Agile AL3000

Les Paul copy. Solid mahogany body and neck. Maple flame top. Abalone inlays. Grover tuners. Triple Binding. Alnico V pickups. Black tusq / graphite nut.

This guitar has a classic Les Paul sound. Rich deep crunch. Loads of sustain, pickups are vry hot but has almost no hum. I can't believe they could get such a great, authentic Les Paul sound out of such a cheap guitar, but they pulled it off. I've quite a few Pauls and this one is right in the middle as far as sound goes. Originally planned to switch out the pickups but after I got the guitar and started playing, I realized there was absolutely no need.

Action was low and fast. However, this created some buzzing after the 6th fret on the Low E and A strings. This is nothing that a minor adjustment on the saddle didnt fix. No truss, bridge or nut adjustments needed. Minor flaws are in the abalone inlays. Inlays look beautiful temeselvws, however, you can see the outline where the inlays start and end. This is a bit sloppy, however, this is nothing that I havent seen before on a Gibson Les Paul. It's not excusable, but for the money, I can't complain. Aside from that, the flame finish, the triple binded body, neck, and head are superb. Ebony fretboard is extremely comfortable and fast.

Guitar seems solid. Ten pounds, hardware is high quality nickel. Knobs are excellent. Nothing out of place or flimsy, I's be suprised if this guiatr doesnt last for many many years.

Great, great, great customer support. Ordered from Rondo Music and I can say that these guys do it the right way. Friendly and most importantly fast. I can tell Kurt, the owner, makes customer service a top priority.

I've been playing for 14 years. Though, i would not consider myself a pro by any stretch, I do think I know a good guitar when I play one. Since this is a Les Paul copy, I have to use Gibson Les Pauls as a benchmark. By that standard, this guitar is avergae. Yes, it's as good as an average Gibson Les Paul. Not better like some people say, but it does stack up very well. Among Les Paul copies (Epi's, ESP, etc.) this is guitar is infinately better. For the price, this thing puts Epiphones to shame. I know, I sold my Epiphone to buy this. You get solid mahongany body, neck, triple binding, ebony fretboard, real abalone inlays, grover tuners, and a beautiful finish. All this for half the price of a comparable Epiphone. NOT Gibson, I said Epiphone. Bottom line: If you need a Paul AND you do not have $1000+, do yourself a favor and buy this guitar. Seriously.

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,

AGILE AL3000 ROOT BEER SPALTED MAPLE TOP
Real Abalone Inlay, Grover Tuners, triple binding cap & headstock,
Typical Les Paul Specs. Has all the featured I wanted and then some

I play contemporary worship at Church and Rock with some friends.
It suits my music style very well. This Guitar is absolutely silent!
If there is any noise it would be from my pedals.
I use a 1992 Carvin Tube Amp thatis mostly like a Mesa Boogie in tone. The Agile is on the bright side in tone and has incredible sustain. Seems endless. I alyays had the intention of changing the PUPS if they did not fit my style. I had the PUPS Changed out for a set of S/D 59's. The tone is much smoother now and is better that any Gibson out there. The only reason I'm giving it a 9 is because the PUPS are very bright. Others might love them. There just a bit harsh for my tastes.

Factory Set Up: Perfect out of the box. The action was also perfect. No need for change here!
Pickup Adjustment: A little low for my tastes. But I changed them out for S/D 59's.
Bookmatching: I really mean this when I say; PERFECT. Absolute mirror image.
Flaws: I only see one little flaw in the binding on the Headstock but I can only see it if I hold it 3 inches from my eyes. Someone took pride in thier work!
Fret Ends: Smooth as silk. The Gibbys I played at Rocket Music were not even close to being as smooth. Nut: Perfect
Controls: Everything looks and sounds good. No noise Etc.
In a nutshell: This Guitar is the most beautiful Guitar I have seen.
A freind of mine who has owned many Gibsons said it is the most beautiful Lp he has ever seen. It looks like Rondo is out of this Spalted Maple Model at this time but it would be worth the wait if you wanted it.

I will use this Guitar in any Venue in any situation anytime anywhere! I trust that this Guitar will be as dependable as any high end Guitar out there. Strap buttons are a little big but I'm putting Strap Locks on it anyways.
Finish seems to be pretty tough. I'm not worried a bit that this Agile will last be reliable and durable. TIME WILL TELL!

Rondo Music was great. I never talked with someone on the phone but Email was great. Delivery was exactly as they said!

I have been playing for 21 years. I own a Taylor 814CE and a Taylor 914CE. Also an American Strat, Various Boss & DOD Pedals that I keep in my Pedalboard (Purchased at Rondo Music). I would definately buy another if it were stolen. I absolutely LOVE this Guitar! Sometimes I just sit there and inspect the Craftsmanship on this Guitar. I have made one Guitar from Scratch (Came out Great) and I know how much time and Energy goes into crafting a guitar. Trust me (It's not easy) The neck alone is a huge undertaking. You have to be extreemly detail oriented! I have not seen or played any EPI or Gibson that is "Better" than this Agile. Most of them are Sub-Par. It's hard to believe in this day and age that I could get such a great value!
You can go to G. Center and play the hundreds of Guitars in this price range and they will play Awful. Heck, you can't even tune them properly. Pick up a PRS and play it. Then Play my Agile. I doubt anyone could HONESTLY say the PRS is any better! The Manufacturer name Agile is viable. Watch out Gibson or any other Name Brand Guitars.

Agile AL3000, typical Les Paul standard set up, single cut tune o matic, tuners grovers, jumbo frets, ebony fret board w/abalone inlays 2007 made in Korea les paul scale body & neck mahogany.

I play classic rock and write my own compositions. am currently using a Epiphone Blues Custom, & Crate mono block. This Agile is quiet as a church mouse. The sound of the AL3000, is bar none as good as any Gibson out there Seriously, these Agile's are no joke the price you pay for them, I have owned many Gibsons and this guitar is incredibel played great right out of the box. no dislikes so far

Action from factory was great! It was set up almost identical to my Heritage H157. Very very impressive guitar for 369.95. I know they say solid wood top but edges do look a little iffy... does not enter into pic though..guitar looks fantastic. If anyone was looking at an Epiphone or Gibson do yourself a favor check one of these Agile's out. I looked at then for aprox. 2 yrs pic's dont do the guitars justice. Grover tuners a good addition. Intontation was a little off on bass strings E A D, but I turned saddles around intonation on all strings is dead on, this guitar sings

Most defiately, looks great as well. hardware seems reliable enough, finish looks bullet proof would definately withstand rigors of playing out.. hug strap buttons I bought straplocks but dont think I will need them, Would definately gig without a back up.

Kurt at Rondo, answerd e-mails quickly ordered guitar on Monday evening and had guitar Thursday cant ask for any better than that. It was a pleasreu doing business with Rondo, will definately buy another instrument from them.

I have played for over 30, yrs and have owned many high end guitars. I currently have a
Heritage H157(Les Paul Customonly much better)
BC Rich NJ Bich
Mexican Strat
Epiphone Korina V
Epiphone Blues CUstom amp
plus much more,
None, If this guitar was stolen or lost? I would definately buy another without hesitation, price point for money you cant go wrong, my AL 300 wil mostly see studio time some stage time. As stated earlier I have owned many name guitars this Agile plays better than 99% of the Gibson I have had. If anyone wants a les paul style guitar without breaking you IRS, buy an Agile you cant go wrong, out of the box setup[ ready to play minus personal tweakings.. Totally satisfied!! Thanks to Kurt & Rondo for offering great instruments for in this day and age, affordable and wont break your wallet.

agile al 3000 spalted maple nat.
same as all the rest reviewed must have
got lucky because top is spalted and flamed photos on
website only show spalted top

quiet full sounding , not as much sustain as real les paul,

out of the box just about perfect , set up was better than my les paul
plus, finish good but can tell it is poly with just a glance, fret
edges a little sharp, also during building of guitar they must have
chipped the end of neck , small piece of mahogany glued in as repair
under finish. gibson should hire the guy that sets up agile guitars
because there set ups have been very bad compared to this guitar

seems solid as a rock

dont know yet am not sending back for chipped neck repair for fear
the next one wont have the flame maple top this one has

gibson is in big trouble , if they can build a les paul that outplays
theres for 369.00 if you have any doubts about al 3000 guitars just
go ahead and get one dont worry , it plays as well as a 1200.00 guitar
i have already ordered a second guitar from them

2005 heritage cherry flame 1/16" AA maple top on a LP style solid mahogany body. Grover tuners on a 24 3/4" scale 1 piece mahoganny neck. Ebony fretboard with with abalone inlays and hand filed jumbo frets. Two passive Alnico V humbuckers with 2 volume and 2 tone controls. I recommend the $50 CNB case, which fits the guitar like a glove.

This guitar can suit pretty much any style. Sounds good with or with out effects and is not noisy. It has a rich, full sound that can be tweaked to your taste. Stock pickups sound great but an upgrade is always a nice addition.

The guitar was set up okay with some fine tuning needed. The top was perfect and there were no flaws. Agile guitars are an unbelievable value.

This guitar withstands live playing and is built solid.

Agile guitars are sold through Rondo Music and there is no warranty. I have purchased a few guitars through them. Rondo's customer service is outstanding! They have always been extremely fair and helpful whenever a problem occurred.

If my Agile was stolen I would purchase another one. The Agile line of guitars are an amazing value!

cherry sunburst flamed maple top
Les Paul style solid mahogony body
TOM style bridge with stop tailpiece
Grover nonlocking tuners
Mahogony neck with a Ebony fretboard and abalone inlays
hardshell case was a $60 option
2006, made in Korea
22 frets
standard 2 vol, 2 tone and a 3 way switch
2 Wilkinson? P90's

The guitar sounds good thru the clear channel of my Fender Blues Junior and Peavey Valveking, but it really comes alive in the lead channel of the Peavey and when I activate a Digitech Bad Monkey Overdrive pedal thru the Blues Junior.
I compared the P90's with the P90 pickups on my Reverend Charger 290. I give the Reverend pickups the edge in clarity, but the solid mahogony body of the Agile produces great sustain thru the lead channel of the Peavey Valveking.
I play a variety of blues styles, in the tradition of BB King, Buddy Guy, British Blues etc
I also like that Jimmy Buffett/Eagles style Country Rock.
This guitar fits the need for a single coil tone that is thicker than a Strat but cleaner than a humbucker/Les Paul.

Set up was good. I tweaked the truss rod just to satisfy myself.
The guitar is simply beautiful. The abalone inlays are equal to those of my $1200 Carvin and the bound ebony fretboard is first rate. The cherry sunburst finish is impressive.This looks and feels like a $1000 guitar. The solid mahogony body and neck look almost as nice as my $2000 Hamer Studio.
Pickups sound well balanced and the flame maple top is nicely bookmatched.
I can't see any evidence of poor construction.

Too soon to say, but this guitar looks extremely durable.
The strap buttons are nicely oversized.
The Grover tuners look first rate and all the hardware seems to be industry standard

I dealt with Rondo Music only by internet/e-mail. They automatically sent me an email advising me of the delivery date, and Federal Express delivered on time.
Their website gives an excellent, part by part, description of the features and materials on the guitar.

I have been playing over 45 years and presently own a Hamer Studio Custom, Carvin DC400A, Reverend Charger 290, Xaviere 900 and Fender Strat.
Love about it: fantastic guitar for an excellent price, nice P90 tone on a Les Paul bodystyle, beautiful abalone inlays, nice triple binding on the body, oversized strap pins.
Hate about it: wish it were made in the USA, sorry to hear that Rondo is closing down it's New Jersey store.
The serial number is a plastic decal that peels off- it should be a permanent marking- that is really the only "cost cutting" I can see on the guitar.
Agile's reputation for good value is well deserved. The guitar, with optional hardshell case and delivery, cost me under $500.

Finish is good, not exceptional, but still really good. All the hardware is solid. Made in Korea, who cares where it was made, it is solid and reasonably priced. All Mahogony body and Neck. Triple bound body and headstock. Real abalone inlays on a Ebony fretboard ( you only see that on High end gibsons). Two vloume and two tone pots, three way switch. Two P90 wilkinson Pup's sounds as good as the gibson ones I have played.

Les Paul style guitar, Gold Top with P90's. Guitar sounds as good as any gibson with P90's I have played and way better than an Epiphone with P90's. I play mostly rock music, works great for it so far. I am playing it through Peavey Classic 30 Head with a 2X12 closed birch cab from SS cabs loaded with cerwin vega ER123 vintage 1977. Good variety of sounds, can do blues, rock, and R&B. The bridge pup's have a nice Bark when maxed out with lead channel. Sounds is pretty full nice harmonics. The pup's are somewhat noisy as most P90's are, but the tone is still really good.

The Guitar was set-up pretty well. The intonation was not the greatest, but most factory set-up are that way, was just fine after I tweaked it. The pup's were adjusted perfectly. The top is not matched perfectly, but who cares you can barely tell since it is Gold top and it is painted. The bridge is routed pretty good, not complaints here. The wood quality is great all the hardware looks good, tuners are sealed grovers, which I have on all my guitars, the nut is cut really well. Everything is pretty solid, suprising in a guitar at this price.

The guitar seems bulit to last. Nice hard finish. All solid mahagony. One thing is that the guitar is pretty heavy. heavier then most of the new Gibson Les Pauls. Which makes me think this thing will last. Strap button are huge, no problems here, if I gig it in the future I will put schaller strap-locks on it.

I got it from Rondo Music online. As far as a know there is 30 day warranty. The company seems really friendly. the delivered it in a hurry.

I have been playing for 10 years. I own a Gibson SG Standard, Fender Telecaster Standard, Epiphone DOT, and a Epiphone Strat copy that I moded with a Seymour duncan JB Jr. in the bridge. This guitar to hold it onw against the rest of my collection. I would definitely buy it again if I lost it. I commpared it to other les Pauls ( Gibson and Epiphone). I have played seems to be just as solid. I could not pass on it it at this price.

- 2005 Korean made AL3000 with p-90's
- 22 frets
- Body is two piece solid mahogany center glued, thin flame maple top that looks really good, neck is solid mahogany. Les Paul copy.
- two P-90 alnico V pickups, two volume and two tone controls
- Very nice looking cherry red finish thats not to light colored.
- see other reviews below for further features.

This is my first guitar with P-90's and the first les paul style guitar that I've owned in twenty years. I'm really impressed with the pups in this guitar as I'm able to get a ton of different tones with them just by adjusting the volume and tone knobs and using the selector switch. I'm playing thru a Peavey Classic30,with a 15" ext. speaker. I run my guitars thru a old fx80 comp pedal and a Digitech RP-7.
This guitar is surprisingly quiet considering the single coil pickups. I play sitting right in front of my amp and a little to the side and get very little noise or hum. I play a large variety of music and it suits my needs just fine.

This is where the guitar falls down a little in my opinion. The nut was cut a little low on the treble strings, so I made a new one. One fret was a little high and I had to file it down a shade to get rid of some buzz. Other than that just a little tweak of the truss rod and it was ready to play.
The finish detail is of a pretty high quality considering the price. The only real finish problem I noticed was the abalone on the fretboard was a little bit pitted. I don't know if this is normal or not. I also had to adjust the pickup pole pieces but I've had to do that on just about all my guitars.

This guitar is built to last and I think it would last a life time if you take care of your equipment. It has nice large strap buttons and a durable looking finish. It's probably not a good idea to gig without a backup but I got a away with it for 25 years and had very,very few problems. I think this guitar could do it.

Kurt at Rondo music always returned my e-mails promptly and got my order off quickly at the busiest time of the year, what more cuold you ask for. Haven't had to worry about any returns yet.

I've been playing guitar for 42 years and own a ton of stuff, from recording gear to PA gear to guitar gear. Overall I'm very pleased with this guitar and if it were lost or stolen I would definately look at another one as I am anyway. You can't beat the price or quality at this price. I currently own ----

Gibson ES137 Classic
CArvin TL-60
Ibanez Talman TM-71T
Ibanez Jetking II
Takamine higher end flattop
Ibanez semihollow bass
mandolin,banjo and steel guitar

I'll rate this guitar an 8 overall but a 9 because of the value. It's hard to find good guitars in this price range and this is a real good guitar.

New 2005 model 3000AL Slim neck (a.k.a. 60's style). Full Les Paul copy made in Korea. If you know Les Pauls, you know all the features. See RondoMusic's website or ebay for rundown of features. In short: solid body one-piece mahogony; one-piece manhogony neck; adj. truss rod; ebony fretboard with fairly straight inlays; jumbo frets; bone nut w/ graphite nut thrown in; twin alnico type V humbuckers (manufacturer of pickups unknown at this time); Grover tuners; did not come with GHS strings as advertised but DiMarzio's (no big deal). I have to give it a 10 because it has all the features it is supposed to.

Very good. I run through my Tech-21 Trademark 60 amp, which can mimic a ton of styles and sounds. This axe rings sweetly on lead or can get down and dirty. Only drawback is a very minor lack of sustain. That said, it makes all the LP sounds and with very good quality. No excessive noise, but I use good cables. I can make it sound just like Hendrix, Page, and Slash but certainly can't play like it. lol. Working on that Dickie Betts sound. :)

Out of the box: neck straight; action very low for inexpensive-out-of-the-box guitar; strung but waaayyyy out of tune; nothing loose, dented, chipped or flawed; except the pick guard has a couple dings in it???? (no idea how or why), which lead to a very careful inspection. Nothing turned up. So, I immediately tuned it to e-flat and jammed into it. First, it takes a little getting used to an LP neck versus a Strat neck and then, the slim neck too. So, its taking a little getting used to (expected). Second, I loved the low action, which is like my other guitars but my bud (an 80's metal man) thought the action was too low. Third, finish was fantastic - no flaws whatsoever. We'll see how it stands up. Fourth, tuners stay set well. Caveat - great overall for price.

We'll see. Too new to call, but the hardware looks well finished. Finish is deep right now. Strap buttons are oversized and appear solid. I give it a "no opinion" until the test of time passes.

I heard about the Agile from a friend of mine who had read reviews on this site. Found the guitar on ebay and then on RondoMusic's webpage. I can only comment that it was shipped immediately from somewhere N.J. and came in great shape. Btw, great website - gives you all the facts without a bunch of "spin." I gotta admit I was a bit leary of buying a guitar sight unseen and never played, but what the heck! I took the chance based upon the numerous positives on ebay about Rondo and on this site.

Great! That said, it ain't a Gibson but it kicks all Epiphones' tails! Way better than an Epi and less expensive. I had been wanting an LP and the 60's neck really caught my attention. This guitar was a toss up between it and a Tokai. The one thing that I wish was that Agile would make its top of the line model (3500) with the slim neck; I would have bought it. I would definitely, no doubt, buy another Agile. I am truly impressed!

As for me, I started playing a bass violin at age 7 ... er, 38 years ago. Dang! I'm old. lol. Started playing bass guitar at 15 and bought first 6 string at 20. Last bass I owned was a Rick, but love a hot-rodded Fender Jazz Bass the best, when run through an Ampeg amp. I have owned a Strat, Westone metal machine, Gibson SG, and a couple of acoustics; amps - fender; peavey; crate; currently, a Tech-21. In sum, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

- 2005 Agile AL3000 Prestige
- Made in Korea
- Copy of a Les Paul Standard
- Trans Amber lacquer finish over a beautiful flamed maple top
- Solid Mahogany body and neck
- Cream binding, pickup rings and pick guard
- Black/white purfling around body and headstock
- Mother of Pearl headstock logo
- Ebony fretboard with real abalone inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets
- Wilkinson Alnico V humbuckers
- Real Grover tuners
- Nickel hardware, which gets oxidized pretty quickly
- Bone nut (an additional graphite nut also included)
- Oversized strap buttons
- Comes with an Allen key for truss rod adjustments

- I play rock and blues and this guitar is excellent for it
- I play it through a 50 Watt VOX Valvetronix amp
- Electronics are fairly quiet
- Bridge pickup is HOT, loud
- Neck pickup is mellower, but somewhat muddy
- Overall the sound is rich and powerful, but could use more clarity

- The action is set a bit too low, producing some fret buzz
- Intonation is perfect though
- Nut is well-cut, although generously slotted
- Finish is gorgeous, almost flawless
- Pickup adjustment is satisfactory
- The top is bookmatched quite well
- Frets are beautifully hand-filed
- The plastic switch tip was loose, but I easily tightened it

- Built tough, should withstand any kind of gig
- Hardware and strap buttons are solid
- Finish looks durable
- It has the feel of a dependable guitar
- Will serve as my main axe

- Kurt's service is prompt, friendly and accomodating
- One year warranty
- Rondo Music = Integrity

When my Agile first arrived, it had a problem with neck alignment. However, I didn't notice it until some time has passed. I reported the problem within 30 days of the purchase and Kurt said that he would be happy to replace it for me. I eventually ended up sending it back and having it replaced under warranty. Not only did Kurt send me a brand new replacement, he also reimbursed me for return shipping! I'm very impressed and grateful for such great service and dedication to customer satisfaction.

- Been playing for almost two years
- I also own a handmade acoustic and a Telecaster
- I picked this guitar over a Fender MIM Stratocaster because, at the same price, it offered a lot more bang for the buck
- If it were stolen I would probably buy another because it's such good value
- Beauty, quality and materials are my favourite features
- The only downside is that you don't get to try it out before you purchase

Recent model, purchased new. I have the gold-top P90 model, which is arch-top mahogany (no maple cap). Of the features listed, I'll add my comments only on the neck, which is a little bigger than what I'm used to (G&L ASAT), but not excessive, and the frets, which also are a nice, medium size.

Good-sounding pickups, that can get pretty nasty-sounding with distortion (Leslie West), and also sound good clean (early Freddy King). Somewhat noisy when using one pickup, very quiet when using both. The pickup selection and tone pots give a pretty wide range of sounds.

So-so. Some small finish flaws, and the paint job was poorly masked in the horn area. I needed to do a moderate amount of setp work, e.g. raise the action a bit (and I like it low), put some fill in the low-E nut slot, and adjust intonation on the bass strings. But, for the price, that's not so bad.

Seems pretty solid, nice big buttons.

Kurt answers e-mail very promptly, haven't had any problems to really test this.

Nice guitar for the money.

2005 Korean made Les Paul type guitar. Scale length, controls, frets are the same as a Les Paul. Agiles are made for a New Jersey based music retailer called Rondo Music. They are very popular on the internet, as you probably know if you are reading this. Mine is the Goldtop version with P-90 single coil pickups. The neck is a single piece of mahogany (nice grain) and the body is 2 pieces of mahogany (also, with nice, tight grain). I'd previously had an Agile AL-2500 (more on that later), and the wood was pretty ugly on the back--not so with this axe. The goldtop paint is very sparkly and beautiful--it also has more of a bronze-ness to it--my AL-2500 was more greenish.

The hardware is nice so far--the T-O-M bridge doesn't hurt my hand, it intonated just fine after a little setup work, the tuners keep their tune well, and the pickups sound very nice. The neck is inlaid with lovely abalone trapezoids, and the body has black and white binding on it, which makes it look very classy (I was worried, but it looks way better than the website pictures). These are Alnico V magnets--the ceramic P-90's were the best part of my AL-2500, and I am hoping that when I record with this axe next week, that it will sound as good in a mix.

Les Paul's are not complex instruments, but this guitar is packed with high quality vibe for $369

I play the blues and blues based rock. I play live into a Carvin SX-50 amp, but more often play into software based modeled amps (recording with GarageBand, or Native Instruments Guitar Combos, or as a headphone amp, my Digitech RP-50. The pickups are quiet on this axe (it is very well shielded) and I like the sound so far. I haven't yet been able to turn up very loud, but a bedroom levels, it sounds nice. Great P-90 tones on a budget. Someday I may replace the 500K pots with more Les Paulish pots, but they do the job nicely now.

This guitar is night and day better than the AL-2500. The strings were set up low, I was able to intonate it quickly, the knobs and switches work fine. My AL-2500 had a lumpy 13th fret, which required me to raise the action quite high. This guitar is setup low, and she's built for speed. The wood is attractive, and while it lacks a maple top, you can see some of the mahogany top in the cutaway. The ebony fretboard is sleek, dark, almost polished, and the frets are shiny and smooth. The abalone inlays are beautiful, but not over the top. This guitar has the new headstock, which is shorter than the old style, and it makes the guitar look a lot nicer. The truss rod cover says "3000" on it, which looks kind of classy. The pickups are well placed, and the strings pass over all of the polepieces. The bone nut is very solid and well cut. I really can't get over how nice this looks. There are some minor areas where the finish bled onto the binding, or where the binding is a little crooked, but only a close, picky observer actually holding the guitar would see it--and I don't plan to let anyone else get close enough! On stage, or even 5 feet away, these flaws are invisible. This price point is about as high as I'd want to go and still find these flaws (Epiphone prices are so high that the axe should be flawless) but I am happy with how this guitar was put together. Someone in Korea did a great job with this one. Also, the guitar is quite lightweight--9.4 pounds--which feels a lot lighter than my 10.8 pound 2500 model.

I think this could withstand live playing easily. The famous Agile oversized strap buttons make me comfortable. This will definitely go inot rotation with my other axes. I'd never play without a backup, but I have no worries about this guitar.

I wish I could give a higher score--like 15! I got my AL-2500 by mail in Sept. of 2004 as a birthday present. I wanted P-90's, and for $225, how could I go wrong? The guitar was nice looking, played pretty well, and sounded great recorded. It wasn't perfect, but for the price, I had no complaints. In June of 2005, however, I noticed a crack in the scarf joint that holds the neck and headstock together. I emailed Kurt at Rondo, and he asked me to send a picture of the crack. He immediately wrote back, and told me that the crack was covered, and that he would replace the guitar for me. A few weeks later I drove to Rondo (about 120 miles away from my home) while visiting family in NJ, and had the run of the store. I had planned to get another AL-2500, but my wife fell in love with the 3000, and insisted that I upgrade for this year's birthday. With the previous guitar as credit, this brilliant guitar only cost me $149! They also gave me some swag from their in store July offers, so I got a gig bag and Rondo cap for free. The warranty on these guitars is one year long, but I have faith that Kurt would honor it even if it had expired a little. He and his staff do a great job.

I've been playing seriously for 19 years. My other electric guitars are a Fender American Std. Strat (1987) and a 2000 Carvin DC-127 custom. This guitar fills several sonic and gear niches (P-90's, dual volume knobs, glued in neck) and it will get a lot of play. If it was stolen, I would definitely seek to replace it--the bang for the buck from Rondo is unbeatable.

I played lots of Agiles at the store, and they were all quite nice, but this goldtop is beautiful. I was planning to get the floor model (very nice), but they offered to let me try another, still boxed model, which I liked a lot more, and is now in my music studio.

Agile and Rondo music have a good reputation and they deserve it. Anyone looking for a good quality guitar for sub Musician's Friend prices should look at Rondo.

If you are reading this, you know the specs

Absolutely great tone! Full and rich. I need more "amp time" to really dial this thing but I am liking what I hear and with my HotRod pedal, I get "pinch" harmonics any time I want. This is absolutely silent plugged in unless I am hitting the strings. Some of that may be the Mogami cables that I use. Pots are smooth and quiet.

Here is why you tuned in. Finish on the flame maple is beautiful. It is not matched perfectly. For the price, I wouldn't expect it to be. There are some nicks on the fretboard from the fret dressing. I did put on the graphite nut trying to get the high "E" string to not fret out at the 19th, 20th, 21st frets. It didn't work. I took it to http://www.luczakguitars.com/ to get it set-up and it plays absolutely beautiful now. In about 45 minutes it went from "wow, this is pretty" to "Oh My God does this play great!"

This guitar feels really well built. Time will tell as to how well it will hold up.

I have called Rondo Music 3 times just to track my guitar. They were always helpful.

I have always been a "Tele" guy. I still am but I needed something to "round out" my arsenal. The guitar fits well in the case that I purchased also from Rondo Music and the case is really nice, too! My bandmates are very impressed with this guitar. I really don't care who's name is on the headstock. I am more concerned about the playability and sound and this has everything I need (after Ron did the set-up). If it were stolen I would do what I could to replace it and I have only had it a week! According to Ron (my guitar guy), the wood is better than an Epiphone Les Paul. The pickups are better. The brass shaft pots are better and it cost a whole lot less. I have been playing for about 17 years and I will still be using my ASAT for some things but the AL-3000 will be getting the nod for most of the stuff that I play.

not sure of year made. made in Korea with 22 jumbo frets,solid mahogany neck and body with maybe a paper thin maple laminate, not sure on mine since it is painted black,but it might not have the laminate. same basic controls as a Les Paul. Wilkinson alnico-5 humbuckers. Grover tuners,TOM bridge,and 2 types of nuts and truss rod wrench included.

I actually love the sound of this guitars pickups. they remind me gibsons burstbuckers, but more well rounded. the bridge pickup has a fat high end and very well blended mids and lows. the neck pickup is is not muddy which is a first for me. most of my guitars have been H-H config. what I love about the neck pickup is, depending on your pick attack it sounds traditional humbucker or with heavy handed picking it gives almost a P-90 bite and pinch harmonics. and with the body being all mahogany I just love the rich harmonic overtones and creamy woman tones this instrument overall. It can sound jazzy,twangy,bluesy,rock and metal! excellent job on this one. I love pickups that are very dynamic.

I have to say that after tweaking the truss rod and setting the action and new strings, it feels really nice. I tried out both nuts and settled on the graphite nut(which had to be fitted, so if you don't know what your doing in this area, take to a luthier). only thing I noticed with my guitar is some minor flaws that to me just look funny, but don't do anything to rob this guitar of its vibe or stunnig looks or playability. the bridge does rattle a bit but it is easy enough to replace but not needed right now.My buddies were takin buy this guitar on the web site at Rondomusic.net. we wondered just how good a $359 dollar import would be that couldn't be played in person. so I was the taste tester on this one. I was hesitant, but after getting it,doing a few tweaks to taste, excellent. to some this guitar might be an 8, but many years of playing and gear, I personally give it a 10 cause it just delivers perfectly to my taste.

As far as I can tell it seems very capable of lasting a lifetime, if respectfully treated like a guitar should be. the bridge might need replacement if the slight rattle bothers you, other than that, seems like a sturdy "cost-cutting corner" bridge. I feel this guitar can hold it's own. but, only time will tell!

I emailed Kurt back and forth several times and sometimes I think we mis-communicated, but overall I felt like I could feel good about my purchase and return it if I wasn't happy. Good Job Kurt!

I have played some of the high dollar guitars and my favorite was a '94 Gibson ES-335. over the years imports have gotten very good in build and quality. I now buy my guitars based on playability,feel,sound,and attention to the most important details instead of name brand and price. This guitar, if evaluated on these pricipals is top notch and very professional feeling and looking, an excellent guitar for beginners to grow into as well as for the gigging musician not wanting/or having to spend alot to get alot. If you have a high dollar Les Paul you want to save from abuse or need a back-up, this is your ticket. if your thinking about an epiphone, I encourage you to consider this one for less money and in my opinion better.
If you want more of my opinions on this guitar or other brands of guitars or equiptment drop me a line. I'll be happy to help you in your search for the most for less in equiptment. and no I am not a salesman or have my own business,just a player with more equipment bought over the years than guitar center to learn my lesson on tone.

By now and from reading previous reviews You know the fratures of this guitar. It's a High End Les Paul copy with some very nice features. Wilkinson Pups, Jumbo Frets, Maple top, High End electronic components, Grover Tuners, Nickel Plated Hardware, Tripple Bound top and head stock, Ebony fretboard with abalone trapazoid fret markers.
To die for Wine Red with nice thick poly clearcoat.

I think the Wilkinson pups sound brighter than Gibson pups. (I own two Gibson and one Epiphone Les Pauls) The pots are dead Quiet. They did a nice job of shielding the electronic components. Playing thru a Fender black face stage lead and an Epiphone stereo 210 with a Digitech Grunge stomp box. I think this guitar will suit any style. I do not like the way the tone pots drop off so fast. It's like flicking a switch. I give the sound a 9 because less than great tone pots.

When you first pull the guitar from the bag, It suprises you how beautiful it is. This thing is eye candy! Mine is the Wine Red with a thick poly clearcoat. The set-up was KaKa. I had to crank the GeeWiz out of the truss to get the neck straight. Then the frets were not level and had to do that. It basically needed a total set-up. After I went completely thru it, This Guitar almost plays itself. There are a couple spots where you can see paint on the binding. Not a big deal. Overall the fit and finish is Very Nice. I have a brand new Gibson Les Paul Special where it looks like some reeree clear coated it with a broom.

I've been playing on and off for some 30 years. I know good guitars.
You don't have to worry about the dependability of this rock solid guitar. 1st., Never play without a Back-Up. With this one, all you're gonna break is a string. It has huge strap bottons and I don't think they ara going anywhere. This guitar will outlast me. The polycoat will also take a beating. I am certain anyone could get a lot of years of trouble free playing.

I have purchased several Tele copies and 2 LP copies from Kurt at Rondo Music. I have never had a problem with any of them. I am certain that he would stand behind his products. He has always conducted his business in a professional manner. I think that company has been around for a long time.

I've been playing for 30 some years. I own twenty some guitars, Gibson and Epiphone Les Pauls, Fender Teles and Strats from America, Korea and Mexico. Others from Washburn, Fernandes, ESP, Ibanez and yes Agile. For the money, You won't find a better copy. You can get awesome guitars from the other makers. But this guitar is built in the spirit of the Les Paul Style. The lesser models of this brand have cheaper components. Good Intermediate guitars. But this one is their top dog. And it is of professional quality. I have American made guitars that frankly, aren't that great and cost tons more. If this guitar were lost or stollen. I'd be sick, pissed off and hurt about it, and eventually I would get another one.

2004 Korean Made Agile 3000
Abalone Inlays
Alnico PUPS improved shielding harness/Pots
Maple Flame top
Mohagany Body/set neck
Ugly knobs
Cherryburst(CHB)standard neck
Tunimatic bridge GJS strings
Gotoh tuners
What else~ do you want Les Paul to play it for you?

OMG I may not be a pro, but this thing sounds warm/full long sustaining tone from the depths of Hell, and Gates of Heaven.(these pickups are nice, and truthfully i'll put them in my Ibanez rg120 when I come up with the funds to put some black/back duncans in this guitar, and this is why this guitar is the best damn deal you'll find)
No noise, sounds like a bell, and nice fat/full sounding distortion
(I play an old crate gx-20m crappy amp, and can tell you this thing sounds 10 times better than the amp)

Was a little disappointed in this area after reading these reviews i was thinking there would be no flaws, but there are a few spots where the binding has red finish over it(the clearcoat is even and thick as a brick)
the inlays are straight! :)but there's a spot on the neck where the file was used, hmmm, that's the bummerpart, but it's down towards the 20th high E fret and u have to be looking to complain about it, also the tuners are straight, and the overall finish is beautifully done the bookmatched flame maple is NICE, and the back Mohagany/body neck is flawless.
the frets are wonderfully dressed and easy for a newb like me to get a clear (orvilly redanbocker buttery even)tone out of it.
I brought this to Mark's music and they will professionally setup
Look this is a 350 guitar, and i'm a newb that knows better than to compare to a Les Paul standard, if I pay 1000 bucks for a guitar it better not have any finish flaws(carvin???)

I am not qualified to rate this, i've seen roadies with more talent and knowledge then I have, but am rating this high, will another review if changes, but i suspect this thing is built like a battleship(nice and heavy, straps are for sissys! ;) JK)

OK I messed up the order, then changed it, and they fixed it, after asking too many questions, and really appreciate Rondo's fast/quality service
THANKS~!! U guys are really awesome retailers

I've been playing for 6 months and thank all of the real musicians for your advice(*reviews) in buying this guitar! thanks
if stolen i'd smash my hondo over the thief's head, and use his teeth to pull the PUPs out of it, then take his amp, and tell him to get a job, then call rondo, and my insurance guy about my 1000 guitar stolen
trust these reviews these Agile machines are very nice, and guitar center isn't going to like these guys at rondo(support your local music shop, and take your guitar there for setup, then buy an amp with the $$$ you saved by doing your homework)

Made in Korea, Maple Top, Mahogany body, beautiful finish, Grover Tuners, Bone Nut, also comes with a graphite one. A good Les Paul replica. Honey burst model, with a case.

I see a lot of reviews for these guitars that are coming from guys that have never played a real les paul, play through cheap modeling amps, and seem to be beginners. I'm not knocking these guys at all. You've got to start some where. The thing is, this is not a guitar ONLY suited for beginners. I've owned a Gibson Reissue 56 Goldtop Les Paul, an Orville Les Paul, a Custom Shop Fender Strat, a 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, several other Made in USA fenders, and my main guitar right now is a 1952 Reissue Made in USA Tele. I've owned 4 blackface bassman head and 212 cabs, an Orange AD30TC combo, a blackface Twin, Ampeg V4 head and 412 cab, and currently use a mid 90's marshall tube combo. I say all of this so you know what I have to compare this two, and to give you a different perspective than some reviewers. My conclusion is that this is a very solid guitar. As good as the Orville I owned. Not quite as much MOJO as the 56 Goldtop, but surely somewhere in the middle of the two. It's a different beast than the 52 reissue tele, but a nice change. The pickups have an incredible growl. It's got balls. I think this guitar sounds like a Les Paul should.

Action was too high, it's got better wiring than some of Rondo's cheaper models. Not noisy at all. The neck isn't as beefy as the 56 reissue Les Paul. I just spent about 15 minutes and the guitar felt really good to play. I bought one of those hwy 1 strats that was unplayable even after a couple of weeks, so this guitar came shipped in better shape than it did.

It will be played live and it will probably be treated a little bit rough. I think it will hold up. It feels like a 12 pound bowling ball. The gigging without a backup isn't a factor, the tele will still be my main guitar, this will just be used on some songs.

Rondo has the best customer service that I have ever experienced from any company of any kind. Try them, I'm not exaggerating.

been playing about 8 yrs. The last 4, music has been my primary source of income. The overall rating is based on value, this guitar is one of the best buys out there. Rondo Music, please keep your prices where they are.

You all know the specs by now I hope.

Well, at first I had my mind set on pulling out the pickups and throwing in Dimarzio's. But after playing around a bit and adjusting my settings I found that these Wilkinson pickups are just fine. Other reviewers have mentioned it too but these pickups have a seriously distinct "growl". And if you use the middle postition and roll back the neck tone knob, they will give you that thick, chainsaw buzz sound which I am super fond of. Unplugged she sounds great, sparkly highs and deep low end, it's all I can ask for really. No guitar gets a 10 in sound, 9 is as good as it get's and I give the Agile a 9, go figure.

Adjusted truss rod, tuned her up, and she played like butter. Top looks bookmatched to me, binding is fine, inlays are perfect, neck is straight, etc, etc. She came perfect.

Solid as a rock, sounds cheesy but it's true. Finish looks thick, all hardware is tight, no scratchy electronics either. I truly believe if your not a hard picker you may be able to risk not having a backup, I wouldn't do it but I'm sure you could pull it off.

They were nice to me and they shipped pleasantly fast, even during the Holiday rush.

Well, I've been playing for 3-4 odd years now straight. I have never owned anything this nice but I have had my share of decent axes. I had a really nice LTD that had a Bubinga top on a mahagony body, that was my nicest guitar before I bought this here Agile. I have also owned some Japanese RG's which should have been great but quality seemed an issue to me, they were just set up horribly, high frets, F'd up nut, etc. So yea, this one blows anything I have owned out of the water, no question about that. My reason for buying the Agile was the price to quality ratio. I'm sorry but for a big name brand this axe would have run at least 600$. So I figured I might as well get one now before Agile becomes a big name company, cause it will happen, it's just a matter of time. All in all Agile is an incredible company and I will be buying plenty more Agiles over the years.

My model is the 2004 Gold Top with P90's. The "little features" (tuners, frets, etc.) have already been described by others. All in all, it's hard to believe this $300 guitar is as loaded as it is. Ebony fretboard, abalone inlays, hand filed frets, Alnico V P90's...Geez! No wonder Gibson got pist.

I won't be using this one for the country tunes...but she will be the first weapon of choice for the rock and blues part of the show. The P90's are hot. My amp required very little gain with the bridge pickup volume rolled up, for getting that sweet crunchy classic rock bite. The electronics compare very well to the Gibson double cut faded with P90's. May be the exact same pickups for all I know...I haven't researched the Gibson model. I just played one that a friend owns.

The action, straight out of the box, is fantastic. I won't be adjusting it anytime soon. The volume knobs do "float" a little bit on the pot shaft...something one of the other reviews also noted.
Big deal...no one is going to know but me, and it doesn't affect the sound.
The only flaw I see in the finish work is the abolone inlays. One is a little off center of the fretboard and one was cut minutely smaller than the routing on the board. I do understand that this guitar was fabricated in Korea and not over here in the Gibson "sweat shop". But truth be known, the quality coming out of the Nashville plant lately leaves a lot to be desired. I bought a mail order SG special in 2003 that is a quality control joke.
Maybe for an extra $2000 I could get a perfect fretboard and know the prestige of owning a boutique guitar. But I'll kiss the butt of anyone in the audience that will spot these flaws from more than 3 feet away from the stage. Personally, I would rather spend the $2000 on a few more of these Agiles.

This seems to be a very well made, solid guitar. I have no doubt it will stand up to some steady weekend gigs.

Kurt has been unbelievable for answering questions and overall communication. Even though he had officially sold out of the law suit Gold Top, he found one last guitar that had been used for display...went over it for me...and delivered it as promised. It would be nice if all internet merchants were as good to work with.

I won't give away my age, but I've been playing guitar since "Walk Away", "Closer to Home" and "Fortunate Son" were all brand new songs on the radio. I own some American made guitars and I own some imports. I have no hang-up on where it comes from. We all know the Korean luthiers are as capable as their American counterparts. They just aren't always given the best material to work with. That's what sets this guitar apart. I doubt it was the headstock that got Gibson's lawyers all hot and bothered. It was more likely that someone from their heard played an Agile and realized it was a better buy than the Gibson. Just another case of the big boy trying to choke the competition out of existence.

Les Paul clone, 22 Jumbo frets, solid maple top, 2 wilkinson humbuckers, if you're really interested in the specs, they're listed repeatedly in the other reviews, or you can ask Kurt at Rondo. I gave it a "9" here because the top is only an 1/8 inch thick. Actually, I purchased this guitar by mistake (Rondo's not mine). I'd researched the AL 3000 prestige, and exchanged a few emails with Kurt, before I made the purchase, and when I decided to order, I ordered an AL 3000M prestige, because the 3000M has a much thicker (3/4 inch) maple top. I felt then, (and still do), that the thicker top is well worth the extra $50. When you consider how little $50 will buy, and how much better your guitar will sound, this is a no-brainer. Kurt had told me that that it would take 4 weeks to get it, cause they were back ordered, so I was somewhat surprised when it arrived a week later. I opened the case (which is also dead ringer for a Gibson, right down to the satin horse blanket covering the guitar), and discovered that they'd shipped me a 3000, instead of the 3000M. At first, I was somewhat irate at the mistake, but I decided that before I shipped it back, I was at least going to plug it in, and find out why all the reviews here seemed favorable to the 3000. Wow, what a helluva nice guitar. Over the past 30 years, I have owned several nice Gibson LP's, (usually customs, and pro deluxes), so I feel resonably qualified to make judgements here. No, the agile 3000, is not a Les Paul, but it is damn close. In fact, the only L.P. copies I know of that come as close, were the Electra, and Ibanez copies of the '70's that started the lawsuit mess.

I play mostly clasic Rock, blues, and country. I have an old sears 100 watt tube amp, and I use an old peavey 2 12 cabinet, loaded with a couple of celestions. Probably not the best rig on the planet, but very good, and better than what I see a lot of players using these days. I notice that some folks here, seem driven to run right out and change out the pups. If this were some noisy, crappy lower quality p.o.s. I could see the logic, but I've gotta say, low price, doesn't have to mean low quality. This guitar ain't no low quality Epiphone (I own a couple Epi's, and yeah, the first thing you wanna do to an Epi, is change the pups), but the wilkinsons (at least the ones that came in this guitar), are hot, quiet, and sound fine. The sound this guitar makes has the Gibson L.P. vibe all over it. I'm not saying it couldn't be upgraded, but hell, a Gibson can be upgraded as well. Sound is at least an 8 1/2, but because it's coming fron a guitar that cost's about half as much as a lower quality Epi, I give it a solid 9!

Action was too high, had to be set up, and intonated (don't they all now days). Had to take a file, and round the sharp corners on the nut. So what, considering the price, I'm suprised I didn't have to asemble it from parts. Again, guitar get's a solid 9.

This guitar is solid. If I were going to play a gig, without a backup, I wouldn't have any qualms about choosing this guitar. I don't know how thick or thin the finnish might be, but considering the fact that my '80 model Gibson pro deluxe L.P, has over 90% of the finnish worn down to the wood on the back of the neck, and it hasn't hurt the sound or playability of the guitar one bit, who cares? I use strap locks on my Gibson, but the I haven't yet put any on the Agile. The strap buttons it came with are huge, and seem very solid. Will this guitar withstand live playing? I think it will probably last forever.

Kurt is fast, and friendly. As I said earlier, the company sent me this guitar by mistake. So Kurt gave me a discount, and sent the me the right guitar the next time. I ended up buying 2 guitars, cause I was so empressed with the quality of this guitar, and the fact that I did that, should tell you exactly how I feel about this guitar, and Rondo music.

I have been playing guitar for over 30 years. Since I already own a 3000M, in addition to this guitar, I can't say I'd replace it if it were lost or stolen. I can safely say that if both my Agiles were destroyed in a flameing plane crash, that I would order a new 3000M before the fire was put out. There is no better new L.P. clone available at any price that I know of. The only thing I don't like about this guitar is the really thin top, however, don't let that stop you, except for the 3000M, or the 3500 series Agiles, this is the best bang for buck around.

Mahogony body with flamed maple top (approx 10mm thick), ebony fretboard, abalone block inlays, Grover tuners, medium jumbo frets, huge strap buttons, Wilkinson Alnico 5 humbuckers, bone and graphite nut (included), multiply binding, usual LP style control arrangement.

Has a great resonant sound unplugged, humbuckers are average output (I believe about 8K). Absolutely quiet control pots. Will go from bright bridge sound to mellow neck sound with tone rolled off. may switch out pickups later but right now they sound fine.

Overall fit and finish is astounding for a guitar in this price range. Neck has a great feel, frets are perfectly set and rounded. i set the action a little lower than out of the box with no buzzing. Came with GHS 10-46. The honey burst flamed top is incredible. No finish flaws anywhere.

After a few months this guitar is holding up great to 3-4 times a week playing. This is a solid chunk of guitar with better than average hardware.

No problems with Rondo.

Been playing for 8 years. Own a bunch of other style guitars, tube amps, effects etc. The best thing about this guitar is the fantastic value for the buck. It looks andd feels like a high end guitar without the ridiculous price tag. If you can get by the name and country of origin, this guitar should give a lot of satisfaction. The bottom line is I enjoy playing it and it sounds great.,

Made in 2004 in Korea with 22 frets. It has a solid mahogony arch top with 3 way selector, 2 tone and 2 volume pots. There are two Alnico-Wilkinson Humbucker PUPS. The neck is also Mahogony with and get this, Ebony fret board! It has a cherry sunburst finish that is flawless with triple binding all the way up to the headstock.
This model has the 18:1 ratio Grover tuners in nickel plate. Lastly, it has heavy duty strap buttons. Real bone nut w/spare graphite unit and For the money, this model is feature rich.

My style is Eagles/Clapton and it fits in very nicley. Not too heavy and has great balance like a Gibson LP does. The sound is rich and can vary from full body to scream demon. I practice thru a Line 6 Spider 30 and it really brings this guitar to life.
My only "split hair" comment would be that the tone/volume knobs sit at different levels off the surface of the guitar but they work smoothly and thats what really matters. I saw this same issue on many Epiphones

I had no problems with the setup, in fact I took it to one of Nashvile's best Luthiers and he was blown away by the qulaity and the out of box setup. Barely out of tune when I opened it!
Everything fit.finish wise is terrific, frets and abalone inlays look Gibson qulaity. Triple binding is excellent all the way around the unit and tuners align properly, what more can you ask for these days with almost everything being imported. This guitar is quite impressive.

The nickeldie cast hardware, triple binding, Ebony fretboard and solid book matched Canadian Maple top should last a very long time as is evidenced by my previous Les Paul track record. The Strap buttons are "miltary grade" heavy duty, it hold tune quite well and I definitely will use this as a main "squeeze" in gigs.

I checked out all the reviews I could find on both Rondo Music (the sole US distributor I think) and Agile musical instruments. I was hard pressed to find very many unsatisfied customers when compared to the "major" players in "guitar world". Kurt and Jason at Rondo were knowledgible, and lightning quick to respond to my many questions. If your not satisfied, they'll take it back and refund or replace at your discretion. What more can you ask for?

I've been playing 20 years and the only thing I forgot to order at the same time was a case which I did from Rondo later. It is difficult for us Left handers to find much variety and when you do, there is a premium to pay. Rondo had the largest selection of left hand guitars in all price ranges I've seen anywhere!
One last thing. This company and these products are to Online Guitar Sales what Southwest Air has become to the Airlines industry: Great customer service, a quality product and terrific value for the money!

It's a Les Paul, so the features are limited. But, for the les paul style of guitar, it's great. It's a solid mohagany body, maple neck with an ebony fretboard. Two volume, two tone knobs with 3-way pickup selector for the 2 humbuckers in typical Les Paul fashion. The pups are wilkinson alnico V. Grover tuners, and a nice fat neck. They really went quality in this area, expecially for the price.

I do most of my playing in a studio, and I have every other style of guitar typically found in pop/rock music. i.e. strat, tele, 335, etc.. But, I don't have a LP yet (sacrilage!). I've had to borrow my buddy's PRS McCarty up til now. I think this thing sounds freakin cool. Acoustically, it seems more live even than my friends PRS, and it's not lacking in sustain or clarity at all. I haven't had any problems with fret buzz either, and thats playing straight out of the box. I'm not sure if my guitar has a maple top on it or not, but it's definately bright enough, even without it.
The overall sound is very Paulish, perfect for rock and roll. Nice and fat.

The action out of the box was about perfect for me, which might be a little high for somebody else. I'm planning on using 11's on it, so higher action is good. The intonation was actually pretty close, if not dead on, on all of the strings. I really only had to do serious adjustments to the G string. I get all my guitars professionally set up, so I don't expect anything to be perfect right when I buy it.
Pups seem to be good adjustment wise. Nicely balanced between the two.
I've heard some stories about people getting poor quality from Rondo music in the finish dept, but mine looks great. I don't know if I just got lucky, or if they've just upped the quality with the 3000 series, but mine is flawless. THe ablalone inlays are straight and look professional, the triple binding is beautiful. No complaints here.

Solid as a rock. The tuners, strap buttons, output jack...everything seems totally solid. The electronics seem stable, but only time will tell.
The cool thing is, even if I drop it down the stairs and put a big scratch in it, It's cheap to replace!!

Dunno. Their shipping was VERY fast. No warranty, but I've heard that if you're unsatisfied with your guitar their pretty cool about exchanges.

I've been playing 14 years. I've got an AM strat, AM tele, Ibanez Artstar, Dano 12-string, Takamine acoustic, Custom Fargen amp, reverend Hellhound, Fender Deluxe, and too many pedals to name. This fits well into the collection, and holds it's own even at the price. I would still love to get a LP standard eventually, but until I get the $2500 together, this will work great. If it were stolen, I would buy another the very same day. I'm thinking about buying another right now because the future of the AL3000 is in doubt with Gibson being such pricks lately. Probably the best $359 I ever spent.

You've heard it before...solid mahogany body...ebony fretboard...etc

It sounds fantastic! For a relativly cheap price I think that there's pretty good variety between settings. However, I think that there could be a bit more. But, as of now, I'm, playing it out of POS amp that I borrowed from my friend, so we'll see how it sounds through a better amp.

Looked great right out of the box, heck, it was barely out of tune! I needed to raise the action a little, as it was too low for my preferance, as well as adjust the pickups. There is still a little buzz on the low E string, but I'm sure a professional set-up will cure that.

Can't really say, Haven't had it long enough, though it seems pretty solid.

As you've heard, Rondo Music is phenomonal, Kurt responded to all of my emails in like, an hour, and I must have sent them 2 dozen.

I'm realitivly new to playing, only been playing for about a year and a half, and I only have another acoustic. If the guitar was stolen I would definatly buy another. I love this guitar, the only thing that I wish was that black didn't show fingerprints so easily...but what can you do.

I AM A LEFT HANDED PLAYER AND AS ALL LEFTYS KNOW IT SUCKS TO FIND A GOOD GUITAR OR EVEN A CHOICE OF GUITARS AND COLORS AND STYLES WITHOUT GETTING SNIPED FOR ANOTHER $100.00 TO $200.00 MARK UP!
THEN I DIED AND WAS SENT TO RONDO MUSIC IN NEW JERSEY, FOR THE PRICE OF A MARKUP AND ANOTHER COUPLE BILLS,YOU CAN GET A REAL DECENT LEFT HANDED LP COPY FROM THESE GUYS.
NOT THAT THIS IS A GIBSON LES PAUL TO THE TEE IT IS WELL MADE SOLID FEELING GUITAR THAT CAN TAKE THE BUMPS AND YOU WON'T CRY ALL WEEK IF YOU BANG IT UP.

I BOUGHT IT WITH THE IDIA OF GUTTING IT AND INSTALLING A SET OF SEYMOYR DUNCAN SETH LOVER PUPS IN TO IT SO I PLAYED AROUND WITH THE STOCK PUPS A WEEK OR TWO BEFOR THE DUNCANS ARIVED, THEY ARE A NICE MELLOW SOUNDING PICKUP FOR CHEEPO'S AND VERY RESPONSIVE TO THE TOUCH I AM RUNNING THIS AX INTO A KENDRICK 4212 COMBO AND IT SOUNDS SWEET.
SO MOVING FORWARD TO THE SETH LOVERS, I INSTALLED THE BRIDGE WITH A S/D JB HUMBUCKER AND A SETH LOVER IN THE NECK THIS COMBO FELL RIGHT INTO ALLMAN BROTHERS SONIC SOUND TO THE TEE PLENTY OF ZEPLIN ROCKI-N-ROLL AND SOME NICE MELLOW JAZZ WITH THE NECK PUP.
SO AFTER SOME ADVICE FROM MY FRIEND AT HIS MUSIC STORE WE INSTALLED A SET OF TONEPRO BRIDGE AND TAIL PIECE SETUP AND MY GOD I WISH I HAD INVENTED THAT STUPID LITTLE THING OF TWO ALEN SCREWS TO BLOCK DOWN THE BRIDGE TO THE BODY FOR A SOLID FIT THE GUY MUST HAVE MORE
MONEY THAN GOD FOR THAT IDIA BY NOW.
THIS GUITAR SUSTAINS FOREVER NOW AND MUCH MORE LOUDER THAN WITH THE STOCK BRIDGE! IN SHORT I DUMPED ANOTHER $300 INTO IT ON SETUP,PICKUPS AND BRIDGE AND TAIL PEICE AND IT WAS WORTH IT IT SOUND BETTER THAN MY 1976 PAUL CUSTOM AND THAT AIN'T NO SH-T! A CAN SAY THE TONEPRO BRIDGE IS A GOD SENT TO IMPROVE YOUR BODY TO STRING CONECTION OF YOUR GUITAR HONESTLY TRY IT FOR $65.00 ITS WORTH IT I INSTALLED A SET ON MY LES PAUL AND IT NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD WHAT A 100% LIFE GIVER TO THE CLASSIC GUITAR!!

IT BLEW ME AWAY WHEN I OPENED THE BOX IT WAS SO NICE NO WAY FOR $259.00 IT IS SO WELL MADE FOR A CHEEP AX NO SAMICK HERE NORE ASLIN DANE!
CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALED SOME MINOR FLAWS BUT VERY MINOR.
THREE PEICE SOLID MAHOGANY AND SOLID ONE PEICE MAHOGANY NECK (SWEET)
EBONY FRET BOARD WAS CLEAN! FLAME CAP LOOKS NICE BUT MY GUESS IT IS
MICRO THIN AT LEAST IT'S NOT PHOTO FLAME! THEY HAVE THE NEW ONES
OUT THAT HAVE A 1/4 INCH TRUE FLAME MAPPLE CAP FOR $400.00 AMBER.
THE STRINGS SUCKED BUT I WAS READY FOR THAT NECK NEEDED A LITTLE TWEAKING AND LETTING IT SIT AND BREATH TO THE DRY CLIMATE OF NEW MEXICO FOR A FEW DAYS BROUGHT IT TO LIFE!

I WOULD TAKE THIS GUITAR ON THE ROAD ANYTIME, AND ANOTHER FOR A BACKUP ITS WELL BUILT AS FAR AS I CAN SEE I HAVE HAD IT FOR TWO MONTHS NOW AND HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM YET!

KURT AT RONDO MUSIC MUST SLEEP BY HIS COMPUTER THE GUY IS ON TOP OF ANY QUESTION YOU THROW AT HIM AND HAS ALWAYS HAD THE ANSURES!!GET SOME SLEEP KURT,YOUR GUITAR HAS PROBLEMS THEY WILL TRADE OR REFUND IN A FLASH!!

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR SINCE I WAS 15 I AM 45 NOW JEEZ!!PLAYED CLUBS FOR AROUND NINE YEARS!
MY GEAR HAS CHANGED SO MANY TIMES I DON'T REMEMBER ALL I HAD!
MESA BOOGIE MKII-C,MEAS BOOGIE 50 CAL COMBO,FENDER TWIN REVERBS HAD FOUR OF THEM AND ANOTHER HALF DOZEN AMPS1
CURENTLY USEING 1966 FENDER BLACKFACE DELUXE REVERB AND 80 WATT TWEED KENDRICK 4212 TWO TWELVE COMBO!
PEDDLES TWO IBANEZ TS-9 MODED,IBANEZ AD-9 DELAY, VOODOO LAB SPARKLE DRIVE, ALESIS MICROVERB FOR THE KENDRICK!
TWO VINTAGE EARLY 70's CRY BABY's WITH THE (TDK) RED BOX!
I HAVE HAD A FEW GUITARS BEING LEFTY I MEAN A FEW MAINLY FENDER STRATS, TWO TELECASTERS AND 76 LES PAUL! NOT TO MENTION THE STUFF THAT IS WORTH A SMALL PILE OF GOLD THESE DAYS
THAT I TRASHED,SWAPED, PAWNED
OR GAVE AWAY!
YOUNG AND STUPID!BOO! HOO!!

The Specs are covered in the previous posts. My axe is cherry sunburst with P-90s. Nothing else to add here.

I really like the sound. Hot pups have a really nice easy to shape growl. they are glassy if you back off the volume, with the slightest breakup. I am playing through a Fender Hot Rod DLX and Peavey Studio amp - refitted with an Emminence reissue speaker. Both sound great - but very differnt.

Pots are smoothe and clean - no noise.

I can get that traditional Paul sound, or the strat like nasal wail. It dials in an awful lot of in between the two as well.
tone controls allow for much variablity as well. Many others I have played get muddy when you back off the treble just a little. this gives A LOT of flexibility.

The set up was reallygood. I thought it was too low and adjusted it higher (action). It sounded great, but was too high for my preference. I tightened the truss rod just a little and it came to life. I backed the height back down and it is ultra-low - clean and smooth like warm butter, or snot on a door knob.

Finnish was fantastic but there were minor flaws in the binding on teh headstock. Not visible more than a couple of feet away but there non the less. I can only go 8 total for this reason.

this axe seems a solid as any much more expensive one I have played. I would not hesitate to use it accordingly. I have no idea how long it will hold up, but I trust that it will exceed my expectations, as it has in every other respect.

If I played any other axe without back up I would with this. I always use a back up - string breaks happen.

a 10 is based on expectation. It is only a couple of weeks old. I will follow up if needed.

Kurt - Rondo Music....you have heard it before -
Yep - excellent support so far - ultra quick responses. NO repairs needed, no warranty implied - But based on his track record - I believe he would make it right. Maybe I should email and ask...

I started playing (again) about 5 years ago. I own several electrics and have bought sold many more. these included Gretsch, Fender, Epiphone, Jay turser, Peavey, Gibson and Fender/Peavey amps.

If it were stolen, I would order another. If it were available in tobacco burst, it would be closer to perfect for me. I really do like this thing.

It feels great! The neck, the body, the controls....it is well rounded, and just seems to have found its way into my hands at just the right time. I would be willing to bet that the Humbuckers have a different sound and it islikely to be very flexible as well. It would be a goog comliment to the collection,but trying to explain this to my wife will be a chore.

If you get one, I do not see how you could be disappointed. If you don't like it - send it back - costs you shipping only -
If it is damaged - ship it back costs you nothing - either get your money back or have it replaced.

Win Win situation.

The features are all pretty well explained in the other reviews. The pickup selector switch is sharp and responsive. The only flaw that I can note is that the tone knobs, although numbered 1 - 10 aren't that accurate. I usually keep my tone on 10 but if you adjust it, there is no audible change until you get to about 2 or 3, and even then, there is no difference between 1 and 3. Basically, it's either treble or base - no dialing up something in the middle.

Once again, much has been said about the Wilkinson P-90's. I live in the area so I went to the store planning to trade my Line 6 AX212 towards a guitar. When trying out the guitars, I used my own amp since I was familiar with it and knew what it could do (not that everyone has this luxury but playing through an amp that you are familiar with is the best way to test a guitar). The guitar sang. Great sustain; smooth playability on the fret board; great harmonics. Reacts great to pinch harmonics (a la Zakk Wylde) and chords are clear and ring out with great clarity and harmonics. Slim neck makes fretting a pleasure. I have a Gibson Standard Les Paul and when I got home I played both guitars to compare them. They are 2 different guitars and they feel slightly different but I can honestly say that my Gibson doesn't feel better, just slightly different. As for sound, they both sound great, and I believe that the Agile actually sounds better and more clear than the Gibson. I attribute this to the pickups more than the guitar. I have a Fender (mexican) Strat, Gibson ES-300, Gibson Les Paul, Carvin Custom Bolt-on, Jackson DK-2, Dillion Telecaster copy w/F-hole, and a few others but this guitar sounds and plays as well if not better than all of them but for a fraction of the price. Sustain is about the same. (by the way, I ended up keeping the amp too!)

I have the honey colored maple top and it is GORGEOUS. By far the most handsome guitar that I have ever owned. The ebony neck with pearl inlays is very pretty and plays exceptionally smooth. The body is solid with no noticable defects in workmanship. Neck is fast and the action was great without need for adjustments.

This certainly looks like it could stand up to live situations - although it is so pretty I would hate to scratch it. It is solid and weighs about the same as my Les Paul Standard. Not quite as heavy as the Les Paul Custom. There doesn't seem to be any reason that it won't hold up.

Haven't used them.

The guitar is beautiful, sounds great, and plays great. That's what every musician wants right? Now, outside of the tone knob thing that I mention above, if someone slapped a Gibson headstock on this thing and told me it cost them $1000+ I would say, "Hey man, you got yourself a great guitar!" I would think that it was a very fair deal considering the marketplace. The fact that this is sold for $359-$399 makes it one of the best deals I have ever seen in the 18 yrs that I have been buying music gear. Now I got mine directly from the store as a scratch & dent (you can barely see the dent on the bottom) so for $219, that would be like me finding a gas station that sold .50 gas. Shame on Fender and Gibson for overcharging us!! Great buy; highly recommended!

2004 agile 3000 gold top w. p90's. One piece mahogany neck, maple cap on mahogany body,ebony fretboard, grover tuners. Overall a quality guitar bordering on crafstmanship. Looks like an apprentice put on the grover tuners though. No effect on sound of course but a quality control issue. Small finish blem/blob where neck meets body and small finish blem on headstock. Paint /binding interface shows "economy of scale" production vs. crafstmanship. Abalone inlays are well done. Figured maple cap is oustanding.

I've played mainly strats and had an aversion to gibsons mainly because I don't like himbuckers. The opportunity to have a les paul style guitar w. p 90's and the features available on the 3000 was too tempting at the price to resist even though I swore I would never buy a guitar w.out first playing it. The sound is a treat though. I plug directly into a musicman RD 212 and the sound is very sugary.Right in b/w a strat and standard les paul w. more sustain. Some hum when the p'ups are dialed in seperatley (as with most single coils) but 95% noise cancelling when dialed in together. I play all styles but think this is stright R&R guitar-ie. Allman bros.or early Rush/Yes for instrumental sound.Beuatiful clear ring on open chords w. multiple harmoniv overtones.

I got lucky and aside from the machine head issue mentioned above got a great factory setup on the guitar. Action set very low-Maybe 1/64th low for my playing style but no fret buzz and no detectable intonation issues. May play w. the p'ups a bit but am no hurry.

This guitar is too purty to gig w. right now. Maybe in a few years after the kids have suckered me into letting them borrow it.

Played for 25 years. Have a Jap strat, ES 335, Westone "shred machine", an acoustic and a classical. Amps are a Misicman RD 212 trans tube and a Fender M80. Agile nicley rounds out the sound. If this guitar were lost I'd definietely grab another

Everyone knows the features. Mine is the black model. I love the cream stripe around the body. Abalone inlays are nice and grover tuners are cool. Gives the look of a 1200 gibby lp. I LOVE IT!

Im running off a jcm 900 right now and it sounds great. I play a dark punk,rockish sound and its dope! Its like waking up in on the beach in a pile of roses with the waves crashing on your bare chest. LIKE THAT...JUST LIKE THAT! Tone was so nice my ears started bleading! Well it was either that or my rig cranked all the way up without ear plugs!

Action is great. Love the fast neck. Action is low like I like but I had to raise it because of the annoying buzz on the EAD strings. Moreless on the EA strings. Great finish. I got great compliments from people in guitar center when I took it there to try out amps! Pickups were adjusted nicely and everything was great!..GREAT I SAID!

Very reliable and very durable. I giged with this baby about 3 times so far and has not let me down! Strap button broke on me. I was dissapointed but then went to GC and bought some strap lock systems and was happy once again!

Rondomusic is great. Great support. All that needs to be said! Really fast responses that its almost freaky that they're staring @ the computer screen every second waiting for someone to Emial them. They got back to all my emails withing 3 minutes.

been playing for 3 years now. If this was stolen I would catch the guy that stole it and hit him over the head with my gutiar causing it to break then I would re buy it! I love how I get the sound of a high quilty Epi and a lower end Gibson straight out the box without paying too much.

I was looking for an inexpensive P90 equipped guitar, and very nearly bought the Squire Tele II. Being a Les Paul kind of guy (humbucker Tokai Love Rock) I stumbled on the Agile site, and could not believe this for $359. The woods (one piece mahogany body and neck, not multipiece like my Tokai), and gold top finish look absolutely gorgeous. It has all gold finished hardware (Grover tuners), and a pair of hot P90's that have a killer midrange and sustain forever. I thought my Tokai was a great deal, this kicks a**

I play mostly classic rock and some blues and have gigged with this only a couple of times so far. I run through a Digitech RP100, into a Fender TRRI, and now that I have learned to cut the top end slightly, I can alternate with the Tokai through the evening. This guitar cuts through much better than the humbuckers, but lacks a bit of bottom end (typical P90) - all-in-all this guitar can't be faulted sound-wise

Poorly set up as received with the strings against the neck - I was at first alarmed, but upon raising the bridge discovered the intonation right on, and the guitar very playable. Fretwork is first class, neck is straight and hopefully will stay that way. I have to give it a low number but in all fairness I had to do more work with other guitas to get the same playability.

Quality looks excellent, triple binding, abalone inlays, faultless cellulose. Mine has the tiniest mark by one of the pots but I can happily live with that. This is a solid, heavy guitar, hardware looks like it will hold up, looks as good as any Les paul i have seen, and it up there with the custom shop models. How they do it for the money, I couldn't begin to guess.

This could be a bit questionable - Rondo will exchange/refund with no quibbles, but I understand spares availability could be difficult. Gibson parts probably won't fit (same with most off brands). The reality is though, that unless you have a mishap most hardware could and should last a very long time.

Guitars: Tokai Love Rock TKM, Tokai RG40-12 string, Washburn HB35s, Shergold Masquerador, Squire Affinity Strat 20th, Maya P Bass copy, Charvel Jackson 625C 12 string, Yamaha APX T1, Yamaha FG140. Amps: Fender TRRI, Vox AC30TB, Fender Bassman 60, Trademark 60. This guitar compares favorably and is a nice addition especially with the P90's

First of all, I must admit that this is my first electric guitar (began with acoustic), so I must admit I don't have the depth in knowledge, but I believe I can add a different perspective. I was looking for a Les Paul copy, and a friend suggested to look away from the Epiphones to other brands. He's been playing for 7-8 years so I valued his opinion. He recommended looking at Agile Guitars. I took his advice, and I am so impressed. At first, I didn't like the abalone inlays, but now that I have had it for 2 months, they have really grown on me. The Grover tuners make getting that exact tune easy. The neck feels really comfortable, and the balance of the guitar is very nice. I asked Kurt at RondoMusic if he could package the guitar with the hard case to save money on shipping, and he said no problem. Its great to know that you can deal with an actual person when purchasing through the internet.

Although I am 21, I have always loved the classics, and I wanted a guitar that could play everything from the Beatles, to Zeppelin, to Greenday and AFI. This guitar seems very versatile, and my friends that play metal and blues have also made my guitar sing and have been impressed with it. I use it with my Behringer GM-110 Solid State Amp and I can get a large variety of sounds with it. I too have a slight buzzing on the E string, but it is only noticeable to me.

My guitar was ready to play out of the box. I had my friend come over to examine it, and to help me adjust everything (he brought his tools) but there was nothing to do. The pickups were clean and solid and the action was right on. That was a problem with my last guitar that I had that was a cheaper acoustic, so it was the first thing I checked. I don't get any buzzing at any of the high frets. The pickup selector is quiet and seems sturdy (I read this was a complaint of some of the Epiphone models). The finish is so gorgeous. Even if I find myself too busy to play, i just have to open the case and look at the guitar every day. I got the Cherry Sunburst finish which is just captivating in the sunlight. I throughly examined the guitar out of the box and couldnt find a single scratch or blemish. I think my friends are worried about how much I look at my Agile, but whatever.

I'm still learning, so I don't plan to be gigging any time soon. But the finish seems very good, and in the past month, I have played pretty hard with it, and it still has no real scratches. I even hit the headstock against my desk (whoops) and to my surprise I didn't even see a mark. It seems very durable and I plan on taking good care of it.

Like many others, I bought this guitar from RondoMusic (only online retailer). I was impressed that I was able to speak with the owner, and that my guitar was fully checked out before it was packaged in the hard case. Hopefully I won't need it to be repaired, but I am confident Rondo Music backs its guitars 100%.

Like I mentioned, I am a relative beginner (about 8-9 months with a guitar) Started on Acoustic, and just began to play electric about a month ago. I want to play my Agile AL3000 every chance I get. If it were stolen, I would start working double shifts and buy another one. The great thing is though, I wouldnt have to work too many. My friend said that he liked my guitar even over his Fat Strat and he couldn't believe I got that kind of quality for $360. I'm only refraining from giving it a 10 because I have little to compare it too, and Im sure you can't give this guitar the same rating as a true Gibson.

AL3000 P-90 Prestige goldtop. Same basic controls as a les paul style guitar. Manufacturer specs state solid maghogany body with solid maple cap, mahogany neck with ebony fretboard. I haven't taken the gutar apart yet to see if this is true but it looks right. Pickups are Wilkinson P-90 type. Stop tailpiece. Body, neck and headstock binding, abalone inlays.

I play mostly blues/rock through fender tweed and blackface amps. I have a number of single coil guitars and a couple of humbucker guitars as well as a mini-humbucker les paul deluxe. I wanted to give a p-90 guitar a try. The Wilkinson pickups do a surprisingly good job. The p-90's pack a bit more umph and grind than do stock or slightly overwound single coils. They are brighter than any of the humbuckers I have heard..so their output is somewhere between the two. Gutar sounds best straight into a tube amp. They have enough output to push a tube amp pretty easily into overdrive so they would be best suited to blues or classic rock types of music. The pickups are not too noisy unless you have a distortion box in line. They handle overdrive pedals and clean boost pedals fine. Tone and volume controls work well and switching is silent. The middle position sounds are great and hum cancelling. Overdriven high notes are just slightly harsh, this could probably be addessed with a pickup change. Otherwise sound is full and chunky with good clarity. Great for both rhythm and lead sounds.

Guitar arrived in good shape, although it did need a good setup. Out of the box, there was quite a bit of string buzz. The neck had a little backbow. I adjusted the truss rod to give the neck a little relief and a setup to gibson factory specs. So after an hour or so of fine tuning, the guitar plays well. Intonation is good and the neck is straight (no humps or twisting). A couple of the abalone inlays on the neck have a little extra filler (expected on a bargain axe). and there is a slight scrape in the fretboard up at the 18th fret (not bad enough to return the guitar or affect playablity). Frets were smooth and well seated/polished. The body binding is a little wide in some placed on the body (makes me wonder if the goldtop paint job is actually a sticker...like I said, I will post another review once I have a chance to take the guitar completely apart). Otherwise very well put together for a sub $500.00 guitar. I have seen much worse on $1000.00 models. Finish is smooth and the neck plays well.

Would have no hesitation gigging with this guitar. The hardware upgrades on the 3000 line make all the difference and well worth the extra price as compared to the 2500 series.
Oversized strap buttons are a nice touch.

I ordered this guitar online and had no dealings with any of the folks at Rondo music personally. The purchase went off without a hitch and the guitar arrived a couple of days later in good shape. I would not hesitate to purchase from Rondo again. They offer a 30 day money back guarantee on the purchase so if need be, I could return the guitar and just be out shipping charges.

I've been playig for 18 years, 5 of which were professionally. Now Im just a "for fun" player with a different life, different job and a lot of gear. I purchased the Agile based on the reviews I had read. The consensus is that these are quality gutars being sold at very reasonable prices. I would definitely agree with what others have said before me. I have no regrets with the Agile purchase at this time. Again, a peek under the hood may change my opinion. Call me a doubter but I just don't believe that it is possible to make a solid mahogany guitar with a non laminated maple top with real paint and not a sticker for the paintjob for $350.00. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong. Regardless, the guitar looks, feels and most importantly sounds good and that's what it boils down to. The AL3000 p-90 is surprisingly well built for a guitar costing easily four times as much. I would most likely replace it if it were stolen or possibly move up to a gibson historic '56 now if the money were in hand. I may try upgrading the pickups to Lollars or another p-90 style just to address the only area that was not handled in the 3000 line.
Overall the Agiles are impresive, especially considering their relatively inexpensive cost. Anyone from beginnner to garage band to performing musician (not worried about status or name brands) would have themselves a fine guitar with the AL3000 p-90 in their arsenal.

*Just a note about my ratings. I have only played maybe 3 guitars in my life I would consider a perfect 10 (built perfectly and tone of the gods). To me a score of 7 is entirely acceptable and 8 would be considered above average and recommended to other potential buyers. A rating of 9 would be a 1 in 1000 guitar and very highly recommended.

2004 AL3000 in Honey Sun Burst. In short a LP copy.

Made in Korea. 22 frets. Solid Maple top. 2 volume 2 tone. 2 Wilkinson alnico humbuckers. Solid mahogany neck and body. Tune-o-matic bridge with Stop tail piece and bone nut. Grover tuners. Ebony fingerboard. Jumbo frets. Extra graphite nut and truss rod mangler included.

NOTE: In reference to all my scores, I have a 2001 Gibson LP STD for comparison.

This has more binding, ebony fretboard, and the same tuners. No case, but for the price, cripes what were you expecting?

I love the sound of a LP through a marshall. It just fits in my brain well.

I have a Mesa Single Rectifier with two(2) 2x12 cabs; A Marshall JCM 800, a Fender Twin Reverb on loan.

To compare with the LP I used all of them. The Agile is a bit brigher ( the LP is slightly more mellow) and I think the Wilkinson P/U's are a bit hotter. Note that my 2001 LP STD does NOT have burstbuckers in it.

Try this guitar through a Fender Twin. I highly recommend it. If any amp can reveal a guitar's flaws, I think it is the big clean Twin. For even more fun, plug in a Tube Screamer. You can hear the angels/demons sing depending on whose side you are on.

The Agile seems to feedback sooner than the LP, possibly due to hotter pickups. I do not mean nasty squealy feedback, but that gentle rising wail that you get from standing too close to the amp at unreasonable volumes. The LP does it too, it just takes longer.

I have NO pot noise, and no discernible interference noise. I can't pick up AM stations with this guitar plugged in.

It is possible that a LP connoisseur (read: snot) might find some issue with the tone. I couldn't really tell that much difference, they both sing. But if it really bothered you, the addition of a pair of Gibson Burstbucker pickups would still cost you less total than an Epiphone of the same features.

Just like others, the action was WAY too low on this guitar. I like low action but you can't play with fret buzz on the lower three strings. This is not a huge deal, and exactly why you have a truss rod and adjustable bridge.

I had no problem with the bone nut, though I might change to the graphite one. It's a small thing but a really nice touch to include it. You don't get a spare with the gibson.

Somebody complained about the knobs being cheap. Maybe. But you should see how easy it is to crack off a Gibson Speed knob if you close the guitar case wrong. The agile knobs are closer to the body.

As for the finish, it was flawless. This is a gorgeous guitar. I can't figure out how it can have a multi-ply binding - even on the headstock - ebony fretboard and grover tuners for 1/6th the price of a LP. Check out gibson.com... you only get that on the Supreme this year.

This instrument is every bit as reliable or durable as the LP, which is to say you will love it, and really don't want to find out how durable it is.

But wherever you would use a LP, you could use this guitar and feel better about it because if someone steals it, or burns it, or your you drop it and the neck pops out or your roadie runs to give it to you and decapitates the headstock trying to avoid groupies - no worries. You buy another without a second mortgage.

This is an excellent quality product that will last. A feature, if look at it that way, is the guitar is poly finished not nitro-cellulose. That also might only matter to LP snots but it means that the finish should be alot more resilient. I am sometimes afraid to play my LP w/o wearing pajamas, for fear of the scratchy/gougy/swirly monster.

Kurt from Rondo offers outstanding customer service. I ordered this guitar on a Tuesday. UPS tried to deliver it to my house on Thursday. Pretty good eh? Well I live Canada, so that means they got it across the post 9/11 border in two days!

When I emailed Kurt with follow up questions, he replied within the hour.

The guitar was packed incredibly well, a styrofoam bag inside a box with styrofoam supports, inside another sealed box. Even UPS didn't hurt it.

Here is my gauge of customer service. I WILL buy another instrument from Rondo Music. And I will tell other people to check them out.

Ok, so I read this back and it may seem like I am being hard on Gibson. But hey why not, they are the benchmark. They set the standard that sometimes even they don't live up to (the LP STD has plastic tulip buttons this year...).

This is not a Les Paul. It's an Agile. It has similar features - the cutaway horn is a little smaller. It's even a little heavier. It sounds great, very close to my LP. Remember no two LP's sound exactly the same. At one point I had three LP's STD's in the house, all different years, each with a slightly different feel and tone.

Les Pauls are great guitars. I love mine. I got the Agile 3000 because I wanted to preserve my LP. Now I think I might get an Agile 2500 to preserve my 3000. It's that nice.

If you are thinking of getting an Agile I highly recommend the 3000 for the Ebony fingerboard. For the extra $50, you will thank Kurt later.

Is it that Agile's price is too low? Or is Nashville charging too much? If you sit on top too long, someone always comes along and beats you at your own game.

For the money this guitar is absolutely unbelievable! The solid top is gorgeous and completely flawless, the binding is great, and the ebony fingerboard with abalone inlays looks killer! I'm particularly impressed with the neck and headstock binding/inlays/machines. This guitar basically comes with everything you could want out of a factory axe, but at a MUCH lower price than you'd expect to pay for it! I really like the weight of this guitar too...it's quite a bit heavier than the American Strat I'm used to playing.

I love the pickups on this guitar! They're wonderfully bright and completely noiseless through my Bad Cat Mini Cat tube amp. This guitar REALLY brings out the tonal versatility of an all-tube amp. The switching setup helps, making for a variety of tonal possibilities with a simple flick. However, I found the pots and knobs to be quite cheap. The volume ones work okay, but the tone pots don't really seem to do anything until you turn them about 90% of the way, at which point they drastically change the tone...it's pretty useless. If it weren't for the crappy pots I'd easily rate this guitar a 10.

To my dismay, this guitar was just about unplayable out of the box. Even the cheapo $100-200 guitars I've bought in the past were set-up adequately! The fret buzz on the low E and A strings was completely outrageous! Even the D string buzzed like crazy with only a moderate degree of forcefulness! The action was set way too low from the factory, making any standard position chord impossible to play without awfully loud buzzing. After reading some of the other reviews here, I'm beginning to think the bone nuts for this model are all being cut a bit too low. I was able to adjust the action quite a bit using the tune-o-matic wheels, but this ends up raising the strings unsatisfactorily high at the higher pitch frets, and it still doesn't completely eliminate the buzzing for me...I'm definitely going to have to do something about that nut. Otherwise though, this guitar is built like a rock! I haven't been able to find any flaws, and I'm VERY picky! The finish is spectacular, and the nickel hardware looks great!

I'm extremely impressed with the build quality of this guitar. I expect it to last a lifetime!

N/A

I've been playing guitar off and on for the past 10 years or so, and I've looked EVERYWHERE for a good Les Paul copy, but nothing I've seen even comes close to the Agile Prestige! It totally blows away the Epiphone Les Paul, and costs a good $100 less! This guitar is UNBELIEVABLE! It's truly amazing in its own right, and when you consider the price it's even more astonishing! Its looks are unsurpassed except perhaps by some of the top-of-the-line Gibson models, and it's built like a tank! But above all it sounds like a dream! I'd buy one again in a heartbeat, if they're available...I hear they're disappearing fast!

Brand 2004 Agile Al-3000 in black. One-piece mahogany neck, maple top, bone nut, basic Les Paul style set-up. Most importantly, real Grover tuners! These things cost over $50 alone from a discount place. Considering the price, I wish I could give it an 11. At this price it is AMAZING it has real Grover tuners and a bone nut. Also, the hardware in this model is first rate.

Has a full sound and excellent sustain. Sounds better than any Epiphone copy I've tried and the low-end gibsons. Can get a little muddy sounding if too much bass is in your amps EQ. I play this through a cheap Marshall MG10 and a nice Mesa-Boogie F-50. Through the Mesa it rocks. Nicer pickups would probably give a little better definition on chords, but leads sound great as is. I'll give it a 9 for the price.

Amazed at the quality. The binding is better than any epiphone and as well done as some Les Paul Standards I've seen. The frets are well done. The nut was fine but needed a little sanding and the guitar needed set up, i.e. the intonation and neck relief adjusted but these are easy to do and understandable considering the price of the guitar. The black finish was excellent, but because I can't see the grain of the wood I have no idea what the quality of it is. I'll give it a 10 based on price. It is no PRS, etc.

Seems realiable, have only had a few weeks.

I asked a lot of questions before I ordered and always got quick replies.

Overall, the best valued guitar I have ever played! I mean it, I am amazed you can get a quality guitar at this price. It is no kidding a finer guitar than ANY epiphone copy and it will amaze you when you compare it to a Gibson. Once I replace the pickups it will be awesome. But remember, you'd replace the pickups in an epiphone too.

2004 Agile Al3000 Prestige P90 Goldtop.
A one piece Mahogany neck (neck taper / thickness at the 1st fret is 21.5 mm at the 12th fret 23.5mm), an 22 fret ebony fret board with real abalone inlays, and Type V Alnico Wilkinson P90 pickups.
Tune-o-Matic type bridge. Basically a Les Paul copy

Solid Mahogony body with real maple cap.

Sounds very good unplugged. The wilkenson Alnico P90 pickups sound good. I have only played it through a Peavy Classic 50 through a closed back 4X12 cabinet. The sound is nice and bright for a Les Paul type guitar. the P90 pickups seem very articulate I can hear each string even with a fair amopunt of distortion.

P90 pickups are single coils and therfore can be a little noisy. However one of the pickups is reverse wound so that you get a hum cancelling effect when using both pickups.

The setup out of the box was a little low on string height for me, so I raised the bridge a bit. The intonation was set correctly and the guitar played well after I adjusted the string height.

The fit and finish are terrific. The only thing I could find was one of the inlays has more filler around it than the other inlays.

This guitar is 100% solid. I will be using this guitar to gig with.
I always use 3 or 4 guitars at a gig so I guess I wouldn't ever perform without a backup.

Kurt at Rondo Music is great to deal with. They answer email questions the same day usually within an hour.

I don't think I have had a better customer service experience.

I have been playing for about 24 years. I own several Gibson and Fender guitars and this Agile does not feel cheap to me.

Great value for the money. This would be a great backup for a real Les Paul.

Same as all the others before me. It's a 2004 Agile AL3000 HSB Prestige Les Paul style guitar. This one is made in Korea and it's the top of Agile's line. It has a solid real canadian maple flame top in a pure honey color, with a solid mahogany back and a mahogany neck with ebony fretboard and beautiful Abalone inlaid fret markers. It has 2 Wilkenson alnico humbuckers with 2 vol and 2 tone controls. A tune-o-matic style bridge and stop tail piece. It has grover 18-1 nickel plated tuners and triple bound headstock and body. The case is without a doubt the very best case I have ever seen or owned with any guitar in my 45 years as a player.

It is perfect for my style which is the blues. I also use a SX SST57 Vintage Strat style guitar also from Rondo Music. Both are played thru an 1959 Fender Bassman tweed amp. Need I say more? My rig is comprised of the bassman and 2 pedals. A Boss DD3 delay and a Marshall bluesbreaker distortion pedal. That's it, nothing more. Need there be? The Al3000 has almost unlimited tonal ranges and voices depending on your playing style and technique. Maybe and only maybe Seymor Duncan Seth Lover pickups might be a touch better but it's close. At 359.00 US how much can there be to dislike? It's on a level with almost anything Epiphone or Gibson has to offer, Period. Except price. You can buy 10 of these for the same price as the comparable Gibson.

It had a very small nut issue out of the box but that only took about 20 minutes to correct. Other than that, it is a BEAST! The action is very fast and low without buzzing. The ebony fretboard is superb and silky to bend notes on. The bookmatch on the top is just stunning! $5000.00 big name logo instruments have nothing on Agile when it comes to fit and finish. Because of the nut being a 1000th or so cut too low on the low E string I have to give it a 9 here.

No doubt about it's ability to withstand live giging. Top drawer nickel plated hardware and oversized strap buttons that are very secure. I think I already covered the finish. I never play without a backup just because no one ever knows what will happen next.

Here's where you really get to like Agile guitars. Kurt and Jeremy at Rondo are the epitome of customer satisfaction. They are the only people you can get an Agile from and believe me you won't be sorry. They are fabulous, period.

I've been playing 45 years and I've had or have most every guitar known to man. Agile has made a believer out of me and I was a dedicated Gibson and Fender player untill I got lucky and found the Agile line of guitars. You can go out first and look at every Epiphone, Gibson, and any other manufacturer of Les Paul style guitars first and then check out the Agile and you'll see what I am talking about. This particular model is just wonderful, Period. Especially at the price you will pay.

2004 made in Korea. 22 frets. Solid top. Yaddee yaddah yaddah. Beautiful clone of a Gibson LP, though the Grover tuners and ebony fretboard are found only on the high-end Gibsons. Christ, for two grand, the Gibsons should ALL come with every bell and whistle known to man! The Agile has a nice, slim, 60's style neck, gorgeous playability out of the box! Lovely nickel hardware, too. Case is extra, but for TWICE what these things cost, you'd be getting a deal. Prior to finding out about these, the only way I knew to get close to the Gibson sound without paying two grand was to buy an Epi and gut the electronics and the pu's and put some good tuners on it. You'd be out at least $700 to swing that, and you wouldn't have the ebony fretboard or the one-piece mahogany neck.

Suits my style extravagantly; classic rock and acidic vision translation at moments of divine intervention... Also jazz and hillbilly undercurrents. Not noisy, I dig the pickups as is; beat the hell out of the stock Epis, and don't sound worse to me than Gibsons. My friend had a brand-new Gibson LP 60's style, and I played them both at a long jam and didn't prefer his one bit. I actually prefered the lower action on mine, though I'm sure he could swing the same action on his Gibson if he wanted to. The ebony fretboard is mouthwatering to play. It also comes with good GHS strings, something many $1000+ axes don't do, for some unfathomable reason. I'm hypnotized by the sound and the the more I play it, my love grows. I must say that I like the middle pu setting the best. I've yet to compare the rhythm and treble settings of an LP with primo aftermarket pu's to see if the sound would be better in those postions. For now I'm happy with the Wilkinsons I think? That what the site says these guitars come with.

I was expecting to have to overhaul the action and perhaps change the strings, though I read they came with GHS'. All I did was tune it up and go! Unreal. The pickups were adjusted fine, the top is absolutely beautiful, every bit the cherry flame of the Gibsons. The bridge is bone and really nice, though I sanded the sharp edges a bit. Took about two seconds. Great quality control: on mine, at least.

It seems reliable, it weighs a ton, like an LP should. Finish and hardware seem to easily hold their own with the Gibsons. No problems with the strap buttons. I'd depend on it, but you never know when you're gonna break a string; so if you're gigging, you'd need a backup. Kinda new to give a reliability rating, though.

Kurt has been square with me. The only screwup I've experienced with Rondo was a white pickguard for an SX bass when I order a black one. He couldn't find a black one so he told me he'd refund the price of the pickguard and I could keep it. No use for it, but still damn decent of him. You actually deal with a human at Rondo, not some hydraheaded corporation that couldn't care less if you buy anything from them or not. It seems that Gibson and Fender trade on their name a lot these days, and it's tough to justify paying several times more for something marginally better, at best. As far as the warranty, hopefully I'll never need to find out. Kurt seems reasonable when it comes to treating people right.

I've been playing more or less steadily for about 8 years. I had an old acoustic for a long time before that, but never learned jack until I got a good Fernandes strat copy 8 years ago. I own a different Fernandes strat copy now; the Retrorocket Pro with the sustainer built in. Got it brand new on scratch and dent, though no scratch or dent detected, from Music123 for $199, and free shipping! Worth every penny times two or three. Also own an SX Jazz bass copy that was great value for the money, though not as finely appointed or detailed as this Agile. I use a Peavey Delta Blues 2x10 which I love dearly and with which both of my guitars can haunt me over the rainbow on a good night. I was pleasantly surprised by how solidly great this Agile is, for the money or otherwise. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, in fact I bought another one today, though it's for my Granddad. He saw mine and asked me get to him one. Take the plunge if you want a Cadillac and don't or won't spend thousands. I have to give it tens just because of the VALUE! No kidding, these things would be a deal for much more.

Made in 2004 in Korea. Les Paul shape. 22 frets on ebony fretboard with real abolone trapazoid inlays. 3 way selector for 2 silver covered Type V Alnico Wilkinson humbuckers, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, Grover tuners, tuneomatic bridge with stoptail, neck and headstock and body binding. Mahogany neck with bone nut (graphite nut included as well). For the features on this guitar vs the price paid, you can't lose.

I play mostly metal and classic rock, and this guitar fits it just fine. It is very versatile. I play this through a Dual Rectifier and it sounds better than a guitar I have with "Duncan Designed" humbuckers. Although, it doesn't sound as good as my guitar with Seymour Duncan JB and SH2. These pickups are suprisingly quiet, and I am pleased with the quality of the pickups for the price paid, but I'd probably replace them.

The set-up from the factory was very low, and the higher frets played great, but the lower frets buzzed like crazy. After an adjustment, the action was a bit higher, but still good, and the lower frets buzzed significantly less.

The knobs felt a little cheap, but one can expect that from a $360 guitar. This isn't really a problem because knobs are easily replaced.

There were no noticable visible flaws on the guitar.

I've only had this guitar 1 day, so I'm not going to give a rating for reliability.

The strap buttons are huge and secure the strap very well. They seem screwed on tight and reliable.

People from Rondo Music replied to my email within 20 minutes.

Overall this guitar feels pretty solid. I wouldn't be able to tell the actual price of the guitar by playing it.

This is a 2004 model, Agile 3000. Sold over the internet by Rondo Music, Union, NJ. I have the cherry sunburst flame top. Standard Les Paul set up. Twin humbuckers, Alinco-Wilkinsons, with 4 control pots and 3 way selector switch. 22 fret mahogany neck with ebony fretboard and abalone trapazoid inlays and bone nut, (extra graphite nut and truss wrench included). The body of the guitar is mahogany with bookmatched flame maple top and triple binding. Nickel plated hardware, stop tail piece and tune-a-matic bridge with Grover tuners.

Sound is acceptable, Pups are quiet and distinct. Bridge is bright almost single coil like, and neck is warmer, and bluesy. I play blues and jazz through a Fender tube amp, and would prefer a darker tone without total loss of treble. I will replace the neck pup in near future. But overall not bad. Control pot noise evident during adjustment.

Build quality on this guitar is excellent, I've examined every square milimeter of this thing and have yet to see a flaw. The bookmatched maple top is very bit as nice as my '92 Gibson Paul. No noticable filler around the inlays. The binding is perfect.
The guitar was playable with proper intonation right out of the box. A slight buzz on the E string, but easily fixable. The fret wire is hand polished and smooth. The control cavities are painted and foil shielded on the covers. For a guitar at this price . . oustanding.

Guitar is well built and should perform well. Oversize strap buttons come standard, nice feature. But I haven't had it long enough to render an opinion.

Customer support at Rondo is excellent. E-mails are answered quickly. Product is shipped promptly and well packaged. Returns are accepted without question. A pleasure to deal with.

Bottom Line . . . This is not a Gibson, if you have the money and you want the feel and playability, get the real thing. However, this guitar is an outstanding value for the money. As far as Les Paul copies go, this is as good as any and better than most. Comparable to top of the line Epiphone which I also own.