Agile guitars

Agile guitars

Nothing beats an original Les Paul, Telecaster, Stratocaster or PRS-model guitar. I'm sure that most guitarists, when asked, prefer the real deal. Problem is that Gibson's, Fenders and PRS's don't come cheap. For starters on the guitar market, or guitar players with a smaller wallet, there are lot's of alternatives. 

The "big" guitar brands have their budget lines, for example Epiphone for Gibson and Squier for Fender, but more interesting are the "clone" builders. They build the popular guitar models, often for a fraction of the price of the original, and this market is huge, ranging from "cheap" Chinese build guitars to the most expensive handmade custom "clones". One of the guitar brands offering budget guitars is Agile guitars. Agile guitars runs an impressive line of models, with flavours for everyone.

agile guitar

Agile guitars by Rondo Music

Unlike "normal" guitar builders, Agile guitars are build, commissioned by "Rondo Music", a USA (Claremont) based music store, established in 1959. Besides the Les Paul and PRS styled Agile's, Rondo Music also sells SX, Telecaster and Stratocaster shaped guitars. As a result, Agile Guitars aren't sold by other guitar sellers. Rondo Music sells their Agile guitars only through the internet, with a focus on Ebay selling.

Besides Agile guitars, there are lot's of guitar stores who sell a line of guitars, which they have produced under there own name or brand. Agile differences with these "store brands" offering a very extensive line of models and finishes. All major guitar models / clones are in Agile's catalog, from standard factory to custom guitars, and some more. Agile guitars are produced in Korea.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the AL models

As said, Agile guitars runs a very extensive range of models. One of the most reviewed Agile guitar on the internet is the Les Paul styled AL series. Agile's from these series are considered to compete with the standard Epiphone les Pauls. The luxery Agile AL 3000, top of the line within the Agile AL series, should even compete with entry level Gibson Les Pauls.

This Agile Al 3000 features an ebony fretboard, triple bindings and Alnico pickups. Specifications not to be ashamed of for a 450 USD priced guitar. The entry level Agile AL 2000, priced around 200 USD is also Korean build, and according to different reviews on the internet, offers great value for the money. Within the Agile AL series, there is an almost unlimited choice in colors and finishes, compared to the entry level Epihines and Gibsons.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models

Surprisingly, Agile guitars manages to offer 7, 8, 9, 10 and even 12 string guitars for incredible competitive prices. The Intrepid 8 string for example, is available for only 499 USD. More strings, more money.

The Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid guitars all offer more than 6 strings, and like the Agile AL series, lots of colors and finishes can be chosen. All the Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models are PRS / Strat, modern and radical styled guitars.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, custom shop

Every four or five months a year, Ronde Music opens their Custom Shop for new orders. In the Agile Custom Shop, you can have your guitar build from the ground up to your specifications. Here also, Agile's prices are a fraction of the prices you pay for Custom Shop guitars from the major brands.

Anyway, if you have the time, and you are unknown with Agile guitars, take a look at the Agile guitars on Ebay or at Rondo Music. I'm sure you will, like me, be surprised by the specifications and prices.

agile guitar

PRS Dragon, "dragon" inlay fretboard

PRS Dragon, Series I, II, III and 25th anniversary

Some guitars are considered to be "art", and actually, there are guitars which can be found in museums. In this case it's not about playability, but it's all about craftmanship and design, guitars built by masterbuilders with the skills of an artist / designer.
One of those guitars to be considered "art" is the PRS Dragon with it's design and inlay of the fretboard.

prs dragon series I fretboard inlay closeup

PRS, founded in 1985 by Paul Reed Smith, has the PRS Dragon exposed in the Smithsonian, the National Museum of American History. Also the PRS Dragon is supposed to be in the collection of the MOMA, the Museum Of modern Art, but I can't find any information about that on the MONA website. The guitars were donated by PRS, and it gave a boost to the collectability of the PRS Dragon. From here, the success of PRS Guitars started.

The PRS Dragon is handbuilt, in the early years of PRS Guitars, and is considered to be far more superior than the guitars built in the PRS factory, which was established in 1995.

prs dragon series II

PRS Dragon, Series, building years and limited numbers

Like most collectible guitars from a Custom Shop or (PRS) Private Stock, the limitation of numbers built is essential. The PRS Dragon is no exception. The PRS Dragon is not as rare as "single pieces", but still rare and expensive enough to be collectible. Most PRS Dragon's will be in private collections.

The PRS Dragon Series I was built in 1992, limited to 50 Dragon's.

The PRS Dragon Series II was built in 1993, limited to 100 Dragon's.

The PRS Dragon Series III was built in 1994, limited to 100 Dragon's.
The PRS Dragon 25th Anniversary, limited to 100 Dragon's.

PRS Dragon, fretboard / neck inlay

Obvious, the fretboard "dragon" inlay is the main feature of the PRS Dragon series I, II and III. The work is done by hand, which takes a lot more time than the modern method, using computer controlled cutting machines and duplicating devices to automate the series production. The fretboard inlay of the PRS Dragon series I, II and III is crafted by hand, so every fretboard of the Dragon in each serie is kind of unique.

I'm not sure if the inlay of the PRS Dragon 25th anniversary also is crafted the "old fashion way". Probably the fretboard inlay on this PRS Dragon is done by "Pearl Works", who does all the inlay work for PRS, computer driven.

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The dragon inlay on the fretboard of the PRS Dragon Series I is made of 201, small pieces of abalone and turquoise mother of pearl which results in a 2 color dragon on a dark rosewood fretboard.

prs dragon series I fretboard inlay
 

The dragon, crafted in the fretboard of the PRS Dragon II, is my favourite dragon inlay within the PRS Dragon Series. I especially grave the shiny abalone wings of the dragon. This dragon is made of 218 pieces of gold, coral, abalone, malachite, onyx and mother of pearl.

prs dragon series II fretboard inlay



The PRS Dragon III, the last of the original PRS Dragon Series has the most extensive dragon inlay. No less than 238 pieces of gold, red and green abalone, mother of pearl and real mammoth ivory were used for the dragon!

prs dragon series III fretboard inlay

The PRS Dragon 25th anniversary has a new designed multi material dragon inlay in the fretboard, which includes 300 pieces of 20 different materials in 8 colors, difficult to describe, but the image tells it all.

prs dragon 25th anniversary fretboard inlay

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The PRS Dragon is in every way a very desirable and collectable guitar. Apart from the dragon neck inlay, the rest of the guitar is first class too. The top of the PRS Dragon is made of "bookmatched" superior wood, and as every PRS, lots of attention goes to the finish and details.

How does it sound in real? I don't know! My local guitar stores don't have the PRS Dragon in stock, so I never had the opportunity to see and hear the PRS Dragon myself..  PRS wants every guitar to sound like a perfect blend of a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender, and I'm sure the PRS Dragon, with "PRS Dragon" humbuckers sounds great. However I can't imagine taking this guitar from the wall and playing the delicate fretboard!

PRS Dragon III Video

Below is a video of the PRS Dragon III, posted on Youtube by guitarist  Tony McKenzie who runs a wonderful website and who actually owns the PRS Dragon III. He presents the guitar, but, like expected, this PRS Dragon III is unplayed. It's all about the fretboard!

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups



fishman powerbridge on fender deluxe power

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups, an overview.

It's obvious that I'm interested in electric guitars with acoustic pickups like the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, (the good and the bad), and the Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster.

In this post I present some other electric-acoustic guitars I like, and the acoustic pickup systems which give these electric guitars the possibility to blend electric and acoustic sounds.

Acoustic pickups for electric guitars

lr baggs t-bridge on electric guitar

The most common acoustic (piezo) pickup systems for electric guitars I found, come from LR Baggs, Fishman (both from the USA), Shadow (Germany), and GraphTech (Canada).

shadow nanomag on epiphone les paul ultra

LR Baggs, and Fishman concentrate their activities on acoustic pickups, mostly for acoustic guitars, Shadow also produces humbuckers, and GraphTech focuses on acoustic pickup systems for electric guitars.

graphtech ghost piezo acoustic pickup

Shadow offers the innovative Nanomag, Fishman scores with the Powerbridge, GraphTech invented the Ghost Piezo saddles and LR Baggs hits the scene with the X-Bridge and the T-Bridge. It's a niche market; only a small percentage of the electric guitars have the "extra", acoustic pickup. The Fishman powerbridge and the LR Baggs bridge are probably the most popular ones. Lot's of technical information about these acoustic pickups for electric guitars can be found on the producers websites.

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups

Obviously there are a lot more electric guitars with acoustic pickups than the ones below. These ones give a good view on what's available on the market, within the different price ranges.
Almost all electric guitars with acoustic pickups are also equiped with 5-way switches, pre-amps and dual output jackets; one for connecting the amplifier and one for connecting an acoustic amp or PA, for blending the electric and acoustic sound.

crafter sa(t) with lr baggs acoustic pickup

Crafter SA and SAT

The Crafter SA and SAT are Les Paul styled, semi hollow body archtop guitars. Sides and back from solid wood, and the tops come in different woods and colors. Both the Crafter SA and SAT are equiped with LR Baggs acoustic pickups. The SA also has a Kent Armstrong Lipstick pickup, and the SAT has a Kent Armstrong P90 humbucker. The Crafter SA(T) is fairly priced, around 550 - 600 Euro.

epi ultra III (3) with shadow nanomag

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3)

The Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3) is Epiphones's answer to the demand in electric acoustic guitars. The Les Paul Ultra III (3) has 2 Epiphone Probuckers, and for acoustic sounds a Shadow Nanomag is mounted at the end of the fingerboard. The Ultra III (3) has a chromatic tuner onboard, and even a USB connection is available. After registration of the Ultra, Guitarrig software can be downloaded for free. The Epiphone ES-339 Ultra uses the same technology, my review can be found here and here. Pricing of the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3) is around 560 - 630 Euro.



fender telecaster / stratocaster with fishman powerbridge

Fender (Nashville) Deluxe Power Stratocaster and Telecaster

For an acoustic plus, Fender added the Fishman Powerbridge to the Deluxe Power Strat and Tele. The Deluxe Power Telecaster comes with a middle strat pickup, and tele pickups for neck and bridge, the Stratocaster uses strat pickups for the neck, middle and bridge positions. These electric guitars with the Fishman Powerbridge have a five-way switch for blending the electric and acoustic sounds. Available for around 1100 Euro.

Another Fender electric guitar with a Fishman Powerbridge acoustic piezo pickup is the Acoustasonic Telecaster I wrote about, one of my favourites.



godin montreal with lr baggs t-bridge

Godin Montreal

The Godin Montreal is part of the Signature series from guitar builder Godin, located in Montreal, Canada, and they are well know for their new guitar concepts. The Montreal has a carved solid Mahogany body with two f-holes, Jazz Style. Godin was inspired by the Montreal Jazz festival when creating this electric-acoustic guitar. The Montreal blends electric and acoustic sounds by using two Godin Humbuckers and a LR Baggs acoustic bridge and a custom PreAmp. Pricing of the Godin Montreal is around 1600 Euro.

parker fly with graphtech ghost piezo

Parker Guitars (Fly Series)

Guitars build by Parker are something special, as Parker combines woods with modern composites and fibers. Apart from that, most electric Parker guitars are stufed with acoustic technology.

The Parker Fly DeLuxe, MaxxFly, Fly Select and others come in different, modern shapes and colors, and are powered with different humbuckers. What they all have in common is the acoustic technology from the GraphTech Ghost Piezo saddles. Parker guitars don't come cheap.



prs p22 with lr baggs acoustic bridge

PRS   P22 and (singlecut) Hollowbody II

For more than ten years, PRS is using LR Baggs acoustick pickup systems for the PRS Hollowbody II and singlecut Hollowbody II.

In 2012 PRS added the P22 in the program range, their first piezo acoustic pickup equiped solidbody guitar.
The LR Baggs system used in the P22 is the same acoustic pickup system that is used for the longer existing and popular hollowbodies. Only the design of this bridge is smaller than the original LR Baggs used in the hollowbodies, so it fits perfectly in the solidbody. The electric-acoustic guitars from PRS are expensive, starting with prices around 3600 Euro for the P22, and 4300 Euro for the PRS Hollowbody.



gibson les paul with lr baggs piezo pickup

Gibson Les Paul Piezo.

Unfortunately not in production anymore, the Gibson Les Paul Piezo, a Goldtop with EMG (rocking) humbuckers, and a golden LR Baggs piezo bridge. The Les Paul Piezo can still be found in (web)shops.





Gibson Custom Alex Lifeson LP Axcess

Still in production is the Gibson Custom Les Paul Alex Lifeson Axcess with Graphtech Ghost Bridge for authentic acoustic sound, and Floyd Rose vibrato. Humbuckers: Gibson's 496R and 498T. The first 50 guitars were signed by Alex Lifeson.