Danhedonia
Noted duckfat enthusiast
This is not a troll. After about 15 years on-and-off with online guitar fora, I am wondering if it's actually possible to simply discuss Agile guitars?
Agile Guitars - is it possible to discuss them?
- Thread starter Danhedonia
- Start date
By all means, go ahead and discuss. I've only played one and it was a terrible guitar. I've heard good things about them from a lot of people, so I think I tried a crappy one. It looked new, but was in the used guitar section at my local GC, so maybe it was a shitty example someone sold because it sucked. They seem to have some pretty nice looking shred multi-string guitars these days. This 10 string looks like a hell of a deal at 900 bucks.
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Danhedonia
Noted duckfat enthusiast
OK.
When I first started having serious GAS, it was around what I'd call the 'glory days' of Korean guitar building - circa '96-'03, give or take. The value on the MIK guitars I have from this era are amazing.
Peoples' reactions to copies vary, but I always felt that I didn't really care if something said "Epiphone" or "Agile" or "Cort" or "Joe's Guitars." If it felt and sounded good, I was in. After some fooferaw on 'another forum,' I looked at the website and thought well, he at least is far more in touch, design-wise, than Gibson or FMIC. I still feel that way -- the color combos and options on Agiles / SX basses / etc. really hit my aesthetic spot far more often than the 'original' companies do.
Anyhow, I got an Agile Valkyrie. It arrived with some shipping damage to the finish. As I repacked it to return, I noticed that the guitar was OK, but not amazing otherwise. Thought about a refund but decided what the heck, and got another Valkyrie. That 2nd Valkyrie I got is a kickass guitar. I don't play it that often (not much of a HB/stoptail guy) but when I do, I wind up putting it in the main rotation for weeks. For me, a sign of a good guitar is one where I tend to write a bunch on it. I've had a lot of riffs come out of that guitar. And on top if it, it looks great. Stainless steel frets, and although they're ceramic pups, they're really nice.
I never bought another, primarily because my buying habits and preferences were strongly oriented towards "try before you buy." I'm the guy who goes to the store and spends 2 hours playing a LOT of gutiars, looking for the Squier with the good neck, the NOS US Fender with the tiny ding, etc. But I have always had a hankering for one of the LP copies.
Anyhow, time rolls by, and there are a number of questions I've always wondered.
* Are they still primarily made in Korea? They used to say that on the website, but that info is conspicuously missing now.
* Why WAS Agile such a lightning rod for flame wars? I really never got this.
* Does anyone else feel that the design(s) are really much better than the 'originals?' As a lifelong "Fender guy," I look at the SX basses particularly, and just from a layout/color/etc. approach they're much more up my alley than the MIM FMIC options. Cool bursts, matching headstocks, block inlays, bindings - I feel like the spirit of the original animal(s) are somehow more honored there.
* Now that Agiles have been around a while, why haven't the forums lit up with tales about how they've aged? It's strange to me how all those flame-war veterans have just kind of gone away? I'm NOT seeking a revival of the flame wars, but it would be really interesting to hear from someone who has, say, owned an AL-2500 for 12 years to hear how they're getting on with their instruments.
* What do people think generally about the value structure of mail-order only? I have never seen an SX bass in the flesh, but if I did and it were comparable in quality to a Squier Vintage Modified, I can think of 2 or 3 I'd want to order right away. And I always get to wondering "is it really 60% of the Squier price just because they don't have a marketing machine?" As an analogy, the guys on Talkbass are all agog over Sire basses, who espouse the same approach.
Lastly, I guess I'd just say that I love guitars, and Agile makes some cool-looking ones, and it would be really nice to be able to shoot the breeze about them without silliness ensuing.
Share your Agile thoughts!
When I first started having serious GAS, it was around what I'd call the 'glory days' of Korean guitar building - circa '96-'03, give or take. The value on the MIK guitars I have from this era are amazing.
Peoples' reactions to copies vary, but I always felt that I didn't really care if something said "Epiphone" or "Agile" or "Cort" or "Joe's Guitars." If it felt and sounded good, I was in. After some fooferaw on 'another forum,' I looked at the website and thought well, he at least is far more in touch, design-wise, than Gibson or FMIC. I still feel that way -- the color combos and options on Agiles / SX basses / etc. really hit my aesthetic spot far more often than the 'original' companies do.
Anyhow, I got an Agile Valkyrie. It arrived with some shipping damage to the finish. As I repacked it to return, I noticed that the guitar was OK, but not amazing otherwise. Thought about a refund but decided what the heck, and got another Valkyrie. That 2nd Valkyrie I got is a kickass guitar. I don't play it that often (not much of a HB/stoptail guy) but when I do, I wind up putting it in the main rotation for weeks. For me, a sign of a good guitar is one where I tend to write a bunch on it. I've had a lot of riffs come out of that guitar. And on top if it, it looks great. Stainless steel frets, and although they're ceramic pups, they're really nice.
I never bought another, primarily because my buying habits and preferences were strongly oriented towards "try before you buy." I'm the guy who goes to the store and spends 2 hours playing a LOT of gutiars, looking for the Squier with the good neck, the NOS US Fender with the tiny ding, etc. But I have always had a hankering for one of the LP copies.
Anyhow, time rolls by, and there are a number of questions I've always wondered.
* Are they still primarily made in Korea? They used to say that on the website, but that info is conspicuously missing now.
* Why WAS Agile such a lightning rod for flame wars? I really never got this.
* Does anyone else feel that the design(s) are really much better than the 'originals?' As a lifelong "Fender guy," I look at the SX basses particularly, and just from a layout/color/etc. approach they're much more up my alley than the MIM FMIC options. Cool bursts, matching headstocks, block inlays, bindings - I feel like the spirit of the original animal(s) are somehow more honored there.
* Now that Agiles have been around a while, why haven't the forums lit up with tales about how they've aged? It's strange to me how all those flame-war veterans have just kind of gone away? I'm NOT seeking a revival of the flame wars, but it would be really interesting to hear from someone who has, say, owned an AL-2500 for 12 years to hear how they're getting on with their instruments.
* What do people think generally about the value structure of mail-order only? I have never seen an SX bass in the flesh, but if I did and it were comparable in quality to a Squier Vintage Modified, I can think of 2 or 3 I'd want to order right away. And I always get to wondering "is it really 60% of the Squier price just because they don't have a marketing machine?" As an analogy, the guys on Talkbass are all agog over Sire basses, who espouse the same approach.
Lastly, I guess I'd just say that I love guitars, and Agile makes some cool-looking ones, and it would be really nice to be able to shoot the breeze about them without silliness ensuing.
Share your Agile thoughts!
Danhedonia
Noted duckfat enthusiast
BTW, I used to live about 2 miles from Ed Roman's compound in Vegas out towards the southern entrance of Red Rocks National Monument. I realized that one day while coming back from a hike, and being yelled at by The Man himself (and he was utterly wrong, I had parked legally and it was most certainly NOT his property). He really, really was an asshole.
B Valley
Rattlesnake Shaker
A friend, a long time Gibson owner bought an Agile Gold Top and loves it. I bought two SX Teles, one to set up for slide and one to set up Keith style. I had intended to change pickups but they both sounded great right out of the box. Nice necks on them too, and full thickness bodies.
ellengtrgrl
Guitar Old Timer
By all means, go ahead and discuss. I've only played one and it was a terrible guitar. I've heard good things about them from a lot of people, so I think I tried a crappy one. It looked new, but was in the used guitar section at my local GC, so maybe it was a shitty example someone sold because it sucked. They seem to have some pretty nice looking shred multi-string guitars these days. This 10 string looks like a hell of a deal at 900 bucks.
I agree. That 10-string looks sooooo intriguing, due to all of the sonic possibilities it opens up.
Lerxst
spaghetti and blankets
Why WAS Agile such a lightning rod for flame wars?
As I recall it:
At the time that Agile became a topic online, Gibson QC (or lack of QC) was a huge topic. An every day, multiple threads,topic. So Gibson players were already on the defensive.
Then along comes Agile LP copies and some people start saying that their Agile LP is better than any Gibson they ever played.
This discussion point eventually became about the money, which eventually devolved into an argument pitting guys with the means to purchase a Gibson vs those who couldn't afford one. Predictable shit storm followed.
As I recall it:
At the time that Agile became a topic online, Gibson QC (or lack of QC) was a huge topic. An every day, multiple threads,topic. So Gibson players were already on the defensive.
Then along comes Agile LP copies and some people start saying that their Agile LP is better than any Gibson they ever played.
This discussion point eventually became about the money, which eventually devolved into an argument pitting guys with the means to purchase a Gibson vs those who couldn't afford one. Predictable shit storm followed.
Danhedonia
Noted duckfat enthusiast
Yeah, it's coming back ... class-war sort of stuff, IIR.
I'd love to get a "ok, calmed down now" update from those LP copy owners from back-in-the-day. Here's what I've noticed about the Valkyrie over time:
- The quality of the hardware is really quite good. The ceramic pups through an older Fender is a thing of beauty.
- That slightly-thin neck was covered in a lot of lacquer. Cynical me usually thinks that's to try and compensate for green wood. But no instability at ALL since 2003. I don't baby guitars, either. (they're not cased, they're left out in a desert environment on a rack or stand, for years at a time).
- Given the above, I wind up tweaking Strats (and I've got some nice ones) a LOT as the seasons change, restringing, etc. That Valkyrie is just solid as cement - hasn't needed reintonation in I don't know how long.
Here's another question: I live in Albuquerque, and the local Music Go Round has a lot of interesting non-Fender/Gibson guitars (they had a mad spree on Fernandes a while back). And I used to travel allllll over the US West for work, and drop in on GCs, MGRs, etc. out of boredom after work hours. Why haven't I ever, once, seen a used Agile for sale anywhere? It's strange to me.
I'd love to get a "ok, calmed down now" update from those LP copy owners from back-in-the-day. Here's what I've noticed about the Valkyrie over time:
- The quality of the hardware is really quite good. The ceramic pups through an older Fender is a thing of beauty.
- That slightly-thin neck was covered in a lot of lacquer. Cynical me usually thinks that's to try and compensate for green wood. But no instability at ALL since 2003. I don't baby guitars, either. (they're not cased, they're left out in a desert environment on a rack or stand, for years at a time).
- Given the above, I wind up tweaking Strats (and I've got some nice ones) a LOT as the seasons change, restringing, etc. That Valkyrie is just solid as cement - hasn't needed reintonation in I don't know how long.
Here's another question: I live in Albuquerque, and the local Music Go Round has a lot of interesting non-Fender/Gibson guitars (they had a mad spree on Fernandes a while back). And I used to travel allllll over the US West for work, and drop in on GCs, MGRs, etc. out of boredom after work hours. Why haven't I ever, once, seen a used Agile for sale anywhere? It's strange to me.
I think that Agile guitars are really only a known quantity for folks who frequent guitar forums. They probably get sold more often than not between forumites that as trade-ins at a GC or other local music store because the resale would be much less for people who don't recognize the potential value. I've played a few great Agile Les Pauls and some awful ones. The average person browsing the used section at a GC in Idaho probably will only identify with recognizable brand names and not even pickup something like this.
R O N D O music has been banned here due to their owners shitty spam practices a few years ago. If you post their name it comes up ""balsa wood and spit"
R O N D O music has been banned here due to their owners shitty spam practices a few years ago. If you post their name it comes up ""balsa wood and spit"
Lerxst
spaghetti and blankets
I used to see them on the Philly CL all the time. I suspect that Mark touches on a good point that most shops are probably a bit leery about them on trade-in and lowball even more than shops usually lowball (driving the owner to sell or trade online). I've seen a couple used but only mom and pop shops.
Is the unofficial agile forum still around? You might be able to get some long term owner feedback there.
I had a 2500 & traded for an ipod. It wound up getting traded a few more times after that until I lost track of who owned it.
Is the unofficial agile forum still around? You might be able to get some long term owner feedback there.
I had a 2500 & traded for an ipod. It wound up getting traded a few more times after that until I lost track of who owned it.
mikesr1963
Gonna walk my dog, you?
As you probably saw I just got an Agile. The original owner got it from the spit guy. While I wanted to try one for a long time I take a stand at, IMO, are over price shipping charges.
Mine is made in Korea and the person I got it from said he didn't have it long. I don't know how to date them so he could have had it longer. It's a 3010 and it's a hell of a $250 guitar. In saying that, my Tradition Les Paul made in Indonesia feels more like Gibson's I've played. I can also dial in that guitar's tone to the song Melissa (and other songs) by the ABB on it (but I did change the caps in it). The only reason I want an LP type guitar to begin with.
I like the Agile a lot, it has been wonderful so far but it did require me to do a set up to include a fret polishing. I imagine those two things were the deciding factor in having the owner sell it to me.
Mine is made in Korea and the person I got it from said he didn't have it long. I don't know how to date them so he could have had it longer. It's a 3010 and it's a hell of a $250 guitar. In saying that, my Tradition Les Paul made in Indonesia feels more like Gibson's I've played. I can also dial in that guitar's tone to the song Melissa (and other songs) by the ABB on it (but I did change the caps in it). The only reason I want an LP type guitar to begin with.
I like the Agile a lot, it has been wonderful so far but it did require me to do a set up to include a fret polishing. I imagine those two things were the deciding factor in having the owner sell it to me.
mikesr1963
Gonna walk my dog, you?
Agree fully on that statement. Seemed it's all anyone could talk about at one time. But also knowing now what I didn't know then, retailers will do that sort of thing on certain forums and gain following, promote product, and generate a false sense of need.
gtrjunior
Wannabe
That scares the fuck out of me...lolBy all means, go ahead and discuss. I've only played one and it was a terrible guitar. I've heard good things about them from a lot of people, so I think I tried a crappy one. It looked new, but was in the used guitar section at my local GC, so maybe it was a shitty example someone sold because it sucked. They seem to have some pretty nice looking shred multi-string guitars these days. This 10 string looks like a hell of a deal at 900 bucks.
This is what I remember. People were crazy passionate about their side of the argument. I never quite understood it all. I never played well enough that the instrument really mattered much.
gtrjunior
Wannabe
I saw your other thread....it sure is a pretty axe...I wish you nothing but the best of luck with it.
The prices are hard to ignore, but I too ( like many of you) couldn't pull the trigger on a guitar I knew absolutely nothing about besides the forum banter I came across.