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Any electric guitarist who is also a Rock Band enthusiast should find these attributes very comfortable and familiar; many reviews list these as a drawback of the controller, but that is most likely coming from players who are not electric guitarists and are foreign to the dimensions and weight of actual instruments.I was lucky to pick up this controller during a Deal of the Day for 66% off, which brought it down to the retail price of the Beatles RB guitars, and I will say with no hesitation this controller is beyond worth its value for that price. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recommend at full retail price of $299. I will be comparing this controller to the RB2 Strat. In my opinion a price of $199 is much more reasonable but I leave the final judgment call about this matter upon you.
The start button is in fact not a button, but a knob. An excellent design as to prevent accidental pausing during song play. It takes almost everything the RB2 Strat has to offer but with a clearly higher level of quality and feel. In addition to this higher level of resistance, it has a bit of a click when strumming.
I find sliding to be as comfortable and smooth as I do on most electric guitar necks. I have previously played rhythm games with the RedOctane Gibson SG for PS2, the Les Paul for Xbox 360, and the stock RB2 Fender Stratocaster controller. Also, the weight of the controller is roughly 7 pounds, if I recall correctly. Typically, playing the game at least at a moderate volume is enough to virtually completely drown out the sound of this click; it was definitely noticeable at first since the RB2 Strat's strum bar does not click, but it is easy to forget about with a little play time.Since this is a replica, the neck's length is the same length of a full scale electric guitar neck. The back button is accessible to those who prefer to activate their Overdrive with their strumming hands. Furthermore, the finish of the guitar neck is perfect. It feels almost effortless to fret even the most complex of note sequences; this controller will spoil you and dissuade you from returning to your RB2 Strat controller. You can rotate it in either direction until it clicks, which is when the controller notifies the console that Start has been "pressed".
This position makes it innately easy to keep the headset wire out of the way while playing. I will not discuss any drawbacks that are implied for those who play lefty. The realistic feel is just a bonus, but the true benefit is that it gives you a little bit of freedom without worrying about your drum pedal's wire popping out of the controller, which was a hassle with the RB2 Strat which did not offer any additional securing mechanism to keep the jack in place.Lastly we have the strum bar, which is the only element this controller offers that could come close to being a shortcoming. It is on the read of the body where you would normally access the tensioned springs for the bridge of an actual Fender Stratocaster. I can just assure that essentially anyone satisfied with the feel of the RB2 Strat will be impressed with this controller.
This adapter fits very snugly and holds tightly very much like an audio cable connects an electric guitar to an amplifier. It's slightly stiff and requires more effort for tremolo picking/high tempo alternate picking. I have an extensively large quantity of DLC music, am able to clear every song I own, and have unlocked the platinum instrument icon in Rock Band 2 shortly after its release. Both sets of frets are exquisite; I cannot fathom a controller design with frets better than what this controller has to offer. As a disclaimer, allow me to state that I am an expert-level player in Rock Band. The whammy bar holds up well and is neither too stiff nor too soft.
Those treading the line of hesitation due to its price, I find it difficult what to recommend. Those who find money to be no object, or are hardcore enthusiasts of the game who want a high-quality controller with authentic feel, should go ahead and try one of these out, undoubtedly. It is a matter of getting used to, but it can be a small hurdle for those accustomed to the nice, gentle strum bar the RB2 Strat has. (Any shortcomings you would normally experience from that are still seen here; this should not come as a surprise).This is an excellent controller, by far. The D-pad and Xbox guide button are beyond the Start knob and are easy to use as they are near the edge of the guitar body.The headset jack is positioned even better than where it is located on a standard RB2 Strat. The controller comes with an adapter to allow you to connect and drum pedal that is compatible with RB drums into your guitar.
We also have the jack for connecting a pedal for Overdrive activations.
This is simply a fantastic guitar controller. I hate the click but still love the guitar and am trying to figure out a way to mod the strumbar. It's a full sized wooden body guitar so it is big and heavy, but the fret buttons are great and tilt mechanism is flawless. Highly recommended for the serious RockBand player.BIG NOTE: the strum-bar on this guitar is super-clicky, so if you love the RB2 and hate GH guitars, think twice.
Back story: In a relatively short period of time I went through 3 of the original guitars. I can say the feel is excellant the extra weight feels good once you get used to it. I purchased this on sale at Amazon for about $100. More to the point the strum bar (although it is clicky) is very solid and seems like it will hold up over time (there is very little play in it and the return action is good - so strummer can use this without getting the double strums that happen when the bar is too loose).So, I would say if you intend to play a lot you might actually save some money (and certainly some frustration) by buying something like this. I don't really play Rockband nearly as much as I did when the game was released. Oh, that tiny little spring for the whammy bars also broke on the first two (although winding a rubberband around the outside of the bar to the bottom guitar strap peg fixes that problem)So, I purchased this version on a whim and since my friends still like to break out the game every now and then. The second (the wireless RB version) failed on overdrive activation (but otherwise was functional), the third (the wireless from the RB2 bundle) doesn't register the yellow fret unless pressed very directly (pressure must be straight down on the key - hard if you have small hands).
At that price this was well worth it. The first (the original RB wired version) died of strum bar failure although I was able to open it up and jury rig a fix. However, I would also say that at the normal price I would consider this too expensive personally. I pretty much gave up on the game because of the quality of guitar peripherals (I remain somewhat miffed that at the low durability of such expensive add ons).
I LOVE it. My only (very minor) complaint is that the strum bar's "click" is slightly louder than the bar on those other, less awesome, guitar controllers. Looks like fun, and isn't that what this is really all about. I purchased the sunburst Strat when it was on sale for $100 a few weeks back. but no big deal.I think I'll grab that overdrive pedal next.
What a bargain. It truly is a thing of beauty and it matches my "real" Strat in style, weight and scale. I've never owned a music simulator game or instrument before, but with the combination of this amazing guitar AND Beatles: Rock Band, I just couldn't resist. Buttons all work smoothly and I'm having an absolute blast with this thing.
I just can't see justifying 300 dollars for a game controller, no matter how nice, especially one that lacks a cool feature (auto-calibration) found on the stock model that sells for less than a third of this controller's list price. It also doesn't have the easy option of setting up the strap for left-handers, so lefties beware. What it does add is a considerable upgrade in appearance, and a huge step up in the illusion of playing guitar in a rock band. The sunburst finish on the wooden body is gorgeous, and the use of real metal parts like the bridge, cable jack, and tuning pegs make it sparkle. The higher frets close to the body (which I love to use for Big Rock endings) are a little harder to get to, thanks to the bulkier body of a real guitar, but I'm sure I can get used to that. The fret buttons themselves have a great feel, quick and whisper quiet. As someone who admittedly values looks more than is reasonable (I bought the Beatles Gretsch Duo Jet controller for the looks alone), this baby makes me plenty happy. Their absence make the button sections of the neck look notably different.
The size and heft just give it an undeniable sense of authority as you strap it on (with the nice-if-not-spectacular included strap). The plastic fretboard looks surprisingly like rosewood, though, and the fret dots are an added dash of realism. Quieter moments in songs just aren't the same with that "click-click-click." That said, the guitar feels so much more like the real thing that it adds a ton to the rock star fantasy of the game. It's so pretty that I'm considering buying a real guitar stand and soft case to keep it pristine both at home and when I bring it to Rock Band parties.It also feels great.
Now I'll feel more at home, if still mystified by all those strings.Along with the clicky strum, the other thing that keeps me from giving this exceptional controller 5 stars is the standard price. It's a beaut. I'm guessing I just naturally hold the bar tilted higher towards the strum bar and away from that button.The one drawback to the way the controller plays is the clicky strum bar. I know my buddy's real Strat always seemed so huge and heavy whenever I'd pick it up to noodle on.
For me though, it's one of the two things that keep me from giving this guitar 5 stars. Another possible plus to the feel and size of this controller is that it might make real guitars less imposing to anyone who wants to move on to actually playing. I got lucky and grabbed on on an Amazon sale for about $100, and definitely got my money's worth. I haven't run into that, and I wail away on the whammy bar.
I'm a fan of the quiet strum on the standard Rock Band Guitars, but that's a personal preference. It doesn't add any functionality not found in the stock Rock Band controller, and in fact removes some, since it doesn't have the calibration sensors found on the standard plastic guitar. The metal frets are a nice touch as well, though I wish they'd included them between the fret buttons. Buying this guitar is an admittedly silly thing to do.
Another minor drawback is the white plastic used on the back of the guitar for the battery hatch and the internals cover, but those bits are usually out of sight. Once a fake game guitar costs more than the real thing (or at least a beginner's model of the real thing), it doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Those two things it does extremely well.First off, the guitar looks fantastic. Some folks love the click of the Guitar Hero guitars, so they'd be right at home with this controller.
Since it's made from genuine Fender parts, it looks exactly like the real thing, minus pickups and strings. The longer reach to the fret buttons was no big deal for me, though that might have something to do with my usual controller being the Gretsch, which is longer than the stock plastic Strat that comes with Rock Band. So if you're a real Rock Band fan with the money to blow, or get a lucky break like I did, I doubt this gorgeous Fender Strat controller will disappoint. Some other reviews have mentioned that the whammy bar can hit the back button/knob, triggering Overdrive when you don't want to.
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