Sneaky-Pete
I'm starting to see a lot of good comments on Gibson and Les Paul sites
about Agile guitars, especially the Les Paul versions.
A lot of people rate them better than the Epi Les Pauls, both in finish , playability and sound.
The distributor is Rondo Music in the USA.....www.rondomusic.com
There are 3 versions....AL-200, AL-3010 and AL-3200.
Prices range from $160 up to $600.
I was wondering if anyone here has seen or played one?
I queried the postage for a single guitar to SA and was quoted around $120
which seems a lot.
Anybody able to add more info.....?
21Fretter
The 7-strings are also highly regarded if I recall; better quality entry levels than most other brands.
AlanRatcliffe
I've seen a few. Basically another well-made Asian manufactured brand on a par with Cort, Vintage, Reverend, Epiphone, et. al.. Basically, decent but affordable instruments. IMO, their strength is in their variety - they have a very wide range with lot of unusual variations on the same old basic themes and a few oddities.
Rondo is more than the distributor - it is their brand and they subcontract manufacturing to Asian factories. Like Carvin, they sell direct, with no distribution network, so can keep the prices affordable with the wide range.
As to comparisons with the big brands... You hear the same kind of praise heaped on the other Asian brands listed above by their fans. Doesn't make it so (any more than those companies own Asian lines compete with their American ones)...
So, I'd happily give them a chance when looking for something unusual, but if it's just another LP or Strat, we have plenty of decent options available locally that you can actually go in and play before buying.
Malkav
I've tried 3 different examples, two eight strings and one seven string, all were in my opinion better value for money than any of the locally available options in that price range (Shipping factored in) - However those are niche instruments and now that a whole lot of brands have jumped on that market I'd still say the Agiles are top contenders but there are other options I'd personally rather jump on. There were one or two little finishing naggles but nothing unexpected at that price and nothing obvious, the playability was absolutely fine though.
In short they're okay, good bang for buck, but a little shot in the dark.
