Agile AD3200 or Ibanez AR325?

[tobijohn]

If you are going to swap pickups? Agile, no contest. Better built, better neck profile, way better neck heel, better fretboard, and better hardware.

Out of the box? The Ibanez sounds better.

I'm not sure about the AL-3200MCCs or the current A(x)-3200MCC inbounds but the previous batch of humbucker AD-3200MCCs had Giovanni GVH-1s...

[sabasgr68]

If you are going to swap pickups? Agile, no contest. Better built, better neck profile, way better neck heel, better fretboard, and better hardware.

Out of the box? The Ibanez sounds better.

Well, this puts some balance to the outcoming...

[Partscaster]

I dont know if I would like a neck-thru. Do they sound brighter cause of it?
Ebony is not my favorite fb material either. I do like the look of the Agile AD's, especially a GT.
And I also like Agile neck feel.

So, Im leaning neither way.

[mozz]

I think i would be hitting the toggle switch on the Ibanez while playing, too close to the strings.

[mighty_duck]

There is nothing at all wrong with the AD3200 shape in person - it is a real looker.
The appointments on the Agile are better, the neck heel especially.
It is also heavy with a very slim neck, both being deal breakers for me. If it weren't for those two issues(and maybe they aren't issues for you), I'd certainly go with the Agile.

[Chocol8]

I dont know if I would like a neck-thru. Do they sound brighter cause of it?
Ebony is not my favorite fb material either. I do like the look of the Agile AD's, especially a GT.
And I also like Agile neck feel.

So, Im leaning neither way.

I would say a TOUCH and I mean small touch brighter and more sustain due to the neck through.

[Mossman]

I have owned 2 of the Ibanez. The Ibanez I think is better looking, has nice pickups, variety of tonal options via switching. The neck will be a little thicker and the body will be thinner. Both of mine weighed under 7.5 lbs. Expect the Agile to be much heavier. Ibanez come out of China and I believe Agile still out of Korea. One of my Ibanez was older and was built in Korea, but quality was no better than the Chinese made model.

Ibanez is leaving China. Most of their production has moved to Indonesia. The last time I checked, there were few models still being made in China, and they were soon to make the transition (according to their website).

[Mossman]

I dont know if I would like a neck-thru. Do they sound brighter cause of it?
Ebony is not my favorite fb material either. I do like the look of the Agile AD's, especially a GT.
And I also like Agile neck feel.

So, Im leaning neither way.

Some people think neck-through guitars/basses have more sustain, but many tests (as well as my own personal experience) has proven otherwise. I don't see how neck-through construction would make it inherently brighter.

[Mossman]

Fast, quick and simple! Haha.

Another thing to consider: the Agile will be available in january 2022 - so says Kurt -. The Ibanez is already availabe at Sweetwater - 4 units to choose from! -, and at $13/month (48 moths credit), the Ibanez it´s a little hard to resist, then.

Are you trying to persuade me to buy it?

Not at all, Moss. But from another point of view, I could live vicariously through you - or anybody here -

And, you´re not that much of a LP guy...

Yeah, I was going to say that ergonomically, it has all the features that put me off of Les Pauls, so in real life, I would choose "neither", but that's no fun for a hypothetical conversation.

[Chocol8]

Some people think neck-through guitars/basses have more sustain, but many tests (as well as my own personal experience) has proven otherwise. I don't see how neck-through construction would make it inherently brighter.

Harder woods and a stiffer laminated construction vs a traditional solid mahogany neck. All else equal, the neck through wouldn’t be brighter, but all else is rarely equal and certainly isn’t when comparing an Agile 3000 to a 3200.

[Gergo]

I have not been a fan of the new Chinese-made Ibanez AR series guitars at all. I think that the hardware is ultra cheap, and the electronics are ultra cheap. The specs and the components on the Agile much much better. Just my two cents worth.

[Gergo]

By the way I haven't really noticed any big difference between the sound of a guitar that's a neck-thru and a guitar that has a set neck. I think the "more sustain" claim is BS. . I personally like the neck-thru because of the sculpted heal and overall feel. The Agile has a 5-piece maple walnut laminate neck, which will be much stronger as well. The Agile neck is going to have a more modern, faster profile than the Ibanez. Depends on what your looking for.

[sabasgr68]

I dont know if I would like a neck-thru. Do they sound brighter cause of it?
Ebony is not my favorite fb material either. I do like the look of the Agile AD's, especially a GT.
And I also like Agile neck feel.

So, Im leaning neither way.

I only like neck-through because of the better upper fret access. I really don´t know if it has a major efect over anything, really .

[sabasgr68]

There is nothing at all wrong with the AD3200 shape in person - it is a real looker.
The appointments on the Agile are better, the neck heel especially.
It is also heavy with a very slim neck, both being deal breakers for me. If it weren't for those two issues(and maybe they aren't issues for you), I'd certainly go with the Agile.

I remember you returned yours because of the neck being slim. I don´t know if I could tell the difference with the AL3000 neck. I mean, I don´t even know what neck is my Al3000.

So, your choice is Agile in my hypothetical experiment.

[sabasgr68]

By the way I haven't really noticed any big difference between the sound of a guitar that's a neck-thru and a guitar that has a set neck. I think the "more sustain" claim is BS. . I personally like the neck-thru because of the sculpted heal and overall feel. The Agile has a 5-piece maple walnut laminate neck, which will be much stronger as well. The Agile neck is going to have a more modern, faster profile than the Ibanez. Depends on what your looking for.

That´s what I like about neck-through in these models, the sculpted heel. I could even go with an AL3200 in my hypothetical game, just because of the contour heel. That´s what I like the most about those models; but just wanted to play with DC here

[Chocol8]

The sculpted neck heel is about as good as you can get on the AD-3200. I have yet to pick up any guitar that I think does it better.

I also prefer thinner more Fender like necks over 50’s Gibson fat necks, so I love the neck profile on the AD’s and the standard AL’s for that matter. I can definitely see why a Gibson fan wouldn’t like it though.

[sabasgr68]

I'm in the process of converting a CSBF AD-3200 to a sort of Ibanez AR /Yamaha SG(B) "tribute" with black plastic and gold hardware. Well, I will be after giving a gold top AD-3200 the Gibson Deluxe treatment with a pickguard and Dimarzio PG-13 minis...

Hey, John @tobijohn , did you finish any of these projects?

The - sort of - Ibanez AR /Yamaha SG convertion is the one I´m more interested to see the outcome...

[tobijohn]

Hey, John @tobijohn , did you finish any of these projects?

The - sort of - Ibanez AR /Yamaha SG convertion is the one I´m more interested to see the outcome...

The Gold Top has been done for quite a while and has Dimarzio PG-13 pickups. The CSB has been languishing for several months because I was frustrated with a wiring issue. The neck tone control is always on 1. I've checked the pot with a multimeter, replaced it with another, even put in a different harness and no change. I'm thinking it must be getting grounded somehow. The next thing I'll try is to wire the harness up while it's outside the cavity and see if I still have the problem. The pickups in that one are Dimarzio Air Nortons.

[sabasgr68]

Hey, John @tobijohn , did you finish any of these projects?

The - sort of - Ibanez AR /Yamaha SG convertion is the one I´m more interested to see the outcome...

The Gold Top has been done for quite a while and has Dimarzio PG-13 pickups. The CSB has been languishing for several months because I was frustrated with a wiring issue. The neck tone control is always on 1. I've checked the pot with a multimeter, replaced it with another, even put in a different harness and no change. I'm thinking it must be getting grounded somehow. The next thing I'll try is to wire the harness up while it's outside the cavity and see if I still have the problem. The pickups in that one are Dimarzio Air Nortons.

Great for the most part! I feared you would say "still not...".

The AD3200 GT looks very good. The CSB looks very good too; I actually like it with the black pickups and plastics, nice contrast. Too bad about that mysterious problem with the neck tone control. I think it´s a good idea to wire it up outside and see if the problem is still there. But I understand the frustration... Hope you can work it out soon!

[tonebender]

I do not know how I have never owned an AS series Ibanez semi-hollow.

[sabasgr68]

I do not know how I have never owned an AS series Ibanez semi-hollow.

Never too late, Jeff!

[Partscaster]

The neck profile with the Agile is the huge plus for me, over the Ibanez.

[jtcnj]

I thought Ibanez typically has slim neck profiles (?), which I mostly don't get along with.
The spec for the AR325 says 20mm at 1st fret; no bueno for me.
My AS73 is on the slim side but is in the ok zone, but not the preferred zone. I dont think I ever measured it.

I really dig the Agile neck through AL / AD, but the slim neck profile and the 10+lbs is a no go for me.
I would have bought an AL3200 if not for that a few years ago.

The other thing I am wary of with double cuts like these is neck dive, also a no go for me.
I would think the heavier body guitars would not have it.

I voted neither.
They both look like great guitars, but not a good fit for me personally.

[sabasgr68]

I thought Ibanez typically has slim neck profiles (?), which I mostly don't get along with.
The spec for the AR325 says 20mm at 1st fret; no bueno for me.
My AS73 is on the slim side but is in the ok zone, but not the preferred zone. I dont think I ever measured it.

I really dig the Agile neck through AL / AD, but the slim neck profile and the 10+lbs is a no go for me.
I would have bought an AL3200 if not for that a few years ago.

The other thing I am wary of with double cuts like these is neck dive, also a no go for me.
I would think the heavier body guitars would not have it.

I voted neither.
They both look like great guitars, but not a good fit for me personally.

Interesting points, John.

My AL3000, according to Rondo specs, is 21.5 mm 1st fret.

The AL3200 says 20mm at 1st fret - again, according to Rondo´s specs -.

I have to check the guitar that ED sent me to see if it´s different - it´s a Fender neck -.

I´d like to try different neck profiles too see which I like more. Sometimes I feel like I need more "neck" in my hand, if that makes sense to you.

Anyway, I really want better upper fret acces. I can get there on my AL3000, but it´s not that easy.

[jtcnj]

Sometimes I feel like I need more "neck" in my hand, if that makes sense to you.

Anyway, I really want better upper fret acces. I can get there on my AL3000, but it´s not that easy.

I dig the upper fret access of double cuts as well. I have had a few and finally the keeper for me is a 2022 SG Tribute I got used earlier this year.
Fits me right, not heavy (almost too light), plays and sounds great, no neck dive, rounder / thicker neck profile than the 60's / Slim Taper Gibson necks, but it is not huge 50's profile. At .85" at first fret, it is in he Goldilocks zone for me. It is a big deal to me as it is also by far the most I ever spent on a guitar.

To some players, it doesn't matter much to them; I have found it to be important.
I can play thin necks, I don't get any hand cramps, etc.
I have tried to ignore and get used to it. I didn't think a couple of hundredths of an inch could really matter.

A thicker neck fills my hand better to where my fingers just land more naturally on the fretboard, or something that just feels "right" I cant really identify.
I just play better / more comfortably above or around .83" - .84" 1st fret. ( I have been measuring them lately).

I have 2 beautiful, just great Squier Classic Vibe 50's - a strat and a tele, except at .815", they just never really felt "right".
The strat is sold, the tele is listed locally.
I sometimes wish I did prefer slim necks as they seem to be more prevalent.