don't get stuck to them. I use two post-it notes placed on both sides of the fret to protect the fingerboard while using the steel wool. Just move them for each fret.

Edit: I only own 6 strings, so now that i think about it i dont know if a post-it note will be wide enough lol But something like that!


Also that strat lol Looks like spongebob


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 4, 2012)

firebelly said:


> Cheers, I made it myself!
> 
> I can dig out all the progress pictures if you guys are interested.



Fuck yes, pls.


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## WaffleTheEpic (Dec 4, 2012)

This actually fits under the ERG section, seeing as that's an eight string and not a seven string. :B

Sweet looking guitar though! Any sound demos?


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## firebelly (Dec 4, 2012)

WaffleTheEpic said:


> This actually fits under the ERG section, seeing as that's an eight string and not a seven string. :B
> 
> Sweet looking guitar though! Any sound demos?



Oh sorry, can I move the thread or does a mod have to?


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## M3CHK1LLA (Dec 4, 2012)

nice...congrats


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## firebelly (Dec 4, 2012)

Konfyouzd said:


> Fuck yes, pls.



Sorry mate that's all I could find, my HDD got wiped a while back so I imagine the rest of them were on there.

Basically I took out the neck and electronics, then sanded everything off. I remember that was the most annoying bit , is it possibly to use a heat gun to lift paint off a guitar or does that warp the wood? 

Anyway then I got some of those big circuler drill bits and just went to town on it. This bit was the funnest 

Then chucked some primer on and painted it with sunflower yellow 


















I also tried to put a killswitch in it but I fucked it up because I was 14 and knew sfa about guitar electronics haha

It also has 5 scalloped top frets which came out beautifully. I just got a pen and wrapped sandpaper around it then started going in between the frets and they came out perfect!


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## otisct20 (Dec 4, 2012)

Nice to see a fellow redditor here  Looks great man!


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## 7JxN7 (Dec 5, 2012)

HNGD man! and welcome to the forum. I was looking to grab one of these a while back, but have been a bit worried about getting a Agile shipped to Australia. Have you had any issues with the quality of the guitar, or any problems with shipping, etc? I like the idea of the Dimarzios in it too!


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

7JxN7 said:


> HNGD man! and welcome to the forum. I was looking to grab one of these a while back, but have been a bit worried about getting a Agile shipped to Australia. Have you had any issues with the quality of the guitar, or any problems with shipping, etc? I like the idea of the Dimarzios in it too!



Hey man, thanks. Looks like a good forum, I imagine I'll be sticking around for a while 

I've shipped two Agiles to Australia, both have come in about a week and had zero problems. I've got 2 other friends who collectively have shipped 3 and they've had no problems either.

If you're getting DiMarzios I imagine doing the same thing I did and ordering them from the US. Use a forwarding service like myUS or something to bypass the "does not ship to Australia".

Those pickups were 179 in Aus, 89 in US.


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## JosephAOI (Dec 5, 2012)

I don't like that the strings don't line up at all with the poles 

Sound clips? Does it sound okay to you?


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## Joshua (Dec 5, 2012)

Glad you registered like I told you  welcome to the forum dude! Get us some good songs recorded with this beast


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

JosephAOI said:


> I don't like that the strings don't line up at all with the poles
> 
> Sound clips? Does it sound okay to you?



Hey brother, yeah I know what you mean. I thought this was gunna be an issue but I did the best I can. The north poles line up with the thicker strings and vice versa for the other poles.

There's not out of phase problems or bullshit like that, it sounds fantastic! I guess it's not optimal but it beats the horseshit sound that was Cepheus pickups it came stock with


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

TechMetal said:


> Glad you registered like I told you  welcome to the forum dude! Get us some good songs recorded with this beast



Cheers brother!

Yeah I will I will. I'm after a new amp before I start getting some serious recording going. 

Anyone wanna encourage me to buy an ENGL Invader 100?


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## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 5, 2012)

[banana]Amazing...agiles are so cool and we never see them around here often! Welcome to the forum btw![/banana]


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## Brohoodofsteel75 (Dec 5, 2012)

Congratz and welcome to the forum dude!
I have a question regarding the pickups. How do the dimarzio's sound? I'd assume they sound like shit because the poles don't line up exact. Is that the case?


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Dec 5, 2012)

HNGD dude - that is a beautiful looking guitar!

Nice to hear some good reports about Agiles being imported to Aus. I haven't really heard of many people doing it - and the one experience I do remember reading about wasn't a particularly good one (guitar was not of the quality expected by the buyer, from memory).

How did you go getting it through customs? Much of a hold-up? Did they ping you for import tax?


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## MaxAidingAres (Dec 5, 2012)

i look the grain on the 8. Agile really out did themselves


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## Draceius (Dec 5, 2012)

Happy NGD Dude, the guitar looks amazing :O


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## ForThisGift (Dec 5, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> [banana]Amazing...agiles are so cool and we never see them around here often! Welcome to the forum btw![/banana]


 

I see what you did there....


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

Brohoodofsteel75 said:


> Congratz and welcome to the forum dude!
> I have a question regarding the pickups. How do the dimarzio's sound? I'd assume they sound like shit because the poles don't line up exact. Is that the case?



Sounds great. There's no discrepancies in volume between the different strings which was my main concern as you can imagine.

I'll run a spectrometer on it when I get around to it so you can see the volume and shit of each string!


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> HNGD dude - that is a beautiful looking guitar!
> 
> Nice to hear some good reports about Agiles being imported to Aus. I haven't really heard of many people doing it - and the one experience I do remember reading about wasn't a particularly good one (guitar was not of the quality expected by the buyer, from memory).
> 
> How did you go getting it through customs? Much of a hold-up? Did they ping you for import tax?



I've bought 2 agiles, both hassle free, as has a friend. Definitely recommend! I didn't pay any import tax, and both times I've ordered they came in about a week

His review is here, might be good for some insight on importing to Aus! He's a 30 min drive away from me so the conditions are virtually the same 

Agile AL-3200 Rootbeer Flame Wide review! (Stock configuration) - YouTube
^ How do you embed youtube vids for future reference?


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

ForThisGift said:


> I see what you did there....



Haha I imagine the forums are saturated with them. Oh well, another review isn't gunna hurt anyone


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## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 5, 2012)

I was being serious, there are not many fanned agile ngd's for some reason


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## Nykur_Myrkvi (Dec 5, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> I was being serious, there are not many fanned agile ngd's for some reason


I'll put one up hopefully next week.

Mine is a little different from this one.


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## firebelly (Dec 5, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> I was being serious, there are not many fanned agile ngd's for some reason



Right. I haven't seen many natural finishes either. Something about raw wood seems brutally heavy , but maybe that's just me.


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## Nykur_Myrkvi (Dec 6, 2012)

firebelly said:


> Right. I haven't seen many natural finishes either. Something about raw wood seems brutally heavy , but maybe that's just me.


Definitely not just you.

I love a beautiful finish but sometimes I see guitars with the most amazing looking wood. (sounds a bit odd...)

Mine has a finish on it though, that's more my thing I guess but the wood in yours is some of the best I've seen from Agile.


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## WaffleTheEpic (Dec 6, 2012)

firebelly said:


> Right. I haven't seen many natural finishes either. Something about raw wood seems brutally heavy , but maybe that's just me.



Mine is natural :3

Seeing yours, I'm wishing I had actually saved for another month and bought this one. 

Here's mine.


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## goherpsNderp (Dec 6, 2012)

glad you didn't have any issues with it other than not liking the pickups! my 8 string Agile from a few years ago came with some slight intonation problems and some fret buzz. didn't have a problem with the pickups, but then again i am going to be ampless for a while, so i've only gone through PODxt + headphones.

mine just arrived today and is at home waiting. i'll post my NGD in the sevens area sometime this weekend.


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## sage (Dec 6, 2012)

Happy NGD and welcome to the forum. That is a mighty fine looking guitar.


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## firebelly (Dec 6, 2012)

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Mine is natural :3
> 
> Seeing yours, I'm wishing I had actually saved for another month and bought this one.
> 
> Here's mine.



Aw man that looks killer!

I actually prefer the intrepid shape so ...  Unfortunatley they didn't offer the multiscale in that 

When I get a 7 string again at some point in the future, I'll get an intrepid with straight frets, nat finish. And it will be glorious


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## firebelly (Dec 6, 2012)

goherpsNderp said:


> glad you didn't have any issues with it other than not liking the pickups! my 8 string Agile from a few years ago came with some slight intonation problems and some fret buzz. didn't have a problem with the pickups, but then again i am going to be ampless for a while, so i've only gone through PODxt + headphones.
> 
> mine just arrived today and is at home waiting. i'll post my NGD in the sevens area sometime this weekend.



Mine was slightly out of intonation on the bottom 2 strings and the D. Nothing 10 minutes and an allen key can't fix


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## firebelly (Dec 6, 2012)

Just adjusting the relief a bit today, and noticed it has dual truss rods. Strange that they didn't include that on the specs on the site.


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## WaffleTheEpic (Dec 6, 2012)

Yeah, mine does too. I think all of their 8 string models have two truss rods. More reason for me to not mess with anything and have it all done professionally. D:


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## firebelly (Dec 7, 2012)

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Yeah, mine does too. I think all of their 8 string models have two truss rods. More reason for me to not mess with anything and have it all done professionally. D:



Adjusting a truss isn't hard. 

Just hold the string down on the highest and lowest fret and see how high it is above the 12th. The string should be just above the 12th fret. If it's touching, it's too low, if it's higher than say, 1mm, you could safely reduce the relief.

Put the allen key in the truss rod slot, don't turn it more than maybe an 8th of a full turn/ 45 degrees. Make sure the strings are tuned (so they apply the correct tension) and then wait half an hour for the neck to settle, and repeat as needed. 

Really nothing to it. Just test your relief, adjust neck slowly.


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## WaffleTheEpic (Dec 7, 2012)

I need to do that with my LP, considering the action is impossibly high and the neck is starting to banana...


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## Brohoodofsteel75 (Dec 7, 2012)

Yours looks WAY better than my green 82728. Trade ya! 





Picture2761.jpg photo by brohoodfofsteel75 | Photobucket

Awesome thing about mine is that in the light, the grain and color change up. It looks shitty with my potato cam.


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## firebelly (Dec 7, 2012)

WaffleTheEpic said:


> I need to do that with my LP, considering the action is impossibly high and the neck is starting to banana...



It's really not that difficult. If you need help shoot me a pm and I can talk to you over fb or something while you do it.


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## JosephAOI (Dec 7, 2012)

Dude, I just realized how INSANE it would look if you threw a set of Black Hawks in there!!!


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## firebelly (Dec 7, 2012)

JosephAOI said:


> Dude, I just realized how INSANE it would look if you threw a set of Black Hawks in there!!!



Not a big fan of actives really. Although I've got a Schecter with some off set of EMG actives in that squeal like a pig being stuck


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## firebelly (Dec 7, 2012)

Brohoodofsteel75 said:


> Yours looks WAY better than my green 82728. Trade ya!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That looks amazing! Before this (sold it to pay for NGD) I had a tribal red 727 Interceptor Pro. The photos never do them justice. 

I was thinking about getting a purple one for the lulz


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## JosephAOI (Dec 7, 2012)

firebelly said:


> Not a big fan of actives really. Although I've got a Schecter with some off set of EMG actives in that squeal like a pig being stuck



Wut? Black Hawks are passive, man! And you wouldn't have the problem with the poles not lining up!


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## WiseSplinter (Dec 7, 2012)

Black Hawks are not available for 8's yet I don't think, they only list the 6 and 7 string options on the website.


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## WaffleTheEpic (Dec 7, 2012)

firebelly said:


> It's really not that difficult. If you need help shoot me a pm and I can talk to you over fb or something while you do it.



Haha, alright, will do. :B Maybe you could help me set the radius up on my Telecaster as well. Shop fucked that up  they also wired my two knobs backwards... had to fix that myself

That green 82728 is gorgeous, man. xD Wanna trade?  hahah


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## firebelly (Dec 13, 2012)

WaffleTheEpic said:


> Haha, alright, will do. :B Maybe you could help me set the radius up on my Telecaster as well. Shop fucked that up  they also wired my two knobs backwards... had to fix that myself
> 
> That green 82728 is gorgeous, man. xD Wanna trade?  hahah



Hey, I'm not your guy for teles or strats! I've actually been playing guitar for 6 years, got a chapman stick, had 6, 7, 8, and a 10 string but I've never even PLAYED (or even touched) a strat, a tele or an LP hahaha.

There would be loads of instructional videos specific to Teles though so I recommend searching thorugh and finding an in depth guide and reading through it, then let it ponder in your mind for a few days until you feel comfortable, then give it a shot (slowly).


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## chopshop777 (Jul 19, 2013)

cool guitar


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## jy_p (Dec 20, 2016)

I just got both 82528 and 102730!

Amazing guitars. I was used to the Fanfret already since I have a CH8 for a while.

Original setup: I personally love extremely low action and the two came up with a rather high action. So I had to spend a bit of time dealing with the truss rods, intonation. The height at the nut is a bit too high, I got that filed down a bit. String saddle on the higher E string also needed to filed since the lowest setting was still too high on the 10 strings version (I had to do the exact same mod on my Schecter C9).

Frets were decently leveled, but not as good as a PRS for example (almost as good as my Schecters C7 and C9). That allow a low action, but I personally will re-level mines. 

Still, frets and nut should be fine for most people, even the ones that like low action.
I never saw a guitar that has a perfect setup out of the box... Anyway, a perfect setup is a personal thing... No setup is perfect for everyone. So like for any new guitars, I'll recommend getting a setup done by a pro if you can't do it yourself.


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## LordAcheron (Dec 21, 2016)

holy bump batman

mine came pretty much perfect outta the box. Low F# was a little off intonation wise, and I'm currently setting it up to an E ( I need to actually go grab a screwdriver and do it, but I've settled on that tuning for this guitar, although I might drop a whole step to be closer to the 6 string tuning I use)


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