Agile AL-2500 w/ 3 humbuckers

The AL-2500 is an arch-top Les Paul styled guitar made in Korea.

The white finish is plain, nothing to get excited over. However, it was applied well. The single-ply creme binding seems wrong on a white guitar--black would be a better choice. There is no binding along the back of the guitar.

The bridge is a chrome-plated copy of the Gibson ABR-1. It looks identical to one on my Epiphone. Having played nothing without a Floyd before this, it is really nice to rest my palm on that ABR-1 and experience what a real guitar feels like.

The Grover tuners are fantastic, keeping the guitar in tune no matter how much or how roughly I play. The big problem with most entry-level guitars is cheap tuners that don't stay in tune; Agile puts good tuners on all their guitars.

The nut is plastic. Only the AL-2800 and better models feature graphite or bone nuts. Mine has the high E slot cut too deep and will have to be backfilled with superglue. Not a big deal.

The AL-2500 guitars are supposed to feature "solid" mohogany bodies and maple flame tops. Since mine is white, there would have been no reason to use a maple flame top. I can only assume it's mohagany. The routing in the electronics cavity makes the guitar look as if it were five boards laminated together. There are at least two layers: a back and a top. This AL-2500 weighs about 2 pounds less than an Epiphone Les Paul.

The 22-fret set neck is maple -- a cost cutting measure on many Les Paul styled imports. Only the AL-3000 series and better models feature mohogany necks. The AL-2500 fretboard is rosewood and its inlays are plastic -- as they are on Gibsons costing thousands more. Models AL-3000 and higher feature abalone inlays.

Mine is a 2005 model with four potentiometers and one three-way switch in the traditional Les Paul layout. This has since been changed to two potentiometers and a knife switch -- possibly to cut costs, or because the existing configuration was a pain in the ass.

The three ceramic pickups are generic, but closely approximate the voicings of a Les Paul -- an Epiphone Les Paul, that is. The two are hard to tell apart.

The guitar sounds like a Les Paul through my Marshall combo amp, which is exactly what I've wanted for a long time. I can't afford $3,000 and $8,000 dollar guitars. But I can get the same tones for a couple hundred bucks. Maybe it doesn't sound just like a '59 Paul some rock god played at some concert some place vital to the history of rock 'n' roll, but it sounds like a Les Paul, nonetheless.

The guitar was put together well enough, probably because it was manufactured in Korea, where it is affordable to manufacture decent guitars.

I doubt the guitars are "set up" at the factory -- not at this price. I had to change the strings, adjust the truss rod, bridge, and intonation. The frets need to be polished. If you don't know how to do this stuff, buy Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Player Repair Guide, 2nd Edition" and read up. My guitar had too much relief in the neck; once I straightened that out, I got the action way down and she plays like a dream. I was able to do this because the guitar was well-made in the first place.

Out of the box, I'd give the Action, Fit & Finish a 5 -- just like any other good guitar bought off the shelf without a setup by a guitar tech. Because the guitar was well-made, I was able to set it up very nicely and give it a 9.

This guitar is obviously as dependable as any Les Paul styled guitar out there. I expect that with proper care, this guitar will last. The only concerns I have are the frets (they need to be polished) and the chrome plating on the bridge.

Rondo has been very helpful. My guitar is no longer under warrantee. I know for a fact that Kurt, the owner, is very keen to iron out any problems customers have with their guitars.

I've been playing for twenty years, just for my own enjoyment. I agonized over making this purchase, because I don't much care for wasting my money or regretting a purchase. This was money well spent. I wanted to try out a Les Paul styled guitar and Agile is obviously a good one. I like its looks, I love the sound. I am going to buy more Agiles -- many more. I will say that I intend to stick to the models AL-3000 or better, because I want the graphite nuts, Alnico-V pickups, ebony fretboards, and abalone inlays. And I want the pretty finishes, too -- all of them. I only hope the better models are available in the future, as Rondo has had a hard time moving them as fast as the cheaper ones.