TraitorsEyes
Well-Known Member
Sooo, an unfortunate NGD for me. Finally snagged an all white Septor Elite 727 guitar which I've been wanting for a long time. Crappy thing is, it's come with the usual Agile blemishes you *may* come to expect. I was hoping to be one of the lucky few without issues but alas, it was not to be.
As for playability, i was pretty impressed. Running through The Human Abstract and The Eyes of a Traitors songs, I found I could play along at speed (just a little messy but still there) unlike my loomis.
I threw down a total of $970 for this ($800 guitar, $65 case, $100 ish for shipping). The shipping was a pain to Hawaii and the case was recommended in that if the guitar was damaged, I'd have to pay shipping fees for returns. This guy isn't grossly damaged like say, in two pieces, but still damaged nonetheless.
If I paid $600-$700, then maybe it'd be okay (but still unacceptable for a brand new guitar to show up like this). But for $800, I'm damn expecting the only thing I need to do when it arrives is to string it and set it up. From last night (maybe it was the honeymoon period), it plays fine. But it's always gonna be in the back of my head with these blemishes. The biggest deal breaker is the higher bass string issue with the nut. It's doable, but after having the low action of a loomis, I wish the agile would be the same.
I'm thinking if I did fix it, I'd have the board dyed, get the bridge checked out, and the nut replaced by a tech. No idea how much that'd cost though.
I only contemplate keeping this because of the specs: hipshot bridge, 7 string extended scale guitar , all white (though not a big deal), the neck is good (only played a loomis, 7321 and Jackson DXMG for neck experience).
I'd love to snag a high ibanez but I like to drop tune a lot, not a big fan of trems or tremol-no, I don't like switching guitars (one is good enough for me), I find tune-o-matics do not play as well like hipshot style bridges (again, for me), and it just annoys me how I'd love to play some badass guitars but they only come with trems and I'd need to block it to suit my needs (this is more out of laziness and why can't they just do a hardtail version). A custom guitar is just way to expensive for me. And no one really does extended scales except Ibanez (only 2 models), Agile, and Schecter (I've had my fill of Schecter necks, they're just not for me).
tl;dr
my agile has mainly cosmetic issues with some slight playability problems. more of a mental thing in that I spent a lot money for something of lesser quality than was expected and while playable, will linger in my mind. Yes, I have emailed rondo about this as well. Should I keep and fix or return?
-Treble side, nut is slightly undersized so there's overhang of the neck (you can feel the gap where the nut should be properly sized and fit for a uniform feel)
-I assumed the nut is supposed to be level, but when I sighted down the neck, I noticed a slope that's raised on the bass side then lowers to the treble side. I looked at my loomis and while there is a gradual slope, the agile is much more pronounced. I was wondering why even with my low set up, the bass strings were still so damn high. Compared to my loomis where the low E is tuned to C#, just needs a feather light touch to sound and it's 48 gauge, whereas the agile takes a bit more effort, is a 42 and tuned to C (!). granted the loomis is 26.5" and the agile is 27", but the scale, gauge, and tuning differences should even out, right?
loomis
septor
-while sighting down the neck, I found a gap on the treble side of the bridge where I can slip a regular credit card a few cm underneath.
-Black spots across fretboard from 4th fret to 17th, I've tried lemon oil but it's not coming off.
black spots pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Bass side, body Gloss where neck joins body. You can see the difference in sheen to the left and right of the center fret marker.
neck gloss pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, Weird gunk on the 17th to 22nd frets.
weird gunk pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-White sudges on the fretboard binding.
white smudges pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Bass side, Noticeable fill-in at above the nut.
bass side nut fill pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, shoddy nut installation.
treble side nut pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, 1st fret seems to have a shade of the fingerboard sanded off. There's a noticeable angle to that edge.
1st fret slight sand pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
As for playability, i was pretty impressed. Running through The Human Abstract and The Eyes of a Traitors songs, I found I could play along at speed (just a little messy but still there) unlike my loomis.
I threw down a total of $970 for this ($800 guitar, $65 case, $100 ish for shipping). The shipping was a pain to Hawaii and the case was recommended in that if the guitar was damaged, I'd have to pay shipping fees for returns. This guy isn't grossly damaged like say, in two pieces, but still damaged nonetheless.
If I paid $600-$700, then maybe it'd be okay (but still unacceptable for a brand new guitar to show up like this). But for $800, I'm damn expecting the only thing I need to do when it arrives is to string it and set it up. From last night (maybe it was the honeymoon period), it plays fine. But it's always gonna be in the back of my head with these blemishes. The biggest deal breaker is the higher bass string issue with the nut. It's doable, but after having the low action of a loomis, I wish the agile would be the same.
I'm thinking if I did fix it, I'd have the board dyed, get the bridge checked out, and the nut replaced by a tech. No idea how much that'd cost though.
I only contemplate keeping this because of the specs: hipshot bridge, 7 string extended scale guitar , all white (though not a big deal), the neck is good (only played a loomis, 7321 and Jackson DXMG for neck experience).
I'd love to snag a high ibanez but I like to drop tune a lot, not a big fan of trems or tremol-no, I don't like switching guitars (one is good enough for me), I find tune-o-matics do not play as well like hipshot style bridges (again, for me), and it just annoys me how I'd love to play some badass guitars but they only come with trems and I'd need to block it to suit my needs (this is more out of laziness and why can't they just do a hardtail version). A custom guitar is just way to expensive for me. And no one really does extended scales except Ibanez (only 2 models), Agile, and Schecter (I've had my fill of Schecter necks, they're just not for me).
tl;dr
my agile has mainly cosmetic issues with some slight playability problems. more of a mental thing in that I spent a lot money for something of lesser quality than was expected and while playable, will linger in my mind. Yes, I have emailed rondo about this as well. Should I keep and fix or return?
-Treble side, nut is slightly undersized so there's overhang of the neck (you can feel the gap where the nut should be properly sized and fit for a uniform feel)
![DSC02369.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/treble%20side%20nut/DSC02369.jpg)
-I assumed the nut is supposed to be level, but when I sighted down the neck, I noticed a slope that's raised on the bass side then lowers to the treble side. I looked at my loomis and while there is a gradual slope, the agile is much more pronounced. I was wondering why even with my low set up, the bass strings were still so damn high. Compared to my loomis where the low E is tuned to C#, just needs a feather light touch to sound and it's 48 gauge, whereas the agile takes a bit more effort, is a 42 and tuned to C (!). granted the loomis is 26.5" and the agile is 27", but the scale, gauge, and tuning differences should even out, right?
loomis
![DSC02393.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/nut/DSC02393.jpg)
septor
![DSC02366.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/nut/DSC02366.jpg)
-while sighting down the neck, I found a gap on the treble side of the bridge where I can slip a regular credit card a few cm underneath.
![DSC02364.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/gap%20under%20bridge/DSC02364.jpg)
![DSC02362.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/gap%20under%20bridge/DSC02362.jpg)
-Black spots across fretboard from 4th fret to 17th, I've tried lemon oil but it's not coming off.
![DSC02341.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/black%20spots/DSC02341.jpg)
black spots pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Bass side, body Gloss where neck joins body. You can see the difference in sheen to the left and right of the center fret marker.
![DSC02307.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/neck%20gloss/DSC02307.jpg)
neck gloss pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, Weird gunk on the 17th to 22nd frets.
![DSC02312.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/weird%20gunk/DSC02312.jpg)
weird gunk pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-White sudges on the fretboard binding.
![DSC02389.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/white%20smudges/DSC02389.jpg)
white smudges pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Bass side, Noticeable fill-in at above the nut.
![DSC02379.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/bass%20side%20nut%20fill/DSC02379.jpg)
bass side nut fill pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, shoddy nut installation.
![DSC02320.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/treble%20side%20nut/DSC02320.jpg)
treble side nut pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
-Treble side, 1st fret seems to have a shade of the fingerboard sanded off. There's a noticeable angle to that edge.
1st fret slight sand pictures by funykmunkyass - Photobucket
![DSC02373.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/funykmunkyass/Septor/1st%20fret%20slight%20sand/DSC02373.jpg)