Need opinions on agile issues.

[TraitorsEyes]

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

 

[haffner1]

I would send it back. The minor stuff on the fingerboard is pretty typical of a lot of mid-priced guitars regardless of the brand, but that business with the nut and the FB at the first fret would be a no-go for me, unless he gave a partial refund or something to cover the repair.

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

Yeah if I had received that I would send it back.

That's the awesome thing about rondo though is its not a huge issue to send it back and get a replacement or your cash back.


If the nuts your biggest concern I imagine its possible to pop it out and sand it even or more like the loomis. I haven't had much of an issue and my nuts pretty much similar.

 

[Church2224]

The stuff with the nut and bridge would scare the hell out of me. I would send it back man.

 

[CrushingAnvil]

Dude, You get what you pay for and that rule applies even more with Agile.

Send it back.

 

[TraitorsEyes]

Somehow, I've fallen in love with my loomis again.

It's a shame, but this guy's going back. Maybe I'll just deal and look for a 1527 or something. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

That guitar almost looks second hand from the pics so I'd send it back. I'm tempted to order one of the black Interceptor with the white binding but Agile's QC really puts me off especially since I can't return from Europe. How would the neck compare to your Loomis in thickness/radius/playability?

 

[TraitorsEyes]

It's a real shame because I really like the feel of the neck. The profile of the Loomis is a pronounced "D" where the agile feels like a tad shallower "D". Reviews really nailed it where they say an agile neck feels like a cross between a schecter and ibanez neck. It's pretty damn comfy and fast. Enough heft but flat enough for the classical grip.

Would I recommend it? Ehhhh...It feels pretty cheap when you pick it up, etc. Just doesn't feel right compared to a regular guitar. Even my indo 7321 felt like it was higher quality than this. The specs are great, but the final product is just meh. If it were $500 to $700, it'd be alright but for the QC issues and overall cheap feel, I would go for Ibanez (7s in general) or Schecter (extended scale 7s).

I wish I could keep it cuz it plays great, but I guess I'll bite the bullet and block a 2127z for my extended scale needs.

That guitar almost looks second hand from the pics so I'd send it back. I'm tempted to order one of the black Interceptor with the white binding but Agile's QC really puts me off especially since I can't return from Europe. How would the neck compare to your Loomis in thickness/radius/playability?

 

[AxeHappy]

I buy most of my guitars used, and many of them (except the super cheap ones like S540CMGs for $325ish) are in better condition than that. Maybe some dings or chips on body finish or something but nothing that actually effects play ability.

I used to really want an Agile until we got one into the shop I teach at just for a setup. I tried it out, looked at the frets and decided I'd find a used Ibanez.

 

[Septor]

Oh man... I am getting mine at the end of this month and I live in the Uk, no returns for me.... I really hope it doesn't arrive in that condition. No offence.

 

[7stringsofdestruction]

And people wonder why i wont buy an agile...

 

[TraitorsEyes]

If only they were made with the half the quality control of Ibanez, Jackson, etc, and you'd have a killer guitar. Before shipping to me, they guitars were shipped from Korea to their store for inspection. It's like, how well did you inspect it if it arrived like this? Were they hoping I wouldn't notice/care?

It sucks cuz I was hoping this would be my go-to guitar for shows and such.

 

[SirMyghin]

^ No, Rondo doesn't inspect them, they recieve and ship out. YOU are the QC. It is a cost cutting procedure. When you are dealing with import guitars, this is the kind of crap you have to deal with, no matter how you slice it. They are cheap for a reason. Then again you get occasional work of that calibre from domestics too, particularly some of the cheaper custom shops.

 

[TraitorsEyes]

^ well then! This has been a colossal waste of time.

 

[beneharris]

sorry to hear its been such a pain. it seems that the QC problem has been getting worse. i have an intrepid from a year or two ago, and its flawless. its to bad that these things keep popping up.

hope they rectify it for you!

 

[Floppystrings]

Dang, that is pretty bad.

Agile should just start making American or Japanese guitars along with the lower priced stuff, their ideas are good enough.

We need more high end 7/8 string guitars too.

 

[TraitorsEyes]

well, it's on the way back to Rondo. The quality assurance is one thing, but I can't complain about the refund process at all. Fill out a form and boop, free shipping label.

 

[aWoodenShip]

Dang.. that's just terrible. And I was really considering Agile for my first 7 too. Is the QC any better if it's a custom, or is it still the same sketch build quality?

 

[AdAstra2025]

I've always been skeptical of the no-name import guitars. I realize that many of them come from the same factories as other, more well known companies, but it's a hard sell when there is little to no QC involved on either side of the Pacific. On Rondo's site, those Agiles look amazing, though. Hell, even those Douglas Grendels are gorgeous on that site, yet I have only heard horror stories about them on the forums.
If it were me, I would send that baby back to where it was purchased and ask for a refund.

 

[The Munk]

-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

The black spots you see there are in the ebony itself. It's not that uncommon.