Fallen out of love with my Agile :(

[Acre]

Hi gents, haven't posted in a while but I'd really appreciate some advice.

A few months back I impulsively bought an Agile Interceptor 727, the red one with a floyd rose. At the time it seemed perfect but as time has passed I've learned to loathe it. The neck is just too big to be comfortable, the frets are too widely spaced and it's so much thicker than I anticipated. Add to that the tremolo that I never use, the lame EMGs and the fact that I got royally screwed by FedEx for shipping and you'll appreciate why I'm ready to eBay it so soon.

I just feel as though I should have got used to it by now, and the fact that it still feels so cumbersome and hard to play is indicative of how poorly suited it is to my playing style and the size and shape of my hands.

I just wanted to know if anybody else felt this way. I've heard a lot of good things about the Interceptor on these forums but how many of you have lived to regret your purchase?

Also, I was thinking of starting over and getting something a little more appropriate. At the moment I'm eyeing up the ESP Horizon NT-7. I love ESPs and I've heard the necks aren't too chunky, plus the standard scale length makes more sense to me, I'm not afraid of thick strings

Anyone got one of these and wanna share your thoughts? I'll probably end up sticking some Cold Sweats in it eventually (or maybe someone could recommend something else) so I'm more interested in a solid overall guitar, made to a higher spec than my old Agile. My preference, in terms of construction, leans towards alder bodies and ebony fretboards and I only want a hardtail so this looks ideal. Too bad about the price though. Last shop I saw selling one quoted over £1500 ($2400) which is ridiculous. Any advice, either relating to the ESP or another, cheaper guitar would be much appreciated Thanks.

 

[Rick]

Sorry to hear that.

I adjusted pretty quickly to the neck on mine, blocked the LFR so no issue there, and I love the 707. But as they say, different strokes for different folks.

 

[blister7321]

i dont think youll get anything else spec'd like that for less

 

[thraxil]

Agiles are pretty unbeatable for their price, but I haven't played one that I could honestly say was comparable to a high end guitar like an ESP Horizon.

My Intrepid 828 Pro is fine and I haven't yet seen another 28.6" scale 8-string anywhere near the price I paid. But, yeah, when I play that for a while and then put it down and pick up one of my 6-string Parker Fly's, it feels like switching from a tractor to a Ferarri. The neck is chunky, the body is thick and heavy, and the fretwork is less than stunning. I don't regret the purchase though. It's been good enough to convince me that I really do want that 8-string range. I'll probably switch up to a higher quality 8 with a thinner neck at some point (debating between getting an Ibanez 2228 or waiting until I can afford an Oni Carbon 8) but it'll tide me over until then.

 

[OrsusMetal]

I played my student's Interceptor Pro 727 for the first time last night. The scale length didn't bother me. It sounded great! But, like you said, I couldn't get used to the thickness of the neck. It felt massive. I had plans of grabbing up an Agile here sometime soon that has that Uniform neck profile, but now I'm probably going to pass unless I was able to shave it down a bunch.

 

[maxoom]

I had the same scale length issues with a 26.5 C7 HR. I just could not do the stretch I needed playing leads high up.Neck felt a bit cumbersome.I picked up a RG7620 and love it.It feels like I`m back with an old girl friend that I have amazing sex with.lol

The EMG707 are love/hate with me.

 

[Evil7]

I love my 27in scale Agile Interceptor.

I have larger than normal hands, and long fingers.. I had no issues at all with a curve of geting used to the guitar....

It was the first time I had tried emg's in a seven string guitar....
At first My playing sounded sloppy but I learned to tighten my technique, properly mute when needed, and over all became a more precise player.
The emg's made me clean up a lot becasue they pick up every touch.

I feel the neck is less combersome than a schecter 7 ... I prefer the Agile neck to my Ibanez 7321 neck as well....

I couldnt be more happy with my guitar. Its a beast playing metal thru my high gain tube amp.

 

[Acre]

I appreciate what everyone is saying and am in complete agreement. Agiles are extraordinarily good value and I have a great deal of respect for Rondo Music and their range. It's just that personally I find their sevens impractical and am starting to realise that sometimes it makes sense to pay a premium for something that I'm essentially going to use everyday.

With that in mind, I'm happy to save up and fork out for an ESP but I just need confirmation that there isn't something even approaching that spec for less.

Also, maybe I'm jumping the gun a little, but if I did go with a Horizon in the future, I'd definitely swap out the 707s for Bare Knuckles. Any recommendations? Alder + Maple + Ebony = Bright so maybe I would need to balance that out. But I absolutely LOVE the sound of Cold Sweats or Painkillers. I have a 6505 which can darken the tone if I need it to so should I just go with my gut on this one? After trying EMGs I'm dying for something with a little less output and a hell of a lot tighter. Don't want to make the same mistake twice y'know?

 

[jerome snail]

I don't see where EMG are not tight...

 

[Acre]

I don't see where EMG are not tight...

For me it's 50% the pickups and 50% my technique. I can be sloppy at times and the EMGs have trained me to be a better player, especially when it comes to muting strings; I'm grateful for that. But they're just too hot for what I'm playing. I like to do a lot of Periphery/SikTh style tech metal but so far I've had to invest in a compressor and two noise gates to make it sound good. Plus they completely overwrite the natural tonal characteristics of the guitar. Everything else being equal, my Interceptor sounds identical to my friends EMG equipped Ibanez, which is made from basswood. That displeases me

 

[Emperoff]

I'm the complete opposite. The EMG signature compressed sound has made my playing sound like shit with passives with less gain and compression. THAT is what really show the flaws on your technique.

On topic, I felt the same way with my Agile. Even though it was 25'5", the neck was too round, quite thick and the small frets bugged me all the time.

 

[blister7321]

dont they also have em with thinner necks too tho

 

[viesczy]

I have a 27" Agile 7, one from the first run where the violin color came back as flamed violet and the DiMarzio Breeds, and I agree that it is a thicker neck as compared to my other 7s-2 Ibbys & an ESP.

If it isn't fitting, you get something that you're going to be happy with as life is too short to be fretting over the fretting of a guitar!

I found that after adjusting to the 27" scale, just practics my 3 finger drills a little (no index finger used in all scalar fingers), the scale didn't bother me any longer. About the only change I made to my fretting technique was that for Paul Gilbert type string skipped arps in 1 through 5th position i simply use my index finger more.

Derek

 

[DIOBOLIC5150]

The Interceptor necks are OK if you have fairly large hands. I shaved down a couple of them that I used to have and it made them play a bit better. But I fell out of love with Agile, too. The prices are good but the the quality is too dodgy... I also blame Bernie Rico Jr... The neck on my BRJ is the most perfect neck I've ever played.

 

[Ben.Last]

Given the issue you're having with the Agile, which is simply that it doesn't mesh with what you want/need (rather than it being not "good enough"), I'd TRY to get out to brick and mortar guitar stores and try out some different brands before buying something else. The last thing you want to do is drop the cash on the Horizon only to find out that it doesn't provide what you need either.

 

[Valserp]

I had a love/hate relationship with mine. At times, I loved the scale, at times I dreaded it. At times I loved the neck thickness - at others, I felt handicapped by it. At times - the sound was just what I was after, at others - meshed up crap.

I don't regret owning it at all, but maybe it was just not my type of axe. I still get GAS for Agiles from time to time, and I definitely miss my old one... but oh well. I'm perfectly happy with my RG1527 right now

 

[HottKarl]

I felt pretty much the same way about the Septor 727 I had. Beautiful finish for the $$$. But I never did get used to the neck....felt like a baseball bat to me. Hated the stock Agile p/u's and the mahogany body just sounded muddy to my ears with A tuning. I also just couldn't seem to get used to the 27" scale.

Not a bad guitar....just not right for me.

FWIW, I picked up the Jackson SLAT3 7 stringer and loved it. Much thinner neck, 25.5" scale, alder body/maple neck which gives it a brighter tone. More $$$ in the end, but worth it for me.

 

[pink freud]

I like my T7 much more than my Interceptor 27 Pro. Still need to sand the paint off the neck to see if that helps.

 

[Acre]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think the bottom line is that I've simply got to decide whether to stick with the Agile or save for something a little better. I have pretty average sized hands and I don't see them growing any time soon so the neck thickness issue will always be there

I'll shop around and if I find something cool you'll be sure to see a NGD thread with my name on it (and pics). Cheers.

 

[ncbrock]

IMO the necks are perfect, coming from a schecter, they are a nice change. Really I dont think your willing to adjust. I can switch from a schecter to an ibanez flawlessly, to me theres not that much of a differance. You can feel it, but its nothing major to be like "ohh man I hate this guitar b\c the neck". Like someone said before you cant get a better spec'd guitar for the money. If they are still doing the semi-custom orders you should try the "slim" neck profile.