IYV ILS-300 EGR (LES PAUL COPY)

[toomanycats]

This guitar has me very unsettled. I slept fitfully last night just knowing that it was in the house, waiting for me to arise and give it all of my love and attention. I dreamed of that beautiful flamed top, the feel of the neck in my hand, that jangly, singing, wonderfully musical tone.

At 4 AM I just couldn't take it anymore and got out of bed to play the object of my infatuation. The four cats burrowed into the covers around me were extremely annoyed. I had to pay them off with Temptation treats to assuage their wrath and settle them back down.

By 4:30 AM I had the guitar on the kitchen counter with the nut slot files out. If that's not love, then I don't know what is.

Yep, like I said, this one has me very unsettled.

But maybe I should back up just a bit and explain how it is that I came into possession of this instrument and what exactly it is. It's a story you guys have heard me tell countless times, which goes something like this:

"TMC walks into a pawn shop . . . "

That's exactly how it happened yesterday. Scanning the guitars hanging on the wall I see a green IYV Les Paul that wasn't there the last time I had passed through. I was familiar with the brand IYV and recalled that @SamIV had posted here about owning a green IYV ILS-300. I was surprised to see that it was priced at only $89. It was very light, with a stunning top, in pristine condition, and it just felt right. This was a no-brainer purchase. Without hesitation I took it to the counter and paid for it.

What has blown my mind is the sound of this guitar. It is indistinguishable from a Gibson. I know that there are lots of budget brand guitars which have specs which are, on paper, superior to the appointments of a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I'm talking about things like ebony boards, multiple layers of binding, real MOP or abalone inlays, stainless steel jumbo frets, premium electronics, yada, yada, yada. This guitar has none of that. It is the simple, tried and true formula for a traditional Les Paul Standard, apparently distilled down to the bare essence necessary to faithfully produce that sound. What deviations have been made from the traditional formula in the name of economics (things like using jatoba instead of rosewood for the fretboard, mini pots instead of full sized, poly instead of nitro finish), apparently don't matter as much as some would believe.

This guitar got everything right where it really counts. It is tightly constructed and very resonant acoustically. It is the full 2" thick measured at the edge of the body. The neck is a comfortable 1960 type carve and the frets are dead level. The pickups are musical, warm, and soulfully articulate. Like vintage Les Pauls and Custom Shop reproductions, the volume knobs function independently. Both the volume and tone pots have a perfect taper.

From the flurry of research I've done on this instrument I believe that the buzz about them peaked just about two years ago. As mine is a 2022 model, the previous owner was likely one of these guys riding that wave of enthusiasm. Whoever he was, he didn't play it much, if at all, as there is zero fret wear and the plastic film is still on the pickups, plastics, and back of the tuner housings. Since then the availability of this model on Amazon and some of the formula seems to have changed.

I LOVE THIS GUITAR!

[BatUtilityBelt]

That's a gorgeous top, and I take your word for the rest. I absolutely love it when a cheap guitar is that kinda done right. And I still want your pawn shop to move to Omaha. HNGD!

[Tiga]

Congratulations! I love green guitars. It must be some instrument to stir you from a warm winter slumber. I was very impressed with the IYV Mosrite guitar I picked up a while ago. And after your story I'm thinking it might be worth trying other IYV models.

[tlarson58]

Congratulations on the beautiful guitar. Nice writing, too!

[toomanycats]

Long neck tenon confirmed.

Bridge pup measures 13.98k ohms. Neck pup (shown) measures 8.17k ohms. They are supposedly ALNiCo 5.

Shaw watches while I give the thirsty jatoba fretboard a drink.

[Buddha Pickups]

Twinsies!

[SamIV]

Triplets. Good LP copy. The tuners suck, and there are the typical budget guitar finish flaws, but it plays and sounds like a Les Paul for very little money with its 60’s neck carve. Kinda donated one and bought another for just over $100 shipped.

[SamIV]

I see they are still available on EBay from the same seller I bought mine from twice ,everydayfulfillment, and now for a whopping $125 bucks and free shipping. Beware they will ship snail mail and in a single box. But both of mine arrived unharmed thankfully. Wish anyone good luck if you do order. My second one looked better, but both were good players.

[sabasgr68]

This guitar has me very unsettled. I slept fitfully last night just knowing that it was in the house, waiting for me to arise and give it all of my love and attention. I dreamed of that beautiful flamed top, the feel of the neck in my hand, that jangly, singing, wonderfully musical tone.

At 4 AM I just couldn't take it anymore and got out of bed to play the object of my infatuation. The four cats burrowed into the covers around me were extremely annoyed. I had to pay them off with Temptation treats to assuage their wrath and settle them back down.

By 4:30 AM I had the guitar on the kitchen counter with the nut slot files out. If that's not love, then I don't know what is.

Yep, like I said, this one has me very unsettled.


IMG_2049.jpeg


IMG_2051.jpeg


But maybe I should back up just a bit and explain how it is that I came into possession of this instrument and what exactly it is. It's a story you guys have heard me tell countless times, which goes something like this:

"TMC walks into pawn shop . . . "

That's exactly how it happened yesterday. Scanning the guitars hanging on the wall I see a green IYV Les Paul that wasn't there the last time I had passed through. I was familiar with the brand IYV and recalled that @SamIV had posted here about owning a green IYV ILS-300. I was surprised to see that it was priced at only $89. It was very light, with a stunning top, in pristine condition, and it just felt right. This was a no-brainer purchase. Without hesitation I took it to the counter and paid for it.

What has blown my mind is the sound of this guitar. It is indistinguishable from a Gibson. I know that there are lots of budget brand guitars which have specs which are, on paper, superior to the appointments of a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I'm talking about things like ebony boards, multiple layers of binding, real MOP or abalone inlays, stainless steel jumbo frets, premium electronics, yada, yada, yada. This guitar has none of that. It is the simple, tried and true formula for a traditional Les Paul Standard, apparently distilled down to the bare essence necessary to faithfully produce that sound. What deviations have been made from the traditional formula in the name of economics (things like using jatoba instead of rosewood for the fretboard, mini pots instead of full sized, poly instead of nitro finish), apparently don't matter as much as some would believe.

This guitar got everything right where it really counts. It is tightly constructed and very resonant acoustically. The neck is a wonderful carve and the frets are dead level. The pickups are musical, warm, and soulfully articulate. The volume knobs function independently and both the volume and tone pots have a perfect taper.

From the flurry of research I've done on this instrument I believe that the buzz about them peaked just about two years ago. As mine is a 2022 model, the previous owner was likely one these guys riding that wave of enthusiasm. Whoever he was, he didn't play it much, if at all, as there is zero fret wear and the plastic film is still on the pickups and plastics. Since then the availability of this model on Amazon and some of the formula seems to have changed.

I LOVE THIS GUITAR!

You write in a way that I feel like reading some Ludlum book, similar to The Bourne Identity - which I love! -.

That's a very nice guitar, and the fact that you could walk out of a place with a very nice $89 Les Paul in your hands still hunts me. How do you do that?

Give it the TLC it needs, and I hope you'll share a music audio or video with it sometime soon.

Congrats, enjoy it!

[Buddha Pickups]

I might put some clear bobbin green wire humbuckers in mine but not sure yet.

[tonebender]

Happy New Pawn Shop Guitar Day. It surely seems like it is worth what you paid for it. Use is for one gig and it's paid for and depreciated to $0. Any amount you get for it after that is pure profit. That is musician justification accounting. I have been practicing MJA for many years and it has made me much coin.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Love the guitar and have heard great things about the brand...but why do I want to call it IVY ev ery time I see the brand name ?

[toomanycats]

One of the things that initially intrigued me about this guitar when I took it down off the wall was this very distinctive feature on the upper bout. Is this a naturally occurring mineral streak in the maple, or am I deluding myself and it's merely the result of a factory worker spilling a cup of coffee on a pile of lumber?

I've tried to illustrate the construction of the neck in this pic, though it's difficult to capture in a photo. There's no scarf joint around the 3rd/4th fret, as one would typically see on an Epiphone Les Paul. The neck is constructed of three pieces of wood running parallel to each other from the tip of the headstock all the way to the end of the tenon. It is very rigid and stable. It's become part of my style to occasionally do a pseudo "whammy dive" on a Led Paul by pushing against the back of the neck à la Doug Aldrich. The stiffness of this neck makes that very difficult to do, which I suppose is a good thing. Note also the substantial volute which compensates for the amount of material removed from the opposite side for the truss rod adjustment channel.

Another thing that I like about this guitar, which makes it feel like it's been constructed along traditional lines, are the vintage sized frets. To be sure, I like "railroad track" frets on some guitars, particularly on superstrats, though I do prefer smaller frets on a Les Paul. The pic also shows that the fretboard darkened somewhat after I applied some mineral oil, though it still has the telltale reddish hue of jatoba.

The obligatory full frontal shot.

The obligatory full shot from the rear.

[tonebender]

Do you like it better than your Gibson Les Paul?

[Tonray's Ghost]

Full frontal then rear, damn almost expected the money shot next.

[toomanycats]

Do you like it better than your Gibson Les Paul?

IYV ILS-300 EGR > My 2020 Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s
IYV ILS-300 EGR = My 2021 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s
IYV ILS-300 EGR < My Gibson Custom Shop Les paul Standard 1960 VOS

[andrewsrea]

HNGD!

I'd be all over something like this if, 1.) I didn't already have 3 LPs which were phenomenal and 2.) the super flat neck radius of import guitars these days. I am learning to adjust to different depths and can accommodate nut string widths of 1 7/16" plus or minus 1/8" but cannot seem to gel with radius > 12". Even compound necks.

[Tiga]

How would you describe the neck on this? C shape? Thin or thick? Thanks!

[toomanycats]

How would you describe the neck on this? C shape? Thin or thick? Thanks!

It is C shaped and thin like a 1960 Gibson Les Paul.

Given the numerous shocked reactions, I also feel that I should expand upon and clarify my answer to the question of whether I prefer the IYV or my Gibsons.

Of particular note is the amount of attention given to the nut on the Gibsons vs the IYV. It is labor intensive and tedious to file the slots on every individual guitar for ideal action. This is an expense which does not factor into the IYV business model of selling guitars dirt cheap on Amazon. The purchaser must either do that themselves or pay somebody else to do it. The bone nut on the IYV looked like one of those blocky, clunky, white LEGO pieces I played with as a kid. That thing needed to be slotted deeper, filed, sanded, and tapered to become what it should be both functionally and aesthetically. While I personally like being intimately involved with my guitars in such a hands on manner, I understand that some have neither the inclination nor skill for such things. But if you do, then you efforts are not wasted on this one.

It cannot be denied that the Gibsons seem more substantial and "expensive" all around. They have better tuners, hardware, and wiring. I'm not even going to try to argue otherwise. But you know what seems even more posh than my Gibsons? My WOLF WLP 750T, made by AIO, which is supposedly the high end of IYV and can be had for around $450 new.

That being said, the full sized pots on my brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s started to fail after a year of heavy gigging and the apparently soft fret wire necessitated a level, crown, and polish. I laugh when I hear people talk about how expensive guitars can better withstand the rigors of the road and heavy gigging.

I have never been completely happy with the tone of my Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s. I have swapped in numerous different sets of pickups, but the guitar still has a thinness that I can't correct. To be honest, I bought this guitar because it had the most beautiful unburst flame top I'd ever seen.

My Custom Shop Les Paul is in a league all its own. I've never played anything that can touch it. It actually has a sloppy flaw on the body binding. The dye used for the body has also bled into the binding, staining it pink (which is supposed to be historically correct).

These Gibsons each cost 20-30X what I paid for this IYV!

Yes, the Gibsons will hold their value better, there is a certain pride of possession in owning a Gibson, and it does make one feel like a boss standing onstage playing the real deal just like our guitar heroes use. I have also had to take into consideration that I have hired out my services as a "pro musician," and part of that package is presenting myself onstage with a pro image and pro gear.

But putting all of those monetary, marketing, ego, emotional, and nostalgia considerations aside, and judging just by my ears, and the feel in my hands, then yes, this IYV is a splendid instrument.

If I needed to record a guitar track for something important, I could see myself reaching past my Gibsons and picking up the IYV for the unique and beautiful tone it produces. I could also see myself performing with it live, on certain types of gigs.

This is a guitar I paid only $89 for, which apparently can still be purchased online for not a hell of a lot more. I can't help but factor this into my high estimation of the IYV.

I took the time to write all of this because I don't want anybody to rush out and buy one of these based solely on TMC's opinion that it's better than his Gibsons. Forget about the Gibson comparison thing. This is a righteous guitar that stands on its own. Give this thing a little attention and it will reward you back tenfold in terms of playing pleasure.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I believe I read somewhere that these IYVs were made in Vietnam, can you confirm or deny that ?

[toomanycats]

I believe I read somewhere that these IYVs were made in Vietnam, can you confirm or deny that ?

Yes, made in Vietnam, as confirmed right on the back of the headstock.

This thread on Squier Talk explains how IYV (Inyen Vina) is a Korean based company which has it's guitars manufactured in Vietnam.


https://squier-talk.com/threads/guitar- ... ds.200888/


Seems like an inevitable progression of things. At a certain point Japanese made guitar manufactures began having instrument made in Korea. I personally own Jackson and Yamaha instruments such as this. Now that Korea is a highly respected guitar manufacturer in its own right, it seems only natural that they would offshore manufacture to another location, Vietnam being the case with IYV.

I remember @tobijohn mentioning that some Agiles were produced in Vietnam at some point.


The guitar looks great without the pickguard too. That mineral streak on the upper bout is mirrored on the bookmatched lower bout, which strongly suggests that it’s part of the wood.

[glasshand]

A weird thing about the IYV LP copies is that the great majority of the ones on the market seem to be green. I wonder why that is. The company president really liked green guitars? Green stain was especially cheap that month? People are hanging on to all the others so only the green ones are available?

[toomanycats]

A weird thing about the IYV LP copies is that the great majority of the ones on the market seem to be green. I wonder why that is. The company president really liked green guitars? Green stain was especially cheap that month? People are hanging on to all the others so only the green ones are available?

Many comments on YouTube attribute the trend of green Les Pauls to the IYV ILS-300 EGR. After it came out and created a buzz other brands started offering green guitars too.

I’m not into trends and I’ve always dug green.

Kissin’ Korean Cousins: 2022 IYV ILS-300 EGR, 1998 MIK (Unsung) Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition.

[solteroblues]

there's currently 4 on Reverb, and they're all 4 green, going for twice what TMC paid!

[tobijohn]

...I remember @tobijohn mentioning that some Agiles were produced in Vietnam at some point.

I believe it was only a couple of runs at the end of 2015. "Made in Vietnam on the back of headstock label and the serial number begins with a V. I've got a couple of MIV AL-3100MCCs and the build quality of both is consistent with the MIK AL-3100MCCs I have.