IYV 18 String Electric Guitar, Right, Trans Red (IDN-126)

I was initially drawn to the IYV 6/12 String Electric Doubleneck because of the return policy, which made me feel more at ease about purchasing. Before pulling the trigger, I had played a coworker’s IYV Les Paul and was impressed that it performed on par with many Epiphone models I’ve tried, but at a fraction of the price. When my Doubleneck arrived, the setup was almost perfect right out of the box. The neck was dead straight, the intonation was spot-on, and the action—though great for most players—needed only minor adjustments to match my preference for an extremely low setup. A single fret around the 15th did sit slightly high, but it didn’t affect my overall impression or prevent me from achieving a comfortable playing experience. The pickups turned out to be quite good, even for a self-professed pickup snob like me. The 12-string side runs a bit bright, but it maintains a chimey, vibrant tone without getting shrill. The 6-string pickups are a touch compressed and boxy on clean settings, yet they respond well to overdrive and sound perfectly serviceable, likely thanks to the ceramic magnets. I personally lean toward darker, mid-heavy pickups, but for this guitar an Alnico 5 or 6 might be my choice for upgrading, but that’s a purely subjective call.The guitar itself is undeniably heavy and exhibits significant neck dive, both of which are common with most doublenecks. It can feel like wrestling an albatross while standing up, but the eye-catching factor is huge if you’re looking to make a statement on stage. The Trans Red finish looks gorgeous, and the overall playability is impressive once you adjust to the extra weight. My only real issue was a small crack in the 12-string nut, but considering the affordable price and the fact that the nuts are inexpensive plastic, it didn’t bother me much—I planned on swapping them out eventually anyway. For anyone seeking a doubleneck without breaking the bank, this guitar is a great buy. It’s perfectly playable as is, and it also offers an excellent modding platform if you’re inclined to personalize it further. I have no regrets about purchasing this model and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants that classic doubleneck look, feel, and sound at an accessible price point. I can't believe I got a double neck that is playable for the price of a pedal or a good set of pickups.

I've been eyeballing a doubleneck for a while now but I don't have $8-10K to drop on a Gibson EDS-1275. This one caught my eye. I had never heard of IYV guitars before so I YouTube'd a video of a guy demoing an IYV guitar (not this model but enough to give the viewer an idea of the quality) and then I saw that this guitar had decent reviews so I took a chance and pulled the trigger on buying it.It arrived boxed pretty well: plenty of packing foam around the body, protection on the strings, etc. The body had some sticky substance on it in some places but nothing I couldn't remove with a Clorox wipe and not enough of an inconvenience for me to dock it a star. I tuned it up and it held tuning pretty well. It was set up well enough out of the box to play. Running it though my practice amp with my metal distortion pedal, both the 6-string and the 12-string neck seemed to hold distortion pretty well and the 6-string seemed to have plenty of "crunch" when I played metal riffs on it. I may consider swapping out the stock pickups at some point (I'm an tinkerer and I tend to mess around with my toys) but so far I see or hear nothing wrong with the pickups that come installed in the guitar. It played pretty smoothly for me but everyone's preferences are different so I can't speak for everyone in terms of setup.I've owned and played Fender, Epiphone, Jackson, Yamaha and BC Rich guitars and, honestly, I don't see any less quality from this IYV guitar than I do with any of those bigger name brands I mentioned. If you're looking to fool around with a doubleneck and aren't sure if you'll like it (or simply don't have a massive budget), I would recommend this guitar.

This Doubleneck came to me with a 1/2" diameter dent in the body... so deep that it cracked the finish. Thats was not a shipping accident as the box was not damaged in that area. The box had minimal Styrofoam sheets in it and small blocks for the headrest, and of course the thin Styrofoam bag, but that was all... very poorly packed.The guitar is very heavy (which I expected), but the worst part of it is the neck dive. I mean it is so bad that if you are playing on the 12-string neck (top neck) and want to switch, it's like a racing game to "catch" the bottom neck because it drops so fast. The only way to get around it is to clinch down on the body with your strumming arm which is not comfortable to do either.Always thought a double-neck would be cool, but no... I'll pass.

I'm all about "Bang for the Buck and this is a grand slam! I wrote an extensive review, however it disappeared. I am a long-time player with lots of experience. This guitar is manufactured in Viet Nam, for those who care about that stuff. It is built far beyond its' price point. Delivery was in 48 hours, and it was playable right out of the box. Some small scuffs on the bottom of the body which do not affect the guitars playability. They will likely buff out. 6 string neck is very '60's Gibson with the 12-string side a little "beefier". It is heavy as one would expect and does have some neck dive, normal for this style guitar. Pickups are sufficient and all controls work smoothly. I would buy again in a heartbeat!