Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $299.95
Submitted 03/16/2006
at 06:31am
by Brian McDonald
Email: fistyersister<at>aol dot com
Features
:9
Standard Features, though I did trade out the bridge pickup for a Seymour Duncan "Pearly Gates" model for no other reason than I wanted to. The stock pups are fine. I just wanted that Billy Gibbons sound.
Sound
:10
My music style is classic rock/blues. This guitar plays both wonderfully. I have gigged with this guitar every week for 2 yrs straight now and it sounds killer every time.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
Besides the dings that happen to guitars on the road the finish still looks awesome.
Reliability/Durability
:10
OK, this is the section that I did this second review for. I have now owned my Agile for 2 yrs. I have played it non-stop, left it out in the band trailer during a snow storm, played it during a gig that was stopped because of an oncoming tornado, and hit a guy in the head with it for bothering my girl at a bar we were playing. It is still perfect. For 300 bucks this guitar has held up better than most gibsons. And it sounds and plays better. You cannot kill this guitar. Mine is so reliable and awesome sounding I have named it Excalibur.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Haven't needed it.
Overall Rating
:10
I am currently playing this through a TS9DX, Boss compressor, crybaby wah, and a Crate Blue Voodoo half stack (100 watt) with an attenuator. I get awesome tone for every style I play. I have purchased other guitars while I have had this one and the Agile remains my main guitar.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $400.oo, plus 150.oo shipping and duty
Submitted 07/18/2005
at 09:34am
by G. Garrett
Features
:6
Pretty much like a les paul in overall appearrance. Actually, more like a lower end epiphone
Sound
:1
Sounds like an entry level epiphone les paul clone. muddy sounding pickups, noisy pots, incredible fret buzz that even my luthier can't correct, and he has twenty five years experienceand an international reputation. If you replace the pickups, pots, neck, and body, it MIGHT sound better
Action, Fit, & Finish
:1
Looks like an eighth grade shop class project that got an "F".Glue drops around neck joint, streaks in finish. The bookmatched quilt top is wild, it looks like a REALLY BAD hologram or photo finish. The eighth grader who made this obviously has a substance abuse problem. This is seriously the worst finish I have ever seen.
Reliability/Durability
:1
Pots are noisy from day one. Neck pickup died after 1 month. Bridge pickup died 2 weeks later. Replaced them with pickups from an old no-name plywood guitar, they sounded much better. Fret buzz cannot be corrected.Tuners rattle when guitar is strung.
Customer Support
:1
????? What customer support. Once payment is recieved by rondo, it's see ya, bye. I see on ebay their new model of this guitar has " improved pots, and pickups". Translation, "We have been caught selling crap, and sincerely hope you believe our new line of B.S.
REMEMBER, rondo is the ONLY dealer in north america. You can't get warranty work done at a local dealer, as you can with epiphone, squier, etc. You will have to pay shipping back and forth to New Jersey, where ever that is.If you wanna get screwed, higher a hooker instead, you will get far more satisfaction, and personal service.
Overall Rating
:1
I traded this boat anchor to my local guitar store for a set of new strings. I am not kidding when I say they use it to demonstrate to beginners the difference between decent entry level, and firewood. (at least I think it's wood). Warning to Canadian buyers! Besides the purchase price, ( in US. FUNDS ), This junk is made in Korea. At least that's what the glue on sticker says. That means that in addition to shipping cost, you pay full import duty, broker fees, etc. Total shipping is about $150.oo uninsured. If you need to prove in court that you have a severe head injury, show them you bought an agile guitar, you'll win every time. If you think these are good guitars, you probably shouldn't quit your floor mopping day job.
I hve played professionally for 30 years in live gigs with my own band, I have also contibuted on 22 albums as a studio musician. I bought this as a " take to the lake or over to friends, as well as maybe a back up kind of instrument. Now, for the same money I have a high end epiphone that sings. I have signed this with my real name, not my stage name, to protect myself from ridicule from my musician friends. For unleshing this kind of garbage on the public, May Kurt and all the rest at Rondo get cancer, and die real slow.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $309.00
Submitted 05/15/2005
at 11:00am
by viyo
Features
:9
Standard LP specs
Sound
:10
Sounds Great Beefy, I play mostly classic rock you can play pretty much anything on it the pick ups are great. Although Death metal is hard because the guitar it self way so damn much.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:8
The factory setup was okay the action was a bit high and some buzz here and there, the setup was better than I expected but after a setup play like a dream. It has the agile curse or of buzz still.
The Finish was great can't say enough about it beats the crap out of any other LP copy. Not one flaw on the whole guitar.
Reliability/Durability
:10
Hey Pete Townshend did not break many of the original Lp's And this one is no different. It keeps strings pretty well and I play hard. It's tank.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
N/a
Overall Rating
:9
It plays and feels like a gison sounds about like one two, but so much of that is amp any way. I think agile make a great product and I for one am looking at a cool cat and a prestige, Thi guitar should cost $1500 and I'm going to buy more before they really do cost $1500
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $309
Submitted 11/16/2004
at 04:45am
by Guitardan
Email: marshadees<at>bellsouth dot net
Features
:10
2004 CSB Quilt. Usual Les Paul Style Features. 22 Frets. Maple quilt top. 2 alnico humbucker pickups with 2 volume controls and 2 tone controls. Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard. Tune o matic bridge with stop tail piece. Grover machine heads -non locking that finely tune guitar and stay in tune !! Neck is somewhere between Gibson LP 1960 slim taper and LP 1959 thicker neck. Really feels great and fast.
Also got CNB Hardshell ($59.99) which is brown with brothel pink lining just like the case you got with a Gibson LP for many years.
It didn't seem right to mark this down from a 10 as it was exactly what you woud want from this stayle of guitar.
Sound
:10
I play classic rock and blues and have been playing LPs for 35 years. Play it through a Fender Super Reverb with no bells/whistles. Guitar is very quiet with no hum. These PUPs are very sweet sounding and are similar to 57 classics in tone and output. With treble pickup alone on and cranked up you get sound similar to Clapton's Bluesbreakers sound/ Mick Taylors Bluesbreakers sound. Both PUPs on render Page's "clean sound"/ Mike Bloomfield's Super Session sound , ( Bloomfield used a Super Reverb in that recording).
With neck PUP on and tone rolled back you get "woman tone" with endless sustain.
You can get all of the traditional LP tones form this guitar.
There is nothing I dislike about the sounds rendered by this guitar as I have always preferred the LP overdriven British Blues sound to any other electric guitar sound.
The tonal beauty available by this guitar is limited only by one's ability to make it sing. These PUPs have all the tone and output one could desire. Frankly, I was surprised that such an inexpensive guitar
would come equipped with such good PUPs. I will not be changing them as I do not believe that 57 Classics or Burstbucker Pros sound any better (or worse). If you want the old Clapton/Page /Beck/Taylor/Allman/McCarty sound, just crank these PUPs through a tube amp such as a Marshall or Fender.
I have owned numerous Gibson and Heritage LPs and to my amazement, this guitar sounds every bit as sweet.
I can not in good conscience give this sound rating any thing other than a 10.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:7
Guitar was not set up well upon receipt. Action was to low. Many fret buzzes.Sent guitar out for fret crown and polish and set up and now guitar feels as smooth and easy to play as one could want.
PUPs were adjusted just fine and bridge PUP was equal in volume to neck PUP.I will leave them alone. Quilt top is flawless. For this price, I presume the top is thin if not a veneer- it looks great !
No problem with bridge or nut. Guitar tuned up perfectly even before set up. Most importantl, it stays in tune !!! I have always had problems keeping Gibson guitars in tune for more than 1 song.
The hardware seems just fine and I anticipate it will tarnish/discolor over time, but it seems to be sold and functions well. There were no loose pieces. Again, for such an inexpensive instrument , alot of attention to detail was given in the making of this guitar.
I am giving this category a 7 . Every guitar I have ever bought needed a setup immediately after purchase.
Reliability/Durability
:9
I anticipate this guitar will last a log time. It appears well made and I intend on taking care of it. I would use it without a backup as I have done with my Gison LPs over the years. The strap buttons are over size and the strap does not come undone easily.
I imagine the beautiful cherry burst finish will fade over time. This is not all bad as it will give the guitar the "vintage" look.
Customer Support
:9
Sent Kurt at Rondo several emails and hw\e promptly provided responses.
Never dealt with him before but am very pleased ,so far.
Not sure about warranty ??
Overall Rating
:10
Have been playing since age of 9 , 42 years. Also own Heritage 535, Martin D-16 RGT, epiphone AJ-18. If guitar were stolen I would definitely buy another as it is the only LP style guitar I own. Love the playability and sound of this guitar, Feels every bit as good as a Gibson LP Standard for less than 1/5 the price. Do not hate anything about this guitar. Before buying I looked at Gibson LP Standards but realized that they are way overpriced and really do not play or sound better.
Amazing value!!
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $309
Submitted 09/20/2004
at 09:39am
by Curt Olmscheid
Email: curtis<dot>olmscheid at bankerssystems<dot>com
Features
:10
I just recieved this guitar from Rondo Music. Like the othes it's made in Korea. Solid body and top of quilt maple. It is every bit the excellent guitar that most of these reviews claim it is (for the money!) The solid mahogany body is covered with a deep gloss transpearant red, very georgious. The maple top is very nice. The Grover tuners are sweet, the fit and finish is so much better than any $300 dollar guitar I've ever seen or played. This is guitar is definately in the quality of a $1000 guitar. I can only hope the price doesn't go up before I can snatch a few more of the other models. The frets are polished and well and the neck perfectly straight with just a bit of relieve. I actually had to loosen the truss rod just a bit to give a bit more relief. (now it's perfect)
Sound
:9
My first reaction to the sound was that it seemed very similar to a Les Paul when played in the clean mode. Maybe a little brighter, but still lots of gain and a very nice tone. I won't be changing the pups, they work fine for me.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:8
The setup was actually pretty good right out of the box. I always do my own setup to taste so I didn't really care what the setup was like. I did have to loosen the truss rod just a bit to add some relief. I will also cut the nut slots a bit deeper. (again only a slight change is needed here). The pickup selector switch seems fine,and doesn't make any noise when selecting pups unless you're letting a note or chord ring out at the time, then a slight pop is emitted. The tone pots are a little scratchy but nothing a little pot lube and conditioner won't cure. The quilt top sides don't match up perfectly, I'd say they are off by less than an 1/8", no big deal here. All other aspects, the binding, the polished frets the paint/finish are perfect. This guitar is abloslutely georgeous. Everyone I've showed it to, players or not always react with a "WOW" or similar expression.
Reliability/Durability
:9
This guitar seems built very well. There was obvousely a good deal of attention to detail. I've only had it a few days so time will tel.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Not yet needed. I believe this gutare comes with a two year warranty.
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing the guitar for 35 years. I've owned one other copy of a Les Paul and it didn't even compare. I own 2 Fender Strats, a Fender Telecaster and a Hohner copy of a Martin D-28 Acoustic guitar. I play the Agile 2800 through either a Hughes and Kettner 50watt 12" combo or a Fender Blues Jr. So far this guitar is everything most people are saying about it. Great guitar, I'd definately buy another if it were stolen.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $309
Submitted 05/27/2004
at 08:25am
by Kevin Blake
Features
:10
Mine is the lefty version. Any fellow southpaws out there know how hard it is to find left-handed options except for Fender, who seem to make a disproportionate number of lefties compared to everyone else (must be the Hendrix legacy). Anyway, I can't stand those for the type of music I play (powerchord hard rock/punk).
I was looking for a good backup to my '87 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I had been using a '90 Washburn HB-35 (Gibson ES335 copy), but the hollow body was a feedback problem at the volume and gain levels I play at. And I fancied a change anyway after 14 years with the same gear.
I contacted every music store in my area (D.C. metro) and NOT ONE had any lefties in stock beyond a few high-end models and the usual Fenders, so I quickly concluded I'd have to search online and take a flyer on something without being able to try it out first -- the price of being a southpaw.
After an exhaustive online search, a couple of Epiphone models seemed the best option at the price range I was considering (around $300). Agile or Rondo Music didn't come up in my search for left-handed guitars. So I settled on the Epiphone Les Paul 100 cherry sunburst from guitartrader.com for $309. It arrived and seemed a perfectly serviceable backup to my Gibson.
Then I discovered the Agile 2800 DLX purely by chance while I was browsing on ebay. For the same price as the Epiphone, it had all the features I wanted but had settled for doing without with the LP-100, so I couldn't resist ordering one.
When the Agile arrived -- wow. The LP-100 doesn't begin to compare. The finish on the Epiphone looks cheap and a bit garish (heavy paint obscures much of the wood grain) next to the Agile, and of course it has a bolt-on neck, dot inlays, no pickup covers, thin body, and stock tuners rather than the Agile's set neck, crown inlays, pickup covers, full body, and Grover tuners. It really is no contest, and I'll look to sell the Epiphone now. As far as I can tell, the equivalent left-handed Epiphone model costs around $525 -- why anyone would even consider paying that when they can have the Agile for more than $200 less is beyond me.
The Agile is a thing of beauty (I agree with those who say the pictures don't do it justice). Both the guitar and the case I ordered with it arrived in immaculate condition. There isn't a flaw on the guitar; the crown pearl inlays, chrome hardware, bookmatching, and binding look sharp; and the finish is absolutely gorgeous. I won't repeat the more specific rundown of features already listed by others. Suffice it to say, this is a stunning guitar that looks like it should cost a lot more, unlike the Epiphone which is obviously a budget instrument.
Sound
:10
Wow -- what a beast! I've only had this thing a short time and I haven't played out with it yet, but my initial impression based on a few rehearsals is that it actually sounds BETTER than my Gibson! Never did I think I'd say that.
The bridge pickup on the Agile just roars -- awesome powerchord sound, very warm, great sustain. I play through a Marshall JCM 800 100W half-stack, no effects other than an MXR micro amp to boost for leads. I cannot believe how great this thing sounds.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
Needed a minor set up to adjust the intonation, which was a little off (though not by as much as the Epiphone, and probably no more than any guitar ordered through the mail). The bone nut was a bit grabbly too, so a few quick passes with a nut file quickly solved that. Still, I'll knock off a point here just to break the monotony of giving them a perfect score!
Beyond that, the action was set pleasingly low with no real fret buzz, so no adjustment needed there. The frets themselves seem great, very comfy standard Les Paul-style playability overall. Neck straight as an arrow. Really nice.
Reliability/Durability
:10
Like I said, I haven't tested it live yet, but I have every confidence in this guitar so far. Sounds great, plays great, stays in tune, seems solid as a rock. Can't comment on the durability of the finish or hardware yet though. The strap buttons it came with were oversize and even though they probably didn't need it, I swapped 'em out for some Schaller strap lock-compatible buttons anyway just cos that's what I'm used to.
Since this is good enough to be a main guitar and actually sounds better than my Gibson, it may end up relegating the Gibson to backup status! I would never gig without a backup though -- you just never know when a string will pop or something else will go wrong.
Customer Support
:10
I can only comment on how Kurt at Rondo is with a smooth transaction because that's my only experience with him, but he's top notch when it comes to answering questions promptly. The shipping service was incredible -- my order was confirmed first thing on a Tuesday morning and arrived on the Wednesday afternoon. That's next day service without paying extra for it.
I understand that others claim to have had difficulties with Rondo for problem transactions, but I can't speak to that. My experience with them is very positive and I'd deal with them again without hesitation.
My only criticism is that they need to get the word out more. It was only by chance that I discovered their listing on ebay, and by then I'd already purchased the Epiphone which I now have to try and sell. You can bet I'll do my bit to spread the word though -- I've been raving about the Agile to my musician friends for weeks now and will continue to do so.
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing guitar for 20 years now, and I cannot overstress how impressed I am so far with this guitar. Honestly, considering what else is out there, I'm really amazed that a guitar of this quality can be had for just $309. Incredible value -- easily the best out there as far as I can tell. I just wish Agile wasn't such a well kept secret, because this guitar deserves to beat the pants off the competition. And I really appreciate the fact that Agile makes lefty options available in a lot of their models.
I'm so impressed by my Agile and especially by the incredibly low prices of these things, I've already told the wife that at just $199 the beautiful 2500 series lefty P90 gold top or the 2500 Valkyrie SG copy would make a great Christmas present for me! I'm already looking forward to adding another Agile to my collection.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $299.99
Submitted 04/28/2004
at 11:47am
by Jeremy McKemy
Email: mrskapunk at lycos<dot>com
Features
:10
As the last guy said, the usual LP specifications that would be on any nice Gibson. It does come standard with Grover tuners, which is quite nice, and alnico pickups that are as good as the Gibson pickups. The quilt top on this thing is perfect, it's just absolutely beautiful (which many friends have agreed with me on).
I used to carry pictures of it around with me in my wallet and show it to people and tell them it's my girlfriend. Now that I have a girlfriend, she just calls it my mistress.
Sound
:10
This guitar definitely suits my musical style. I was blown away when I first plugged it in because of richness and it's loudness (thanks to the alnico pickups and the solid mahogany body). I'd never played on a guitar with alnico pickups before, so I was quite surprised at the quality. The maple top brightens the sound a bit, but it's not annoyingly bright. I play a lot of different types of music on it, but mostly church music and 80's rock like Motley Crue and Cinderella (I know, that sounds like quite a contradiction).
As far as the kinds of sounds it can make, it depends on the player. I know a guy who's been playing for over 20 years and he could make my guitar do anything he wanted it to do. He hated to admit it, but he said that it is every bit as good as his Gibson LP.
I've played Gibson LP's that I haven't liked as much as this, which I personally found a bit disappointing.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
The guitar's factory set-up was about average. I set it myself to my own personal liking, and the action on it is incredible now. The only thing I've played better is a PRS, but those are incredibly expensive.
Everything is perfect except the finish. It scratches real easily. I tried using some scratch remover that worked on all my other guitars, but it only made it worse. So, you'll just have to deal with it getting a lot of pick scractches if you get one.
Other than scratching easily, everything else was perfect.
Reliability/Durability
:10
I've used this guitar for live playing probably about 50 times in the past six months that I've owned it. I haven't had a single problem with it. Everything on it is as solid as a rock (other than the finish that easily scratches). I play this thing without a backup quite often at church, but when I'm doing a show I always bring a backup because no matter how much your guitar cost, strings break.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
I haven't had to deal with Rondo Music because the guitar hasn't had any problems. They did go as far as sending me a letter in the mail assuring me that my guitar was under warrenty and if I did have any problems with it, they'd be sure to help me out. So, I'm not at all concerned about it. Plus, I know enough about guitar repair so that I can fix most anything (unless the guitar itself snaps and breaks, or cracks).
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing almost six years now, and I currently own six electric guitars (a Dillion, a Strat, an Epiphone LP, an acrylic LP, and some cheap SG knockoff). I play through an old 100 watt Yamaha (solid state), and also the Fender Princeton Chorus (or something like that). I've hesitated on writing this review for two reasons, 1)I wanted to make sure that the guitar was good and would endure some hardship 2)I'm afraid if too many people like these guitars, the price is going to jump.
If it were stolen or lost I'd find the SOB and do something horrible to him. This guitar is my baby, I'm extremely protective of it. If that couldn't be done, I'd settle with buying another one. I am planning on buying at least one or two more Agiles to take on the road once I'm done with college and I'm touring with my band.
I've played Gibson LP's and honestly, I'm really disappointed. I assumed the the Gibsons would be quite a bit better than the Agiles, but they're not. Don't get me wrong, Gibson makes very good guitars, they're just over priced. You can get an Agile for $300 that is every bit as good as a Gibson that's over $2,500 (and in my opinion, the Agile is slightly better).
I guess the guy who wrote the crappy review below works for or sells Stellars (which is a company that's obviously a competitor of Agile). It's pretty sad that they have to write lies about Agile in order to try and beat them out. I don't see why they don't just try making a better guitar, and then beat out Agile that way.
Just a side note, please email me if you know anything about the Agile company. I'm quite curious about who owns them (is it Rondo Music?). Anyway, if you know anything, or if you want to ask me anything, feel free to email me.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $299.95
Submitted 03/22/2004
at 10:44pm
by Brian McDonald
Email: HallowsVictim<at>msn dot com
Features
:10
I give the features a 10. Standard Les Paul type stuff here. But since Les Paul's are my favorite guitars I dig it.
Sound
:10
Plays Metal like a dream. The pickups are amazingly similar to 57's. Much better than I expected. All the electronics are very quiet and any feedback I have experienced has been on purpose. My other guitarist and myself did a blindfolded test with this and his Gold Top. Neither of us could tell the difference in sound or tone. The only way we knew which one we were playing is that the Agile is actually heavier than his Les Paul.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
My only gripe about this was that the bone nut was a little too "grabby" with the strings.
Reliability/Durability
:10
This thing is a tank. I would gig without a backup for sure. I have played this at 3 gigs now and all three times I played it all night and my Explorer just sat there in it's stand.
Customer Support
:10
Kurt is very quick and very friendly. Wouldn't hesitate to deal with them again.
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing for 17 yrs. I have a Gibson Explorer, a SG, and a Marshall JCM800 half stack. This guitar Is every bit as good as a Gibson in my opinion. My favorite thing about this guitar is the AMAZING sustain it has. I promise for 300 dollars you WILL NOT find a better guitar. Hell, you won't find a better one for 600 dollars to be completely honest.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 08/21/2003
at 06:25pm
by WJones
Features
:No Opinion
This is an update from my last post. No other info will be provided.
I gave this guitar to Someone in a touring band to play. After a few weeks I got a report. I asked if he wanted me to change the pickups out and he said NO this thing sounds great (he already has a set of Duncans in a broken epi). I guess I will end up getting another one cause he wants to keep this one which is fine, we can work that out.
I seriously expect to see a Big Price jump in these in a few months.
Sound
:No Opinion
Action, Fit, & Finish
:No Opinion
Reliability/Durability
:No Opinion
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $289.95
Submitted 08/02/2003
at 12:23pm
by WJones
Features
:10
Flame Maple Top, Mahogany Body, Set-in Maple Neck, Rosewood?? fretboard, Chromed hardware, Grover tuners, nice bridge, chromed pickup covers. Standard L.P. copy.
Sound
:9
Better than expected. Unless you are super picky these pickups will be fine. They soung good, similiar to 57's. Not too hot which I like. The top end is a little more than expected but the Maple Neck likely has a lot to do with that. This guitar sounds very good clean and overdrive sound is nice all around, smooth and not muddy or brittle.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
Beautiful Top and Finish. If this said Gibson on the headstock it would still be a beautiful fop. very nice tight and pronounced Maple Flame. The only flaws I could find were where the neck joins the body and these were minor finish flaws.
The Neck and frets were smooth and well dressed.
Only problem was the nut which was not perfectly seated showing very slight gaps on each end under the first and sixth strings, It'll get a bone or tusq nut anyway so that is really no concern to me. I expect tone will improve as well with a properly installed nut. (consider the price)
The hardware was all good quality, no need to replace any of it. The bridge is tight and looks to be high quality. Top of the line grover tuners.
The intonation was correct and the string height etc was relatively good though I like a slightly higher action and heavier strings, however this played quite well as received.
I really should give this a 10 for the top but the nut drops it to a nine since there is no 9 1/2.
Reliability/Durability
:10
I don't forsee any problems, pots are decent, there is no noise or loose components. Seems well made overall.
Customer Support
:10
RondoMusic, Answers questions quickly. I made a special request and they did it no problem. These Guys are fantastic. I will do business with them again any time. Thanks Kurt.
Overall Rating
:10
Overall I am very satisfied. I have owned "Real" LesPauls and had an older 60's L.P. Custom. While this guitar is not a LP custon i would compare it easily to a standard LP. I started playing guitar in the late 50's as a kid and I've owned a lot of guitars. This easily ranks as one of the better ones. Not the best but I have more than once paid a lot more and gotten much less. Even if you replace the electronics and hardware to suit your personal taste you will have a good deal but I doubt most players would do more than a setup and maybe a new nut and pickups if anything.
I am going to order the double cutaway model as soon as I see it in stock next.
I ordered this with a case. I paid $69.95
for a deluxe case and it was worth way more than I paid, I have seen the exact case for over twice the price i paid.
Product: Agile 2800DLX CSB Quilt Price Paid: US $289.95
Submitted 04/18/2003
at 10:37am
by Nick Parece
Email: nickp<at>romnet dot com
Features
:9
Standard Les Paul fare here, solid mahogany body, Canadian maple top, eh, beautiful quilted finish, bound body, neck and headstock. Grover tuners. Overall fit and finish are quite good, especially taking into account the cost. A Gibson Les Paul Standard this is not, but it's far better than the Epiphone copies that Gibson puts out and quite close to the Gibson, just not fret dressed quite like the standards. There is some serious weight to the body, once again, almost as much as a Gibson Standard but more that an Epi or Gibson Special. This model has 2 alnico humbuckers and a suposedly thicker top. Looks great, with a great feeling neck and jumbo frets. Made in Korea.
Sound
:9
Once setup this guitar has killer tones and great sustain. The pickups have a good level of power output. I can't compare them to the standard Agile 2500's pickup having not heard them, but for the $30 or $40 dollar increase in price I figured it was worth a whirl. There not as good as EMGs or good Seymor's but damn, they still rock it out damn well. I run it through a Marshall Valvestate 100 amp and it sounds incredible both clean and with distortion. I've also run it through my RP200 effects processor toy and it really sounds incredible. Giving it a 9 because in a perfect world we'd all have Fralins or Seymors or whatever your perfect idea of a pickup in our guitars standard.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:6
Ok, a little bit of disappointment here. It came setup god awful from the factory. Major buzzing on the top E-String. Even skying the bridge didn't kelp. I brought it to my guitar geek buddy with a 6 pack of Bud and he got it all setup for me. Maybe it was a one time deal, but if you're buying one of these and you're a beginner/novice (or a borederline retard like myself) make sure you've got a guy (or gal) lined up to set this thing up for you. The strings of course are disposable as well, but everyone knows to switch them off as soon as you get it. At least everyone should know that. Put on some 10's and she rocks.
The fit and finish portion, well hands down it's a gorgeous guitar. The binding is beautifully done all around. The crown inlays have minimal filler on the neck. The frets are fantastic. And Ohhh that top. She's a looker.
Giving it a 6 because of the setup, not the finish.
Reliability/Durability
:10
This thing is a tank. I have every expectation that it will hold up well. I bought it with the silver finish so it would age better. The buttons are solid and big. The pots are not bad, they do feel a little cheap. I'd gig it without a backup, but then again I run with scissors so don't go by me. Seriously though, I expect no problems.
Customer Support
:10
Kurt rocks. Plain and simple. Answers questions and has a real no hassle way of dealing with stuff. Rock on.
Overall Rating
:9
I gotta give it a 9. If it were setup well from the start I'd give it a 10 but there's nothing worse that anxiously awaiting something and then have it basically unplayable. But once it got setup properly, I have nothing but happiness. I've been playing in earnest for a little over a year, collecting guitars for 3 or so. I play mainly blues and modern rock with a little metal and jazz thrown in just for fun. I've owned a couple Gibson SG's, Fender Mexican and USA strats, and some accoustics. Currently I play this and my uncommonly sweet mex strat, covering both of my electric sound bases there. This LP has a comparable tone to the SGs but with a little more sustain and a little more "not the end of the world if it gets hurt" deal going on with it. It's so gorgeous though that it would ruin my night if I dinged it.
I wish Rondo would have a set fee to pro setup these guitars before shipping. That would have saved me some hassle. If lost I'd curse myself and buy a new one. Same with if stolen. You really can't beat the look and feel of this guitar. It's mounted on my wall next to my uncle's Gibson LS-5 and people come in and ask about the Agile, not the $6000 Gibson. All this for about $300. We live in good times.