Agile AL-2000

Yet another in the realm of seemingly endless LP knok-offs. Slightly different is that is is more like a Late '70s/early '80s Norlin-era LP, as it features a Maple neck in lieu of a Mahogany neck. Rosewood board, Mahogany body with a Maple cap. 2 HB pickups 2 vol. 2 tone 3-way switch. You know the usual.

You can do most any style with this, as LPs' are fairly versatile. So this does the Set-neck, Mahogany/Maple 2 Humbucker sound thing quite well. And there are always aftermarket pickups that will transform the stock sound to whatever you may be looking for. Mine is fairly balanced, maybe a wee bit on the bright side. I use an older Marshall combo and a newer (2000s')Peavey Studio Pro 112 for amplification purposes. The electronics work very well, and the stock pickups are quite impressive actually. Sound is always subjective, but for me being a household player it sounds very good.

Fit and finish are fantastic for a $200 git, and would still be great even if this cost $700. Fretwork is solid, no ragged edges and they are level. The only flaws I can find are the Agile logo is slightly off center, and so is the serial number on the back (both are beneath the finish, no just stickers). I guess we can just attribute that to it being "Hand-Made". Just think, if a couple of G-Brand or F-Brand gits got out of the shop that way back in the golden era, guys would be scouring the earth and paying un-godly ammounts of cash for those "treasures". And you know the "G" and "F" custom shops would be pimping limited edition "Off center logo" models for $5k+ ! The set-up was decent out of the box, I just lowered the string height to my taste. It plays great now, but I bet a pro set-up would make it even better. But no complaints out-o-the box.

Nicely applied/fairly thick finish (mine's a Goldtop). Durable as long as you don't beat the crud out of it. The guitars from Rondo look much better than the pictures would indicate. High quality hardware, should be no problem to use thia as your only git (especially if you can only afford or carry 1 at a time). A very well made instrument.

Kurt at Rondo is 'da man! He'll jump through hoops to make sure you're satisfied.

I've now played for 20 years. I briefly played at the semi-pro level. Now, my band days are long behind, so I'm just a bedroom jammer. As the economy has kinda' tanked, I've sold off my high end stuff. I honestly had no need for the expensive stuff, as I don't play that well anyway. I've owned a couple of dozen G-Brand LPs', equally as many USA Strats/Teles, and many of the "Good" American brands. I've wasted a ton of money on high end gear over the years, and I can say that my playing/skill level has not justified any of those purchases (although I had fun). I don't play nor sound any better on this Agile than I have on any of the other expensive guitars. I also don't feel any less inspired to play on this budget "git" than I did on any of the other brands. I have been nothing short of amazed at the quality of the budget end instruments being produced today and this is a prime example. Believe the hype, these are that good.

Mine was hand crafted in South Korea ( that is what the back of the headstock says). The finish is Honey Sunburst (HSB) The finish is absolutely beautiful. It has a maple top with a mahogany body and a set neck. This a Les Paul copy and an excellent one at that. It comes with two volume and two tone knobs, waxed ceramic pickups, which are amazing really for the price of the guitar. It has 22 frets with trapezoidal inlays. All in all for the price it beats an Epiphone Les Paul Standard ( which I played at Guitar Center before I bought this). It also comes with Grover tuners which are awesome, I only have to tune once a week.

I play mostly hard rock and metal, this guitar will pretty much give you any sound or tone you want. I am running it through a Line 6 Spider IV ( yeah I bought the new model, very good amp. That is a different review!) I get no noise from the pickups and I am surprised really. The clean tones are awesome as well as distrotion. I would recommend this guitar to anyone but especially a beginner due the price ( 210.00 USD)

This guitar set-up sucked from the factory. My luthier was not happy with the truss rod, the action and the nut had to be filed. It sounds like a dream now. The pickups needed minimal adjusting. Everything lined up it just needed a major set-up, but for 35 bones it was worth it. The finish is flawless and everything lines up. Again the truss rod was whacked and the nut needed to be filed. Minor details, but they were there.

I have only had it a short while but it weighs like ten pounds and all the hardware is durable. I also take good care of my stuff so it should last forever. The finish seems like it won't wear. The strap buttons are excellent and very sturdy. I would definitely play without back up

I orginally ordered a different finish but it was sold out and Kurt from Rondo quickly replaced the the finish I requested in its place. Not only did he adjust my order quickly he also Fed Exed it instead of UPS like he normally does. I got it in like two days. Kurt is awesome, he will work with you.

I have only been playing a short while. I have an Ibanez GRX20 and when I bought this Agile you could immediately notice the difference in quality. This guitar so far is flawless and I LOVE it. If you are considering buying an Epiphone Les Paul, I would definitely check out the Agiles first. They blow Epi's out of the water. If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again in a heartbeat. The only thing I really do not like is the weight, it feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. But overall, an excellent value and I will buy another Agile. Probably the AL3000 next.

Grover tuners are great so this guitar stays in tune. I get no noise from the stock pick ups and no noise while adjusting the volume/tone controls (playing loud through an all tube amp). The finish is very good and so are all the woods used on this guitar. The frets did not need any filing, but I will checnge the strings since I prefer GHS strings for the past 20 years. Great first impression !

The sound of this Agile AL-2000 is very Les Paul meaning its warm and sustains forever (really does). I am playing through a Crate all tube V30 so its sounds awesome. This thing really likes playing tunes by Ozzy, Led Zep, and Guns N Roses (Yup Les Paul bands).

The setup came in really good, but like I said I will change the strings to my preferred GHS BOOMERS. CAn you believe the only complaint I have is the strings ha! This guitar is heavy, but that reflects in the sound which is awesome. Bottom back end had some scuff makrs from shipping, but I will never return this guitar its too good to be true.

I hate to repeat everyone else opinion, but this guitar is a tank (solid). I feel this thing will last a life time just like my 20 yr old G&L ASAT.

Hmm only experience is the ordering process and that was a breeze.

I have been playing for about 25 yrs and this guitar inspires me to play. I am use to playing strats, teles, and Les Paul and this is just as good if not in some ways better than them. I would buy another in a heartbeat. Great guitar, and service doing us musicians a favor actually.

This is a success story for Harmony Central -- I was all set to buy an Epiphone Les Paul, then I started reading all the reviews of the Agiles here, and rolled the dice on a guitar I'd never actually played.

2009 Al-2000 Les Paul clone, gold archtop, made in Korea. All features fit the word "clone" -- 3-way pickup selector, two tone/two volume knobs, dual wax-potted humbuckers (although if you prefer, you can get the same model with P-90s for $10 more), 22 jumbo frets, Tune-O-Matic bridge. Neck is thin and narrow, but not so narrow that leads on the low frets (E.G. surf, rockabilly styles) are difficult for big fingers.

Grover tuners, which are amazingly fine and precise. Hitting the sweet spot on a tuner has never been easier for me. And the guitar just plain stays in tune longer than most.

Body is three-piece mahogany, neck is maple, and I believe the headstock is a separate piece of maple, but only because others have said so -- the joint is invisible. The hefty, solid overall feel and extremely fine joint for the set-in neck give the AL-2000 the feel of being one big slab of wood. And it has the sustain to match.

At the same time, while it is heavy (many say heavier than Gibson or Epiphone LPs, although I think they all come in at right around 10 lbs even), it is very well balanced -- the headstock doesn't try to take a dive if you let go of the neck (a pet peeve of mine) and the weight seems centered right around my crotch. Maybe because I wear it a little low, but being balanced at my center of gravity is a very good thing for lengthy sessions.

Fretboard is rosewood with "pearloid" inlays. I take "pearloid" to mean "plastic," but that doesn't bother me. Typical trapezoids rather than the dots on some of even the lower-end Epiphones. No one would know they weren't mother of pearl from a foot away; however, I am envious of the top of the line Agiles which have abalone inlays -- they have a beautiful blue tint to them.

Absolutely no accessories, except for that damn allen wrench in a plastic baggie that nobody knows what to do with, and comes with every new guitar. I must have four or five lying around. I've heard both that they're to adjust the bridge saddles, which makes no sense on a Tune-O-Matic, or to adjust the truss rod.

If they're for adjusting the truss rod, they should come with the following warning, "NOTICE: If you do not own your own set of allen wrenches, you have no business messing with your truss rod."

However, I'd rather have this guitar with nary a pick or set of strings, to others which come with straps, picks, strings, tuners, speedwinders, practice amps and any spare bass players they could fit into the box.

I'm giving it an 8 for features, because it has every feature of a typical high-quality Les Paul, unless you insist on better wood (E.G. one-piece body, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard). But that's balanced by the Grover tuners; and the the pickups, which I was planning to replace and are not even on the agenda now. If the rating was "features for the price," this would be a 15 or 20.

Honestly, this isn't a "honeymoon" review. I've spent a couple weeks putting it through its paces, and do have a few minor flaws to point out later.

Perfect in the Clapton Cream-era "crying woman" lead mode -- neck PU, tone set to 0. That's one of my favorite lead tones, and a good test for my hearbones.

"Sustains forever" is a total cliche, so I'll just say "sustains for a really long time."

I have recorded a lullaby with it where it sounds almost like an acoustic, with just a hint of electric twang; and I have recorded a metal dirge which makes full use of its beefy, rip-your-spine-out chunking. This $220 guitar honestly sounds as good as any instrument I've owned, borrowed or played in my 30+ years as a musician.

It has all the tonal variety which LPs are famous for. And hey, you get to play killswitch. For that matter, if one must kanoodle, it has the sustain for fret tapping and such. This is a solid 10 -- and again, I'm using the stock humbuckers.

The guitar took a week to get from Kentucky to me, in Minneapolis. Here, it sat outside my door all day in 40F weather.

I brought it inside, unpacked it, and let it warm up a little. After all that transit, each string was almost exactly one half-step flat. (Again, go go gadget Grovers.)

Action was perfect -- fast, low, but no fret buzz anywhere. I was also planning on a pro setup and new strings, which proved totally unnecessary. Maybe I got lucky, maybe I had a good QC guy working the shift in Korea that day, but the setup was as if I'd paid $40 that day for one.

The most amazing part isn't even asked here: I've often said there's no such thing as perfect intonation. It's mathematically impossible. To demonstrate this, I hit the open string and the closed 12th fret like normal, but I also add the 12th fret harmonic in between, in rapid triplets. This usually makes slight intonation errors glaring. Not here. I was amazed at how dead-on every single string was.

The finish is mostly beautiful, but here is where perfection ends. There's a small but noticeable (to me) blemish about 2" below the tailpiece. Also, where the pickguard, body, body binding and neck binding all meet there is a small unfinished gap.

Finally, I thought it might be my imagination until I read another review with the same complaint, but two of the knobs lean slightly at an angle.

So, setup was a perfect 10, fit and finish around a 6 or 7. I'll give it an 8.

The thing is a tank. Even if I never play again, I'll hang onto it to fend off the hordes during zombie infestations.

No opinion, but Rondo has excellent feedback from their customers.

In fact, it appears to be so good that even I know the owner's name. Kurt. Researching the guitar before I bought, I'd see a few complaints, and there would always be responses from other customers saying, "Contact Kurt, he'll make it right."

I've been playing since '77. Caught up in the great wave of punk in the Twin Cities, which, like Cleveland, had a recognizable punk scene independent of NYC or London as early as '75.

I wasn't only interested in punk -- and my main bandmate (for the next couple decades) and I also became huge fans of British '60s music, which we saw as relating directly to our style of punk. Rather than the Stooges, MC5 and Blue Cheer, our influences were Lord Sutch, the Yardbirds and the Kinks.

That right there should explain some of my love for Les Pauls, or good clones thereof.

There are few guitars or basses I'd buy again without a second thought -- the sliding scale of quality vs. cost makes for some tough choices for any musician who's not rich.

But if the Agile broke (which seems highly unlikely -- this thing might outlive me) I'd replace it in a heartbeat. Even over the pricier models -- honestly, I'm happy with the pickups, the wood doesn't bother me and sure doesn't seem to hurt the guitar's tone. Them abalone inlays are pretty, but not $300 pretty.

I can't overstate this: $220 is a downright ludicrous price for an instrument of this quality. Snatch 'em up before good ol' Kurt wises up.

LP copy no more no Les.This is a review on two of them,aP90 goldtop and a humbucker tiger eye.The TE purchased used for $150,the GT from Rondo for $159 (I guess a B-stock).I think they're both 2006 models

Very good sustain and attack,but the humbuckers sucked.The neck was mud and bridge was loud but abrasive.The P90's were better but not great.I installed Duncan pups(Jazz-neck&Custom5-bridge),what a difference! I put JS Moore P90's in the goldtop,they are fantastic!! Both guitars now sound about as good as anything I've played.

Both guitars are solidly built but needed setups,minor fret work and the nuts needed cutting.This completely cured all buzz and intonation problems.I have all my guitars professionally setup,everyone should. The Tigereye finish is beautiful and the top was nicely bookmatched. The goldtop finish is also very nicely done,sparkly with a green tinge when viewed from the side.Much better than Epi's gold spray paint look. Both had very minor imperfections but for the money,I don't care,looks good from the front row.

Built like a brick ****house. If you break something it's your fault. The finish seems very durable and they stay in tune. I never gig without a backup,would you?

Never had a need for customer support,but I hear Kurt at Rondo is a good guy to do business with.

I've been playing since the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. Gear includes Paul Reed Smith,Custom Shop Gibson,ESP,vintage Fender and various others,so I know what good sounds like. With a little time and money you can turn one into a first rate axe,blows Epis away at half the price. would replace in a heartbeat.

Les Paul knockoff. Made in Korea, year uncertain -- 2003-2005 perhaps. 22 frets, 24 3/4" scale, beautiful 2-piece flamed B-grade maple top on a 3-piece solid mahogany body. Standard Les Paul configuration -- 2 humbuckers, 2 tone and 2 volume controls, and a 3-way pickup switch. Stop-tail bridge, surprisingly good Grover tuners. 2-piece Canadian maple thin neck with a rosewood fingerboard and jumbo frets.

Its features, while basic, are well done. If you like Les Paul style guitars, you'll like this featureset. If you expected a wealth of features, you're going to be disappointed. Also, you're nuts. It's $200.

My rig: Guitar -> Crybaby 535q wah -> Bespeco volume pedal -> Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner -> Digitech Whammy (in a true bypass loop) -> Boss Blues Driver -> Boss Metal Zone -> Digitech Digidelay -> Music Man 210-HD amp.

I'm not sure how it sounds from factory, since I got it used with a botched wiring job. But after having it rewired and getting a professional setup, something one should ALWAYS get on ANY new guitar, this thing sounds great.

The stock pickups are quite good -- no noise whatsoever, and very nice sound. The bridge pickup is pretty versatile, and as you move the tone knob it goes from very round and bassy to warm with enough treble for nice balanced-sounding leads or chord progressions. Sounds great clean, with delay, or with just about anything really. Crunchy Metal Zone chords work well too.

The neck pickup, on the other hand, really only has one sound, but it's a good one: a trebly bright lead, with varying degrees of brashness. How you play and the effects you use can stretch this one a bit, though. As they say, "the tone is in your fingers" -- and then there's the effects :P Through the blues overdrive, it sounds nice and bluesy. Turn on the Metal Zone and crank up the amp, and it'll scream. Perfect. I can only imagine how good it would sound with some high-output Seymour Duncans.

As for the middle pickup position, I find it quite redundant. In my setup, the bridge pickup with tone all the way up sounds plenty balanced. So to simplify things I had the 2 volume and 2 tone controls narrowed down to just one knob each, and the pickup selector moved to be with the other controls. Now it's just how I like it!

One small caveat: once while recording this guitar, my guitar teacher/mentor/collaborator pointed out that the bridge pickup was picking up the G string noticeably louder than the D string. He promptly handed me his Godin and said "Use this. Guaranteed to make you start saving." Yeah, okay. Point taken. Replace the pups or stick to live play -- but for live play, it's great.

To sum it up, this guitar is great for everything -- excluding, perhaps, the pro studio. It's very good for leads, but it can do rhythm too. I play in a 3-piece band as the sole guitarist, so it suits my needs perfectly. We play weird semi-jam-band instrumental 60s-ish blues rock with influences from prog, rock, early punk, classic British pop, and fusion. Despite the broad influences and tones in our music, I never feel like the guitar is deficient. Between my fingers, the pickups, and my effects, I find it can do everything I want it to.

Oh... and did I mention it's $200?

Can't comment on the factory electronics setup -- but the action, which the previous owner (aka "wiring idiot") didn't change, was good. All the hardware was properly attached, and the only flaw in the finish is a small (~1 mm) flake of metal beneath the finish about an inch below the bridge. Other than that, no issues. The neck joint is solid and the neck angle is correct. The frets are all properly filed, the nut is good, the stock knobs and switch work properly without noise, and the tuners are Grovers so obviously no problem there.

The guitar is actually quite beautiful. The blue flame finish on mine looks great, the chrome hardware is pretty snazzy, and I for one actually like the Agile headstock shape. Sure, this ain't a Paul Reed Smith, but it's very nice for what it is. The only reasonable complaint is about the little metal flake on mine, and that's something I doubt happens often. You could probably send it back for free if you got it like that straight from Rondo.

Also, it's $200.

This guitar is very durable. The body is HEAVY -- about 10 pounds -- and made of solid mahogany. It'll take a beating. Mine's held up perfectly. It's still exactly how it was after I got it set up -- and that was 2 years ago, playing it constantly since. The hardware has lasted excellently -- still no noisy pots, no looseness on the strap buttons. I will be using this live without a backup, and I don't worry one bit about it breaking.

All this for -- what was it? -- oh yeah: $200.

I send Kurt at Rondo emails now and again, asking about various things. He's always friendly and helpful. However, I've never tried any super complicated request maneuvers, so I'll just give him a solid 8. Rondo does have a much-praised return policy, though I have no experience with it: if you don't like it, you can send it back -- no problem.

This is a very impressive guitar for only $200. Notice a theme?! ONLY $200! It's an incredible bargain. In fact, it's really not "a nice $200 guitar" as much as it is "a nice guitar that happens to be $200." Its price does not define its quality. It's not laden with features, but do you expect it to be? How many features does a Les Paul need, anyhow? This is a no-nonsense guitar capable of a lot for very little money.

Harmony Central demands that I be as critical as possible, but there's really nothing reasonable to criticise. I could complain about lack of features (like what? coil tap?) but that seems absurd, especially with that price tag. Heck, I modified this guitar to be SIMPLER. Harmony Central classifies a 10 as "Fantastic value," and that's precisely what this guitar is. A 10 it is, then.

Case in point: I played a friend's Epiphone SG copy recently and it was a joke. It was so neck-heavy you HAD to actively hold up the neck to keep it from plummeting down to knee level. And guess what: it cost significantly MORE than my Agile.

Final important note: Rondo sells great guitars, this one included. If you're an experienced player and want ultra high quality and lots of refinement, save up a grand or two and get a Godin or PRS that suits you perfectly. But if you want a starter guitar that'll stay with you and be fun to play, a hot-rod project guitar, or even just a high-performing no-nonsense instrument, I highly recommend an Agile.

Good luck shopping, and have fun.

This has been gone over many times I'm sure, but typical stuff. 3-piece neck, solid 2-piece body, twin ceramic humbuckers, Grover tuners, etc. Mine is the CSB finish.

Overall, for the rediculous price of $200 that I paid for this guitar, it sounds great. I was fully expecting to be 100% underwhelmed with the pick ups, but they actually are not bad at all. The bridge isn't so warm, and the clean sound lacks some soul, but works great with a variety of overdrive effects, Tube screamer, Little Big Muff and Sobbat Driver Breaker 3 are what I usually use.

Neck pick up is much smoother sounding, and probably won't be replaced. The bridge is slated for replacement, but to give you an idea of how solid it sounds for the price, I bought the guitar back in April and it's still 100% stock, so it's not like I'm in that much of a hurry.

Well, it's obviously a $200 guitar. It has little bits and bobs that aren't 100%. First, the good: Overall the finish is fantastic, and the two top pieces of maple match quite nicely. The neck feels great, the frets are nice and not over long or sharp in any way (in fact it's much better than some of the entry level Gibson SG's and Les Pauls I've played) and it's weighted pretty nicely. Heavy, but not too heavy.

Now the bad: There is some over spray on some of the binding, the spot where the neck and the body are joined is a bit rough on the side, but none of this effects playability. The bridge is fine, but it is very, very tight and difficult to adjust for intonation. It will be replaced The one main thing that was a problem was the nut. It was way, way too high, and needed to be cut before the guitar was playable. So I suppose the main thing here is that you may need to have it professionally set up before it's worth anything...I don't think all of the AL-2000's suffer this problem, probably just the batch mine was in.

The pickup selector switch works well and without noise, and the instrument cable connection is also solid, and doesn't make noise or come loose.

So overall, considering the price it's not a perfect guitar, there are problems, but as a player's guitar, considering the price, it's a great buy. If not for the nut it would score higher.

Seems very stout. The tuners are Grover's and they stay in tune nicely, even way played quite hard (as I tend to play it). I'd imagine it's as durable as any other Les Paul style guitar.

Kurt was helpful and sent out another nut for the guitar since the first was not cut properly, but I ultimately just re-cut the original for proper string height. Every time I've emailed Kurt, whether inquiring about other guitars or with simple questions he emails back very, very quickly, usually by the next day.

I say this is a great buy as a player's guitar, for someone looking for a solid Les Paul style guitar to modify, or for a backup, or perhaps if you're looking to dip your toes into the Les Paul market. It's not perfect, but as a $200 guitar it's quite solid. A buddy of mine who is a much, much better player than I am was absolutely shocked at the playability and sound for the price. I'm considering a higher end Agile as my next guitar, probably an AL-3000 or 3100, if that tells you anything.

Ordered Via Web in Late November 2007, actually arrived Just after Christmas. Order early if you want it in time for the Holiday.

Go to RondoMusic.com to check out the features. Mine is Green Spalted. I was looking for a Guitar with a British Flag scheme for my son and found one on ebay, which directed me to Rondo's site. I ended up buying the AL2000 based on reviews I had read n Harmony Central.

Sounds great. I play mostly classic rock stuff and this guitar makes the noises that I need. I use Crate Amplifiers (I like their distortion).

Although I used to own an LP Custom from the late 70's (I'm 46yrs old), I am totally in love with older Yamaha SBG's and love how they play and sound. So that's the guitar I am using mostly for a comparison.

I love playing the Agile as much as my SBG's.

Action - I guess I was niave to think that the guitar would come perfectly set up from Rondo. My 'A' string buzzed like crazy and I couldn't get it to stop. So I asked Rondo to authorize a return and they gladly did. I specifically asked them to check to make sure the new guitar was set up, which the response was, "Do you realize how many guitars we ship out of here....?" So the answer was no, you will get what they send.

The replacement guitar had the exact same issue. But seeing the inherent qualities/possibilities with this guitar, This time I took it to a respectable Guitar Technician (WoodStock Guitars in Des Moines Washington - Stuart, great guy). He had to file down 5 frets and adjust the neck and action, do a little filing on the nut, and a new set of quality strings. Stuart is very reasonable with his prices so the whole set up and fret adjustments cost me about $120.

Finish - Actually looks great, a little bleed over from the green finish into the cream binding, but you have to look close.

Fit - It's a heavy guitar, but I like that. In the late 70's I used to have a LP Custom (hawked at a pawn shop to stay in college, only to drop out ...big mistake, wish I still had that guitar!) But it feels like an LP and plays (now that it has been adjusted) every bit as good as my LP did.

I gave this category a 6 because of the action, but maybe I was expecting too much for a $225 guitar.

I've only had it 8 months and I'm not a pro, but have played a couple of times on stage and this guitar is solid, but I can't speak for it's long term durability.

Overall, it is built like a tank, very sturdy. But hey, it was $225 and after the intensive setup, $325. Would take this over any Ephiphone and most of the LP's that I dink around on at Guitar Center. I love playing this guitar every bit as much as my Yamaha SBG's.

They were friendly, but could only communicate via email. Response to inquiries were prompt, but I like to "talk" to people.

The RA was quick and no arguments from Rondo..however, shipping back and forth via UPS ground when this was supposed to be a Christmas present seemed to take forever.

Great value for your money. I wish I wasn't such a cheap ******* and had forked over a little more cash for an AL2500 or AL3000, but I am very happy with this guitar now that it is all set up. If I lost this one or was stolen, It would definitely buy from Rondo again, but step up in model selection.

Also, if you can find an experienced guitar tech with reasonable prices, have them set the guitar up for you. A lot of guys (me included) think we can adjust or fix anything. I learned my lesson on this that my adusting skills suck and I should stick to playing.

The guitar gets a 9 because it stock features blew me away. 200 dollars for a guitar that comes with 18-1 tuning ration tuners, and graphite nut, are you kidding me! The rest of the features have already been stated, but these two in particular I was pleased by.

So I usually play red hot chili peppers and oldies. Don't expect to play this kind of music with the stock pickups because they are pretty crappy for a pure clean sounds. This is in comparison to my MIM strat. The MIM strat sounds much much better clean. I play through a epiphone valve junior with no mods. However if you play stuff with distortion these pickups will suit you much better. Honestly they sound pretty decent with distortion. Even then they are nothing to marvel over, but 210 dollars for the guitar IS something to marvel about. The pickups can cover classic rock and even modern tharsh metal and other types pretty well. Pinch harmonics are pretty easy too.

WOW! Here is where they blew me away. I told my friend to buy this guitar expecting to have to REFRET it. I mean, I figured if I was paying so little, I would have to refret and change the pickups and I would have a guitar that played like a Gibson under $600. Much to my amazement, the guitar came set up quite nicely from the factory with 9's and had very little fret buzz. The frets had no sharp edges and seem even. The slighly smaller scale makes playing much easier. I'm telling you guys, buy the guitar and just put some good ol' elixer 9's and you wont believe your fingers. Also, the flat black finish is immaculate.

This guitar seems to be built very well. I give it an 8 because it doesnt feel quite as solid as my strat, particularly the neck. However its a tiny tiny detail and I'm being very critical as harmony-central asks you to be when you write a review. This guitar would definitely serve as a backup or even a main axe for gigs.

I haven't had to deal with rondomusic thankfully because I have had no problems or complaints thus far.

I give it a 10 because you will be hard pressed to find ANY guitar that is a better bang for your buck. Take the guitar, 210 dollars. Put elixer strings and have it set up by a pro, 40 bucks. Replace the electronics including pickups with GFS producs of your choice (Dream 180, dream 90, crunch paf, etc) $90. BAM! For around 350 you have a guitar that is freaking on par with a 2000 Gibson. Dont believe me? Try it out for yourself. Before you go and waste 2000 dollars on a brand name, do what I mentioned above.

This is your typical Import LP knockoff. This one has P-90 pickups in lieu of Humbuckers. An it also sports a Maple neck instead of a Mahogany. Other than those aspects it has the other usual LP ingredients.

The stock P90s' are pretty dull and lifeless, not the usual nasty, brighter/crunchier raunch which you'd expect. They sound much like weak single coils. This doesn't suprise me, as it's a $200 git, so I don't expect boo-teek sounding pickups. The guitar does tend to be towards the warm/dark sound, which is not really a bad thing. Has most of the usual tonal traits that LP style guitars exhibit. Withe new PUPS & wiring upgrade it should be just fine.

Action out of the box was a bit high, but can be adjusted. Nut was cut OK (not great just OK), and is made of graphite. Frets are inlayed fine and are pretty much level. Now for the ticky-tack stuff... The high E and B machine heads are not toatally straight, just a little off alignment (no biggie). The finish is applied well, not perfect but "well". A few slight spots and the edges where it's just a little lighter than the rest. However the Goldtop is applied very nicely. Binding is alright, no big spots that look sloppy. The only other knock is that the strap buttons were not drilled straight, they sit at an angle a bit. The electronics are wired in well, and at least hey use ALPHA 500k pots. No really cheap off brands there. I'll upgrade to CTS pots soon. For $200, I'd say this is a nicely put together guitar. Not awesome but a nice bang for the buck.

UPDATE:
This is an update of an earlier post. I initially gave this guitar a mediocre mark for sound, and went on record as saying that the stock pickups were "dull and lifeless sounding". I now have to take that back. I noticed over playing the guitar for a few more days that the sound got even thinner. I suspected something was wrong and was correct. I found that the input lead at the jack was only partially conneted (frayed wire). I cut & stripped the lead wire down a bit, and re-soldered it. The sound now has more output and overall fatter. The pickups are actually pretty nice sounding, not quite as bright as you'd expect, but they still sound like P-90s'. So I'd say they have a more modern P-90 sound. Actually quite nice stock pickups for a low cost import. I'm still going to change the pots & caps though.

Seems just as solid as most any LP style guitar. Take care of it and it should last. But if it gets beat to heck, "who cares it's a $200 guitar".

Good service from the gang at RONDO, Although I never actually spoke with them. Shipped promptly in a heavy duty double-ply box.

Playing for nearly 20 years now. Have owned over 100 higher end electrics (all of the major US made brands). Wish to hell I'd have kept some instead of always using them as trade bait and loosing money! This is as good as some, not nearly as good as others, and better than quite a few that had cost more than 4-5 times the price of this one. If you gig at nasty places where you don't wish to take your expensive (*insert brand name here*), because there is a good chance of theft/damage etc. Get one or two (or 5) of these. For the beginner, or guy/gal who just jams around the house these are fine too. Get a nice set-up and the pickups you like, this can be as good sounding as any. You most likely won't sell off your high end gits for this, but it's fun to play around with. Excellent bang for the buck!

UPDATE:
I'm stll extremely impressed with this guitar, especially given the price point. I definately would recomend these to anyone else who wants a great, low cost guitar that has the ability to stand up to guitars that cost many times more. You may not score marks with the snooty, cork-sniffer crowd but I could care less about that. If you can break free from the brand name mob mentality, you just might be impressed these Agiles. I do plan to get at least 1 more. Rating based on the bang for the buck factor.

I don't think there's any need to go into the specific details here; it's a Les Paul, and if you don't know what the Les Paul feature-set is, then don't read this review.

I play a lot of blues, old psychedelic rock, alternative, and straight rock, so a Les Paul or a LP copy seemed the idea choice. The AL2000 does an excellent job of covering all of these sounds, with plenty of tonal variety in between. I had it playing through a 100+ watt SKG amp with a low-end effects pedal, and it sounded terrific. Under a huge load of distortion the guitar keeps its tone very well, and under clean, chorus, and delay effects it holds up very well indeed.

The guitar was fairly well set up right out of the box; I didn't have to adjust the truss rod or anything. The intonation was close but still noticeably off: I expected this and after a half hour's worth of work it was fine.

My AL2000 is a 2-tone sunburst, very close to a tobacco. The inlays (perloid, I think) are flawless and the binding is fantastic for a 200-dollar guitar. The sunburst grain detailing is amazing, far better than on the Epihphones or Gibsons I've looked closely at. The only blemish I could find out of the box was a slight scratch between the pickups, but you'd have to know exactly where it was to find it.

The tuners don't hold the strings in tune very well - I'm finding I have to tune up again half-way through a song that requires a lot of string bending or heavy strumming. But since I'm used to guitars that have had worse tuners, this isn't really a problem. The strap buttons are solid and the pickguard is screwed in place better than on the Epihphone LPs I've played. This guitar can definitely be used for live playing, but I think I'd want an identical backup in case something does go wrong. That's just a general policy I have for all my guitars.

All my emails were returned and with a helpful, polite tone. Rondo music is building itself a reputation for being excellent in customer support.

I've been playing for 4 and a half years, and I'm still not a great player, but I can hold my own for sure. If this guitar was stolen I'd buy another one, no question. I think this guitar's strongest point is its finish and the neck (I didn't say this before but mine has a terrific player's neck, just a tad slimmer than a Gibson).

If you're looking for a decent guitar under 300 dollars, look no further - this is the one for you. If you want a marginally better guitar for another 100-150, I'd recommend you consider the Agile AL3000 series.

Others have covered the features, it's your basic Les Paul design. 3 piece Mahogany body, 1/16" Maple Veneer on top. Mine happens to be one of the "Spalted Maple" variations. I put "spalt" in quotations as the B-Grade wood doesn't show a whole lot of what one thinks of as spalt maple figuring, but I actually like it. It is a very unique looking guitar for sure. Dual ceramic humbuckers, pearloid inlays on a Canadian Maple/Rosewood neck. Graphite nut, single ply white binding, grover tuners. Mine tips the scale at 8.9lbs.

Just about everything you could want out of a LP style guitar. Sure, the maple cap could be thicker, but for the price, it blows a comprable Epiphone out of the water.

Actually, I thought the sound was a little thin. I replaced the stock generic strings with Ernie Ball Skinny Top, Heavy Bottoms, and it was still a bit thin, so I'm looking into replacing the pickups currently. As is, it's a perfectly serviceable humbucker tone, but just not my cup of tea, so to speak. To my ears, the pickups lack midrange, and sound a little tinny.

Factory set up was actually really great. The action could stand to be taken down a little, but it is certainly playable. No sharp fret ends. Nut was cut very well, the wiring was done very neatly, hardware seems durable, and the switch works as it should.

There is one tiny spot near the control cavity in the back where there is a finish irregularity, but I didn't even notice it until I took the panel off to look at the electronics, and it's certainly not a flaw which would make me send the guitar back. I'm quite pleased with the aesthetics of this guitar as well, it's received a great many compliments.

I've only had it a few weeks, but this thing looks to be solid as a rock. Strap buttons are in there good, although they'll soon be replaced by strap locks. The poly finish looks good and bulletproof, like a poly finish should.

Haven't had the need to deal with Rondo, but have heard only good things.

While I'm not going to make the claim that a $219 guitar is every bit as good as a $2k+ Gibson, I have no problem saying that the AL-2000 is every bit as nice as the Epiphone LPs I've seen out at Guitar Center for twice as much. These guitars are an incredible value, considering that they're selling for less than what many of the Squiers are now selling for.

While the pickups aren't the best in my opinion, they're certainly not bad, and I've heard worse (ironically enough, on an Epiphone). I would have absolutely 0 qualms about buying another guitar from Rondo if this were lost or stolen.

Maple Maple Top and single cutaway solid Mahogany arch top body
Wax potted ceramic humbucker pickups for improved sound
Full body and neck binding
Set-in Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard and trapezodial inlays
22 Jumbo 2.7mm frets and a 13.7" (350mm) radius neck for fast play
Grover Die Cast tuners
Two volume & two tone controls and a 3-way pickup selector switch
Stop-Bar tailpiece
Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"; at the 22st fret: 2 3/16"
Neck Taper is 21.5 mm at the 1st fret and 23.5 mm at the 12th fret
Thickness of neck at the first fret approx 11/16"
Overall length, including the strap button: 40"; Scale length: 24.7"
Bridge pole spacing is 3", and the Tail piece pole spacing is 3 1/4"
Width at the widest point: 13"
Body thickness 2" at edge
Actual Weight is only 10 lbs
Mine is natural spalted.

Great. Just as good as the last 3 Gibson Les Paul Standards I owned before I realized what a waste of money there were and sold them.

Very minor discolorations on the finish in a couple of spots on the fretboard but for $209 who cares. The natural spalted finish on the top of the guitar is perfect. It's amazing how they can produce such a high-quality axe for such a cheap price.

I've had it for 6 months now and no problems so far. Feels rock solid.

No need for it yet.

I bought this entry model just to see what all the hype was about (and I was impressed with the pictures on Rondomusic.net)-- I was not disappointed. Now I'm even thinking about getting one of the AL-3000 models as a second. As I mentioned earlier I've owned 3 different Gibson Les Paul Standards and this guitar is just as good. Don't waste your money on a Gibson or even an Epiphone if you want a solid body.

I am reviewing a 2007 Agile AL2000. It was made in Korea. I ordered the Gold Top model with humbuckers. The guitar has the standard Les Paul set up, with separate tone and volume controls for each pickup. To me this is a huge benefit, as I like to be able to blend the two pickups on the middle position. I've actually read Fender guys who complain about separate controls for each pickup, but I think it's a great feature. The binding on the neck and body of the AL2000 is beautiful. And the trapezoidal inlays on the fretboard are done very well. There is no other guitar on earth with this many nice features for the price of $199.99.

I have two different tones stuck in my head, and no single guitar makes both of them. I want a guitar that sounds like Steve Jones crunchy Les Paul (humbuckers), but I want the bridge pickup to cut through like old country music pickers (Luther Perkins is my favorite). The stock bridge humbucker simply wasn't going to cut it, so I replaced it with a GFS Mean 90. I think that the stock neck humbucker sounds wonderful, so I've left it in. Now, I can play sort of heavy stuff through the neck pickup, and either clean or dirty country stuff on the bridge and middle positions. The sustain on this guitar eats Fenders alive. By the way, I play through an Epiphone Valve Junior, and the sound can either be very vintage 50's sounding or very 70's AC/DC sounding. That's pretty versatile for a Les Paul style guitar.

I adjusted the action to my liking in about 20 seconds. Now it is so low it practically plays itself, but I get no fret buzz. I think it's easier to get a no-buzz low action on Gibson scale length guitars than on 25.5 scale. The only flaw on the AL2000 guitar is in the electronics category. The switch was squirrely from the beginning; within two months I lost power to the bridge pickup entirely. However, it was easy to fix. I've got an electronics genius buddy who simply took the switch out, and used some special contact cleaner and de-gooped the points. Now it works just fine.

The box that Rondo Music shipped me said, "Shipping weight 14 pounds". The guitar itself isn't 14 pounds; it's actually about 11. It weighs a dad-gum ton. But strangely, I kind of like that. The strap buttons are real big; I don't move around when I play, so I havn't bothered with strap locks. The finish is very well done, and the burgundy color stain on the neck and back of the body is beautiful. I played a $1200.00 Gibson Les Paul Studio at G.C., and that thing was honestly no where near as nice as the Agile. No, I'm not an idiot. The fit and finish on the Agile is really better than guitars that cost 2 to 5 times as much. Apparently Korean workers are content to outwork American slugs and drive us into oblivion. Oh yeah; it comes with Grover tuners that are way better than the ones that come on two hundred dollar Squiers and Epiphones.

The company answers e-mails promptly, but I haven't had to return anything. They are very trustworthy.

I have been playing for 2 and a half years. I'm only okay, but I do know a guitar value when I see one. If you get one of these AL2000s,
know that they are even nicer than they appear in the photos, and you will love the sounds they make through any decent amplifier. Please do not waste your money on something that is only marginally better simply because it has Gibson on the headstock. If I had the money to buy another Agile guitar, I would do so in an instant. It can play clean and beautiful, or it can roar like a wild animal. I love this guitar; I'll never sell it.

Hmmm ok let me describe a Les Paul copy for the 47 millionth time, not. Mine is Spalted Maple.

The ceramic humbuckers that come stock in these aren't too bad. I played the guitar bone stock at a full volume rehearsal and it held it's own nicely. You could surely gig with this guitar stock. The sustain is very good on mine and notes are clear all over the neck, no dead spots.

The stock setup was a stock setup; playable, decent intonation, tiny strings. The spalted maple top veneer looks really nice, mine is much nicer to my eye than the example at their website. The finish is well done, much better than any $200 guitar at the local GC, probably equal to the finish on mid-level or better "name" guitars. I didn't find any flaws, nothing is perfect, tiny handling marks aren't flaws in my book.
The stock plastic nut was acceptable, but I cut a fresh one out of bone, looks much better and of course it rings better now, but this wasn't required to play it.

Let's see, a solid chunk of mahogany epoxied to a maple neck with a steel truss rod. Shaun of the Dead anyone? The hardware is fine, made of the same "high quality" zinc that almost everyone else uses. Use strap locks if you're going to play any guitar worth more than a set of strap locks. I've had this one for about a year and nothing has failed, it still looks new after being played regularly.

Kurt answered my emails right away both times.

Very fun LP copy especially for the cash, destroys the Epiphone LP's I've seen. Mine is 11 pounds which freaks a lot of guitarists right out . Most examples are under 10 pounds, if you're sensitive to weight make your decision accordingly. I like having an 11 lb. axe with .013's on it. Whenever an audience member asks to sit in on guitar for a song, I hand em mine and go order a drink, now that's entertainment.

Glossy black finish (stunning), gold hardware, LP copy with P-90's, Grover tuners. Solid Mahogany body with set maple neck and some nice trapezoid inlays. Two volume & two tone controls and a 3-way pickup selector switch. Advertised as 10 pounds actually only weighs 9 lbs 1 oz.

My 2nd P-90 equipped guitar, it sounds really sweet clean on the neck pick-up and I think very strat like on the bridge with some over-drive.
You can get the sound you want, jazzy, bluesy, country twang, whatever you want, it's in there.

I inspected this guitar very closely, it has one tiny blem on the binding on the top upper bout, (had to really look for it) and the neck was dirty and dry. It was set-up almost perfect for my liking, intonation was very close, action was great. I don't really care for black guitars, but this thing is pretty. I can't wait to compare it to my friends new Epiphone black-beauty at more than twice the cost.

Played it at the church picnic (outside) last week and today during praise and worship, it's a worthy guitar. I usually take a 2nd guitar, but mostly because I want a little variety, not so much as a back-up

Rondo is great with returns, replacing parts and answering your questions. I don't know what more you could ask for.

I have a few guitars mostly in the 4 to 5 hundred dolloar range and this Agile blows them away. It just looks better, plays as good and sounds fantastic. I've been playing over 40 years and have had way too many guitars. I'm really into the imports, especially when for between 100 and 250 dollars you can get a incredible guitar. I have several amps and this sounds good in all of them, from my Micro Cube to my Behringer GMX210 V-tone and an Epi Valve Jr.

AL2000 in the Tiger Flame. Obviously, les paul single cutaway, Grover tuners, and all that other stuff. Most people looking at this review will know where to find all the specs. Lots of fun can be spent doing the killswitch thing. Setting one knob to zero and the other full, and switching the pickup selector. 2 humbuckers give a fat, rich sound. Big heavy slab of mahogany, lots of sustain. Good stuff.

I run this guitar through my Traynor YCV 40 watt all tube, with my pedal board of a Digitech Whammy, Big Muff, and a Vox Wah. This thing screams classic rock man. I feel like like pumping out Zeppelin tunes and Joe Perry licks when I play it. Great overdrive sounds, screaming leads when combined with my Big Muff. Sustains for days. Cleans, bah, don't get this guitar for cleans. Its meant to rock through a cranked tube amp. For classic rock this guitar rocks.

I was amazed when I got this at how good it looked for $200 bucks. The finish is great. The tiger flame its jaw dropping. It was set up perfect from the box. No fret buzz, action was just right. I did have to lower the bridge pickup though, it was a little too high.

I played this guitar at a few jams, it's held up well. Finish, I could care less if it fades out, as I like relic-ed guitars. Strap buttons, you'll want strap locks trust me. I feel like I can depend on, but I'd never gig without a backup anyway.

n/a

I've been playing for almost 3 years, and my main axe for a long time has been a Made in Korea Lite Ash Strat. The AL2000, however, has taken the strat's place for all my cliche rock playing. The Strat will always be my funk/clean guitar, but now that I have this Agile, it will be my rock guitar. If it was lost, I'd probably buy two more. This guitar just feels right to me. Down the line, I'll probably update all the hardware. Put in new pickups, new nut, and that stuff. But for $200 bucks, man, this thing rocks.

I bought this guitar in the fall of 2006 on a budget to fit my VOX amp, and man was a amazed! A flamed-maple top, (good) ceramic humbuckers, locking Grover tuners, beautiful rosewood fretboard, straight neck, and excellent finish for 200 bucks? Where else can you find this kind of a deal?

I play anything from blues to metal (except country... eww), and this guitar just screams. It has a rich tone you'd excpect a Les Paul to have, and definately beats Epiphone's mid range guitars. The cleans are OK on rhythm. My only complaint is the rhythm switch. I mostly use the treble, and it sounds fine, but when switched to rhythm, Agile could've done a bit better. As long as you play lead, or use treble, you'll be fine.

This guitar came setup almsot perfect for my likings right out of the box. I adjusted the bridge a bit, and I was shredding away. Most people complain about Les Pauls having a fat neck, but I don't see the problem, you get used to everything. I actually prefer the Les Paul over SG's, Ibanez, or any other guitar. It's all a preference!

This guitar is rock solid, so I'd deffinately trust it to gig with. Of course I'd bring a backup though, who doesn't gig without a backup? I've hit the head off of so many walls, its unbeleivable, and there isn't a mark... wow!

I've never dealt with the company, but they have extremely fast shipping, and are very kind. I recieved the axe in just 2 days!

Not much to say, this is a crazy axe, and I'd definately buy it again. I'm saving for another right now, but I think I might buy the AL2800 Goldtop P90, because I heard they were Gibson quality. I'd take an Agile over an Epiphone any day, and it's my favorite axe. If someone stole it, I'd cry, then kill the guy.

Saw this AL-2000 Goldtop with P90's (with HS case included!!!) listed on ebay and couldn't resist because I once had a 1968 Gibson LP Goldtop with P90's (bought in 1969) and after playing it for 3 years, decided to sell it because it weighed a ton! The Agile weighs in at about 10 lbs. and no, it doesn't have the Gibson open book headstock and its cutaway is different than the Gibson's, but other than that, well, it has a solid mahogany body, Gorver 14:1 tuners and the gold finish on the top is just beautiful. Stop tailpiece and tune-a-matic style bridge. The ceramic P90's have a lot of bite and put out the sound one expects from Gibson-style single coils. I'm sure piezo P90's would have a bit more character but at this price, hey, I can live with these.
Previous ratings go into all the details and features of this guitar so I won't get into it. Suffice to say that at a fraction of what the "real thing" costs, this guitar will give you everything you expect from a classic reproduction of the '56 Gibson classic. It's a player's guitar. Anything happens to it, you're only out a couple of hundred bucks and you can replace it by regularly checking ebay until another one comes along.
If I still had my '68 Gibson LP Goldtop, I'd be afraid to take it out of its case for fear of lessening its value. So, what's the point of having a guitar you don't dare play?

This guitar has all kinds of sustain and has that characteristic P90 sound. 'Nuff said. If that's what you want, buy one. You won't be sorry.

I bought this guitar used, although it was just like new. The previous owner had only played it a couple of times because he realized, after buying it, that he preferred the humbucker sound. When I got it, the action was a bit high and there was a slight fret buzz at the 19th fret. I tweaked the trussrod and lowered the bridge a tad and that did the trick. Not a big deal. After setting it up to my tastes, this thing plays like a dream and sounds like a million bucks.
I can't find any flaws in the workmanship or finish anywhere. Everything on this gutar speaks "quality". Unbelievable in this price range. I still can't believe these things sell this cheap!

Try as I might, I just can't find anything to knock on this guitar. It looks, feels, plays and sounds like it should cost at least 10 times more!

My previous reviews go into how long I've been playing (43 years) and what other gear I own, etc. If what you want is the looks, sound and vibe of a '56 Gibson LP Goldtop for around $200, well, you just can't go wrong with this guitar. If something were to happen to it, I'd be cruising ebay looking for another one. I might even consider the AL-3000 with the Alnico pups for a couple of hundred bucks more, still a steal!

Agile AL-2000 Les Paul in Tobacco Sunburst. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a $200 ebay project.

Let me first say, that I have done a couple upgrades to this guitar. The pickups were pretty much taken out after an initial run. (not because they were bad) and replaced with a Tom Anderson H01- in the neck and a H3+ in the bridge. I also installed dimarzio cliplocks on it as I do to all my guitars.

I won't go over all the specifics of the features. If you're reading this you already know where to find them.

I'm giving the guitar a rating of 8 for the features OUT OF THE BOX and FOR THE PRICE. Come on people. For $200 this is an excellent guitar even if only on paper. It could play like crap (which it doesn't) and still be a good deal.

Real quick I'm going to give a little background BC I think it will help the reviewer know exactly who it is that's judging this guitar.
---I'm a hobbyist 17 year old who's been playing since I was 12. I am in a band that plays progressive rock/metal and I play a lot of stuff at my home also. I have worked on my fair share of guitar/amp projects and I'd like to think I know my stuff for the most part. I bought this guitar not really knowing what I was gonna get, but reading the reviews I had good expectations. I had already planned on modding it prior to buying it. Basically just a minor project/experiment guitar.---

Like I said above, I play mostly harder rock/metal type stuff but my tastes range into the softer side too. The plan with this guitar was to get something close to what Billy Howerdel from A Perfect Circle has on a budget. So I found this and put the Anderson pickups in. I did do a brief test on the stock pups and they were actually pretty good. THe neck was okay. The bridge was better. It sounded to me a lot like an epiphone Les Paul. Maybe a bit better range? Not sure. But they were decent.

My other electric guitars consist of an LTD EC-2005 and a Fender Strat. I won't compare it to the strat since that's a whole different ball field. However, the LTD on paper is basically the same guitar as this with EMG pickups. Although the LTD is a few hundred more $$$'s. So which one is better in sound? Well, even with the Andersons in the Agile, I have to say that TO MY TASTES the LTD is better sounding by a margin. But don't get me wrong. That's just my tastes. The Agile has a better clean than the LTD. However, the bridge pickups isn't for everyone. It's pretty hot but more suited to general rock tones than metal. I would recommend this guitar mostly to people who play mellower rock. Yes it's a les paul...not a shred machine.

You've got to remember though, my LTD costs 4 times as much as the Agile. So for it to come pretty close to the LTD sound quality...that's quite a deal.

This guitar plays very well. The action and everything is great once adjusted. Sadly, right out of the box it wasn't all that great. Just okay. After I spent two hours doing all the stuff needed. (truss rod, action, intonation) This thing was playing like butter. No buzz and low action.

As for the finish, it's BEAUTIFUL for the price. It ranks up there with the higher end EPI's.

Now for the cons...

-The hardware obviously isn't top notch. Probably up there in the Epiphone quality circle. The bridge and nut and all that just don't feel quite up to par to my LTD or other higher end axes. Now let me say this. The affect on the sound isn't that huge. Any beginner or intermediate player won't notice the difference. I'm close to pro and I can barely tell that it affects the sound that much. But it does...and anybody who wants something closer to perfection hardware wise should either look away or prepare to replace some parts.
Oh, but the tuners are good. I love grovers so I won't change them.

-While the neck plays great and rings true...it does FEEL a bit cheap in my hand. Notice how I say FEELS. I think this might just be my mind playing tricks, because it plays rather well, but the feel of it in your hand will give it away for what it is if you're suspicious.

-The fretboard is dry. All the models are going to suffer from this minor malady. They've been in the stockhouse too long. They get dried out. Big woop. Again...pro players will notice a difference. Anyone else could live with it. I gave it a good lemon oiling when I got it. It helped a little. This is a small complaint especially considering I payed only $200 DOLLARS.

-The controls seem a tad cheap, but no crackling or anything. This is another situation where the guitar FEELS cheap but operates perfectly.

Let me keep this a little short. I WOULD NOT use this without a backup gigging. Sorry but no. It's been reliable so far, but you never know.

The only thing that's happened so far is this...

I dropped this guitar while recording five feet down to the floor. Nothing happened except the pickup switcher tip snapped off. (it was cheap what can I say). However, I was able to get it back on with a little handywork.

Other than that this guitar has had no issues, surviving a pickup change and straplocks.

Haven't talked to them...not needed to.

I have already said most of what needs to be said.

This thing is great for beginners and intermediates. Believe the hype. This is a $600 guitar for $200. Yeah I said it.

Professional players...sorry but unless you want a fun project guitar like I did, just stay away. It's wonderful for the price but if you're into nice guitars like me you'll go buy a Schecter or Gibson or whatever.

This one is the AL-2000 Les Paul-style in Silverburst finish, two chrome humbucking pickups, chrome hardware, solid tailstop (no trem). Everything is pretty much stock, except that I move the volume and tone knobs into a different configuration because of the way I play (Seriously, does anyone else think the volume knob for your lead channel should be by the bridge instead of way down by the bottom of the guitar? Anyone? I know I'm not crazy here).

Has all the features of a Les Paul. Can't ask for much more. It's what I expected. I give it a 9 just because the tuners aren't great and will have to be replaced, which is generally the case with the knock-offs anyway.

I play this guitar through a Pignose G40V, used as a head, into a 2x12 open-back cabinet with Jensen speakers (one ceramic, one alnico). I use a lot of TS-9/808 mod distortion for the Tool stuff I'm doing, with some wah, delay, flange, etc.

This will sound cheesy, but I bought this guitar because I started playing in a Tool tribute band. As a guy "playing the part" of Adam Jones, you should have a silverburst guitar, shouldn't you? Of course you should! But they I discovered that a genuine late-70's/early-80's LP Custom silverburst goes for anywhere between $1500 and $3500 depending on the condition. That's out of my range by quite a bit. So I found this one on Ebay used and picked it up for a fraction of that price because it fit the look, not expecting much out of it tone or quality-wise. I figured I'd probably have to switch out the pickups, do some hardware upgrades, etc.

Well, I was completely shocked by the quality of this guitar, top to bottom. First of all, it's a nice heavy, meaty guitar. I had this old Hondo Les Paul-style guitar that was made out of crap wood and was about half the thickness of a real LP. The Agile really feels like a solid guitar, just like LP's do.

As for the sound...let me put it this way: if you're a run-of-the-mill local musician who plays in bands here and there as a hobby like about 90% of all the musicians I know, and you want/need a Les Paul style guitar for what you're playing, there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for you to dish out the money for a Les Paul ever. Ever. This guitar basically sounds as good as any LP I've ever played, and I've played a few. I even did a side-by-side with one of my friends' LP custom that he paid about 5x for, and I thought this one sounded just as good as his. On recordings, I can't tell the difference.

Comparing it to that LP custom, the pickups were a little hotter and brighter, but for what I'm playing right now that's perfect. The volume pots are a little touchy - there's a "sweet spot" between 0 and 2 on the volumes where it will "jump" to sound instead of gradually coming up, but that is a symptom of low-quality pots and can easily be fixed with a replacement. Everything else is great. I still can't believe it - this is just a stupid god deal.

Since I bought this used, I can't really comment on the action. I had it set up anyway the day it landed on my doorstep, having only played it a few minutes. I didn't even plug it in before I took it to the tech. Regardless, you should always expect to send a new guitar in for setup, unless it really is just perfect out of the box. I've never had that happen yet.

Everything else is pretty nice. Frets are done up nicely, body and finish are nice and smooth, neck is straight, etc. There is one spot in the silverburst finish where it looks like the black on the edge is wider in one spot, meaning not consistently sprayed around the edge of the body, but it is barely noticeable. I'm pretty picky about looks and little things like that, and it doesn't bother me at all. I'll give it an 8 for that, and because I think they could have pulled off a better "fade" from black to silver.

It has stood up through everything I've done with it so far, and I don't see why it wouldn't last for a long time. I really try to take care of my guitars, though. Usually if you take care of your stuff it will last unless it's pure crap (like, for instance, the old Hondo :D).

I will say that when I got it, two of the wires had come off the toggle switch. It looked like maybe the solder had just broken off. Easy to fix, but I checked all the other solder joints on it anyway to be sure. Everything looks OK, and since I don't know how it was treated by the previous owner, I can't really take points off for the de-soldered switch.

Have not contacted Agile for anything on this guitar, so I won't rate. However, I did email back and forth with the guy who (I guess) owns Agile when I thought they might have discontinued the silverburst finish (they haven't), and he was pretty nice. I have heard a lot of good things about Agile's customer service.

I know a lot of people will call me crazy for saying there's essentially no difference between this guitar and a Les Paul custom, but...there is essentially no difference between this guitar and a Les Paul custom. Not that I can tell, at least. I've been playing for 15 years and have played a lot of cheap-ass guitars. This is a cheap-ass guitar price for a really quality-built guitar. At the very least this guitar provides you with an incredible base for a project. If you are concerned about getting the sound of a Les Paul exactly, you can always swap out the electronics with some Gibson gear. For $200 new and another few hundred for top-of-the-line electronics you can basically have a LP for less than half the price.

Honestly you wouldn't have to even do that, though. This guitar sounds and plays fantastic as-is. I'd say definitely better than guitars by some of the "other" brands like Ibanez or Jackson, and probably better than a lot of the Epiphones I've played. Thank you, China and Korea!!

LP clone. Features have been described in other reviews. I purchased the Tiger Eye finish (different and beautiful). Guitar equipped with PAF PUPs, Tune-o-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.

The only features I would like to have added would be a matching headstock, locking strap pins, and perhaps tapped coils on the PUPs.

Very good LP sound running through my Roland Cube 20X. Bridge HB has nice crunch; neck HB very warm with nice mids and low emphasis; mid position is a really nice combo of both. Output level of PUPs is very good and quiet as a mouse in all 3 positions with amp and guitar volume at max. String fidelity in all three positions is very good.

Setup out of the box was very good and needed only tweaks to my taste: Slight neck relief and intonation was dead on. I lowered both sides of the bridge slightly and raised the bridge PUP a tad to balance both PUPs with volume on both set to max.

Frets were very nicely finished, but the fretboard was very dry. I cleaned it with naptha and then applied a good dose of lemon oil - much better. One of the tone knobs was either defective or put on crooked. When I turned it back and forth a few times, it hit the top of the guitar and scratched that beautiful Tiger Eye finish :<.

I also removed the plasic pick guard and noticed the sawdust from the hole drilled by the neck had been left around the hole and mashed down into the surface when the pick guard was screwed down. It took a bit of elbow grease to get it off the top of the guitar.

Overall the build quality of this Korean made guitar was quite good, but they did have a few quality escapes.

This is a very well built guitar that will definitely withstand some serious live playing. The guitar is quite heavy. It's adverised as 10 pounds, but feels more like 12-13 pounds. It's very sturdy and should serve well as a serous weapon in case a bar fight breaks out.

I bought this guitar from Rondo Music and customer service is nothing short of top shelf. I originally ordered an SX GG1 Limited with case. That guitar had a dead note at the 15th fret (low fret). I returned it and the day after it was delivered to Rondo I received a refund for the guitar as well as shipping both ways. As an aside, the extra $100 the Agile cost was well worth the improvements of the Agile over the SX.

I emailed Kurt at Rondo about the bad tone knob on the AL-2000 and the next day he UPSed me 2 new ones.

Customer service just doesn't get much better than this.

I've been playing about 5 years. I have a Kramer Custom (Tele copy), a Godin Exit22, and AL2000 for my electric guitars. For acoustics I have a Seagull S6+, Guild DCE-1; and a Taylor 310KCE. For amps I have a Roland Cube 20X and an Electar PA.

If this guitar were lost or stolen I'd definitely replace it with another AL2000.

The best thing about this guitar is that it's got high end quality and sound at a bargain price.

Very solid guitar much heavier than my H-50 and F-50 ESP's. Mine is the Amber Flame, maple top erally nice finish. Pearl inlays all controls seem tight. Good pickups but like last review a bit noisey with only one pickup selected with gain but goes away when both selected. Was stationde in Korea and give them something and they can copy it. Really solid guitar for Korean made. Well worth the money.

Using this with a Behringer V-Tone GMX210 and Vamp 2. Good sound I play anything from old rock to new metal. Has a good clean sound for those not so hard core songs.

Setup from the factory really good just a few slight tweeks and tune. Guitar is again soild everthing was nice and tight really impressed with the quality for the price.

Not sure yet how that will be but seems good so far. Would have no problem depending on it.

Have not had to see about repairs yet and hope I do not have too.

Have been paying for several years like I said before have two others ESP's LTD's. If it was taken would get another. Probably will look at getting one of the 2500's or 3000's sometime down the road. Compared to my other guitars a bit more heavier but gives it that solid felling. Has good sustain on it. If your looking for a less expensive LP copy then this is the guitar.

Gold top with 2 P90's. Standatd Les Paul controls, graphite nut and factory Grover tuners. neck looks maple/rsewood.

Very convincing P-90 Sound. Guitar was very noisy though, even for a single coil guitar. Noise goes away whe both pickups selected.

Amazingly well set up, fit and finish incredible for this price range.

Only owned it for a couple of months, but it seems rock solid.

Been playing since 1973. Have owned over 60 guitars, including some of Gibson & Fenders finest. These Agile guitars are really impressive for this bargain price range. If you want a solid guitar at a budget price, no look further!

Nice finish I bought the natural finish.Tuners do stay in tune pretty well.I did do slight neck adjustment.

Pretty good full sound with stock p/u ala paul relatively quiet p/u

Very good action no buzz.Neck was bone dry had to oil it feels pretty good.

Seems to be preetty well made compared to other copies.

Playing 35 years jazz