# Agile VS Epiphone Les Paul's



## TankSlayer (Jul 29, 2015)

Hey guys, 

First post on here, hopefully everything is fine...

But i'm here to ask a question!

I've been contemplating on buying a brand new guitar (Up till now I've been using second hand ones, my favorite being a Taro Les Paul Japanese replica)

So I've casted my eyes on the classy, great looking, and great sounding Les Paul in Alpine white with gold hardware.

I was set on buying the Epiphone version (As a novice player and someone who isn't anywhere near rich, a Gibson isn't an option lol) 

But then I had someone tell me about Agile.

Then with some more research I found a old post on a forum saying that Agile is close if not the same in terms of quality. Except that post was made in 2006. Almost eight years ago.

Is this still true?

Also since I'm here, how good is Ibanez considered? 

I quiet like their JEM Jr guitar. A nice combo of classic sort of strat shape with some modernized curves.

Thanks!


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Welcome to the forum TS!

The only Agile that I've tried, is my Baritone that I ordered.

It's actually a very well built guitar, not used a ton, so reliability isn't an issue.
It's used sparingly, not like it's a main guitar, is what I'm getting at.

There's a huge shipping cost, if it's going over the border.
When I ordered mine, it was a difference of $50 shipping within the US, or triple that to ship it up here.
Getting it shipped up here was a third of the total cost.

You'd be able to try the Epiphone first, before you buy too, where the Agile is strictly online.
I've heard of lots of guys happy with their Agile LPs though.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm not sure how much you are willing to spend, but you could also look for Prestige guitars. Their Les Pauls sound as good, if not better than a Gibson. A friend of mine sold all his custom shop Gibsons once he tried out his Prestige. But the prestige is closer to 1800 with tax so maybe out of your budget.


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

The Epiphone is a much better value, in my opinion. I have owned several Agiles, back in the day when the Canadian dollar was closer to par, and shipping costs were much lower. You can walk into your local Long & McQuade, play every Epiphone there, and pick the one you like best. Then you have a free setup, and a one-year warranty. It makes a lot of sense to me to buy local. And oh, by the way, welcome to the forum!


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

Epiphone in my opinion is the very best bang for your bucks that's out there right now.

JUst to prove it to yourself, go to a store that has an Epiphone Sheraton II and a Gibson ES 335.
I will be bold enough to say that the Sheraton plays better then the ES335, but don't take my word for it,
find out yourself...
Same goes for the LEs PAul models.

I do not consider Ibanez or Agile to be in the same ballpark as EPiphone
and that's all I have to say about that.

G.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

if you get an agile, do not order one w/o an hsc. otherwise you may receive a broken guitar when it arrives. i think comparing epi to agile is not as linear as some would have you believe. 
first decide how much you plan to spend, then find the best guitar for that amount. you can buy neck thru agiles with stainless frets. you cant buy an epi that way. so it's not a straight comparo when you do that, understand? 

ibanez makes some good stuff, but again, how much do you want to spend. the AR series is very cool, but may be somewhere above your price range. i would avoid their new stuff that is sub $600. 
you won't find a jem at that price, but maybe a used RG. if you're a beginner, i would avoid the floyd. 

you're best value will come from carefully buying something used, as the market is in the crapper right now, and cash holds all the leverage.


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## whywhyzed (Jan 28, 2008)

It'll be your call as to your ability to determine the best for yourself by playing various guitars. What I would have chosen as a novice would not be right for me now. That said, I'm not that fussy about neck profiles and such. 

I doubt you can go wrong with either Agile or Epi. You can usually find used Agiles on Kijiji too if you want to think about used. 

I have 3 Agile LP's (two 2000's and a 3010) and love them, plus who else has Rootbeer Flame guitars? lol, but the way the dollar is right now, you're looking at $500 or so for the cheapest Agile to your door (still a bargain imo). They have discontinued the 2000, but check the Specials page for blems and prototype deals. 
They won't ship to Canada without a hard case so no breakage worries. Last one I bought there was a sale on Camo cases for $24 so that was a no brainer anyways. 

There was recent thread about Dillon's here - I would consider checking those out too:
http://www.guitarscanada.com/showth...lion-guitars-on-clearance-maybe-the-last-time


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

No experience with agile in the last few years but the two I've owned were quite good. 

But the exchange rate sucks right now, and used gibson LP studios can be had for sub $800 if you look.

Ibanez makes great guitars, you just have to do your research. Its hard to touch an RG550.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

I think the QC on the epiphone stuff is generally way better. That being said the agiles have been seemingly solid, although like others have mentioned the shipping price with the low dollar kills it. I'd say try out an epiphone at your local store and see if you like it. My recommendation would be an LTD Ec series guitar. They are similar to LPs but its down to personal preference.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I think OP might be oversimplifying things. 
A brand name doesn't tell you all there is to know about its products anymore.
Epiphones come in a wide range of qualities....from the very low end $200 guitars to some models that would rival some Gibsons.
I wouldn't touch their low end stuff, but an Elitist, Zakk Wylde, Slash AFD or Plustop Pro-fx (to name a few)? Yes please!!

Same goes for Ibanez...They have guitars that range from $200 to $5000. which wouldn't even be made in the same factory, or even by the same manufacturer even though they both say Ibanez on them, so generalizing about the brand is pointless.

I personally believe that most $200 guitars are about the same, give or take. The same would go for most $1000 guitars. It comes to personal preference. Its very competitive, everyone tries to offer the best they can at the best price they can offer while staying in business. many different guitar brands even come from the same contracted factory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cort_Guitars
"...Cort’s main production focus is not on Cort-brand guitars, but rather on contract work for numerous other companies. Generally, large companies contract Cort to build lower-priced guitars that have that company’s brand on them. Ibanez, Parkwood, Squier, G&L Tribute series line of guitars are among the most well-known brands that Cort produces. In recent years, small companies known for extremely high quality (and high-priced) guitars have begun contracting Cort to produce budget line models. Avalon, based out of Northern Ireland, sold 8,000 guitars and more than doubled their income from the previous year when they contracted Cort to build a lower-priced guitar for them."

playing/buying guitars is a journey not a destination. You more than likely will need to buy/sell a few along the way. you usually don't marry the first girl you crushed on


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I think the quality has improved so much in overseas guitars that you are mostly looking at building materials and components. I bought a used Epiphone 335, installed new electronics and paid for a pro setup, still by far the best playing guitar I have - and I have a Gibson Les Paul.

if I were you, I would find a good used guitar and have it setup properly. You could even buy a Les Paul Studio if it's within your budget. As long as you aren't considering resale value (in the case of a modded Chinese guitar) then you can't really lose.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Fabrication techniques, these days, are such that quality-control is likely to be the same for most budget instruments.

HOWEVER...

At the lower volume-production end, producers are constrained by consistency in supply availability. If I'm making 10 custom $10k+ basses from exotic woods in any given year, I can be fussy about my wood-sourcing and choice. If I'm cranking out tens of thousands of clones in a year, I need to have a HUGE wood supply, and there is no assurance of a supply that will all be of the same quality. And wood _matters_ in a guitar.

The upshot is that, even within the same brand and model, there can be unit-to-unit variation_ because _of the wood. In which case, there is good reason to want to try out various units, and select the one you like best. If a store in your area carries a bunch of Agile units, and you can only order an Epi, untried, then go for Agile. If it is the reverse scenario, go for Epi.

That said, I think other posters' comments about dollar fluctuations, and cross-border shipping are also to the point.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

If you are going to drop $5-600 on an Epi or Agile, why not keep your eyes peeled for a used MIJ LP? You can pick up Epiphone Elitists for a few hundred more...sometimes around the same price.


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## teleguy (Jul 31, 2015)

the agile les pauls are great and workmanship is very good..there is a number les paul models go to rondo music and they handle agaile sale right now I think


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## Built4Speed (Aug 31, 2009)

I've had a couple Agile Les Paul clones, and currently have an Epi Plus Top LP. In my experience, they're about neck and neck in terms of quality and features, with Agile having a slight edge in terms of bang for your buck. However, given this lousy exchange rate, I'd stick to Epiphone at the moment. There's always tons of used Epis around to choose from, unless of course you can find used Agiles floating around your area.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

No Agile experience. 
But have a couple of epis that I think are fantastic. 
The epi Les Paul custom pro comes in white with gold hardware. 
I have the black one. This guitar has some great features. 
Probucker2 and 3 with coil splitting and out of phase for a multitude of sounds. Less than $500 on the used market. 

Always sorry I sold my Ibanez RG570.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I don't think you could go wrong either way. They all make very good guitars. Price may be your deciding factor.


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

Then you could also look at all of the 2015 Gibson's on sale right now at Best Buy. If you can get past the fact that Best Buy is an awfully strange place to get a guitar, you can score a great deal.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Agreed with Lord Humungous.

I have an Agile 3100, and with an upgrade to a Gotoh bridge (in place of the Sung Il that it came with) it is really quite good. Feature per dollar -- for example, an ebony fretboard, which is hard to get on an Epi, and the wide neck, and the Tusq XL nut -- the Agile wins, but the Epi will likely have better resale value. And the others are right -- the exchange rate makes those Rondo items more pricey.

I too would look at Japanese LP copies (the Edwards JS is high on my list) as well. And take a gander at the LTD EC lineup. They mix some of the features of shred guitars in (thinner necks, bigger frets) for a decent price.

Lastly, Harley Bentons from Thomann in Europe are dead inexpensive. Lots of Rondo fans are making the switch.


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

Save your yens and get a MIJ.
They are superior at any price point.


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## big frank (Mar 5, 2006)

A Les Paul in Alpine White with gold hardware is a beautiful looking guitar. That would be my choice, even if it is a few extra dollars.


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