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Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

Agile AL3k Spalted

Probably my favorite Agile I've ever owned. But also the heaviest. Got this as a bstock cause it has a little ding on the back.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleeds
Bourns pots 250k neck 500k bridge
Gotoh Nashville tune o matic nickel
Lightweight aluminum stoptail nickel
Switchcraft jack
Switchcraft 3 way
Custom poker chip
Abalone top knobs
A5 neck p90 7000 44awg p94 style nickel ring
A5 c8 bridge 5500 42.5awg nickel ring
Push pull neck tone does in series out of phase
Bridge volume push pull splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
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doc-knapp
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Posts: 415
Joined: Thu May 28, 2020 11:10 pm

Love the spalted maple!
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dabbler
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Posts: 489
Joined: Sat May 30, 2020 6:39 pm
Location: Maryland

doc-knapp wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:42 pm Love the spalted maple!
Me too!! I didn't even remember Agile having any spalted models. But I ain't mad, cause I have this:
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Not the best spalt, but for what I paid, I can live with it. ;)
Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

Agile 3100 Silverburst

Got this from guitar Center used back in 2020 for 250ish. It was pretty dirty and the nickel hardware was tarnished. I swapped out the hardware to chrome. I didn't want all my silverbursts to be just like Adam Jones guitar so I added a beauty ring to the bridge pickup and went a8 for the magnet. I had to reverse the neck on this one cause I accidentally cut the leads a little short.

Mods include
Graph tech bridge
Lightweight aluminum stoptail
Switchcraft 3 way
Switchcraft jack
Custom poker chip
Shielded cavities
Treble bleeds
.01 pio neck. 015 pio bridge
Volumes push push split humbuckers with 6.8k resistor
Neck tone push push for in series out of phase
Neck a4 humbucker 5000x2 42.5awg
Bridge a8 humbucker 6750x2 44awg
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andrewsrea
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Posts: 1494
Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 4:43 pm
Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO
Gearlist: 28 Guitars: (2) basses, (2) acoustics, (3) hollow bodies, (3) Semi hollow, (1) Double-neck, (17) Solid-bodies

Buddha Pickups wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:21 pm Agile 3100 Silverburst

Got this from guitar Center used back in 2020 for 250ish. It was pretty dirty and the nickel hardware was tarnished. I swapped out the hardware to chrome. I didn't want all my silverbursts to be just like Adam Jones guitar so I added a beauty ring to the bridge pickup and went a8 for the magnet. I had to reverse the neck on this one cause I accidentally cut the leads a little short.

Mods include
Graph tech bridge
Lightweight aluminum stoptail
Switchcraft 3 way
Switchcraft jack
Custom poker chip
Shielded cavities
Treble bleeds
.01 pio neck. 015 pio bridge
Volumes push push split humbuckers with 6.8k resistor
Neck tone push push for in series out of phase
Neck a4 humbucker 5000x2 42.5awg
Bridge a8 humbucker 6750x2 44awg

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Looks sharp! From the neck pickup specs, the sound is probably sweet and balanced?
Live life to the fullest! - Rob
Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

andrewsrea wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:19 am
Buddha Pickups wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:21 pm Agile 3100 Silverburst
Looks sharp! From the neck pickup specs, the sound is probably sweet and balanced?
Thank you
If I actually planned ahead and was not flying by the seat of my pants when I mod these I probably would've preferred the neck to cosmetically match the bridge but oh well.
Yes, pretty balanced. I normally mismatch a little when in that paf ish wind range but the 42.5 gives it a little low end fat boost over the standard 42. Gets you closer to a p90 ballpark if doing a hum sized p90 too vs going with 43 like we normally have to do on hum sized p90s.
Have you ever used 42.5? I can't find much info for it online
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andrewsrea
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Posts: 1494
Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 4:43 pm
Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO
Gearlist: 28 Guitars: (2) basses, (2) acoustics, (3) hollow bodies, (3) Semi hollow, (1) Double-neck, (17) Solid-bodies

Buddha Pickups wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2025 9:19 pm
andrewsrea wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:19 am
Buddha Pickups wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:21 pm Agile 3100 Silverburst
Looks sharp! From the neck pickup specs, the sound is probably sweet and balanced?
Thank you
If I actually planned ahead and was not flying by the seat of my pants when I mod these I probably would've preferred the neck to cosmetically match the bridge but oh well.
Yes, pretty balanced. I normally mismatch a little when in that paf ish wind range but the 42.5 gives it a little low end fat boost over the standard 42. Gets you closer to a p90 ballpark if doing a hum sized p90 too vs going with 43 like we normally have to do on hum sized p90s.
Have you ever used 42.5? I can't find much info for it online
I have not used 42.5 gauge, at least purposefully. I've done very tight tension builds that I was pretty sure was stretching the wire a bit, which reduces the diameter. I thought I saw you do some builds with bigger wire, like 40 gauge?
Live life to the fullest! - Rob
Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

andrewsrea wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2025 11:47 am
Buddha Pickups wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2025 9:19 pm
andrewsrea wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:19 am

Looks sharp! From the neck pickup specs, the sound is probably sweet and balanced?
Thank you
If I actually planned ahead and was not flying by the seat of my pants when I mod these I probably would've preferred the neck to cosmetically match the bridge but oh well.
Yes, pretty balanced. I normally mismatch a little when in that paf ish wind range but the 42.5 gives it a little low end fat boost over the standard 42. Gets you closer to a p90 ballpark if doing a hum sized p90 too vs going with 43 like we normally have to do on hum sized p90s.
Have you ever used 42.5? I can't find much info for it online
I have not used 42.5 gauge, at least purposefully. I've done very tight tension builds that I was pretty sure was stretching the wire a bit, which reduces the diameter. I thought I saw you do some builds with bigger wire, like 40 gauge?
I did use 40ga alot when I first started but rarely use it now. I used 41ga for my Agile Harm toaster pickups and they sound very jangly. I think 40ga humbuckers ended up in the 4k range. They sound great with p90s using ceramic or a5 mags too.
If u ever want to trade for some 42.5 I have an extra spool (i bought 5 or 6 5lb spools a few years ago on a great deal cause they were damaged in shipping. You may have to cut through the outer layer and unravel a bit to find the finish on the spool) but just let me know!
Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

Firefly Tobacco burst

Been wanting a les paul with a maple board since I sold my natural Douglas Hawker (i wish I kept it!). I always planned on grabbing an Albino Agile or the Albino Firefly they had recently but I never did. This one popped up for about 170 shipped over the holidays so I grabbed one.
Matte finish that magnetizes fingerprints but otherwise feels great. Locking tuners like all Firefly les Paul's come with now.
Pickups are a mix of a bar and rods. Cream coil has magnetized a5 rods but also a bar magnet magnetizing the black slug coil as well. Sounds very stratty when both split in the middle position.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleeds
500k push push pots (IKN like $2ea!)
Gotoh style tune o matic
Lightweight aluminum stoptail
Switchcraft 3 way
.01 Pio caps
Volumes split humbuckers with 6.8k resistor
Neck tone does in series out of phase
Bridge tone has a strangle esque mod that puts a .015 on when pushed
Neck zebra a3 bar 4500x2 42.5 a5 rods in the cream
Bridge zebra a4 bar 5500x2 42.5 a5 rods in the cream
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Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

Chibson Natural 3 pickup LP

Grabbed this on ebay over the holidays for 205 shipped on ebay. Surprisingly decent quality for 200 bux. The electronics were garbage.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleeds and .01 pio tone cap
Frampton wiring 3 volume 1 tone
Switchcraft 3 way and jack
500k push push pots except 250k volume for middle
Neck vol push push splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Bridge vol push splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
500k master tone puts middle pickup in series/out of phase with neck pickup
Middle volume Bourns 250k
I need to start writing down my winds before posting cause I'm not 100% on what each pickup is but I think it was
Neck a4 5000x2 42.5
P94 a4a5 6750 44
Bridge 6000 43 and 42.5 ceramic with flanker
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SamIV
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Posts: 309
Joined: Thu May 28, 2020 5:52 am

Nice looking top on a not so expensive guitar. I prefer a plain top over flame or quilted maple.
Buddha Pickups
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Posts: 547
Joined: Fri May 29, 2020 6:13 pm

Epiphone Wildkat

I think it's a 2011 based on the serial number but not sure, I got it new from musiciansfriend around that time.
I took out the master volume when I rewired it. It now just has the 3 way, neck volume, bridge volume, and master tone.

Mods include
Wilkinson roller bridge
Bourns pots 500k bridge 250k neck
Bridge push pull splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Neck push pull does inseries out of phase
.01 pio cap
Treble bleeds
Neck p90 a5 7500 43awg
Bridge hum 6000 43 6000 42.5 a5 with ceramic flanker
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