My dad bought me one of these when I was a kid in 2006, just now picking it back up and as a small person it's still my size lmao - thanks for the video.
My guitar teacher has one of these at his studio that he lets kids use for lessons. I take bass lessons there but I am so tempted to check it out and play it.
today im receiving this exact guitar in a left handed model with black finish/ sharktooth inlays on the fretboard, i plan on running 12's or 13's to play between C# Standard and Drop B tunings and i also have plans to throw a Duncan Design Detonator bridge pickup into this little beast. i remember when i was younger i came across one of these and it blew my mind how well it played so from that point forward i knew i had to have one, im looking forward to making this my number 1 traveler guitar for sure!
Too bad about Ibanez QC. Seems it might be worse than Squier's QC. The AX120 I recently bought also had the razor frets and it's really too much to ask of a beginner to do fret work to their new guitar. But at least they look and sound good.
I remember that being an issue for you too. It really is and I feel like if you were playing as a beginner and got your hands all cut up, it might up just discouraged you from wanting to ever pick it up again.
Check out the Ibanez Gio Mikro, the Jackson Minion or the Squier Mini. All of those are great short scale electrics. They have baby Taylor and short scale Martin acoustics that I am aware or and those should be good! I think Yamaha also make a short scale acoustic as well.
Great review man! I am having a problem with all of my guitars right now and the fret ends. I moved to a really arid climate from a really humid one so I have been filing like a mad man every time I pick up a guitar LOL. first world problems I suppose. Nice demo track Shreddy Von Shredmeister 🔥🔥🔥
Man, that sucks. I have the issue sometimes when I order stuff from like Arizona. Super dry there coming to Georgia where we live in mugginess most of the time...not a good combo. lol. I appreciate it, dude. ⚡️🦩
@@spicysalad3013 no, it gives you an excuse to exercize your existing OCD in some new fixated idea ("oh, due to the arid climae I must file all my necks") duh!
I have a PGM Mikro, and I would have to agree about the sharp fret ends. Mine was horrendous. Good thing that it was an easy fix. Fortunately mine came with pretty level frets which would be more concerning IMO. Pickups on mine sound really good and being such a tiny guitar, they're super fun to play!
Yeah, level frets are a bit harder to handle than sharp ends lol. The PGM Mikros are great, I think! The reverse headstock really helps with tuning stability by adding more tension on the lower strings.
@@Electric.Flamingo Being "biggest problem [you] have come across" doesn't make it a big problem, one enough to guarantee a "The BIGGEST problem with Ibanez Gio Mikro Guitars". So the title was more of a clickbait. But then again, a title like "Review of Ibanez Mikro Guitars" would not have as many clicks...
Well the main thing is that it should be playable out of the box, without any extra work. I plan on POTENTIALLY picking one up and will have someone do just like you said, but for those who have no idea what to do, this is something that is important.
@@Electric.Flamingo I was using it as a beater Guitar. It was just sitting in my clothes hamper and I'd pick it up and practice with it. Playing it was fine but when I went back to my normal Guitars they were suddenly harder to play. It was a nice little Guitar. I gave it to a kid that was showing interest in learning how to play. They are pretty good for the money.
@@Domn879 ya that's why I stopped using it. It's Great for stretchy licks. It's easy to play and really a nice little Guitar but when I played my regular Guitars all of a sudden I was having problems so I figured if I'm going to practice I better practice a normal size one so my muscle memory is good. 😉👍
The Ibanez prestige guitars have some of the best fretwork I’ve seen. I suspect all the manufacturers cheap guitars are made at the same factory. The good ones are.
These things are being shipped from Southeast Asia (high humidity) to God knows where in the world. Could be Arizona of New England before it gets to you. It can happen to any model in the range. Expect for something that's produced at high volume, low cost to require work.
Would this be a good guitar for extending chords and doing songs like Killers by Iron Maiden? What I mean is how 25 seconds into the song, the infamou part where on the 6th string, you slide from 3-5-7-8 back up to 3 and on the 4th string, you slide 5-7-9-10 back up to 5. Things like that. Also, bending is another thing I want since I love extending my chords and since I’m still a beginner, something like that can help me warm up. I have a grandfather’s old Stratocaster but as great as it is, it definitely needs some work since it’s quite aged. Still works quite nice but my mother doesn’t want to me refine it since it’s a memoir of my grandfsther and wants it to stay the same. It’s a strange situation. Anyways, back to the main premise of if it’s good for playing songs like Killers that have those techniques and songs that bend chords. Would you recommend it for that? Its smaller stature and ease of use is what really attracts me! I’m pretty new of course but there are things like that portion of Killers that I mention which help me work on technique which then goes into other areas of guitar work.
Absolutely. Shorter scales are gonna be great for playing those extended chords and can even get you crazy bends and stretches with tapping or hammer ons/pull offs. If you were to then transition to a regular scale guitar, say a "regular" Ibanez, you may have some adapting to do, so I do caution you to consider that. Otherwise, it sounds like one of these would be perfect for what you're trying to achieve!
@@Electric.Flamingo I see, one last question then and then I’ll decide whether to just save up and get a full scale Ibanez, or get this. Does this produce good sound? I’m going to test out one of these when I go to Guitar Center next week and if I pick one up then I’ll just have a professional file the fret board. Anyways, back to the question of the sound quality. I’ve heard mixed things about micro guitars how some sound very quality and “metal” and are loud while others have said they’re mediocre. Most of what I’ve seen is the former which is the sound being high quality but I want your take since the other ones I’ve seen were more brief.
Oof. That's an excellent question. Theoretically, I think you probably could since the only thing I'm really aware of being "micro" about these models is the scale length. Interesting question though!
I've been eyeing short scale guitars for a while now and been considering this one. I plan on tuning it to drop D# or drop E but i'm not sure if 9s would break under tension. What do you think?
In general you want to use thicker strings on a short scale guitar to compensate for the shorter scale length. 9s would probably be okay with standard tuning, but you'll notice the string tension is way less than a normal length guitar. That being said, you typically also want thicker strings for drop tunings. If you're going to drop tune, I would recommend at least 10s. Anything below drop D#, definitely go with 11s. Hope this helps!
@@Electric.Flamingo Not so popular, not a single video doing this on CZcams, I would like to buy a short scale guitar like this to reach that upper range, but I'm not really sure, the other alternative would be to get a 30 fret guitar.
Mine handled Drop C on 10s fine. But for once it didn't feel quite right. E and Eb feel great, I prefer the short scale to a normal 25.5 in those tunings but I have a dedicated Drop C guitar and this was a noticeable step down.
Absolutely. It's a fun guitar to play and have around and it is very fun to travel with. I recommend finding a used one since they are usually around the $100 mark, great value!
Yes, that's most likely who they are geared towards. But, adults can just as easily play them and they are easier to travel with. I mean, Paul Gilbert has a signature Mikro and he has actually taken it with him on tour and played it.
Okay. 1st: I didn't "demand" anything. I asked you nicely. Free will, my man, either do or don't. 2nd: It's not like I have literally 100+ videos on this channel. I have done plenty. 3rd: Did you subscribe, like, etc.? 👀
My dad bought me one of these when I was a kid in 2006, just now picking it back up and as a small person it's still my size lmao - thanks for the video.
It's awesome that you still have it! Stick around, I am actually working on another video about these as we speak!
I just got mine yesterday and I can confirm 100% that the frets are seriously sharp.. A bit disappointed that Ibanez quality control let us all down.
Yeah, it's a bit of a let down when you get this cool little guitar and can't really even play it
My guitar teacher has one of these at his studio that he lets kids use for lessons. I take bass lessons there but I am so tempted to check it out and play it.
Give it a whirl, dude!
I have two PGM Mikros. The fret job are amazing..super smooth..🤘🏿🤘🏿
I think those are the exception to the rule. I've only ever played a few of the PGMs, but I always remembered them being great!
Is there a case you can recommend please
@@Electric.Flamingo The PGMs must be an exception - my Gio Mikro has some minor fret sprout going on but my PGM-necked partscaster is just fine.
today im receiving this exact guitar in a left handed model with black finish/ sharktooth inlays on the fretboard, i plan on running 12's or 13's to play between C# Standard and Drop B tunings and i also have plans to throw a Duncan Design Detonator bridge pickup into this little beast. i remember when i was younger i came across one of these and it blew my mind how well it played so from that point forward i knew i had to have one, im looking forward to making this my number 1 traveler guitar for sure!
That thing will be a beast! It's definitely a great travel guitar!
Too bad about Ibanez QC. Seems it might be worse than Squier's QC. The AX120 I recently bought also had the razor frets and it's really too much to ask of a beginner to do fret work to their new guitar. But at least they look and sound good.
I remember that being an issue for you too. It really is and I feel like if you were playing as a beginner and got your hands all cut up, it might up just discouraged you from wanting to ever pick it up again.
I need a guitar for my short fingers please suggest a acoustic guitar and a electric. THANK YOU and ASAP please. Fixing to buy something
Check out the Ibanez Gio Mikro, the Jackson Minion or the Squier Mini. All of those are great short scale electrics. They have baby Taylor and short scale Martin acoustics that I am aware or and those should be good! I think Yamaha also make a short scale acoustic as well.
Great review man! I am having a problem with all of my guitars right now and the fret ends. I moved to a really arid climate from a really humid one so I have been filing like a mad man every time I pick up a guitar LOL. first world problems I suppose. Nice demo track Shreddy Von Shredmeister 🔥🔥🔥
Man, that sucks. I have the issue sometimes when I order stuff from like Arizona. Super dry there coming to Georgia where we live in mugginess most of the time...not a good combo. lol. I appreciate it, dude. ⚡️🦩
Maybe it's just OCD?
@@foljs5858 hmm yes because moving to a new place magically gives you ocd
@@spicysalad3013 no, it gives you an excuse to exercize your existing OCD in some new fixated idea ("oh, due to the arid climae I must file all my necks") duh!
no problem I've learned to fix my own frets so not a big deal..
That's awesome! This video is for those who may not have that particular set of skills and is more of a heads up than anything.
I have a PGM Mikro, and I would have to agree about the sharp fret ends. Mine was horrendous. Good thing that it was an easy fix. Fortunately mine came with pretty level frets which would be more concerning IMO. Pickups on mine sound really good and being such a tiny guitar, they're super fun to play!
Yeah, level frets are a bit harder to handle than sharp ends lol. The PGM Mikros are great, I think! The reverse headstock really helps with tuning stability by adding more tension on the lower strings.
@@Electric.Flamingo Agreed and a set of 11s truly make these guitars shine!
So the "BIGGEST problem" is something anybody can fix in half an hour with a file?
It's the biggest problem I have come across with them. If you have a different problem with them, feel free to make a video showcasing it.
@@Electric.Flamingo Being "biggest problem [you] have come across" doesn't make it a big problem, one enough to guarantee a "The BIGGEST problem with Ibanez Gio Mikro Guitars". So the title was more of a clickbait. But then again, a title like "Review of Ibanez Mikro Guitars" would not have as many clicks...
Yeah lol I paid $25 at a music store to fix up any small issues and I think it was totally worth it. Also think the thumbnail was rather clickbaity
@@JF09825$ that’s a great price
Well the main thing is that it should be playable out of the box, without any extra work. I plan on POTENTIALLY picking one up and will have someone do just like you said, but for those who have no idea what to do, this is something that is important.
I got this guitar handed down to me from my mom! It's over 20 years old!
Oh wow! That's awesome!
I had one of those. It was ok. I got rid of it cause it was messing up my muscle memory with the neck being shorter.
It is an adjustment playing shorter scales, I can understand that.
@@Electric.Flamingo I was using it as a beater Guitar. It was just sitting in my clothes hamper and I'd pick it up and practice with it. Playing it was fine but when I went back to my normal Guitars they were suddenly harder to play. It was a nice little Guitar. I gave it to a kid that was showing interest in learning how to play. They are pretty good for the money.
@@Domn879 ya that's why I stopped using it. It's Great for stretchy licks. It's easy to play and really a nice little Guitar but when I played my regular Guitars all of a sudden I was having problems so I figured if I'm going to practice I better practice a normal size one so my muscle memory is good. 😉👍
Ah, this make so much sense to me. Mine has fret buzz. I need to file them a bit.
Glad I could help clear that up!
The Ibanez prestige guitars have some of the best fretwork I’ve seen. I suspect all the manufacturers cheap guitars are made at the same factory. The good ones are.
I think I have played a few Prestige models and recall them feeling really nice!
These things are being shipped from Southeast Asia (high humidity) to God knows where in the world. Could be Arizona of New England before it gets to you. It can happen to any model in the range. Expect for something that's produced at high volume, low cost to require work.
I bought a purple 💜 one for my daughter. Christmas 🎄 Fret issues. Good to know.
Easy fix🤘
Nice gift! It is an easy fix, just always annoying to deal with. But at least you know what to look for!
@@Electric.Flamingo I bought her a Boss Katana 50 to go along with it.
@daveethridge7342 rockin' combo!
@Electric.Flamingo thanks man
Dude! You are rocking on that Ibanez!
Thank you, man! ⚡️🦩
Would this be a good guitar for extending chords and doing songs like Killers by Iron Maiden? What I mean is how 25 seconds into the song, the infamou part where on the 6th string, you slide from 3-5-7-8 back up to 3 and on the 4th string, you slide 5-7-9-10 back up to 5. Things like that. Also, bending is another thing I want since I love extending my chords and since I’m still a beginner, something like that can help me warm up. I have a grandfather’s old Stratocaster but as great as it is, it definitely needs some work since it’s quite aged. Still works quite nice but my mother doesn’t want to me refine it since it’s a memoir of my grandfsther and wants it to stay the same. It’s a strange situation. Anyways, back to the main premise of if it’s good for playing songs like Killers that have those techniques and songs that bend chords. Would you recommend it for that? Its smaller stature and ease of use is what really attracts me! I’m pretty new of course but there are things like that portion of Killers that I mention which help me work on technique which then goes into other areas of guitar work.
Absolutely. Shorter scales are gonna be great for playing those extended chords and can even get you crazy bends and stretches with tapping or hammer ons/pull offs. If you were to then transition to a regular scale guitar, say a "regular" Ibanez, you may have some adapting to do, so I do caution you to consider that. Otherwise, it sounds like one of these would be perfect for what you're trying to achieve!
@@Electric.Flamingo I see, one last question then and then I’ll decide whether to just save up and get a full scale Ibanez, or get this. Does this produce good sound? I’m going to test out one of these when I go to Guitar Center next week and if I pick one up then I’ll just have a professional file the fret board. Anyways, back to the question of the sound quality. I’ve heard mixed things about micro guitars how some sound very quality and “metal” and are loud while others have said they’re mediocre. Most of what I’ve seen is the former which is the sound being high quality but I want your take since the other ones I’ve seen were more brief.
Sizewise, can I put a Floyd Rose tremolo on a Mikro? I mean I know how to route and install, but will the string spacing be okay?
Oof. That's an excellent question. Theoretically, I think you probably could since the only thing I'm really aware of being "micro" about these models is the scale length. Interesting question though!
I've been eyeing short scale guitars for a while now and been considering this one. I plan on tuning it to drop D# or drop E but i'm not sure if 9s would break under tension. What do you think?
In general you want to use thicker strings on a short scale guitar to compensate for the shorter scale length. 9s would probably be okay with standard tuning, but you'll notice the string tension is way less than a normal length guitar. That being said, you typically also want thicker strings for drop tunings. If you're going to drop tune, I would recommend at least 10s. Anything below drop D#, definitely go with 11s. Hope this helps!
I've had one with both 9s and 9.5s for a year now, never have broken a string. Just changed 'em every 4 months when the sound gets dull
What guitar effect and amp are you using the guitar sounds great
I believe I was using a Bogren amp sim for this video. Can't go wrong with either of them, but I don't remember specifically which one I was using.
Did you try this guitar with .008 or even .007 string gauge in order to tune your guitar higher to reach higher notes? like a high-tenor guitar!
I did not, but I know that's a popular thing to do!
@@Electric.Flamingo Not so popular, not a single video doing this on CZcams, I would like to buy a short scale guitar like this to reach that upper range, but I'm not really sure, the other alternative would be to get a 30 fret guitar.
Does this have medium or jumbo size fret wire❓
The Mikros have medium frets.
My biggest problem is finding a case for it!!!! Can u recommend a few, hard, bag, foam, flight ect
I have the Paul Gilbert version
They did make Ibanez branded bags for these a while back. Have you checked on Amazon? That would be my best tip.
I heard this guitar can still actually drop tune well, despite it’s short scale
I've had one in drop B before and surprisingly, it handled very well. Took some time to adjust to the tuning, but that's pretty normal.
Mine handled Drop C on 10s fine. But for once it didn't feel quite right. E and Eb feel great, I prefer the short scale to a normal 25.5 in those tunings but I have a dedicated Drop C guitar and this was a noticeable step down.
So overall do you find this guitar good in general?
Absolutely. It's a fun guitar to play and have around and it is very fun to travel with. I recommend finding a used one since they are usually around the $100 mark, great value!
I was gifted one today, did the fret ends rolled the board etc.
Nice gift!
luckily I have a large metal file and a love for destroying, I mean fixing, new possessions
😂
It really is a dick move to put razor sharp frets on a guitar a kid is more likely to play. I get it that its cheap, but damn.
Thats kind what I always thought. That would turn so many kids away from even trying another one if that was their first experience.
Ibanez gio multi gutair
Yeah.
Pretty sure these are for kids who are learning. . .
Yes, that's most likely who they are geared towards. But, adults can just as easily play them and they are easier to travel with. I mean, Paul Gilbert has a signature Mikro and he has actually taken it with him on tour and played it.
What an awful channel! Demands subscribe, like etc. before he did anything.
Okay.
1st: I didn't "demand" anything. I asked you nicely. Free will, my man, either do or don't.
2nd: It's not like I have literally 100+ videos on this channel. I have done plenty.
3rd: Did you subscribe, like, etc.? 👀