UPDATE! Factory boxed version is OOS, but the non-factory-boxed version is still available. Both are new in open box. Updated main link.
IYV (Inyen Vina) builds Harley Benton guitars for Thomann, among many others. This specific guitar is a transparent green Les Paul clone with a set neck, carved and bound body, bound neck, and flame maple cap. It used to sell for $140-150 on Amazon, but has been sold out there for a long time.
This guitar is several tiers above the cheap Epiphone Les Paul Juniors, which sell for $150-200. If you're looking for a Les Paul-style guitar, you won't do any better without paying hundreds more.
It gets very good reviews:
https://www.squier-talk.com/threads/a-brief-review-of-iyv-ils-300-egr.197769/​ [squier-talk.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lPYWgpphSE​ [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rph1826-qQI​ [youtube.com]
https://www.amazon.com/ILS-300-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar-Emerald/product-reviews/B08T2MMGVW​ [amazon.com]
Factory boxed version appears to be OOS. Free shipping on both versions.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/387239205278
Also available in non-factory packaging for a few dollars less:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/387148542612
28 Comments
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The thing to know going in is that hardware and electronics are the two big ways to save money. At retail, you can buy a set of basic tuning keys (for example) for $10, but they'll have a lot of lash and make tuning less pleasant than it could be. A GOOD set of tuning keys -- like Gotoh -- is going to set you back $40+. Likewise the bridge. A cheap one is $5; a good one is $25. Pickups? A pair of cheap humbuckers, likely with no wax potting a lot of microphonics, is $15. A good pair? You'll pay $50 for a pair of take-offs from another guitar, or $150+ for ones from regarded manufacturers.
So you'll hear people say "I got this great guitar for $100. I upgraded the tuners, bridge, pickups, switch, and pots, and it sounds great." In reality, they probably paid closer to $200 or even more, without taking labor into account. Yes, it can sound great, but no one will pay anything close to what you've got invested if you decide to sell it.
IMHO, it's a false economy without the benefit of a retailer brand like Harley Benton.
There will be naysayers, and that's fine. I can take it. But realize that you might want to PLAY guitar rather than UPGRADE one.
The thing to know going in is that hardware and electronics are the two big ways to save money. At retail, you can buy a set of basic tuning keys (for example) for $10, but they'll have a lot of lash and make tuning less pleasant than it could be. A GOOD set of tuning keys -- like Gotoh -- is going to set you back $40+. Likewise the bridge. A cheap one is $5; a good one is $25. Pickups? A pair of cheap humbuckers, likely with no wax potting a lot of microphonics, is $15. A good pair? You'll pay $50 for a pair of take-offs from another guitar, or $150+ for ones from regarded manufacturers.
So you'll hear people say "I got this great guitar for $100. I upgraded the tuners, bridge, pickups, switch, and pots, and it sounds great." In reality, they probably paid closer to $200 or even more, without taking labor into account. Yes, it can sound great, but no one will pay anything close to what you've got invested if you decide to sell it.
IMHO, it's a false economy without the benefit of a retailer brand like Harley Benton.
There will be naysayers, and that's fine. I can take it. But realize that you might want to PLAY guitar rather than UPGRADE one.
There will be naysayers, and that's fine. I can take it. But realize that you might want to PLAY guitar rather than UPGRADE one.
But the numerous print and video reviews agree on almost every detail, which is that this guitar is superior to anything under $200 and hangs with a lot of $300+ guitars.
It comes with enough of a setup to be playable, the fret ends aren't sharp, and the pickups sound good.
The complaints I see are that the tuners work but can be a bit rough, which is true of all sub-$200 guitars I've tried, and that sometimes the pickup rings are bent, which doesn't affect sound or playability and can be replaced for under $5.
Compare this IYV to an Epiphone LP Special, which costs $150 on sale ($200 normally). The Epi has a slab body and bolt-on neck, with no binding and dots instead of blocks...and it's literally impossible to intonate because it comes with a non-intonatable stoptail bridge. The tuners aren't very good either.
Guitar Center sells a Mitchell LP clone that is very similar and arguably better, but it's $400 normally. It's $200-$300 if you luck out and find an open box.
The sub-$200 Squiers I've tried have all had problems that require skilled repair: neck screws that are too small and spin in their holes, nuts cut high and off-center, necks that are misaligned and/or need shimming, and so on.
Harley Benton sells LP clones also made by IYV, which are probably at the same quality level and use the same parts. But once you add the $70+ shipping to USA, they cost $200 and up, and if you want the transparent flame top they cost $250+ shipped.
My experience with cheap guitars is that very few of them really need a parts upgrade. The only exceptions were the aforementioned Epiphone LP Special, which needed an intonatable bridge, and Squier basses, which (except for the J and P) always seem to come with pickups so hot and dark that they have zero treble or definition. All of the off-brand Asian guitars and basses I've bought in the last 10 years have only required a setup, sometimes a change of strings, and occasionally a high fret or two lowered. The pickups have always sounded decent to very good, and the tuners have always been capable of keeping the instrument in tune.
Sure, Gotohs and Hipshots feel better, but even no-name Chinese tuners seem to work these days. If you want to tinker, that's great. But if you just want to play this guitar, you can get by with an Allen wrench, a #2 Phillips, and a few Youtube videos that show you how to adjust the truss rod and set up a Tune-O-Matic bridge.
With that said, if these are open box, I would be cautious.
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This one is new & unused. Retail box has some wear from prior storage and handling but the item has not been affected. So I guess $98.25+tax is still a good deal.
Factory boxed version is down to "1 left", but the non-factory-boxed version still has "more than 10 available" and is slightly cheaper.
I've updated the main link to point to the non-factory-boxed version, so the deal doesn't get marked as expired.
Thanks for the rep, everyone! I hope we all get good instruments and no one gets a lemon.
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