Agile/SX/Rondo guitars/basses...

[Smitty]

anybody have any experience with the Agile/SX brand instruments being sold by Rondo Music? I'm seeing some glowing reviews for them in a number of places, and the prices are insane.

would appreciate a more trusted opinion or two before i take a gamble.

[GetHimEatHim]

Haven't played one myself, but I've heard great things across the board. For a while, my plan for a touring guitar was to buy an Agile LP copy and pop in some GFS pickups.... instead, I wound up buying an old Epiphone SC-550 "Scrolltop," which I love love love love love.

I've had first-hand good experiences with Dillion guitars, which are similarly priced and also made in Korea...

[aaronburr]

i have a TV yellow SX les paul copy.
sounds decent. nothing mind blowing, but for the price its a hell of a lot of bang for your buck. the wood is good, the neck is pretty alright, the electronics and hardware are acceptable-at-best (and even then you need a high tolerance for crappy components.)
i was thinking of picking up a cheap resonantor from them...

[aaronburr]

that review didnt seem glowing, but it is. i mean, its much more of a guitar than youd expect for the price, but you aint gonna get gibson build quality or anything.

[Smitty]

i wish they'd knock off some more esoteric models. looks like they're starting to.

they now have a fretless les paul (???), and a rick-esque 12-string that looks cool. if they had a telecaster custom/deluxe or a danelectro clone, i'd be sweating a possible purchase right now.

[comfortstarr]

I have a b-stock (chip off the finish on the fretboard, non-playing issue) jazz bass copy. Neck, body, pick-ups, tuners, and bridge are all good. Nut is maybe not so good, electronics maybe not so good. But, it was $84 bucks delivered to me. Once it was set-up well, it's more than fine. I've been tempted by the LP copies as well. The only annoying thing for me is that the pick guard is slightly non-standard so you can't just swap it out with a fender replacement. It's a nice sunburst body but with a white pick guard. I want to go black or tortoise shell.

[newfuturevintage]

I've played one of the agile LP gold top knock-offs. (2500 model?). Had two p-90 style PUs, and a set neck. Incredible player, great tone. Should have bought it, but wussed out. $225 used.

[FBH]

I have an SX J-Bass. The wood is gorgeous. The bridge is serviceable, but not terribly robust. The nut seems to be made of formed plastic, and it would be worth replacing if I could do it yourself. Mine came from the factory in unplayable condition, and I had to spend a night adjusting the truss rod to solve that problem. Now it seems that I have a modest intonation problem, which I will likely have to sort out with adjustments to the less-than-robust bridge.

Regarding the electronics, the pickups are not particularly high output, which seems appropriate for a "vintage" model guitar, but I would probably prefer something else ultimately. Also, one of the pots seems to have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the sound. I probably need to open the bass up and check out what its guts looks like.

If you can do the work yourself, they are a good deal. I think my bass sounds pretty nice, all things considered.