The Official Agile ERG Thread

[Jango]

Do it. I wish I had waited and skipped 7, and besides, if you go Agile you can always send it back if you don't dig it, and use the money to buy a 7.

 

[Waelstrum]

Another new finish:

 

[CooleyJr]

Agile Intrepid Dual 828 EB Nat Spalted at RondoMusic.com

So.. So so so so sexy.
Someone buy it immediately. I want to see a NGD!

 

[Aerospace274]

If only it were an 830... *swoons*

 

[CooleyJr]

There's only about an inch and 1/4 difference!

 

[Aerospace274]

Oh man, I know! I've been wanting a nice spalted 8 for a long while! So awesome!!!

 

[TimSE]

SPALTED MAPLE!

 

[77zark77]

Another new finish:

love it !

 

[Jango]

Fuck my life >_< Totally would've bought this if I hadn't bought the 828 I mentioned earlier...though still time to send it back...hrmm

 

[Cmak]

This is [a copy of] my first post here, gonna skip the extended introduction for now... been heavily lurking 7string.org for well over a year, I've been meaning to get an Agile Intrepid Pro 830 (Natural finish) for a while now, and I came across the new Charcoal finish a couple days ago. I MUST have it. This finish is PERFECT and it just describes me and my style... perfectly. The specs are all the way I want them (Ebony Fretboard, 30" scale...) and this is just a total miracle.

NEXT THING I KNOW, it's sold out. It's stil on the 8-strings page but when I add it to the cart, it says it's out of stock. TEAR TO-THE-DROP TO-THE-SEND-AN-EMAIL-TO-KURT.

In the meantime, I'd like to ask that if any of you who are reading this right now managed to get one of these orders in for the Intrepid Pro 830 EB Charcoal (Agile Intrepid Pro 830 EB Charcoal at RondoMusic.com), PLEASE consider selling it to me at as-inflated-a-price-as-you-wish. My email is linked to the forum account so feel free contact me through that or through PM or however. Any and all advice from you guys on how else I may go about getting one of these would be more than appreciated.

Much thanks to everyone!
-Chris

 

[Abandon Gaia]

if you're interested in how the new 830 CHARCOAL looks like in "real life" check out my NGD!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/151777-ngd-agile-intrepid-pro-830-eb-charcoal.html#post2398783

cheers

 

[Meximelt]

Had the ideas for the new hampshire spalted top intrepid for my next guitar. Awesome to actually be able to see it. Beautiful, now I'm sure it's gonna happen.

 

[Shannon]

New Thought:
Now that we're having 8 & 9 string Agile options, I think it's I think it's high time for some fanned fret option to optimize the instrument for specific applications. I don't think I'm alone when I say the current 9 string factory tunings aren't what we'd use.

23.5-27" for those that want a high A (8: BEADGBEA, 9:F#BEADGBEA)
25.5-30" standard tuning (8: F#BEADGBE, 9: C#F#BEADGBE)
27-32" for uber low guitar/bass hybrid applications (8:C#F#BEADGB or F#BEADGBE, 9:C#F#BEADGBE or a step lower for short scale bass/guitar hyrbrid BEADGCFAD)

I would also suggest a redesign of the current headstock w/ 3 bass tuners on top + 5-6 guitar tuners on bottom (think of the Novax headstock). This would greatly increased the ability to use correct bass strings for the lower strings.

Hell, go the full monty & do a 8 & 9 string bass!
Something like 25-35"...

Kurt?

 

[HighGain510]

New Thought:
Now that we're having 8 & 9 string Agile options, I think it's I think it's high time for some fanned fret option to optimize the instrument for specific applications. I don't think I'm alone when I say the current 9 string factory tunings aren't what we'd use.

23.5-27" for those that want a high A (8: BEADGBEA, 9:F#BEADGBEA)
25.5-30" standard tuning (8: F#BEADGBE, 9: C#F#BEADGBE)
27-32" for uber low guitar/bass hybrid applications (8:C#F#BEADGB or F#BEADGBE, 9:C#F#BEADGBE or a step lower for short scale bass/guitar hyrbrid BEADGCFAD)

I would also suggest a redesign of the current headstock w/ 3 bass tuners on top + 5-6 guitar tuners on bottom (think of the Novax headstock). This would greatly increased the ability to use correct bass strings for the lower strings.

Hell, go the full monty & do a 8 & 9 string bass!
Something like 25-35"...

Kurt?

Shannon, two questions: Have you ever played a fanned fret guitar? Have you ever played a 5"-fanned guitar? Based on my experience with a WAY more subtle fan and the experience of SEVERAL luthiers who build fanned instruments on a regular basis that I questioned about fanned scales, extreme fans like what you're suggesting would be incredibly uncomfortable. As far as switching to bass tuners, do they still work for standard-sized guitar strings? Not everyone needs a .85 for a low F#, not to mention if you're doing that for all three of the low strings, how heavy do you normally get on the E string?

 

[Shannon]

Shannon, two questions: Have you ever played a fanned fret guitar? Have you ever played a 5"-fanned guitar? Based on my experience with a WAY more subtle fan and the experience of SEVERAL luthiers who build fanned instruments on a regular basis that I questioned about fanned scales, extreme fans like what you're suggesting would be incredibly uncomfortable.

Yes, I have & they weren't uncomfortable at all.
I've played THIS 9-string bass numerous times & it was glorious (scale 28-33").
No one here was afraid to jump from a 6-string guitar to an ERB.
No one here was afraid to jump from standard frets to multiscale.
So, why not try the next step to accomodate the massive extended ranges of these instruments? A 1.5" fan is child's play in the multiscale world. It's all about the next level.

As far as switching to bass tuners, do they still work for standard-sized guitar strings? Not everyone needs a .85 for a low F#, not to mention if you're doing that for all three of the low strings, how heavy do you normally get on the E string?

It's not that everyone needs it, but it's there IF/WHEN you need it. Using a standard guitar tuner with anything larger than a 60, in most cases, means modifying the tuner or string itself in order for it to fit.
Your argument is invalid when you look at the standard bass string gauges....
G 40-50
D 60-70
A 80-90
E 100-110
So why would using bass tuner, which accomodates larger gauge strings without modification, be such a stretch when the string they'd be used for would be of similar bass gauges? This is especially true for instruments like 9-strings that will go well below standard guitar range.

 

[HighGain510]

My argument is invalid? Okay Shannon. How was chording, particularly near the nut, working out? Having talked to a few luthiers who built GUITARS (comparing it to a bass is invalid, it's not the same instrument and really not played in the same manner either) with extreme fans told me they felt they were not comfortable. Saying you played a bass with a large fan isn't the same thing as you don't play them the same way. Not everyone wants a bass just because they are playing an ERG, that's all I'm saying. Those specs might work well on a fanned BASS, but we're not talking about a bass right?

 

[Shannon]

I used the bass as an example because I could show you a pic to display that a 5" spread isn't bad at all. but yes, I've played 3-4 guitars as well & it was fine. Like any modified instrument, there will be an adjustment period, but it doesn't mean it will be uncomfortable. I've watched numerous 6string players say the same about ERGs.

But, for the purposes of agile, we can split the difference & say a 3" spread....

 

[Shannon]

23.5-27 for high a
25-28.625 for standard
28.625-32 for uber low

Maybe a touch over 3", but nothing unmanageable for the afraid.

 

[Meximelt]

To get the fanned frets someones basically gotta be willing to go first and pay the extensive (over a grand, so really not that extensive) prototype price. Cause face it the market isn't that big for 8 nevermind a 9 string fanned fret, and in my opinion kurt has already done an amazing job and brought us great products, in all regards, at even greater prices.

 

[Knyas]

To get the fanned frets someones basically gotta be willing to go first and pay the extensive (over a grand, so really not that extensive) prototype price. Cause face it the market isn't that big for 8 nevermind a 9 string fanned fret, and in my opinion kurt has already done an amazing job and brought us great products, in all regards, at even greater prices.

I'd very much second this sentiment towards the issue. Shannon, in all honesty what you're asking for is something that you should just have custom built, there's almost no market for 9 strings with FF's compared to say the 7's or 8's. Sure a few people would buy them, but the cost of making them and actually having enough people to sell them too probably wouldn't be worth the trouble. I'd rather just see more base colour options, pup configs and hardware choices on existing instruments.