I have a really nice starlight blue RGM55 I bought used from an online dealer. I love it! I had the slightly smaller (and cheaper) Ibanez Gio series Mikro guitar for a while, and the RGM55 blows it away in more ways than one. The biggest advantage is the neck. My RGM55 Mikro tuning is rock solid and it just has the stock tuners on it. It can stay in tune for weeks at a time. I was tuning the Gio Mikro every time I picked it up. I put Sperzel locking tuners on it and that helped it some, but it still wasn't as stable as my RGM55. I believe the reason is that my RGM55 has a nice quartersawn maple laminated 3 piece neck. That makes it very, very stable. The Gio (as most lower and mid range electric guitars) has a one piece slab cut maple neck which is much less stable to temperature and humidity changes. I wish Ibanez would make another production run of these. The only thing I would change is that I would like to have the neck be the actual advertised 45mm nut width. That would make it more easy and comfortable to play for my fat adult fingers, and this guitar is too nice to be a kid's guitar anyway! Ibanez published specs say that the nut width is 45mm, but mine is actually 42.8mm and I think that's likely the actual nut width of all the production RGM55 guitars.
Thankyou so much for your comment , this info is gold I’m currently on a quest to figure out how to make the ultimate kids guitar I just bout a Ibanez mikro Paul Gilbert model( 22.2” ) scale and was both really impressed and also disappointed with the tuning stability . It comes with 10’s. I tuned up a tone to F# and that seemed to make a positive difference. Considering new nut and tuners . But I’ve heard it said that a new bone nut didn’t help a great deal . Hmmm 🤔 I also have a squier mini 22.75 “ scale and that is a great guitar and the tuning stability is much better . I don’t know why . Maybe half an inch extra in scale length makes a big difference when it comes to tuning stability . I also have a squier short scale 24” scale . Really great guitar ! They only sold them for a few years in the uk and are hard to find . I’m keen to maybe build something like a 23.25 scale which would be a compromise between the 3 above mentioned guitars , taking the best things about them and putting it altogether. I teach guitar for a living and it’s really hard to get quality guitars for kids age 5 to 10. Which amazes me . I’d love to see someone fill this much needed gap in the market
I would Iove to see people make high quality guitars like this for age 5 to 10 Nice rigid neck , solid tuning stability , well cut nut, good tuners , frets levelled crowned and polished , good pickups , etc etc . A perfectly playing instrument out of the box that will co-operate and facilitate learning with the beginner instead of hindering and frustrating them. Parents will pay good money ! I’d pay £1000 no problem My daughters entry level piano was about £3500 Seen how much violins cost ? And bows ? The market sees to be completely saturated with cheap poor quality guitars that don’t help anyone . Quality standards really need to be raised
I bought a blue one back in 2015 for $279.00 NEW as they were originally $599.00 & they weren't big sellers - this is far superior to the PGM31 (Paul Gilbert sig model) in every way - these were Indonesian built - guy who sold it actually had hardcases for this size guitar...it is indeed able to hang with the big boy RGs
I have the same guitar in Starlight Blue. They aren't very well known. I wish Ibanez had used a different name for the Gio version. Mine was preowned but new in box. It originally came from Sweetwater. It did not come with a gigbag, just the Ibanez cardboard box. I assume the included gigbag dependeded on where you bought it. The guy I got it from bought it for his son but decided to give him something cheaper instead. I traded a Squier CV 60's Strat for it. It wasn't set up well at all when I got it. Bad fret sprout and very high action. I made the same modification you did with the saddle screws.
Cool , i want to try one
Maybe don’t get them in uk tho ? Probably hard to find as it is in USA? Or do they pop up from time to time
I have a really nice starlight blue RGM55 I bought used from an online dealer. I love it! I had the slightly smaller (and cheaper) Ibanez Gio series Mikro guitar for a while, and the RGM55 blows it away in more ways than one. The biggest advantage is the neck. My RGM55 Mikro tuning is rock solid and it just has the stock tuners on it. It can stay in tune for weeks at a time. I was tuning the Gio Mikro every time I picked it up. I put Sperzel locking tuners on it and that helped it some, but it still wasn't as stable as my RGM55. I believe the reason is that my RGM55 has a nice quartersawn maple laminated 3 piece neck. That makes it very, very stable. The Gio (as most lower and mid range electric guitars) has a one piece slab cut maple neck which is much less stable to temperature and humidity changes.
I wish Ibanez would make another production run of these. The only thing I would change is that I would like to have the neck be the actual advertised 45mm nut width. That would make it more easy and comfortable to play for my fat adult fingers, and this guitar is too nice to be a kid's guitar anyway! Ibanez published specs say that the nut width is 45mm, but mine is actually 42.8mm and I think that's likely the actual nut width of all the production RGM55 guitars.
Thankyou so much for your comment , this info is gold
I’m currently on a quest to figure out how to make the ultimate kids guitar
I just bout a Ibanez mikro Paul Gilbert model( 22.2” ) scale and was both really impressed and also disappointed with the tuning stability . It comes with 10’s. I tuned up a tone to F# and that seemed to make a positive difference. Considering new nut and tuners . But I’ve heard it said that a new bone nut didn’t help a great deal . Hmmm 🤔
I also have a squier mini 22.75 “ scale and that is a great guitar and the tuning stability is much better . I don’t know why . Maybe half an inch extra in scale length makes a big difference when it comes to tuning stability .
I also have a squier short scale 24” scale . Really great guitar ! They only sold them for a few years in the uk and are hard to find .
I’m keen to maybe build something like a 23.25 scale which would be a compromise between the 3 above mentioned guitars , taking the best things about them and putting it altogether. I teach guitar for a living and it’s really hard to get quality guitars for kids age 5 to 10. Which amazes me . I’d love to see someone fill this much needed gap in the market
And it badly needed a new nut & proper setup...awful when i got it but not now!
I would Iove to see people make high quality guitars like this for age 5 to 10
Nice rigid neck , solid tuning stability , well cut nut, good tuners , frets levelled crowned and polished , good pickups , etc etc . A perfectly playing instrument out of the box that will co-operate and facilitate learning with the beginner instead of hindering and frustrating them. Parents will pay good money ! I’d pay £1000 no problem
My daughters entry level piano was about £3500
Seen how much violins cost ? And bows ?
The market sees to be completely saturated with cheap poor quality guitars that don’t help anyone . Quality standards really need to be raised
I bought a blue one back in 2015 for $279.00 NEW as they were originally $599.00 & they weren't big sellers - this is far superior to the PGM31 (Paul Gilbert sig model) in every way - these were Indonesian built - guy who sold it actually had hardcases for this size guitar...it is indeed able to hang with the big boy RGs
I have the same guitar in Starlight Blue. They aren't very well known. I wish Ibanez had used a different name for the Gio version.
Mine was preowned but new in box. It originally came from Sweetwater. It did not come with a gigbag, just the Ibanez cardboard box. I assume the included gigbag dependeded on where you bought it.
The guy I got it from bought it for his son but decided to give him something cheaper instead. I traded a Squier CV 60's Strat for it.
It wasn't set up well at all when I got it. Bad fret sprout and very high action. I made the same modification you did with the saddle screws.
How much were these new ?
$599.00US
@@neilschlemeel5751 thanks
$500? Nah Japanese productions drags that down to