Ibanez GRGM21WH

June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor 


The Ibanez GRGM21WH is a real electric guitar in a small scale package. Whether you need a small, short scale guitar because you are just a kid, or if you need one because you are short on space, this little axe could be just what you are looking for. It retails for only $185.70, so even the price is a bit of a mini. The size is perfect for when you want to fool around with the guitar while in the tour bus. But even though it is little, it can shred with the best of the big guitars. The Ibanez GRGM21 might look a little like a toy, but it is not. (The WH in the name refers to the white version. The same guitar is also available in red, blue, and black.)

The GRGM21 is a good looking guitar, in a modified Strat-styled body with shark tooth pearloid inlays in the 22.2 inch scale rosewood fingerboard. It features a body made of alder and a maple neck. Alder is considered to be one of the best types of wood for that classic vintage tone. The resulting tone is clear and full bodied, especially when paired with a maple, bolt-on neck.

Ibanez is a name synonymous with good sounding rocking guitars. The company began in 1900 in Japan. They bought out the Spanish guitar company called Ibanez in the late 1930’s and began to produce acoustic Spanish style guitars. The company moved to America in the middle of the 1960’s, because it was more prestigious at that time to buy an American made guitar.

The guitars produced by Ibanez in the 1970’s were good quality, low priced copies of high priced guitars made by Rickenbacker, Gibson, and Fender. The Ibanez copies began to cut into the market for the big name brands, so a lawsuit was eventually filed. Ibanez settled out of court and began to produce their own original designs, both in acoustic and electric. Ibanez is also known for the mandolins they produce, as well as producing a line of amplifiers and effects.

In recent years, Ibanez has come to be known as a top producer of rock and metal guitars, with their flat, slim necks being almost legendary among rock guitarists.

Advantages: This guitar is very versatile, sounding great whether it is playing metal or softer rock sounds. The neck pickup will give you a fatter sound and is designed to cut down on muddiness. The bridge pickup is better for soloing, and is built for enhance harmonics. The smaller size of the body as well as the cutaway shape makes it a breeze to access all 24 frets. Women, kids, and anyone with smaller hands will enjoy the smaller size of this axe. It’s great for playing rhythm. The string through body feature provides the guitar with stronger tone and sustain.

It’s a good looking guitar, too, coming in your choice of white (that’s the GRGM21WH), candy apple red, jewel blue, or black night, all with black pickguard. The tension is low, making it a good beginner’s guitar. But even if you are a beginner, you’ll find yourself playing this long after you are past the beginner stage. This is one of the best of the mini-sized guitars. The neck is smooth and fast like all Ibanez necks.

The Ibanez GRGM21WH has the same quality, same warranty, and same careful factory set-up as Ibanez’s full size GRG model electric guitars. It’s definitely playable. It’s durable, too, and won’t break if you drop it. Sounds good all the way from clean to hard core distortion. The rosewood fingerboard provides a strong bright sound as well as good looks.

Disadvantages: The Ibanez GRGM21, like any micro guitar, needs a special gig bag suited to its size in order for it not to flop around inside. It lacks a whammy bar. It comes out of tune fairly easily. The frets are so small that solos on the high notes can be pretty hard to play right.

Specs:

  • Alder body solid body electric guitar
  • Maple bolt-on neck
  • Rosewood fingerboard
  • 22.2 inch scale
  • 24 medium frets
  • 400 mm. radius
  • 42 mm. wide at the nut
  • Fixed bridge with thru-body stringing.
  • High output, Powersound PSND1 Humbucker pickup at the neck
  • High output, Powersound PSND2 Humbucker pickup at the bridge
  • Pearl shark tooth shaped inlays
  • Chrome hardware
  • One volume control knob
  • One tone control knob
  • Limited lifetime warranty

If you read up on Ibanez guitars and the rockers who have loved them, you always run across Steve Vai’s name. Go to this page, and you’ll be in for some ear training lessons that Steve wrote. If you’d like to improve your ear for music, this might do it.

Here are some reviews of some other Ibanez guitars in the RG series.

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