Considering ordering a custom Agile, looking for help/ideas!

[Upgrayedd]

*I've never ordered a custom before, so if this the wrong forum, I apologize.

Hello, I've been wanting to get a 6 string baritone length for some time now. My primary focus for it would be good cleans, I doubt it will be a chugging guitar.

Priority order for tone would be: Good warm cleans for chill stuff and I'd like to be get some nice telecaster like tones for some western sounds. It would be a bonus to be able to summon some good hard rock sounds too.

Body: I've really wanted to get a tele for a while, and Rondo has an option for a semi-hollow as well. For cleans this would probably work, but I don't know if this could be a noise issue if I added some gain to it. I'm also open to a non-hollow version and their AL/Les Paul body style as well.

Wood: Both guitars I own are Mahogany, so I am leaning towards that. Does anyone think that I could benefit from ash or alder for the tones I am seeking?

Scale: Most likely 27". B to B is my preference. I'm concerned 28.65 might be overkill if I never go below A.

Pickups: This is where I'm stuck and most open to suggestions. They offer a Duncan Blackout but I'm unsure about this with a semi-hollow/cleans/etc. Maybe the regular humbucker in an HSS set up? If that were the case then maybe I should check out the Fender Blacktop Baritone Telecaster and save some money. With all the possible permutations of 2/3 pickups and variety, I go in circles lol. I'm so used to playing rhythm in the bridge and cleans in the neck. (They offer single coil/Humbucker/P-90/mini-humbucker/Blackouts). What do you think might work or fun to try out? I open to any combo, I need to think outside the box!

I'd love to hear any possible ideas or suggestions! Thanks!

 

[decreebass]

Even though I've recently had a falling out with Carvin, I'd vote you go that route. Once you've paid off a custom Agile you're in the neighborhood of a low-middle grade Carvin (which are infinitely better instruments AND they're American-made). I vote for the DC7X. It IS a 7-string (which you didn't say you wanted, I know), but it's a baritone scale and if you get the passive pups, the cleans sound unbelievably godly - almost piezo-y with those rich piano-like overtones from the wound strings.

I have mine wired with coil-splitters as well

 

[Svava]

Agile is absolute crap
save yourself from heartache and order a Carvin.

Or pretty much anything else.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Thanks guys, I had a brain lapse and completely forgot about Carvin. I played my friends many years ago, and your right, the build was excellent. I am going to research options with them now.

 

[Rick]

Agile is absolute crap
save yourself from heartache and order a Carvin.

Or pretty much anything else.

What experience do you have with Agile guitars? I ordered a custom and it got GOTM. And so many of us here have Agiles and love them.

 

[decreebass]

Comparatively they aren't nearly as good as Carvin.

Their necks are fat, fret jobs leave a lot to be desired, throw-away pickups...

I would choose an Agile over something like a Schecter or Dean or Washburn or low-end Ibanez, but compared to a Carvin, Svava is correct. However, I have had NOTHING but excellent service from Kurt at Rondo music, whereas customer service is the reason I will never buy anything from Carvin again (unless they make the effort to get me back as a customer, but that's neither here nor there).

 

[Svava]

What experience do you have with Agile guitars? I ordered a custom and it got GOTM. And so many of us here have Agiles and love them.

I have played a few others have owned/been in a shop etc. Also my guitar teacher has a student with one and concurs with my sentiment.

The pickups just sound horrendous and overall the craftsmanship just feels really bad. Not to mention that with the paintjob every one I have seen has looked like a piece of plastic and felt about the same.

I don't want to offend anyone who has them at likes them but... from my firsthand experience and all conjecture that I've heard, they're awful


EDIT: OP IDK if you're working with a specific budget but...
http://blackwaterguitars.com/


These guys seem to be a great custom shop WITHIN the US which is pretty cool. I've not experienced their work firsthand though. I think a few forum members have.

 

[Necris]

What experience do you have with Agile guitars? I ordered a custom and it got GOTM. And so many of us here have Agiles and love them.

It should be pointed out that GOTM here is not based solely on build quality/playability, or even based strongly on it for that matter,generally the votes are cast purely on the appeal of the guitar visually.

I sincerely doubt all or even most of the people who voted for your guitar did so on the basis of its build quality or playability compared to the other nominees at the time; thus "my agile won guitar of the month on this forum" is a moot point when discussing the quality of the brand.

This isn't meant to be an attack on you, but lets not pretend that guitar of the month on here means a whole lot.


More directly related to the topic at hand, the OP should look in to Carvin. Also Blackwater isn't really a viable option at the time being, as far as I'm aware he still has quite the backlog of guitars he's working on.

 

[gclef]

When did carvin release the dc7x? It seems as if they are releasing a new model every 6 months or so.

That said, even though I don't play 7 strings, I'd go with carvin. This is based on my now 12 year old h2 holdsworth that is just starting to need a fret dressing.

Although I now prefer Ibanez RGs over anything else, I still think carvins are great guitars.
I'd have more, but they don't have 24 fret bolt on superstrats............yet.

One can dream, right?

 

[Orgalmer]

There's nothing wrong with Agile. Just don't expect perfection from them and you'll be fine. My Intrepid 828 was awesome and didn't have any defects in terms of finish or weird stuff going on, if I had chucked new pickups in it it would've been a killer workhorse guitar. It played really well and the only minus for me was it's heavy weight and EMG 808x pickups weren't my thing.

That being said if you're looking for a custom I'd try out Carvin. By far and away one of the best guitars I've ever played and for the price I think they're a real bargain.

 

[will_shred]

The Agile I had was really great, I actually really liked the stock active pickups (it's all subjective after all) and objectively the fretwork was really great, and the action was super low.

Perhaps I just got a jem, I got rid of it because the neck was HUGE, and I don't have the biggest hands.

 

[Rap Hat]

I've owned a ton of Agiles, including a custom AL627. While none of them are outstanding, none have had major flaws and I've been pleased with each.
The custom AL is all-around decent, and the stock pickups are great for the sludge and doom I use it for. I got it for a total of $500, and it's definitely better than the $500 ibanezes and Schecters I played.
But like always, if you're outside of the US it's not worth it, and a custom Agile is ideal only if you can't get the specs elsewhere.

E: if you check my post history you can see the NGD of the AL627 custom, complete with sound clips.

 

[tastehbacon]

Swamp ash with maple neck and a rosewood fretboard. And throw some bkps in.