Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Heads up, this deal has expired. Want to create a deal alert for this item?
expired Posted by IndigoKnob7008 • Sep 18, 2024
expired Posted by IndigoKnob7008 • Sep 18, 2024

IYV ILS-300EGR Les Paul Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Emerald Green, New Open Box, Free Shipping $98.25

$94

$150

37% off
eBay
28 Comments 7,371 Views
Visit eBay
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
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
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
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

Community Voting

Deal Score
+11
Good Deal
Visit eBay
Leave a Comment
To participate in the comments, please log in.

28 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Sep 18, 2024
159 Posts
Joined Feb 2008
Sep 18, 2024
nintendo9713
Sep 18, 2024
159 Posts
I had some random $10 off coupon, so it is hard to beat a $95 guitar delivered to your door. Do I need another one? Absolutely not. Do I want another one because I don't have one of that color? Absolutely.
Sep 18, 2024
2,738 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Sep 18, 2024
ValueRanger
Sep 18, 2024
2,738 Posts
The pictures show a lot of wear, so beware.
Sep 18, 2024
1,227 Posts
Joined Aug 2015
Sep 18, 2024
GeekPriest
Sep 18, 2024
1,227 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank GeekPriest

I'll be the last one to say these guitars are junk. There are more affordable guitars from no-name brands that use one of a handful of common manufacturers than ever before.

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.

1
Sep 18, 2024
1,890 Posts
Joined Jun 2010
Sep 18, 2024
caotico
Sep 18, 2024
1,890 Posts
Quote from GeekPriest :
I'll be the last one to say these guitars are junk. There are more affordable guitars from no-name brands that use one of a handful of common manufacturers than ever before.

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.
I don't think you're wrong, but I think that IYV has a lot of online reviews and pretty decent reputation. They're made in Vietnam, I believe. Not exactly an unknown.
Original Poster
Pro
Sep 19, 2024
222 Posts
Joined Feb 2022
Sep 19, 2024
IndigoKnob7008
Sep 19, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
222 Posts
Quote from GeekPriest :
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.
You have to compare this guitar to other cheap guitars. No one is claiming that this is a $700 guitar for $98 shipped!
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.
Sep 19, 2024
67 Posts
Joined Jul 2008
Sep 19, 2024
airdano
Sep 19, 2024
67 Posts
Open box? Must of been a lot of returns. I will stay away. Even at $98
Sep 19, 2024
181 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
Sep 19, 2024
xdbx
Sep 19, 2024
181 Posts
I bought one of these from amazon to smash on stage a while back, but wound up keeping it and eventually gave it to a friend because it was surprisingly decent for the price.


With that said, if these are open box, I would be cautious.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Sep 19, 2024
665 Posts
Joined Dec 2022
Sep 19, 2024
PortabelloRoad
Sep 19, 2024
665 Posts
I'm in for one, for the express purpose of having a project guitar to fix up (if it needs it) then give it to a friend.
Sep 19, 2024
2 Posts
Joined Apr 2020
Sep 19, 2024
JollyCalculator774
Sep 19, 2024
2 Posts
Quote from PortabelloRoad :
I'm in for one, for the express purpose of having a project guitar to fix up (if it needs it) then give it to a friend.
What an awesome gesture! Was just saying the other day that I've met some of my best friends through Slickdeals. Perhaps...
Sep 19, 2024
40 Posts
Joined Nov 2011
Sep 19, 2024
whiffer2
Sep 19, 2024
40 Posts
Quote from JollyCalculator774 :
What an awesome gesture! Was just saying the other day that I've met some of my best friends through Slickdeals. Perhaps...
Well, I need a hug now.
2
Sep 19, 2024
44 Posts
Joined Sep 2017
Sep 19, 2024
josh8266
Sep 19, 2024
44 Posts
Picked one up, what the heck why not. Unrelated but I've used this seller before a number of times. Picked up some of their bent pin AM4 CPUs and fixed them for budget desktop builds I usually end up giving away... No issues and shipping was pretty fast!
Sep 19, 2024
3,076 Posts
Joined May 2006
Sep 19, 2024
nicedog
Sep 19, 2024
3,076 Posts
FYI Jimmy picked up one brand new on ebay in March 2023 for $79 plus shipping, the total was about $100.

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.
Pro
Sep 19, 2024
1,172 Posts
Joined Feb 2018
Sep 19, 2024
SplendidMorning215
Pro
Sep 19, 2024
1,172 Posts
The reviews I've seen are typically good on these. If you want to tinker or learn to work on stuff it appears to be a good platform.
Original Poster
Pro
Sep 19, 2024
222 Posts
Joined Feb 2022
Sep 19, 2024
IndigoKnob7008
Sep 19, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
222 Posts
UPDATE
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.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Sep 19, 2024
10 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
Sep 19, 2024
maddogl
Sep 19, 2024
10 Posts
just got one as my first guitar, for anyone that knows much about guitars, is this an ok buy to just start learning how to play, and what should I get once I get better at playing? also what's the difference between a cheap and an expensive electric guitar? Thanks

Popular Deals

View All

Trending Deals

View All