How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Agreed, Epi has really upped their game in recent years since the new factory and all.. I love mine and LOVE some of the limited run models Ive had.. it used to be you had to play a few to find a jem. now you have to play a few to find a turd.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

I still beat myself up for not grabbing one of those TV Pelham Firebirds. The used market seems to like them as well, because the few that come up for sale have been commanding stupid money.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

St_Genesius said:
I still beat myself up for not grabbing one of those TV Pelham Firebirds. The used market seems to like them as well, because the few that come up for sale have been commanding stupid money.
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I think the TV Pelham series are the best looking Epis out there.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Agile fills and used to fill a need.

8-10 years ago they used to fill the need for a decent entry level Les Paul type guitar with better QC than Epiphone.

Thats not longer an issue. You can buy an Epiphone with the same or better quality overall...certainly better electronics these days, and for similar prices. If you want some weird color or something like the wide nut, Agile still fills that small niche.

But hey still are relevant due to the other guitars they make: decent quality, very affordable instruments with slightly offbeat shapes and features. The seven strings, the SX line, the wierd quasi flying V jazzmaster things. If you like something that LOOKS or is equipped a bit out of the ordinary and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, Agile/Douglas/SX, etc are your go-to company.

I have played a few of the Agile AL models. I wouldn't purchase one over an Epiphone of similar price. A full maple cap is a great thing, only the Epiphone Tributes have those, but your gonna spend the extra $ you save on a Agile gutting the electronics and pickups. Also the fretwork was abysmal on the Agiles I played. Worse than anything Epiphone has put out in the past 10 years.

Then there is the socio/political viewpoint of buying products made in China vs. S. Korea....for some, that is a factor..
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

I've only played one agile, a semi-hollow used guitar. I don't think they have much of a presence here in Canada. I thought it was nice, but certainly no better than my friend's epiphone dot, which seemed to be a comparable model, price and spec wise.

They certainly have a devoted following on the internet, though. Some fans verge on the obsessive.

On the epiphone side of things, I've lately had the chance to play a few new epis. The ones I tried had a sticker under the finish behind the headstock, sort of like the old Gibson custom shop decal, with the year on them. They were really tight, and sounded very very good. One had a sort of satin neck, which I thought was a great compromise between a Gibson-ish nitro and a thick poly, right on the part of the guitar that gets the most hand contact. I thought that was very clever.

They had one in sort of a ferrari-type red, which was one of the best looking les paul's I've ever seen.
 
How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

LLL said:
Don't want to take your precious Gibson Les Paul to the gig?
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A thought like this has not ever occurred to me, and I can't imagine that it has occurred to many others either. I've certainly never heard any working musician voice such a sentiment. Quite the opposite, really; the gig is where you take your best gear. I bought each of my Gibson Les Pauls with pretty much the sole purpose of taking it to the gig. What else is anyone supposed to do with a guitar? I've gigged vintage Gibsons in skid-row dives (literally) without thinking twice about it. They are worthless if not being used as tools.
 
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Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

ItsaBass said:
A thought like this has not ever occurred to me, and I can't imagine that it has occurred to many others either. I've certainly never heard any working musician voice such a sentiment. Quite the opposite, really; the gig is where you take your best gear. I bought each of my Gibson Les Pauls with pretty much the sole purpose of taking it to the gig. What else is anyone supposed to do with a guitar? I've gigged vintage Gibsons in skid-row dives (literally) without thinking twice about it. They are worthless if not being used as tools.
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Ever recorded in a studio?

A gig isn't the only place you bring/use a guitar.

Bring your beater gear to the gig in case it gets stolen or in case that drunk guy who's
three sheets to the wind places his sloshing cup o' suds on your amp head and fries it.

...and keep your good stuff for the studio (home or otherwise).

Unless, of course, you're on a major label that pays for security dudes in-concert.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

ItsaBass said:
A thought like this has not ever occurred to me, and I can't imagine that it has occurred to many others either. I've certainly never heard any working musician voice such a sentiment. Quite the opposite, really; the gig is where you take your best gear.
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Depends on the venue. Most bands play at bars, and loading several thousand dollars worth of gear in a nearly deserted part of the city at 2:00 or 3:00AM could mean you lose it one day. Plus there's the undersize stages most bars have, packed with gear and musicians, who may have to climb over it to get into place. Add the wild, staggering people in the crowd. This is the discerning audience you're taking your best gear to perform for, who're drunk and hollering, in a room with bad acoustics, with the level mix of the instruments/PA that's off? Like any of them could tell the difference, let alone tell if you were even in tune.

At a nicer venue, especially one that gets out earlier and in a better part of town, yes, taking expensive gear isn't nearly the risk. Those make sense.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Well its 2019 now so this is a late reply but I just bought 3010 and it plays like a $1000 les paul and pickups also sound great. Did have to make a minor neck adjustment. This guitar seems to want low action and sounds best dump to lowest possible level wihout getting any buzz. I love my agile and would perform live with it. Grover tuners are great but do slip out of tune a tad once in a while, I recommend the Agile 3010 as long as your not buying a used one with a warped neck or somethin I don't see how u can go wrong for under 300 bucks.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

I’ve never played one. I’ve been seeing some used ones in stores lately, but I just don’t care.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Their 8-strings are pretty high-end fare, and seem ready to gig/record 8-string genre sounds out of the box... IF you're into that kind of thing
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Aceman said:
We feel that Agile is a solid upper entry / lower mid tier instrument, similar to Epiphone yet more consistent. we believe that with a few key upgrades, they may sound and feel fantastic.

We also believe that if you don't own a REAL Gibson you should stop acting like they are as good as one, because they aren't. For those of you who do, and say the Agile is that good, stop lying.
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I have never owned an Agile, but I have played a few in stores. They are decently built guitars in terms of quality control. I'm not crazy about the materials used and the finishing feels cheap. The quality, sound, and feel of Agiles is similar to current production Epiphone quality as others have stated (which has been decent for what it is). But you know, with any type of instrument, you get what you pay for. A $300 guitar is just that no matter what you upgrade.

That being said, I am a huge fan of Gibson guitars, so my gear compass points towards a real Les Paul or whatever particular model Gibson floats your boat.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

"I recommend the Agile 3010 as long as your not buying a used one with a warped neck or somethin I don't see how u can go wrong for under 300 bucks."​


Do these guitars usually have a neck stability problem?
Is the neck stability a buyer beware situation?
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Condemned soul said:
"I recommend the Agile 3010 as long as your not buying a used one with a warped neck or somethin I don't see how u can go wrong for under 300 bucks."​


Do these guitars usually have a neck stability problem?
Is the neck stability a buyer beware situation?
Click to expand...

I think this is more of a generalization for guitar purchases in general.... I've not heard of any neck issues with Agiles.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

A solid backup guitar once you replace the electronics and pickups.
 
Re: How Do You Guys Feel About Agiles?

Still use my 2000 on a consistent basis, love it. Had it now like 13 years.
 
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