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Fireguy8402 « Best LP Guitar Under $250 »
Published on 11/19/11 at 12:54The Agile AL2000 is a dual humbucker single cutaway electric with a solid mahogany arch top body, with a body style similar to that of a Gibson Les Paul. The guitar has full body and neck binding. The neck is set-in maple with a rosewood fretboard and trapezoidal pearloid inlays. This guitar has a 22 jumbo 2.7 mm frets and a 13.7” (350 mm) radius neck. It is wired like a standard two bucker equipped Les Paul with two volume and two tone controls and three way pickup switch. Width of the neck at the nut is 1 5/8” and 2 3/16” at the 22nd fret. The scale length is 24.7” and the bridge pole spacing is 3” on the Tune O Matic style bridge. The body thickness at the edge is 2” and the weight varies on these models from 8 to 12 pounds with an average weight of around 9 or 10 lbs. The stock humbuckers on this model are ceramics and these models are made in Korea.
UTILIZATION
This guitar sounds very much like the Les Paul style guitar it’s trying to copy, and plays better than most in its price range. The action on this guitar can be set very low without fret buzz and the neck seems very stable. The Grover tuners on this thing are great and hold tune very well, no need to upgrade those. Grover tuners at this price point is awesome. I find it very comfortable to wear and play, but some of these guitars can seem pretty hefty after a long set. Access to the upper frets is manageable and the neck feels just right for me, not too thick and not too thin. The black cherry finish is flawless and the binding adds to the flame maple top nicely. Switches, jacks and hardware have a solid feel to them, though if I were to upgrade anything the electronics and bridge would be the first place I’d start.
SOUNDS
You can pretty much nail the typical Les Paul sounds with this guitar. It isn’t as clear and detailed, but I lend that more to the pickups and electronics than the actual build of the guitar itself. It is made out of pretty nice wood, especially at this price point. You aren’t going to get the quack of a Strat or the twang of a Tele out of this guitar, but that’s not what Les Pauls are made for. It does what it does very well. Cleans are fat and cutting on the bridge and smooth and round on the neck pickup (though I find the neck pickup a bit too muddy for my tastes). The PAF pickups that come stock in the guitar are decent enough, but an upgrade to a Duncan or similar offering is well worth the investment. They have to cut corners somewhere to offer an instrument of this caliber for such a low price and electronics is where it’s at. That’s a good thing though because they are the easiest to upgrade and they are the most personal part of the guitar. Even if the guitar came with some sweet Gibson 57s or PRS 7s, some people would still swap them out. This guitar resonates and sustains for days, I love it. Much like my LP2500 from Agile the sound is very warm but cutting, great for country through rock music, with a pickup change the sound could be focused in a little more for modern metal use.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I am very pleased with my Agile AL2000. I’ve owned several guitars with the big names that cost way more, but I always wind up coming back to my Agiles. I would suggest anyone looking for a dual humbucker sound to pick one up because it will not disappoint and the customer service is great. For around $250 US shipped to your door, I can’t imagine getting a better LP for the money. No wonder there is such an online following for these guitars. You’re not going to get a Gibson Historic for this kind of money, but I feel these can hang with the Studio line and beat out most of the Epiphone line in the same price bracket and then some. Bargain shopping aside, this is a nice guitar at any price point and a definite win for Agile.
UTILIZATION
This guitar sounds very much like the Les Paul style guitar it’s trying to copy, and plays better than most in its price range. The action on this guitar can be set very low without fret buzz and the neck seems very stable. The Grover tuners on this thing are great and hold tune very well, no need to upgrade those. Grover tuners at this price point is awesome. I find it very comfortable to wear and play, but some of these guitars can seem pretty hefty after a long set. Access to the upper frets is manageable and the neck feels just right for me, not too thick and not too thin. The black cherry finish is flawless and the binding adds to the flame maple top nicely. Switches, jacks and hardware have a solid feel to them, though if I were to upgrade anything the electronics and bridge would be the first place I’d start.
SOUNDS
You can pretty much nail the typical Les Paul sounds with this guitar. It isn’t as clear and detailed, but I lend that more to the pickups and electronics than the actual build of the guitar itself. It is made out of pretty nice wood, especially at this price point. You aren’t going to get the quack of a Strat or the twang of a Tele out of this guitar, but that’s not what Les Pauls are made for. It does what it does very well. Cleans are fat and cutting on the bridge and smooth and round on the neck pickup (though I find the neck pickup a bit too muddy for my tastes). The PAF pickups that come stock in the guitar are decent enough, but an upgrade to a Duncan or similar offering is well worth the investment. They have to cut corners somewhere to offer an instrument of this caliber for such a low price and electronics is where it’s at. That’s a good thing though because they are the easiest to upgrade and they are the most personal part of the guitar. Even if the guitar came with some sweet Gibson 57s or PRS 7s, some people would still swap them out. This guitar resonates and sustains for days, I love it. Much like my LP2500 from Agile the sound is very warm but cutting, great for country through rock music, with a pickup change the sound could be focused in a little more for modern metal use.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I am very pleased with my Agile AL2000. I’ve owned several guitars with the big names that cost way more, but I always wind up coming back to my Agiles. I would suggest anyone looking for a dual humbucker sound to pick one up because it will not disappoint and the customer service is great. For around $250 US shipped to your door, I can’t imagine getting a better LP for the money. No wonder there is such an online following for these guitars. You’re not going to get a Gibson Historic for this kind of money, but I feel these can hang with the Studio line and beat out most of the Epiphone line in the same price bracket and then some. Bargain shopping aside, this is a nice guitar at any price point and a definite win for Agile.