Stock Agile AL 3100

[progrmr]

Yes - I did see the 820, very nice and still well within my price range.

I miss my LP though - the 2000 reviewed on Youtube does well enough. I kinda see a LP like a Strat IE you have to have one in the stable

[Eric***]

I kinda see a LP like a Strat IE you have to have one in the stable

Funny you should say that. I'm not sure if I'll ever own a strat again. Never say never, but they just don't appeal to me for some reason.

[Duffy]

I agree with Eric that the quality is with the Agiles, but budget is important too.

As far as the Agile LP's, the AL 2000 we got for Charity's grandson does not sound at all like my AL 3100. I think it is the big neck and alnico V pickups on the 3100, but may be more to it. The 3100 sounds WAY better than the 2000 that I bought. The 2000 has a maple neck set to a mahogany body. I think that is part of the tonal difference. Lately I think the neck has a lot more to do with tone than I had previously thought.

I grabbed my class A 3100 for 299 on sale, still a little more than a 2000. But if the budget calls for it you get what works and try to get the best quality, at least that's what I do. With this in mind the 2000 is a good deal for a great inexpensive guitar. The one we bought was great but brighter than my mahogany necked LP type guitars. Of course that could have been the cheap stock strings. I bought the strings and gave them to him with a bunch of effects pedals, but should have restrung it. I figured he'd break a string or two before too long so I didn't. He is 16 and has a buddy guitar player that is supposedly teaching him. I keep encouraging his mother to get him a teacher.

[ZMAN]

I talked to Kurt at Rondo today by email and he says they don't have sales.
Ah I am sorry but I hear about them all the time. Duffy: Did you get your Agile from Rondo or was it a used guitar. I thought you could only get Agiles new from Rondo.

[Duffy]

I bought my Agile AL 3100 brand new from rondomusic.com, no affln.

They may not have sales but on the homepage you will see "New items and Specials", mine was listed under Specials, at a special price one hundred dollars less than regular price for other colors, etc. They had a few chambered ones on Special at the same time for way less than normal price for other colors.

I usually watch the "New Items and Specials" and see some good deals, but I may pay full price for my next one. One thing I noticed is that guitarfetish and their Xavier guitar line seem to be flamboyant and extravagant in describing their guitars, where the Agiles seem to have clear cut descriptions and stand for themselves in terms of very high quality, with absolutely no hot air.

[Eric***]

One thing I noticed is that guitarfetish and their Xavier guitar line seem to be flamboyant and extravagant in describing their guitars, where the Agiles seem to have clear cut descriptions and stand for themselves in terms of very high quality, with absolutely no hot air.

+1 on that! I have definitely noticed the same thing with guitarfetish.com.

[ZMAN]

That is what I heard. I hear guys all the time talking about lower prices. I guess they don't like the word "sale". Ok we will substitute, "special" .
Works for me.

[NWBasser]

I bought my Agile AL 3100 brand new from rondomusic.com, no affln.

They may not have sales but on the homepage you will see "New items and Specials", mine was listed under Specials, at a special price one hundred dollars less than regular price for other colors, etc. They had a few chambered ones on Special at the same time for way less than normal price for other colors.

I usually watch the "New Items and Specials" and see some good deals, but I may pay full price for my next one. One thing I noticed is that guitarfetish and their Xavier guitar line seem to be flamboyant and extravagant in describing their guitars, where the Agiles seem to have clear cut descriptions and stand for themselves in terms of very high quality, with absolutely no hot air.

Duffy, I think your description of Guitarfetish ad copy is pretty close to Gibson as well.

How does the Agile AL3100 compare to an Epiphone LP Standard?

[FrankenFretter***]

Duffy, I think that the brightness you hear in the AL2K is probably a combo of the maple neck and the ceramic pups. The Alnico pickups that come stock on the AL3x00s sound great, I agree. With the ceramics, you're more likely to have a less "warm" sound, due to the Alnico magnets having what's described as a "tone-rounding" effect...hence the warmer tone.

By the way, I think you need to update your sig; don't you have something like double the amount of guitars listed there now? ;-)

[Duffy]

NWbasser, I think the Agile AL 3100 is superior to my Epi LP Standard with Seymour Duncan's - Jazz in neck, JB in bridge, Hot Rodded set; as well as my amber Epi LP Standard Plus Top with nickel covered Seymour Duncan's - 59 in the neck and JB in the bridge, although this is a very good guitar nevertheless. The Agile has binding top and bottom and an ebony fretboard, seems very well built, has binding everywhere, looks great, has a great thick neck and has real good tone with the stock pickups. Didn't think I would like a thick neck and wasn't expecting it but it feels great to play and the chords just fall into place effortlessly. I think that is one of the tests I give a guitar I play in a store, how smoothly and effortlessly am I able to play otherwise difficult chords. Some guitars are easy and some are difficult to chord on. Probably has to do with individual hands, but maybe not. Could be just a quality of the neck design issue.

So yeah, the higher end Agiles seem to me to be nicer guitars than the standard Epi LPs and below.

I am mainly only showing my upgraded collection now and there are a couple I should add. I'm selling some of my older, lower quality guitars. I even gave one away, it was moded too.

[eichaan]

Nice looking guitar! I have had an AL-3000 goldtop for about 4 years now and it is a very nice guitar. It stays in tune well, the P-90's are great and the guitar is overall surprisingly nice for the $369 retail price.

I like the 3100's but I can't get past the feeling that an inlay on the 1st fret would screw me up!

Here's a pic of mine:

[MAXIFUNK]

Question has any of you gents ever had a bad experience with an Agile guitar?

[Eric***]

Question has any of you gents ever had a bad experience with an Agile guitar?

Umm...not bad, necessarily. I've left mine hanging on the wall recently while I try to recalibrate myself to my Godin. I picked up the Agile again last night to try it out, and was reminded that it is one heavy SOB, even by LP standards. Also, I really do like the Seymour Duncan pickups in my Godin a lot more. They seem to respond better to volume and tone adjustments.

So no, not really a bad experience, though now that I've been 'seeing someone else', the weaknesses of the Agile are a little more apparent. It's still a crazy good deal for $400 or whatever they cost.

[ZMAN]

Nice looking guitar! I have had an AL-3000 goldtop for about 4 years now and it is a very nice guitar. It stays in tune well, the P-90's are great and the guitar is overall surprisingly nice for the $369 retail price.

I like the 3100's but I can't get past the feeling that an inlay on the 1st fret would screw me up!

Here's a pic of mine:

I have a couple of P90 guitars and I was wondering what your Agile sounds like noise wise? My Gold top by Vintage guitars is said to have "Stacked p90s" which is suposed to suppress noise but they are quite noisey. Humm cancelling in the middle pos. though. I do use a lot of high gain amps though.

[Duffy]

Both of my P90 guitars are noisy, except the tele that is noise cancelling in the middle pickup switch position. Seymour Duncan, no affln., makes a supposedly quiet noiseless version. Probably well worth the money. Gibson does too I think, but I don't know if they are a retail item.

[marnold***]

eichann, if I were to get an Agile, it would be one just like yours. Very sharp. I like the idea of P90s even though I'm not a big fan of noise.

[Duffy]

I agree with Marnold, in terms of getting an LP with P90's. I'd get the Agile Gold Top LP with P90's, definitely instead of the Epiphone. I really like P90 tone but the noise gets heavy under increasing gain, pedals, etc. That's why I prefer my one that noise cancels in the middle position.

I would like to get some noise cancelling P90's that still retain the characteristic sound. I would probably trust Seymour Duncan, no affln.

That is a beautiful Gold Top Agile. Also, I miss my GM110 that was stolen from me about two years ago along with a Highway One and a Gibson Faded SG. That GM110 was cool. I'd like to get a new one but they are hard to find new now.

[ZMAN]

I have had a Gibson SG with P90s for over 40 years, and it doesn't sound half as noisey as the stacked P90s by Wilkinson.
My only reservation about the Agile GT is the triple body binding. That just does not look good on a gold top. Different yes, but regular binding would be enough.

[eichaan]

Thanks for the nice comments. I don't personally find the P-90's to be noisy, and as an earlier poster mentioned they are hum cancelling in the middle position. Part of the reason for me is that I usually play on the middle setting at low volume (4 on the guitar) only raising the volume on bridge if I want a more trebly sound or neck if I want something fuller for leads. There is little problem that way.

My first Agile was an AL-2500 goldtop that got a crack on the scarf joint under the headstock after about 10 months. I drove over to Rondo (they still had the store in NJ then) and Kurt accepted it back with no problem. Then I played about 10 guitars before finding this AL-3000. And since I had a $200 credit from returning the first guitar, this only cost me $169. So I would have no hesitation buying another Agile--they take care of their customers.