Wondering what owner's thoughts are about these guitars. Im interested on the 14 slope sholder (j45 copy) model. They look great.
Thanks for your guys replies.
Iris Guitars. (DF)
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adirondack&spruce
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2020 12:06 am
- Real Name: Mike
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
I haven’t played one myself but the few reviews I’ve read were positive.
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
Honestly, from my experience, horrible guitars. I bought a brand new DF and it sounded utterly dead. I thought that it might just need new strings. So, when changing strings the nut fell off. I couldn't distance myself fast enough.I feel embarrassed for the owners/builders.
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
Wow! What a terrible experience. Peanuts, thanks for putting us on notice !!!Peanut73 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:25 am Honestly, from my experience, horrible guitars. I bought a brand new DF and it sounded utterly dead. I thought that it might just need new strings. So, when changing strings the nut fell off. I couldn't distance myself fast enough.I feel embarrassed for the owners/builders.
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
I've had an Adirondack/1 3/4" nut version for a year. Loud and light. 25" scale.
Great tone, but not a Gibson j45 tone. Different, so I've kept it. I've owned/own a '44 J45, Fairbanks, Kopp, John Walker... this is what I draw my opinion from.
Sorry to hear about the bad experience!
Great tone, but not a Gibson j45 tone. Different, so I've kept it. I've owned/own a '44 J45, Fairbanks, Kopp, John Walker... this is what I draw my opinion from.
Sorry to hear about the bad experience!
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
Yours is an important post. Perhaps Peanuts had an isolated bad experience. Let’s not write off the company too quickly.dave42 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 11:05 pm I've had an Adirondack/1 3/4" nut version for a year. Loud and light. 25" scale.
Great tone, but not a Gibson j45 tone. Different, so I've kept it. I've owned/own a '44 J45, Fairbanks, Kopp, John Walker... this is what I draw my opinion from.
Sorry to hear about the bad experience!
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
They are decent guitars for the money. The builders, on the other hand, are people that will never see another penny from me. There are too many reputable, hard-working builders out there who value customer service and reputation over profit hunting. If you like dealing with slimy used car salesman antics, go for it.
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
Devastating commentary. Guitar players have been put on notice.MattS67 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:04 am They are decent guitars for the money. The builders, on the other hand, are people that will never see another penny from me. There are too many reputable, hard-working builders out there who value customer service and reputation over profit hunting. If you like dealing with slimy used car salesman antics, go for it.
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DenverSteve
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:10 pm
- Real Name: Denver Steve
- Location: Based: Denver, Operational: Worldwide
- Contact:
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
I've played a few at my McPherson dealer in Phoenix and, as above, they seem nice-enough for the money.MattS67 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:04 am They are decent guitars for the money. The builders, on the other hand, are people that will never see another penny from me. There are too many reputable, hard-working builders out there who value customer service and reputation over profit hunting. If you like dealing with slimy used car salesman antics, go for it.
Matt - I'm curious as to how you dealt with the "builders". And, since you brought up their "slimy used car salesman antics," how again did that happen? I never deal with Martin, McPherson, Lowden or Collings'....."builders" when I'm buying a new guitar. I only deal with the dealers who stock and sell the instruments. They are about 12+ "builders at IRIS, are they all "profit-hunting", "slimy" people or just some of them?
Very curious as I also wouldn't want to give my money to an individual, or group, that embodied those adjectives.Shalom, Steve
A Few World-Class Tools..........
A Few World-Class Tools..........
Re: Iris Guitars. (DF)
I'll try to make this as concise as possible.
I started by ordering a stock DF from TNAG. Sounded great, but the tuners were so close to the headstock that they were actually rubbing when turned. More importantly, the body dimensions bothered my shoulder, so I opted to return it.
Adam Buchwald found out and personally reached out, offered to build me a custom DF with "whatever dimensions" I wanted. I told him I wanted a 15 3/4" wide lower bout and a slightly lesser body depth, along the lines of a Martin-dread depth. He agreed to do this, so I paid the deposit. I was happy, because the DF sounded great and I can play a Martin-sized dread without issues or pain.
We upgraded several things for a significant upcharge. Adi top, Panama RW back and sides. I opted to have the smaller OG-style pickguard installed, instead of the big ugly batwing guard. EVO frets as well.
Most of the way through the build process, Adam sent an invoice for me to pay the balance. Somewhere around $850 was tacked onto the final price from what was initially quoted with no explanation. I was expected to pay this, until I confronted him about it. He called it an "error."
The final spec sheet did not reflect any change to body dimensions. I told Adam that this was the whole point of the custom build in the first place, and he said he could no longer offer me any changes in dimensions. I told him I wanted to cancel the order, at which time he backtracked and said he would make it happen. All good, the build continues and I pay the invoice.
Body is assembled, I notice in the photos that the top grain looks different. I initially had a nice Adi top picked out, and this had vastly different grain and really resembled SItka. I sent photos to John Arnold who said it was Sitka. I asked Adam why my top was switched without him saying anything, and he said there was an "issue" with the original top. I asked if this was indeed red spruce, and he said it is. Interesting.
Come finish time, he sends me photos of the finish sprayed. The wrong pickguard is installed - it has the ugly batwing that I specifically said I didn't want. Too late, finish is sprayed over the guard.
The day the guitar is being fretted, Adam says he ran out of EVO frets and tries to talk me into nickel frets. I tell him I don't want nickel frets, he can order EVOs and I'll wait. He then somehow magically found a set of EVOs and installed them.
I received the guitar, and guess what? The dimensions weren't what I specified. The dimensions weren't really measurably different from a standard DF and I ended up having to sell the guitar because of shoulder pain.
I don't know about you all, but one or two of these "incidents" would be one thing...throw it all together, and you have an obvious trend. And that is why I'll never own another Iris.
I started by ordering a stock DF from TNAG. Sounded great, but the tuners were so close to the headstock that they were actually rubbing when turned. More importantly, the body dimensions bothered my shoulder, so I opted to return it.
Adam Buchwald found out and personally reached out, offered to build me a custom DF with "whatever dimensions" I wanted. I told him I wanted a 15 3/4" wide lower bout and a slightly lesser body depth, along the lines of a Martin-dread depth. He agreed to do this, so I paid the deposit. I was happy, because the DF sounded great and I can play a Martin-sized dread without issues or pain.
We upgraded several things for a significant upcharge. Adi top, Panama RW back and sides. I opted to have the smaller OG-style pickguard installed, instead of the big ugly batwing guard. EVO frets as well.
Most of the way through the build process, Adam sent an invoice for me to pay the balance. Somewhere around $850 was tacked onto the final price from what was initially quoted with no explanation. I was expected to pay this, until I confronted him about it. He called it an "error."
The final spec sheet did not reflect any change to body dimensions. I told Adam that this was the whole point of the custom build in the first place, and he said he could no longer offer me any changes in dimensions. I told him I wanted to cancel the order, at which time he backtracked and said he would make it happen. All good, the build continues and I pay the invoice.
Body is assembled, I notice in the photos that the top grain looks different. I initially had a nice Adi top picked out, and this had vastly different grain and really resembled SItka. I sent photos to John Arnold who said it was Sitka. I asked Adam why my top was switched without him saying anything, and he said there was an "issue" with the original top. I asked if this was indeed red spruce, and he said it is. Interesting.
Come finish time, he sends me photos of the finish sprayed. The wrong pickguard is installed - it has the ugly batwing that I specifically said I didn't want. Too late, finish is sprayed over the guard.
The day the guitar is being fretted, Adam says he ran out of EVO frets and tries to talk me into nickel frets. I tell him I don't want nickel frets, he can order EVOs and I'll wait. He then somehow magically found a set of EVOs and installed them.
I received the guitar, and guess what? The dimensions weren't what I specified. The dimensions weren't really measurably different from a standard DF and I ended up having to sell the guitar because of shoulder pain.
I don't know about you all, but one or two of these "incidents" would be one thing...throw it all together, and you have an obvious trend. And that is why I'll never own another Iris.