Agile AS-820

got it on Ebay, absolutly new for $250.00 including hardshell case. even still had the protective plastic on the pick guard....even after $30.00 for shipping , that's a Screamin deal! new ones sell for 259.00 minus the 80.00 hardshell case.

this is a 2003 model I believe. they changed the body and headstock in late 2004, ( can you say lawsuit? )but kept the basic model # .this one is beautiful... blond maple finish, gold hardware. grover tuners pearl inlay on the neck and (gibson-ish style mustach )head, plays awesome.Great tone and reverb, keeps a tune. and cost a third the cost of most similar copies. what could ask for more?

I'm used to playing various Les Paul copies I have collected over the years, all with ultra thin necks. compaired to those the neck feels a bit thick at first, but never having owned a 335 before, this may be standard. it's totaly playable. just different. also I have heard several people swap out the pickups on these for actual Gibson model pups,these sound great for me though, mabe if I was a studio musician I could tell the differance. but they sound fine to me, so, No real negative

built like nothing I've ever owned. set neck. awesome fit and finish! blond maple front and back, nice cream colored binding on the body,neck and head. with black and white pin stripe trim. even binding inside the F hole edges.maple neck with rosewood fretboard with pearl inlay on the neck and head stock, all smooth and done right, no bumps or ridges. finish is also smooth high gloss, and flawless. beautiful and awesome!

since the changed the body and headstock style in late 2004, unless your real lucky You cant get these anymore. at least not the exact copies... and I would have to my knowledge this is an exact copy of a gibson e335, at least based on what I could research. ( never having owned a e335 ) but these Agile guitars have developed a fast and furious cult following, and I saw one review where an engineer compared all the various measurments and thicknesses of the guitar and declaired this an EXACT copy minus the expensive pickups. It's the best guitar deal I've ever made.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Agile AS-820 (ES 335 Clone)
« Thread started on: Sep 6th, 2003, 10:19pm »

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Well, I'm not sure I'm the best one to write a review, but I don't see one here for this model so I'll give it a go.

First impression out of the box ... WOW ... this thing is beautiful (picture below ... still has the plastic over the PuP covers and pick-guard). Double boxed, and very well packed too. The finish is flawless, and the wood has an ever-so-slight flame to it both front and back. The binding is well done, maybe not as nice as my hand made Mockingbird Supreme, but very nice nonetheless. The truss rod cover is a bit chincy, but that's no biggie.

The neck doesn't appear to have any twist, but I did tweak the rod just a bit to flatten it out some. There's a bit of fret buzz, but the action is very low. I figure a moderate amount of fret leveling will result in little to no buzz at the same low action.

Since I wasn't sure of the string gauge that came with the guitar, I intonated after re-stringing. The intonation was fine out of the box, and it's tunes as good or better than any other guitar I own. The Grover 18:1 tuners are very nice, and the guitar stays in tune from start to finish (not sure that I'm all that rough a player).

I was pleasantly surprised by the tone that came out of my 100W Mojave PeaceMaker and Mojave 4x12 (G12H-30s). As with most Marshalls and clones that I've played, it seems a bit picky about the PuPs, favoring PAF-types for the best tone. The ceramics in the Agile are "edgier" than my A5s, but in a good way. They have a really nice punch. I doubt I'll change them anytime soon.

This is my first semi-hollow body guitar, and I really like the feel of it with sustaining feedback. Wow ... pinch a note and let it feedback with a little vibrato and you can feel the body resonate with the tone. If doesn't get out of control though ... just a nice sensation.

There's a little buzz around the bridge area that I need to chase down, maybe owing to the fact that the stopbar is bottomed out. Still, all things considered, I can't imagine getting a better instrument for two or three times the price. I see no need to yank electronics, and I've come to learn that most new guitars need a good set-up anyway. I just hope I can keep from buying one a month!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com