Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

[Doc Dryer]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Regarding WOOD, and the fact that it's getting TOUGHER - BY THE DAY...to get REALLY NICE Birds-eye, AAAAA Quilted and Flamed Maple, etc.

I spent a COUPLA HOURS with the Ernie Ball camp at BOTH the 2002-2003 - AND the 2003-2004 Winter NAMM Shows in Anaheim, and got THIS FIGURE...

Ernie Ball uses WONDERFUL Birds-eye maple in the necks of their Music Man Series guitars...

In 2002, Ernie Ball DECLINED DELIVERY and SENT BACK 16% of the total Birds-eye lumber sent to them by theis suppliers...

In 2003, that percentege MORE THAN DOUBLED to 33% !!!! [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Originally posted by Doc Dryer:
In 2002, Ernie Ball DECLINED DELIVERY and SENT BACK 16% of the total Birds-eye lumber sent to them by theis suppliers...

In 2003, that percentege MORE THAN DOUBLED to 33% !!!! [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, Hamer also turns away a lot of maple for their tops if they're not flamey or quilty enough for their specs.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Hamer discards more wood than most of the semi-major manufacturers. I know ed roman isn't a favorite word here, but he has a killer hamer tour on his website you oughta check out.

I recently bought a P90 Gibson Faded les paul double cut guitar, and it's KILLER. however, I had to lower the nut, file the fret edges, and I took the craptacular 'faded' finish off the back of the neck and oiled it because it felt like shit. The tuners are ok, pickups sound great and the guitar is very light and resonant.

All you're getting in common with a real les paul if you get a faded is the shape, pretty much. You are now getting dot inlays, no neck binding, no arched top, etc... if you are really considering a faded LP, get a hamer special. for $500ish bucks you will get a guitar that had as much attention to detail as Gibson's top of the line guitars, plus they came stock with duncan JBs and 59s. I would buy a used hamer special over the net without playing it first with no reservations. barring any major problems (broken neck, etc) they are wonderful instruments.

If you HAVE to have that LP shape, then I'd suggest going to music stores and PLAYING THE GUITARS before you buy them. Yep, Gibson and Epiphone and Agile and whoever can build a nice guitar, but as you go lower in price points the nice ones tend to be harder to find. Your best bet is to check out the guitars in person and get the one that feels good to you. Buying a really cheap guitar over the internet is a huge gamble. I'd rather pay an extra $50-$100 and check out an instrument in person than save a few bucks and get a plank with frets thrown in the fingerboard from across the room.

Pete

[Predator1]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

I know that around here Musicians Friend is taboo.However, they have recently introduced another one of their so called exclusives. It's called the Les Paul Vintage Mahogany.It has a carved mahogany top.It sounds like a good deal at
$899.00 with case any thoughts?

[hippietim]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Originally posted by Predator1:
I know that around here Musicians Friend is taboo.However, they have recently introduced another one of their so called exclusives. It's called the Les Paul Vintage Mahogany.It has a carved mahogany top.It sounds like a good deal at
$899.00 with case any thoughts?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That looks like a really sweet deal. I really like the looks of that guitar. I bet it is fat sounding!

[pro-fusion]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

That sounds like a pretty decent deal, but putting a mahogany top on an LP seems like a strange idea, considering the rest of the guitar is also mahogany. The point of a maple top is to add some bite to the sound--I can see an all-mahogany LP (with that thick body) being very dark-sounding.

[toejam]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Hell, if you really need a Les Paul shape, why not see if you can find a USA Jackson JJP? It's a downsized LP Jr./Special type of guitar with an archtop mahogany body, mahogany neck, but the neck is a bolt-on instead of set, and it's only got one pickup (DiMarzio Super Distortion) and one volume control.
http://img30.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Toejam/JJPF.jpg
http://img30.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Toejam/JJPN.jpg
http://www.jacksonguitars.com/resour...age=tsbJJP.jpg

http://www.jacksonmuseum.com/archive...f-97-page2.jpg

[ March 21, 2004, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: toejam ]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

The body on Les Paul's original Les Paul was all mahogany, if I remember correctly. He wanted his personal guitars that way, I heard.

[Inazone]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Eh, why not check out the Dean EVO series if you want an LP copy that's a better value than the real thing? I owned an EVO Phantom (aka EVO Noir) and for $500 it blew away any Gibson Special or Studio I tried. The Dean blade-style humbuckers in a mahogany body sounded almost identical to my mahogany Hamer Californian with a PAF Pro. The neck joint was much better than anything you'll find from Gibson too.

I sold it to pay for a new Jackson, but it was a fantastic guitar that I sometimes regret selling.

[deviltronix]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

BTW, I was in Sam Ash and I tried a new Limited Edition Les Paul Classic, something like only 250 made. I must say it was amazing... The neck was fantastic, and the tone was how a Les Paul should sound unlike most of the guitars Gibson has put out in the last 10 years. It was a triple humbucker model with Gold hardware. I must say, for $1600, this single Les Paul has renewed my interest and some of my faith in Gibson.

This was the guitar. The one I tried was at the Huntingon, New York Sam Ash:


<a href="http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemID=17237&TempID=2&Method=2&Catego ryID=0&BrandID=0&PriceRangeID=0&PageNum=0&Departme ntID=0&DepartmentKeeper=&pagesize=10&SortMethod=0& Word1=les+paul&Contains=%22%2Ales%2A%22+AND+%22%2A paul%2A%22&Search_Type=SEARCH&GroupCode=nonetodayt hanks">
Gibson - Les Paul 3-Pickup Classic </a>



If I hadn't just ordered a custom from GMW & GMP, I would have brought this puppy home.
-Rich-

[khabibissell]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Epiphone Les Paul Elite. They are excellent quality guitars.

[RacerX]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Originally posted by deviltronix:
This was the guitar. The one I tried was at the Huntingon, New York Sam Ash:


<a href="http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemID=17237&TempID=2&Method=2&Catego ryID=0&BrandID=0&PriceRangeID=0&PageNum=0&Departme ntID=0&DepartmentKeeper=&pagesize=10&SortMethod=0& Word1=les+paul&Contains=%22%2Ales%2A%22+AND+%22%2A paul%2A%22&Search_Type=SEARCH&GroupCode=nonetodayt hanks">
Gibson - Les Paul 3-Pickup Classic </a>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ahhh! Those bastards:

"..for it's sculpted...body"

[img]graemlins/evilimages/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/evilimages/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[lerxstcat]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

The Epiphone Elites are almost as much $ as the Gibsons though; I'd definitely buy
a used Gibson LPC for the price an Epi Elite would cost.

Also, that "Exclusive" Sam Ash deal can be had at AMS too, except in honeyburst,
not ebony (bursts are usually about $70 more with Gibson) for the same $1599.
Also AMS will break it down into 5 monthly payments of $319.99 on your CC if you don't have all the dough available.

[deviltronix]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

Bullshit marketing terms like "sculpted" aside, it really kicked ass.

[khabibissell]

Re: Agile Vs. Gibson Vs. Kramer

I paid $700 for my Elite Standard w/hardshell . The cheapest Gibson Les Paul Standard I could find was $1500. The Epi Elites are easily on par with their Gibson counterparts. The Epi is a bad choice if you plan on selling it later on because of poor resale, but I looked for a good 'Paul for quite a while before settling on it, but I don't regret my decision one bit.