Agile Possibly Looking for New Ownership

[MaxOfMetal]

Not sure how old this news is, but:



Maybe not an outright sale, but perhaps a licensing agreement of some sort.

Interesting either way.

 

[Yul Brynner]

Darren can get his headstock back!

 

[dr_game0ver]

I got 60$.

 

[iamaom]

Someone send this to Tosin!

 

[Edika]

I saw that and the first think I thought was that they're selling their business. Truth be told with the recent output of known brands for lower and midlevel guitars I don't think Agile's prices are as competitve. Maybe for their singlecuts.

 

[Albake21]

I'm curious to know how much they're asking. Also are you buying Agile as it is but to sell on your own? Or are you buying Rondo Music? Are you just buying the rights for the shape and name?

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Well that's definitely interesting.
I wonder if Kurt's just trying to get out, or if catering to all of the wild stuff that Agile does just wasn't worth the headache anymore.

 

[Mattykoda]

Wait, this may be our time to do a group SSO buy because then every time someone says "but I wish X guitar had" BAM! problem fixed.
Want a KM lookalike with a special feature? Done
Want a pink 10 string with a floyd? Done - @Hollowway would be first
Want to get rid of the burl virus? Done
Too much bevel on that guitar? Not anymore
Everyone could be happy and with great customer service to boot.

 

[Albake21]

Wait, this may be our time to do a group SSO buy because then every time someone says "but I wish X guitar had" BAM! problem fixed.
Want a KM lookalike with a special feature? Done
Want a pink 10 string with a floyd? Done - @Hollowway would be first
Want to get rid of the burl virus? Done
Too much bevel on that guitar? Not anymore
Everyone could be happy and with great customer service to boot.

Joke or not, if I actually had the money I'd happily do something like this. Make an SSO branding and let SSO members vote on what they wanted.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I wish they'd just go back to only selling niche ERG stuff. That's what really made their name imo, and that's where they have the most market share.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I wish they'd just go back to only selling niche ERG stuff. That's what really made their name imo, and that's where they have the most market share.

I don't know, they got really popular here for making some ERGs with forum feedback, but their own forums and other places around the Internet were a lot more conservative. That's why there's always been more AL (Les Paul) models than anything else, and that's also why they're just not as popular around here anymore. Now that more mainstream companies are servicing our needs, Agile has mostly dropped off.

 

[MrWulf]

Maybe it is time to grab some of the neckthru Agile out there before they disappeared forever....

 

[Andromalia]

That sounds like a "win millions from home without moving your ass" advert.

 

[akinari]

I hope one of the ERG maniacs on this forum buys them so I can get another 34" scale 7 without having to convert a bass.

 

[mnemonic]

So what’s the deal with this kinda stuff, as far as I know Rondo doesn’t own a factory, they just order guitars from Asian manufacturers. So would you just be buying the brand name, and the phone number of the factory in Indonesia or wherever?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

So what’s the deal with this kinda stuff, as far as I know Rondo doesn’t own a factory, they just order guitars from Asian manufacturers. So would you just be buying the brand name, and the phone number of the factory in Indonesia or wherever?

There's really not a lot of info to go by, so it's mostly guesswork.

Ibanez doesn't really own a factory in the traditional sense, nor do a lot of brands.

So you'd likely be purchasing the "brand" which probably includes stuff like the designs, names, website, production contacts (and contracts), and inventory.

 

[dr_game0ver]

Bet the new owner will do nothing but Teles and LPs

 

[77zark77]

Can I rename it Agile pro II ?

 

[Albake21]

Well I guess the big thing here is the contact with a factory. Have you guys ever tried looking into getting in contact with these factories? It's damn near impossible without knowing someone in the business. I've tried getting a hold of factories but they don't have any public emails, sites or even phone numbers. Plus just the name Agile which is well known at this point.

 

[Señor Voorhees]

I mean, you get the recognition associated with Agile. Agile is in decent regards and does sell a fair amount of stuff... Buying it would mean you're buying something that's already making money/something that's already established... Much easier, I'd imagine, than starting from the ground up. Of course, one could ask "what exactly are you selling me? Is it still profitable, or are you cutting off dead weight?"

It's a shame to see it switch hands in any capacity in my opinion. Kurt knew how to treat customers very well, and I can't imagine the next person will be too much like him. I wish him the best, and whoever decides to take the offer too.