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MGR/Anonymous « Agile AS-820 »
Published on 01/01/05 at 15:00 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
« Thread started on: Sep 6th, 2003, 10:19pm »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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