I'm a very very infrequent contributor, more commonly just a lurker…I'm sure ya'll know what this looks like so I'm not going to go nuts with photos...
This showed up today…
First 5 minute impressions…
Easily the nicest feeling guitar I've bought from Rondo (Bought 4 others over the course of 15 or so years), very playable out of the box.
7 string multiscale and very thin neck = very comfortable and natural even though I have small hands…this was my worry with an 8 string. Don't even have to think about the fan, it just fits your hand. This is the first multiscale I've ever touched, so no basis for comparison…other than it looks a lot weirder than it actually feels. I would definitely consider another multiscale, maybe a bass, in the future.
97% free of defects, one very very small clear coat deviation on the back side…could probably be buffed out with super fine sand paper if I cared, but I don't. Its like just a difference in glossiness. On both sides where the fretboard joins the body there are also some flaws…nothing crazy just an observation.
Sunburst is a little weird in the front bisecting the guitar and with a few "lines" going the same direction… The photos on the website appear to be color corrected to minimize this effect, but judging from those photos and other owner photos I don't think I could expect any better. Not a huge deal, especially considering the $, but if I was going to pick anything to be slightly disappointed by, this would be it. If I paid $3000 for it I would probably exchange it, but I didn't so I won't. My cheesy cell phone photo and poor lighting makes it look worse than it is, but it is there, not a shadow.
I like the smooth matte finish they use on these versus the super glossy stuff, feels nice.
Binding and ornamentation…cheap and cheesy, but I don't really care about that stuff.
Headstock/tuners/bridge/nut/fretboard/frets seem solid. Agile logo not offensive. I think I may end up needing to slightly file the nut to accommodate slightly heavier strings…but this is preferable to other Rondo Music guitars I have received in the past, where the nut has been OVER-filed and un-usable. I'm not entirely sure if I'll even need to do it like that, Honestly, I might even be able to get away with my intended tuning without going up in gauge. I bought a few of the 8 string acoustic sets from Rondo, I was thinking about using the 7 heaviest strings and tuning this down to G#…but actually with the stock strings it seems to hold that up better than I expected…so I'm not sure yet.
Intonation is tough to tell how far off it is, with the onboard electronics, as mentioned below…its not perfect of course...but I'm not concerned about it, will be setup properly soon.
Onboard electronics…I'm not in love with the tuner itself, I mean it flashes green when you're in tune, but how many cents flat/sharp you are is vague…you are simply flat, sharp (in 1/3 increments for each), or in tune. Battery dead out of the box. Not a big deal, I have a couple dozen 9v batteries sitting around. I didn't plug in the guitar, because I generally don't care for the plugged in sound of an acoustic…I only bought the model with electronics for the tuner…and it was cheaper to get it with than without. I guess I'm more used to a strobe.
The case it ships with is nice, however it could stand to be .25" longer IMHO because if it was any tighter I don't think it'd fit at all, it literally digs all the way into the padding to the edge of the case... it is very tight and I have a feeling that over time the headstock will wear just from removing and placing it back in the case.
Down to the sound…I'm no acoustic guitar professional, and have never owned a "good" acoustic to compare it to (my only other acoustic is an old Supro S700)... but it sounds balanced and projecting for my purposes…even the low string…no complaints.
So the reason why I posted this here…since there is a disproportionate amount of people on this forum over any other buying these…what are your thoughts on the finish? I didn't see any other folks with sunburst models, but even the natural models look a bit "streaky" like my sunburst…normal? I am not planning on sending it back, I mainly just wanted to see what other owners have noticed. Also thoughts on the case?
This showed up today…
First 5 minute impressions…
Easily the nicest feeling guitar I've bought from Rondo (Bought 4 others over the course of 15 or so years), very playable out of the box.
7 string multiscale and very thin neck = very comfortable and natural even though I have small hands…this was my worry with an 8 string. Don't even have to think about the fan, it just fits your hand. This is the first multiscale I've ever touched, so no basis for comparison…other than it looks a lot weirder than it actually feels. I would definitely consider another multiscale, maybe a bass, in the future.
97% free of defects, one very very small clear coat deviation on the back side…could probably be buffed out with super fine sand paper if I cared, but I don't. Its like just a difference in glossiness. On both sides where the fretboard joins the body there are also some flaws…nothing crazy just an observation.
Sunburst is a little weird in the front bisecting the guitar and with a few "lines" going the same direction… The photos on the website appear to be color corrected to minimize this effect, but judging from those photos and other owner photos I don't think I could expect any better. Not a huge deal, especially considering the $, but if I was going to pick anything to be slightly disappointed by, this would be it. If I paid $3000 for it I would probably exchange it, but I didn't so I won't. My cheesy cell phone photo and poor lighting makes it look worse than it is, but it is there, not a shadow.
I like the smooth matte finish they use on these versus the super glossy stuff, feels nice.
Binding and ornamentation…cheap and cheesy, but I don't really care about that stuff.
Headstock/tuners/bridge/nut/fretboard/frets seem solid. Agile logo not offensive. I think I may end up needing to slightly file the nut to accommodate slightly heavier strings…but this is preferable to other Rondo Music guitars I have received in the past, where the nut has been OVER-filed and un-usable. I'm not entirely sure if I'll even need to do it like that, Honestly, I might even be able to get away with my intended tuning without going up in gauge. I bought a few of the 8 string acoustic sets from Rondo, I was thinking about using the 7 heaviest strings and tuning this down to G#…but actually with the stock strings it seems to hold that up better than I expected…so I'm not sure yet.
Intonation is tough to tell how far off it is, with the onboard electronics, as mentioned below…its not perfect of course...but I'm not concerned about it, will be setup properly soon.
Onboard electronics…I'm not in love with the tuner itself, I mean it flashes green when you're in tune, but how many cents flat/sharp you are is vague…you are simply flat, sharp (in 1/3 increments for each), or in tune. Battery dead out of the box. Not a big deal, I have a couple dozen 9v batteries sitting around. I didn't plug in the guitar, because I generally don't care for the plugged in sound of an acoustic…I only bought the model with electronics for the tuner…and it was cheaper to get it with than without. I guess I'm more used to a strobe.
The case it ships with is nice, however it could stand to be .25" longer IMHO because if it was any tighter I don't think it'd fit at all, it literally digs all the way into the padding to the edge of the case... it is very tight and I have a feeling that over time the headstock will wear just from removing and placing it back in the case.
Down to the sound…I'm no acoustic guitar professional, and have never owned a "good" acoustic to compare it to (my only other acoustic is an old Supro S700)... but it sounds balanced and projecting for my purposes…even the low string…no complaints.
So the reason why I posted this here…since there is a disproportionate amount of people on this forum over any other buying these…what are your thoughts on the finish? I didn't see any other folks with sunburst models, but even the natural models look a bit "streaky" like my sunburst…normal? I am not planning on sending it back, I mainly just wanted to see what other owners have noticed. Also thoughts on the case?
