Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: gwEm on August 27, 2009, 12:42:50 AM
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arrived in brooklyn to be greeted by an Agile Goldtop AL-2000
its actually really nice for the money - i mean really really nice... i would pay twice as much for it and still say that. nicer than current epiphones quite obviously. its no '59, but its more than good enough.
i wonder how the top of the line ones are like the al-3000m with the full thickness maple top.
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Cool! You know you shall take pictures :P
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will post pictures... this weekend - after surgery!
just wanted to add another Agile recommendation to the boards
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will post pictures... this weekend - after surgery!
just wanted to add another Agile recommendation to the boards
are you going to the knife? :?
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Man hope surgery goes well.
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arrived in brooklyn to be greeted by an Agile Goldtop AL-2000
its actually really nice for the money - i mean really really nice... i would pay twice as much for it and still say that. nicer than current epiphones quite obviously. its no '59, but its more than good enough.
i wonder how the top of the line ones are like the al-3000m with the full thickness maple top.
I have heard about these from other dudes. I just cant get it through my head that a guitar for this price could possibly be any good. I would think an edwards would be better or something. I think the very top of the line are these.
http://www.rondomusic.com/al3000m2ts.html
Seriously though how would it compare to a high end guitar. Here in the reviews they are holding them up to gibson standards but I cant go for that.
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I've got a an AL3100 and a Septor 727, and they're both excellent. The finish is flawless, the frets are good, and the feel just screams quality in a way epiphones never can. The've both got ebony fretboards (the one on the Septor is astonishing, it's like glass), and the AL has real MOP inlays. The Septor is a 5 piece neck through with mahogany wings, a flamed maple top and an ebony board, and it cost me £380 shipped from the states with taxes. The AL cost the same with a hardshell case!
The only thing I don't like with the AL is the pickups, but that's a taste rather than quality issue (they're a bit too vintage for me), and I'm mid solder job as we speak :)
Is the 3100 better than an epiphone? yes. Is it as good as a "good" gibson? No. Is it better than a "bad" gibson? Probably. The bottom line is that you won't find such a good value for money guitar anywhere else. If it weren't for the exchange rate at the minute I'd probably have bought another two by now.
About 4 times a year they also offer custom orders 8)
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Here's my 3100
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14537.msg189005#msg189005
and here's my 727
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=12129.0
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sweet :)
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I have the before and after surgery shots of the goldtop! Gwem brought the guitar over yesterday and he had already got the transplant parts. We changed the P-90's for a Rebel Yell bridge and Lollar Mini-HB neck. Also the pots and caps were changed to CTS and Orange Drop (though the pots supplied are full size alphas). We didn't change the switch as it is a wafer, and the hardware was fine as it was. I was pretty impressed with the quality of the construction. After we routed the bridge pickup and put everything back the guitar had turned into a monster. There was sustain for days and the tone was great - so good that I am thinking about doing it too!
There are a couple of pics of the before so you can see what we started with
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thanks again phil for the routing and turning your kitchen into a luthiery workshop!
heres the inspiration behind the customisation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MZbZm-NDBM (46 seconds in)
the lollar and bkp sound truly excellent, and balance fine in terms of volume. the sustain is remarkable! (just as phil says - a monster) the sound of the rebel yell was very close to the steve steven's clips in the players forum - definitely as good - although obviously it would be hard to capture this recording-wise. the mini-hb neck had fender-like qualities due to its brightness - though it was very humbucker in character and wasn't ice picky. one can use the neck tone control and volume controls in a similar way to a strat.
it wasn't bad sounding stock, but it was like night and day with the mods. if i wanted another les paul, i wouldn't hesitate to get an agile.
edit: this guitar is everything i wanted from a les paul!
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Looks great matey, like it a lot!
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Very pretty. I always liked the look of mini HBs.
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Looks very tasty :D
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looks really nice - i like the reflector knobs!
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looks really nice - i like the reflector knobs!
+1 they make quite a difference IMO
You'll need turn round the mini-hum (adjustment screws pointing the the bridge) to match Adrian's :wink:
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looks really nice - i like the reflector knobs!
+1 they make quite a difference IMO
You'll need turn round the mini-hum (adjustment screws pointing the the bridge) to match Adrian's :wink:
yes good point - i was thinking about it.. thought it looked a bit strange though. looking at the way the pickup is angled, i guess he did this for output reasons. think i'm going to leave it as it is though
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So - a lot of love for Agile guitars...
Might have to investigate. It certainly looks good.
Mark.
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That's a very pretty guitar you have there. You should be really chuffed with that.
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that looks badass
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Glad you finally got the GoldTop! Love the quirky pickup mix too.
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awesome!
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thanks for the nice words guys :D
used it in anger tonight - totally sold on a mini-hb neck at gigging volumes. its just right - sounds like a neck, but its not flubby, and it still has a cut.
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Yet another lovely guitar... I think it's great when people pimp & put their own mark on a stock guitar. Congrats
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I have finally seen the pics- very nice.
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What's the comfortability compared to a Gibson? Obvious question I suppose.
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(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/3920796801_f5b4838240_d.jpg)
heres an action shot of it being played hard, and me looking really ugly ;)
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What's the comfortability compared to a Gibson? Obvious question I suppose.
similar to the gibsons i've tried. the neck couldn't be described as thick but it has a nice action and plays well
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Looks great. Agiles are so great for the money. I have a Miracle Man set ready to go in my AL-2500 this weekend. I will be posting pics.