Should you buy a custom shop guitar from IYV out of Vietnam? Full demo & review!  

* About this guitar: This is a customized version of their IS-400 HH model. Basswood body, maple neck, roasted jatoba fretboard, flame maple top, satin finish, 2 humbuckers, 1 volume, 3 way blade switch, reverse headstock, locking tuners, 24 jumbo frets, C shaped neck profile, and hardtail bridge. The pickups say Destiny CNC Wound. This is their own in house pickup brand. All of the hardware is generic from the factory.

This guitar really came from my country 😮

I was born in Danang Vietnam never knew my peeps built guitars now lol thanks for the info love your channel

I could not believe the price to get a custom guitar made so i wrote them my specs for a custom double bound polka dot Telecaster with a roasted flame maple neck for $250 plus shipping. I can't wait to get it. Thanks for you videos as without them I would have never known about IYV guitars.

Thanks, really appreciate the information. You are the man to check for affordable custom builds.

They gave me an awesome quote can't wait to send them the money and get it started asap

I got one of their green Les Pauls off Amazon for 147 and fell in love with it. I'd have no problem going custom shop with them for another guitar in the future.

nice sounding guitar, melodic composition, great job bro! keep rockin'!

Thank you for this review. Your custom guitar is an almost perfect match for something that I have been wanting to put together for quite some time. I will be contacting them to see what they can put together for me. Love your channel.

This is genuinely pretty cool. Definitely will keep it in mind and maybe get a quote from them.

Just ordered an insane Telecaster Cabronita style from them, matched pretty much all but two of my specs, and were even able to start production right before they go on holiday. 390$ USD for a one of a kind guitar with high end specs is amazing. Would definitely order another custom guitar from them, they can pretty much build whatever you want.

Sounds great! And guys Richard is a really cool dude, he helped me out when I bumped into mailing issues with IYV and when I mentioned it to him he sent them an e-mail with my contact and they messaged me AND would do my order with no question! So thanks again Richard!

thank you very much for letting us know, I love the basswood maple top body that you choose, I might be grabbing one in the future

The custom IYV guitar came out great! The price is phenomenal. I REALLY like the matte finish. After a few necessary personal expenditures, I will send them an email and see what we can do. Thanks for sharing and keep on shredding!!!

i started watching this channel over a week ago ...good stuff man...subbed!

killer playing as usual! keep it up!

I knew there was a low cost custom shop somewhere, but couldnt find it. Thanks so much!!!!! 😊

I'm still trying to land an IYV cherry burst reliced LP off of Amazon,they are $176 you can't beat that, once I get one,then I might do a custom build, I already have 6 IYVs and I am totally satisfied with every guitar, best budget guitars on the market.

Awesome guitar review james! Playing was killer👍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This is AWESOME! I will have to look into getting a custom IYV guitar now! I’m toying with the idea of either a custom 22-fret version of the IYV IP-350, which I find very comfortable, or a highly customized Paranormal Offset Telecaster-like guitar. I can’t decide!!! 😂 It is kind of a shame they didn’t angle the headstock on yours, although I agree, it’s not a big deal, and some good quality roller string trees should be just good for tuning stability.

Dude.your videos are cool.funny.and very informative.keep up the good work

Wow! That's really surprising. Sounds and looks great.

Sounds amazing ! Love the honey gold finish , not a fan of orange or straight yellow but gold ish honey is what's up!

Sounds drop dead beautiful....just like it looks!!!❤ MAB and George Lynch vibes well received on this end.

Took my eye off the ball with your content. That turned out beautifully. I only have one guitar from that factory. An older HB single cut. It's a solid piece of kit.

Awesome looking guitar!🎸🤘🏻

I sent them an email to see if they could do some of the stuff I was interested in. Haven’t responded yet but it hasn’t been long. Super excited to see what comes of this! Thanks so much for giving me this information man! Definitely getting a sub from me

Unreal man...don't get to hear you play that much. Nice work!...great review too. Just finished.

Nice demo there brother...I may have to see if they could build me a flying star guitar..

These looks pretty badass ngl. Vietnam and Thailand have amazing woodworkers.

Thank you so much for the IYV information. I've been exchanging E- mails and they are amazing me. I sent them a custom drawing for the body of a IS- 400. Also some custom fret board work. Along with a few other modifications, they assure me they can do it. I'm now waiting on pics from them on the outcome and price!! Thank you again!!

I just subscribed after seeing you talk about these IYV Guitars. I am waiting for the IYV-ILP-400FR to be back in stock to try it out. Gonna see if you have already tried ans reviewed it. 🤘🏾

Nice guitar and some killer jam, Richard!

Just caught this on the big screen w/sound bar and WHOA!!! This is kinda amazing, to be able to get a custom guitar made for such a beyond reasonable fee! Killer jam too Shredder! 💥💥💥

thanks to finding your video, ive been in contact with iyv to see what they can do for their prs body style guitar. I've gottem my first response back, and things are looking promising with them being able to do what i want!

Incredible price for a great guitar!

Wow dude! WICKED looking guitar! Kind of like a cross between and Ibanez RG and S Series. And sounds killer as well.

A custom guitar for under $300 Shipped to your door. It's amazing how far things have come with electric guitars. My first guitar was a nearly unusable boat anchor made of pressboard which cost that much. Please don't think I'm copying you when I get mine and post it on my channel.

Ok, now you've got me interested, might hit them up when funds come around, see if they can build the 7 string arrow-star monster I have in my head. Yeah, things like the headstock can get ya, that's why I made a detailed image with every single spec layed out when I ordered my 27 fret Kelly Star from Aliexpress. Still love how damn close they made it and how well they stayed in contact.

That eriza verde PRS is gorgeous! My favorite manufacturer!😍

I absolutely love your channel bro. 🎉❤😊

A couple of months ago I got my first guitar ever stolen, your video motivated me to order from them and I'm in the process of ordering a customized model of their strats to my liking. I feel it is as you said, if you can dream it, they can make it! Hope it sounds as killer as yours hahaha!

Ah man, im definitely going to have to slow down RU-vid playback speed and steal a few of these lick :') Excellent track, guitar looks and sounds great! Seems a very reasonable price also :)

It sounds awesome and looks great! I love the color tone with the binding. ❤

Your guitar playing is amazing! Really enjoy the tones you create and watching you zip through the cords so seemingly effortless. The custom shop is awesome too, thanks for the info on them!

I took in a 300 IYV guitar(ES 135 copy) on a trade just to see what one was like. I was impressed. The guy that had it had it way out of adjustment. So after adjusting pickups and resetting the intonation and action it played pretty good. Then I leveled and polished the frets. Darn thing plays and sounds like a $1000 guitar. I didn't even have to change the electronics or hardware.

It seems like the Productions follow the wars. First Japan then Korea then Vietnam. I'm waiting for Afghani guitars.

Wow all the vibes from 80’s love it

Nice tune man!

That's how I got my bass they sent apart the 5 string is multiscale with push pull boost I need to make a video but studio being redone for my new amp Boss Katana

I’m taking a chance in their 9-string. It arrives today! 🤞

I can hear some George Lynch in your playing. I loved Dokken back in the day. In 2003, my band opened for Lynch Mob. Good times.

Reminds me of the JS model Ibanez... headstocks are straight on that model. Very nice beefy volute on the neck at the headstock tho! No Gibson broken necks there!

That guitar really fits you.. You glide on that thing.. And its beautiful ... I really need to contact them again. I have some ideas for sure.

Checking on my fedex every day cant wait until Wednesday to get my two custom guitars. Such a great concept of this custom order system and i really like how they send pictures of every stage of the guitar this is some quality service right there!

I always see Ivy when looking at the logo. Need a Bald Shredder green Poison Ivy model.

He quoted me for 2 guitars and one bass for $1600 that includes shipping. Thats so cool. :) and I have some unique specs too.

Hell yes im gonna get me one!

!) you put a smile on my face 2) I will order direct

Very talented guitarist

Oh wow, that's crazy that they'll just make what you want and still keep a low price. I had the idea to make a flat top Les Paul with comfort carves, and a bolt on all maple neck with an explorer headstock. I have an Epiphone Les Paul Special II that I wanted to do such modifications on but that's pretty risky. I did some other stuff to it though. From your experience, and after looking at the guitars on their website, it sounds like something they might be able to make, so I'll have to keep them in mind if I ever feel like going ahead with it!

So the Angling of the headstock is known as a “Scarf Joint” creating an angle break to eliminate the issues of having a straight neck and headstock such as this beautiful guitar or any of the Strats or Tele’s.Indeed you must remember every little specification when building a guitar.Other than that you did well I love the Chocolate looking Necks and headstock I forget the type of wood I remember Fender made a strat with that Wood,Just Lovely thanks for sharing! #BUFFALO #NEWYORK

I received my custom IYV on Saturday and I love it. They did an amazing job with my custom paint job. The flame on the roasted maple neck looks 3D. All for $250 plus $138 for shipping to Slovakia. Thanks for this video, without it I would not have my new favorite guitar.

I sent some killer specs to these guys and got a quote for $386.00 plus shipping of $150.00 If they deliver a good guitar as I ordered it will be a bargain. I set the bar very high on purpose and I told them that I will video the unboxing and send it to the Bald Shredder. They accepted the challenge. I said I need full images before shipping. I ordered a version of the neck through design. Here are my order specs. They sent me some images of the guitar before it is completed and it looks good so far. This guitar would be $3,000 in the U.S. They are a bit wonky to deal with but it appears that they will build anything. I hope to get it delivered in a couple of weeks. Maybe you will see the unboxing soon. I even ordered a custom headstock similar to the MusicMan style. EMG 81-85 pickups. Solid walnut wings (No veneer) Jumbo stainless-steel frets Rosewood fretboard Locking tuners black High gloss finish Floyd Rose Tremolo in black black hardware

George Lynch and Joe Satriani only spec non angled headstocks on their customs

It would be VERY interesting if we could see a luthier send in a design that would be a Gib/Fender custom shop or modified signature model to see what how nuts IYV will go when they get plans from a guy that knows how to communicate very precise order instructions. From the observations ive made, this company seems very open to doing everything you tell them with the two main caveats being not great pickups and tuners/bridge and that most buyers dont know how to ask for what they think they are asking for.

I own an IYV - ISSY-200NA Neck through and Wilkinson Trem. Plan on getting a different IVY model next year. Good quality, budget price, totally worth it. Mine plays like a dream and I paid 305 for it on Amazon last year. I subbed your channel after seeing this. Many thanks.

Love this sort of content it's not only entertaining to see what you can get without breaking the bank but like I said in another comment we're both really enjoying your play!!! 🤟🏼🤟🏼🤟🏼 Subscribed without a doubt 😁 Hubby has been playing for 3 months so far (just uploaded his first shred on my channel today) but anyway loved the shred!!!

Great tune and that axe is TOTALLY YOU! Headstock shoulf really be angled though 😂

I emailed 2 times & it kicked back both times, you made a good ploy to order a custom guitar but… If they can’t even except & answer my email not very good very good company It’s to bad because you’re guitar sounds & looks great Another great addition to guitar companies that shows only the the better guitar & the same B.S. from the company…

By the way, two serious q’s. Can you tell us more about the email exchanges sometime? I’m just curious how many email exchanges it took to avoid any miscommunication and whether there were any language barriers? It’s a serious question to ask because it would help people to see how specific they need and the types of photos it helps to provide to be when ordering a custom from IYV (or anywhere else for that matter). I think it would be a really good lesson to understand that process when it’s done over email to ensure everyone who orders is really happy with the end result and aren’t saying what you did about - oops, I didn’t mention the part about the headstock. Maybe you’d even be willing to show us the email/s you wrote as examples? I think that would be a very helpful video follow up. Some people may prefer spending their money on upgrades rather than shipping costs (which benefits the factory more). I wonder if they’d be able to send guitars to the US by sea freight if someone doesn’t mind waiting longer if someone were to request it. I like the idea of taking a bolt on neck off prior to shipping to help reduce costs - great suggestion. Not sure if you used pedals or digital tones for your demos in both vids. That guitar sounds as good if not better than those from many major brands. It’s really flawless and the paint job is sick. It would be cool you could take a trip to Vietnam to visit their shop and show appreciation for their craftsmanship!

looks great to be honest..

You could also opt for staggered tuners instead of string trees.

I am happy watching this show.Thank you.

this is very interesting..makes me curious to how much something with a crazy body style (not like as crazy as them basses) like something BC Rich'ish would run..Idk really much about other specs though..lol I just get guitars that feel good when I try them, though I kinda like the neck of the Ibanez rg/ Jem style guitars..

I have already contacted the IYV custom shop peeps..got a reply the next day!! 👍 just need to send them a sketch of the colour design i want, plus how i want it specced up and then they will give me a price including UK delivery 😜 dunno how long i will have to wait, but hey!! it will be worth it!! after I place the order that is, when i can decide what i want lol 😁

Coming back to say I got my custom IYV in earlier this week and I’m very happy. Solid build, awesome quilt veneer, love the purple burst finish, got the ILP shape in a 30” baritone with compound 12-16 radius neck. Looks like a $1000 at a distance, easily stands up as a $500-800 at close inspection. Not perfect, some tooling marks and one messy spot on the binding, but for

Super tempted here i reached out to see if they could do something i was on the verge of dropping almost 4k on a custom through balaguer so this might be a major life saver money wise

Nice guitar for sure, although im pretty convinced that you could put a literal plank of wood with a neck and pickups on it and youd make it sound good

Damn nice Guitars i have 2.

it's a killer guitar

First, also beautiful guitar sounds killer.

I've already got an estimate for the bass I want. I've included everything I could in a 7 page word file from neck dimensions, woods, electronics and many photos describing specifically what I want. I got quoted JUST 250USD + shipping. I'll put in an order next month, if it ends up happening I'll be making a review most likely. One question, do they send sketches or drawings of how they think the bass will turn out? (Just outlines for example) I've asked a couple of times but they somewhat avoid the question.

She's pretty! I wonder would they make a Gibson Greene copy?? Could they would they?? Thanks Richard Pitt Shredder!😊 or even a 1959 rounded neck copy??PS my dream guitar!

I wish u could tab that song out for us.

Could you link where you found the videos of the custom basses?

Anyone know if this guy does 9V compartments? I use a very specific setup on my guitars, a seymour Duncan Active Blackouts preamp, and either Duncan or GFS passive pickups, so I would have very little need to have anything but the blade or toggle switch prewired, and then everything else empty. Doesn't even need strings, tbh. I would have two setups in mind, but both would basically be the same, aside from actual pickup config.

Very similar to a Ibanez I had the one I'm comparing it to,only difference is the Ibanez eagle 2 trem, very nice but I don't want a trem just the hard tail string through body design with one push/pull volume and a kill switch H/S dual rail three way toggle switch locking tuners....

That is a sick looking and sounding guitar, how do you find the pickups? Do you plan to upgrade them? I'm stoked for this, I'm very tempted to order 2 customs right away

I had a good guess that the headstock not being a tilt back was the one thing they did that you forgot to specify. I don't think its that big of an issue though, especially it being a hardtail and straight pull through the nut. If you don't want to add another string tree, why not try staggered locking tuners.

You should have worn an epic Wig for this demo like the old hair bands!

👍👍👍

Sorry if i didn't catch it, but did you specify the pick-ups as well when you custom ordered it or was it even an option from IYV. Another awesome jam! keep shaving and keep shredding🎸

Can anyone else not figure how to actually buy a guitar here? On the website there doens't seem to be an option to buy

Hey man i just found your content and this is exactly what ive been looking for but im just curious about a few things in terms of what can be asked of them. From what I've seen in terms of appearence and how you want the guitar to look you can pretty much ask anything and can be super specific, but i was curious if you made any special demands for the type of bridge/tuners/pickups or like specific brands. What id have in mind is asking them to put like a gotoh wilkinson 2 point trem and some gotoh locking tuners. Obv id expect it to influence the price but are requests like that accepted by them? Hope i can get a response from you itd be super appreciated and keep the content up :)

0:48 how do you get your licks to sound that shiny I assume you double track the solo but what is it?

Can you help me out with the site because I'm very interested in ordering one of my own, because the one you have is beautiful brother I'm very impressed by the craftsmanship, the only thing I would do different is the pickup configuration humbucker in the bridge and a single in the neck position plus the locking tuners love the satin finish....

You remind me of a guy that I met and Gary his name is Mike and he plays guitars just like that

Any chance you could post the specs of your guitar it looks perfect I just might want a different color finish

Looks like the crazy 11 string bass is made by someone completely different - KIO designs. Still, their custom work seems interesting for the price