# Why is agile so mysterious?



## guitaardvark (Oct 19, 2014)

There's no official site for them that really seems legitimate, and supposedly they're great guitars that go for stupidly cheap. This is really mysterious. Why?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Oct 19, 2014)

Rondo Music Home Page

This is the official site.

Also, with cheap guitars, come cheap looking sites.


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## Hollowway (Oct 19, 2014)

I'm not entirely sure how they seem mysterious. They're pretty conspicuous online. There are other brands that have far less of an online/physical presence. And you talk talk directly to the guy who is in charge of the company. To me that's pretty straightforward.


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## Emperor Guillotine (Oct 19, 2014)

You mean "why is there no big hoodoo about Agile at NAMM and such?"...

Well, technically they are one of those Chinese (or Korean?) companies. Kurt orders the stuff straight from China (or Korea?) and the guys at Rondo merely assemble it to sell. Plain and simple.

With Agile, you get what you pay for. (Cheap guitar, cheap website, cheap blah...blah.)


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## GoldDragon (Oct 19, 2014)

Agile guitars are probably manufactured in the same factories as chinese guitars made by Ibanez, Jackson, etc... They are just contracted by a different company. Unlike Ibanez, Jackson, etc, Agile never had USA/Japan made guitars and don't have the same history. They are like the Behringer of guitars.

The quality of Agile guitars is pretty good because Chinese guitars have all improved.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Oct 19, 2014)

Emperor Guillotine said:


> Well, technically they are one of those Chinese (or Korean?) companies. Kurt orders the stuff straight from China (or Korea?) and the guys at Rondo merely assemble it to sell. Plain and simple.



No. Rondo is an American company that contracts factories in Korea and China to manufacture their guitars and basses for them. Some of the stuff was even designed with help from folks right here at SSO, then the designs were sent to be made in Korea. 

They also have a semicustom shop that runs once or twice a year, and you can choose from a list of specs that will then be built for you at the Korean factory.

All manufacturing and assembly is done at the Korean and Chinese plants. I don't think anyone in the US even gives it a set-up, which is part of why their return policy is so good for US customers: the customer is essentially the QC inspector of his own instrument.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Oct 19, 2014)

GoldDragon said:


> The quality of Agile guitars is pretty good because Chinese guitars have all improved.



Only the suuuuuper cheap Agiles are Chinese. The "nicer" ones are Korean.


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## axxessdenied (Oct 19, 2014)

Get a PRS SE instead.


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## Zhysick (Oct 19, 2014)

The Korean made Agile guitars are made in the same plant and by the same people that make LTDs and Schecters...

Korean made Agiles are exceptional guitars, specially for the price. (Notice that I said exceptional guitars and, considering the price, even better guitars).


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## Adam Of Angels (Oct 19, 2014)

^to be sure, I had a Septor Elite 7 once, and it was seriously awesome. Not sure of their consistency, but I can say they're capable of producing good stuff.


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## Mordacain (Oct 19, 2014)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Rondo Music Home Page
> 
> This is the official site.
> 
> Also, with cheap guitars, come cheap looking sites.



Yup. Kurt is able to sell them this cheap because there is no middleman / distributorship chain. They are sold out of the Rondo Music store in NJ directly from the manufacturer.

It's vaguely similar to the Carvin distribution method, though even further reduced.


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## Thorerges (Oct 19, 2014)

great guitars?


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## Mordacain (Oct 19, 2014)

Thorerges said:


> great guitars?



They certainly can be. I've got an Agile AL-2000 (which is their lowest end LP style) and it's great. Honestly, it doesn't even really _need_ new pickups. The stock ceramics sound pretty fantastic and have a great range of overtones. I've been playing with them for 4 months now and everytime I start to look at new pickups I always put it on the backburner.

To be sure it needs a little work to play to my specs, namely a little fretboard edge rounding, fret edge treatment and a new nut. I do that to pretty much every instrument I've ever owned, from the cheapest to the most expensive.


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## crg123 (Oct 19, 2014)

Agile has some duds from time to time (the one I own is phenominal but ones my friends have owned in the past were pretty meh), although if you live in the states their return policy is amazing and if you get a guitar your not happy with you can easily return it.


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## Mordacain (Oct 19, 2014)

crg123 said:


> Agile has some duds from time to time (the one I own is phenominal but ones my friends have owned in the past were pretty meh), although if you live in the states their return policy is amazing and if you get a guitar your not happy with you can easily return it.



Exactly. You'll see people get more duds because part of the low price is that you, the end consumer, is responsible for quality-checking the guitar. That's also why their return policy is as streamlined as it is because overall, it leads to Rondo being able to offer a quality instrument at a lower price point than if they paid for a setup & inspection team stateside.


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## Alex Kenivel (Oct 19, 2014)

My Intrepid pro 830 is the shit, no big mystery there.


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## Hollowway (Oct 19, 2014)

I'vd got three Agiles and, despite having to do a little work on them (shim the neck on one, lower the but on another) I'm VERY happy with them. I've got some really high end customs, so I'm not making that judgement lightly. And I love their 8 string passives. I even bought a set to go in a $3500 custom because I like them so much.


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## TomAwesome (Oct 19, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> And I love their 8 string passives. I even bought a set to go in a $3500 custom because I like them so much.



You should try a Lundgren M8 some time.


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## vilk (Oct 20, 2014)

nvm


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 20, 2014)

I've got 3 Agiles currently, no issues with Anything.
All made in South Korea, didn't know any Agiles came from China 

8 string passive Cepheus are awesome budget pickups!

I find Rondo to be one of the most Transparent and Open (to the consumer) companies.
He is active in the guitar community and produces what musicians ask for.


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## gunch (Oct 20, 2014)

Agile is great for what it is but Kurt hasn't put out anything that interesting in a few years 

Also there's a woeful lack of spector/interceptor 6ers or an agile'd up version of the Douglas Hadron line.


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## Shimme (Oct 20, 2014)

^Says you. Agile has been putting out some freaking cool 8 string acoustics lately!


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## Bisky (Oct 20, 2014)

When you buy a big name brand guitar you are paying for a lot of marketing. One of the many things to like about Agile is you are not paying for marketing, and you are not paying for a middle man's markup.


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## Chokey Chicken (Oct 20, 2014)

I thought all Agiles were made in Korea. I know things like the Douglas' are made in China, but Agiles are sort of Rondo's "top of the line." That is to say they cut the fewest corners possible and the results are pretty damn good guitars for the money. I've owned a few, and my main 7 is a semi-custom. I'm more than happy with it.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 20, 2014)

There seems to be a few camps here:

-Those that put Agile on a pedistal, I mean they're cool guitars, I've owned several, but unless the specs are something really not offered by other brands (which is usually the case) the quality and features of the Agile range isn't out of this world. Quality is on par with MII Ibanez and Schecter and LTD (think 400 to 600 model range). 

-Those that don't care for them, which you'll see a lot when someone was shipped a dud without understanding how the Rondo QC thing works, as mentioned above the player/buyer is the final QC check which lets them sell for so cheap. 

Those, like me, for see them for what they are: solid, affordable, niche guitars with a lot of potential if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. 

I've said this numerous times in regards to Agile, but what you're really paying for is the spec sheet. The quality of build, fit, finish etc. is nothing special and is usually where you run into issues. The hardware is typically nothing to write home about either, especially since they've switch to mainly OEM components on a lot of models. 

Also, for those who want some clarification, you're buying distributor direct, which means that after Rondo pays the factory for production, the buyer pays Rondo to basically ship out the guitar.


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## cwhitey2 (Oct 20, 2014)

axxessdenied said:


> Get a PRS SE instead.



I would take an Agile all day.


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## guitaardvark (Oct 21, 2014)

I've only gotten to play one and it reminded me of a cheap epiphone I have, despite that a lot say they are worth more. To each their own I guess.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Oct 21, 2014)

Chokey Chicken said:


> I thought all Agiles were made in Korea. I know things like the Douglas' are made in China, but Agiles are sort of Rondo's "top of the line."


 
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the sub-$400 stuff was MiC rather than MiK. Now that I think about it I'm not really sure _why_ I'm under that impression, and I'm perfectly willing to concede if I am, but I reserve the right to be not surprised if it turns out I'm right .

Anyone got one of those $399 827s so hey can whip it out and check the manufacturer?


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 21, 2014)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the sub-$400 stuff was MiC rather than MiK. Now that I think about it I'm not really sure _why_ I'm under that impression, and I'm perfectly willing to concede if I am, but I reserve the right to be not surprised if it turns out I'm right .
> 
> Anyone got one of those $399 827s so hey can whip it out and check the manufacturer?



My AL-2000 with a price tag of ~$220 is labelled made in south korea


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 21, 2014)

All Agile branded guitars are made in South Korea. All. From the AL2000 up to the the customs. 

The lower Rondo brands, and accessories like cases, and Chinese made. 

A point of confusion is that every guitar that ships in a case from Rondo will have a big "Made In China" printed on the box, but that box is just one for the case, not the instrument.


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## kurtzentmaier (Dec 5, 2014)

MaxOfMetal said:


> All Agile branded guitars are made in South Korea. All. From the AL2000 up to the the customs.
> 
> The lower Rondo brands, and accessories like cases, and Chinese made.
> 
> A point of confusion is that every guitar that ships in a case from Rondo will have a big "Made In China" printed on the box, but that box is just one for the case, not the instrument.




Just chiming in here - yes above is correct. 100% of all Agile guitars are made in S. Korea and we have never build any in China and all guitars are marked as such (US Law btw). Most of the cases are made in China, so yes when receiving a guitar in a case, the outside box will say "made in China" and the guitar is marked "Made in Korea" - Each and every Agile guitar is checked and setup before shipping out. However we do see a higher rate of shipping damage and guitars that need adjustments when the guitar is ordered without the hard shell case that is suggested at at checkout... and yes I am sure a few slip out through QC with some problems missed, especially during the holiday rush. I dont' claim to be perfect there...(Having been a fender dealer for 20+ years I honest believe our QC is superior, especially on their imports.. but still we are working to improve our QC all the time..

Kurt


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## notasian (Dec 8, 2014)

that mans a hero! :') thank you, thank you Kurt!


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## Basti (Dec 8, 2014)

Meanwhile in Europe...


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## RustInPeace (Dec 8, 2014)

I had a custom shop AL-3200 that was really nice. It did have a few minor finish flaws in the binding but nothing that affected playability. The only deal breaker was the weight, it seriously hurt my shoulder after 10 minutes.

That being said, I would totally order another one with the weight relief option


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## Rick (Dec 9, 2014)

I have three Agiles and I've had no issues with them whatsoever, I will continue to buy and use them.


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## dedsouth333 (Dec 9, 2014)

My 2 Agiles (Tele and Interceptor Pro 727) are great. Love 'em to death. I have my eye on quite a few more as well.


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## hamster (Dec 11, 2014)

A few years ago, I was really interested into buying a 7-strings Agile guitar, unfortunately i never had the opportunity to play one of these, but if my memory is good : Guitars like Agile Interceptor Pro series a made in Korea (Agile "high-end" models are Korean made), i am not sure but the manufacturer is probably Cortek (Cort) or something similar.
I have read a lot of reviews : The Agile guitars are globally well built, with sometimes a few finish or factory set-up issues. This brand seems really insteresting. I will probably buy one of their 8 strings models next year, and I will be able to give an opinion based on tangible elements.


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## Zado (Dec 12, 2014)

Basti said:


> Meanwhile in Europe...


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## troyguitar (Dec 12, 2014)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I've said this numerous times in regards to Agile, but what you're really paying for is the spec sheet.



Yep, and IMO that's just fine.

My custom AL-7 is absolutely awesome because it meets the specs I wanted perfectly. It's not a higher quality instrument than my ARZ307, but it fits me better.


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