Agile AL3000 Spalted

Accurate copy of Les Paul. Spalted maple top, solid mahog, ebony fb, alnico humbuckers, good tusq nut. Korea 2008.

Virtually indistinguishable from real Les. Great sustain. I sold my LP of 25 years, four years ago, so couldn't do side by side comparison.

No flaws, set up like Fender or Gibson. Cheaper Agiles might not be set up as well, but this one was. Spalted top was similar to web site photo. I prefer Gibson's darker reddish brown mahogany color on back to Agile's medium brown.

No apparent reason that it shouldn't last as long as any guitar. Like real LP, it's really heavy. I don't think you get that sound any other way.

Arrived with a cosmetic ding. Rondo took care of it immediately.

Played since '71, mostly '70s Les Paul. Have had strat, tele, 335 copy, cheap strat copy, d35, Seagull. I would definitely get another Agile, possibly the same model. The sound and feel are nearly identical to the real thing. Really a bargain.

Not going to bother with a whole review. Just read the other ones here, they are all pretty bang on. If you like the Les Pauls and are considering this guitar - JUST BUY IT. You will not regret it. Had mine for a few days now and it is excellent. Easily comparable with LP's in the $1500-$2200 range.

Les Paul approach, except for non Gibson headstock shape and the cutaway is different. Two pickups, tone and volume with three way, pickguard installed (though I wish it were not)...all standard Les Paul features. Mahogany body, spalted maple top in natural finish which was just beautiful. Ebony fretboard with abalone trapeziodal inlays...again very beautiful and the neck and board are the most stunning features on this guitar.

Playing it thru a Roland Cube 60. The pickups actually astounded me...I wasn't expecting much from them because of the price. They are warm with the right amount of bite, both dirty and clean they really do shine for the price. I was very very impressed. No noise with the switch, pots are smooth and responsive and quiet. I play blues/classic rock and the tone is great, very Les Paulish.

Action and intonation were spot-on right out of the case. Simply needed tuned to pitch- thats it. Frets: perfectly polished to high gloss, very smooth. The ebony fretboard is incredible. Seems to be a little flatter radius than a usual Les Paul board. Polyurethane finish was beautifully done, not a flaw I can see. The spalted maple top in natural finish is beautiful, and the brushed finish to the metal pickup covers adds a nice touch. Frets are even, brightly polished, and the ends are nicely trimmed. The abalone inlays-beautiful and well seated without any overt evidence of filler. The board is a dream to play on- very silky and smooth. Nut was neatly done, the nut is graphite made by GraphTech. 18:1 Grover tuners worked very smoothly. The only gig I can give here is the neck pickup surround was mounted just a slight bit off. Also the reach into the upper registers appears to be more difficult than other singlecut guitars, but only slightly more difficult than a usual Les Paul cutaway.

Seems a very solid guitar. I have heard people complaining about the weight, but this is no Stratocaster, its based on a Les Paul with mahogany and maple wood, but nevertheless I don't find it overbearing at all.

One word of warning: ORDER IT WITH A HARDSHELL CASE. Rondomusic has a selection of inexpensive cases on the site and will ship it in the case. Good thing- when I opened the case on delivery the plastic tip on the toggle switch was broken. If it weren't for the case I'm sure the damage would be worse. Obviously it had taken a hit during shipping, but other than the switch tip the switch worked fine. There are very nice hardshell cases on Rondomusic that again carry high quality for low prices- mine is a nice brown colored case with locks.

I have no info about warranty, but if it arrives damaged you have 10 days to send it back, also there is a 30 day money back guarantee. Kurt at Rondomusic, as you can read here and everywhere, has nothing less that a stellar reputation in customer service. I stopped my order so I could include a case, and he was able to stop delivery in time. He returns emails very quickly. If something is wrong, he will work hard to make it right. I have never ordered a guitar online before, nor bought a guitar sight unseen, in fact, this is something I swore I would never do. This experience has given me reason to change my view.

Been playing for 30 years, own a Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, and a PRS, and have also owned and played Epiphone Les Pauls, to which this guitar is often compared. Let me tell you that this Agile guitar completely smokes away any Epiphone I have ever owned or played. Because Kurt deals with the customer direct, he can offer such incredible features at such an affordable price. If Epiphone or Gibson offered ebony boards, abalone inlays, 18:1 Grovers, graphite nuts, and hand polished frets, you would definitely see the reflection in the price. As it is, this Agile with all of these features is a few hundred less than an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. The only things I would like different is the fret access to higher registers, and the pickguard being optional. The switch tip is moot- I have an extra one somewhere, if not it only costs a few bucks.

Finish - Spalted Maple - 3/4" top on a two piece mahogany body
Style - Single Cut Les Paul type with neutered horn

Made in Korea. Tune-o-matic and stop bar tail piece. Grover 18-1 non locking tuners. Mahogany archtop with Spalted maple top. Nice binding on body, headstock, and fretboard. Two passive humbuckers, ebony fretboard, two volume, two tone, and one three way pickup selector. Set mahogany neck w/ bone nut. 22 frets.
That pretty much sums it up but if you want you can see http://www.rondomusic.net/al-3000spalted.html for the complete specs on the model I bought.

This basically has all the features I look for in a guitar, other than perhaps 24 frets or extra pups. I just have to say this is a BEAUTIFUL guitar. With the graphite nut in the box, it has pretty much everything I value.

Originally unimpressed with the Alnico V pickups, until I dialed the bridge pickup closer to the strings. This has a very full, and open sound. Not to bright, not too dark. This is a relatively quiet guitar, and i can set it down and forget about it if the amp is not turned too loud. Really classic clean sound from this, and very easy to work with. Add some distortion and it sounds killer, and it glows on clean. Oh yeah it has real good sustain. I cannot complain.

The Bone nut sucked ??? it looked like someone used a rasp on it. The high e-string buzzed at the first fret ??? they cut it too close and looked like ass. Fortunately Kurt gives you a graphite nut as a free gift. Popped the bone garbage out, popped the graphite in and now it has some crazy action. The top is really beautifully finished, unbelievable in fact and every thing looks fine. The frets were all smooth and good, and everything here was to my liking. Once you go Ebony, you never go back and I???m truly in love with Ebony these days. Once again this is a freaking BEAUTIFUL guitar.

This guitar is tough. Everything seems solid and well built. I haven???t opened it up yet but the hardware seems to be good. The strap buttons are solid and bigger than most so they hold a strap on so well I haven???t bothered to install the strap locks I already have. Finish is good. Very dependable. I will ALWAYS have a backup. What's the point of buying cheap guitars to build a collection if you'renot going to bring a bunch of them on the road? Anyways, seems great.

Kurt really tries to work with you - I've even noticed errors in web pages and sent him suggestions and he always fixes it and thanks me for the assistance.

I haven'tsent himan e-mail regarding the poor nut yet - he'll most likely send me a new one without hassle.I've had to call the shop more than once before and they always try to do what's right.

the only complaint is not having Kurt cometo my house with fifty guitars for me to test out.

Been playing since 1980, I own 13 guitars and two amps, and modelers.

If stolen I'd buy another - the action and play ability is like a 70's Les Paul Standard Tobacco finish - smooth as glass.

I now have an AL2000, AL2800, AL3100 and this Al3000 and I have to tell you except for the heel joint, which is standard on Les Paul type guitars, and short of having 24 frets, this thing is a joy to play, listen to and LOOK at. Absolutely another successful coupe of a guitar that???s way too good for the price. Minus the dent on the back of the guitar that was why it was only $199.00, it???s awesome!

This Ebony equipped Spalted Maple top Les Paul costs less than the Dillion, Michael Kelly and certainly less expensive then the Epiphone. If you're not into names it's a great guitar.