Agile E1

http://www.rondomusic.net/e1ambq.html

When you look at the Agile E1, from a distance, it looks much more like a Paul Reed Smith SE Custom. Upon closer inspection, you see it has an arch top, the pickup switch located the same as an LP, IMO a better maple top, and a different top tail. The E1 is kind of a hybrid of the PRS SE Custom, a Les Paul, and for sake of argument, the Peavy Wolfgang.

For most of this review, I'm going to assume you read my previous review (below). In it I have listed the specs from Rondo's website as well as my thoughts on the features. In it, I gave the best review I could because I was quite impressed with the build, the feel, the sound, the quality, etc.

This review is to speak of the consistancy of Agile/Rondo. Since my original purchase, I purchased 3 more Agile E1's (1 Amber quilt and 2 more wine red).

Compared to my first E1, the three new E1's sound exactly the same. When unplugging one and plugging another in, I have noticed no differences in sound or noise.

I play these straight into an old Fender Princeton Reverb as well as through a Boss GT-8. The sound is one of the reasons I fell in love with my first E1 and these are a perfect match.

Great sustain. Great smooth sound. Stays in tune.

All three have matched my original in action fit and finish with the exception of one of them. It was fine, but the string height was lower than the others. It didn't really change much as far as sound or playability and it didn't create any string buzz, but I did have to raise it a little to match the others (which I found more comfortable).

Same as the others. Very consistant. Have played out with it and it stayed in tune very well. In fact, I didn't realize it resembled a PRS until someone in the audience came to look at the E1. He thought it was, but something wasn't right. I only brought my E1 and my Tele.

The first guitar was purchased from their website (after many questions and emails with Kurt). The last three were purchased over the telephone with a sales rep (John I think). Not only did he answer all my questions, he told me what other customers thought of different models they had, checked availability, gave me a quote before I purhcased, and called me back to verify some information. Had I *NOT* been pleased with his demeanor or customer service, I'd have simply hung up and ordered the rest online. He was extremely helpful.

"If lost or stolen would I buy another" is the reason I bought three more. In discussion with Kurt, I found out that when these are gone, they are gone (with limited numbers available). There are no plans for more to be made once stock runs out. Because of the low cost, it was easy to justify buying a few more in case something happens. I do play out and things break or get stolen. For about $250 a piece, you can get a decent hardshell case and a great guitar. It stays in tune better than my Tele and any tremelo-based guitar.

Before purchasing these, I checked out the Jay Turser line of guitars. They're not bad and are also cheaper than the big name brand guitars. Jay Turser guitars though use very little name brand components and didn't seem to have the same build quality - but did play and sound well (costs a little more). They are worth checking out.

I am not a sales rep for the company. I am not sponsored by the company. But I am a fan of Rondo Music and Agile. Guitar players are a strange breed and I'm probably a little OCD (obsessive compulsive) and bought a couple more because I like them and play out on occasion.

Do yourself a favor, if you buy a guitar from Rondo, buy a hard shell case with it. They pack the guitar in the case so you only pay shipping for one item, not two.

I bought hardshell cases for three of my Agiles. I bought a gig bag for the other one. The one with the gig bag was double boxed and wrapped in plastic with styrofoam protecting the switch.

I think all electric guitars from Rondo ship with a 6' guitar cable and a wrench for the truss rod. At least all four of mine did.

FEEL FREE TO SEND ME AN EMAIL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE PICS.

Purchased: Feb 2006

People keep saying this is a Korean copy of a Peavy Wolfgang. This is not true when it comes to the details. It does resemble a Wolfgang but is slightly different cosmetically. The big difference however is the scale. A Peavy Wolfgang has a 25.5" scale neck that is wider than than the 24.7" scale Agile E1. To be fair, the scale of the E1 neck is the same as a Les Paul standard. I am used to using a wider neck so this hurt a little (and my only criticism) but after a little while it felt like my SG and the neck feels great to play.

Official Specs:
Agathis double cutaway arch-top body with Maple Top
Die-cast Grover tuners with 18-1 ratio
Neck binding
High quality wax potted humbucker pickups
One volume and one tone control tailor your sound
22 fret Maple bolt on neck with Rosewood fretboard
Stop Bar Tailpiece
Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"
Overall length 36.5"; Scale length: 24.7"
Width at the widest point: 13.5"
Actual Weight is only 8 lbs

I originally bought this guitar to replace the pickups immediately with a custom wound Seymour Duncan in the bridge and Rio Grande at the neck. After playing the stock pickups for a couple weeks, I'm going to leave them in. I'm pretty happy with them and to be honest, sound pretty close to the EVH I compared it to.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this a 17 but they wouldn't let me. The finish was absolutely perfect. It came already set up and just needed tuning. I've paid more than a $1000 for a guitar not built as well as this. Honestly, this guitar feels solid (but light) and is built as good as it gets. I've built guitars and never had a single one come out this good.

Haven't owned it more than a couple weeks and haven't used it live, but I wouldn't be afraid to and I'm impressed with this guitar enough than once Kurt gets a different color in stock (I got the red), I'm buying another.

Order was quick and painless. Received emails when I ordered it, when it shipped (complete with tracking number), and the final bill. What more could you ask for? Kurt and his staff set up and packaged the guitar well. Received the guitar in perfect condition.

Been playing guitar since I was about 10 (24 years) and own more than a dozen electric and acoustic guitars ranging from a 72 Gibson SG, Peavy Tracer, couple Martin acoustics, a bunch more miscelaneous guitars and a few I've built myself. I have been building my guitars the past few years so I can get custom beveling, woods, pickups, everything. I can't buy just a neck and body for this price. I have no problem buying a few of these and using them exclusively. Maybe will change pickups on one for some tonal variety as well as change the 3 way selector switch to throw some in/out of phase options in there (5-way Fender superswitch needed).

If you're looking for a starter guitar, Agile guitars are the only thing to consider. You can't find any guitar in this price range close and most guitars for 3 times the money aren't even as good. Most beginners that quit do so because the cheap guitar they bought sucked.

If you're looking for a good guitar and have been playing a long time, this is still a great guitar.

Like many, I was sceptical on my first (and so far only) purchase on the quality of a guitar you can get for under 200 bucks. But after getting it and enjoying it as much as I have, I'll be buying more with no deliberation.

The only place to get Agile guitars is www.rondomusic.net and be sure to use the search box and type in Agile. For some reason, not all the models are available on the Guitar link.

Thanks Kurt!

2004 Korean made copy of a Peavey Wolfgang Stoptail. 22 Frets, 4bolt maple neck, rosewood fretboard, agathis body. 1 tone, 1 volume, two zebra stripe humbuckers, 3 way switch. Chrome hardware, Stop Bar/Tuneomatic tail/bridge. Grover stamped tuners. Funky offset dot markers.

I was looking for a dual HB guitar with a stoptail to try out some new pickups. At the time all I could find used was a Ibanez RG 470.

Well I gave away the Ibanez, and got this guitar for christmas. It is much better suited to my purposes. It is light (<= strat weight), balances well, and the neck has satin finish which is very playable.

My rating here is a combo of these things: exactly what I was looking for features, a cheap solid uncomplicated guitar. If you were not looking for this kind of guitar to monkey with, or wanted a featurefest then you might not agree with me.

This is a workhorse guitar, not a tone dream machine. I bought it intending to change pickups for a Seymour Duncan pearly gates and a Dimarzio PAF Joe. But I gave it a chance for a month or so before the surgery.

The stock pickups are hot, and buttery. I have a Mesa Single Recto, Marshall JCM 800, and a Fender Twin in the basement. It sounds great through all of them. Tone controls needed tweaking on the twin to clear up some mud, but all HB guitars do on the twin. It does a great job clean on the mesa and has good Carlos Mids on the distortion channel. But the surprise was this guitar on the JCM 800. I have a 50W 2x12 model and it can be very trebly, almost brittle with some guitars. The E1 however just sang. It had fantastic sustain which suprised me for a bolt neck. With the gain down it did a convincing woman tone and volume up gave fun early EVH - very brown.

Summary: I haven't changed the pickups yet. Don't know if I will. Watch the feedback though.

The setup was a little low, and I needed a little more neck relief to minimize string buzz. But my buddy who is used to larger strings on strats had no troubles. This is pretty standard for any guitar I have purchased.

There were no finish flaws on the guitar, and the only complaint I could have is that the selector switch was not flush with the body. It is on the upper bout above the neck and the body is contoured there. Where the hole was drilled prevents the switch retainer from sitting flush. This might really bug someone else who had paid alot for some other guitar, but not me.

This is a solid well put together guitar. The hardware is good and the design is simple so not much can go wrong. It has huge strap buttons so you should not lose it if you are doing spins, jumps, rock-squats or whatever. As a matter of fact they are so big, you really have to work some straps onto them.

Note, not specifically for this guitar: It goes for all guitars, but came up on my AL-3000. Store the thing in it's case if you don't play it at least every day, and watch the humidity. Unused pots and switches get noisey very fast otherwise.

This is my second online purchase from Rondo and it won't be my last. They are great to deal with. Price, Service, Reputation - they really understand customer care. And Kurt's ability to reply to e-mail in his sleep is a wonder of technology. They didn't have a case for this model at the time but Kurt said early 2005 and they would.

I have been hacking on guitars for a few years. This will be my eighth guitar so I guess I have passed the collector threshold. But it means I know what I like, and what I don't. If you haven't checked Rondo out yet you are really missing out.

There are people on the net and forums who get bent out of shape about Rondo/Agile. Purists, tone snots, people with more money than brains - whatever. I have an AL3000, a fender strat plus, gibson les paul standard and ES 335. I like them all. They are all great guitars. They fit, and they suit me fine.

But the part that is very cool about this guitar is letting someone else play it, see they like it and then tell them what I paid. It's good to know if it got damaged or stolen I could afford to get another one and I'd have it in a week.

I purchased the left-handed version of this guitar in 2003 and am very pleased so far. Others have gone over the features, a solid mahogany body, bolt on neck, three way switch in the Les Paul position and duel humbucker pickups. The body is finished with a thin veneer of quilt maple. I?m not blown away by the quilt maple top, its pretty, but as mentioned earlier, its not as spectacular as one would hope. Having said that, this is a very good looking guitar. While it is substantial in weight, it isn?t overly heavy for a solid body guitar and that is a big plus with me.

I have played mostly acoustic guitars, but have on occasion played a Stratocaster and some other cheap electrics. This guitar has a great sound to me, the humbucker pickups really seem to produce a better sound than the single coil pickups typically on Stratocasters. I?m playing it through a Berhinger amp and it sounds great with no effects, but I also have an effects box that can make it sound literally like anything you could imagine. Having said that, the straight unadulterated sound is full and warm. There is a significant difference in the sound produced at each position of the three-way switch. The volume and tone knobs really do make a difference in the way the thing sounds, something that isn?t always true on other guitars.

In general the fit and finish is excellent, especially for such a cheap guitar. I thought I would have to make major adjustments, but it has played fantastically straight out of the box. This is a much easier guitar to play than some others I?ve had to deal with. Even the strings were good. On careful inspection I have found one or two very minor imperfections in the finish, but nothing anyone would notice unless they were looking very carefully. The heavy metal knobs and solid feeling switch inspire confidence.

It hasn?t broken yet and seems to be solid. Only time will tell, but I?m not particularly worried.

They were very helpful when it came to shipping the guitar to me. Over all though, this is hard to rate. There have been no problems so I don't know how helpful they would be. I guess getting it right the first time is a lot better than needing customer support.

If you want a cheap guitar that looks good, plays well and is simply a fun instrument, I highly recommend the Agile E1. I?m very pleased and suspect I would be no happier if I?d spent 3 or 4 times as much. In fact, I?m beginning to wonder why anyone would spend more when you can get something so good for such a reasonable investment.

I bought the left handed, 2003 model with the newly added Grover tuners. Manufactured in Korea, and has the quilt top. The quilt top isn't quite as 3 dimensional as it may appear in photos, but to me that was a good thing- not over the top flashy.
The rest of the features are listed either here or on Rondo's website. One thing I like about this guitar is it's simplicity over such systems as the locking Floyd Rose I have on my other guitar, so while the "feature" list isn't high, it's what I was after.

I truly love the sound of my hollow body, but it screams like a stuck pig under a fence once the volume is pushed a tad. This obviously doesn't have that same sound, but is quite good at the sound it does have. Because it doesn't have a single pickup, but humbuckers, it doesn't have the thin sound of a Stat. If that's what you want, look elsewhere.
It DOES have a good, quiet, perhaps un-distinct sound; in other words, you can use it for all styles and use your effects or stomp boxes to get the sound you want.
The variety of the two pickups are good and different enough from each other. The sustain is quite good for a bolt on; Rondo claims it is because of the slight arch top, and I see no reason as to disagree- nice, smooth, and long in sustain.
Great clean sound, great dirty sound, great heavy sound. I'm quite pleased.

To be honest, I was quite suspicious of this one. I was all prepared to send a loser back rather than shrug my shoulders and be happy with a low priced guitar.
All this is to say I can't believe how well built this guitar is. I've read the other reviews of this model and other Agile guitars, and was still suspicious even with the glowing reports. Judging from the guitar I received, don't be worried like I was.
To be overly critical the ONLY thing I could say that was wrong was a miniscule blotch in the finish. I only notices it because I wanted to be careful in this review. But that's being overly critical.
The action was quite well straight out of the box. I suppose I wouldn't mind lowering the action a bit for my personal taste. No fret buzz where it's at and the neck looks quite straight. Basically I tuned it up and was ready to go. Intonation seems pretty dead on as well. Unbelievable.

As others have said, it feels good and solid as well as seems to be durable. I have no reason to think anything will go wrong. The Grover tuners are smooth as silk and seem to hold their tune with only minor adjustments. Still hard to believe I only paid $199 for this thing.

You can read hundreds of glowing reports about Kurt at Rondo Music. I can't really comment; the order was shipped the following day I bid on it via Ebay. It arrived in the usual time from UPS ground shipping, and I haven't had to use and customer support in the whole process.

I've been playing for 25 years (am I really that old?). At this point I have an old lefty Kramer, lefty Yamaha bass, righty Martin acoustic, righty DeArmond (Fender) Hollow body, and run through a Behringer Blue Devil which is pumped into a sound system.
It can be difficult to find a guitar with my qualifications: left handed, good quality and sound, and CHEAP. Try that at Guitar Center and you get a Squire Strat that just comes across in the cheap department; I didn't want a "starter" guitar. I am totally blown away that I got all that I wanted PLUS a darn good looking guitar to boot.
I highly recommend you get this guitar; in fact I'm so hooked I MUST get some more beauties from Rondo Music. The bass player in my band was equally impressed and will be buying the Flying V copy.
Really, don't be hesitant to purchase this guitar as I was; I did the homework and made the right decision. Note that I am a bit more limited because I was looking for a lefty, but this was the best choice. Feel free to email me for more questions.

I recently won this little beauty from Rondo Music on eBay !
This has to be one of the most attractive guitars I have ever seen for under $500 bucks.

Peavy Wolfgang body style with H/H Peavy Bananna Pickups(Volume,Tone,3-way switch). All chrome hardware, Tun-o-matic Les Paul style 2- piece bridge, Gotoh type tuners, laminated quilt maple arch top with bolt on maple neck and 22 fret rosewood fingerboard with off set markers.The finish is flawless, great job!

This particular guitar has a shorter neck than I am used to,but I didn't find it to be much of an adjustment.Good sustain for a bolt-on.
I am currently using this with a Boss ME-30 Multi-effects box, Morley original distortion unit, and a Marshall VS 100 combo.
I play a variety of music from jazz fusion to classic rock and this guitar can handle most of it. fairly quiet, but then again the pick-ups are just not as loud as I'm used to.
If it matters, my other Instruments consist of a Les Paul Custom Copy, Kramer Striker, Fender Texas Telecaster Custom (Love this thing - Found CHEAP and beat-up. Totally rebuilt last year), and a Fender Genisis II Acoustic with shaved neck and filed frets(no electronics)

The set-up was actually pretty good for a Korean job. didn't need any major adjustments.

The action is fairly fast with a very confortable narrow neck.

The electronics are solid, but the pick-ups are a little quieter than I'm used to.

As stated before the finish is flawless and just beautiful.Quilt Top Maple with body and neck binding.

I'm giving it 9 just because I think a glue-in neck would give it a little better sustain( even though it's not bad).

Playing this is what you do with it. It is not a prized rarity or an Instrument of unparalleled performance.
This is an instrument that is meant to be played,gigged,taken out and enjoyed.
It should hold-up very well in any live situation (but, I never played live with-out a back-up,JUST STUPID!).
Hardware should hold-up okay.
Don't have to worry about dropping this one- Strap Buttons are nice and big.

N/A Haven't had it that long.

I have been playing since I was about 18 (over 20 years).
I don't play live anymore because I have a life. Not that I didn't enjoy it ( did it for 5 years)- just don't have the time it takes to rehearse, book, write, record,play yada-yada-yada- you know - do it right!.

If stolen I'd buy another in a heart beat.I've owned several guitars over the years - but you just don't find this quality for around $200 bucks very often!

I have just spent a few weeks testing my new Agile E 1 amber quilt top electric guitar. The following represents my findings and conclusions for this new guitar model.
This guitar is a strat like electric very similar to the Peavy Wolfgang. It has 22 frets, a bolt on maple neck, a rosewood fretboard with very cool offset dot inlays, a beautiful amber quilttop finish, chrome tuners and chrome tailstop. It has one tone knob and one volume knob with a three way toggle switch that is located up in the same area as the Les Paul..which I like becasue you won't accidently hit the switch while playing as with some stats like guitars. Also the width of the neck is worth a positve mention...I have large hands and due to the neck width and the slim line of the maple neck backside this makes the guitar have a lightning fast action for me. This particular guitar model also features dual bannanna humbuckers, one at the bridge and one at the neck position...very similar to the pickups on a Dean that I own and very similarly just as hot...these pickups scream. The headstock is also very similar to my Dean, except that is a bit smaller and it took me a week or so to get use to playing a guitar with a smaller type headstock..sort of distracting. However, after having it now for over a month, the headstock size is meaningless due to the preformance of this guitar...this puppy is a screaming hotrod of a guitar and I will put it up against any stat like brand on the market today.
The particular finish on this guitar is astounding...it is a very beautiful amber quilt top and I could not find a defect anywhere on this guitar. I think it is one of the prettiest guitars I have ever seen in the cosmestic area and I think any owner of this guitar would be proud to display it at home or at any gig.
Believe me, I have put this guitar through the paces since I got it...I have run it through my Randall ES 100 Full stack, my Crate GX 1600 full stack, and several smaller practice amps....this guitar rocks and has excellent sustain and gives great feedback due to the super hot electronics that come stock with the guitar. I love it. You can go out an get a Mexican Start or another similar start...you won't get the bite this guitar has by a long shot. Believe me..I have been playing since the 70's. I only wish the guitar companies put out guitar electronics like these bannanna pickups back in the old days as what comes stock with this Agile E 1.
So, in conclusion, the Agile is a very well made guitar which comes with top notch electronics, a beautiful finish, good quality hardware, and is a much better guitar than what Fender seems to be putting out in it's Mexican stat or Squire lines..why drive a junker when you can drive a Porsche for the same money??

This guitar will handle all music styles. Also, even though the pickups are super hot, there is now hiss or noise whatsoever when not playing. The three way switch is not a cheapie..this one puts you right there right away with no pop or problems. You can go from a hot lead to a rich bottom in the flick of the switch. Great sustain...great sound.

Thes only thing I felt was wrong was that the guitar was not set up properly when I first got it...it was set way too high. I have it set up right now, and the company which makes the guitar has promised to make proper setups a priority and I belive them. Even though the set up was a problem...I am still going to give a good rating due to the quality of the the electronics and becasue most all guitars need a set up when purchased new.

This guitar will stand up to any situation....from practice to nightly gigs. I can't see any problems with this guitar....this puppy is well made and is durable as well as pretty.

I obtained this guitar from Rondo Music. I have been dealing with this music store for a long time and I have purchased four other guitars from them. Their customer service cannot be beat...they have never misled or failed me in any way. I give the highest rating for Customer Support...you will never find better customer service than what Rondo Music offers.`

I have been playing the guitar since Nixon was President....I have owned every type of guitar and/or amp you can imagine. I currently own a dozen electric guitars...two Crate GX 1600 full stacks...two Randall 100 ES Full stacks....a Marshall Full Stack and several smaller club amps. If this Agile were stolen...I would definately replace it asap. I grew tired long ago of spending big bucks for brandname guitars now that technology hav enabled other guitar companies to produce quality guitars for much less cost. This Agile will rock the house just as well as any big buck overpriced axe will. If you are a beginner or an semi pro..you will love this guitar.
Back in the old days they didn't and couldn't produce the quality of tuners, electronics, finishes, etc. that now seem to come standard today with electric guitars....that is why I now purchase guitars such as the Agile. Why should you spend your hard earned money for a guitar that produces the same sound as you can find a less expensive model??? duh??