RG MiKro GRGM21 Meter- Jewel Blue

Perfect out of the box. Great sound!

Okay, I gave the Ibanez Mikro a 4-star rating because it's a pretty good value. But before pushing the 'Buy' button on this solid-bodied mini axe, you'll need to do some setup on it after it arrives. Otherwise, you may be very disappointed. Before I talk about setup, I'll give my opinion about several of the guitar features: * The body finish is okay. It hasn't chipped or come off in some surprise way. And the color looks pretty good. Mine is the Jewel Blue. At this price, I expect to be playing the guitar, not collecting it anyway. * The Infinity R humbuckers sound decent enough. I've played both rock and metal on them. The pickups will push out dirt and chug. Just tweak your pedals and amp until you get the tone you want. Just like any guitar. * The electronics work. I haven't opened the pickguard, yet, but I wouldn't expect to find anything great inside. But the electronics do the job. The same goes for the selector switch. And I'm not hearing any humming or grounding issues. * The small body is lightweight and easy to hold. And the neck is super easy to play. This guitar really is a good match for smaller players. Instead of wrestling with a larger 25.5" scale guitar, this one will allow you to focus on learning technique and playing. Build your confidence, not your frustration. * And even though the body is lightweight, the headstock doesn't drop. Another big plus. So if you're going to buy this guitar, you'll need to do some setup. If you're a complete beginner, this may be a challenge unless you take the guitar into a luthier shop. I've listed setup considerations below: Setup Musts: * Immediately replace the stock tuning heads. The stock heads are terrible and will lose tune after just a few minutes of picking or strumming. I bought some Kluson MK6LN replacement tuners and they work great. $22 bucks + shipping. Problem solved. * And here's one other note about replacement tuners. Many aftermarket tuners won't fit the Mikro headstock. It's not the 10mm peg hole that's the problem. It's the length of the tuning posts, many coming up short. So be selective. * Immediately replace the stock strings. This is a short scale guitar and the stock strings don't provide enough tension. Again, you won't hold tune well or the pitch will sound off or tone will be muddy or whatever until they are replaced. Yuck. I bought 11ga nickel wound. $11 bucks. Problem solved. * And one other note about replacement strings. You could use 12ga replacements but the nut slots will have to be filed. 11ga provided good tension and tone for me. They're a little snug in the nut slot, but not too bad. 12ga weren't worth the extra effort. Other Setup Considerations: * I replaced the stock string trees with a Graph Tech brand. This probably wasn't necessary but the Graph Techs do have good hold and I trust that they won't lose shape or break like the cheaper stock trees. * If you don't like the plastic stock nut, you could replace it. The stock nut is pretty narrow, so you'll be filing/sanding down a replacement to get it to fit. I've not had any issues with the stock nut. So it may not be worth the trouble to replace it unless you plan on using 12ga + replacement strings. * The stock hardtail bridge works fine. I thought about putting in a higher end replacement but its really not needed. I can adjust string height and intonation just fine with the stock tailpiece. * No need to replace the pickups unless that really is your thing. But if you keep the stock pickups, do consider lowering them. Mine had been set too high and I kept getting pitch changes until they were lowered. So I hope my review helps you make a better decision. While this guitar is labeled as an axe for a beginner, it isn't ready to play right out of the box. So if you are a beginner, expect to spend a few hundred dollars more at a luthier to get the Ibanez Gio Mikro playing right. But even so, you'll make up for the additional cost by saving a lot of time lost to frustration with a larger scale guitar.

Purchased this guitar as a Christmas present for my 5 year old son that's been begging for his own electric guitar. It's a very nice looking guitar, and I have no complaints about how well it plays after playing with it out of the box for a little while. I added the Sonic decal and modge podged it on there, as well as the guitar strap. He should be pumped come Christmas morning.

The vender, Adorama Camera, did a great job sending this guitar to me in a timely fashion. This review is about the Ibanez GRGM21MJB MiKro short scale guitar - NOT the vendor! OK, it only costs around $150 bucks, and even with the issues listed below, for $150 it is a decent value (i.e. 3/5 for an INEXPENSIVE guitar). If you are buying this for a beginner, then I suggest you have the following done before giving it to them: Replace strings (use regulars), adjust neck truss rod, adjust bridge height and (very important!) the string intonation. Optional: replace neck nut to increase string sustain. PICKUPS are pretty good, although the fabric wrap merely hinted at providing any protect to those teeny tiny 44AWG pickup wires: improved by removing wrap and sealing with liquid electrical tape. The pickups are mounted using only 2 screws - so they are wobbly: fixed by 3D printing a new 3-piece pick guard with 1 (top) + 2 (bottom) holes and a 1-to-2 hole 4-40 screw adapters (see pic). NECK is decent, but the fret ends are very rough: fixed by smoothing them down using a mildly abrasive rotary tool end. NECK NUT sucks, it is some kind of vibration dampening plastic! Fix: Replaced with a TUSQ blank - sounds a LOT better now. INTONATION: except for the low E string I was able to adjust the bridge saddles for correct intonation, while not perfect, the low E is close enough to work with. ELECTRONICS: decent pots and switch, I did add an EMG After-Burner (had to route out a pocket for the 9V battery and PCB/SW circuit). PAINT: Really cheap, really really cheap and easily chipped or scratched. TUNERS: Not the worst, but could use an upgrade as they have a lot of play in them. WEIRDNESS: When I took the neck off the body there was a 0.5" x 1" piece of sandpaper wedged between the neck and the body: huh? Anyway, NOW it is a 4/5 inexpensive guitar that now plays and sounds really nice!

Not Bad ! But.... We do have a buzz due to not grounded properly. I am going to have to crack it open and do some solder work. Sounds ok and my son loves it. It's a good size for him. He is 9yrs.