Agile guitars are a perfect alternative to Gibson Les Paul and Epiphone Les Paul electric guitars. They are much cheaper – and the quality is much better!
**UPDATED* April 2008
I’ve just updated this post and republished it with new info based on the fact that I purchased an Agile 3100 a few months back. The details are at the end of this post…
I don’t know if you’ve heard of Agile Guitars or not, but if you haven’t you’re missing out. I love American made Gibson guitars (don’t we all?), but not everyone can afford the $2-3,000 price tag that comes with it. Everyone wants the features that come along with it…quality, reliability, tone, looks, playability, etc. Of course there’s an entire industry built around copying these famous guitars – the most notable being the Epiphone brand (which Gibson owns). I’ve already written a post about why I hate Epiphone guitars. Mainly it’s because of the shoddy workmanship and quality. I would gladly pay $500-$600 for an Epiphone Les Paul provided it was wired right and I could gig it out without worrying about something going bad on it. Correct me if I’m wrong – but I think Epiphone’s are made in either China or Taiwan.
I’ve read a great deal about import guitars online and hundreds of reviews. The consensus seems to be that in the area of import (non American made) guitars, the highest quality seems to be coming from Korea. This is where I believe the ESP imports are made that seem to be getting rave reviews. Anyway, Agile guitars are an import ‘copy’ brand made in Korea. It seems at the current time the only retailer in the U.S. for them is Rondo Music on the East Coast. If you read some of the Harmony Central Reviews for Agile Guitars, you’ll find that they seem to score unusually high – primarily between 9 and 10 (out of 10). Reading the reviews you’ll see many comments that talk about the AL-2500, AL-2800, AL-3000, and AL-3100 models all being significantly better than Epiphone Les Paul’s in fit, finish, sound, and overall quality.
They have so many models you have lots of choices, and the upper end models even have Grover Tunes, solid mahogany bodies, and alnico pickups. I have talked to several people in other bands who own an Agile LP and they wouldn’t give it up for the world. Some say that the AL LP copy series are even better than the real thing. These guitars go for $300-$400 (which is a steal for their quality), and Rondo Music sells them on their web site, but also on eBay as well. So when you look on eBay you find both new ones through Rondo, as well as used ones sold by individuals. I should mention that they also sell many other copy models, like telecasters, stats, brian may copies, PRS copies, and more! I missed an auction of an AL-2800 with aluminum flight case AND a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah that went for only $300 with FREE shipping!! I could have kicked myself (in fact – I still am!). I will be getting one before the end of this year for sure – and I’ll post some pics and review it (again) here when I do. In the meantime – here’s some eBay auctions for agile guitars ending soon, see if you can find yourself a new axe!
**UPDATE**
April 2008: The picture on the left is of me and my white Agile 3100 with creme binding, solid mahogany body, grover 16×1 tuners and solid mahogany body! It has incredible sound and sustain. I paid $369 for it and I believe shipping was only $15. I’ve been very, very happy with this guitar so far! Comparable Epiphone’s are $750+ and it’s not only 10 times better, it’s every bit as good as an authentic Gibson Les Paul retailing for $3,000+! I had no problem getting this axe to scream metal, sing classic rock, or squeal the blues! You will nt be disappointed with this guitar.
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Now, 10 years after this was originally posted, Agile has different product names and numbers. Here are some of the most recent additions listed on Amazon for sale:
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[atkp_product id=’6046′][/atkp_product]
[atkp_product id=’6047′][/atkp_product]
Have you seen the rootbeer flame finish? I don’t even like playing Les Paul type guitars but its a piece of art.
I have, that’s a really cool looking guitar. I had wanted the blue flame that they had last year (but haven’t seen since) – I think it was replaced by the green flame they now have. I was torn between the white Agile AL-3100 I bought and the gold top. I gotta tell ya, I’ve never owned a Les Paul type guitar in my life and I’ve grown to love it!
Looks like the blue flame is there now…
http://www.rondomusic.com/al2000blueflame.html
I ordered an Albino from Rondo that should be here today. I’m pretty excited to get it and give it the once over.
@Jon – that’s awesome, thanks for the heads up! Kurt at Rondo told me that they get new colors in from the factory all the time. Come back and leave a comment here once you get your Albino and let us know what you think…
I am happy I ran across this review of the Agile guitars. I was looking at the same exact white Agile 3100 with creme binding but decided to go with the Agile AL-2900 Chambered BK. They told me it doesn’t come in white! so I plan to have it painted white,add a third mid-humbucker and have it wired with 3 master vols and 1 master tone. I know this guitar will rock! I’m going chambered because I have a Ibanez AF-103 -NT that rocks but, I paid 800.00 bucks for it. I am happy that there are finally good playing guitars out there that are more affordable. It’s actually more fun and practical for me to modify a good affordable guitar VS spending $3500.00 and then wanting to upgrade. I will post some before and after picks on-line when I get.I should only spend a total of 700.00 plus I’ll have a custom ax.
@muddy – that’s awesome, I would love to see your ax once it’s painted – that would be awesome!
I got the white 3100 as well. Let’s face it Gibson does not make a guitar like this at any price! The Agile is just better in every department. And pretty too.
I took the plunge and ordered a 3100 too. Cherry sunburst – sweet top. Fantastic! I love it, and have put away my other guitars for now. I really can’t believe this guitar was under $400 (without case) and the build quality is so good. the one flaw I’ve seen is that the metal clamp which holds the pickguard on is sharp as a knife (on the edges). I even opened it up to find orange drop caps and very clean / quality soldering inside! One thing not noted here is the weight. They do run heavy, but it isn’t too bad. Maybe 15% heavier than my Strat. I’m guessing 10lbs
As a lifelong Fender player this 3100 is SERIOUSLY making me think of getting a LP Standard, but I’m in no rush and it would have to be a good one to beat this!. I thought about modding it because it was so cheap…new pickups, sanding the neck etc…but I can’t bear to ruin the finish!
What a joke. Too cheap to buy the real product. Crap Korean copies of fantastic guitars. You tools put money in the pockets of a company that rips off the originals. If I saw someone playing one of these jokes at a club I’s shove it up his @ss sideways.
@WowJustWow – a joke? I don’t think so. Competition is the greatest driver of the free world. You have absolutely no argument at all. First of all – Gibson has done this to themselves. They have the Epiphone brand which is supposed to be the reasonably priced version of authentic Gibson guitars. I wrote a review on this blog called “Why I hate Epiphone guitars” that pretty much spells it out. Gibson sells Epiphone Les Pauls, SG’s, 335’s – and all of them are practically falling apart when you buy them. Shoddy wires, faulty tuners, mis-wired pickups, loose knobs – these guitars SUCK even for a beginner and Gibson should be ashamed to sell them. Don’t give me that “get what you pay for” shit either, I’m sorry – a $800 Epiphone Les Paul shouldn’t have problems straight from the factory. And people wonder why PRS, Ibanez, BC Rich, Dean, and other budget line guitars sell like hot-cakes.
Agile makes a quality product that is not only far superior to Epiphone guitars (at half the price), but their guitars actually compare to the REAL GIBSON PRODUCT! This proves that a.) gibson are idiots in regards to Epiphone and b.) authentic Gibson guitars are GROSSLY overpriced.
If you were at a club and saw me playing mine, you’d find out that nearly every show musicians will come up to the stage while I’m playing and after to find out what the make of the guitar is because it sounds so damn good. Then I let them play it and tell them what I paid for it – and their jaw drops open like a lead balloon.
I like your comment about the “crap korean copy…” – what an ass are you? Is every company that ever copied a strat or Les Paul crap too? Does that make every Ibanez, ESP, Peavey, or other company that makes similar guitars crap? You’re a retard – until you’ve owned and played one – fuck you.
I agree with Admin regarding paying $800.00 for a crappy playing Epiphone when I can get a cheaper guitar that plays better. I’m a musicians and want an ax that plays well and won’t fall apart. It doesnt matter where its made or where it comes from. I buy good playing guitars..not names. Wowjustwow..I can understand your anger (IF)it’s an issue with the state of the economy and supporting U.S made products! I’m all for the U.S.A! I think sites like paylessguitars.com should taht flat-out use the Gibson name on products made in Bejing China should rot in court! but our government hasnt stepped up and put standards on the import industry so, I too get pissed about the jap crap flooding the market. I’m not “TO CHEAP” to buy a Les Paul, I just think Gibson needs to reevaluate their cost or THEY may need a bail out.The problem is: the U.S.A is greedy ,has double standards and needs to build more factories here that give people jobs and makes good guitars & products that compete with China and we wouldnt need to buy the cheaper better built produsts. As far as shoving a guitar up my ass..if you heard ME playing, yould be SNIFFING my ass LOL!
My friend actually introduced me to agile guitar and I’ve been a proud owner of the AL 3000. I love the playability and style of agile. I love my guitar but i do have a problem with the strings always getting out of tune and staying in tune. I play in a small band consisting of piano/electric/bass so you can reaaally hear the guitar and i hate it when it gets out of tune. Any solutions for this problem? I believe I set the intonation correctly, although it was my first time so i might have made a mistake. Does the bridge affect tuning? I’ve lowered the bridge a little for easier playability also.
anytime you lower the bridge you can throw off the intonation (which is why the strings would e out of tune). Take it to a guitar shop to have the intonation reset up.
I love Agile guitars and congrats on your purchase! As far as going out of tune ,yes when you adjust the bridge it will throw the tuning out of wack. I would take it to a good guitar shop and have them set the intonation and just set it up for you. Be careful.1st: make sure you let them know what you want and then play it after it’s set up (before you leave the shop)Wail on it real good to make sure it will stay in tune. If that doesn’t work, 2nd alternative: consider different machine heads. I would never recommend a locking nut system but there are some good locking machine heads out there. 3rd: Any strings will go out of tune when there new but try some S.I.T strings.Stretch the crap out of them before you play.Good Luck!
I own a agile AL-3000 and it sounds great. Better then my Epiphone Les Paul 100. Which was 332. For about 80 bucks more i got a badass guitar that is super gorgeous and sounds better. Im like 99.9%sure if i put in seymour duncans i would have a gibson sounding guitar for the price of 432 guitar and 145 for Seymour Duncan Humbuckers for a total of 577 dollars. which is a lot cheaper then 3000 or 2000 or 1000. The Agile is very well built. It has good humbuckers. Id says that would be the only flaw. That humbuckers are bright. I prefer that warm fat tone that the burstbucker pros have on the gibsons. Heck i might just go all out and get the burstbucker pros so that would be 230 plus 432 so in all it would be 662 for a 1000 or 2000 or 3000 dollar gibson les paul sound. Yeah i dont care about names all i want is a good sound. The stock ones are good for intermediate and begginers but i want to go all out so im getting these burstbucker pros in silver because gold doesnt look good on my agile AL-3000 Tribal Blue which i totally love the finish!!!! wish me luck when i switch out the humbuckers and then ill post vids on youtube and show you guys the link!!
After almost 2 years, I finally picked up an Agile! It’s an older model with the Gibson type headstock. I picked it up off of Craigslist. It’s the white pearl top one thats totally rocks. The guy that had it set the action up and its incredible and the pups were replaced with Dimarzio’s. This guitar feels like it was custom made for me! It sounds very nice and looks awesome! I’m ready for another one already. Love it!
I have a Agile as 820 which is the 335 “version” I replaced the pickups with Tone Riders Wonderful) and had my guitar tech replace the pots, as they were a little twitchy..
He handed it back to me and asked me how to buy one.
So I paid $350 before the case and delivery and invested $150 for the pickups and pots.
So I am roughly $500 into this guitar… the best $500 I have ever spent since I purchased my 1974 Strat all though years ago.
It plays like a dream – and I reach for guitar although I have my choice of Tele’s Strats and Ricks..The fit and finish is flawless.
Addressing the above complaint of buying Korean….Be my guest, buy an Epiphone for twice as much or a Gibson 335 for six times the price….Plus — a guitar at this price lends its self to being modded to each guitar players individual taste… I would never mod a $3,000 guitar…. oddly I take more pride in my Agile than I would with a stock Gibson 335…
So Complainer… your off base.
Congrats Ghostblock on your Agile. Thats a NICE ax! I’m sure you’ll get many years of enjoyment out of it. I have an Ibanez AF103NT thats like a 335 and I love it. I thought of modding it with a Variton but it sounds awesome stock. The cool and smart thing seems to be buy a less expensive guitar and mod it out. It makes it personalized, increases the playability ,tone and in some cases the value. Agile’s being less expensive are the smart choice,being affordable but clearly not cheap guitars, I’d recommend them to anyone. Mod a 3k guitar and most of the time it devalues it. I’ll never sell my Agile AL 2500 white pearl top ! I just purchased some tulip tuner buttons for $15.00 from Allparts that fit Grovers,they are not on the site so you’ll have to call them if you want them. I don’t care for the kidney beans. I also plan to get some 500k pots and a fernandes sustainer. I might try push -pulls pots to avoid drilling holes. If not I may try a sustainiac. I’ll still be under $500.00 and would put it up against a Gibson LP anyday!
I recently came into ownership of an Agile AD-2300 NAT P90. A friend of mine was looking for an upgrade to his currnet guitar (a very cheap tele knockoff) and saw this guitar online. He ordered what he thought was the left handed model and when he got it, it was a righty. I asked him what kind of guitar it was and he sent me a link to it on Rondo’s website. When I saw the guitar specs and the price I was pretty sure there was a digit missing in the price. Solid Mahogany body and set neck, Rosewood fretboard, nice inlays, P90 pickups, one volume and tone control for each pickup and a nice looking natural finish. I asked him to bring it by my place before he returned it so I could play it through my Fender amp. The first thing I noticed is that the picture of this guitar on line does not do it justice. It is beautiful. The build quality was spot on. No sharp edges to the frets, scratches to the finish or any other indications of a shoddy build.
I tuned it up, plugged in and started playing. The action was a bit high for my taste (not unusual for a new guitar of any price), and the intonation was off, had a bit of a problem keeping it in tune at first (more on that later), but it played nicely. I really liked the rounded, thicker 50’s style neck on it. Reminded me of a Strat I once owned. Needless to say I paid him the 290 it cost him to buy and ship it and he was happy.
A couple weeks down the road I took it to my local guitar tech for setup. His first question when i pulled it out of the gig bag was, what is that and where did you get it? He commented on how nice it looked. After adjusting the neck, lowering the brigde, putting new d’addario 10 gauge strings on it and setting the intonation, this is one very nice guitar. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, he also lowered the p90’s. They came from the factory awfully high, and that is what was affecting the tuning. Now it has an action almost as low as my tele and has a fuller and brighter sound than the tele. The p90’s really do sound great in a mahogany bodied guitar. I am so happy I bought it. For about $340 (post setup work), I now have a guitar that I can hardly put down.
If Agile guitars are any indication of what to expect from Korea’s guitar makers, other coutries need to wake up. The idea of paying thousands of dollars for a Gibson is laughable, relative to my new guitar.
hey all got a couple of questions for you. first off, i could kind of understand where that wowjustwow dude was coming from IF these guitars are made in NORTH korea but i can’ t seem to find that info. anybody know? i seriously doubt they are from the north as i don’t think they could be sold here…but anyway, some of the best electronics in the world are made there and i worked for a high-end audio component manufacturer who recently chose to get some things made in china and it has hurt them badly, long story short they are much happier now with the new korean factory. anyway there is no point crying about korean stuff these days as as a manufacturing super-power, have been quietly the king for decades (see anything sony) and as much as i morally oppose “knock-offs”, if the copy is of higher quality AND cheaper then who the hell wouldn’t buy that?
i would PROUDLY but american if a)it was WELL MADE and wasn’t a worthless piece of shit that falls apart immediately and b) it was remotely reasonably priced. so here i am. i love gibsons but it will be a cold day in the USA before i even consider those prices. i haven’t played one in the last 10 years that blew me away for under $2500 and that is shameful and gouging at best. epiphones are still too expeez for the quality which is truly spotty at best. ie. last week at GC i spent a couple of hours playing about 15 epi lps and there was maybe 2 i would have bought and at $500 they still would have needed pups and tuners, minimum.
the questions: of you guys they are experienced and play your agiles A LOT: how are they holding up? what problems have you had? anybody with buyers remorse? has anybody really looked inside to see if these guitars are weighted? i mean are they REALLY the solid woods they are claiming? they claim that most of the wood is coming from canada so i could see how they keep the price down…
if they are set up properly, any tuning problems, dead spots, buzzes? how’s the wiring? please be honest.
i’m not expecting an $2000 guitar for $400 and i will be modding it anway but damn, the pix do look AMAZING! are they REALLY that well made? …if a deal looks too good to be true…?
thanks all!
I can tell you that Agile guitars are well worth the money. Yes they are solid hardwoods, yes they are made in Korea, and yes they are quality instruments. Having said that – there is a failure rate, and people can and do get Agile lemons. But guess what, they quality is very high – and in my opinion they failure rate is lower than both Squier and Epiphone. In addition, if you have any problems at all, you can ship whatever you buy back to Rondo Music, and get a replacement quickly. Take this from someone who has had to send one back, the customer service I received is the best I’ve gotten, and far superior than anytime I’ve ever had to deal with either Fender or Gibson. Give it a try, and come back here and tell us what you think.
Mish, don’t hesitate to order an Agile, especially one of the better ones like the 3,000 series. I bought an AD 3000. I think it is as good as or better than a gibson. I paid $450 including a case. The pick ups are a bit bright but still sound good. Nice fit, finish, playability and tone.
I would like to have Agile make some custom guitars for me but don’t know the contact info for the factory. Anybody know what company in Korea makes Agile guitars?
Hey there Johnny Guitar. Its a real mutha for ya! you dont know about that huh!!kidding… You can go onto to the Agile Website and Kurt will take custom orders sometimes thru-out the year.The ordering details are there as well and he should be able to accomidate you. In my opinion,its best to get an ax from Agile VS some Korean/Bejing factory. Reasons are: less hassel,ordering accuracy product accuracy and ease of ordering. Trying to buy direct is less than very painful unless you either speak the lang.Of course you could cahnce it and get the wrong guitar. Agile is whats up!Enjoy.
I bought an Agile 3100 last year, and I am totally happy with it. I think the only possible improvements you make on one is to change the switch to switchcraft, and maybe chage out the pickups to Seymore Duncans or actual Gibson pickups. I am perfectly satisfied with the Alinco V’s that are in my guitar currently. I have played for over 30 years, and unless you just have alot of money burning up your pocket, and a hardon for the Gibson LP, you can’t go wrong with an Agile 3100.
Bought an Agile 3100 Nat Brd Maple in Jan of 2011. It arrived very quickly and when I pulled it from the box, I couldn’t believe I only paid $400 for it. They are very well built, beautiful, and a player. Nothing cheesy about these guitars. I haven’t put it down for a month. I played Epi and Gibson LPs in a number of retail music stores, I will say it doesn’t really make it fair comparison, the setups in a retail store isn’t always the best. This guitar plays as well, if not better than all the guitars I tried. ( $800 – $3200 ) This guitar could be a beginners first guitar and last him many years as a go to guitar. Use the money you save to buy a good tube amp. I use a Marshall(100 watt) half stack and a Blackheart BH5H(5 watt) for practice. This guitar sounds excellent on both. I plan to buy another 3100 for alternate tuning setups. At these prices and quality its worth it.
I bought an agile 2000 rootbeer flame in nov. 2010 its way better
than the gib or epi lp. Install new strings set the bridge, smooth the frets and you’ve got a guitar that plays and sounds like a $3000 LP. People don’t realize the american built means only assembled in the usa electronics still and other parts made in other countries.
I had the “real thing” back in 1969, a ’68 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top with P90s which I bought for $250 off a college student who needed the money. Sold it in ’72 for $450 because it was just too heavy (13 lbs.) and aggravated a back injury. That guitar now sells for thousands (who knew?!!!)
Three years ago, in a fit of nostalgia, I bought an Agile AL2000 Gold Top with the P-90s off e-bay for $200 with a CNB HS case included. The guitar, even though “used”, was in as new condition. Flawless. The gold top has that same green sheen under some lighting as did the original ’68 LP. The materials and workmanship are superb. I’d intended on changing out the ceramic P90s for alnico pups but the originals sound fine so no need.
Although I’m primarily a Strat man, when I get the urge to relive those days when I played an LP, this guitar fills that need more than admirably. The best deal anywhere for a quality LP under $1000. Far as I’m concerned, it compares to the $2K~3K Gibsons in every way.
I debated for months on whether to pick up an Agile LP. I finally pulled the trigger two weeks ago. I have to be honest with you, I expected a piece of shit. I mean, you get what you pay for…….right?? Well, I was simply stunned. Oh by the way, I have this one. http://www.rondomusic.com/product2121.html
Im not going to sit here and rave about the guitar, you read it already and all I have to say is Ditto. It is a fine musical instrument. And oh hey Gibson? You truly have yourselves to blame for this one.
Nice Review.
I bought an Agile AD-3000 with a 3/4″ maple top with a blue quilt veneer. I am very happy with it, made no changes-not even a ser up, plays well right out of the box, sounds great, awesome fit and finish. Just as good as a Gibson LP. Paid $450 inclucing a nice case.
Ok folks, here is my take on the whole Agile VS Gibson VS Epiphone Vs Who or whatever. After a long year of dealing with health issues, I made the decision to get back to playing so yup, that means I get to buy a new axe! Woohoo!!
So, I have my eyes set on a Gibson LP. Why? Cause I love them thats why. And the Wife gave me the go ahead to spend $2000.00. Yeah, we have money, deal with it. So after two months of getting back into guitar, taking lessons and using a very crappy Washburn that really should not even be called an instrument, I was ready to pull the trigger on my LP.
Off to the stores I go and I played them all but just did not find the one that spoke to me. If you play…you know what I am talking about. At least I hope you do….either that or I’m freaking nuts. Anyway, dude I work with is a musician who gigs and he has an Agile 2K. I never heard of them. He invited me over to his place to check it out and I refused. He then dropped this on me, “Dude, go ahead and spend the cabbage on a name.” So yeah, my interest was piqued and I went over to take a look.
My first words out of my mouth when he opened the case? “God Damn Man!” It was stunning. I pulled it out the case and gave it a good look over and was fairly impressed. Damn this thing sure is pretty.
Then I played it. It’s not a Gibson. But……it comes really close! And depending on your set up and Pups I imagine you could probably get this beast to get you where you want to go. It is a very playable guitar.
So I bought one. And I am very happy her.
Here is the deal folks. The Agile is a very nice guitar. It truly is but dammit folks, no matter how you try to spin it the quality and the sounds that come out of the Agile are no where near the quality and sound you get from a Gibby. But as mentioned before, it comes close and that is a compliment.
So for those of you who are sitting on the fence or you want an LP but dont want the Gibby price tag? You can be comfortable with the Agile. It is NOT a piece of junk.