Agile AL2000

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.