Rock Band 2 special edition Ion drum kit and real Fender Stratocaster guitar controllers coming

Playing Rock Band sometimes feels like the real thing, but what if it looked like the real thing? Ion, who make real drum kits, have announced that they will release a premium Rock Band 2 drum kit that will not only have realistic pads and cymbals (which you can custom-assign), but it will also be possible to plug the thing into a drum brain to turn the kit into a real electronic drum kit. If that craziness wasn't enough, Harmonix plans to gut some actual Fender Stratocasters and turn them into Rock Band guitars, which is either amazing or complete sacrilege depending on your musical religion.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

[joe @ Jul 11th 2008 6:45PM]

I wish they could have all electronic drum sets able to do this. Maybe a yamaha dtxtreme 3?

http://www.hellfiredrums.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/dtxtremeiii.jpg

[CharlieX @ Jul 11th 2008 6:46PM]

You can only go so far... then maybe it's time to take lessons.

I wonder how the pedal on this will fare. We're on our 4th

[Mat @ Jul 11th 2008 6:50PM]

Looks solid. Hopefully this iron drum kit will last longer than the plastic ones. It might be worth it....

[raptorspike @ Jul 11th 2008 6:59PM]

anyone else think these companies are taking things just a little too far? Strats into controllers? Electronic drum kits into controllers?

ITS A FREAKIN' GAME!!!!

[Dan Davis @ Jul 11th 2008 7:17PM]

Right, huh? I mean, why have a zapper for Duck Hunt? It's just a game!

[J Scott @ Jul 18th 2008 4:41PM]

Dude, get over yourself, maybe if you'd actually get involved in Rock Band, you'd realize that it feels like much more than a game and is probably one of the most entertaining forms of Television entertainment i've come across yet... the more real the better, so "companies", keep taking it too far!! hahahahahah :)

[cwm @ Jul 11th 2008 7:00PM]

gutting a Strat to make a video game controller...(sigh) for their next product I suppose they plan to modify a Stradivarius?

[Shaun @ Jul 11th 2008 10:54PM]

I doubt that fender is going to rip apart an american vintage to turn into a controller. The fit and finish will probably be more akin to a squire. It would be pretty funny to take one of these into your local luthier and ask to get the action lowered and intonation set.

[Zak @ Jul 11th 2008 7:10PM]

" it will also be possible to plug the thing into a drum brain to turn the kit into a real electronic drum kit."

Well then that begs the next question: Does it go the other way around? Can you plug your existing, say Roland V-Drum drums and cymbals into the Rock Band/Ion brain?

[water.and.sand @ Jul 12th 2008 1:05AM]

I'm a musician. I have nothing against the game- it's really fun, but when I consider spending $200 on a game and a bunch of fake instruments (that may not even work with the next edition!), I feel like I should spend it on pedals or amps or something. If it worked with the instruments I have, I'd totally be down.

I can totally justify buying an electronic drum kit and the game though. That way it feels like spending $50 on a game... oh, except all the other stuff.
Now if only they could supply some converters so you can plug in guitars and a mic, I'd be set...

[chris @ Jul 12th 2008 1:36PM]

yes. many enterprising individuals have. see here: http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20420

[Johann Wentzel @ Jul 11th 2008 7:11PM]

You almost got me on that drum set picture... luckily I looked at the bottom of it!

[dubbbya @ Jul 11th 2008 7:14PM]

Why does my avatar never change to the picture I upload for it?

Is it a requirement to have a certain number of comments before it applies?

[somekindarobit @ Jul 11th 2008 7:18PM]

How about plugging in a kit you currently own? I own a Roland V-Drum kit and I might actually buy RB2 if I could hook it up... then I could jam with my non-musician friends too. As for gutting a real Strat... I think that's in a weird place where it is either too far or not far enough... why not just make it so you can use a real guitar with strings and all?

I'll tell you a secret as to why musicians hate Rock Band and Guitar Hero... it makes us feel like we suck at something we are supposed to be good at. Sure we just need to play it more and we will get better. But we have already spent years becoming good! The games actually look fun, so it would be nice if we could use real instruments... being able to use our own would be even better.

[Boynamedsue @ Jul 11th 2008 7:19PM]

Nothing illustrates a picture of a product better than a picture of something else.

[craig#2 @ Jul 12th 2008 12:12AM]

Right? Especially when the real pictures and website were already up :P

[Jason @ Jul 11th 2008 7:20PM]

here's the kit

http://www.drumrocker.com/

[jermaine @ Jul 11th 2008 7:29PM]

299.99 US DOLLARS

[somekindarobit @ Jul 11th 2008 7:31PM]

Interesting. So logically one should be able to hook up any electronic kit they currently own. The only question is; will they sell the game controller module separately?

[Joe Pollicino @ Jul 11th 2008 7:24PM]

as long as they are mexican standard fenders they can go for it.

[Tone @ Jul 11th 2008 7:43PM]

How about you learn to play a REAL instrument.

[Rob @ Jul 11th 2008 9:04PM]

Real guitars are for old people.

[Sevores @ Jul 11th 2008 9:25PM]

And while you're at it, why don't you go and sign up for the military instead of playing CoD4? Oh, and quit playing NFS, get an Aston Martin, and enter illegal races in town.
This is a game! It _simulates_ the feeling of playing guitar. It's not an instrument, never was, never will be.

[Quicksilver4648 @ Jul 11th 2008 8:23PM]

God I hope nobody checks my search history now that I opened that without knowing what to expect.

[Mickey @ Jul 11th 2008 8:32PM]

Reading this story, we might be heading toward a convergence between "play" instruments and real ones, all interacting with a game controller and TV. Rock Band will evolve into a karaoke machine for a real drum kit, guitar, or bass. And I would love for it to get there.

When my daughter brought Rock Band home, I thought it was kind of silly. "Go out and learn how to play a real guitar" I told her. I'll spring for it. But I eventually gave it a try. I used to play a bass in high school but that was decades ago. After a little while, it was amazing to see how much of playing an instrument Rock Band captured. It was fun to "make music" again. I want to go out and get a real bass and amp again and see how much more I can relearn. But who would I play with? The next generation of Rock Band might be what I need.

[recifer @ Jul 11th 2008 9:07PM]

I have this exact same kit.. and broke it within 6 months.. the "brain" delayed like every tenth note.. and you coulden't play for more then a minute without it cutting out completely.. I doubt Ion cares to much about this, since they offered completely no support to their products.

[Michael Scrip @ Jul 11th 2008 9:23PM]

Hmmm... I want a set of digital drums... I want Rock Band 2...

Mission Accomplished?

[Ignatius @ Jul 11th 2008 9:53PM]

Yeah, you're probably getting banned, dude.

[GETYOID @ Jul 11th 2008 11:05PM]

This site once had great reviews on that stuff. www.iPlayGuitar.com

[V Mehta @ Jul 12th 2008 12:07AM]

I think modifying a Fender Stratocaster (yes, even a Mexi-Strat) is quite sacrilegious, but I look forward to people subsequently modifying their Fender Rock Band controller back into a real guitar : )

[Echo1 @ Jul 12th 2008 2:38PM]

I just hope RB2 has "In The Air Tonight"

[jedd @ Jul 12th 2008 3:01PM]

I just saw and buy rock band drum kit from this site http://astore.amazon.com/rockband.wii.special.edition.ps3.ps2.xbox360.pc.game-20.

This may the new one which more funny and better control for Rock Band 2. I need this kit too.

[Jordan @ Sep 10th 2008 10:51PM]

I think all you people who say "go learn a real instrument" don't know what you're talking about. Sure you can't pick up a guitar after playing Rock Band and expect to be any good. But i have a secret for you " You don't need to learn notes to play a drum set" GASP!!!. I have a real drum kit and I think you should realize that all drumming is is learning beats. If you can hit a plastic pad you can hit a snare.