Iris Guitars

[Brucebubs]

Cancelled my order after my non-refundable $1K deposit was returned to my bank account after floating in no-mans land for a month unable to locate their account.

Said they'd look into it immediately ... but heard nothing back.

Red flag.

[Matts67]

I think word has gotten out about certain questionable business practices and less than favorable customer experiences, but that's all I'll say here.

[zoopeda]

I will say, there’s a weird discrepancy between the positive online buzz and the unfortunate number of back channel bad experiences I’ve received. Any luster these and Fairbanks guitars had for me is gone, vicariously through other disgruntled friends. I have no personal experience with them and would never claim otherwise. But there’s more to a guitar than online buzz, and there are a lot of great guitars in this world. Rock on.

[pagedr]

Am I correct in guessing that most, possibly all, of the noted negative experiences came from folks who were custom ordering through Iris as opposed to buying from a dealer? I ask as someone who has been interested in these and has been considering buying one (not going to do the custom order deal), but curious now after seeing the above posts.

[pcf]

I was billed incorrectly but it was fixed and I got an apology. I think if Mark Stutman is on board that says a whole lot about the company and guitars. Adam was just okay to deal with. They need a manager that is customer friendly.

[tomcstokes59]

Originally Posted by pagedr

Am I correct in guessing that most, possibly all, of the noted negative experiences came from folks who were custom ordering through Iris as opposed to buying from a dealer? I ask as someone who has been interested in these and has been considering buying one (not going to do the custom order deal), but curious now after seeing the above posts.

I ordered through TNAG but also exchanged email direct with Iris. Sometimes communications were delayed, but in general I was very satisfied with the process. I was quoted 6 months. The guitar was delivered in 6 months almost to the day. It was built very well and as specified. My issue was with the fuller shape of the neck than I prefer. That is on me and not Iris or the guitar.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by pcf

Adam was just okay to deal with. They need a manager that is customer friendly.

Couldn't have said it any better.

And yes, mine was a custom order ... standard model with standard options - custom nut width and Gotoh tuners - there was no way I was accepting a new guitar with Golden Age 3-on-a-plate tuners just because Adam thinks they look cool.( and he was fine with that)

They made no attempt to contact me when I cancelled my order, disappointing but I wish them well.

[plumbgit]

I own two Iris guitars. They are lightly built and sound great. I dropped my Iris AB model and the neck snapped off where it meets the body. Sent back to Vermont they put it back together. It was not covered under warranty. The people I dealt with were courteous and professional, the work was done in a timely fashion. I still love the guitar it plays and sounds wonderful. Thats my story

[UncleJesse]

I own two Iris guitars a DF (#73) and OG (#2). I love these two guitars and anyone who knows me knows I rarely keep a guitar around long. The DF has been with me for nearly two years and the OG for a year. They also have individual Grover tuners so I don't have to deal with the tuner issues I've heard about. But I've got zero complaints about the tone. They fill a niche for me as a slope shoulder and the OG as a plug-in gigging guitar. I've owned two Prewar 00-18, countless Martin OMs, and many other small bodies but I put my OG at the top of the heap in that category.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by ZeroFretWear

How are folks liking them who bought them?
I'm seeing over 30 Iris guitars for sale right now just on Reverb alone.
Which seems like a lot for a small company like Iris.
Are they no longer selling? Has the novelty worn off for a "budget" guitar for upwards of $3 to $4k for some of the models?
Or have they really ramped up production and there is now more supply than demand?

I just took a look on Reverb. There are 33 Iris guitars for sale but 30 of those are brand new. There are only 3 used Iris guitars on Reverb right now and that is not very much at all.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

I will say, there’s a weird discrepancy between the positive online buzz and the unfortunate number of back channel bad experiences I’ve received. Any luster these and Fairbanks guitars had for me is gone, vicariously through other disgruntled friends. I have no personal experience with them and would never claim otherwise. But there’s more to a guitar than online buzz, and there are a lot of great guitars in this world. Rock on.

I own a Fairbanks built when Dale was still working out of his CT shop. I also own and play 1930s and 1940s Gibsons. Dale absolutely nails Old School Gibson Tone while the build quality is impeccable.

[sinistral]

Every interaction I’ve had with the folks at Iris has been great. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to order another guitar from them. My CH came with Waverly tuners—it’s just an upgrade. My understanding is that Iris specs the Golden Age tuners as standard in order to keep the base price low. I have the same tuners on a Waterloo WL-14 LTR and the slotted headstock version on a WL-S Deluxe. I think Waterloo specs them because they look “period correct” (even on the $5k archtop). Unlike with Iris, you can’t order a Waterloo with upgraded tuners.

For any lefties in the NYC area who are curious about or interested in an Iris guitar and would like to demo one of mine, send me a PM. There probably aren’t a lot of left-handed Iris guitars out there. My DF has a killer tone, like a dry, vintage guitar.

As a post script, a luthier or builder that returns a custoner’s non-refundable deposit is doing the customer a favor.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by sinistral

As a post script, a luthier or builder that returns a custoner’s non-refundable deposit is doing the customer a favor.

Let's be clear here - it was NOT the luthier or builder that returned my non-refundable deposit ( yes, Iris ask for a US$1K non-refundable deposit) - it was done automatically by PayPal after failing to link with an account for a month.

Dealer that took over the order said they'd look into it immediately .. and I waited ... nothing.

Big Red flag ... if it's like this now how bad is it going to be if the guitar turns up here (on the other side of the planet) with a problem?

Took it as a clear sign ( and rare opportunity to keep my non-refundable deposit refund! ) and cancelled the order.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Let's be clear here - it was NOT the luthier or builder that returned my non-refundable deposit ( yes, Iris ask for a US$1K non-refundable deposit) - it was done automatically by PayPal after failing to link with an account for a month.

Dealer that took over the order said they'd look into it immediately .. and I waited ... nothing.

Big Red flag ... if it's like this now how bad is it going to be if the guitar turns up here (on the other side of the planet) with a problem?

Took it as a clear sign ( and rare opportunity to keep my non-refundable deposit refund! ) and cancelled the order.

This whole episode is confusing and it's really hard to understand what happened and where mistakes might have been made.

[srick]

Originally Posted by Dogma

This whole episode is confusing and it's really hard to understand what happened and where mistakes might have been made.

Agreed. When funds don’t get deposited, it’s usually a problem with bank routing numbers or the like. This area of the US has recently had yet another round of bank mergers and routing number\account issues have been pervasive.

If I were to guess (and I am), the folks at Iris never saw your deposit, as it was in limbo between Australia and the States.

As far as some of the other issues mentioned in the thread, the Iris team and facility have grown rapidly in the last two years. I’m sure that’s led to hiccups and burps. As they build a dealer network and move away from direct sales, these issues should lessen. I give Adam and Dale a lot of credit - they saw a niche and were able to capitalize on technology as a means of creating economy. The use of CNC, PLEK, simpler finishing schedules and decreased bling was a good combination. Plus, Adam has diversified his company and they are not totally dependent on selling guitars.

I expect this little powerhouse to be very successful in the next few years.

Rick