my first electric was an agile les paul model. it came with a broken switch not knowing anything at the time about a guitar, I was just anxious to start learning, and playing that I should've really just sent it back and got one in working order.

cons: (I've had the guitar for almost 7 years now) the neck pickup falls in, the high e string frets out on the first fret, the tone switch doesn't always change smoothly. I've resoldered wire after wire in the that thing.

pros: it was cheap ($250), straight through neck, sounds like a gibson, pickups sound descent, and it was a lawsuit copy. with a good amp, it's a descent player.

I don't know why, but I still have this guitar. it falls apart alot, but it's hard to part with because it's been my guitar since the beginning. i fix it, it falls apart, i fix it again... my friend actually has one of those cheap SX's for a $100 bucks, it's got p-90's and actually plays, sounds really well. It made think I must have gotten a lemon if his sx is more reliable than my agile.

I was thinking about pullin' the gun on the agile jr. with p-90's has a double cut, and there only $250. I think they were actually $150 a year ago. I also would like to try a dano, possibly a baritone.

have any you had experience with these guitars? agiles, and sx's? are there more lemons than gems. I know people on the harmony central forum swear by them, but I don't know how reputable that place is. I've tried guitar here and there at shops. played some, owned some, sold some. I haven't found the right one yet. I'm currently hanging on to an old kramer alum, and this agile for the last few years. the kram has been my favorite due to the fact the sound I can get out of it, i wired p-94s into it, somedays it just loves to go out of tune, the neck has sunk (though I've heard that's common in the kramers) and the nut always falls off when I change it's strings.

have any of you settled for a guitar. will I have to take bucks fizz advice and just love the one I'm with? please excuse my organizational skills.

hard to part with an old friend, at this point I wouldn't advise it.
but you could seek a cheap 2nd guitar and believe me
there's plenty of good ones - you know by now what plays
to your liking and how you like it to sound, right?

I always play an electric for a while before I even plug it
in, and I'd never buy a guitar just 'cuz I liked the look.

anyways, if it sounds even & balanced and reasonably
"loud" without an amp, it'll be great plugged in!

why not buy an extremely well made guitar that won't fall apart unless you really do something stupid to break it?

I used to use a lot of cheap crapy guitars but one day I decided to invest in one decent one and it was the best decision of my guitar playing life... I greatly endorse getting an at least half decent guitar

I owned at one time a fender tele, I didn't like the feel of this guitar. had a wide neck, thin sound, and the tone switch was goofy, making it a hassle to use the volume knob.

I owned a epiphone coronet.
light piece of shit. end of story.

I've played numerous sg's.
don't like the feel, and they're too light.

I've played fender strats. I hate the placment of the knobs. I'd have clutch my arm to my side to even begin using them. very inconvenient.

some I haven't played but have heard of...

guilds, those s-100's look appealing, and the 300's
danos, I've always been hesitant of getting one based on the lipstick pickups. thin pickup, thin sound? possibly a baritone.
gibson les paul jr's p-90's dbl cut, very appealing. (agile is similar in characteristics)
teisco, old. cheap. very hesitant.
gretsch, that one model with dearmonds, has a les paul sort of look to it.

what else is out there worth looking into?

You need to get your guitar set up by a professional. Don't just take it to any GC and have Joe Teenager sit there and fuck with it. Ask around, find a good guy who'll work with you, and once its properly repaired, setup and intonated, you'll be much happier with the guitar than when you first bought it.

Also, beware when people are hyping cheap, imported guitars. I can't tell you how much money I've wasted on gear because I listened to too many people on Harmony-Central. Most of the time these guys are throwing in $250-$350 worth of parts to get it to do what they want.

llllllllllllllllllllllll wrote:You need to get your guitar set up by a professional.

This is The Truth.

llllllllllllllllllllllll wrote:You need to get your guitar set up by a professional.

If you don't know anything about setup I would explore this option first. Even the best guitars can be ruined by a badly adjust truss rod or a poorly cut nut. That being said...outside of a good deal, you can't really expect much out of a $250 guitar. I've heard good things about the Agiles and SX's them as well (never played one), but I wouldn't be expecting to be blown away. Financial limitations can be a bitch. If you do decide to go with the Agile/SX, I'd be interested to hear about the Jr. I love that style of guitar. Rondo does have a very good return policy if you do get a dog.

sack of smashed assholes wrote:guilds, those s-100's look appealing, and the 300's

I own two S-300s. I paid 100 bucks for each of them. I understand that's probably below market, but you should be able to get one for 250 or so if you keep looking. They are fantastic guitars that play and sound great, and a great value because no one seems to want them.

As I understand, the S-100s are significantly pricier. I dont own any of them.

If you dont end up getting yr gtr set up by a professional (which seems like the most straightforward solution to your problems and one I heartily endorse), then I'd look around for one of these.

learn to set up your guitars yourself, it's fun and cheap kids!!