Giovanni GVH -1 in AL-3200MCC

tony1852 · Mon Mar 21, 2022 6:21 am

Anyone know when they started putting these in? I don't frequent the Rondo site very often, and I'm always missing things!

Did anyone get one with these in it, or put them in their AL? If so, how do they sound??

toomanycats · Mon Mar 21, 2022 7:34 am

tony1852 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 21, 2022 6:21 am Anyone know when they started putting these in? I don't frequent the Rondo site very often, and I'm always missing things!

Did anyone get one with these in it, or put them in their AL? If so, how do they sound??

I believe it was quite recently that the Giovanni pups first appeared in the AL. I never bought an Agile that came with Giovanni pups, though I've bought Giovannis aftermarket and put them in Agiles.

The GVH-1 has A5 magnets and is a quite good PAF clone. I'd compare it with something like a Gibson 57 Classic. Good output, excellent clarity, really smooth, and more character than your average import humbucker.

I've also got a set of Giovanni GVH-2 pups in an Epiphone LP Custom. They have A3 magnets and have noticeably less output than the GVH-1 set. Again, lots of character and wonderful tone. They're very well suited to blues, jazz, and classic rock.

As far as I'm concerned the inclusion of Giovanni pickups in a guitar is a selling point.

tony1852 · Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:47 am

I've got a Gibson SG with Classic 57+/Classic 57s in it. I like them, but they are a little smoother than a couple of guitars I have with A5s. I'm not sure that 'smoother' is the right word to describe them in comparison to my A5s; maybe more controlled? The A2s seem brighter my A5s. Again, maybe it would be better to describe the A5s as darker than the A2s. I play a lot of hard rock/old school metal, so I do like ceramics as well.

When you say 'recent', do you mean in the last few years (2019+), or just the last run or two (2021+). I guess I could ask Kurt at Rondo, although sometimes I don't get super direct answers from him.

Appreciate the feedback as always, toomy!!

toomanycats · Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:57 am

tony1852 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:47 am I've got a Gibson SG with Classic 57+/Classic 57s in it. I like them, but they are a little smoother than a couple of guitars I have with A5s. I'm not sure that 'smoother' is the right word to describe them in comparison to my A5s; maybe more controlled? The A2s seem brighter my A5s. Again, maybe it would be better to describe the A5s as darker than the A2s. I play a lot of hard rock/old school metal, so I do like ceramics as well.

When you say 'recent', do you mean in the last few years (2019+), or just the last run or two (2021+). I guess I could ask Kurt at Rondo, although sometimes I don't get super direct answers from him.

Appreciate the feedback as always, toomy!!

Like you, I don't go to Rondo's page too often anymore, though I do recall chatter here on this forum about GVH-1 pups in the ALs sometime in the last year, or maybe it was sometime during the last two years? Help me out here somebody. @tobijohn, don't you keep up with this stuff?

Mon Mar 21, 2022 9:29 am

toomanycats wrote: ↑Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:57 am
Like you, I don't go to Rondo's page too often anymore, though do recall chatter here on this forum about GVH-1 pups in the ALs sometime in the last year, or maybe it was sometime during the last two years? Help me out here somebody. @tobijohn, don't you keep up with this stuff?

Yes, some of the AD-3200MCCs had Giovanni GVH-1s, subsequent AD-3200MCCs I think have reverted back to unbranded Alnico 5s.:
https://www.rondomusic.com/Agile_AD-320 ... Flame.html

https://aguitarforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1504

Gergo · Sat May 07, 2022 2:43 pm

I believe they started putting the Giovanni GVH 1 in the Agiles about two years ago. The AL-3200 I got from Rondo about 6 months ago had them installed. They sound very very good

Sat May 07, 2022 2:57 pm

Gergo wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 2:43 pm I believe they started putting the Giovanni GVH 1 in the Agiles about two years ago. The AL-3200 I got from Rondo about 6 months ago had them installed. They sound very very good

FWIW, the current product descriptions of the AL/AD-3200MCCs in stock make no mention of them, only referring to "type V Alnico humbucker pickups"

Gergo · Sat May 07, 2022 3:06 pm

tobijohn wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 2:57 pm
Gergo wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 2:43 pm I believe they started putting the Giovanni GVH 1 in the Agiles about two years ago. The AL-3200 I got from Rondo about 6 months ago had them installed. They sound very very good
FWIW, the current product descriptions of the AL/AD-3200MCCs in stock make no mention of them, only referring to "type V Alnico humbucker pickups"

I did notice that a while back, but then I went to the specs part of the listing on one of them, and it mentioned Giovanni GVH-1 there. So....who the hell knows? Probably best that any potential buyer shoot Kurt a question just to confirm what they are.

Sat May 07, 2022 3:09 pm

Gergo wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 3:06 pm
I did notice that a while back, but then I went to the specs part of the listing on one of them, and it mentioned Giovanni GVH-1 there. So....who the hell knows? Probably best that any potential buyer shoot Kurt a question just to confirm what they are.

Three constants in life: Death, taxes and Kurt playing fast and loose with copy and paste...

The two AD-3200MCC specs refer to them as "type V Alnico pickups" while the one AL-3200MCC does mention GVH-1s

Sat May 07, 2022 3:36 pm

Also, the two current AD-3200MCCs (LH and RH silverbursts) are double bound, I think thats a first for AD-3200s, in fact, I've never seen a left-handed AL/AD of any kind that was double-bound...