FINAL THOUGHTS: 1) I believe the IP-350 is a mahogany body, mahogany neck, jatoba fretboard, and maple veneer. Overall, I’d definitely say it’s probably just not your kind of guitar. From a sheer technical standpoint, it is indeed a very elegant and well thought-out design, as PRS guitars usually tend to be, and I love mine, but there really is a kind of indescribable connection a player has to have with a guitar, and everyone has different musical styles and different hands and physical build, so we all connect differently with our instruments. Your specialty seems to be guitars that have Tele-ish sounds, but have un-conventional builds and features… I would say, in other words, “Telecasters with a twist to them!” 😂
I love my IYV IP350 transblk feels good, plays good, built well. That "binding" is faux binding. It "ended" because of the "comfort cut". As for the scratches, you said it was an "open box" purchase. The fit and finisyof mine blows away all the chinese made guitars i own. My came fully intonated.
Wow man nice! Yeah these are cool guitars, but the open box that I got was just too rough to keep. There were definitely some QC flaws on mine, but also too many dings and dents as well... 🤨
I bought this guitar. I have a LP, Tele and a custom strat. My IYV came in flawless, and (for me) is the better of the four. Hands down my favorite guitar. I’ve never played an actual PRS
@@bryanhatch6688 hahaha oh I know. I gave up on fender years ago. They are like the concession stand at the movies! Way too much money for what you're getting!
20:40 I’d say the most likely source of the tuning stability issues is the nut. If the nut slots are cut and lubricated properly, I find it holds tune pretty well, and MUCH better than a LP, since the headstock design is very close to a straight pull on all strings.
Yes agreed! There is nothing other than the nut that would interfere with tuning stability. No string trees and like you said almost a straight line to the tuning posts!
Hahaha yeah I guess so eh? I sent this one back. Wasn't only the dings and dents that bothered me, but the fit and finish was poor on this one. Binding wasn't clean, finish was hazzy, glue had seeped through the finish at the neck joint... just too many issues!
A guitar at this price is purchased to mod. That simple. Open box means someone else returned it. Usually for 10 bucks more you get to gamble with a new one
@@bryanhatch6688 yeah for sure, but somewhere along the return process, this guitar has been banged up and abused! This one just wasn't good enough to keep😕
@@j-man9457 cool. Looks very workable. I learned a few tricks a few years ago.... First, I bought a few fret files. And one day I bought a knife sharpener from rural king. It had a diamond enlaid bur remover for removing the burs from knife blades. I was messing around and tried it on one fret end that was bothering me. one stroke,the bur was gone. The second stroke the fret end was slightly rounded. Third stroke the fret end was completely rounded and smoothe. Without even taping the fret off with tape. See, the diamond file had a smoothe bottom to it. So I didn't need to tape off the frets. Win win. So if you want a custom fret job, get that little knife sharpener. Or comparable files. I like it so much and it was so easy,that I did all 23 or 24 frets in 10 minutes. Pro job. The knife sharpener is touted as the best for sharpening knifes. Rural king $20. As far as tarnished frets goes, they sell a little fret guard. It's stainless steel with a slot in it. It covers your finger board so you don't scratch the finger board. It saves you from taping off the neck. Taping off the neck takes a pro 30 minutes. These new tool makes a complete fret job quick and simple. Some frets will have a bend in them. Across the crown of the fret it will be bent and have a dog leg it the fret wire it's self. Serious guitar techs know this. This is important if you have a good ear for being in tune. A few zips with a good crowning tool and she plays like a dream. A friend of mine brought over an old POS guitar one day. I could see the sloppy fret job. First I crowned all the frets. Then I did his fret ends. Then I did the sandpaper/card trick. I handed him his guitar back in 30 minutes and it played very slick and sounded 100 times better.
@@JerryWhite-ee5hy yes sir Jerry, agreed... This is an old video. Since this video, I have aquired all of the tools and fretboard guards as I do all of my own work. This guitar I sent back as the fit and finish was terrible and there were dings scratches and dings all over it. Yes, diamond files are great!
14:20 I’d have to check the specs again, but I believe PAF-style humbuckers typically have greater clearance from the strings than Fender-style pickups.
18:00 HOLY MOLY! Your playing style is quite different from mine. I tend to play more jazzy kind of stuff on mine, as opposed to the country/southern rock-type stuff you do. It’s NOT quite a Telecaster, but it gets closer than I would’ve believed!
Great playing as always (I loved hearing Zep licks through a chicken pickin' filter). Too bad it was so beat up. I just got an IYV LP clone from eBay in emerald green. It got beat up by UPS on the way to me. The vendor offered a 50% discount, so I kept it. Mine has a headstock chip on it too. $50 for a playable LP ain't bad! This is one of the best sounding humbucker guitars I've ever played. I love some twang and jangle from PAFs, and it's got it! Once again, great video with lots of information on a guitar I'm interested in. Thanks for taking the time to give us your impressions!
@@oyobass thanks man! Yeah for 50$ I'd keep this one, but for 240$, no, not this time! Other wise I think this could be a really cool guitar! Cheers man! Enjoy the LP!
Mine had so many blemishes, and sanding swirl marks under the clear coat, even parts not clear coated , and a crack on the inner upper horn i had to send it back and got then got a classic vibe Stratocaster. but it is a beautiful guitar if you can get one that has good QC.
Ahhh bummer man, but yeah I agree with you 100%. If you could get a good one, it would be a fun guitar to mod etc... Thanks for commenting. Enjoy the CV! J
I like the way you play. The guitar sounds good. Amazon shipping sucks. I don't know if it is IYV or Amazon that packs those guitars. But it scares me to buy any guitar from Amazon. One of my IYV's was flopping around in the box and had a bent tuning key. As soon as I turned that key to tune it, it broke off. I mentioned it in my review and no one cared. I think I would consider returning that guitar. You are pretty screwed it that neck start to break away.
Thanks, much appreciated comment! Yeah it went back the next day. This is an old vid. Amazon doesn't pack them they just move em. Yeah some companies' packing jobs could definitely use improvements for sure!
I dont think that is binding. I think it is just masked off and that is actually the maple top showing on the sides. Look from the side to see if the grain lines up with the grain on top. If so, that is a real maple top! Either way, awesome guitar. Just sucks that they shipped it that way. U never know what is cracked under the paint with it being thrown around all loosie goosey in the box during shipping!
Yeah I think you're right about the binding. Also I'm sure these are great guitars, this one just got neglected🤨 Anyway it's going back and I'll try my luck with another one some other time😁 J
@@j-man9457 Yeah, I would agree with that choice! Either way, u still made the thing sound like it was prs private stock quality! I was very surprised at how spanky those pickups sounded for humbuckers! Or maybe it's just your hands and settings on that quilter! Sounds phenomenal, I really enjoyed the tone u were squeezing outta her! Also, I said out loud as soon as u held the guitar up "Wow, that looks like a chunky neck!" Then, u confirmed that. That would for sure be a plus for me!
21:10 I’d say this guitar is definitely thicker and more mid-rangey than a Telecaster. It’s closer to a LP than a Tele in sound, but slightly punchier too, maybe due to the slightly longer 25-inch scale length.
15:15 Yes, having tried out a real PRS before, I can tell you it is definitely closer to a ‘59 LP carve than to a real PRS. It is close to the Fender boat neck found on a 1952 Telecaster, but not quite. I’ve gotten used to it, probably because I have bigger hands. The nut is also a Gibson-style 43mm, slightly wider than a Fender-style 42mm.
That's interesting! Although a thick neck, it doesn't feel wide to me. I noticed that there is substancial space from the outside edges of the E strings to the end of the fret. So maybe although the nut is wider over all, maybe the string spacing isn't??
@@j-man9457 That’s possible! I haven’t measured the actual string spacing at the nut. At the bridge, it’s probably typical for a Tune-O-Matic style bridge. It is kind of interesting, that combination of ToM bridge with through-body stringing-I don’t think I’ve seen any Gibsons or PRS’s that do this. There is a design flaw here, btw: Some of the strings break sharply enough over the bridge that they might touch the edge, and not just the saddles. I cannot think of any elegant way to fix this though, and I suspect a roller bridge would be a BAD idea on this design, as it could dramatically increase the opportunity for sympathetic resonance in the strings below the bridge, which you probably don’t want.
@@zuperdee hmmm interesting. Not very familiar with tunomatic style bridges that don't have a stop tail piece. This is one thing I kind liked on this version I got... didn't notice an issue when I played it🤔
Well I’ve been looking at these for a few months; watching many TH-cam videos regarding them. Jimmy Stewart seems to really like the IYV stuff. I checked Amazon today and they have the lowest price yet; $147 so I pulled the trigger, we’ll see this week. I hope I get a good one. Hard to beat that price 😮
Even with all of the dings and dents and the less than desirable fit and finish on the one I got, it still played well! I feel the chunky neck is out of place on this style of guitar, but you may like it😀 I hope you get a good one as well. Let me know what you think😀
28:30 I agree, the switch is definitely cheap-feeling, and probably the worst part of the whole chain. The pots, while dime-sized, don’t seem too bad. 2bikemike is indeed the king of coil splitting! 😂 I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with some really fabulous wiring for one of these.
I mean ppl are paying thousands for damaged Fender guitars aka custom shops so cosmetic isn’t a deal breaker. For me it’s feel. If it don’t feel right I won’t play it. Pickups and other things can be changed.
Ahhh yeah not me lol. I'm fussy as heck! If my guitars have dings and dents in them, it's because I put them there hahaha! If therexs paint wore off of one of my guitars, it's because it's been played, not because it was painted to look like it was played! I'm just weird that way I guess haha
J-man love the vids . Your playing is awesome! I have a question regarding the Quilter super block. Seems that is tends to make most of your guitars sound a bit alike. Is this a characteristic of the amp? Or are you adjusting it to get them to your “signature sound”?I’m considering buying one but I’d like to know if it has diverse tonal abilities or if it’s set for a specific sound .
Hey Thanks man... The amp is very versatile! Unfortunately I am not lol! Unfortunately I sound the same in pretty much every amp I play through hahaha! Plus all my guitars are tele-esque, with very similar characteristiques... I'm confident that the lame playing is just me and not the quilter hahaha! J
I like your sound and I like your playing . I was curious about the versatility of the amp . I’m sure I’ll get a test drive on one sometime soon and I’ll draw my own conclusions . Thanks J-man
@@rutiger6901 hey Rutiger! I totally understand where you're coming from and what you're saying and no I'm not being critical. I own an IYV thinline Tele style that would put most Squires and Mexican teles to shame. One thing I like about IYV, is there build quality is usually excellent. This guitar was an open box special. It was banged up pretty badly and the fit and finish was just poor on this one. There's always gonna be a dud in every brand that slips through quality control... there is one just like this at the local pawn shop here, and it's immaculate. They have it listed for 339$ lol which is rediculous because new here in Canada they are only $233 with free shipping lol! Cheers
@J-MAN You speak truth. They do vary in workmanship from factory I GUESS because others have complained. I bo't mine from a pawn $130 Cdn. A 2021 and I am still surprised at my good fortune to score such a clean, well-made guitar for so little cash. I find it hard to accept that they are not ALL as excellent as my own.
15:25 The frets might indeed need edging and polishing. As I say, my black one had that work done on it before it passed to me, since it was sold by a guy who also happened to be a professional luthier. I got super lucky with mine, I guess.
I think a new one might be good. Fret work would be expected... but this one had too many cringe qualities. Not sure if where the neck meets the body is just chipped paint or the beginnings of a physical crack. Head stock has a huge chip in it that I totally missed during the video. You see it clearly in the video though... And way too may scratches and dings on the body. Even on clearence it was 240 after taxes. Too many imperfections to keep it at that price... Would make a cool tele though with a few mods. Not no for ever, just no for this one haha
Woah! I'm not blaming IYV... this guitar was clearly bet up which is why I sent it back... I Have bought 2 IYV guitars and the are excellent. I love IYV, however, this particular guitar had obvious QC issues that were missed. Fit and finish was very sloppy compared to my other IYV's the neck joint for one and the binding for another, were clearly factory over sights. Even Fender and Gibson have a less than perfect one leave the factory once in a while... this one was just not the IYV quality that I've experienced...
Well shoot. You win some.... you lose some I guess. Sorry you didn't geta guitar that you fell in love with, Brother. You can't hit it right, on every one of them - when you order some of em' on line, like we do. Looks like a pretty guitar, for the most part. I have been seeing these for a few years now, but not been in love with the body shape. They got a little wonky with it. I like what HB does with their copy. But that's just a perf-pref thing. No biggie. A shame tho - that aren't digging what you got.
You're stealing my Hip Licks!!!! lol... Great video man. One question. Do you give lessons? The next time I'm up your way, we will do a video where you're giving an old guy lessons! :)
@@dannymacnevin3939 hahaha thanks. Fun passtime I started back when covid hit and gigs stopped! Just raw! Phone and that's it haha no editing, no rehearsing no recording software. Just information, demos mods and sharing of info haha. Fun... I've met some really cool people on here.
These are a hit or miss kind of guitar… there are other people who rated this guitar as great … and I have a les Paul copy that is great … it’s not perfect but it’s perfect where it counts if you know what I mean … and I have a real les Paul as well … you’d be surprised on just how close these guys. Got it in tone and action
Hey I don't remember... i think they were 10s but this was a returned guitar so I don't know if someone changed the strings prior to my receiving it...
Just discovered your channel - love your content! As a fan of these affordable instruments, I fully believe many are diamonds in the rough; indeed, some might even be the future Silvertones and Teiscos (i.e., dirt-cheap guitars at the time - sought-after in the present). I've had excellent luck with a number of these brands. My IYV experience has been a mixed bag (which, I think, is an integral part of the affordable guitar experience, for better or worse). Have the S-style and mostly love it, in spite of the rather dodgy QC on the one I received. Specs are more than decent, though. The LP clone (ILS-300, I believe) was another story entirely. I liked it at first, but after about 6-8 months - during which time it lived in a quality gig bag with a case humidifier - the fretboard actually cracked in mutiple places(!). I do live in a very dry climate, and I've certainly had boards get pretty dry, even with my attempts at humidification, but I've never seen actual cracks develop. The wood was billed as "jatoba" but, even upon unboxing, it had that chalky, light, pseudo-rosewood look (with very wide pores in the grain). I have to assume this was a bad board, perhaps not properly dried at the factory - because I *know* that's not supposed to happen - and in retrospect I probably should have sent it back to Amazon from the start... Anyway, have you had any similar experiences with IYV in this department? Great stuff, man - and sweet playing. Rock on!
Hey Thanks man, and welcome to the Channel😀 100% agree with you. These budget guitars are great but definitely need work. I only have 1 IYV, the ITF 300. It's going on 2.5 years now and it's still great. My Eart is another one that as been solid as a rock! I have a tele and strat Ammoon I just modded (still working on the Strat ammoon) and both of these are great as well.... You're right that fret board should not have cracked. Do you oil your fret boards? If not, get some music nomad F1 oil, and every time you change strings, oil your fret boards. It's like moisturizer for wood lol! I recently discovered M-Musi guitars. Fantastic quality and just as fantastic company and customer service! Price is not what some would consider budget, but I would compare these to any 1000$ F brand you can find hanging on the wall at your local store...😀 All in all, lots of fun! Any plans to fix your fret board?
@@j-man9457 Fully agree on Eart. Came across them last year and tried out their S-style - blown away. Regarding the IYV, I was so demoralized I just ended up salvaging what I could and giving away what was left. I honestly didn't want to deal with it (the cracks were substantial, and literally up and down the board). Also didn't want to spend more on repairs than the instrument was worth. Appreciate the input, though...great recs!
@@cdavidlake2 Yeah I understand about the IYV, that sucks! And you're right, these guitars are so inexpensive that it's hard to justify the cost of a repair like that... I would have done the same thing🙂
I'm astounded at the packing job. There's just no excuse for that. Big rash on the headstock too. I wouldn't worry too much about the neck it just looks like they did a sloppy job of gluing it in and fnishing over it. Probably still hold though, just dab a little black paint over that white line. And dab some over the corner of the headstock while you're at it lol.
Yeah more than likely ok, but for all of the imperfections, it just wasn't worth keeping for the price. I sent it back today. I'll keep my eye out for a new one! J
Hey J, how did you miss the dent in the top of the headstock? 😱. Great Monster playing as usual!!! The white stuff around the neck is probably glue that wasn’t wiped off good enough. I made that mistake on my very first SG build. Gotta get that glue squeeze out completely off before any finishing. I agree you got a poo poo one. I like your idea of getting a good copy, and modding! Be waiting for that. I have a kit built PRS as you probably know and PRS SE. I love the way they play and feel in the hand. You’re correct that they have less of a neck tilt than a Gibson!. Get another one! Love your videos especially your playing!💥💥👍🤙
Thanks buddy! I know eh... just saw the big chip on the head stock after the vid hahaha! Yeah I'm gonna keep an eye out for a good one and mod the crap out of ot lol! God bless brother!
I have two of this EXACT same model, in both green AND black, so I can help you a bit with assessment and comparison if necessary. Overall, I’d say it is in slightly worse shape than mine. I got mine used from a guy in Colorado who has since moved to the UK, who happened to be a professional luthier though, and he polished and edged the frets before it reached me, so mine might be exceptionally nice. Lol! Some thoughts as I watch: 5:15 It’s Korean writing, not Chinese. Makes sense, as IYV is a Korean company with a factory in Vietnam, after all. It’s NOT Vietnamese-you’d know right away, because they use the Roman alphabet instead of Korean Hangul. The Korean Hangul writing system is actually perhaps THE coolest writing system in the world. (But that’s another whole discussion.) The writing on that truss rod cover sounds like “Inyen Soundda Music.” Not sure what it means. 5:25 That nut definitely doesn’t look as good as some out there. 5:53 It’s a FLAMED maple veneer. Not a cap, like on a true Les Paul. 6:10 The through-body stringing holes are staggered this way in order to try to achieve a similar break angle over the saddles. 12:10 The pickups are loose like that on mine, too. I believe most PAF-style humbuckers are, and it’s not generally a problem. 13:30 That kind of overspray seems to be common on IYV guitars. I have a little bit of this on mine, too. I’ll report more as I continue to watch.
th-cam.com/video/PZBCSH_3Bc0/w-d-xo.html This is NOT an official Perennial Gadgeteer video. It is just practice, but I thought you might be interested to see how my PRS-style guitars compare to my T, S, and PB-style guitars.
@@j-man9457 Thank you! Incidentally, I seem to remember you also tried out an IYV IJZ-300 at one point, which was in much better shape than this one, and overall better sounding for your kind of music, too! I wonder if IYV is going downhill in its quality lately… If the Amazon reviews are anything to go by, it seems like a lot of people have been getting duds from them lately.
@@j-man9457 I totally agree! I hope they haven’t gone downhill, if only because they are one of the few truly budget brands that isn’t made in China! The ones I’ve had have all been good so far. I’m hoping to sell off one of them, simply because I hate the yellow finish on the front.
FINAL THOUGHTS: 1) I believe the IP-350 is a mahogany body, mahogany neck, jatoba fretboard, and maple veneer. Overall, I’d definitely say it’s probably just not your kind of guitar. From a sheer technical standpoint, it is indeed a very elegant and well thought-out design, as PRS guitars usually tend to be, and I love mine, but there really is a kind of indescribable connection a player has to have with a guitar, and everyone has different musical styles and different hands and physical build, so we all connect differently with our instruments. Your specialty seems to be guitars that have Tele-ish sounds, but have un-conventional builds and features… I would say, in other words, “Telecasters with a twist to them!” 😂
Yes that's me haha. I'm not ruling out. PRS Style... this one unfortunately had too many red flags. It has been bet up!
yup he should send it back and move on to something better like pay 800.00 for something
@@gmac1451 Well, I wouldn’t go that far… Some of his Musis and Westcreeks especially are about as good as they can possibly get for
I love my IYV IP350 transblk feels good, plays good, built well. That "binding" is faux binding. It "ended" because of the "comfort cut". As for the scratches, you said it was an "open box" purchase. The fit and finisyof mine blows away all the chinese made guitars i own. My came fully intonated.
Awesome! Glad to hear it... Yeah mine was advertised as "used like new" but it was seriously banged up!
You convincend me to get the guitar . Great playing Albert Lee Jr
Hahaha thanks... wellnI hope yours is better than the one I got. Played ok but man it was rough!
J
I bought one. I like mine just fine. I think it's a great deal, especially for the money. But I've only been playing for sixty years. ;-))
Wow man nice!
Yeah these are cool guitars, but the open box that I got was just too rough to keep. There were definitely some QC flaws on mine, but also too many dings and dents as well... 🤨
I bought this guitar. I have a LP, Tele and a custom strat. My IYV came in flawless, and (for me) is the better of the four. Hands down my favorite guitar. I’ve never played an actual PRS
@@bryanhatch6688 wow awesome man! Thanks for sharing. I have no doubt these are good. Even as beat up as this one was it played great!
@@j-man9457 At a few hundred bucks, I could buy 12 of them for the price of my Strat, and give them to friends when they need new strings. Lol
@@bryanhatch6688 hahaha oh I know. I gave up on fender years ago. They are like the concession stand at the movies! Way too much money for what you're getting!
20:40 I’d say the most likely source of the tuning stability issues is the nut. If the nut slots are cut and lubricated properly, I find it holds tune pretty well, and MUCH better than a LP, since the headstock design is very close to a straight pull on all strings.
Yes agreed! There is nothing other than the nut that would interfere with tuning stability. No string trees and like you said almost a straight line to the tuning posts!
For the money its a keeper...those humbuckers sound pretty good ..the tuners stay in tune..and its pre-relic..
Hahaha yeah I guess so eh?
I sent this one back. Wasn't only the dings and dents that bothered me, but the fit and finish was poor on this one. Binding wasn't clean, finish was hazzy, glue had seeped through the finish at the neck joint... just too many issues!
A guitar at this price is purchased to mod. That simple. Open box means someone else returned it. Usually for 10 bucks more you get to gamble with a new one
@@bryanhatch6688 yeah for sure, but somewhere along the return process, this guitar has been banged up and abused! This one just wasn't good enough to keep😕
super good review - honest and helpful!
Thanks MP... keep in mind this one was an open box return that I bought cheap. Although mine was super rough, perhaps a new one would be much better!😁
Dude can play! Nice Job J-Man
Haha Thanks Andre! I'm pretty rough at times lol!
Appreciate the comment😊
Cheers!
Sweet guitar.....great pickin man!!! Guitar. Good......
Thanks. Even as bad as this guitar was out of the box it still played very well!
@@j-man9457 cool. Looks very workable. I learned a few tricks a few years ago.... First, I bought a few fret files. And one day I bought a knife sharpener from rural king. It had a diamond enlaid bur remover for removing the burs from knife blades. I was messing around and tried it on one fret end that was bothering me. one stroke,the bur was gone. The second stroke the fret end was slightly rounded. Third stroke the fret end was completely rounded and smoothe. Without even taping the fret off with tape. See, the diamond file had a smoothe bottom to it. So I didn't need to tape off the frets. Win win. So if you want a custom fret job, get that little knife sharpener. Or comparable files. I like it so much and it was so easy,that I did all 23 or 24 frets in 10 minutes. Pro job. The knife sharpener is touted as the best for sharpening knifes. Rural king $20. As far as tarnished frets goes, they sell a little fret guard. It's stainless steel with a slot in it. It covers your finger board so you don't scratch the finger board. It saves you from taping off the neck. Taping off the neck takes a pro 30 minutes. These new tool makes a complete fret job quick and simple. Some frets will have a bend in them. Across the crown of the fret it will be bent and have a dog leg it the fret wire it's self. Serious guitar techs know this. This is important if you have a good ear for being in tune. A few zips with a good crowning tool and she plays like a dream. A friend of mine brought over an old POS guitar one day. I could see the sloppy fret job. First I crowned all the frets. Then I did his fret ends. Then I did the sandpaper/card trick. I handed him his guitar back in 30 minutes and it played very slick and sounded 100 times better.
@@JerryWhite-ee5hy yes sir Jerry, agreed...
This is an old video. Since this video, I have aquired all of the tools and fretboard guards as I do all of my own work. This guitar I sent back as the fit and finish was terrible and there were dings scratches and dings all over it.
Yes, diamond files are great!
@@j-man9457 so did you get a new one?
@@JerryWhite-ee5hy nope. I just sent it back and bought something else😀
14:20 I’d have to check the specs again, but I believe PAF-style humbuckers typically have greater clearance from the strings than Fender-style pickups.
Very possible. Not sure as I don't play humbuckers typically...
Me and the Kid watched the whole video Man!!!!!! He said Hello!!!!!!!!!! Chicken Picker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha thanks guys!
Too bad this guitar is so rough. It's going back. Not even close to the quality of my other ones...
Get a real PRS
You buying? Hahaha
Theybare 4 grand here. Rediculous!🤪
Wow Man this Dude Named Jim Rubino, hes a semi famous guitar dealer.. he tried to sell me one 13 years ago for 8 hundred!
@@theguitarprofessionals8584 a real PRS for 800$? SOLD! Haha
18:00 HOLY MOLY! Your playing style is quite different from mine. I tend to play more jazzy kind of stuff on mine, as opposed to the country/southern rock-type stuff you do. It’s NOT quite a Telecaster, but it gets closer than I would’ve believed!
Yeah refined I am not! Haha I suck pretty good lol. This guitar is pretty spanky considering how dark these humbuckers are (to my ears anyway)!
After my recent UPS experience, the guitar goes back. Too many dings and too much damage for "like new." Great demo, J!
Thank you sir!
Yeah she's all packed up for the post office today!
Cheers!
Great playing as always (I loved hearing Zep licks through a chicken pickin' filter). Too bad it was so beat up.
I just got an IYV LP clone from eBay in emerald green. It got beat up by UPS on the way to me. The vendor offered a 50% discount, so I kept it. Mine has a headstock chip on it too. $50 for a playable LP ain't bad!
This is one of the best sounding humbucker guitars I've ever played. I love some twang and jangle from PAFs, and it's got it!
Once again, great video with lots of information on a guitar I'm interested in. Thanks for taking the time to give us your impressions!
@@oyobass thanks man! Yeah for 50$ I'd keep this one, but for 240$, no, not this time!
Other wise I think this could be a really cool guitar!
Cheers man! Enjoy the LP!
Mine had so many blemishes, and sanding swirl marks under the clear coat, even parts not clear coated , and a crack on the inner upper horn i had to send it back and got then got a classic vibe Stratocaster.
but it is a beautiful guitar if you can get one that has good QC.
Ahhh bummer man, but yeah I agree with you 100%. If you could get a good one, it would be a fun guitar to mod etc...
Thanks for commenting. Enjoy the CV!
J
I like the way you play. The guitar sounds good. Amazon shipping sucks. I don't know if it is IYV or Amazon that packs those guitars. But it scares me to buy any guitar from Amazon. One of my IYV's was flopping around in the box and had a bent tuning key. As soon as I turned that key to tune it, it broke off. I mentioned it in my review and no one cared. I think I would consider returning that guitar. You are pretty screwed it that neck start to break away.
Thanks, much appreciated comment!
Yeah it went back the next day. This is an old vid. Amazon doesn't pack them they just move em. Yeah some companies' packing jobs could definitely use improvements for sure!
I dont think that is binding. I think it is just masked off and that is actually the maple top showing on the sides. Look from the side to see if the grain lines up with the grain on top. If so, that is a real maple top! Either way, awesome guitar. Just sucks that they shipped it that way. U never know what is cracked under the paint with it being thrown around all loosie goosey in the box during shipping!
Yeah I think you're right about the binding. Also I'm sure these are great guitars, this one just got neglected🤨
Anyway it's going back and I'll try my luck with another one some other time😁
J
@@j-man9457 Yeah, I would agree with that choice! Either way, u still made the thing sound like it was prs private stock quality! I was very surprised at how spanky those pickups sounded for humbuckers! Or maybe it's just your hands and settings on that quilter! Sounds phenomenal, I really enjoyed the tone u were squeezing outta her! Also, I said out loud as soon as u held the guitar up "Wow, that looks like a chunky neck!" Then, u confirmed that. That would for sure be a plus for me!
@@demuthjesse haha thanks man! No these pups are quite spanky and articulate. I liked them! And yes no lack of chunk on that neck hahaha!
21:10 I’d say this guitar is definitely thicker and more mid-rangey than a Telecaster. It’s closer to a LP than a Tele in sound, but slightly punchier too, maybe due to the slightly longer 25-inch scale length.
Yup no doubt, but I think a good set of tele pups would turn some heads when heard haha!
15:15 Yes, having tried out a real PRS before, I can tell you it is definitely closer to a ‘59 LP carve than to a real PRS. It is close to the Fender boat neck found on a 1952 Telecaster, but not quite. I’ve gotten used to it, probably because I have bigger hands. The nut is also a Gibson-style 43mm, slightly wider than a Fender-style 42mm.
That's interesting! Although a thick neck, it doesn't feel wide to me. I noticed that there is substancial space from the outside edges of the E strings to the end of the fret. So maybe although the nut is wider over all, maybe the string spacing isn't??
@@j-man9457 That’s possible! I haven’t measured the actual string spacing at the nut. At the bridge, it’s probably typical for a Tune-O-Matic style bridge. It is kind of interesting, that combination of ToM bridge with through-body stringing-I don’t think I’ve seen any Gibsons or PRS’s that do this. There is a design flaw here, btw: Some of the strings break sharply enough over the bridge that they might touch the edge, and not just the saddles. I cannot think of any elegant way to fix this though, and I suspect a roller bridge would be a BAD idea on this design, as it could dramatically increase the opportunity for sympathetic resonance in the strings below the bridge, which you probably don’t want.
@@zuperdee hmmm interesting. Not very familiar with tunomatic style bridges that don't have a stop tail piece. This is one thing I kind liked on this version I got... didn't notice an issue when I played it🤔
I received mine completely broke in half at the neck! I reached in the box to pull it out still in the plastic and it folded in half.
Ouch! Yeah that's not good is it! This one was pretty bad too. Not broken, but lots of scratches, dents, and chips! Back it went haha!
Well I’ve been looking at these for a few months; watching many TH-cam videos regarding them. Jimmy Stewart seems to really like the IYV stuff. I checked Amazon today and they have the lowest price yet; $147 so I pulled the trigger, we’ll see this week. I hope I get a good one. Hard to beat that price 😮
Even with all of the dings and dents and the less than desirable fit and finish on the one I got, it still played well! I feel the chunky neck is out of place on this style of guitar, but you may like it😀 I hope you get a good one as well. Let me know what you think😀
@@j-man9457 will do I hav e 3 Harley Benton guitars and an SX Hawk. , plus some high end guitars as well; sold my PRS core, they’re just too costly
@@edatkinson322 Thanks ed! Yeah PRS' are not cheap for sure!
Did you return yours?
@@edatkinson322 yes sir I did... mine was really rough.
28:30 I agree, the switch is definitely cheap-feeling, and probably the worst part of the whole chain. The pots, while dime-sized, don’t seem too bad. 2bikemike is indeed the king of coil splitting! 😂 I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with some really fabulous wiring for one of these.
No doubt! Haha
I mean ppl are paying thousands for damaged Fender guitars aka custom shops so cosmetic isn’t a deal breaker. For me it’s feel. If it don’t feel right I won’t play it. Pickups and other things can be changed.
Ahhh yeah not me lol. I'm fussy as heck! If my guitars have dings and dents in them, it's because I put them there hahaha! If therexs paint wore off of one of my guitars, it's because it's been played, not because it was painted to look like it was played!
I'm just weird that way I guess haha
J-man love the vids . Your playing is awesome! I have a question regarding the Quilter super block. Seems that is tends to make most of your guitars sound a bit alike. Is this a characteristic of the amp? Or are you adjusting it to get them to your “signature sound”?I’m considering buying one but I’d like to know if it has diverse tonal abilities or if it’s set for a specific sound .
Hey Thanks man... The amp is very versatile! Unfortunately I am not lol! Unfortunately I sound the same in pretty much every amp I play through hahaha! Plus all my guitars are tele-esque, with very similar characteristiques...
I'm confident that the lame playing is just me and not the quilter hahaha!
J
I like your sound and I like your playing . I was curious about the versatility of the amp . I’m sure I’ll get a test drive on one sometime soon and I’ll draw my own conclusions . Thanks J-man
@@nathanwhitley2489 well if you're ever in PEI, let me know. You can try mine 😁
@@rutiger6901 hey Rutiger! I totally understand where you're coming from and what you're saying and no I'm not being critical. I own an IYV thinline Tele style that would put most Squires and Mexican teles to shame. One thing I like about IYV, is there build quality is usually excellent. This guitar was an open box special. It was banged up pretty badly and the fit and finish was just poor on this one. There's always gonna be a dud in every brand that slips through quality control... there is one just like this at the local pawn shop here, and it's immaculate. They have it listed for 339$ lol which is rediculous because new here in Canada they are only $233 with free shipping lol!
Cheers
@J-MAN You speak truth. They do vary in workmanship from factory I GUESS because others have complained. I bo't mine from a pawn $130 Cdn. A 2021 and I am still surprised at my good fortune to score such a clean, well-made guitar for so little cash. I find it hard to accept that they are not ALL as excellent as my own.
15:25 The frets might indeed need edging and polishing. As I say, my black one had that work done on it before it passed to me, since it was sold by a guy who also happened to be a professional luthier. I got super lucky with mine, I guess.
I think a new one might be good. Fret work would be expected... but this one had too many cringe qualities. Not sure if where the neck meets the body is just chipped paint or the beginnings of a physical crack. Head stock has a huge chip in it that I totally missed during the video. You see it clearly in the video though...
And way too may scratches and dings on the body. Even on clearence it was 240 after taxes. Too many imperfections to keep it at that price...
Would make a cool tele though with a few mods. Not no for ever, just no for this one haha
@@j-man9457 I totally agree! You can do better!
Amazon Warehouse = 2023 Mystery Meat
Yeah I guess so! Haha
Great video.
Thanks buddy. I wish this guitar was better... not keeping it. Too many imperfections😖
C`mon man !! You review a used guitar and blame iyv... you don`t know what the other guy did with this ...
Woah! I'm not blaming IYV... this guitar was clearly bet up which is why I sent it back... I Have bought 2 IYV guitars and the are excellent. I love IYV, however, this particular guitar had obvious QC issues that were missed. Fit and finish was very sloppy compared to my other IYV's the neck joint for one and the binding for another, were clearly factory over sights. Even Fender and Gibson have a less than perfect one leave the factory once in a while... this one was just not the IYV quality that I've experienced...
Well you paid under 200 for that guitar. PRS are thousands. Still a good deal
@@gellydesigns yup for sure, bit I'd rather pay full price which is just over 200$ and have and have one that is not chipped dinged and dented! Hahaha
Fingerboard looks pretty good. Not sure why they would put such a wide neck on what presumably is a more metal or rock guitar with 24 frets.
This guitar is not really meant for shredding. It is more of a PRS Custom 24 clone than a Jackson or Ibanez clone.
Yeah not sure... she is chunky for sure! I like the overall ergonomics but too many imperfections on this one to keep...
Well shoot. You win some.... you lose some I guess. Sorry you didn't geta guitar that you fell in love with, Brother. You can't hit it right, on every one of them - when you order some of em' on line, like we do. Looks like a pretty guitar, for the most part. I have been seeing these for a few years now, but not been in love with the body shape. They got a little wonky with it. I like what HB does with their copy. But that's just a perf-pref thing. No biggie. A shame tho - that aren't digging what you got.
No biggie. I think these are good, just not the one I got. Good to hear from you bro!
Take care
J
You're stealing my Hip Licks!!!! lol...
Great video man. One question. Do you give lessons? The next time I'm up your way, we will do a video where you're giving an old guy lessons! :)
Hahahaha! Yeah you need lessons as much as I need to buy more gear lol!
Would love to Jam someday though so I could learn a thing or 10😃
@@j-man9457 You're a funny guy! Arnie told me about your channel today, so I subscribed and watched a few. Great job buddy!
@@dannymacnevin3939 hahaha thanks.
Fun passtime I started back when covid hit and gigs stopped! Just raw! Phone and that's it haha no editing, no rehearsing no recording software. Just information, demos mods and sharing of info haha. Fun... I've met some really cool people on here.
These are a hit or miss kind of guitar… there are other people who rated this guitar as great … and I have a les Paul copy that is great … it’s not perfect but it’s perfect where it counts if you know what I mean … and I have a real les Paul as well … you’d be surprised on just how close these guys. Got it in tone and action
Yeah have no doubt! I clearly just got a bad one... I have an IYV tele. It's 2 years old now and it's awesome! 135$ lol
Did your guitar come with 9 or 10 gauge strings?
Hey I don't remember... i think they were 10s but this was a returned guitar so I don't know if someone changed the strings prior to my receiving it...
Just discovered your channel - love your content! As a fan of these affordable instruments, I fully believe many are diamonds in the rough; indeed, some might even be the future Silvertones and Teiscos (i.e., dirt-cheap guitars at the time - sought-after in the present). I've had excellent luck with a number of these brands. My IYV experience has been a mixed bag (which, I think, is an integral part of the affordable guitar experience, for better or worse). Have the S-style and mostly love it, in spite of the rather dodgy QC on the one I received. Specs are more than decent, though. The LP clone (ILS-300, I believe) was another story entirely. I liked it at first, but after about 6-8 months - during which time it lived in a quality gig bag with a case humidifier - the fretboard actually cracked in mutiple places(!). I do live in a very dry climate, and I've certainly had boards get pretty dry, even with my attempts at humidification, but I've never seen actual cracks develop. The wood was billed as "jatoba" but, even upon unboxing, it had that chalky, light, pseudo-rosewood look (with very wide pores in the grain). I have to assume this was a bad board, perhaps not properly dried at the factory - because I *know* that's not supposed to happen - and in retrospect I probably should have sent it back to Amazon from the start... Anyway, have you had any similar experiences with IYV in this department? Great stuff, man - and sweet playing. Rock on!
Hey Thanks man, and welcome to the Channel😀
100% agree with you. These budget guitars are great but definitely need work. I only have 1 IYV, the ITF 300. It's going on 2.5 years now and it's still great. My Eart is another one that as been solid as a rock! I have a tele and strat Ammoon I just modded (still working on the Strat ammoon) and both of these are great as well....
You're right that fret board should not have cracked. Do you oil your fret boards? If not, get some music nomad F1 oil, and every time you change strings, oil your fret boards. It's like moisturizer for wood lol!
I recently discovered M-Musi guitars. Fantastic quality and just as fantastic company and customer service! Price is not what some would consider budget, but I would compare these to any 1000$ F brand you can find hanging on the wall at your local store...😀
All in all, lots of fun!
Any plans to fix your fret board?
@@j-man9457 Fully agree on Eart. Came across them last year and tried out their S-style - blown away. Regarding the IYV, I was so demoralized I just ended up salvaging what I could and giving away what was left. I honestly didn't want to deal with it (the cracks were substantial, and literally up and down the board). Also didn't want to spend more on repairs than the instrument was worth. Appreciate the input, though...great recs!
@@cdavidlake2 Yeah I understand about the IYV, that sucks! And you're right, these guitars are so inexpensive that it's hard to justify the cost of a repair like that... I would have done the same thing🙂
I'm astounded at the packing job. There's just no excuse for that. Big rash on the headstock too. I wouldn't worry too much about the neck it just looks like they did a sloppy job of gluing it in and fnishing over it. Probably still hold though, just dab a little black paint over that white line. And dab some over the corner of the headstock while you're at it lol.
Yeah more than likely ok, but for all of the imperfections, it just wasn't worth keeping for the price. I sent it back today. I'll keep my eye out for a new one!
J
Hey J, how did you miss the dent in the top of the headstock? 😱. Great Monster playing as usual!!! The white stuff around the neck is probably glue that wasn’t wiped off good enough. I made that mistake on my very first SG build. Gotta get that glue squeeze out completely off before any finishing. I agree you got a poo poo one. I like your idea of getting a good copy, and modding! Be waiting for that. I have a kit built PRS as you probably know and PRS SE. I love the way they play and feel in the hand. You’re correct that they have less of a neck tilt than a Gibson!. Get another one!
Love your videos especially your playing!💥💥👍🤙
Thanks buddy! I know eh... just saw the big chip on the head stock after the vid hahaha!
Yeah I'm gonna keep an eye out for a good one and mod the crap out of ot lol!
God bless brother!
That guys got 24 in pythons
Look at them arms
Hed captain amurrrrika
Hahaha not even close to 24 buddy... would be nice though lol!
Vietnamese
I have two of this EXACT same model, in both green AND black, so I can help you a bit with assessment and comparison if necessary. Overall, I’d say it is in slightly worse shape than mine. I got mine used from a guy in Colorado who has since moved to the UK, who happened to be a professional luthier though, and he polished and edged the frets before it reached me, so mine might be exceptionally nice. Lol! Some thoughts as I watch:
5:15 It’s Korean writing, not Chinese. Makes sense, as IYV is a Korean company with a factory in Vietnam, after all. It’s NOT Vietnamese-you’d know right away, because they use the Roman alphabet instead of Korean Hangul. The Korean Hangul writing system is actually perhaps THE coolest writing system in the world. (But that’s another whole discussion.) The writing on that truss rod cover sounds like “Inyen Soundda Music.” Not sure what it means.
5:25 That nut definitely doesn’t look as good as some out there.
5:53 It’s a FLAMED maple veneer. Not a cap, like on a true Les Paul.
6:10 The through-body stringing holes are staggered this way in order to try to achieve a similar break angle over the saddles.
12:10 The pickups are loose like that on mine, too. I believe most PAF-style humbuckers are, and it’s not generally a problem.
13:30 That kind of overspray seems to be common on IYV guitars. I have a little bit of this on mine, too.
I’ll report more as I continue to watch.
Very interesting info brother. Thanks! Yup you definitely got a good one😊
th-cam.com/video/PZBCSH_3Bc0/w-d-xo.html
This is NOT an official Perennial Gadgeteer video. It is just practice, but I thought you might be interested to see how my PRS-style guitars compare to my T, S, and PB-style guitars.
Love it, thanks! Left a comment😊
@@j-man9457 Thank you! Incidentally, I seem to remember you also tried out an IYV IJZ-300 at one point, which was in much better shape than this one, and overall better sounding for your kind of music, too! I wonder if IYV is going downhill in its quality lately… If the Amazon reviews are anything to go by, it seems like a lot of people have been getting duds from them lately.
@@zuperdee man I hope not! They had a good thing going for them!
@@j-man9457 I totally agree! I hope they haven’t gone downhill, if only because they are one of the few truly budget brands that isn’t made in China! The ones I’ve had have all been good so far. I’m hoping to sell off one of them, simply because I hate the yellow finish on the front.
@@zuperdee I guess time will tell. Maybe itxs just a bad lot...? New workers maybe? Who knows...
Which one of your IYVs are you selling?
24:50 It’s jatoba.
Ahhh yes that makes sense. Thanks!
good for blues?
If you're a blues player, it would be great for blues. Pickups sound full and punchy!