A lot of young rockers who want to start playing the guitar are often put off by the news that they have start with a 3/4 classical guitar. For some, this is a great, comfortable starting point, but no mini-metalhead is going to get the sound that they want to hear out of an acoustic guitar. In answer, Ibanez offer the Ibanez Gio MiKro Series. Boasting an immediately recognisable but slightly shrunken Ibanez RG body shape, this mini-axe has a short and manageable 22.5" scale length in place of the standard 25.5", reducing the length of the neck by a good 8.5cm and easing the stretch demanded of smaller hands. While it's smaller, the GRGM21 has still been finished with a fierce set of shark-tooth shaped inlays along the fretboard. This is the left-handed edition. 25% Smaller, 100% Ibanez The trimmed down format by no means affects the full-grown sound of this electric guitar since it comes mounted with a full-sized pair of Ibanez Infinity humbuckers that are designed for both heavier music and playing styles as well as more subtle work. Meanwhile, the poplar body ensures a nicely balanced foundation sound while a nice layer of warmth is added by the dark jatoba fretboard and maple neck. In terms of hardware, materials, and sound, the GRGM21 is 100% Ibanez. A Storming Start As mentioned, an acoustic guitar isn't necessarily every beginner's preferred starting point. And any young player who just wants to rock out might just find an acoustic model demotivating. It's these kids that the GRGM21 Black Night was made for - this is no toy, but a serious instrument. In fact, it would even comfortably serve as a travel guitar for any fully-grown, advanced guitarist.