Are Agile LP's any good?

[randelli]

There is a shop near where I am working that has one of these that appears to be in pretty good shape. I thought it had a regular shaped headstock; and it may have had a Floyd type trem? Is there such a beast? I was really looking for a mandoline but this is still rolling around in my mind.

I like the natural binding and cream plastics so much better than if they were black. I did not show any interest because the price may be flexible and I do not want to appear desperate. I'm not desperate, really, it just caught my eye and I am sorta interested in it. Guitars seem to call out to me and I can here the siren's voice in this one.

So, any good, what is a good price?

 

[stinkfoot]

I can't read the number on the TRC.. if it is 2000 (for AL-2000) then used in decent condition between $150 - $180.. They sell brand new for $225 - $250..

if the TRC says 3000, meaning an AL-3000 then used then $225 to $275.. they sell new for around $300 - $350.

IMO, they are a very good guitars for the price.

 

[cybermgk]

I can't read the number on the TRC.. if it is 2000 (for AL-2000) then used in decent condition between $150 - $180.. They sell brand new for $225 - $250..

if the TRC says 3000, meaning an AL-3000 then used then $225 to $275.. they sell new for around $300 - $350.

IMO, they are a very good guitars for the price.

It looks like it says 3000. But the specs on this don't match a normal AL3000. Production AL3000 has the Fleur di Lis inlay on the headstock, triple binding on body and headstock, single on neck. That has no binding on headstock, single on body and no Fleur Di Lis. Looks like an AL2000.

 

[randelli]

That is just a Google image, I think it was a 2500 model

 

[dspelman]

There is a shop near where I am working that has one of these that appears to be in pretty good shape. I thought it had a regular shaped headstock; and it may have had a Floyd type trem? Is there such a beast? I was really looking for a mandoline but this is still rolling around in my mind.

I like the natural binding and cream plastics so much better than if they were black.

If it's got a Floyd Trem, it's likely an AL 2000 Floyd. If it is, it will have a tilted neck heel and 24 frets. It will also have single layer cream body binding (not "natural" binding), a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard and a pair of ceramic-magnet-based humbuckers. If it's a 2500 that has a Wilkinson or similar trem, it will have similar specs to the AL 2000, but only 22 frets, a standard LP type neck heel and no locking nut.

An AL 2000 Floyd runs about $279 new without case, an AL 2500 (without a Floyd) runs about the same. One of the main differences is that the AL 2500 will have body, neck and headstock single layer binding. The AL 2000 will not have binding on the headstock.

 

[frankthomson]

i had a 12 string lp in HCherry...action was stupid low
amazing axe for the price
amazing

 

[tonyg73]

I love my two. I have an AL-3100 Silverburst (see profile pic) and an ST-802 strat. That being said, I hated the bridge on the older AL3100's so I replaced it with a TonePros bridge. Very happy now. Also went with Seymour Duncan pickups. In the Strat I'm running Dimarzio Area pickups and the guitar is incredible.

Before this thread starts up any troll nonsense about Agiles being for poor people (as this board has endured in the past) I have owned four Gibsons (no CS stuff), G&Ls, Fender American Deluxe series, MIJ Ibanez Prestige, Edwards LP etc. and after gear consolidation own an MIJ ESP Eclipse II, Suhr Classic Strat, my 2 Agiles, multiple Mesa amps and other odds and ends. I'm fully aware of what "expensive" ($2000.00 and up) guitars play and sound like.

So to answer the OP's original question in the thread title, "yes". Agiles are very good player guitars that won't break the bank. YMMV though.

 

[Kungphugrip]

yes, Agiles are very good.

 

[StormJH1]

I literally just "discovered" these yesterday. (Somebody had linked the Rondo Guitars website, and I was actually looking at their Strat and Tele clones, which are around $100 to $125.)

I actually have more confidence that the Agile neck and fretboard would be nice (I would replace the pickups anyway), but the issue is the price. If it's costing around $225 to $250 for a new Agile AL-2000 shipped to my door, I'm at about the price range where GC sells a lot of Epi LP Std's used ($250 to $300). I know more about the reputation and QC of a company like Epiphone, plus (and here's the big one), I can play the guitar before ordering it.

You could argue that it's not a fair comparison because it's a NEW Agile instrument and some of their burst finishes are more comparable to the "Plus Top" Epis that cost more like $500 new. So, viewed that way, the Agile is half the price. I'm just a little frightened by the prospect of having it show up to my door and there's some type of problem with the frets, etc.

Thoughts on those concerns?

 

[StormJH1]

Before this thread starts up any troll nonsense about Agiles being for poor people (as this board has endured in the past) I have owned four Gibsons (no CS stuff), G&Ls, Fender American Deluxe series, MIJ Ibanez Prestige, Edwards LP etc. and after gear consolidation own an MIJ ESP Eclipse II, Suhr Classic Strat, my 2 Agiles, multiple Mesa amps and other odds and ends. I'm fully aware of what "expensive" ($2000.00 and up) guitars play and sound like.

So to answer the OP's original question in the thread title, "yes". Agiles are very good player guitars that won't break the bank. YMMV though.

I don't think it's about "poor" versus "rich", it's more about whether or not it's going to bother you that you're not playing the "real thing". Obviously, if you look at my collection (Squiers and other imitation Strats), I'm not bothered by prestige. I'm replacing the pickups anyway, so it seems kind of absurd to pay $399 for a new Epi Std when I already intend to rip the pickups out anyway.

The appeal to me of the Agile is that I could get a full-sized Les Paul in a unique finish of my choice, and do it for under $250. I just don't want it to be a nightmare to play. You (and others) are telling me that they generally play quite nice, which is good news.

 

[dspelman]

I'm replacing the pickups anyway, so it seems kind of absurd to pay $399 for a new Epi Std when I already intend to rip the pickups out anyway.

The appeal to me of the Agile is that I could get a full-sized Les Paul in a unique finish of my choice, and do it for under $250. I just don't want it to be a nightmare to play. You (and others) are telling me that they generally play quite nice, which is good news.

They're quite good. For as long as I've known about them, the general reaction upon opening the box has been, "Wait, this cost me HOW much?"

Kurt (owner of Rondo Music) has been very good about returns when something has been amiss.

Like all guitars that are new to you, you'll want to have it set up to your personal specs as soon as possible after you pull it out of the box.

The AL2000 series is a very good LP-spec guitar (mahogany, rosewood fretboard, plastic trap inlays, single binding on the body, slightly hot ceramic-magnet pickups, etc.)

The AL3000 was the real eye-opener for me. At around $400, it's got triple binding on body and headstock, single binding on the fretboard, a real ebony fretboard, jumbo hand-filed frets, real MOP or abalone inlays, very good mahogany in the body and neck, some nice AlnicoV pickups, a Graphtech TUSQ nut, a Graphtech NSV2 Bridge with String Saver saddles. I don't know if there IS an Epiphone comparision for that one and certainly not for $400.

 

[StormJH1]

They're quite good. For as long as I've known about them, the general reaction upon opening the box has been, "Wait, this cost me HOW much?"

Kurt (owner of Rondo Music) has been very good about returns when something has been amiss.

Like all guitars that are new to you, you'll want to have it set up to your personal specs as soon as possible after you pull it out of the box.

The AL2000 series is a very good LP-spec guitar (mahogany, rosewood fretboard, plastic trap inlays, single binding on the body, slightly hot ceramic-magnet pickups, etc.)

The AL3000 was the real eye-opener for me. At around $400, it's got triple binding on body and headstock, single binding on the fretboard, a real ebony fretboard, jumbo hand-filed frets, real MOP or abalone inlays, very good mahogany in the body and neck, some nice AlnicoV pickups, a Graphtech TUSQ nut, a Graphtech NSV2 Bridge with String Saver saddles. I don't know if there IS an Epiphone comparision for that one and certainly not for $400.

Thank you for that detailed response. That has me even more interested in the AL-2000 (the AL-3000 DOES sound incredibly nice, but is a little out of the range price-wise for what I'm trying to do).

Despite the Gibson Smart Wood in my avatar being a very cool guitar, it has not cured my G.A.S. for a "Les Paul". My priorities are as follows:

• Full-size & weight of a LP Standard (The Smart Wood is a thin body)
• Nice finish & trapezoidal inlays
• Affordable price (for guilt reasons, and low enough to cover largely with sale of other gear, probably under $250)
• Comfortable, playable neck without dead frets, etc.

The following is a list of things that are NOT important to me:

• Quality of stock pickups (want to put in my own choice)
• The name on the headstock

Really starting to think the Agile AL-2000 might be a good goal. Good to hear they are reasonable about returns if something is wrong. I'm trying to learn about basic guitar setup so I could fix minor issues out of the box, but ideally, I just need it to play well enough without deadened notes or unbearable fret buzzing out of the box.

 

[Kungphugrip]

I literally just "discovered" these yesterday. (Somebody had linked the Rondo Guitars website, and I was actually looking at their Strat and Tele clones, which are around $100 to $125.)

I actually have more confidence that the Agile neck and fretboard would be nice (I would replace the pickups anyway), but the issue is the price. If it's costing around $225 to $250 for a new Agile AL-2000 shipped to my door, I'm at about the price range where GC sells a lot of Epi LP Std's used ($250 to $300). I know more about the reputation and QC of a company like Epiphone, plus (and here's the big one), I can play the guitar before ordering it.

You could argue that it's not a fair comparison because it's a NEW Agile instrument and some of their burst finishes are more comparable to the "Plus Top" Epis that cost more like $500 new. So, viewed that way, the Agile is half the price. I'm just a little frightened by the prospect of having it show up to my door and there's some type of problem with the frets, etc.

Thoughts on those concerns?

those strats and teles that cost
in the $100 to $200 are not Agiles they are SX,out of china Kurt@Rondo
is just the north american distributor and they are sub Agile but still
good platforms for moding,
Al2000s are nice guitars imo they are a little better than epis
but just like most epis you will want to replace the pups.
also dont worry about playing the guitar,if there is something wrong when you get it you can return it,Kurt will have a new one in your hand in a few days.
Now i know you said your on a budget but i gotta tell you
if i had played a AL3000 before buying my AL2000 i would not have bought the 2000.Do yourself a favor,wait until you have enough loot(around $400) for a real al3000(not an SE)it will be worth the trouble trust me.

 

[dspelman]

My priorities are as follows:

• Full-size & weight of a LP Standard (The Smart Wood is a thin body)
• Nice finish & trapezoidal inlays
• Affordable price (for guilt reasons, and low enough to cover largely with sale of other gear, probably under $250)
• Comfortable, playable neck without dead frets, etc.

The Agiles are solid body and fairly heavy. I've got three Agiles and four Gibson LPs (three of the LPs are solid body, one is an Axcess Custom that's actually chambered and thin bodied, like your Smart Wood). I actually prefer the heavier, denser guitars.

Finish is amazing on two of my Agiles. The third was sold to me as a B stock due to finish issues (it's a black guitar and if you look carefully, there's an area that looks like a mediocre bondo job on the upper bout). It's nothing that can be seen two feet from the guitar and it saved me about half the price of the guitar.

I would note that the B-stock guitar came to me with one slightly high fret; a full-stop bend at the 16th fret would fret out on me. I take my guitars to a tech in San Francisco, and he could easily have fixed the guilty fret, but I'd been having my last few guitars PLEK'd and their frets superglued, and I was a bit flush and he gave me a bit of a deal on it (sort of a thank you for the amount of work I'd had done). That guitar is an amazing player (three years on) and is my go-to bar guitar. I've left most things on that guitar stock, including the pickups. It simply honks.

Standard necks are not baseball bat size, but they're not skinny, either. Very comfortable. Fretboard radius is 13.7". They do have an optional skinny neck that's VERY skinny, and they have a "WIDE" version that has a 1 3/4" wide nut. That's *very* comfortable to play. String spacing on the WIDE is notably wider in the cowboy chord area, particularly compared to LPs with nibs (which lose some fret real estate due to the nibs). An LP with a 1 11/16ths" nut width actually has string spacing closer to that on a 1 5/8" nut guitar, or even to the old 1 9/16ths" nut non-bound-fretboard guitars from the '70's.
Frets are Jumbos on all Agiles. They're going to be a bit higher than that on your current LP. I prefer them, though I like medium jumbos as well. Folks who have a very heavy hand don't like the jumbos as well because they're always gorilla-gripping their cowboy chords sharp.

The following is a list of things that are NOT important to me:

• Quality of stock pickups (want to put in my own choice)
• The name on the headstock

I have one Agile with a whole new electronics setup, and the other two have stock pickups. The Agile AL3100 with the AlnicoV pickups is outstanding, the AL2000 with the ceramic-based pickups grew on me. Turns out that for a bar mix, they're killer.

Headstock logos are very important to some folks, particularly those invested in nostalgia, tradition, rock history, peer approval and resale.

 

[StormJH1]

This is great stuff, guys, loving the discussion.

Standard necks are not baseball bat size, but they're not skinny, either. Very comfortable. Fretboard radius is 13.7". They do have an optional skinny neck that's VERY skinny, and they have a "WIDE" version that has a 1 3/4" wide nut. That's *very* comfortable to play. String spacing on the WIDE is notably wider in the cowboy chord area, particularly compared to LPs with nibs (which lose some fret real estate due to the nibs). An LP with a 1 11/16ths" nut width actually has string spacing closer to that on a 1 5/8" nut guitar, or even to the old 1 9/16ths" nut non-bound-fretboard guitars from the '70's.
Frets are Jumbos on all Agiles. They're going to be a bit higher than that on your current LP. I prefer them, though I like medium jumbos as well. Folks who have a very heavy hand don't like the jumbos as well because they're always gorilla-gripping their cowboy chords sharp.

Actually came back here to ask about that very thing! I can try and check this with their specs, as well, but is the string spacing over the pickups different with the different necks? That would come into play when replacing pickups, but I assume the spacing starts wider and then tapers out to a more traditional bridge spacing.

I'm basically looking for a authentic "Les Paul" feel to the fretboard. I don't want a setup that's thinner than a real LP, and I have fairly large hands. So, they have a "Standard", "Skinny", and "Wide" sizes?

Al2000s are nice guitars imo they are a little better than epis
but just like most epis you will want to replace the pups.
also dont worry about playing the guitar,if there is something wrong when you get it you can return it,Kurt will have a new one in your hand in a few days.
Now i know you said your on a budget but i gotta tell you
if i had played a AL3000 before buying my AL2000 i would not have bought the 2000.Do yourself a favor,wait until you have enough loot(around $400) for a real al3000(not an SE)it will be worth the trouble trust me.

I will consider an AL-3000. From @dspelman's description of it, it's certainly an amazing value. Then again, I'm wondering a getting an AL-2000 and throwing a GraphTech nut in there for $10 wouldn't make that a better guitar, as GraphTech stuff has improved many of the Squiers and other budget guitars I've used it with. If I got an AL-3000, I probably wouldn't make any changes to it (provided I liked the pups). That being said, I'm not afraid of wiring changes, and I could probably have a tech do the nut if I was at all concerned about that upgrade on the AL-2000.

Headstock logos are very important to some folks, particularly those invested in nostalgia, tradition, rock history, peer approval and resale.

Absolutely, and there's nothing wrong with any of that. I bought my Gibson in large part because it was a nice instrument and I wanted a Gibson. I want this next guitar because I want to play it a LOT, and I want the good things about a Les Paul body shape and neck, with some uniqueness and customization to it.

 

[Kungphugrip]

This is great stuff, guys, loving the discussion.

Actually came back here to ask about that very thing! I can try and check this with their specs, as well, but is the string spacing over the pickups different with the different necks? That would come into play when replacing pickups, but I assume the spacing starts wider and then tapers out to a more traditional bridge spacing.

I'm basically looking for a authentic "Les Paul" feel to the fretboard. I don't want a setup that's thinner than a real LP, and I have fairly large hands. So, they have a "Standard", "Skinny", and "Wide" sizes?


I will consider an AL-3000. From @dspelman's description of it, it's certainly an amazing value. Then again, I'm wondering a getting an AL-2000 and throwing a GraphTech nut in there for $10 wouldn't make that a better guitar, as GraphTech stuff has improved many of the Squiers and other budget guitars I've used it with. If I got an AL-3000, I probably wouldn't make any changes to it (provided I liked the pups). That being said, I'm not afraid of wiring changes, and I could probably have a tech do the nut if I was at all concerned about that upgrade on the AL-2000.



Absolutely, and there's nothing wrong with any of that. I bought my Gibson in large part because it was a nice instrument and I wanted a Gibson. I want this next guitar because I want to play it a LOT, and I want the good things about a Les Paul body shape and neck, with some uniqueness and customization to it.

go with a 3000 man!
even if its an SE,you still get the hand filled frets,ebony board,pro cut graphtech nut and alnico 5s all for $50bucks more than a 2000

 

[dspelman]

Actually came back here to ask about that very thing! I can try and check this with their specs, as well, but is the string spacing over the pickups different with the different necks? That would come into play when replacing pickups, but I assume the spacing starts wider and then tapers out to a more traditional bridge spacing.

Exactly. By the time you get to the 12th fret or so, the extra width has pretty much disappeared.

I'm basically looking for a authentic "Les Paul" feel to the fretboard. I don't want a setup that's thinner than a real LP, and I have fairly large hands. So, they have a "Standard", "Skinny", and "Wide" sizes?

I don't think they call it skinny -- probably "slim." And that refers to the neck depth. It's only about 17mm deep at the first fret, 20.5mm deep at the 12th fret. I have very large hands (XXL glove size) and one of my Agiles is actually "wide" *and* "slim." Probably one of my favorite necks.

The standard neck has proportions something like a '60's, but it's a bit nicer curve. The wide is really nice, too -- somehow they managed NOT to put squared-off shoulders on it. The roundness is just about perfect.

 

[StormJH1]

Exactly. By the time you get to the 12th fret or so, the extra width has pretty much disappeared.

Awesome. So long as I can replace the pickups, if need be, that would work for me. Standard would probably work for me, but

Last questions (now that you guys have me jonesing for one):

Where is the best place to order them from? eBay or direct from the Rondo site?

Is $225 (plus shipping) the going rate for a AL-2000? The AL-3010's are only $299, I was thinking they were a 100 bucks more than that...are those the ones you guys are recommending?

What color(s) do you like? Any pictures of your Agiles you guys want to show off?

I'm absolutely in love with this Honeyburst:

Really, though, all of them look gorgeous in pictures (also like the Cherry Sunburst and kind of the Nat Spalted, too). Kind of like the Plus Top version of a $500 Epiphone, but with more options and unique appeal to it.

Thanks!

 

[Kungphugrip]

Awesome. So long as I can replace the pickups, if need be, that would work for me. Standard would probably work for me, but

Last questions (now that you guys have me jonesing for one):

Where is the best place to order them from? eBay or direct from the Rondo site?

Is $225 (plus shipping) the going rate for a AL-2000? The AL-3010's are only $299, I was thinking they were a 100 bucks more than that...are those the ones you guys are recommending?

What color(s) do you like? Any pictures of your Agiles you guys want to show off?

I'm absolutely in love with this Honeyburst:

Really, though, all of them look gorgeous in pictures (also like the Cherry Sunburst and kind of the Nat Spalted, too). Kind of like the Plus Top version of a $500 Epiphone, but with more options and unique appeal to it.

Thanks!

the 3010s for $299 are the SEs, regular 3010s start at around $400 but it looks like they only have a few in stock.
and i agree some of those SEs have me gassing also,the wine red spalted
has been calling my name

 

[peskypesky]

I bought a used AL-2000 a couple of years ago. It had been upgraded by a previous owner. It has pickups from an AL-3000, a roller bridge and a graphite nut. It is a gorgeous guitar, extremely well-made, and I love the way it plays and sounds.

I know some people think I'm full of it, but my Agile is a cut above any Epi LPs I've tried out at GC. I actually prefer it to the sub $1k Gibsons I've tried recently, at least in terms of fit and finish.

I convinced my brother-in-law to buy himself an AL-3000 and he is just pleased as punch with it. He still can't believe how much guitar he got for his money.