Agile AS820

I received this beautiful instrument on 10/10/2003. The guitar was manufactured in Korea. I don't know if has a solid or laminated top. The guitar has volume controls(2), tone controls(2) and a 3-way noiseless selector switch. The pickup configuration is H/H. The make and model of the pickups is not listed. The electronics are passive. The body and neck woods are maple with a satin transparent beautiful flawless finish. The body style is similar to the Epi Dot. The hard tailed bridge style is Tune-O-Matic. The tuners are Grover 18-1 non-locking. The smooth low profile neck features square pearloid inlays and jumbo frets. There is minimal (if any) fingerboard crown i.e. radius (similar to Gibson/Epi). An allen wrench was included with the guitar.

I play chord melody soft jazz and this instrument is perfect for my playing style. I am using a US Amplifier (50 watts -10 inch speaker) with just a touch of reverb which is fine for small venue gigs I play solo or with a trio (electric bass/drums). The humbuckers perform as expected and I have not experienced any p/u induced noise problems, even at max volume. The sound palette ranges from mellow woody to bright treble. As I play mostly soft jazz I generally only use the neck pickup and have had no feedback problems at any volume level.

Thanks to the comfortable neck radius (sorry, don't know the exact measurement)plus correct string action the instrument was set up perfectly for me right out of the box. Players who want low action may need to lower the strings (personal preference)a bit using the Tune-O-Matic bridge. The fret work was perfect (no buzzing at any fret on any string). The beautiful maple top is perfectly book matched and the bridge set was right on - no intonation problems due to misalignment of the bridge. I honestly can not find any manufacturing flaws in this instrument. The hardware also apprears to be first rate. Wish I knew who manufactures the pickups - they sound great. All hardware was tight - knobs etc. and the pickup selector worked perfectly with no switching noise.

My previous guitar an Essex EG270 (LP clone) which I also purchased from Rondo Music was stolen so this is a replacement for that guitar. The EG270 was a real "trouper" and I had no problem with it playing numerous dates over a 2 1/2 year period. I would expect this outstanding instrument to be at least as durable. The workmanship/materials on this guitar are first rate - certainly as good as the Epi Dot/Sheraton series and a perfect instrument for my use. I would not hesitate to use this Agile AS820 on a gig/playing date with no backup!

Kurt and crew at www.rondomusic.com provide legendary customer support. Many other reviewers on this board will attest to the same fact. Kurt at Rondo Music and his crew do everything possible to satisfy their customers making each sale a win-win situation. This is the third instrument I have purchased from them and each one gets better, both quality and soundwise. I personally feel that Rondo Music offers the best guitar VALUE you will find anywhere on or off the internet. It is interesting to me that the few negative comments I have seen at this website on Rondo Music in reviews are usually signed "Anonymous" which defines more than anything else about the "integrity" of their reviewer not the value of Rondo Music instruments. Are you getting a Gibson or Fender guitar for $100+ - of course not! Are you getting great value for your money - you bet!

I have been playing guitar off and on for about fifty years. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would definitely replace it with the same make and model (if I was fortunate enough to find it still available).I love the aesthetics of the instrument, the playability and the outstanding workmanship/materials used. I have only enjoyed this guitar for a short time, but I don't anticipate there will be any features I will not like in the future. I do enjoy the guitar sound, absence of feedback and feel of the neck (especially for jazz chords (many 7ths, altered chords and inversions) which can occasionally involve some gymnastic finguring patterns. I did compare this instrument to the Epi Dot/Sheraton and preferred the Agile for approximately $150 less in cost. Rondo Music has consistently provided me with great value instruments and exceptional customer service - a winning combination in my book.