Agile AL3000 Prestige

Amazing guitar for the money. The flametop finish is beautiful, i've played guitars that cost thousands more than the AL-3000 that are cherry sunburst and this guitar looks just as good as those ones. As always the Grover tuners are great, not only do they do the job but they do it well. Strings were really low when i got it making it extremely easy to play takes no effort at all. However, the 6th string did buzz quite a bit out of the box but a small minor adjustment changed that. The EMG pickups are just amazing. This is actually my first guitar with emg's and i wasn't really sure what to expect but i couldn't be happier with them. These babies are phenominal. The 81/85 config. produces a great sound like no other. You definitaly don't have to worry about being too quiet on stage. Great guitar for the price, the only reason it got a 9 is because of the small adjustments that i had to make.

I mostly play rock and metal, the odd country song every now and then. Like i said before, the pickups are great. They suit all styles of music that i play. The only thing i dont really like is that on the rhythm setting the pickups can get a little noisy and a little bit too hot. The maple top gives a first class sound and makes everything sound so rich. Great sustain with this guitar as well.

Amazing action, couldn't ask for better for only $500. Pickups were a little unlevel out of the box but that was fixed with a turn of a screw. As i said before the finish is beautiful. I couldnt find any flaws with it, i'm not sure if i was lucky to get no finish flaws for $500 or if Agile is really on the ball with their quality. Strings were really low, i could probably fall asleep playing this guitar thats how easy it is to play it.

This guitar seems like the real deal. I've had it for a couple months now and have not had any problems at all. In my opinon the Grover tuners and EMG pickups will last a really long time, thats one of the reasons they have such a respected name. Bridge looks stable as well as the neck and body. When i first got the guitar i checked out the wiring expecting a complete mess but it was the opposite. Haven't had a problem with the wiring i.e. the jack. All in all a very reliable guitar in my eyes.

Haven't had to deal with the company. If your looking to buy one or just check it out go to www.rondomusic.net

Overall, after the couple of months that i have owned this guitar i have been extremely happy with it. It's durable, sounds great and looks great. I'm actually looking to buy another one on the same lines as the Al-3000MAP CSB EMG in the near future. Love how easy it is to play and how mean it sounds. Like i said before i have played Gibson Les Pauls that cost about 4 times as much as this one and i can say with confidence that, other than the name on the headstock, this is pretty much a Gibson that cost a mear $1500 less. Definately recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a Les Paul style guitar that sounds and plays just as good as the big name companies. I really can see Agile becoming a company that will be as sought after and well known as the likes of Fender and Gibson in the future, especially if their guitars remain so affordable.

GoldTop, P-90 pickups. Les Paul body style with tune-o-matic bridge. Glover tuners, 24 fret with solid mahogany body and ebony fingerboard.

It sounds as good as my 57 black beauty and my 94 and 2002 lp standards

Set=up, action intonation perfect.

I am a seasoned professional; this is as good as any Gibson out there.
Solid as a rock!

I own several gibson les paul standards, strats and a 78 Ibanez artist; this is quickly becoming my favorite guitar to play.

Black Les Paul-style solid mahogany body with Tune-O-Matic type bridge. Grover 18:1 Rotomatic tuners. Standard scale, slim profile mahogany neck with jumbo frets, ebony fretboard, and genuine abalone inlays. Bone nut installed with included graphite nut. Also includes a hex wrench for truss rod adjustment. New, made in Korea. 24 frets. Solid top. Standard Les Paul control arrangement with one three way pickup switch, two volume and two tone knobs. Two covered Alnico humbucker pickups.

Just try finding a guitar with an ebony fretboard for less than $2K. All of them together on a guitar in this price range is frankly astonishing. I can't believe they could build this guitar for the price I paid, let alone make a profit selling them.

I'm still in the middle of finding my sound. I like modern rock, classic rock, metal, and some blues. Fortunately, like any good Les Paul, this guitar is suitable for any style of music. I'm a poor boy, so I run mine into a PODxt for all my effect and amp needs, but I'm starting to feel like it's an injustice to run this axe in to it. It's too good.

Sound? It sounds like a Les Paul. No complaints.

Fit and finish is excellent. Beautiful glossy black finish that's really slick on the neck. The photos on the site do not do justice to the finish or to the gorgeous abalone inlays on the neck. The ebony fretboard looks great too, and goes really well with the black finish.

The bridge came from the factory set too low, so I raised it up until the frets stopped buzzing. The third fret is slightly high, but even with the bridge raised up so it doesn't buzz the action is still quite low. (I don't have any feeler gauges) With a fret levelling, the action could be set stupidly low without buzzing. The frets are all filed and polished perfectly. I'm taking one point off just because the frets were not properly levelled, otherwise the guitar is a 10.

It's a mahogany bodied Les Paul, so it's a tank. I'd trust this guitar to live through the apocalypse. Finish is nice and thick. All the hardware is solid (the tuners are Grover, I don't know who made the other parts). Strap buttons are extra large and certainly secure, but I plan to put strap locks on. Again, it's a mahogany bodied Les Paul, so it weighs about 10 lbs. $20 for a set of strap locks is a lot cheaper than a new axe, no matter how good a deal it is.

I've had no need to contact the company, but their return policy is excellent (30 days no questions).

Be warned, however, I've heard a number of stories of people being impolite to the owner, and then getting ignored. It pays to be nice.

I've been playing about two years, and my only other electric is a POS strat copy. I wish I'd bought one of these two years ago. I would definitely buy it again if lost. I love everything about this guitar, but the best feature is the playability. It's really easy to play. When I was shopping I checked out Epiphone and Gibson Les Pauls. For less money, it's definitely better than any Epiphone. I haven't been able to find anything about the Gibson Les Paul Standard that I like better than this guitar, and this one has an ebony fretboard and abalone inlays. I wish it had a better looking headstock, but it's already better than the Epiphone headstock IMO.

The bottom line is that this guitar is a killer deal, and if you pass on it just because it doesn't say Gibson on the peghead, you are seriously missing out. Other people have said this guitar is great "for the money", but I'm not going to use that qualifier. This is a great guitar at any price, and my rating does not reflect cost.

22 fret Les Paul style guitar. 24 3/4" scale with jumbo frets. It has grover tuners and an ebony fretboard (which plays very well). It also comes with a bone nut installed along with a graphite nut which could be used to replace if desired. Being a Les Paul copy, it has the three way selector switch and a volume and tone control for each of the humbucker pick-ups.

This guitar sounds awesome. Rich and full sound, sounds good clean AND distorted. It wasn't very expensive, so I figured I would change out the pups when it arrived, but when I plugged it in...no way, the factory pups stay in.

The guitar wasn't really set up at all, it came strung but that was it. There was some fret buzz but I raised the action a little and that took care of most of it (I don't like the action real low anyways as I tend to pick fairly heavy). The neck was straight though. The frets are nicely sanded (no sharp edges at all). A very playable guitar which gets even better when set up properly. The neck is a little thick and the neck join is also thick, so playing those last few frets may be tough for someone with small hands. Probably not a good guitar for all the high note shredders out there, but for the rest of us...perfect.
The finish is amazing....beautiful looking guitar!!

Very solid guitar, will easily handle gigging. This guitar is a fair bit heavier than the ten pounds it is advertised at, so eat your wheaties before attempting a long show with it (sustain is great because of this though).

I've had no problems at all with this guitar. The folks at Rondo Music were very helpful. When I ordered a case for it, they actually recommended a cheaper case than the one I was inquiring about.

I've been playing for 22 years but because I'm a lefty, I haven't played many different types of guitars, so I can't really compare it to anything else. If something were to happen to this guitar, I would definitely be ordering another. It really is that good !!
I was looking into buying a Les Paul but decided to try this first as a cheap alternative to see if I liked the style...This guitar sounds and plays so good that I will not be wasting hard earned cash on a Les Paul.

Mine is a Heritage Sunburst (no longer available I think). Korean made. Flame maple top, well matched with very good flame. Mahogany body, LP style, ebony board, grovers, bridge/tailpiece unknown but look like LP. Seem decent. Neck is thick enough for me (I like thick necks). Bought used with aftermarket GFS P-90s, speed knobs, upgraded pots and switch, etc.
I have no idea what the difference is between a 3000 and a 3000 Prestige (this is a Prestige, but nowhere can I fine what that actually means). The back is supposed to be two piece, but for the life of me I can't find the seam (and I'm a cabinetmaker). Could it be one piece??? Not tons of features but it has what it's supposed to have.

This guitar came with upgraded p/ups and electronics from the P.O. It has GFS P-90s and through my Mesa Boogie DC-5 it sounds really, really good and not too noisy (it's quieter than my American Strat in the 1-3-5 positions). It's my first P-90 guitar so I can't compare it to other P-90s, but for a fat clear ringing, singing and growling single coil sound, I can't imagine how it could be better. I love it!!! Unfortunately I can't speak to the original electric sound, but I can tell that acoustically the guitar rings very well, and that's a big piece of the electric sound. Great sustain. It's currently my favorite player, and I've got some other much 'nicer' (more expensive) guitars.

The body is really very, very good. The wood is gorgeous, neck joint perfect, binding perfect, finish is perfect except for a very tiny (-1/4") spot where a bit of stain may have bled from the mahogany onto the binding, so instead of cream it's a little bit pinkish, and I had to really search to find that. The ebony board is beautiful and appears to actually be ebony! The abalone inlays are beautiful and well set. Now about the neck/frets...
This is the second Agile I've bought, and the ONLY guitar I've ever purchased in my life sight unseen (unplayed), from eBay. The guitar was basically as described, but phrases like "plays great-no fret buzz!" can apparently mean different things to different people. When the guitar arrived the neck was wildly out of whack; someone had adjusted the truss rod backwards so that it was pushing the neck forward! This was apparently done to deal with some neck/fret issues: a moderate 'bump' on the fretboard where the neck joins the body (my other Agile also has a tiny bit of this but not enough to effect it's playability; it's something to watch out for with inexpensive set neck guitars I think) combined with several poorly set frets between the 15th and 22th. To 'fix' these problems the neck had been given so much relief that you could have shot arrows with it, so technically there was "no fret buzz", but yikes! After pounding in the loose frets and adjusting the truss rod back to normal the neck straightened out fine and I was able to get the action to a decent height, but it will need the frets glued a fret mill to get the action where it could be. I paid less than $300 for the guitar and it's a pretty good player now. For a couple hundred bucks more I can have a truly awesome LP that will compare to anything out there so I'll probably do it. I'm still thrilled with this guitar and really love it, but I would hesitate before buying another Agile sight unseen again, especially since both of the ones I have had similar neck set / fretboard / fret issues. The ironic thing is the the AL 2500's neck is almost perfect amd the finish work on the frets is far superior to the "hand filed" frets on the 3000; in fact the 2500's edges are smoother than any other guitar I own including one that's been professionally milled and dressed by a very good luthier. Go figure.

This thing is a tank -very well built and over 10 lbs, so as long as it doesn't fall on its head it should be fine. The strap buttons were indeed HUGE but I still had a strap slip off of it anyway so it has straplocs now.

I emailed Kurt at Rondo with a question and he got right back to me in detail. Seems good to me.

30 plus years playing. Had/have Airline somethingorother (old), DanElectro (old) Gibson ES 125 (really old), Guild Starfire (old), Post-war Epiphone Zephyr w/New York p/up (really old, looks great, sounds good, plays lousy), 70's Takamine F-363S, '74 Telecaster, '79 Yamaha SA 2000, the 2 Agiles, 2004 American HSS Strat, 2004 Epiphone Emperor Regent. I might have asked more detailed fret/neck questions, but if I'd known about the guitars issues I might not have bought it. I'm glad I didn't because it's totally fixable and a great guitar. I wish it weighed less. I think it compares well to real LPs; definately very well against other copies. For the price it's a great deal, but I'd try one first if you're considering getting one. If it was lost or stolen I'd definately get another; they're cheap!

$369 for guitar, total of $445 with case and shipping. Additional $130 for professional fret dressing (I'll get to that in a moment). 2006 Les Paul copy in black. Below is rondomusic.net's description of the guitar, and the only part that I question is the handfiled frets bit:

"Neck Taper (thickness) at the first fret is 17mm and 21mm at the 12th fret. (vs: 21.5 mm at the 1st fret and 23.5mm at the 12th fret for the standard AL-3000 model)
The slim taper neck is preferred by some players
High quality Book-Matched Flame Canadian Maple Top (100% real wood top-not a photo top!)
Solid mahogany (not a multi-ply!) arch top body
Triple bound body, and headstock. Single binding on neck.
Improved Nickel plate hardware, including Nickel die-cast Grover tuners with 18-1 turning ratio for ultra fine tuning (Model 102-18N)
Two Type V Alnico humbucker pickups for warm, tradional sound
The AL-3000 now comes with improved wiring (single conductor braided 18 gauge American wire for pickups), improved pots (now higher voltage with brass shafts for reduced noise) and an improved pickup selector switch
Two volume and two tone controls, plus a three way pickup selector switch
One piece Mahogany set neck with 13.7" (350mm) radius neck for fast play and adjustable truss rod
Ebony fretboard with 22 Jumbo frets and real Abalone Trapezodial inlays
The AL-3000 features GHS strings installed at the factory and a professionally cut bone nut
A pre-cut graphite nut is also included in the bag with the trus rod adjuster for those who prefer graphite
Individually hand filed frets for professional feel and playability
Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"; at the 21st fret: 2 3/16"
Neck Taper (thickness) at the first fret: 17mm; at the 12th Fret: 21mm
Overall length: 40"; Scale length: 24.7"
Body thickness: 2" at edge; Width at the widest point: 13"
Actual Weight is only 10 lbs (folks, they're not kidding)"

I play metal, but am trying not to. This guitar is going into a Peavey 120w XXX tube Combo, in addition to a Zoom G2 processor and some other boxes that you don't care about because you want to read about the guitar.

I have very little experience with PAF-style pickups, so I don't know if they could stand up to Duncan 59's (I guess that what they're modeled after), but they respond very well to high gain and still clean up nicely.

The sound is very big and full, and even the resonance when it is unplugged is quite loud. I like it.

The black finish is perfect, and I didn't notice and nicks or cracks. Out of fairness, I will give the action and setup 2 ratings.

Out of the Box: 5 - lots of buzzing, many uneven frets that were sharp at the edges. Not playable.
After Professional fret dressing by Kenny at www.audiolight.com : 9 (nothing wrong, but a 10 rating should only be given to totally perfect instruments)

Life Story: I had a long period of time when I could not play guitar. When I began researching to buy a new guitar, I was looking in the direction of les paul style guitars, as I have an Epiphone LP Studio that has grown on me over the years. Initially, I thought that buying the Agile would serve a dual purpose: A new guitar on par with an Epiphone for less money (I was very unimpressed with the other Epiphones that I played), and an instrument that I could learn to repair and set up to my liking.

I would have purchased a cheaper model like an AL2000, but I do not play well with thick necks, and this is the only one that has the slim taper neck. The fact that it's really beautiful and has nickel hardware and an Ebn'y fretboard doesn't hurt.

The reason that I chose to take it to a professional to get it repaired is that when I finally got it in my hands, I thought that it would be something great if it was set up properly. And it is. I'll just learn to set up and intonate on my beater Epiphone or totally shithouse NJ Warlock.

Here is where I have a problem: I assumed that any Agile would be unplayable directly out of the box. If it turned out to be alright, then I got lucky. I didn't get lucky. This would be less of a problem for me if they didn't advertise (and probably charge more for) a guitar that has 'Individually hand filed frets for professional feel and playability'.

Kenny from www.audiolight.com informed me that before he could properly dress the very uneven frets, he had to glue several of them first, as they were very loose. Someone else might have sent the guitar right back to Rondo, but I want to see this mail-order guitar thing through to the end. Call me an idiot if you like, but the end result is a very beautiful guitar that is comparable to (but has a total cost that is still less than) an Epi LP Custom ($450+130=$580, and it's more comfortable than the Epi's that I played).

Here's something else that Kenny from AL&M told me: The fret wire is kinda crappy, and if I were to take the guitar on the road and play it consistently, I would wear down the fret wire fairly quickly. I don't play out, so if that is the case, it might be something I'll have to deal with a few years down the road. Hopefully a few.

Finish is perfect, the Ebony fingerboard is very smooth; not on par with what you'd find on a Gibson LP Custom, but not the tinted rosewood that certain guitar manufacturers have been putting on certain cheap models to compliment none-more-black finishes (ask me about my BC Rich NJ Warlock, go on, ask me).

No idea. I have not talked to or emailed anyone from Rondo. I know Rondo has what is said to be a very fair 30 day return policy, but that is almost definetly void by now.

No, I am not an amazing player. This is my hobby, and it brings me joy. I really like this guitar, and do not regret my Internet Shopping Experience. I'm also glad that the guitar was available in a solid color, as the transparent finishes I saw on Rondo's site were not impressing me. If Kurt from Rondo reads this, try to get some new solid colors for the slims! Red with Nickel hardware, Dark Blue with Gold hardware or Good ol' White, I'd have preferred that over Another Black Guitar. I haven't had it long, and have already recieved a few compliments on the look, and the pictures on the site don't do it justice.

Now that it's properly set up, I would absolutely set it against any of the Epis that I played. If I had the proper equipment and experience to do a professional setup on my own, this guitar would be a steal. As it stands, I still think I got a good deal. I post as p4vl on the HCF.

I recently purchased this directly from RondoMusic.net. If you're reading this, you already know that Agile owners regularly compare their axes to Gibson and Epi LPs, and this is a well-earned comparison. My wife had taken my suggestion (amazing, ain't it!) and ORIGINALLY ordered the Cherry Sunburst but I ended up with the Heritage SB. It's a 2-piece mahogany body with a flame maple top, Type V AlNiCo pups, 18:1 Grover tuners, beautiful Abalone inlays... it's a dream for the eyes...

BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT SECTION FOR THE WHOLE STORY...

I play/like mostly 60's/70's rock, R&B and Blues. This axe nicely compliments these styles. I've run this baby through a VOX AC30, Fender Blues Jr. and my buddy's Blackface & Crate Palomino. Once I got it setup, the AlNiCo give a great bluesy OD tone. Throw in a little drive and this axe will wail. I didn't find it to be noisy per se but it was almost too easy to overdrive.

The down side is that it is not easy to get a warm, clean tone without a lot of effort or a pickup swapout. I'm not a pro or even a serious amateur. I play because it's usually cheaper than a shrink (hence the Agile over the Gibson!) I can't see using this axe in a jazz setting but it's great for most rock/blues.

And it does indeed resonate quite nicely. Very nice sustain, expecially after I swapped out the D'adarrio 10's with some EB 12's


BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT SECTION FOR THE WHOLE STORY...

Well, here's where it starts to get intersting...

The FIRST order was for a Cherry Sunburst model. It showed up with a crack in the neck near the nut. I was pretty upset, seeing it was a birthday present but got it returned. The SECOND axe was the wrong model (3000M) and had a four dings down to the bare wood near the jack. The THIRD axe (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) was at least not broken...

The finish was perfect. No runs, drips, smudges or cracks. It was evenly applied and buffed to a clear shine everywhere. The triple binding was even in all spots and is quite attractive. The abalone nexk inlays are very handsome and add a real classy touch.

The fit was excellent; no parts seemed jammed in or out of place. It has required a lot of setup work on my part b/c I don't want to turn it over to a tech for the weekend. The action was too low and there was a lot of fret buzz closer to the nut. Again, expected but frustrating. I'll probably break down and have a tech tune it up real nice and all.

It weighs a ton and is built like a tank. All of the h/w seems pretty sturdy and should last. Again, the finish seems quite durable and should last. The only odd thing is that the strap buttons are HUGE. I switched them out with some Schaller locking pegs and it's worked a lot better.

OK, here is the shocker. I researched Agile and Rondo quite a bit and chose them in part because of how well they scored here.


Then there is my story...


OK, so my wife buys me an AL-3000P for my birthday (gotta love a woman like that). The first one shows up with a crack in the neck. I was pretty bummed but hey, Sh*t happens. Kurt responded quickly and I decided to send it back on my dime to help expedite the replacement. So I swallow a $30 DHL bill to get it there quickly.

The replacement was a different model (3000M) that lists for $80 less! WTF, right? To make it worse, it had four dings that went down to the wood near the output jack. Now I'm really pissed. Kurt is still responding but doesn't appreciate my use of "profanity" for responding with "WTF!". To keep it short, these guitars are taken out of a cardboard box (that's how they're shipped from Korea) and sent to you WITH NO INSPECTION WHATSOEVER! If some idiot had simply looked it over, it would have saved me over a month of waiting for the right model that wasn't damaged. Then he tells me that the model I ordered was out of stock and they're moving so I won't be able to get it for another month...

At least this guy responds to e-mail. He finally agreed to cross-ship the new model so that it would get to me before they move. Alas, the third time was a charm. If I lived anywhere east of the Mississippi, I'd have driven there but from SF to NJ just ain't happening.

6 weeks later and I still have not gotten my original shipping refund. This is a joke operation and all I can advise is

CAVAET EMPTOR (you get what you pay for)

I love this guitar but will NEVER buy even a pack of strings from these ass-clowns again.

2005 (a guess) purchased used on e-bay 2006. I'll try not to repeat all the other info...This guitar offers you all the bells and whistles that attracts you to the LP. The maple cap is beautiful. The mahogany body is thick and solid. It is every ounce of the stated 10 lbs. The colored Abalone inlays really set off the neck and set it apart from the Gibsons that use white inlays. One big issue. The local shop showed me that neither the "bone" nor the "Graphite" nuts were bone or graphite. It make you wonder about the electronics as well.

I play a little of everything from Chuck Berry to Beatles to Metallica and Maroon 5, however, mostly 60's and 70's classic rock. This guitar uses the Type V Alnico pickups. They are hot. Distortion is easy but it took some toying with the bridge pickup height and the guitar volume to find a clean sound. My son's Valkyrie has the standard Alnico humbuckers and produced a cleaner tone right out of the box. The sound is a little muddy if you switch to the neck pickup. If you are a jazz player, you will be looking to change out the pickups.

I don't know if the prior owner played with the action but it came to me way too high. The local shop needed to dress the frets (issues near the 12th) to bring it down to a nice feel. I already discussed the pickup adjustment need for my tone. The guitar's wood finish is a piece of art. The maple is beautiful. The depth of the finish reminds me of a custom painted hot rod. The binding is nice and the inlays were well done. This is a beautiful guitar at any price.

The guitar feels like a tank. The nickle finished hardware should hold up. I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't hold up.

Didn't use it. Don't know.

I've played guitar for 33 years, but electric for only the last year. I'd like a Gibson LP but couldn't justify the $2K for my hobby playing with friends. I looked long and hard at the Epiphones but for the Al-3000 features, I was still looking at $700. This is my 2nd electric and the 5th in the house. It is beautiful. It now plays very nicely. Using my Flextone II and this guitar, I have tons of options and can find the needed sound for any style of music. If this guitar were lost or stolen I would again look at it and the Epiphone. My friends with real Gibsons have played it and all agree it is a very nice guitar. You would not be dissapointed in your purchase.

Well specs have been mentioned earlier.
Bought in Feb of 2006.

10=tons of features.... well best of features.

just excellent features, no plus no minuses.

Owned pretty much every style at one point.
Settled on what I call "Gibson style" guitars.... ok, i'm french from Quebec!... heheh
So i like, tailstopatleast10gaugehumbucker axes.

This guitar is a 10. Sound wise. Beautifully balanced.

Needed some intonation. No more.
Was shipped fedex from NJ to Montreal.....

IMO... built better than anything i've held and played LP like....
Just like a tank, and weights like it...! But then again... you do need the wood no do you..!

Would cry if dropped...
Still... asgoodas Gibson

Sent 1 email, got answer within an hour.....

Anywhere you look.... you cannot find better then this.

This guitar was paid 515$ Canadian and worth EVERY DAWN BEAVER!

Purchased new in March '06. Les Paul copy through and through; with the exception of the headstock and the ever-so-slightly different shape of the horn on the cutaway, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this and the real thing. 2-piece mahogany body. Abalone inlays, ebony fretboard, flame maple top (top is about 3/8 - 1/2 inch thick, but can't tell if the flame pattern is a veneer or goes all the way through), 5-ply binding, Grovers, nickel hardware. Stunning Heritage Sunburst finish. Alnico humbuckers. Hand-filed frets. Comes with a bone nut; a graphite nut is also included. The 3000 series Prestige models have upgraded wiring, better pots, switches, etc. Be advised that the neck on this is the 1950's LP profile; it's really round and thick. Small hands need not apply.

Unplugged, it rings with that bell-like tone you'd expect from a LP. Can't tell the difference unplugged from the Gibson LP. Sounds okay. Plugged in, the stock pickups are warm and quiet; certainly a lot better than the ceramic pickups on the AL2000 and AL2500 models. They don't have a ton of punch or definition, but really don't sound that bad. The neck pickup is a tad muddy, but not at all unusable. The sustain on this guitar is fantastic. I play through a Carvin all-tube 1/2 stack and a number of different modeling amps. Gets that LP "violin-like" tone easily. Throwing in a set of Duncan 59's or Dimarzio Virtual PAF's would bring it equal to or better than any Gibson I've owned or heard.

Generally fantastic. The finish is superb. There are a few wonky spots here and there where the finish is a bit light (where the side of the neck rises above the body between the neck joint and the end of the fretboard), and there's a tiny (I mean TINY) black spot under the finish next to one of the tone knobs. Flame top is really nice; AAA all the way. Very glossy finish. For this kind of money, you couldn't ask for better finish. Action is incredible. One of the lowest actions I've ever seen on a guitar, period, with no buzzing anywhere on the fretboard. Fretwork is impeccable; highly polished with no marks, rough edges or anything. I owned a USA LP Studio a few years back that chewed my hand to shreds. The abalone inlays are beautiful; well-fitted and smooth.

This guitar is a tank. Strap buttons are bigger than those on Gibson LP's. This guitar should last a lifetime.

Rondo is generally very good. Past dealings with them have proven reliable, accommodating, and very courteous. Ordered the guitar on a Wednesday and got it that Friday.

I've been playing for 23 years and have about 17 really nice guitars. Have owned just about everything in the book at one time or another. I was getting ready to purchase a Carvin CT6M, based on having played a few and my previous experience owning Carvins. I bought this Agile on an impulse. Since I'd been quite impressed with the overall construction of the lower-level AL models (which I'd given to novice friends as gifts), I figured I'd see what the upscale model had to offer. I'm so impressed with this Agile that I've decided to defer the purchase of the Carvin. I have a set of Duncan 59's to put in it, and when finished I'll have a truly outstanding instrument at about 1/3 the cost of the Carvin and 1/5 the cost of a Gibson LP Custom.

Keep in mind that this is a Korean-made guitar, and that there's always the risk of varying quality from guitar to guitar. Not that this isn't the case with product from US big-gun manufacturers these days as well... All I know is that I sure got a good one; it ranks among the best in my collection. Truly an incredible bargain.