$500 Agile vs 1.7K Kiesel?

[Strobe]

Both will be good enough so as not to tick you off.

From there, you have to ask how likely you are to swap pickups. The agiles will be fine. The Kiesels you will probably not want to swap. There is something to be said for buying something that's right off the shelf. Not everyone enjoys tinkering. Is it worth $1200 to you, minus whatever you would spend on upgrades?

 

[Carl Kolchak]

Mike gave me the heads up on a near perfect used Prestige. If it's still available in a couple of days I'm going to snag it.

 

[Jeff]

How do you feel about their return policy?

Kurt is grrreeat with returns!

 

[Rollandbeast]

Ive never played a kiesel but my 350$ agile plays just as good as my ormsby lol

 

[Joan Maal]

just be patient and buy a used prestige.

No need to be patient... You can often find good deals for pre-owned Prestiges.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

You'd be better getting a used EBMM JP. There are soem close to 1700

 

[xzacx]

I’m sure this opinion will get some hate, but neither one of them has much brand prestige IMO, so if the designs appeal to you and you can get something that plays good and sounds how you want it, an Agile and some leftover cash is the more appealing choice to me. For $1.7K, there are a lot of things I’d look at for that price and less before a Kiesel. (Unless it was something particularly unique, like if I HAD to have a headless with certain specs in a certain color, or something.)

 

[noise in my mind]

I have owned both guitars (still have the carvin dc7x). I don't think it's worth the price difference. You can find used prestige and used carvin 7 strings all day for under a grand. Go that route. Agiles are good quality if your budget is under $500.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

Ive never played a kiesel but my 350$ agile plays just as good as my ormsby lol

They were made in the same place lol

 

[Rollandbeast]

They were made in the same place lol

I know they are both made in korea but I thought they were made in different factory .. the qc on my agile was pure shit while my ormsby is pretty much perfect tho..

 

[GatherTheArsenal]

So far I can't justify paying more than $1500 CAD (max) for a guitar, mainly coming from the perspective of that's the most I've paid and I have been really happy with what I got my hands on. I've played more expensive guitars over the last couple of decades (PRS, Gibson, Fenders), while enjoyable and fantastic in their own rights, the differences I was able to notice weren't enough to pay thousands more. It's not a price thing, it's more the cost benefit principle.

Example: recently picked up an Agile Interceptor Pro in January. $500 USD, near-flawless finish, neck-thru, EMG's, floyd rose (which I recently blocked so tuning stability is now even better than a fixed bridge IMO). By far the best neck I've played in years. Just intonated and restrung, and it plays as good as any guitar.

But since you know Agiles already, I highly recommend playing a Kiesel if you can get your hands on one. Nothing will speak to you with as much clarity as first-hand experience.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

I know they are both made in korea but I thought they were made in different factory .. the qc on my agile was pure shit while my ormsby is pretty much perfect tho..

Both at WMI but ormsby does final inspection in AUS

 

[bracky]

My only Agile was not good. Both of my Kiesels are world class.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Both at WMI but ormsby does final inspection in AUS

Allegedly

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Allegedly

i mean technically they do "final setup" . at least they actually bother to set up their guitars unlike strandberg and their bullshit "qc checklist".

 

[diagrammatiks]

i mean technically they do "final setup" . at least they actually bother to set up their guitars unlike strandberg and their bullshit "qc checklist".

It’s true. No one is setting up these strandbergs.

 

[Glades]

People like to shit on Kiesel, but Kiesels are phenomenal instruments. Kiesel and Agile are not even close to being in the same league. It's like comparing an Indo Ibanez with a Fujigen ibanez, or an LTD vs ESP. The difference in fit, finish, playability, and quality is pretty considerable.
To me, in this case the money difference is worth it. A $1500-$2000 kiesel is well worth the money for what you get. $3000+ are a waster of money imo and you can get better for that price

 

[LeviathanKiller]

Agile
https://www.rondomusic.com/Agile_Epic_727_Flat_Black.html

Kiesel
https://www.kieselguitars.com/guitars-in-stock/139392

Roughly the same specs, but price?

So my questions is this, what am I getting for that extra 1.2K?

It's not a question of money, as I can easily afford the Kiesel at this time, but, I wonder, could I bring that Agile more or less up to the same level of quality as the Kiesel for an additional investment of another $400 or so, or is the Kiesel simply that much better a guitar?

• Better fretwork
  • Agile can be hit or miss on the lower end models like this one.
  • My Agile Septor is completely fine ($380). Didn't like my Agile Legacy as much though ($300).

• Better hardware and electronics

• Better finishing
  • Cheaper models and even an Elite/Pro model can have specks in the finish sometimes.
  • I would expect the Kiesel to have less issues but that's not guaranteed.

• Better quality control
  • More like "there is quality control" since Agile lets you be quality control in return for the cheap prices.
  • Another Kiesel expectation that can't be guaranteed though.

 

[Emperoff]

"500$ Korean guitar Vs. 1700$ USA guitar"

 

[spudmunkey]

To some, just as Japan is an assumed exemption from "Asian guitars", Kiesel is a separate consideration from "USA" guitars.