Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster plays both real and virtual guitar... at the same time (video)
By Ross Miller 
posted June 16th 2010 1:21AM
posted June 16th 2010 1:21AM
As unfair as it is, what initially gave us hesitation about Mad Catz and Squier's Stratocaster Pro guitar controller was that, well, it's Fender's second-tier brand. Despite these prejudices from our youth, Harmonix pretty much sold us on it with one pretty badass trick: the ability to simultaneously play Rock Band 3 on Pro Expert and rock the same tune through an amplifier. Bonus: in the presentation we saw, extra notes and added fills didn't seem to affect score. So, that just about turns the uncanny valley of plastic peripherals on its head. Just make sure you crank your TV's sound system to 11 to not be drowned out from what's likely an even worse screw-up sound. See for yourself in the video after the break (caution: a few naughty words contained within).
For the traveling musician who can't help but show off his Rock Band skills on the road.
This has blown guitar hero out of the water. The level of want is so bad.
Also will they release a bass I wonder :3
AHHHHHHH F-N' TITS!!!!
They better make a lefty...
@iam4everalive
Exactly.
And no, flipping the guitar isn't going to work this time.
Our music is song title that plays the guy with the guitar?
is it possible to play regular mode (5 notes) with the pro guitar?
how can you do it? is it like the keyboard and you just have to be in the same area as the note?
Will this double as a midi controller like the Roland GK2? Does it work via General Midi or what? That'd be great.
Bah, Rock Band is for losers. Stop pretending to play a guitar and just go out and learn how to play one. Man, these people are sa-
Oh. I see what you did there.
Joking aside, this does look pretty awesome. Sure, it may be cheating a bit to have notes to follow and it doesn't necessarily mean you can play well once you don't have Rock Band to tell you what to play, but it's definitely a good start. With this and the proper controller to hook my electronic drum kit up to this is starting to look better and better!
If they only would change the playful Rock Band game with tabs like Guitar Pro, and It'll be the best innovation in Guitar & Game tech ever for me!
Real guitars are for old people, but this RB set up is cool. At least when you sound like crap you can just say "I'm only playing a video game". Unlike those no talent hacks (99.9%) of "real" instrument players who sound like crap and have no excuse.
By the way, school band is for girlie-boys and chubby chicks (aka losers).
Yea ok, but what about alternate tunings? No way you get through Soundgarden's catalog without fiddling with the tuners. Are they going to make you retune before every song?
@empossible I see nothing wrong with that, changing to Drop D will actually make you learn how to do it
it would be cool if it had a built in tuner so you could tune and check in real time
@empossible
Well... it senses your frets through the neck, so maybe it won't matter if you're completely out of tune?
@VLangs I'm not talking about 'Drop D' that is no big deal, I'm talking about CGCGGE for some Soundgarden 'Pretty Noose' or DbAbDbAbDbDb for Silverchair's 'Emotion Sickness.' I doubt those are actual Rock Band songs, but the point remains. People are going to get pissed real quick if they make a set list and have to retune each track.
@Kikarok Regardless of the sensors, they are promoting being able to play through an amp at the same time, being out of tune will clearly show up then.
@empossible
Point taken. I was thinking of the people who didn't have a real amp yet. On an offhand note, from the photos it has a MIDI port, and it looks like that might be how it communicates with the game: converting it all to MIDI signals.
Can I plug my Custon Shop Strat in, that thing looks like a 3/4 size...
Now Anyone Can Play Guitar.
must....buy.....this....
can't wait, that's awesome!
Very cool. I wonder how easy it is to learn a song this way. It seems that if you didn't already know how to play the song, you'd have a helluva time with it at first.
Where was this stuff presented? It seems odd that the official presentation of this stuff would be given by a guy who can't think of any other words besides curse words. Now, I'm not a prude or anything - I swear all the time - but it just doesn't seem very professional. If anything, he sounded like he was swearing to try and sound cool....
Cool, but since this *still* isn't teaching you to play real guitar or become an actual musician, and buying a real guitar is cheaper then a console, a game, and this special guitar, I'd rather just pick up an actual guitar and learn to play on my own, and leave my lazy "I feel like playing a plastic instrument" time to the actual fake, plastic instruments.
Needless to say, this isn't for me. I'm sure someone else will love it though.
WHat's the song at the 1 minute mark?
@Primoz
"Rumble" - Link Wray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUHz0i8_ziA
@Kelly S THanks, i found out on myself that same evening by remembering i heard it in Pulp Fiction as well. Forgot to post here :)
FYI, this is the only (i guess) instrumental song that was ever banned on a radio :D
Mind: blown.
Wonder if there will be a trade in option since I already own a very similar guitar and have no use for owning 2 of the same guitars...
Gentlemen,
What about your love for bass? Can we have a real bass guitar too? :D
Regards,
Bash
What song is that?
@burton25
The Hardest Button To Button - White Stripes
what song are they playing too?
i'm a kid (age 16), i started to play guitar when i was 9 years old because i wanted to. When i started high school i decided to play the saxophone in pep band, I also happened to start learning how to play drums. When Rock Band came out, i bought it and loved it, i bought the second, and then bought the Beatles Rock band. I love music and i love the rock band franchise; I'm very good a Rock Band as well. just because i have rock band doesn't mean that i stopped becoming interested in playing real instruments, i'm actually really happy that they added the ability to play real guitar.
Randallrocks - thanks :)
What about lefty Harmoniks !! I'd like to know if left handed real gutiars can work with this. Some of the best gutairist were lefties as well ! Cobain, Hendrix, McCartney. :D