IYV-IRK-300 Semi Hollow Electric Guitar 3T Sunburst (IYV)

Unbelievable quality for a low price. In tune and set up out of the box, had to tweak the lower E string and she played like a dream. Nice quality locking tuners! The neck is fast and smooth, the finish is high quality - it almost glows in the dark. I'm super impressed and encourage you to buy one if you are considering one.

Hello everyone. First of all, let us get this out of the way. When someone purchases a guitar (whether it is used, refurbished, displayed model, with minor imperfection, or a new one) at some point you are going to set the action, set the intonation, treat the fret board, file the fret ends, replace/modify the knobs/switches/bridge/strings/pickups/neck/etc. to your preference. It is no difference when you buy your vehicle. Eventually, you are going to change/add/replace/modify items on your vehicle to your liking. And that is fine. With that said, please do not count these components as a negative criticism towards these guitars. Let us just focus on the guitar itself. With minor tuning and neck adjustments, these guitars are ready to play right out of the box. As you know, minor tuning and neck adjustments are common with any guitar you purchase. The finish, quality, and construction of these guitars are awesome. The headstock is eye-catching. The neck is straight. The frets do not have dents/divots and are smooth (no sharp edges). The fret board is fine. The body is beautiful. The joints/seems are connected to satisfactory. The hardware (pickup selector or switch/output or input jack/volume & tone knobs or controls/bridge/pickups/pick guard/tuners/electronics/screws/nuts/strap buttons/fret or inlay markers/fret nut) are nice, functional, and tight. There may be some small blemishes or cloudy finishes here and there, fret board might have some kind of dye on it, but nothing really significant that would cause you NOT to play the guitar immediately. I’ve made NO modifications or changed any components on this guitar and had no major issue with feedback noise, guitar getting out of tune from hours of play, components getting loose or not working, breaking strings, electrical issues, etc. Again, everyone has their option on what they consider feedback, guitar out of tune, components getting loose or not working, breaking strings, electrical issues, etc. And that is okay. It also varies on the equipment (amps/stacks/pedals/cables/etc.) you use and how you play these guitars. In conclusion, these guitars are attractive, feel great, look fabulous, sound terrific, entice you to play them and definitely fun to play. I am sold, and I am a HUGE fan of the IYV Guitars! I wished I could have purchased the earlier models when they first came out. If I had the money, I would buy all the IYV models. For an electric guitar under $200.00 and with no shipping fees, these guitars are an excellent investment! I will say it again. Not only are these guitars gorgeous, but they are also a pleasure to play. I hope IYV will continue to produce new models or have older models available because I am excited in purchasing them in the future. Thank you IYV Guitar company/staff for producing this magnificent product!

Beautiful finish. Build quality is very good with a couple of exceptions. I returned the guitar because the tailstock was not centered below the bridge which created an odd angle for the strings. All of the fret ends need to be dressed as they are very sharp. Intonation was very good but the bridge adjustment should be lowered when new strings are put on. The tone was good but the bridge pickup seemed weak. Overall it’s a great value for the money especially when on sale.

I’m actually impressed! I have a friend who I recently got started with guitars. He really admired my FireGlo Rickenbacker 330, which is easy to understand since it is a stunningly beautiful guitar. So for Xmas I decided I would get him this relatively inexpensive guitar. My main thought was that it would be a great piece of wall art for his office and an incentive to keep learning to play. I had actually watched several videos on this guitar and all of them indicated that while the bridge pickup was pretty decent, the neck pickup always sounded totally dull, muted and low output. But I have to say that in the last week that I’ve been “testing” and setting up my friend’s new guitar, I am actually pretty impressed! Both pickups sound pretty decent and have an appropriate sound for each location. Now I’m not saying that this guitar sounds anything like my Rickenbacker, nor does it match any of my Strats, Les Paul’s or others. But I will say that it does have decent sound in all 3 switch settings and sounds like a pretty decent guitar. Which for the price is somewhat amazing! Overall the fit and finish is really pretty danged good! It is a nice looking and feeling guitar. Not just for a “cheap” guitar, but for any under $1000 guitar. Didn’t have any fret sprouts (which many reputable brands do have nowadays), the finish is well done and even the tuners are reasonable. And pretty inexpensive to swap out a great set of Gotoh Locking tuners if you plan on keeping and using this. I have to say that I was expecting a lot less. Been playing and collecting guitars for decades and this one is really fun to play! Obviously not going to replace my Ricky, but I’m sure my friend will really enjoy this! Assuming he keeps up his lessons! 😂

With Rickenbacker being perpetually, frustratingly behind the times, it's tougher to get a decent 50's/60's semi-hollow than most other guitar styles. Without much competition, my expectations were tempered, but Beatles fans on a budget can rejoice, because this is a remarkably nice instrument for so little money. The looks are great, and not only are the colors lovely, but it has no real flaws anywhere. It feels quite decent, is well balanced, has a nicely shaped neck, doesn't have too much flex anywhere, has reasonably smooth fret edges; it's just a plain good instrument, top to bottom. The strings it came with should be changed right away, but once you do, the sound is lovely, with no need to swap the stock pickups. It's just a bit jangly and bright as it should be, and the pickups are a little lower output than most humbuckers, without being weak enough as to require rebalancing your amp and pedal settings. The bridge isn't quite as convenient to restring as most modern designs, but doesn't really hold you back. The tuners would benefit from being replaced with a nicer set, but are definitely good enough to work with. All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed and very happy to finally have a Rickenbacker styled guitar without spending an arm and a leg.

UPDATE: A price drop convinced me to try a second copy (after returning the one reviewed below). This one shows some actual maple grain on the front and sides (the back looks like agathis). The top feels a bit thicker. The tone is still thin, but pleasant in its own way. The action is much better – it's quite playable. Lots of cosmetic glitches: white primer showing through the bass cutaway (I touched it up with a red Sharpie), 2 weird light spots on the edge of the fingerboard, and a scratch on the pickguard. I decided to keep this one, because it's fun to play, and its Ricky vibe just sparks joy. But I wouldn't recommend this as anyone's first guitar – you're taking a gamble on skimpy, inconsistent materials and quality control. Starter guitars here from recognized brands offer solid QC at comparable prices. And I still feel this is a lost opportunity to build a really good guitar, at a higher price. [ORIGINAL REVIEW:] To avoid disappointment, be realistic about what to expect at this price. You could barely buy an electric guitar at prices this low in the 1950s – and those were 1950s dollars. Here, you're getting something that looks and feels Rickenbackerish, but doesn't sound or play anything like a real Rick. It's lightly made of mystery low-grade woods, and not much of them. There's little resonance, sustain, or low end. Most of its range sounds twangy like an acoustic guitar. Which you might like in an amplified guitar, except that once you get very high on the high E string, it's very shrill, especially on the bridge pickup. So you won't want to play leads on this. Real Real Ricks sound surprisingly warm for their construction, because they're skillfully made from carefully sourced and cured maple. The neck is cramped – narrower than on real Ricks, which are known for skinny necks. (The real problem is the bridge, whose saddles hold the strings too far in from the neck's edges.) It's also cramped vertically, because 24 frets on a 24.75" scale is just silly. The action, out of the box, was punishingly high. The specs say basswood, already a low-grade wood. But the front and back show some grain and glow, so I suspect agathis. (I didn't get flattering Rick-style maple grain, just straight lines, which look accidental.) And if you reach inside the soundhole, the top feels paper-thin. I suspect the back is just as thin – thus the acoustic-guitar timbre. If you love the Rickenbacker aesthetic, you're much better off saving up for a real Rick. (Used models can be surprisingly affordable.) Or at least, looking for a more-substantial replica on other marketplaces. This could actually be a nice instrument if the concept were better executed. It combines the vibe of several Rick guitar and bass models, without being a straight copy of any. The omission of plastic binding is a woody plus. But build it out of a real tonewood (maple), in real thicknesses. Give the strings real spacing. Shorten the fretboard to 21 frets (as contemporary Ricks do), saving a bit on materials there while improving the tone. Charge a bit more to cover the real net cost. The result would still be priced competitively, just appealing to a different demographic. I'd buy that.

First one came a few days ago..but it seemed already well played .tuned it up..jangly vibrating strings and terrible buzz...so I sent it back and replaced it with one that came today..it also seems played or handled somewhat already ( 😂)and has the general surface blemishes but nothing too bad... overall, I love this one..the neck plays great .no string or fret buzz. I'm glad I took the chance. You should too..it a beautiful guitar that cleans and shines up nice. Action is perfect out of the box. This one's a keeper. If you order one ..hope they send you a good one!! It was worth the risk... especially since I don't really recommend anyone buying a guitar unless they've played it.

Exceeded my expectations. I will list all of the aspects of this guitar below using school grades. A-F Finish: A I couldn't find a flaw on the top, sides, or back or back of neck. Neck: A Both sides were consistently straight with the perfect amount of relief Frets: B+ No high frets or sharp edges. Comfortable Tuners : A They have upgraded to Guyker Tuners. Extremely smooth with no slack + they are locking ! Pickups: C They sound good, but aren't very hot. I compensate by turning up my amp. Knobs : A They are firm but smooth. Nice Bridge: A This bridge is very unique. It is a floating bridge with a cover over the saddles. If you are not sure how to adjust, Amazon customer service will be happy to provide you with company email so they can send you a video. The bridge set up is futuristic and rock solid. Don't be intimidated. Amazon Customer Service will help you if you need it. I got the action down really low with no fret buzz.

Steppenwolf and the Beatles have never sounded so good. A bit of fret sprout was easily fixed... I should have changed the strings, but I'm having too much fun with it out of the box.

A great ric substitute.looks good,plays good.

decent quality, well worth the price, thanks brighton shop

What a great guitar plays awesome looks fantastic one great deal!!!

In my experience, inconsistent QC is one of the things that go hand in hand with buying inexpensive guitars. One can be nearly perfect and the next one, not so much. What makes this guitar good value is less to do with price versus quality and more to do with the relative lack of options for a Rick-styled guitar. If this were a Strat or LP style guitar, at this price point there are lots of options and as a result, I'd be less forgiving of an imperfection in the finish or some fret sprout or a high fret but for a Rick-styled guitar, I do forgive those things. The finish on mine was perfect and it sounds great. It had a number of frets that weren't fully seated and after addressing that I ended up doing a full fret level, crown and polish. I swapped the tuners (and I usually don't unless they're really clunky). Also not a fan of these bridges but they're part of the vibe of guitars like this so it's fine. In conclusion, you may get a perfect one or you may not. Even if you get one that needs some TLC and don't feel comfortable doing the work yourself, it's probably worth it for this style of guitar (certainly you'll spend way less than you would for the guitar this is styled after).