Need some advice on which Agile to choose

[alexdinky]

Hi everyone! I'm going to switch from 6 to 7 string guitar. Surfing around the net I found that the best match for me is Agile guitars since they are relatively cheap and have a lot of positive feedbacks. I consider this one actually
Agile Interceptor 727 MN PASS Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
but it's rather cheap and since confusing me, what wood is used in it, quality of assembling, hardware etc... I'd like to have passive pickups, bolt-on neck and maple fretboard with no markers though. Otherwise maybe I should switch to more expensive variant like this one
Agile Septor Elite 727 EMG MN Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
but I don't like those EMGs....
Please tell me what you think. Thanks

 

[Vostre Roy]

First of all, welcome on the forum mate, here you'll find plenty of information. I highly suggest that you try to do some research before posting a new thread, especially when it comes to Agile since a lot of people own/use them.

As for the Agiles, I've never tried them, but overall its a pretty good guitar for the price (key words, "for the price"). Do some research using the search fonction on the forum or on google (just add "seventrings.org" in the research and it'll sort them out) to find users opinion.

Cheers!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Given the not so perfect QC, and lack of return policy/warranty for international buyers, I wouldn't buy one unless you live in the US.

 

[AgileLefty]

... I consider this one actually
Agile Interceptor 727 MN PASS Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
but it's rather cheap and since confusing me, what wood is used in it, quality of assembling, hardware etc... I'd like to have passive pickups, bolt-on neck and maple fretboard with no markers though. Otherwise maybe I should switch to more expensive variant like this one
Agile Septor Elite 727 EMG MN Black Flame at RondoMusic.com
but I don't like those EMGs....
Please tell me what you think. Thanks

the woods are mahogany body & maple neck. i've owned over 2 dozen Agiles, never had a problem with "quality of assembling". every once in a while some get dinged up in shipping, or leave the factory with minor flaws like finish runs, sketchy binding, poorly cut nuts, scratches, ect ... i guess i've been lucky because i haven't experienced this in over 5 years of buying from them. remember, people are MUCH more likely to post on a forum when something goes wrong with a product they buy then they are if it comes in mint condition.

i'd say no more than any other mass produced guitar line in it's price range though. you can go in to any Guitar Center or Samash and find plenty of Ibanez, Schecter, Fender, Gibson, and several other brands all with the same kinds of flaws.

being outside of the US, you ARE taking risk because you can't take advantage of the excellent return policy that Rondo has. that is one thing you want to heavily consider before buying. with that said, there are likely hundreds of members on this forum alone outside the US who have ordered them and had no problems.

 

[Septor]

I am getting the Agile Interceptor pro 727 on Friday!!!!

 

[alexdinky]

the woods are mahogany body & maple neck. i've owned over 2 dozen Agiles, never had a problem with "quality of assembling". every once in a while some get dinged up in shipping, or leave the factory with minor flaws like finish runs, sketchy binding, poorly cut nuts, scratches, ect ... i guess i've been lucky because i haven't experienced this in over 5 years of buying from them. remember, people are MUCH more likely to post on a forum when something goes wrong with a product they buy then they are if it comes in mint condition.

i'd say no more than any other mass produced guitar line in it's price range though. you can go in to any Guitar Center or Samash and find plenty of Ibanez, Schecter, Fender, Gibson, and several other brands all with the same kinds of flaws.

being outside of the US, you ARE taking risk because you can't take advantage of the excellent return policy that Rondo has. that is one thing you want to heavily consider before buying. with that said, there are likely hundreds of members on this forum alone outside the US who have ordered them and had no problems.

Thanks guys for prompt replies. Yes, I'm pretty far away from the USA, I live in Ukraine and do know about risks I'm taking. It'd be much more convenient to buy a used one somewhere around here but it's really hard to find these axes in our country, they are not that popular here, for now though

What I'm asking is it worth to take this 500 bucks guitar or Agiles cheaper than 800 bucks are just heap of crap? Feedbacks from those guys who had an opportunity to play these <=$500 guitars are much appreciated.

P.S. I guess that taking it with a case can decrease any risks heavily.

 

[rekab]

P.S. I guess that taking it with a case can decrease any risks heavily.

The risk isn't the guitar getting broken in shipping. Its the possibilty of if not being playable from the factory. I've owned one that only had one or two tiny finish flaws, but I'm in the US and could have sent it back if there were playability issues. Being overseas I'd suggest you skip Agile even though the price is tempting

 

[MaxOfMetal]

the woods are mahogany body & maple neck. i've owned over 2 dozen Agiles, never had a problem with "quality of assembling". every once in a while some get dinged up in shipping, or leave the factory with minor flaws like finish runs, sketchy binding, poorly cut nuts, scratches, ect ... i guess i've been lucky because i haven't experienced this in over 5 years of buying from them. remember, people are MUCH more likely to post on a forum when something goes wrong with a product they buy then they are if it comes in mint condition.

i'd say no more than any other mass produced guitar line in it's price range though. you can go in to any Guitar Center or Samash and find plenty of Ibanez, Schecter, Fender, Gibson, and several other brands all with the same kinds of flaws.

being outside of the US, you ARE taking risk because you can't take advantage of the excellent return policy that Rondo has. that is one thing you want to heavily consider before buying. with that said, there are likely hundreds of members on this forum alone outside the US who have ordered them and had no problems.

I don't know, I've never seen Fender send a guitar with the bridge installed in the wrong spot making intonation impossible and requiring the neck to be re-bolted in a different position. I've also never seen a Schecter ship with the completely wrong pickups. Nor have I seen Gibsons ship with messed up veneers on them. Also never seen an Ibanez that shipped with the wrong neck joint.

Agile QC is roughly on par with guitars in the same bracket from other brands, but I wouldn't tout that as anything special.

The fact of the matter is that there have been Agiles to ship with some pretty serious issues, and ones that have shipped with those issues overseas.

Also, I think it's more like a couple dozen, at the very most, folks on this forum who have ordered Agiles from overseas.

I've ordered my fair share of Agiles to, and for the price you can't beat the options they give you, especially for extended range/scale instruments. The quality is spot on, easily 85% of the time, but for that 15% it's good knowing that in the US, you can get things taken care of. They're great, for the price.

I've owned close to sixty Ibanez guitars, and as much as I obviously love that maker, I'd be lying to myself if I thought they didn't fuck up fairly consistently on their cheaper instruments. It happens.

 

[AgileLefty]

I don't know, I've never seen Fender send a guitar with the bridge installed in the wrong spot making intonation impossible and requiring the neck to be re-bolted in a different position. I've also never seen a Schecter ship with the completely wrong pickups. Nor have I seen Gibsons ship with messed up veneers on them. Also never seen an Ibanez that shipped with the wrong neck joint.

i have, absolutely. had a Fender where 2 of the bolts holding the neck on were drilled at the wrong angle, and stripped on top of that! couldn't even shim it cause it was so bad. had to fill the holes and redrill. wasn't the bridge like you said, but it was Fender.

seen some $2000+ Gibson LP's with some of the worst bookmatched tops known to man and frets not even seated hardly at all. bought one in the mid 90's that didn't even have the neck pickup wired in. it didn't come loose, it didn't even have a mark on it. this was BRAND new in the store and just pulled out of the box. got it cheap because of that so i can't complain really. how the hell did QC miss that one ?

had my fair share of shitty Jacksons and Ibanez gits too with lots of flaws and screw ups. like i've said before, people are FAR more likely to complain about something they buy is jacked up then they are when it comes completely mint.

i've been a member on the agile guitar forum for about 5 years. seen thousands of "NGD" thread where people got excellent guitars. seen a few dozen where they got serious duds.

you pays yer' money and you takes yer' chances

 

[SamSam]

Dude, I don't know what they are charging on shipping to Ukraine, but once I added a case and shipping to my shopping cart it added up to a fair bit more than I expected. For that money I could get an ibanez, ltd or schecter. I was looking for a cheap 8 string but it wasn't worth it at all for me in Europe once the shopping etc was added. I think you can probably get a better deal here in Europe

 

[anthonylbest]

I have this guitar: Agile Interceptor 727 MN PASS Black Flame at RondoMusic.com in blue quilt and I absolutely love it. However I bought it 2nd hand and was able to inspect the guitar. But ordering one new overseas just sounds like a pretty big risk.

 

[alexdinky]

Dudes, thanks a lot for your thoughts and experience shared with me! Now I really have substantial doubts of that idea taking a pig in a poke. An axe pricing $865 with a case would cost me something about $1200 including shipping and this is too much for paying for something that I'm not confident in... I believed that the main risks involved breaking during transportation or something.
Could you suggest me some alternative in taking maybe somewhere in Europe?
Thanks

btw, I've got here a guy in Ukraine who's selling his ESP LTD H-307 (made in Korea 2003 yr.) in nearly perfect condition with a hardshell case + Duncan Blackouts for $850. It's very tasty but overpriced I suppose. What do you think of this item and its pricing?

 

[SamSam]

For that price you might as well look for a new guitar unless you really want that guitar. Check Thomann Cyberstore they have a pretty good selection of sevens around that price.

 

[Isan]

get the new rg827

 

[awesomeaustin]

I think the price of the H-307 is high. They usually sell for a few hundred less than that. But they are stellar guitars.

Like SamSam said, Thomann is probably the way to go.

 

[SamSam]

The new RG premium 7 is about 700E get that!!!

 

[troyguitar]

The new RG premium 7 is about 700E get that!!!

I find Agiles to be rather overrated, especially for an international buyer.

 

[SamSam]

The shipping is crazy. I've bought 5 guitars from the US and never paid more than 130USD for shipping.

 

[alexdinky]

Thanks to everyone. Now I'm skipping the idea of taking Agile without playing it and actually nearly decided to purchase used ESP LTD H-307 in Ukraine

 

[Fractalz]

Get the Septor.