Description
Review of the ivy IPF-300 TSB 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar (Tobacco Sunburst)
This is a right-handed six string instrument finished in tobacco sunburst, built in Vietnam with a mahogany body, a maple neck and a jatoba fingerboard. It is listed as an acoustic-electric, though the hardware and pickup entries in its specification table point somewhere rather different, and that gap is the most important thing to understand before ordering.
The model code is IPF-300 TSB, and the listing dates it to August 2015.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A mahogany body with a figured maple top. Mahogany is dense and warm with a strong midrange, and a maple cap adds brightness and attack over it. That pairing is the classic recipe behind a great many well-regarded electric guitars, and the flame figuring is what gives a sunburst finish its depth.
- A jatoba fingerboard. Jatoba, sometimes sold as Brazilian cherry, is very hard and dense. It resists string grooves and fret wear better than most budget alternatives and behaves much like rosewood under the fingers.
- A Tune-O-Matic bridge. Each string sits on its own adjustable saddle, so intonation can be set string by string, and the whole bridge height adjusts on two posts. That is a far more serviceable arrangement than a fixed one-piece bridge.
- CNC-machined construction. The listing emphasises computer-controlled cutting, which is what keeps neck pockets and fret slots consistent between units. At this price, consistency is usually the weak point.
Cons
- The category and the hardware do not agree. This is listed as an acoustic-electric guitar, but the specification table gives the pickup configuration as H, meaning a humbucker, and the bridge as Tune-O-Matic. Those are electric guitar components. Acoustic-electrics use an under-saddle piezo or a soundhole transducer with a fixed acoustic bridge. The most likely reading is that this is a hollow or semi-hollow electric filed under the wrong heading.
- The string material is listed as nickel. Nickel strings are for magnetic pickups on electric guitars. Acoustic guitars use bronze or phosphor bronze, which magnetic pickups barely register. This reinforces the point above rather than contradicting it, but it means anyone buying acoustic strings for it will be disappointed.
- The manufacturer description says almost nothing. The three bullets state that the guitars are made by CNC machine with computer programming, that the neck has almost no defectiveness, and that all guitars have good specification. None of that is a specification. There is no information on electronics, controls, body construction, fret count or nut width.
- The scale length reads 25.0 with no unit. A bare number with no unit cannot be used for choosing strings or a capo, and 25.0 sits between the two common standards rather than matching either.
Detailed Product Description
The body is mahogany with a flame maple top, finished in tobacco sunburst. Mahogany is dense and warm with a pronounced midrange and long sustain; maple is bright and hard with a sharper attack. Layering maple over mahogany combines the two, which is why the pairing is used on so many single-cutaway electrics. Flame figuring is a natural rippled grain pattern that a sunburst finish is designed to show off.
The neck is maple with a jatoba fingerboard. Maple is stiff, which keeps the neck straight under string tension, and the listing places particular emphasis on neck taper and shape, describing a fingerboard construction intended to resist bending. Jatoba is extremely hard, which is the right property for a fingerboard.
The bridge is Tune-O-Matic, which is the two-post adjustable design most associated with single-cutaway electrics rather than with acoustic guitars. It allows individual string intonation and overall height adjustment, both of which matter for playability.
The pickup is listed as a single humbucker, and strings are nickel. Listed dimensions are 41.73 by 16.54 by 3.15 inches, with a weight of 6.84 pounds. A body depth of 3.15 inches is consistent with a hollow or semi-hollow instrument rather than a solid slab or a full acoustic.
What Comes with the Product
The listing describes the guitar alone. No case, gig bag, cable, strap, picks, spare strings, stand or tuner is mentioned anywhere in the product data.
Given the hardware described, a standard instrument cable will be needed to hear it amplified, along with an amplifier. If the instrument turns out to be hollow-bodied with a magnetic pickup, the string type to buy is nickel-wound electric, not bronze acoustic. Whether an amp is needed with an acoustic-electric is worth reading, though the answer here depends on what the instrument actually is.
Who It Suits
This suits a player who wants a hollow or semi-hollow style instrument with a figured maple top and a humbucker, at a price well below the established names in that category, and who is comfortable buying with incomplete information. The woods and hardware described are genuinely good specifications for the money.
It suits less well anyone who specifically wants a true acoustic-electric: a guitar that is fully playable unplugged and produces a natural acoustic tone through a piezo when amplified. The hardware described here will not do that. It also suits less well a first-time buyer, because the listing does not describe the electronics, controls or construction well enough to know what will arrive. Anyone wanting a genuine acoustic-electric should look at instruments where the pickup type is named.
How to Maintain
Set the Tune-O-Matic saddles for intonation after any string gauge change. That is the advantage of the bridge type and it is wasted if never used.
Oil the jatoba fingerboard once or twice a year when it looks dry and pale, using a dedicated fretboard conditioner rather than furniture polish.
Wipe the strings after playing and keep the guitar out of direct sun, which fades a sunburst finish unevenly over time. If the body is hollow, treat it more like an acoustic than a solid electric for storage purposes: away from radiators and out of unheated rooms. Storage guidance applies.
Tips and Recommendations
Confirm with the seller what the electronics actually are before ordering. The single most useful question is whether the pickup is a magnetic humbucker or an under-saddle piezo, because everything else follows from the answer.
Buy nickel-wound electric strings rather than bronze acoustic sets, matching what the specification table lists. Bronze strings on a magnetic pickup produce a weak, uneven output.
Product FAQ
Is this really an acoustic-electric guitar? The listing categorises it that way, but the specification table gives a humbucker pickup and a Tune-O-Matic bridge, which are electric guitar hardware. It reads more like a hollow or semi-hollow electric.
What strings does it take? The listing specifies nickel, which is an electric guitar string material rather than an acoustic one.
What is the scale length? The field reads 25.0 with no unit given, so it cannot be relied on.
Does it come with a case or cable? No. The listing describes the guitar alone with no accessories.
Similar instruments sit under acoustic-electric guitars. Closely comparable hollow and semi-hollow models include the IYV IJZ-300 TSB hollow body, the Grote hollow body with P90 pickups and the Grote GRS-001 semi-hollow. For shape context, see guitar body shapes explained.
