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tjon901 « The AL-3000 in a Rootbeer finish »
Published on 06/01/11 at 08:02The Agile AL-3000 is a Korean-made solid mahogany LP shaped guitar. The rootbeer model has a flamed Canadian maple top in a rootbeer finish which looks really nice. It includes a maple-top with a triple bound body,and headstock with binding on the neck. The neck is mahogany with an ebony fretboard. The fretboard has distinctive Abalone inlays. The manufacturer claims the the AL-3000 has 22 jumbo frets but they do not seem to be that large. It comes with two Alnico V humbucking pickups which provide a warm traditional tone. I would say they are medium output. The controls are standard LP fare with two volume and two tone controls. The construction has a good solid feel to it.
UTILIZATION
The AL-3000 rootbeer has all the same advantages and flaws that every LP has. The thick body and large set-neck heel limit upper fret access but the wide and flat LP style neck provides good playability along most of the neck. The ebony fretboard is a delight even guitars twice as much rarely provide. The tone is classic LP with its medium output pickups and dual tone and volume controls.
SOUNDS
It provides a classic sound through my Marshall. With the pickups it can become muddy at high gain. With the stock pickups it is best suited for a medium gain classic rock tone. If you are looking for a warm/thick sound this is what you are looking for. There is no single-coil twang to be found here but you can get it if you add a push pull pot or something.
OVERALL OPINION
The ebony fretboard is what puts this guitar over the top. I don't know why companies now choose not to use the wood on most guitars. The smooth feel of an ebony fretboard makes playing effortless. I would rate the quality of construction to a step above an Epiphone. Epiphone does not offer a guitar with these features at this price. The rootbeer finish is beautiful. People should start to look away from the big companies and to these smaller companies. With more and more guitars being made overseas the quality amongst companies has leveled out, and with the quality the same its harder to justify the premium prices for the more established companies.
UTILIZATION
The AL-3000 rootbeer has all the same advantages and flaws that every LP has. The thick body and large set-neck heel limit upper fret access but the wide and flat LP style neck provides good playability along most of the neck. The ebony fretboard is a delight even guitars twice as much rarely provide. The tone is classic LP with its medium output pickups and dual tone and volume controls.
SOUNDS
It provides a classic sound through my Marshall. With the pickups it can become muddy at high gain. With the stock pickups it is best suited for a medium gain classic rock tone. If you are looking for a warm/thick sound this is what you are looking for. There is no single-coil twang to be found here but you can get it if you add a push pull pot or something.
OVERALL OPINION
The ebony fretboard is what puts this guitar over the top. I don't know why companies now choose not to use the wood on most guitars. The smooth feel of an ebony fretboard makes playing effortless. I would rate the quality of construction to a step above an Epiphone. Epiphone does not offer a guitar with these features at this price. The rootbeer finish is beautiful. People should start to look away from the big companies and to these smaller companies. With more and more guitars being made overseas the quality amongst companies has leveled out, and with the quality the same its harder to justify the premium prices for the more established companies.