DahlKen

All good advice here, except for the Agile stuff. I have had 4 Agiles, (still have 2) and never got one from Rondo that didn't need to be set-up, frets leveled, and/or electronics changed out. I've played with a bunch of the early to mid 80s Orange County punk bands, so have always preferred the Les Pauls and have spent WAY too much money on the ones I have/had. For bang for the buck, and the only ax I have that gets played even close to as much as my '77 Gibby LP Deluxe is the Epiphone LP Tribute Plus. Outstanding craftsmanship with the T+'s, Gibby pickups, pots, and wiring, deep set neck joint, and can be had used for about 400-500. And they come with a hard shell case! Definitely have a look at them as if you like the growl and bite of a classic Les Paul, but don't want to spend 2K on a real one, the Epi T+ can't be beat.