Ibanez GRGM21 Mikro Electric Guitar Ratings
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Playability
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Sound
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Quality
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Value for money
Ibanez Mikro review summary
If you’re looking for a decent 3/4 scale electric guitar at a good price, you may have just found it. The guitar needs a set-up and new strings, but afterward, it’s easy to play and sounds good. It will make a fine first guitar for your little one, or even for yourself if you’re looking for a guitar of this size.
The GRGM21M CRG Mikro by Ibanez is a smaller version of the most likable guitar in the company’s product line, the RG. This is a wonderful selection for newbies when you consider the good electronics, superior craftsmanship, and great sound quality that it offers at a very low price.
I had a chance to test this little monster at my local guitar shop, here is what it was like to play the Ibanez Mikro.
Contents
Features and opinion of the Ibanez GRGM21 3/4 size electric guitar
The first thing I noticed was that it was set up really well. Asking the salesman, I found out that they set the guitar up before placing it on the show floor.
Just for kicks, I tried the full sized Ibanez RG as well, and it felt similar, just smaller.
Ibanez Mikro
Little guitar with lots of attitude
The Ibanez GIO Mikro Mini is a compact electric guitar that’s the perfect no-compromise mini-axe ideal for the young rocker.
Check today’s prices on:
- 3/4 size guitar
- 22.2 scale
- dual humbucking pickups
- hardtail bridge
- 24 frets
- maple neck and rosewood fretboard
- basswood body
- nut width 44 mm
Small body and neck
This amazing little guitar is famous for its slender neck, which is a convenient characteristic to have on an instrument to be used by a small person. The slim neck means it is a great guitar for children.
The body design gravitates towards hard rock, metal type of music with a heavier sound. This is is something you might want to take into account if you are searching for a guitar for a child. It is essential to find out about your child’s genre preferences before you make the decision to buy.
The body is manufactured using mahogany wood, which is commonly used as body material and produces deep, warm mid-tones, as well as a great sustain.
The scale length is 22.2 inches and features bolt-on maple neck to go with rosewood fretboard. The neck is just a single piece of maple, whereas the fretboard comprises 24 frets with customized Ibanez inlays.
The maple neck also has low tension that gives little kids an easy time pressing down on the strings while playing.
If you are fortunate enough, it will have good intonation and be playable as soon as you unpack it; and if there are any adjustments needed, they will definitely be minor.
And while the Ibanez Mikro is lightweight, its body is very solid. If you asked me, the CRG Mikro is the only mini electric scale model that comes close to the Squier Mini Strat in comparison.
Hardware
The Mikro has double humbuckers pickups. This unique aspect about the guitar means it responds really well to the volume knob. There’s also a three-way pickup selector switch: neck only, bridge only, both pickups. This provides decent variation in both sound and tone.
The Mikro also has fairly decent turners to go with a superior fit and finish that would impress a professional.
The guitar does NOT come with a gig bag or a case, so if you are planning on hauling it from A to B, you should definitely get one.
Sound
The sound produced by this guitar is slightly heavier than the one you get from a Mini Strat, and this is due to the dual humbucker pickups feature. Although harsh, they are surprisingly not as muddy as the standard stock pickups you’ll find on budget guitars.
Something to note is that you might experience some challenges during tuning given that the Mikro is a short scale model. However, this can generally be fixed by switching out the strings to a heavier gauge set, although heavier strings are not as easy to play on.
Playability
The thin neck ensures that the Mikro is an instrument that you or your child will find easy to play.
Video review of the Ibanez Mikro
About Ibanez Guitars
Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand, with roots dating back to 1908. Originally the company was simply an importer of guitars, but started manufacturing them as well in the 1930s.
Initially, they focused on budget guitars, which were not known for their quality. They shifted towards the production of high-quality instruments in the 1960s. After producing Gibson and Fender clones, they arrived at their own style of guitars in the 1980s, and have never looked back.
Innovation has been strong at Ibanez. They were among the first companies to produce 7 string guitars, which were used by big names in music. Artists who play Ibanez guitars include Steve Vai, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Offspring, Andy Timmons, etc.
Other Ibanez Mikro reviews and recommendations
Other popular guitar sites have also reviewed the Ibanez 3/4 scale guitar. Here are some of the better reviews.
Ultimate-guitar.com
Ultimate-guitar scores the Mikor a 7.3 out of 10. They call the Mikro a perfect guitar for young rockers. Adults looking for a practice guitar or one to take on the road will also find what they are looking for with this small Ibanez. Read more…
Guitarcenter.com
Guitarcenter starts out their review by stating that although the guitar is small, it is not a toy. They ad that this small guitar is made to the same high standards as the normal sized Ibanez guitars. Read more…
What customers say about the Ibanez GRGM21
Are you interested in reading some real reviews by people who have already purchased this small Ibanez? Here are some, we’ve picked out the mose informative ones for you below.
One customer, who is a pro musician, recommends that the guitar be set up prior to playing. He replaced the strings, adjusted the truss rod, the bridge height, and the string intonation via the bridge saddles.. He considers this guitar good value at $150. He also upgraded the nut to a TUSQ nut, which made it sound a lot better.
Another customer was amazed at the value of the guitar. He bought it to be used as a travel guitar. He changed the stock .009 gauge strings to .010 ones, which helped the guitar stay in tune. He also set up the intonation. Now his guitar is a “giant killer”.
A customer who bought it for his son is very pleased with it. His son loves it, plays it for hours every day. The guitar is a bit on the heavy side though, according to this customer.
Yet another Amazon customer wrote about the set-up he had to carry out on the guitar, but afterwards, he was very satisfied with it. Like others, he changed the strings, adjusted the truss rod and intonation.
You can read more reviews here.
Final verdict
This is quite a solid guitar for its price and its 3/4 scale size makes for a great fit for kids. You’ll surely be impressed with the quality build of the guitar.
The rock-oriented body style will appeal to children, as will the multitude of color options.
And although I would have preferred a whammy bar, you can’t have everything at this price.
Just one thing, make sure you get it set-up by a professional guitar technician, as intonation out-of-the-box isn’t all that great.
Ibanez Mikro
Little guitar with lots of attitude
The Ibanez GIO Mikro Mini is a compact electric guitar that’s the perfect no-compromise mini-axe ideal for the young rocker.
Check today’s prices on:
