Agile AL3000

This is an Agile AL-3000 CSB Flame with P90s.

# Solid mahogany arch top body
# Triple bound body, and headstock. Single binding on neck.
# Nickel plate hardware, including Nickel die-cast Grover tuners with 18-1 turning ratio for ultra fine tuning (Model 102-18N)
# Two cream covered soap bar style Type V Alnico P90 pickups
# 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
# graph tech nut
# Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"; at the 21st fret: 2 3/16"
# Neck taper/thickness at the 1st fret: 21.5 mm; at the 12th fret: 23.5mm
# Overall length: 40"; Scale length: 24.7"
# Body thickness: 2" at edge; Width at the widest point: 13"

I am a big fan of P90s. Stock pickups are okay, but I knew ahead of time I was going to be replacing with Lindy Fralin P90s. Lindy and Lollar are just the best in my book. Lindy's seem a little more beefy. The tone I get is exactly what I wanted - like great single coils on steroids. Clear, articulate, no matter the volume but can wail and crunch like as good as any humbuckers.

I have no idea how consistent the quality control is for these guitars, but this one is without imperfection anywhere. Smooth and not too thick finish, the sweetest looking deepish cherry red sunburst finish as you could find. Frets all are perfectly filed and finished on the ends, ebony fretboard is smooth and consistent from end to end. Hardware is all clean with smooth edges, pots work well and feel firm and substantive.

I really could not be more pleased with the entire package and its fit and finish.

Feels substantive and well put together. That's all I can say for now.

Don't know.

I almost did not post a review because I really cringe when I read all the glowing reports of almost every guitar reviewed. I'll sound like a broken record here, I know. I have been playing 36 years and owned all manner of top guitars everyone would know if I listed them. Also some rather obscure but quite pricey one man shop guitars. This Korean made Agile AL3000 is just too good to be real. Add the Lindy Fralin replacement P90s and you have a beautiful looking, super easy playing, quality feeling, great sounding guitar, very well put together guitar. I love it. Really. If all of them are as good as his one, this has got to be the best value out there.

All of the features have pretty much been mentioned before, but here goes;
Solid Mahogany body, mine was the spalted maple top, triple bound body, Nickel plate hardware, two volume controls, two tone controls, One piece mahogany neck, Ebony fretboard, Abalone inlays, individually hand-filed frets.
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 1st fret: 21.5 mm; at the 12th fret: 23.5mm
Overall length: 40"; Scale length: 24.7"
Body thickness: 2" at edge; Width at the widest point: 13"
Bridge pole spacing is 3", and the Tail piece pole spacing is 3 1/4"
Actual Weight is only 10 lbs (This seems alot heavier to hold though - as i said, it's solid mahogany).
Not much else to say on this one actually, very good specs considering the very low price.

I play pretty much anything. I do a bit of classic rock, some slightly heavier stuff. I occasionally delve into some jazz, blues and occasionally some folk also. It's just a stunning guitar for all of these types.
I play through a 15 watt Marshall at the moment but am upgrading to a Vox valvetronix 50 Watts. I play with very few effect, occasionally through the odd pedal.
It's the least noisy guitar i've owned (saying that, i've only owned about 5) but it's also the least noisy i've played.
Both pickups have a very rich and bright sound, somehow acheaiving both at the same time. I'm very impressed with the quality of the pickups on such a low price guitar, it seems as though a lot of attention has been paid to sound quality and tone. I love the way this guitar just sings whatever amp you play it through.
The guitar (obviously with effects), due to the humbuckers, can play virtually anything i throw at it. It's got brilliant rich tone for good old classic rock, and a lovely bright tone for blues - along with a deep sound on the bridge pickup for jazz.

I would love to criticise this guitar, i really would. Until i bought this, i would never have been the kind of person to go for a Les Paul style guitar, i didn't even like Gibsons. But this has genuinely changed my mind. I'm actually considering buying another. So if you're reading this wondering wether something like this is for you? Go for it. it's not too expensive (in fact ridiculously cheap), and it's the best guitar i've ever laid my hands on.

When i recieved the guitar (considering it had been shipped across the Atlantic from the USA to the UK), it was in brilliant shape. It was sparkly, shiny, obviously very well set up, too. I like my guitars with a medium to low action, relatively easy to strike chords on, and nice to solo on, but not being so low that it's simple to slip. This guitar was perfect for me, it was a huge step from my last guitar, a Dean Baby ML (WAAAAYYY too poser-like for me), which had really high action for a supposedly shreddy guitar.

It's lovely to play, it really is, and i examined it thoroughly on arrival. The paintwork was immaculate ( i have the spalted rootbeer version - just stunning to look at), and clearly alot of time had been taken over the frets, all of which were perfect.
The nut was a little sharp so i had to sand it down a little to prevent my strings snapping (the supplied ones are actually very good), but that was a 5 minute job and i had no other issues with the set-up. it would have been nice to see another stronger material for the nut, but plastic will do considering the price - it's possible to replace anyway.
The hardware was in perfect condition, and the wood is brilliant quality. I have no idea how they managed to add such quality for this price but i guess i'll never know!
The knobs were perfectly straight, the bridge tone knob was a little loose but i adjusted that easily - not a problem.
The tuning pegs are lovely, they're 18 to 1, i think, which basically means that the transition as you move them is smoother and it takes far more turns to move one tone - this means tuning is far more accurate, and i think a combination of the excellent bridge and brilliant tuners combine to prevent this guitar slipping out of tune too easily...

This guitar will easily withstand live playing. i have used it in very extensive band practices - i look after it, but i use it alot and it's had its fair share of bumps. The finish has remained spotless and it stays in tune brilliantly. I have not yet had a problem and i can guarantee this guitar can easliy withstand a good playing onstage.
The hardware is good quality - i've not had it long enough yet that i know wether it will last, but i'm absolutely sure it will. it just feels so well built and such high quality that i could easily use this without a backup. Who cares about string changes...and if i was going to buy a backup...i'd buy another one of these.
The strap buttons are firmly in place, and are slightly larger than usual - this keeps the strap in place and prevents any 'falling' incidents during practices...i've wrecked many a guitar doing that!
I can depend permanently on this guitar, it's absolute quality and for the price i've never come across anything better.

I've emailed Kurt several times about the guitar before i bought it, enquiries and such. He replied within a hour every time. I was very impressed.
He's very friendly and will answer your questions whatever the weather.
I've not had any problems yet for repair.
The only problem with this was the huge risk i took getting it shipped to the uk - this voids the warranty. I'm not worried now i have it - this will stand the test of time, and if it gets into an accident it's cheap and easy to replace. It would be nice to see the warranty extended to the UK and other Non-USA countries, but i can see their issues with this - and if they pack their guitars the way they packed mine they can rest assured they will encounter no problems.

I have been playing about 5 years, i own a Dean baby ML, a couple of basses (both Fender), i also own a LAG acoustic, various digital pianos, a recording studio, several amps.
There is nothing i wish i had asked before buying this guitar. All my questions and more were answered by Kurt - great service.
If it were lost or stolen, i would 100% buy it again. I can't stress how brilliant this is for the money. It's a top class guitar and any Les-Paul sceptics like i used to be should give this a go. I've played top of the range Gibson Les Pauls - and i'm not ashamed to say i'd seriously consider this against them, it certainly blows the high end epiphones and the midrange Gibbo's out of the water.
Stunning.
I love; The finish, the weighting, the warm, rich sound, the hardware, and most of all, the PRICE !!! :D
The only thing i don't like is the fact i can't have more of them!
I compared it to alot of other guitars when i bought it. I was considering, among others;

Epiphone Dot
Epiphone Firebird
Burns Bison
Epiphone Sheraton
Line 6 Variax 700
(And i hated Les Pauls)

I hated les pauls - i bought this as an experiment, i'd read good things about both the guitars and the company. It was a huge risk, alot of money, but i don't regret a second. It's stunning, and it's won me over.
You have to be careful with Les Paul copies, there are alot of poor, poor quality makes, and i can happily say this is not among them.
When i take into consideration the price, the build, the sound, the aesthetics, i can happily say;
Best guitar i've ever (and can see myself playing in the near future) played

rondo music.com will tell you every detail about the constuction of this good guitar! I got the spalted maple top al 3000. This guitar is thick and feels as good as the real deal (gibson)! This finish and bindings are top notch and very beautiful! The grover tuners are 100% dependable. The neck feels simular to a les paul...maybe a little smaller.
The bridge is ok and works. The intonation was about perfect!!
The fret work is the low point of everything positive about this axe!
Two of my frets where not even seated good. It needed a professional fret job (crowning)! I'm giving this professional filed fret job a 7 at best! The frets had too much of a crown that caused problems with bending. Also the instrument was very dried out!! The guitar tech said maybe that caused the two frets to come out of the board too much.

The sound it a good thing...It's just a little weak for hard rockin'..
I put my favorite dimarizo super distortion pick-up in the bridge and it's ready for action. It sounds and sustains the same as any Gibby les paul I can remember! It's a little bright in sound, even with the different pick-up...Not harsh though. Cut the treble a little more!! I like 100% now sound wise...I use a crate blue voodoo all tube amp.

YES... POOR FRET JOB! But the guitar is worth any extra cash need to make it right! I'm getting another one... and I hope I'll have more luck with the fret job and it!

it's a beautiful tank .........I think so...

They always answer their e-mails. And they ship very quickly with a tracking number!! A++ here! I've read that returns are also handled professionaly!!I just wonder if they have a phone number????

It just beats everything else ...hands down...it is a steal! It just needs better fret work...Maybe my second one (al3000)will be better and I won't have to spend the extra on a fret job! It is a fantastic value, when compared to the other copies (epiphone included)...I'd give it a 11 for value...but the hand filed frets where a real let down! I'll let you know about the next one I ordered already!!

I got a Les Cherry Sunburst alnico V pickups with mahogony neck and body. It has a very nice maple top. Looks great!

It sounds very clear and clean, I really like the pickups. Sounds like a jazz guitar to me on the clean settings but really screams when I crank it into overdrive on my Fender Pro Reverb. I get nice overtones like ZZ Top and great sustain

Like most of the others here, the action was too low and I had to raise the strings due to a bad buzz on the A string. But it is still really low and plays like a dream. I have always played Fenders so I am adjusting to the different neck. I can't reach the high, high notes that easily with this neck because of the large heel but that may be true for all Les Pauls, I don't know. Still I rarely play up there so that is no big deal. Otherwise, it is beautifully put together, I see no problems. I don't love the big abalone inlays but I am getting used to them.

It appears to be built like a rock and should last a long time if I don't drop it. Strap buttons are very snug and solid which I like. I would use it alone at a gig but I haven't yet.

I got quick email replies when I contacted Kurt with some questions. Seems like a good company to deal with.

Overall, I would say this is an incredible bargain. I have been playing for 25 years and this is as nice as any guitar I have seen and for the price is amazing. Highly recommend.

Les Paul body style. Made in Korea. Tune-o-matic and stop bar tail piece. Grover non locking tuners. Mahogany archtop with flamed 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 prety much sums it up but if you want you can see http://www.rondomusic.net/al-3000rootbeer.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. 9 because it doesn't have an extraordinary amount of good features, but it has prety much everything i value.

This suits my style well. I play many types of rock, with a tendency to the heavier side. 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 i think. Add some distortion and it sounds killer, and it glows on clean. However with just the guitar not too much control over the sound, but thats ok i leave that to amps and efx. Oh yeah it has real good sustain. I cannot conplain, but it isn't extraordinary either, so i give 9 for sound.

Holy crap mine had some crazy action. Better than many top noch guitars i have tried out. However, the scrifice made for that was some significant fret buzz on the bass strings. I raised it a lil bit and got rid of most of the buzz, but i really wanted to keep the action so i plan to go talk to a pro and see what can be done. I got out the screwdriver to adjust the pups, but realized they were perfect. The top is really beautifully finished, and every thing looks fine. The frets were all smooth and good, and everything here was to my liking except for the buzz. But amped you dont hear it so im not that worried. Once again this is a freaking BEAUTIFUL guitar. I will warn you though it is thick. It says two inches thick and it means that. This was a bit of a drawback at first, but i got over it and other than looking fat and feeling heavy it doesn't matter. 8 for fret buzz and fatness.

This guitar is tough. I have on several occasions banged it prety hard against my wooden loft bed, leaving very visable dents in the bed, but none to be found on the guitar yet, thankfully. Everything seems solid and well built. I havent opened it up yet but the harwear seems to be good. The strap buttons are solid and bigger than most so they hold a strap on so well i havent bothered to install the straplocks i already have. Finish is good. Very dependable. I will take it to gigs w/out backups, but only small ones. Big gigs, ALWAYS have a backup. Anyways seems great.

Cant say. Luckily i have no experience with them.

I have been playing for about two years, and own a epiphone lp junior, a old peavey, a behringer 70 watt combo, a 60w rogue bass combo, a low end rogue 5 string and other little stuff. Even though i haven't had much experience i have done my research and played my fair share of guitars at shops, and i have to say this is a great deal. You could not buy these features alone for this ammount of money, and the quality of it is good too. I like it better than many of the gibsons i have played, and many other guitars in the price range simply dont come close. Like most musicians i dont have money to waste so getting a good deal was important for me. If it were lost or stolen (and i had the money) i would buy another. Mainly i love the playability and the looks of this guitar. It takes a bit to get used to the weight and thickness, but other than that its great. The only thing i would wish was that it was thinner. Overall this is the best deal you can get for the money, and i dont think you will really see much visible improvement by spending the extra 2000 on a gibson or other recognized brand guitar. Real good guitar.

spalted maple wine red

sound is good will leave stock pickups in

needed set up but all new guitars do finish very nice , item was b stock
blem cannot find the blemish

built like a tank no worry here

this is my second al 3000 saw it on rondos website as a b stock for
199.00 could not pass it up, other al 3000 i installed wilkinson
humbuckers this one i will leave the stock pickups in they sound good

First of all, I want to thank the Harmony Central members for turning me on to Agile guitars. I'd have never heard of them otherwise. Incredible quality for the price paid! Thanks guys.

The AL 3000 is your basic Les Paul Custom copy, with no variations from the mold. (Fixed neck, no tremolo arm, no locking tuners, etc). But what a nicely done copy! It has a one-piece mahogany body with carved, bookmatched flame maple top. Smooth Grover tuners (which was a major selling point for me), two passive alnico humbuckers, the regular LP 4-knob setup for volume and tone control of 2 humbuckers. I believe the pickups are made by Agile. If Agile doesn't make them themselves, they don't specify who they buy them from. They do sound nice, though.

The body, neck and headstock all have triple binding. Very beautiful, if maybe a little flashy for my taste. I actually like the more subdued binding on the AL 2000 better, but I wanted the one-piece mahogany body instead of the AL 2000's multi-ply, plus the alnico h-buckers instead of the ceramic ones.

The AL 3000 also has "hand polished frets" as opposed to the AL 2000's machine polished frets. I was thinking "So what?", but I have to say, the hand polished frets are just a wonder to handle. The fretboard is just silky-smooth and it makes playing real pleasure.

I'm playing this guitar through a little Roland Microcube digital amp. This boy has a nice retro Les Paul sound-- warm, rich and plenty of sustain. It will shred if called on to do that, or played clean it has that warm, jazzy, semi-twangy humbucker LP sound. I've been amazed at the harmonics and overtones that the heavy solid body will pick up and pass to the amp. I'd bet this guitar would put out some nice really tone through a tube amp.

The pickups were set low and not balanced in terms of volume (bridge P/U vs. neck P/U). A couple of turns of the screwdriver fixed that. I'm happy to say the pickup adjustment screws raised the P/Us smoothly and evenly. (I haven't always found that to be the case with lower-end price range guitars. Sometimes the pickups tilt to one side or another as you adjust up and down). The intonation needed a little adjustment, but with the help of a 20-buck Korg chromatic tuner that was fixed in a few minutes.

The two pieces of the bookmatched maple top down line up with one another exactly, but it's hardly noticeable. There's not a huge contrast between the light and dark grain in the maple, so it's not a noticeable thing. Overall the maple top is a real beauty.

The neck, pickups and body fit into the body perfectly. They did a good precision job on the routing and other woodwork.

The finish on this thing is just amazing. What a nice piece of woodwork and craftmanship. The finish on the body is just incredible-- not a flaw anywhere. (I've got the cherry sunburst version, and they pulled off the classic sunburst finish perfectly). There's one little rough spot where the two ends of the binding on the headstock meet. It's not sloppy, it just looks kind of handmade. Which suits me fine-- I appreciate seeing the evidence of hand craftsmanship.

I've only had this guitar about a month, so I don't know about durability. But all of the hardware seems sturdy and solid. The P/U selector switch is quiet and clicks over smoothly but firmly. The volume and tone controls are smooth and responsive, and the cable jack feels solid. You know how it is with electrical hardware-- it just feels either solid and high-quality or else cheap, flimsy and jinky. This stuff feels solid and built to last.

My only contact with Rondo Music has been submitting the online purchase. They shipped immediately and I had the guitar in like 4 days. One thing I appreciate is they just charged exactly what it cost them to ship (which was $13). No additional "shipping and handling" fee to add to the customer's cost.

I love this guitar, and feel like I got an incredible deal. The guys at Agile obviously really take pride in their work. I shopped quite a few other guitars in this price range, and most of them felt more like a piece of wood with a neck and some hardware attached. This guitar feels like a real *musical instrument*. I think it will be serving me well for a long time.

This is a Korean made Les Paul style guitar with standard Les Paul features. It has a beautiful real book match maple top on a mahogany body and set neck. The fret board is ebony with real abalone trapezoid inlays and headstock is equiped with Grover tuners. Mine is the new slim neck model and the color is called root beer. The neck is a little slimmer than a Gibson 60's neck, very fast and great for smaller hands like mine.

I use this guitar for R&B and some blues. It's a little brighter sounding than the Gibson/Epiphone models I have tried and the neck position pickup is much clearer sounding than most of theirs also. This is great for gigging along with just a bass player to back me up.

I've used this through my Fender Blues Jr., a Peavey Delta Blues 210 that I no longer own and a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which I ended up returning to the Guitar Center. It sounds fantastic through them all.

This guitar was set up well right out of the box. The action is nice and low with near perfect intonation. The only negative is that the pickup covers have a matt finish and on such a beautiful instrument shiny ones would look nicer and be a better match for its overall appearence.

This guitar is solid in all respects, except that the three way selector switch for the pickups seems a little weak, otherwise a very dependable instrument.

If we were going to do a set of just R&B and Blues numbers for a gig, I would take just this guitar along without reservation.

Rondo Music is a long way from where I live, but has a shinning reputation for customer service. My girlfriend who accompanies me on bass bought her jazz bass from Rondo and it???s a very reliable instrument as well. When it came with the wrong neck adjustment wrench, Kurt went out of his way to be sure she got the right one.

I have been playing guitar since the mid 60's. Along with this Agile, I use a late 90's Epiphone Emperor (Joe Pass) and a mid 90's Ibanez Artstar AS-80 ES-335 clone. I currently use just my Fender Blues JR which is loud enough for some of the smaller venues we play, though I am shopping for another tube amp in the 25 to 30 watt range. At the price I paid for this Agile, would replace it in a heartbeat if it were lost or stolen. Like I tell my friends, "There is only one solid body electric guitar, and it's a Les Paul."

Fist of all, Ive had this guitar for about four months and Ive been playing about twelve years. the features are the same as the others except mine is a gold top with HB's. This guitar is very well made. I took off the cavity covers when i got it. Everything about the materials and construction are top notch.

This thing sounds awesome. I play blues, rock, folk and some country and this thing kills all. I never get real dirty. Mostly clean or with a TS-9 and this thing sounds wonderful. I imagine it can get as heavy as you want it too but I never do. It is a VERY versitle guitar. It is pretty bright to me with out overloading your ears. I like bright. I looked at several epiphones before I bought this one and I really like the tone and feel of this guitar much more. Epi's are nice, dont get me wrong.

Ok. The finish is fucking beautiful. The tripple binding is beautiful. I absolutly love the ebony neck and the abalone inlays are stunning. The action was shit when i got it out of the box but after about an hour of tinkering with the relief, bridge, and intonation everything was wonderful. I couldnt find any flaws in the paint or binding and the mahogany on the back is really nice. All the frets were even and no sharp edges.

Built as good as any guitar Ive ever played. I dont really gig but I jam with friends and at home all of the time and havnt had the first problem.

Rondo is awesome. Supper responsive and helpful. Best company Ive ever dealt with.

ok, again ive been playing about 12 years. I own an AS-820 from Agile, MIM Strat, Peavey Reactor Tele, Dean Chafin Sarasota, Martin, and a Jay Turser Semi-hollow Bass. As for amps I have a Vox AC30, Behringer Vampire Head w/ Line 6 1 x 12 cab, and an Epiphone Valve JR Head with a Peavey 1 x 12 cab. I use a Dyna Comp, Ts-9, Bad Monkey, Big Muff (not often) and a DigiDelay. This thing sounds awesome through every amp I own. It fucking screams through the Vox and is as smooth as butter through the Epi. I am talking so good about this guitar because I paid right at 400 bucks with shipping. It is retarded to get an instrument of this quality for the money ive paid. I will never compare a 400 dollar guitar to a 2500 gibson or prs but its close. For the amount I spent is a no brainer. Ive played dean and jay turser les paul copies and they are nice but this guitar feels, looks, and plays like the real deal. rondo is a fantastic company with the best customer servise in the buisness and anyone will tell you that. this guitar is not a gibson les paul custom and anyone who says it is are not being honest. I will say however is is the most fantastic deal I have ever come across. agile will not have the resale value a gibson has but i promise you will not get rid of it. The electronics on this dude are perfect. I you want traditional tone than the pickups are great. you wont have to replace them unless you like them really hot.

if you have any questions or want some clips or pics of my AL-3000 you can email me at xelleos@hotmail.com and Ill be happy to share.

overall i rate the agile al 3000 9.5

sound is incrdible,for under $400.00 their isnt a better guitar on the planet, the alnico v pickups are din-O mite, my son has a les paul special limited edition,with slim nsck, he paid over $2200.00 for the guitar, now overall its a better guitar, looks wise but the sound is very close and looks on the al 3000 dont fall short of the les paul, i would buy another al 3000 in a heart beat,,

action and finish are great, intonation was dead on ,the finish is first class ,the 3 layer binding is top notch,the grover tuners are top of the line ,this guitar for under $400.00 is is hard to beleive,ebony neck, great tuners ,hand installed frets and hand filed frets to boot ,neck feels real good,the electronics are top notch too, i mean come on you cant find an epiphone in its class for one let alone to match the al 3000s quality and it gives some of the gibson les pauls a run for the money also,,,

i dont gig but if i did i wouldnt be afraid to take it to woodstock 3 . its a tank and worth every penny i paid for it ,and then some,,it just plain a great guitar ,i know one thing for sure at rondo music they sell like hot cakes , so the word is out ,,these al 3000s are one great guitar ,,i bought about 8 guitars from rondo allready and i am very pleased ,,also i play lefty and their supply of leftys are high and not $200.00 more like some other dealers charge

kurt at rondo music is very good at his job ,i bought a al 820 ,had a small problem with it ,sent it back received a new replacement and refunded my shipping to boot ,,and it took all in less thsn a week,,now thats customer service,who ever hired kurt, shoule give him a big fat raise,, and he will comunicate with you not blow you off loke some reps ,,rondo has a good rep in kurt,,,

over all rating is a high 9.5 the guitar outshines most gibson guitars and like i said for under $400.00 its the best buy on ebay.if you dont beleive me compair the epiphones and gibsons to the al 3000s you will see with out a doubt the quality plus for the money,,, thanks tony in pa,