Just got the ad3200 other day. Told myself I was not going to buy any more guitars after selling a ton of guitars off last year but we know the addiction and I love purple tops. Its setup out the box perfectly like the other 3200 and 3100's I've bought, best setup out the box I ever see is higher end agiles, sorry gibson never seen one out the box that was setup as well ever.
This is sooo much lighter than the 1st ad I had it was the beast at 11lb 13 oz and was sold months after just to dam heavy! I read some others got some ad3200 that were 9lbs so I took a chance again on the blurple ad3200 got lucky at 8lb 9oz this round.
1st thing done was strap locks, trim rings and switch tip to black looks so much better black for me and no poker chips for me. The rear is still cream but ill get a rondo black out kit later I'm sure since finding rear covers used for agile is impossible. Had a finish issue on treble side of neck which I had fixed, in other thread and worked out fine.
No neck dive and plays great, strings were 1mm at 12th out the box and after changing strings to 11-50 still about 1mm at 12th pretty low for any lp style. Overall nice guitar and so easy to play neck is like a ibanez or schecter neck thinner than the 3100 for sure.
This is my 1st satin finish guitar and the neck is awesome! makes the normal gloss feel so poly thick and sticky I'm ready to sand out my neck on the 3100 now lol!
Everything else is the standard agile stuff but these new giovanni pickups!? Never had the giovanni pickups beforethey sound ok but something is missing on them for me, I have a set of epi probucker and set of gfs phat pats in the other guitars and these just sound thin compared to the phat pats, probucker is close but still fuller sounding than these giovannis.
I have a alnico 2 bridge pickup than may fall in it tomorrow to see if I like it better or may just try mag swap in the bridge with an alnico 2 or 3 then it might sound better for me. I dont jive with alnico 5 pickups anymore lol.
The satin finish looks so dull and blah beside a gloss finish lol may get the top buffed out later once it gets some smooth wear spots on it. These are the only guitars left from the culling/sell off last year sx callisto, 3100 purple black, 3200 blurple
new guitar day ad3200 purple blurple, giovanni pickups?
- artandsoul
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- Mossman
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Happy new guitar day! I'm disappointed to hear that the Giovanni's aren't that great. I thought they were Artec's premium pickup line. I give a vote for the Pro-Buckers. I love those pickups!
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- artandsoul
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The giovannis sound good I just dont play clean ever so there not right for my sound, they are clean clear sounding pickups and nothing really bad about them . I think most people would like the gios since there clean and clear sounding not shrill or muddy just not my tone i dont need clean sound.
I think in a tele they would be great or If you play cleans or low gain distortion there great for stock pickups. Im gonna give them another test comparison today and see if they get replaced or not may change my mind today compared to yesterday.
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- Gergo
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Congrats man! Looks nice. I have an AD-3200 exactly like it and love it. Mine is from the earlier generation though and had come with the G&B pickups, which I pulled immediately. I actually put Giovanni GVH-2 pickups in mine. Those have the Alnico III magnets and I really like them. Personally, in general, I slightly prefer the Giovanni's over the Probuckers, but to each his own. The Probuckers are damn nice too.
Is that an Agile on the far left? What is it exactly? What finish is that?
Is that an Agile on the far left? What is it exactly? What finish is that?
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Glad to hear things ended up working out, looks like you ended up on the right side of that deal. And it certainly complements your collection, you've got a lot of really unique and interesting finishes there.
Regarding the pickups, it's certainly a testament to how subjective "tone" is. Right here in this thread there are 4 different people with widely varying opinions ( me included ) on the stock rondo pickups. I just saw a post over on the FB Rondo/SX group from someone who ordered a 3200 from likely the same lot and was literally gushing about how fantastic the stock pickups sound - "sounds as good as my gibsons" and "sounds better than guitars costing 3-4 times as much" was even uttered
.
Regarding the pickups, it's certainly a testament to how subjective "tone" is. Right here in this thread there are 4 different people with widely varying opinions ( me included ) on the stock rondo pickups. I just saw a post over on the FB Rondo/SX group from someone who ordered a 3200 from likely the same lot and was literally gushing about how fantastic the stock pickups sound - "sounds as good as my gibsons" and "sounds better than guitars costing 3-4 times as much" was even uttered

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- artandsoul
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I just played on them some vs the probuckers and thought ill do an alnico 3 magnet swap in the bridge would probably make it more like probucker. the gios are aggressive sounding, im more use to a more bassy or a little more mud in my bridge pickup and can swap a magnet in 20 min which im doin shortly lol.Gergo wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:26 pm Congrats man! Looks nice. I have an AD-3200 exactly like it and love it. Mine is from the earlier generation though and had come with the G&B pickups, which I pulled immediately. I actually put Giovanni GVH-2 pickups in mine. Those have the Alnico III magnets and I really like them. Personally, in general, I slightly prefer the Giovanni's over the Probuckers, but to each his own. The Probuckers are damn nice too.
Is that an Agile on the far left? What is it exactly? What finish is that?
far left is the sx callisto
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- artandsoul
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They sound good there open sounding, clear and bright but I want more bass fatness dont care for treble or brightness i have amp knobs for that lol. Most people will like them just not my usual sound in pickups. Still think they are a more modern take on pafs just not fat enough to much treble for me , perfect for a tele or hh stratuwmcscott wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:34 pm Glad to hear things ended up working out, looks like you ended up on the right side of that deal. And it certainly complements your collection, you've got a lot of really unique and interesting finishes there.
Regarding the pickups, it's certainly a testament to how subjective "tone" is. Right here in this thread there are 4 different people with widely varying opinions ( me included ) on the stock rondo pickups. I just saw a post over on the FB Rondo/SX group from someone who ordered a 3200 from likely the same lot and was literally gushing about how fantastic the stock pickups sound - "sounds as good as my gibsons" and "sounds better than guitars costing 3-4 times as much" was even uttered.
After i do this mag swap well see if the bridge is more to my liking
"Nationwide, on average 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2023. 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level" Now I know whats wrong with people lmao
- artandsoul
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well the mag swap was a no go for me after taking off the cover lol never seen this much wax on any pickup, no way im gonna make that big a mess for a magnet. Just replaced the bridge with an alnico 2 bridge, one of those cheap ones from sansman on ebay probably the same guy as guitarmadness, cheap pickups but decent and there aztec most likley.
The alnico 2 is just what it needed for me and im sure the gios with the alnico 3 mags would sound good for me to but i cant see making that big of a mess for mag swap. Now the neck sounds to muddy lol ill throw in the p90 neck later today and i think ill be done.
threw in a alnico 5 humbucker p90 neck sounds huge
The alnico 2 is just what it needed for me and im sure the gios with the alnico 3 mags would sound good for me to but i cant see making that big of a mess for mag swap. Now the neck sounds to muddy lol ill throw in the p90 neck later today and i think ill be done.
threw in a alnico 5 humbucker p90 neck sounds huge
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- Mossman
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That sounds like my experience with the Epiphone Alnico Classics in the 335 I bought (and had to send back for an exchange) recently. They do sound good, but they just don't have the fullness and warmth of the Pro-Buckers. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to drop in the replacement when it arrives... or whenever I summon up the gumption to drag a set of pickups out of a semi-hollow.artandsoul wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:04 pmThe giovannis sound good I just dont play clean ever so there not right for my sound, they are clean clear sounding pickups and nothing really bad about them . I think most people would like the gios since there clean and clear sounding not shrill or muddy just not my tone i dont need clean sound.
I think in a tele they would be great or If you play cleans or low gain distortion there great for stock pickups. Im gonna give them another test comparison today and see if they get replaced or not may change my mind today compared to yesterday.

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- Mossman
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Moses, that's a lot of wax!artandsoul wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:28 pm well the mag swap was a no go for me after taking off the cover lol never seen this much wax on any pickup, no way im gonna make that big a mess for a magnet. Just replaced the bridge with an alnico 2 bridge, one of those cheap ones from sansman on ebay probably the same guy as guitarmadness, cheap pickups but decent and there aztec most likley.
The alnico 2 is just what it needed for me and im sure the gios with the alnico 3 mags would sound good for me to but i cant see making that big of a mess for mag swap. Now the neck sounds to muddy lol ill throw in the p90 neck later today and i think ill be done.
agilesdsdsss.jpg
agilesssssds.jpg
threw in a alnico 5 humbucker p90 neck sounds huge
agillllllllllll.jpg
I don't think A3s sound much like A2s anyway. Intuitively, you'd think they would sound like something in between an A2 and an A5, but they're a completely different animal altogether... At least in my experience. I think you're better off with pairing A2 with A5.
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- artandsoul
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The gio's sound does remind me of the epi alnico classics. Oh god yes semi hollow wiring is the worst for sure! I have done a few and I use flat dental floss on the pots same thing I used today on the neck pickup lead I rewired after doing the bridge 1st. Much better to wire both at once but floss worked great to pull wires though body without unscrewing bridge to . Now its minty fresh smell inside guitar lol and pulled wire through super easy and fast .Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 8:57 pmThat sounds like my experience with the Epiphone Alnico Classics in the 335 I bought (and had to send back for an exchange) recently. They do sound good, but they just don't have the fullness and warmth of the Pro-Buckers. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to drop in the replacement when it arrives... or whenever I summon up the gumption to drag a set of pickups out of a semi-hollow.artandsoul wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:04 pmThe giovannis sound good I just dont play clean ever so there not right for my sound, they are clean clear sounding pickups and nothing really bad about them . I think most people would like the gios since there clean and clear sounding not shrill or muddy just not my tone i dont need clean sound.
I think in a tele they would be great or If you play cleans or low gain distortion there great for stock pickups. Im gonna give them another test comparison today and see if they get replaced or not may change my mind today compared to yesterday.![]()
The alnico 2 bridge is always my go to on most guitars and the a5 p90 combo sounds great for a cheapo pickup set off ebay/
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I'm officially calling that finish "Cold Cut Shimmer"


- tobijohn
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FWIW, the Epi Probuckers are A2s and the Alnico Classic Pros use A5s. I'm pretty sure @toomanycats researched it and the only difference between those two sets are the magnets.
The retail Giovannis have "Giovanni stamped on the back plate so I'm going to assume the ones in this batch are an OEM version. I've got an AD-3200 from this last batch that I can check against the retail ones installed in a couple other Agiles.
The retail Giovannis have "Giovanni stamped on the back plate so I'm going to assume the ones in this batch are an OEM version. I've got an AD-3200 from this last batch that I can check against the retail ones installed in a couple other Agiles.
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- toomanycats
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I'm trying to remember if the coils are slightly mismatched on the Probuckers as opposed to a balanced wind on the Alnico Classic Plus. I have a fuzzy recollection of somebody measuring it and reporting the results on the old forum.
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- redman
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I bought the AL version from the last batch (same color) I haven't pulled the pups to see what they are but even though to my ears they sound pretty good clean with distortion they get muddy. I've been thinking about changing them out and am going to most likely try a set of Dragonfires.
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I have used a few items from DragonFire and have never been disappointed. Preloaded Strat guard was high quality and sounded fantastic. When I get back to the US I'm ordering their Strat hotrails with mini switch setup to bring back to Thailand. Awesome stuff at great pricesredman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:07 am I bought the AL version from the last batch (same color) I haven't pulled the pups to see what they are but even though to my ears they sound pretty good clean with distortion they get muddy. I've been thinking about changing them out and am going to most likely try a set of Dragonfires.
- artandsoul
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After a search the probuckers a2 are scatterwound and the alinco classic pros "not plus" a5 are balanced wound, the gios are like 57 classic to me more treble than the probucker for sure. I didnt like the alnico classic pros to much when I had a pair in an sx callisto went to probuckers and I was happy. Surprised to see the gios on ebay for 69.00 a pair new, giovanni new gvh-1 custom humbucker set. I bought the probuckers for 49.00 new on ebay decently cleap and worth it for a more vintage sound.toomanycats wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:00 amI'm trying to remember if the coils are slightly mismatched on the Probuckers as opposed to a balanced wind on the Alnico Classic Plus. I have a fuzzy recollection of somebody measuring it and reporting the results on the old forum.
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- tobijohn
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I just noticed that I had said "Alnico Classic Plus" when I meant "Alnico Classic Pros." The Alnico Classic Plus is an entirely different pickup and predated the Probucker/Alnico Classic Pro. (IIRC, pre 2011) Those previous Classics and Classic Plus pickups were the two wire sets with brass baseplates (the Pro series use nickel/silver) that had the mediocre reputation.artandsoul wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:24 pm
After a search the probuckers a2 are scatterwound and the alinco classic plus a5 are balanced wound, the gios are like 57 classic to me more treble than the probucker for sure. I didnt like the alnico classic plus to much when I had a pair in an sx callisto went to probuckers and I was happy. Surprised to see the gios on ebay for 69.00 a pair new, giovanni new gvh-1 custom humbucker set. I bought the probuckers for 49.00 new on ebay decently cleap and worth it for a more vintage sound.
Sorry for the confusion....
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- artandsoul
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lol I think we all got confused dam epi and there way to many pickup names lol I ment alnico classic pros as u did tobijohn and not classic plus, never heard the classic plus before just the pros and probuckers. No matter the pro buckers are still better than the classic pros or classic plus pickups for more real paf sound. toomanycats said alnico plus and messed us all up lol I bet he ment pros . the alnico pros are late 70s/80s sounding pickups to me bright clean but a little sterile, or mid scooped is probably the word im thinking,tobijohn wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:40 pmI just noticed that I had said "Alnico Classic Plus" when I meant "Alnico Classic Pros." The Alnico Classic Plus is an entirely different pickup and predated the Probucker/Alnico Classic Pro. (IIRC, pre 2011) Those previous Classics and Classic Plus pickups were the two wire sets with brass baseplates (the Pro series use nickel/silver) that had the mediocre reputation.artandsoul wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:24 pm
After a search the probuckers a2 are scatterwound and the alinco classic plus a5 are balanced wound, the gios are like 57 classic to me more treble than the probucker for sure. I didnt like the alnico classic plus to much when I had a pair in an sx callisto went to probuckers and I was happy. Surprised to see the gios on ebay for 69.00 a pair new, giovanni new gvh-1 custom humbucker set. I bought the probuckers for 49.00 new on ebay decently cleap and worth it for a more vintage sound.
Sorry for the confusion....
"Nationwide, on average 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2023. 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level" Now I know whats wrong with people lmao
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The last time I was this confused was when she said 'It's not you it's me"artandsoul wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:38 pmlol I think we all got confused dam epi and there way to many pickup names lol I ment alnico classic pros as u did tobijohn and not classic plus, never heard the classic plus before just the pros and probuckers. No matter the pro buckers are still better than the classic pros or classic plus pickups for more real paf sound. toomanycats said alnico plus and messed us all up lol the alnico pros are 80s sounding pickups to me bright clean but a little sterile.tobijohn wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:40 pmI just noticed that I had said "Alnico Classic Plus" when I meant "Alnico Classic Pros." The Alnico Classic Plus is an entirely different pickup and predated the Probucker/Alnico Classic Pro. (IIRC, pre 2011) Those previous Classics and Classic Plus pickups were the two wire sets with brass baseplates (the Pro series use nickel/silver) that had the mediocre reputation.artandsoul wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:24 pm
After a search the probuckers a2 are scatterwound and the alinco classic plus a5 are balanced wound, the gios are like 57 classic to me more treble than the probucker for sure. I didnt like the alnico classic plus to much when I had a pair in an sx callisto went to probuckers and I was happy. Surprised to see the gios on ebay for 69.00 a pair new, giovanni new gvh-1 custom humbucker set. I bought the probuckers for 49.00 new on ebay decently cleap and worth it for a more vintage sound.
Sorry for the confusion....
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We are all deranged here tonray's ghost lol , Its all rondos fault I tell you rondos fault! I take no blame on epis stupid names on pickups I blame it on rondo there the devil selling us these guitars needing pickup swaps aaahhhhhh 

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- redman
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I bought my AL-3200 in June or July and It has G&B's in it.
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I believe it's only the most recent batch of AL/AD-3200MCCs that have the OEM Giovanni GVH-1s. I also think they're from a different factory/source than previous ones...
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- redman
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In a few days when my parts are delivered this one will have a set of SD Whole Lotta Humbucker's no coil taps and 50's wiring with new quarter sized CTS pots a Switchcraft toggle and output jack. I really like this guitar and IMO it's well worth a couple of hundred bucks in a mod. I may spend a bit more for some really good locking machines and still have less than $900 in it. Again just my opinion but it will be every bit as good or better than most Gibson LP's and we all know that even though the Gibsons are highly desirable at their price point they are outside what most of us can or at least are willing to pay for a new guitar. I'm eating up the money I won on the scratch off 2 new acoustics new SD pups for both my PRS and AL-3200 and I still have plenty left for other stuff like paying off my credit cards.
