IYV ISMR-200 6 String Solid Body Electric Guitar, Black

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!

This "moserite-ish" member of the IVY stable is a great value for the price. Actually the value far exceeds the cost. This is the 6th IVY guitar I've purchased and at some point, I expected to get a dud but no way so far. The attention to detail in assembly, fit and finish is remarkable, likely due to CNC production techniques eliminating much chance for variation. Some minor set up and fret end filing but I've had to do that on $2500 guitars. Nice neck on this Mose-like. Very playable right out of the box. Biggest variation I've found is the variance in weight among the differnt models. This one is heavy (think genuine early Les Paul) while others are featherweights. (Different woods used). Until they disappoint me, I'm a IYV fan and promoter. Why limit yourself to one when you can afford 6 of these?

This instrument is well made, may or may not be typical of all deliveries. The fret work was great, the finish is very good, it looks to be painted well and has a deep shiny topcoat. The neck is good, a little chunky, satin finished and the fret board looks good. the truss rod need adjusting before it could be tuned. the electronics are good, smooth switches. The tuners feel fine, no loose capstans. Setting intonation is a little different process than other type of saddles. Overall a good instrument worth far more than the price.

Anyone who has owned and enjoyed playing an original 'The Ventures' model Mosrite built in the 1960s, will enjoy playing this IYV model, though you'll immediately spot the differences. the upper/lower horns on the IVY are reversed compared to the Mos, the prominent horn is on the upper side. The vibrato is OK, and will get you by until you can install a better version. The black finish is nice but It would be great if IVY could offered this one in pearl white (expensive) or plain gloss white, with clear coat. My original '65 Mos is actual pearl white with mulitple base coats, and six coats of clear laquor; some of the Mos models received 12 laquor coats, making it rather expensive starting at $600 in 1965. Present prices for a verified genuine mid-60's Ventures Model Mos with case are eye-watering, which makes this IYV 'tribute' easy to own if you can grab one. There were no finish scuffs/dings on the copy I received, and though tthe neck isn't as thin and fast as the legacy Mos the IYV is very playable. I have only two gripes with this one: I will swap the stock vibrato for a 'moslike' or 'mosby' model (a bit hard to locate but in the past Amz or performance music had them) and at the same time, will install a graphite nute and zero fret; the zero fret on the Mos was one of the first and it's never had a tuning issue. I considerred a fender style roller nut such as Eric Johnson used, as when it's installed corectly, eliminates any tuning problems. Zero fret installs should be performed by experienced owners or a tech who has installed them. When this IYV arrived the carton was enclosed in a huge outer box with 12 times the necessary volume needed to protect it. On opening, IYV had done a great job of packing, with well-placed styrofoam inserts, with the guiar inside a smooth styrofoam baggie. I immediately saw that the stock vibrato bar and spring had been dislodged, but it was easily put back into place. The vibrato is a bit floppy, and though it works, he spring must be cut down or replaced. The stock strings were rust and corrosion-free thanks to IYVs anti=rust paper string wrap and will play fine for a a day or two. The frets are well polished, level with no buzz or sprout. The volume and tone controls work smoothly, the output jack, toggle switch and pickups are all noise free and sound good. The stock tuning keys are OK, only slightly loose so will be fine until I decide on vintage or locking. The weight difference between the heavier mahogany IYV and the original Mosrite is immediately apparent, however the IYV handles and plays beautifully. Whether you intend to perform upgrades or are happy playing this guitar in stock form, you will enjoy owning it; buy one now or prre-order while you can.

I have been on a cheap guitar kick of late and this is my latest acquisition. I love P90's, I prefer Bigsby's, and I wanted something retro/funky to jam with. I do my own setups so I don't shy away from this price point when it checks my boxes. It's not perfect. The nut was a little tight on the 3 largest strings and would pull them out of tune slightly when I used the vibrato. A few minutes with a nut slot file set and that is no longer an issue. The intonation was close, but not 100% more like 95%. There is a screw that holds the neck pickup in place that sticks up above the pickup about 2mm (not a playability issue, but noticeable and seems like I made need to drill a deeper hole to get it to go in more). That all said, post modifications it plays great, sounds great and seems like the hardware is pretty decent. The tremolo works fine for me, but I am not dive bombing all the time either. Definitely not Bigsby quality, but one of those is about the price of the whole instrument in this case. It nails that retro surf tone with that trem shimmer! The bridge is a roller style. The electronics seem solid so far. The tuner grips are huge! and turn smooth and the tuners hold tune well. The neck is THICK, like super chonk which I like, but will not be everyone's cup of tea. I would say that if you are a beginner, you would very likely need a quality setup to not be discouraged by the tuning issues. If you don't mind about 20 minutes of work with the proper tools, I think you could end up as satisfied as I am with an absolute tank of an instrument. Its a keeper for me.

IYV guitars for the most part have good reviews. However, the o e I received, an ISMR-200 Mosrite replica, has several issues. The finish is good, not perfect, but for the price point very nice. However, the fit is another topic. The neck pocket is too wide for the neck. Easily greater than 1/16 inch. The neck is butted to the left side of the pocket looking down, and there is a good sized gap on the right side, showing bare wood and far beyond what is required for a fit with a little room for adjustment. If these are CNC made, either the neck or the body program needs to be revisited. The alignment on mine seems playable, but you would think they would have at least installed a painted shim to make up the gap. The gap is large enough that if the neck screws were loosened, it would cock the neck and cause misalignment. Second, the strings were rusted big time when i opened the box. The strings were wrapped with an alleged anticorrosion paper, but it failed miserably. The frets are marginal. Did not have a lot of wdges that will cut someone, but could use a slight cleanup. The crown job has chatter marks that are visible even after i polished them. And sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper. Not affecting playability from what little i have got to. With the rusty strings, i basically plugged it in and made sure it made noise and checked the bigsby. Lastly (let's hope), when I took the strings off to replace with good fresh strings and polish the frets and oil the fretboard which on any guitar shipped is usually dry, the nut just popped off. Supposed to have a tiny dab of glue to hold it in place (the nut style is like an epi/gibson, no slot in base, just butts up against the fingerboard). I hope that this is a guitar that was made on a Monday. I would hate to think that this is the norm for quality control from IYV. I cant return it as it is the only mosrite style in my budget, but I had my sights on some of their other models, but likely will not buy another. I dont mind working on guitars, but i dont need total projects right out the box. Ill have to just make this where it stays hopefully playable, and accept the hit. I have no idea how their customer service is, but another copy will probably have some of the same issues. Tuning stability is an issue, but cannot judge that long term due to crappy strings, and likely the nature of the Bigsby. We will see.

I've always wanted a Ventures style guitar but could never justify the expense for a guitar I wasn't sure I would like but this was on sale and I decided to take a chance. Glad I did. This is without a doubt the best inexpensive guitar I have ever acquired. Right out of the box it was completely playable. Even though they were ok I replaced the strings and did a very little fret work and oiled the fretboard. I didn't even have to adjust the saddles. I took it apart to be sure that there were none of the loose or badly soldiered wires but everything was tight and well done. I've had name brand guitars that weren't as well made. Played through an amp it sounds exactly like I had hoped. I might eventually get a set of locking tuners. Normally I would get a roller bridge but damn if it didn't already come with one and the bigsby style vibrato performs perfectly. I just can't put this guitar down. I play it every more than my Fender Jazzmaster.

Excellent value and quality for the price. Caught one on sale and can't complain! Decent p-90 pickups and functional electronics. Needs fret filing and basic setup work to make this a fun m0srite-esque "tribute" guitar.

Just got this puppy, the IYV ISMR-200, for about $300 CAD. The seller themselves were great, for fast delivery etc. As for the guitar itself, I'm going to be super critical here so people don't get false hope. I mean, yes, you GET what you PAY for, you can't expect too much at the price. I honestly wouldn't go any higher than $300 for this but it's your choice. It's loosely based on a Mosrite Mk I I believe, but this is mostly in looks, all the details are very different from the original. Looks wise, it's 7/10, very beautiful guitar and a friend who didn't know too much about guitars thought it could be worth $1000. Would be 10/10 except look of neck. Fingerboard looks fine at front, but back of neck is unvarnished and almost looks like someone's high school woodshop project lol. What do you expect for the price though. Playability is ok, isn't like butter, needs a bit of set up or adjustment for the serious player. Frets a tad sharp at edges. Body weight, a bit lighter than expected but still not light as a feather, about mid. Faux Bigsby works ok but I find it does make strings go out of tune a tiny bit, not drastically bad but I'd highly recommend fresh, stretched in strings and a proper set up on whole guitar, and upgrade the tuners. Pickups, tone is generally warm with hints of crisp, this ain't your spanky punchy Fender tone they are P 90 s though. I didn't hate the tone but didn't love it. I do know the right ways to adjust sound via amp, guitar and effects to make even a cheap guitar sound awesome but if I didn't have that knowhow, it would just be meh cheap guitar whatever tone. I own one other ITV, the semi hollow Tele style ITF 400 TRD for relatively same price {years ago at $200ish but I'm accounting for inflation}. That one is gorgeous looking, 10/10 {even with similar not super awesome looking neck} nice tone {big part because the semi hollow part} also P90s, but no vibrato bridge or anything like that. Quality was a bit better for the action and frets and all that. In conclusion, if you can't afford a better guitar at like $500+, you'd probably get this ISMR mostly for the styling and looks, and the Bigsby ish bridge which is rare for cheap guitars, but it will NEED a bit of tweaking and set up for it to truly shine. If you swap pickups or improve tuners or things that cost you an additional few hundred, it would still be worth it and would make it a sufficiently more awesome guitar.