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Absolutely gorgeous and with a MAPLE NECK?!?!

https://reverb.com/item/81779867-agile- ... oceanburst

I'd guess it is someone's custom order from back when Kurt was taking custom orders.

mickey wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 9:24 am I'd guess it is someone's custom order from back when Kurt was taking custom orders.

Taking the orders was fine, delivery was the problem

Yeah, definitely a custom order. I never wanted to drop enough coin to get a custom... but I got almost everything I wanted in time.

I thought the maple necks were a regular item, not custom.

Edit: getting fretboards and necks mixed up.

mozz wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 11:03 am I thought the maple necks were a regular item, not custom.

Both of the guitars pictured above have maple fretboards, but the necks are mahogany. There were a few standard (non-custom) ALs with maple fretboards, but not with P-90s.

Here's another non-custom (Albino AL2500):

I don't think the 2500 in the first post was a custom order. The 2500 series had a number of unusual combinations sold in small numbers.

I grabbed this 2500 as a B stock many moons ago. I don't even remember what was "B" about it...

Not to drift the thread, but on a larger, more all encompassing subject, it has been my understanding that the man, Les Paul, intended the guitar which is his namesake to be constructed entirely out out maple. In the prototype phase this resulted in an instrument that was too heavy. It was because of this that the combination of a mahogany body with a maple cap was made as a compromise.

Additionally, let it be noted that those who place much emphasis on tonality as it relates to wood species have asserted that maple necks are brighter than mahogany (+rosewood) necks. In fact, insofar as tonality is related to wood, much more emphasis is generally placed upon neck wood than body wood.

This leads me to the roundabout question of why, when Les Paul the man was thwarted in his desire to have an all maple body for his namesake instrument, didn't he settle for having a maple neck and maple fretboard?

Imagine a 1958 Les Paul with a maple neck and fretboard. Is such an idea blasphemy, genius . . . . or Agile?

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 2:48 pm Not to drift the thread, but on a larger, more all encompassing subject, it has been my understanding the the man, Les Paul, intended the guitar which is his namesake to be constructed entirely out out maple. In the prototype phase this resulted in an instrument that was too heavy. It was because of this that the combination of a mahogany body with a maple cap was made as a compromise.

Additionally, let it be noted that those who place much emphasis on tonality as it relates to wood species have asserted that maple necks are brighter than mahogany (+rosewood) necks. In fact, insofar as tonality is related to wood, much more emphasis is generally placed upon neck wood than body wood.

This leads me to the roundabout question of why, if Les Paul the man desired an all maple Les Paul body for his namesake instrument, when thwarted in that idea, didn't settle for having a maple neck and fretboard?

Imagine a 1958 Les Paul with a maple neck and fretboard. Is such an idea blasphemy, genius . . . . or Agile?

Gee, I thought Les wanted the whole thing made out of Mahogany.

I thought Gibson got Les's ideal backwards, as if he wanted a maple body with a mahogany cap, but Gibson got it backwards in the shop.

Back on track, I remember the maple fretboard on Oceanbursts, but maybe only with humbuckers.

I think TMC is correct. The LP was initially going to be all maple but it weighed a ton. I am not sure if that was Les' preference or Gibson's. I don't think Les had very much influence on the guitar the bore his name.

Tonray's Ghost wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 9:49 am

mickey wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 9:24 am I'd guess it is someone's custom order from back when Kurt was taking custom orders.

Taking the orders was fine, delivery was the problem

Yeah, you are kind. He was not good at at taking the orders or delivering the orders. He was good at holding my cash in his account accumulating interest for the year though.

tonebender wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 7:49 am

Tonray's Ghost wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 9:49 am

mickey wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 9:24 am I'd guess it is someone's custom order from back when Kurt was taking custom orders.

Taking the orders was fine, delivery was the problem

Yeah, you are kind. He was not good at at taking the orders or delivering the orders. He was good at holding my cash in his account accumulating interest for the year though.

The 'Tonebender' episode is generally regarded as the point Rondo Guitars 'Jumped the shark'

Maple Neck/freboard was fairly common back in the day in the 2xxx line. That exact guitar in the OP https://www.rondomusic.com/product9764.html

Tonray's Ghost wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 8:55 am The 'Tonebender' episode is generally regarded as the point Rondo Guitars 'Jumped the shark'

I agree whole-heartedly.

uwmcscott wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 10:37 am Maple Neck/freboard was fairly common back in the day in the 2xxx line. That exact guitar in the OP https://www.rondomusic.com/product9764.html

You are so right!

And how did I miss that guitar when it was being sold????

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

dabbler wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 1:13 pm You are so right!

And how did I miss that guitar when it was being sold????

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

The odd 2500 combos were generally only available for a brief period. I would guess that a lot of them were just a handful in a single batch.

The maple neck is nice! I had the same one ocean burst maple neck but in humbuckers that i swapped to p94 humbucker size p90s it was very clean sounding and nice! Im sure it will sound crisp and snappy and still have some grit for overdrive the p90s are hard to beat.

Anytime I research a older agile i just search for the model name close as I can on google. Sometimes I have to look at images but 95% I find it and usually on an old rondo link. So glad the old rondo links are there to show them , Im really surprised there even still online.. heres the same model on rondo but a b stock. AGILE AL-2500 MN OCEANBURST FLAME P90

https://www.rondomusic.com/product9764.html

uwmcscott wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 10:37 am Maple Neck/freboard was fairly common back in the day in the 2xxx line. That exact guitar in the OP https://www.rondomusic.com/product9764.html

Lol I posted the same link now I see your post above duh Im late to the party but thank rondo for leaving the 10 year old links up!

Back off-track, some text from Wiki regarding early LP . Likely, there were several early conceptions bandied about.

"McCarty stated that design discussions with Les Paul were limited to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain, which Les Paul had requested reversed. However, this reversal would have caused the guitar to become too heavy, and Paul's request was refused."

Turns out it was not that unusual...waiting for the Trini Lopez model with F-hole, and Fender orange tinted neck and headstock.

For me, a Les Paul should not have a maple fretboard and a Tele should not have a rosewood or ebony board. Although I could probably live with an ebony board on a Tele.