Members A_Gitarman Posted June 23, 2010 Members Share Posted June 23, 2010 I was playing my Agile 7-string last night (Septor 7) and noticing that the neck pickup either sounded like it was split or kept dropping out. Thinking that it was being caused by the LP-style 3-way switch, I pulled the control cover off and discovered that it came with a push-pull coil split switch on the tone knob The bad news is that the switch wasn't the problem. It appears as if I might have a broken wire somewhere in the strand coming from the neck pickup. I've verified all connections are correct and I can get the neck p/u to cut out if I move it's wire around. Anyone know what kind of warranty Kurt offers on these? Or should I just go ahead and splice it/ replace the pups with some of those GuitarHeads 7's (I was considering doing so anyways)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted June 23, 2010 Members Share Posted June 23, 2010 I have worked on those guitars (Agile Septors) a few times and the first thing i do is suggest replacing all the electronics and pickups... especially the electronics. they are about as weak as they comes an the pickups are very "weeny" sounding. Other than those issues, i'm really impressed with those guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted June 23, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 23, 2010 I have worked on those guitars (Agile Septors) a few times and the first thing i do is suggest replacing all the electronics and pickups... especially the electronics. they are about as weak as they comes an the pickups are very "weeny" sounding. Other than those issues, i'm really impressed with those guitars. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find a full-sized alpha pot for the volume and a decent-looking tone push-pull as well. Of course, it has one of those tiny Asian tone caps and some of the hardware is suspect, but overall the electronics on this one are pretty decent, considering the price-point & country of origin. The pickups are plenty hot, but a little harsh to my ears, hence why I was considering replacing them anyways. Maybe I'll just go ahead and pick up a new set of humbuckers, a better volume pot (not much sweep in this one), a quality cap, and re-wire the whole shebang, like I do with most of my guitars anyways. Any thoughts on those GuitarHeads 7-string pickups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted June 23, 2010 Members Share Posted June 23, 2010 Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find a full-sized alpha pot for the volume and a decent-looking tone push-pull as well. Of course, it has one of those tiny Asian tone caps and some of the hardware is suspect, but overall the electronics on this one are pretty decent, considering the price-point & country of origin.The pickups are plenty hot, but a little harsh to my ears, hence why I was considering replacing them anyways. Maybe I'll just go ahead and pick up a new set of humbuckers, a better volume pot (not much sweep in this one), a quality cap, and re-wire the whole shebang, like I do with most of my guitars anyways.Any thoughts on those GuitarHeads 7-string pickups? Cool. They must be upgrading a few things. Alpha's aren't my favorite pots, but they don't necessarily suck either. I agree... the pickups are harsh. I had put a 7 string DiMarzio set (dont remember which sets exactly) in one and a 7 String Duncan JB set in another (i forget what the neck pickup was on that one too). both sets were a huge improvement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted July 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Well, I found out what was wrong with the neck pickup... the wire is definitely broken. It seems that the assembly plant drove one of the mounting screws for the bridge pickup right through the center of the wire! I'm amazed that it worked at all... Check it out: On the bright side, I ordered up a new set of 7's and some pearl-topped knobs from GuitarHeads. I had to round off all four corners of the base plates and reshape the mounting brackets into triangles in order to cram them into the routes in the guitar body. Came out pretty nice-looking, though: Once I get it wired up I'll post an update with my review of the new pups [edit] Man, the camera flash makes this guitar look REAAALLLLLY GREEEEEEEEEN. It's much darker in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Selbstmord Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Looks neat, I don't normally cater to strat-shaped guitars, but that one's looking mighty fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted July 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Looks neat, I don't normally cater to strat-shaped guitars, but that one's looking mighty fine! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevman Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 like it. would hit it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mo' Cowbell Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find a full-sized alpha pot for the volume and a decent-looking tone push-pull as well. Of course, it has one of those tiny Asian tone caps and some of the hardware is suspect, but overall the electronics on this one are pretty decent, considering the price-point & country of origin.The pickups are plenty hot, but a little harsh to my ears, hence why I was considering replacing them anyways. Maybe I'll just go ahead and pick up a new set of humbuckers, a better volume pot (not much sweep in this one), a quality cap, and re-wire the whole shebang, like I do with most of my guitars anyways. I don't understand the business model for companies that wire their guitars with cheap electronics. How much more are we talking about in cost per unit for decent wiring, caps and switches? It can't be more than a few dollars in parts. The labor is the same. I understand the economics of volume sales, but how much more would they be able to charge and how much better would their reputation be? It seems like the bean counters are not helping the company grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Green and white, GAT DAMN. I approve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted July 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 I don't understand the business model for companies that wire their guitars with cheap electronics. How much more are we talking about in cost per unit for decent wiring, caps and switches? It can't be more than a few dollars in parts. The labor is the same. I understand the economics of volume sales, but how much more would they be able to charge and how much better would their reputation be? It seems like the bean counters are not helping the company grow. Good points. Individually, I'm sure that many of us here would gladly pay a few dollars more for a guitar that we know is made with higher-quality parts. But, in the big picture, manufacturers are putting these things together for a broader audience, and that meets keeping things within a specific price-point. I suppose that one could also argue that pickups are subjective anyways & that many owners end up changing them to suit their personal tastes. OTOH, Kurt does offer models with upgraded electronics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Inazone Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Any thoughts on those GuitarHeads 7-string pickups? If I'm not mistaken, they are made by Artec, and GuitarFetish has the six-string version (minus the GuitarHeads logo) on the "Clearance" page. I put some in a Jackson Stealth and was very impressed. Sort of similar to a Duncan Full Shred (6) but maybe a little beefier across the midrange. I ended up recording all of my solos on an entire album with that guitar. Obviously, the seven-string version might be a bit different, but if it's anything like the six, it will have plenty of output and be pretty balanced, definitely better than most no-name stock pickups I've used over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted July 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 If I'm not mistaken, they are made by Artec, and GuitarFetish has the six-string version (minus the GuitarHeads logo) on the "Clearance" page. I put some in a Jackson Stealth and was very impressed. Sort of similar to a Duncan Full Shred (6) but maybe a little beefier across the midrange. I ended up recording all of my solos on an entire album with that guitar. Obviously, the seven-string version might be a bit different, but if it's anything like the six, it will have plenty of output and be pretty balanced, definitely better than most no-name stock pickups I've used over the years. Thanks! I've tried and liked a few sets of the GuitarHeads pickups... The only ones that I haven't cared for so far are the EMG clones. I'm really looking forward to checking out these 7's, though. Too bad I won't be able to get to it until probably Monday I really dig the 'Mega Metal' set that I put in my main shredder, as a matter of fact: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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