[NGD] MY AGILE INTREPID PRO. LET ME SHOW U IT.

[darren]

So i took my Intrepid Pro to rehearsal last night and ran it through its paces briefly in a band context. It worked amazingly well. Some of my low/medium gain patches sounded a bit more harsh (likely due to the EMG), but the cleans and high-gain patches sounded great through my GT-6 and my Crate and Mesa Thiele cab held up pretty well with the low notes. I may have to do a bit of patch tweaking for songs that i might be using this guitar on.

I tweaked my tuning a bit, as i found DAEADGBE was just too low and loose on the bottom end, so i'm now trying EBEADGBE which seems to be working out well. It allows me to do similar voicings as i do on my 7-string in drop-A tuning, but one string over.

That tuning lets me play a full 8-string barre chord using an "E" formation. And that open E sounds "disemboweling" to paraphrase our drummer. But for this reason, i probably won't be able to use it on everything... a lot of material i've written my parts specifically for drop-A, and i suspect there will be other material that i'll be writing 8-string parts for.

I have to reiterate that the neck is absolutely phenomenal on these instruments. It's incredibly comfortable, and i have absolutely no hand fatigue, even after playing a lot of chords up and down the neck. It's perfect. At least, it is for me.

I was expecting the instrument as a whole to be quite heavy. I was surprised at how light and resonant it is. It's very loud and clear when played unplugged, even down to the bottom string. Note separation is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to getting my Standard and seeing how the two instruments compare. It should be arriving on Wednesday. Unfortunately, i left my Line 6 DI box at our rehearsal space, so i won't be able to do comparison tracks until Friday.

Cosmetic flaws aside, i'm still very impressed. It's a fraction of the price of any other 8 on the market, and with these being the first ones, i'm pretty much looking at mine as a prototype. Nothing i've encountered so far has affected the tone or playability of the instrument.

 

[Drew]

I've just updated the clip with a couple more clean tracks to add more texture and ambience. I also double-tracked the main "chug" riff the same way i did the breakdown bit.

(I'm using Line6 GearBox into GarageBand... on the heavy guitars, the left side is a Recto patch, and the right side is an AC-30... two of my favourite amps, which complement each other nicely in a layered guitar situation.)

[media]http://darrenwilson.com/guitars/Agile_Intrepid_Pro/l8test.mp3[/media]

That's pretty comically low, dude.

I think 1.) tighter doubletracking, and 2.) less gain for a bit more clarity, and you'll have a winner there. Also, were those chimey clean chords from the Agile? That was a great tone...

 

[darren]

Yeah, after trying the DAEADGBE tuning with my regular rig, i found it to be a little too low. I'm now using EBEADGBE, essentially the "drop-D" of 8-string tunings, and i really like it much better. Chords ring much more true, and it's not as flabby down low.

Yeah, my double-tracking is pretty sloppy, mainly because i was rushing to get it done, and was playing a completely new, completely unrehearsed track. I literally went, "WTF am i going to record?" and came up with a few simple parts to layer together, recording and mixing it all in about an hour. I'm also not accustomed to doing much recording on my own, so i definitely need more practice.

Everything but the percussion on that track is the Agile. The chimey chords were a Twin model with some analog chorus and compression and then a super-long cavernous reverb and a ping-pong delay. The first section with the single-note natural harmonics also uses this same sound. To do the chimey chords, i fretted full 8-string barre chords, and instead of strumming or plucking the chords, slapped the edge of my right index finger across all strings simultaneously over a fret where some natural harmonics of the chord would be found. That gives a combination of fundamental tone and harmonic chimes that bloom and sparkle.

 

[Splees]

^^^^

barre chords on this is amazing. did you get your standard?

 

[darren]

Estimated delivery is September 10. It's coming by FedEx Ground, so it's taking its sweet-ass time. It's currently in Syracuse, NY.

 

[s_the_fallen]

Yeah, after trying the DAEADGBE tuning with my regular rig, i found it to be a little too low. I'm now using EBEADGBE, essentially the "drop-D" of 8-string tunings, and i really like it much better. Chords ring much more true, and it's not as flabby down low.

I also did the same tuning test and EBEADGBE was better.

 

[darren]

So as the euphoria wears off from finally receiving my instrument after hatching this idea nearly two years ago, i'm in a bit of a predicament. Here's my situation:

I like the look and feel of my Pro better than my Standard (inconsistencies and blemishes aside), and amazingly, it actually weighs about a pound less than the Standard. According to my digital bathroom scale, my Pro is 7.5 lbs. vs. 8.6 lbs. for the Standard.

But i am increasingly disappointed that my Pro arrived in B-Stock/Blem condition when i paid for something new. I don't buy new gear very often. Prior to my Intrepids arriving, i have owned exactly TWO new guitars in my life. I don't mind blemishes or slight defects when buying something used. But when i buy something new, i expect it to arrive in "new" condition.

My disappointment is compounded by the feeling that as i see others getting their instruments, it seems like i got the worst of the first run of Pros. Others that have arrived have had better-looking woods, better-matched neck stringers and fewer blemishes. I haven't asked for anything in return throughout this process... it was fueled pretty much by complete self-interest in wanting an affordable 8 to experiment with before taking the big-dollar plunge with a custom. Just being able to get the instrument i wanted was sufficient reward for all the work i've put in to this project. At the very least, i would have hoped that i'd get a hand-picked one from the first run that was as good as it could possibly be. That would have been a nice gesture.

I'm not as angry as some people seem to be about this (zimbloth, Chris, etc.). My guitar was not "beat to shit" and it's not an absolute travesty that has transpired. As is my nature, i'm taking a calm and analytic approach to the issues, coming to terms with them and deciding how i'm going to move forward. But yes, i am disappointed.

While none of the issues affect the tone or playability, they're not things one likes to see in a new-out-of-the-box instrument at any price:

• dings in the neck behind the 9th fret
• scratches in the bridge base plate
• hairline cracks in the body wood
• blemishes on the upper horn
• dings on the lower edge of the body by the control cavity
• pickup, bridge, fretboard and truss rods not centred on the neck blank
• visibly mismatched walnut neck stringers

If this guitar were in a retail store, it would probably be fairly steeply discounted due to the condition it arrived in.

My dilemma is that i love it, but i'm not entirely happy with it, if that makes any sense. So as much as i love it, i think i need to return it to Rondo. I'm undecided as to whether i'll order another Pro in the next run, or if i'll just put money aside to order a Sherman or an Oni. I'm leaning more toward plan B.

I thought about just selling it privately, as there's no doubt big demand right now from people who did not get in on the first run. But on principle, i think Kurt needs to get this back and examine the issues with it more closely so they can be addressed with the factory.

So for those of you who might be interested in picking one of these up, stand by... there may be a B-Stock/Blem Intrepid Pro coming up for sale on the Rondo site soon.

I'll likely hang on to the Standard for the time being until i decide what my next move is going to be.

 

[TomAwesome]

Another option could be to wait to see what Kurt ends up offering people who got damaged/flawed guitars, or talk to him personally about it. If he ends up offering replacements, then you could have your perfect Pro. I know it's fairly unlikely that he'll offer to replace all of these, but in his place I'd try to make an exception for you after all you've done to help realize a product with so much demand.

 

[nuclearvoodoo]

Darren, yeah that does suck about your pro :/ We are very greatful for your work on this project, and I'm sure Kurt is too from the sales point of view. I definately feel your disappointment and agree that you should've got the pick of the run (although I dont think i've seen one Pro that is perfect or even near-perfect yet). Hopefully it'll work out for you in the end and I do hope Kurt does something to compensate for the blemishes/flaws on the pros.

 

[darren]

The thing is, there aren't really any "replacements" available right now. As far as i know, no instruments were ordered for inventory... every one ordered was sold, so a replacement would have to come out of the next production run. I'm not sure i want to wait six months and have potentially similar results.

 

[msherman]

How many were built in the first run?

 

[darren]

As near as i can tell, 10-12 Pros and 10-12 Standards were made in the first run. But that's just a guess on my part based on who responded to that poll. Kurt would know for sure.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

As near as i can tell, 10-12 Pros and 10-12 Standards were made in the first run.

Wow, that few, now I feel really special.

 

[TimothyLeary]

i feel sad for you darren. I understand when you say that you pay new and get a used guitar. It piss me off too, when happens. Talk with kurt just to let him know that you could be more happy if the guitar will be in top notch condition.

Cheers for you man.

 

[darren]

I've already told Kurt pretty much everything i've posted here.

 

[TomAwesome]

The thing is, there aren't really any "replacements" available right now. As far as i know, no instruments were ordered for inventory... every one ordered was sold, so a replacement would have to come out of the next production run. I'm not sure i want to wait six months and have potentially similar results.

That's why I figured replacements would be unlikely. Hopefully something satisfactory gets worked out.

 

[Stitch]

Darren, you're voice is immensely hot.

Nice guitar too btw. Shame about the damage, but your point about letting Jurt see it is rather valid IMO.

 

[Sevenstringer]

Where are these guitars made? China? Korea?
Also, cheap guitar or not......I am not too sure "Joe Public" would want a guitar with dings, chips, paint defects, scratches trem base when intonated, not to mention offset and what appear to be improperly routed truss rods.
Just my .02
Maybe I am too picky when spending cash on new gear....That aside, they look ok

 

[Shawn]

Very nice. Cool vid too.

Sorry to hear about the flaws, they seem to be very minor though. That is a beautiful guitar. Congrats!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Where are these guitars made? China? Korea?
Also, cheap guitar or not......I am not too sure "Joe Public" would want a guitar with dings, chips, paint defects, scratches trem base when intonated, not to mention offset and what appear to be improperly routed truss rods.
Just my .02
Maybe I am too picky when spending cash on new gear....That aside, they look ok

Korea.

Price = QC