Agile Intrepid Pro 828

This review is for the single pickup version Intrepid guitar.

Made in Korea
Ash Body
3 piece maple bolt on neck with 15” radius. Width 2 ¼” at the nut
No inlays on the neck. Position markers on the side of the neck only
Scale Length: 28.625” 24 Jumbo Frets
Cepheus "Alpha" passive pickup with master volume. Cavity has been routed large enough to accommodate additional electronics
Cepheus "Bridge 8" Bridge
String through body
Die-cast Grover sealed tuners model GH305-18 with 18-1 ratio for fine tuning
Graphite Nut
Polyurethane Finish
Neck profile (thickness): 7/8" at the nut and 15/16" at the 12th fret
String gauges: .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072

UTILIZATION

As large as the fretboard is, it is surprisingly easy to play, and it actually sounds pretty good. The hardware is not top-notch, but it is quality designed, and with good materials. The upper fret access is good, and the string spacing is such that I can get my hands all the way to the bottom string with ease. One thing that might throw some people off is the 28.625 inch scale length - it helps a ton with clarity on the low end, but the added length might cause difficulty with people with short fingers or smaller arms.

SOUNDS

This thing can absolutely djent with the best of them! It has a great, thick rumble, but with the scale length, all chords and notes have a good separation and are well defined. The fact that the body is ash with strung through body, and the neck is maple bolt on, certainly helps the clarity overall. That's actually my favorite wood combination, so I was stoked to get this guitar! The pickup is actually something I would take off and use in something else - as a budget pickup, that surprised the heck out of me.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar performs solidly. It can do the Meshuggah, After The Burial, Animals As Leaders-inspired djent metal tones with ease. It may be a bit too different-looking to pass for jazz, and the fact that it doesn't include a neck pickup doesn't help that fact. But, all in all, this is an absolute steal for anyone that wants to be more experimental with their music. I highly recommend this guitar for metal/experimental guitarists.

Made in Korea to the specs of rondomusic.com and according to user feedback from sevenstring.org.

- Mahogany Body
- 5 piece maple/walnut neck-thru body design with headstock matching body
- Maple Neck with 15” radius. Width 2 ¼” at the nut
- No inlays on the neck. Position markers on the side of the neck only
- Scale Length: 28.625” 24 Jumbo Frets
- EMG 808 Pickup
- String through body
- Graphite Nut
- String gauges: .009, .012, .015, .022, .030, .040, .054, .072

Very good specs for the price.

UTILIZATION

The neck was pretty comfortable to get used to and I actually liked the small fretwire Agile uses in their guitars. Very easy to play when sitting down. Now the main problem with this guitar is it's weight. It's just too heavy and cumbersome to play comfortably while standing up, especially if you're in a gigging band and you like to move around on stage.

I didn't really like the EMG that the guitar came with and swapped it with a Lundgren Smooth Operator. After this the sound was very aggressive on the low notes and silky smooth for leads, all on the same bridge pickup if I may add!

SOUNDS

I used the guitar with my Engl Powerball, both at rehearsal and live. The sound was very good, clear and punchy. I don't use cleans pretty much at all so I can't really comment on those. The guitar suited my needs perfectly apart from the weight issues (which is why I sold it eventually).

OVERALL OPINION

Rondomusic.com has been ordering guitars from a Korean factory made to their specs a while now. While the early models were a bit sketchy in terms of quality control, the Korean boys seem to have their stuff together now. Very good value and workmanship.

I wouldn't get this exact model from Rondo but I would be willing to try the Septor model to see if it's any lighter than this one.

Agile is making a name for themselves now. They are really listening to what the guitar players want. Nowadays the guitar players want 8 strings.8 string guitars are very new on the market so there arent many of them. With this Agile guitar the cheapest 8 string may be the best. This guitar can be had in many different configurations. You have a choice between a 28 and 30 inch scale, with tremolo or hardtail hipshot bridge. You have a choice between one or two pickups which can be passive or EMG 808. The model I have has the hardtail hipshot bridge and a single EMG 808. It has a neck through construction with a 5 piece neck for stability which is important with all this tension on the neck. It has a single volume control. The ebony fretboard is clear with only fretmarkers on the side of the neck. The body is made from mahogany which gives a thick sound perfectly matched to the intent of this guitar.

UTILIZATION

It is obvious that you need big hands to play an 8 string. The neck is like a mile wide. The cutaways on the body are deep so you will have no problem reaching the high frets. The large frets let your notes and chords ring out cleanly. The body is beveled on the top so it doesnt dig into your arm like on some guitars. The ebony fretboard is super smooth and helps make playing on the big neck a lot easier.

SOUNDS

With guitars that go this low you need active pickups. With the low end on these guitars being so low you need the clarity that an active pickup provides. For even more clarity with the active pickups you can do the EMG 18v mod. You will need a tight amp setup to keep the sound from getting muddy. The ebony fretboard helps to add more brightness and clarity to the sound. The neck through construction gives extreme sustain and resonance throughout the whole guitar. It also adds more clarity to the sound as the pickup is mounted on the same piece of wood as the fretboard.

OVERALL OPINION

Agile guitars main vendor is rondomusic.com. These people have been listening to what guitar players want for years and have been offering them what they want at low prices. The 8 string thing is what is hot now and Rondo is giving the people what they want. It is great that you can get an 8 string now without having to go custom. These 8 strings have all the same features as the custom 8 strings except for the price. If you are looking to expand your sound and get into the 8 string realm this is your cheapest and possibly best bet.

8 string guitars are very new on the market so there arent many of them. With this Agile guitar the cheapest 8 string may be the best. This guitar can be had in many different configurations. You have a choice between a 28 and 30 inch scale, with tremolo or hardtail hipshot bridge. You have a choice between one or two pickups which can be passive or EMG 808. The model I have has the hardtail hipshot bridge and a single EMG 808. It has a neck through construction with a 5 piece neck for stability which is important with all this tension on the neck. It has a single volume control. The maple fretboard is clean with only fretmarkers on the side of the neck. The body is made from mahogany which gives a thick sound perfectly matched to the intent of this guitar.

UTILIZATION

Being an 8 string you will naturally need large hands to play effectively. The cutaways on the body are deep so you will have no problem reaching the high frets. The large frets let your notes and chords ring out cleanly. The body is beveled on the top so it doesnt dig into your arm like on some guitars.

SOUNDS

With any 8 string I would recommend active pickups. With the low end on these guitars being so low you need the clarity that an active pickup provides. For even more clarity with the active pickups you can do the EMG 18v mod. You will need a tight amp setup to keep the sound from getting muddy. The neck through construction gives extreme sustain and resonance throughout the whole guitar. It also adds more clarity to the sound as the pickup is mounted on the same piece of wood as the fretboard.

OVERALL OPINION

I love that you can get an 8 string now without going to a custom guitar maker. The Agile guitars vendor RondoMusic has been listening to their customers when they put out these guitars. They have been the modern metal players best friend in recent years.