6 nah...7 nah...8 nah ...9...Nine it is!! lol

Gorilla

Gorilla

Experienced
Hey got a ton of pm's asking about this thing. And I made a sort of review elsewhere, but what da heck :) Figured… we're all guitarist here. Any guitar talk is cool so I'm a throw one here for the guys asking.

Before I start I know many of ya are probably like I was when I heard of these. A 9 string?
WTF
Yeah... We guitar players did the same thing when 7 stringers came out. And when the 8 stringers came out.
Why?
I say why the f**k not!!!
These are Agiles Interceptor Pro 930 models. The 930 = 9 string 30" scale. They come in 28" & 25" too I think. But for the Tunings I was going for I went with the 30" scale. If your coming from a 6 stringer, these beasts will be a rude awakening as the necks dwarf 6 string necks! LOOK!!!!
1compare.jpg

But… They're really not much different than a Ibanez RG2228. And they feel and play like the Ibanez Prestige neck. These necks aren't thick!! They play great! Here's a pic of the 930 by a Ibanez RG2228

Tunings
Well Kurt says that you can tune the first seven at normal seven string tuning. But when I tried it, my top E string popped every time. So I'm tuned at a baritone tuning Db. And the string tension is awesome! My 6 stringers have more tension than the 9's.

Db Eb Ab Db Gb B E Ab Db

My string gauges go from a .11 to .95
These beasts will go low!! I had my tuning at a baritone C tuning but I had to raise the action too much. And yeah, I heard plenty of the "guess you don't need a bass player with that" comments. But yeah you do need a bass player with these. The bass has its own particular tone. And these definitely have a low tone of their own. When mixed together... It's one brutal ass sound I think.
Checkout the first few measures in THIS!
​


Bridge
The bridge is a Kahler with locking nut. Stays in tune, and the craziest thing about the bridge is... It's already set to make it a 10string bridge! Just add another saddle. I've never used a Kahler before and it's quite nice I think. The fine tuning knobs are clear out of the way for my style of playing. And it can either lock or float. I did try the floating position and may use it on one of my 9's …. but not both.

Pickups
Pickups are great stock Cepheus active pickups. On a side note ... You CAN put a EMG 808 in these and it'll work. I'm saving for a few BKP's. They have 9string pups already, I just don't know if they're on their site. But these Cepheus actives are really nice. Bite when you need it and I'm digging the tones they throw with my Axe Fx II.

Neck
The necks are 5-piece neck thru's and these 930's are HEAVY guitars. The neck reminds me of my RG2228gk! It's very similar to a Prestige Ibanez neck. The sustain is great (I haven't really showed it on anything recorded…YET.) The neck is wide though, what'd ya' expect it's a fricking 9 stranger dude! Seems just a hair wider than the RG2228. No inlays on the Ebony fretboard. Only on the side. ANd I like it as I think it gives the guitar a more lean, clean, mean look lol. Frets are perfect for me and I have no fret buzz. I did when I tuned them down to C, but at Db there's none. Two truss rod setup lookie below.

Tuners
Tuners are Grovers and they do the job while tuning! Once it's locked.. the Kahler fine tunes these beasts to perfection!

Body
It's a Strat style with the contour shape. I just love the finishes I have. The quilted purple and the tiger striped grey. ANd as I mentioned earlier. These guitars are heavy!!! I use a wide soft leather straps on them with strap locks on the top wing only.

I have one with a volume and tone knobs. And one with two volume knobs. And without that tone knob yes, the two volume guitar sounds different than the other.

All in all I'm a happy ass camper. If you ever get a chance to check one out, try one before you start bad mouthing them. You might just like it lol. And no... I don't work for Agile or am I sponsored or endorsed by Kurt. But this guitar just kicks major ass!

Thanks for reading friends.

Here's some more HD pic links!!!

  1. Back pic
  2. Head pic
  3. Neck pic
  4. Top view
  5. Purple 9
  6. Nine Irons together
 
That is nuts! I just got an 8 string, I dig it but anymore than that and I figure why not just get a Chapman stick or something. I figured if anymore strings were added theyd be unison tuning. How many strings in a standard guitar config do you think we'll see?

Dave
 
MrGuitarabuse said:
Darrrrrrnnn... Post a recording!!! or even better... VIDEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Click to expand...
Thanks guys for reading and here's a video and some Soundcloud links of these beasts in action. These tunes are pre-mastered without vocals. We just tracked two songs vocals tonite for Our 7 tune EP. I hope anyone interested in the 9's can check one of these monsters out because they're HELLA-FUN to play:D

​


 
Looks and sounds pretty cool, but at some point the extra strings become comical since they're more often neglected. The same thing could be achieved with a baritone guitar. Use 'em or lose 'em. :lol
 
I was thinking about getting an 8 string some time ago and was wondering the same thing - if I'd neglect the extra strings. I'm also a bassist, and when I started playing 5 and 6 strings I quickly realized that I couldn't go back to 4 - I was just making too much use of those extra strings. I think I'll also get a 9 string now - I'm almost certain I will not want to go back LOL!!
 
Hehehehe... neglect strings? Hell we abuse them. Who says you HAVE to use every string on every tune? lol ...

Yeah Jon... they're loads of fun to play. And as I said elsewhere.... just play one for an hour....

.... then pickup your six stringer. It'll feel like a broomstick :lol hahaha. A month ago, my close buds tried gangin' on me and rippin' 9's saying "we think we can do anything you can do on that on our 7's!" Really? Gimme a break. They can play pretty much any Meshuggah tune on their 7's. I tuned UP to their down tuned 7's hit a 8 bar riff ..... yeah using the 9th and 8th strings. They unplugged their guitars and asked to play mine. Hehehe... one of them bought a 9 a week later!




I have two 6's and they're crazy awesome. 9's aint for everyone. :shock
Neither are 7's or 8's or ukelele's . :eek:
 
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Do you have a problem with the long scale? Sometime when I'm using extended scale basses, there is barely enough string to wrap around the post! Judging from the pics, it looks like you might have a similar issue too....
 
jon said:
Do you have a problem with the long scale? Sometime when I'm using extended scale basses, there is barely enough string to wrap around the post! Judging from the pics, it looks like you might have a similar issue too....
Click to expand...
No, I use the LaBella 9 string package. Works great, I've changed strings on both of them at least once each. Only problem was the high E. Broke like 3 times the first time I tried tuning it, then locking. I think my bud tunes that high on his, but I'm not sure. I'll ask him today. The gray one came with a broken high E!:geek But Rondo sent out a replacement like overnight or something. It came fast lol.
 
Gorilla, I meant no offense of course. I'm all for pushing the envelope. As long as the high strings don't get too lonely, it's all good.
 
Did it break in the same place? Could be a rough spot or sharp edge or something.

One of my concerns was getting a string set for a guitar like that, and the lenght of the strings themselves, but that labella set looks like it will work quite nicely! :D thanks! ;)
 
shemihazazel said:
Gorilla, I meant no offense of course. I'm all for pushing the envelope. As long as the high strings don't get too lonely, it's all good.
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Oh no problem man!!!! None taken. Your in the Chicago area? Dude you should swing by and try one!!!!


jon said:
Did it break in the same place? Could be a rough spot or sharp edge or something.

One of my concerns was getting a string set for a guitar like that, and the lenght of the strings themselves, but that labella set looks like it will work quite nicely! :D thanks! ;)
Click to expand...
Nah it was the tuning because when I lowered it... it works:p Yes, these strings are pretty good, I really like them. One thing I did notice right away is...HOLY SH*T these bottom two strings EAT guitar picks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!:lol
 
jon said:
Do you have a problem with the long scale? Sometime when I'm using extended scale basses, there is barely enough string to wrap around the post! Judging from the pics, it looks like you might have a similar issue too....
Click to expand...
Asked my bud and he's tuned standard with a .008 high E. He doesn't lock the nut because yep.. his high E breaks when he locks it tuned like that. His 7,8, and 9th strings are at A - E - B. He's got Bare Knuckle PUPS in his.
 
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