# NGD: Interceptor 827 Lizard Burst picstory



## Hollowway (Aug 4, 2009)

You ask for a miracle? I give you...the Inteceptor 8 

I arrive home (after seeing the UPS page showing delivery hours before) to find:



And the obligatory choice-of-box-cutter-implement shot:



A well wrapped item, it appears!



The kids throwing up the horns :



And a little outside sunshine to show off the finish:



So how does it play, you ask? How should I know, I've been too busy takin' pics for you bastards!  But I'll keep you posted!

EDIT: OK, so I just spent an hour lowering the action (1mm at the 12th fret for the high E. Yeeeeeah!) and adjusting the Kahler. It was set up kind of wacky (the bridge was skewed because of how they set one of the adjustment screws in the back of the bridge post) but it's nice and symmetric now. The arm tension screw (the one that controls if the arm can spin, or stay where you leave it) must be busted, because adjusting it has no effect on the tension of the arm. I was wondering how the trem would work with the two additional heavy strings and all the added tension, but it plays just like a sixer, so 

For the playability, it's great! I have the action of the high strings a bit lower than my Intrepid, and they don't fret out on bends. There are two frets on the G string that have dead notes, so I need to do something about that, but everything else is cool.

And the stock pickups RULE! I'm no EMG hater, but I was suitably surprised how nice these sound compared to my Intrepid Pro. 

As for the scale length, I was tempted to get the 25.5" version of this, but I'm glad I went with the 27. In fact, I'd be cool with a 28, like the Intrepid.

Overall, another AMAZING guitar from Kurt and his giant Rondo machine! My in-laws were over today and they were asking how much it cost, and I said that normally something like this would be around 2 grand or more, but because Kurt is a DUDE and we all buy from him when he does a run for us, I got it for what amounts to highway robbery.


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## st2012 (Aug 4, 2009)

Looks killer!


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## Hollowway (Aug 4, 2009)

And a few more shots:


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## cyril v (Aug 4, 2009)

hmmm... you need bigger pics!!!

i thought lizard burst was brighter?

like the original:


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## mlp187 (Aug 4, 2009)

That looks DAMN sexy. I'm really stoked for you!

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but are my eyes playing tricks on me or is the trem slightly crooked?


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## Tommy Van Dyke (Aug 4, 2009)

Isn't it sick? I love mine, and the best part about it is that the neck is sooo comfy for me (although I've got bony tentacle freak fingers)! HNGD


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## renzoip (Aug 4, 2009)

Awesome Agile, dude!! How does it compare to your carvin in terms of quality built and playability?


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## RG7 (Aug 4, 2009)

there's something about it that doesnt make it the number 1, but close.


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## Empryrean (Aug 4, 2009)

Tommy like


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## technomancer (Aug 4, 2009)

Nice  I was wondering how those would actually turn out... I gotta say it would have been cooler had the factory actually done a green burst instead of black

Cyril: mockup vs actual guitar... it said all over the site that the actual guitar would be different from the mockup


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## willybman (Aug 4, 2009)

is that a kahler on it???

omg that that thing is so fucking nice!!!
im drooling!!!


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## somn (Aug 4, 2009)

is that a big gap on top of the kahler


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## TimSE (Aug 4, 2009)

fuck me thats nice! much prefer that darker green than the mock up! nice score!


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## Harry (Aug 5, 2009)

Good stuff, congrats!


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## Hollowway (Aug 5, 2009)

mlp187 said:


> That looks DAMN sexy. I'm really stoked for you!
> 
> I'm not trying to be a jerk, but are my eyes playing tricks on me or is the trem slightly crooked?




Yeah, I see that now. Hmm. I don't know much about Kahlers, but there is a little screw at the back of it, near the big screws that go into the body. On the bass side, it's turned in quite a bit, which pulls that portion of the trem toward the back of the guitar. I'm going to have to read the little manual to see how it works. 

Also, I don't think the guys who put the thing together are too familiar with Kahlers either - the guitar is virtually flawless everywhere except the Kahler, which is a bit beat up (chipped paint, screw tips gouging the bridge mounting screws, etc).


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## mlp187 (Aug 5, 2009)

Well I'm still supremely impressed by that instrument, and whatever the issue may be I'm sure it's fixable. 

Congrats again man, and congrats on having awesome kids too!


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## Scali (Aug 5, 2009)

Wow, great guitar!
I guess I missed out on the Interceptor 827 completely... I didn't know they started making other 8-strings besides the Intrepid.
This one would certainly suit me better, with the shorter scale and the tremolo. I also think the body looks nicer than the Intrepid.


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## Fred (Aug 5, 2009)

Stunning man, thanks for sharing! I've been waiting to see these for a long time, haha.


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## BrainArt (Aug 5, 2009)

Dude, that is freaking sick!


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## vortex_infinium (Aug 5, 2009)

Awesome! Really hoping I can get my hands on a left over one.


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## Apophis (Aug 5, 2009)

Looks great, CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!


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## vontetzianos (Aug 5, 2009)

Congrats.


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## Arteriorrhexis (Aug 5, 2009)

Holy shit!!
That looks amazing! I wanted to get one of those until I realized they weren't accepting deposits and I was a month late.
Congrats!


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## Mattmc74 (Aug 5, 2009)

Congrats! Very bad ass! I love the finish.


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## Triple7 (Aug 5, 2009)

That came out really nice dude, congrats! Let's see some vids of you playing that beast!


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## HumanFuseBen (Aug 5, 2009)

damn, that finish is awesome!!! i'm not a kahler guy, myself, but it looks like a monster guitar....


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## Hollowway (Aug 5, 2009)

HumanFuseBen said:


> damn, that finish is awesome!!! i'm not a kahler guy, myself, but it looks like a monster guitar....


 
Yeah, I'm a tried-and-true Floyd guy myself, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how well the Kahler works. It's a monstrosity of a piece of hardware compared to a Floyd, and I'm a little worried about the strings returning to pitch after bends (which is apparently a Kahler downside) but so far so good! 

I'll try to get some vids of it soon. I haven't really done that before, so it might take me a bit to rig stuff up.


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## phaeded0ut (Aug 5, 2009)

Really pretty green-burst finish and I'm seriously digging the choice of the Kahler. Thanks again for sharing the pictures. Really pretty matching between the headstock and body, too!


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## troyguitar (Aug 5, 2009)

Scali said:


> Wow, great guitar!
> I guess I missed out on the Interceptor 827 completely... I didn't know they started making other 8-strings besides the Intrepid.
> This one would certainly suit me better, with the shorter scale and the tremolo. I also think the body looks nicer than the Intrepid.



Yeah the pre-orders were not open very long. It was partly my design and I didn't get around to ordering one for myself in time  

Looks like they turned out pretty sweet though. Hopefully there will be more in the future.


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## brick (Aug 5, 2009)

Oh my GOSH that guitar went straight into my top 5 "do want this" list! How much do those cost?


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## Hollowway (Aug 5, 2009)

brick said:


> Oh my GOSH that guitar went straight into my top 5 "do want this" list! How much do those cost?


 
800 samolians. Which, considering the cost of the 8 string Kahler by itself, is a steal. Kurt did say that these ended up costing more than he originally budgeted for, so if he did it again it would be more. But likely still a bargain, IMO.


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## ShadyDavey (Aug 5, 2009)

That Sir, is an 8 I could definately get behind. To say I'm quite blown away would be an understatement and the colour is bloody lovely.

Huge grats!


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## moshwitz (Aug 5, 2009)

That thing is cool as hell,and I want one,,,,but,,what is up with the big ass hole in front of the trem?

MOSHON
DAVE


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## Adriatic (Aug 6, 2009)

oooo ahhhh... pretttty... wheres the bloody spares... want one... arghhhhhhhhh


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## ra1der2 (Aug 6, 2009)

Hollowway said:


> And a few more shots:
> 
> View attachment 11613



Awesome.  I must have one of these!

Two questions, was the plan with the 27" that it's tuned low f# or high A?

Is that the bridge routing poking out under the front of the kahler in this pic?


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## daemon barbeque (Aug 6, 2009)

Congrats man, it really looks good and the neck is Yummylicious!


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## Hollowway (Aug 6, 2009)

ra1der2 said:


> Awesome.  I must have one of these!
> 
> Two questions, was the plan with the 27" that it's tuned low f# or high A?
> 
> Is that the bridge routing poking out under the front of the kahler in this pic?


 
I got the 27" because I wanted the option of doing the high A, but also be able to go back to low F# without it being too flabby (as opposed to the 25.5" scale). Currently I have the stock strings on it, so it's still the low F#. But, I have an Intrepid that I can keep low, and then run this B-A, so it's just a matter of time before I restring it.

And yeah, that's the bridge route hole. It's a little less obvious now, since I used the back end adjustment screws to move the bass side closer to the pickup (since it was crooked). I'm not sure why that's visable, but I think it was a mistake on the router's part. I'm curious how the others turned out, to see if they also have that gap there or not.


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## Santuzzo (Aug 6, 2009)

Very nice !
Congrats and thanks for posting the pics!
You have cute kids, too 

Were those also available without the Kahler?


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## Hollowway (Aug 6, 2009)

Santuzzo said:


> Very nice !
> Congrats and thanks for posting the pics!
> You have cute kids, too
> 
> Were those also available without the Kahler?


 
Yeah, but without the Kahler they call it a Sceptor. (Just like the Agile 7s). I wanted to try the Trem since I had no 7s or 8s with a trem. It works surprisingly well, given all the strings.


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## Santuzzo (Aug 6, 2009)

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, but without the Kahler they call it a Sceptor. (Just like the Agile 7s). I wanted to try the Trem since I had no 7s or 8s with a trem. It works surprisingly well, given all the strings.



Oh, yes, that's the difference between Septor and Interceptor.

So, the Kahler works well and stays in tune?


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## ra1der2 (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks for the info, too bad about the routing exposed but most won't even notice it as a flaw anyways. I still want one, slightly exposed routing or not  

I have the kahler hybrid 7300 series on my custom 8 which is the first run kahler made for 8 strings and it stays in tune pretty well without even locking it at the nut. The interceptor has the newer kahler pro, so I assume it is similarly reliable if not even more stable. My only gripe with the kahler is that it is a little stiff in comparison to a floyd, but then again I am also comparing 7 string floyd to 8 string kahler and that could also be the tension dfference.

Awesome guitar man, I hope there are some leftovers or even blems of these available soon 

UPDATE: I just checked rondo and they have both the 825 and 827 interceptors available now for $899, one of em' is mine!


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## troyguitar (Aug 6, 2009)

I need to grab the 25.5" one.

Go Go Gadget "$1000 in my pocket"!


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## Galius (Aug 6, 2009)

WTF? I thought they all had passives. The ones on the rondo site have EMGs.


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## Hollowway (Aug 6, 2009)

Galius said:


> WTF? I thought they all had passives. The ones on the rondo site have EMGs.


 
I think they're the same in terms of being bolt-on necks, etc., but otherwise the pro's have EMGs, the standards have passives, IIRC.


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## Galius (Aug 6, 2009)

They either made some variants to sell or messed something up. The only model that was supposed to have EMGs is this one......but it was supposed to be neck-thru. The ones he has for sale on the page nas this same model are bolt on necks
Agile Interceptor Pro 8 (Deposits for July Delivery) at HomeOld


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## ra1der2 (Aug 6, 2009)

Galius said:


> They either made some variants to sell or messed something up. The only model that was supposed to have EMGs is this one......but it was supposed to be neck-thru. The ones he has for sale on the page nas this same model are bolt on necks
> Agile Interceptor Pro 8 (Deposits for July Delivery) at HomeOld



The one I bought is the interceptor pro 827 and it is a neck through stated in the specs, but after you saying this I also notice that it does show a bolt on neck? Hrm...


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## Galius (Aug 6, 2009)

ra1der2 said:


> The one I bought is the interceptor pro 827 and it is a neck through stated in the specs, but after you saying this I also notice that it does show a bolt on neck? Hrm...


I was thinking that mabey he put the wrong picture up but there was no model that had EMGs and a bolt on neck. Mabey someone should e-mail him.


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## D-EJ915 (Aug 6, 2009)

Whoa! that is _awesome_. It looks so good, congrats


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## Hollowway (Aug 8, 2009)

So with the routing hole exposed like that, I would guess that if I returned this it would wind up as a B stock, no? If so, do you think Kurt would discount this and credit me back some bucks, or no? I have no intention of returning it, but I could go for some $$ back so I don't stare at that hole for the rest of my life.


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## zimbloth (Aug 8, 2009)

Very nice dude, congrats. Looks sharp.


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## Ben.Last (Aug 8, 2009)

Kurt's always willing to take a return for ANY reason. However, I've heard of him going both ways when it comes to giving discounts after the fact. It basically comes down to it being his call. I've heard of him giving partial refunds for defects. I've also heard of him saying "return or nothing." It can't hurt to email him and ask. He's always very forthcoming when answering emails.


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## Santuzzo (Aug 8, 2009)

Hollowway said:


> So with the routing hole exposed like that, I would guess that if I returned this it would wind up as a B stock, no? If so, do you think Kurt would discount this and credit me back some bucks, or no? I have no intention of returning it, but I could go for some $$ back so I don't stare at that hole for the rest of my life.



Think about whether the hole really bothers you or not. That should be the deciding factor in whether or not you want to return it (eventhough you said you have no intention of doing so).
If you are sure it does not bother you, that's cool, it's only a cosmetic thing, so no problem.
But if it does, then it will probably always somehow bother you, and in that case you might want to consider returning it.


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## ra1der2 (Aug 8, 2009)

If it doesn't effect your playing at all and is purely aesthetic, I personally wouldn't worry about it. That kahler bridge / nut setup alone is nearly $500 in retail hardware, you got a kick ass guitar there man for a killer price. But on the other hand if every time you look at the guitar your like "man...wtf" you may want to consider your options.

Contacting Kurt and letting him see it is probably the best thing to do either way.

I also had a question about the kahler, on the back side of the bridge right in the center is there an allen wrench screw that allows you to lock it into a fixed bridge as well?


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## Hollowway (Aug 9, 2009)

ra1der2 said:


> If it doesn't effect your playing at all and is purely aesthetic, I personally wouldn't worry about it. That kahler bridge / nut setup alone is nearly $500 in retail hardware, you got a kick ass guitar there man for a killer price. But on the other hand if every time you look at the guitar your like "man...wtf" you may want to consider your options.
> 
> Contacting Kurt and letting him see it is probably the best thing to do either way.
> 
> I also had a question about the kahler, on the back side of the bridge right in the center is there an allen wrench screw that allows you to lock it into a fixed bridge as well?



So I emailed Kurt and he said no discounts, but I can return it. I just changed the strings tonight, set up the Kahler, and had to skew the neck a little to center it. I won't be returning it, because it's still an awesome deal, and direct mount pups have exposed routing, so if I were ignorant about Kahlers, I'd think that was planned, I suppose. 

Interestingly, I think the all Intereceptors were routing a bit shy of the full scale length. JohnHatch on here has a neck pocket gap, and I have a compensated bridge.

And yeah, that screw in the back is a mini Tremol-no. Pretty sweet! Just screw it in, and it's a fixed bridge.


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## cyril v (Aug 9, 2009)

did you tell him it's supposed to be neckthru? thats a pretty good f-up IMO, though i haven't seen many people say anything.


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## Hollowway (Aug 9, 2009)

cyril v said:


> did you tell him it's supposed to be neckthru? thats a pretty good f-up IMO, though i haven't seen many people say anything.



Mine was supposed to be standard. The pro's were only available in natural, and I wanted the lizard burst. That being said, it is true that the naturals ended up being bolt on instead of neck thru.


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## ra1der2 (Aug 10, 2009)

Hollowway said:


> And yeah, that screw in the back is a mini Tremol-no. Pretty sweet! Just screw it in, and it's a fixed bridge.



Sweet! I didn't know if that was a hybrid only feature only or not. Remember if you decide to go fixed bridge to loosen the cam tension first, then lock it in


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## Hollowway (Aug 10, 2009)

ra1der2 said:


> Sweet! I didn't know if that was a hybrid only feature only or not. Remember if you decide to go fixed bridge to loosen the cam tension first, then lock it in


 
Oh yeah? How come I have to loosen the tension, just to reduce the pull on that screw?

Also, (since it sounds like you know a lot about these) I noticed that the intonation screws on the highest two strings were supporting the strings rather than the rollers. I had to raise the action really high to get the rollers to engage. I figured either the whole assembly needed to be tipped back a bit (i.e. shim the front edge) to get the rollers higher up, or somehow reduce the height of the intonation screws. So I chose the latter and dremeled them down a bit. So my question is - is this an unheard of problem, and does it sound like the thing technically needed to be shimmed? Eitherway, I've got the action down to 1mm on the treble side, and I'm happy!


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## ra1der2 (Aug 11, 2009)

Yeah, I read that procedure somewhere from kahler about loosening the cam tension before locking the bridge to the fixed position.

I may sound like I know alot but I'm really just a hack  lol. I had the same issue with my 8's high e, the action adjustment screws are too long and interfere with the path of the string from the saddle to the roller, must not be uncommon. I think they are different lengths per string and I may have swapped one or both of the f# or b screws with the high e screws, can't remember exactly. Cutting or grinding them down a bit would surely do it also.


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## The Hiryuu (Aug 15, 2009)

Way to give me serious GAS and seriously consider putting a deposit on one when I realistically shouldn't.


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