Sizes

Since I had these two out for a re-string, let's take a look at the relative size of a Minion Dinky against its standard sized counterpart. The Minion is almost a headstock shorter than its JS brother. This would be a welcomed feature for those of us with smaller body frame / hands. Despite the pre-conceived notion that smaller-sized guitars are for kids, it is definitely appealing to adults as well, especially for those of us who are averse to heavy instruments.

I play more riffs than solos on the Minion. I exert more force while doing so & the Minion's shorter neck means I can move faster / easily up & down without getting tired too quickly. As for solos, it seems that my fretting hand is more accustomed to wider fret spaces especially at the upper neck register. I've owned a few small guitars along the way & the Minion seems to hold tuning very well. Of course, this is after the default tuners made way for a replacement set which are still affordable but more reliable. For the record, the Minion sports a 22.5" scale length while the standard-sized JS is 25.5". 

Minion V (2)

Alright, let's take a look into the details of the Jackson Minion RR. The guitar was strung up with a set of 9s from the factory. It's too wobbly for me so the 10s were in there after a few days it made into the residence.

I thought these were gonna be bad for the money. You know, those typical entry-level, shrieky, treble excessive pickups in any of such guitars are not gonna sound good. However, these are alright for what I've designated this guitar for- absolute high gain & nothing less. Neck clarity is good & make sure you address that extra brightness coming from the bridge if you're into this. We can all do that, can't we?

From experience, I know how these labels would stain the finish of a satin type over-coat.

So it's designated to the control cavity cover together with the gang.

A look into the cavity- nothing shabby here maybe a little messy with the shielding paint but that's acceptable by my standards. All wires bound & things are looking neat & presentable for the money. Have a feeling that selector switch is not gonna last.

These tuners are decent. Out of the box, two of them were loose & one was over-tightened. It's got nothing to do with them being faulty, just a little less meticulous treatment of the tension screws back at the factory.

Minor threats

We now have the following, junior-sized guitars are in store now: Ibanez's PGMM21 (22.2")...

And Jackson's Minion Dinky JS1X (22.5")

As you can see, the respective scale lengths would suggest a non-traditional feel  & tonal response & this blog entry is my effort in reminding you what you would be dealing with should you decide to buy one of these. Are such guitars really for kids? Most probably, they are but we should not exclude the consideration for smaller-built players & they make perfect instruments for the money, not a compromised secondary offering. 

Since I have given them some personal performance time, my money's with the Jackson- that's saying a lot considering I'm a long-standing Ibanez fan. I'm giving an adult perspective here, so the playability of the Jackson, in my opinion, would appeal to the grown-ups. Jackson did their necks a little wider so the adult wouldn't feel too challenged when handling the neck. That quirky Ibanez control layout is strictly a Paul Gilbert affair which may not appeal to guitar fans in general. Jackson did theirs the traditional way; volume, tone & a selector. Pickups-wise, the Jackson is a high gain beast. Those default factory units are all about distortion with very little room to sound warm & intimate. With that said, good cleans can be had but not as engaging as the Ibanez's. 

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Ibanez PGMM21: $299

Jackson Dinky Minion JS1X: $229