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guitar posts

Logitech debuts wireless Guitar Hero controller for Xbox 360

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 18th 2009 at 12:27PM

Third-party wireless guitar controllers for the Xbox 360 have been disappointingly hard to come by to date, but Logitech has now come to the rescue with a new Guitar Hero-licensed controller that's similar to its PS3 and PS2 offerings, with the exception of being orange, and Xbox 360-compatible. Otherwise, you can expect the same wood neck, rosewood fingerboard, and metal frets as before, along with a touch-sensitive slider on the neck, strum bar and fret buttons that are "virtually silent," and a promised range of 30 feet. Unfortunately, the guitar also packs the same hefty $199 price tag as its PS3 counterpart, but if that's not too big a deterrent, you can look forward to picking up one of these up in August. Head on past the break for a quick video overview.

Continue reading Logitech debuts wireless Guitar Hero controller for Xbox 360

Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 8th 2009 at 12:39PM

Apple's closing out the new application talk today at WWDC with a demo from Line 6 and Planet Waves, who have joined the Cupertino-based company in order to give your iPhone the ability to control your guitar and amplifier. Sadly, the wireless communication between the Line 6 Variax guitar and the iPhone on stage had some issues, though the folks assured us we could see more later on at Line 6's website. If this thing manages to function, it will also let you re-tune your six-string and change models on the fly. No word on price or availability just yet, but we'll let you know if either of those factoids appear.

Gallery: Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone

Electro-Harmonix Overdrive pedal just became a Rock Band 2 necessity

by Darren Murph, posted May 28th 2009 at 4:49PM

The avoirdupois of the world rests on your shoulders as you await the mind-numbing riffs of Painkiller. You wonder how you'll prevent yourself from engaging in overdrive prematurely as your locks bang to and fro. Then you look down and see EHX's Overdrive pedal a stone's throw from your left foot. Exhale.

[Via Boing Boing]

Continue reading Electro-Harmonix Overdrive pedal just became a Rock Band 2 necessity

Ask Engadget: Best Guitar Hero / Rock Band axe?

by Darren Murph, posted May 15th 2009 at 12:48AM

Are you ready for this? No, seriously -- can you handle yet another episode of Ask Engadget? Considering that our omnipresent intern bots are recording your head nodding up and down this very moment, we'll just cut straight to Chad's question:

"After viewing the special edition bass for Rock Band: Beatles (and longing for a true lefty guitar), I noticed that no one has asked which aftermarket guitar for either (or both) game(s) works better than the standard -- especially for those of us who play like Hendrix. So I put it to you, which is the best RB or GH axe out there with price being no issue?"

First off, big ups to the fellow southpaws out there. Secondly, which third-party axe really is the best to rock out with? Don't be afraid to place your modded Squier at the top of the charts, either.

Paul McCartney's Rock Band Höfner bass gets pictured, lacks genuineness

by Darren Murph, posted May 12th 2009 at 11:22AM

Sigh. It's like making a Jag-Stang for righties -- it just ain't right, kids. Hot on the heels of seeing the other special edition Rock Band axes designed for the forthcoming Beatles title comes this, Sir Paul McCartney's Rock Band Höfner bass replica. At a glance, most everything looks to be legitimate, but considering that it's clearly tailored for those who lean right, it'll never be authentic in our minds. Yeah, that's our southpaw pride we're wearing on our sleeves -- what of it?

Logitech's $199 Black Edition wireless Guitar Hero controller shreds like cheddar

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 12th 2009 at 5:27AM

Check it poseurs, Logitech's Wireless Guitar Controller Premier Edition for Guitar Hero is back and ready to take on international ~~pretenders~~ shredders. The new Black Edition prop for the PS3 and PS2 still features the same rosewood fingerboard, wooden neck, and metal frets and tuning peg handles of the US-only original. However, it now carries a lower, $199 price tag (was $250 at launch) and "minor construction updates" based on user feedback. Oh, and it's now black... black like the heart of Chuck Schuldiner. If that sounds like a "a great value" as described by Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming, then by all means, have at it when it ships to the US and Europe in June.

[Via BLogitech]

Gallery: Logitech's $199 Black Edition wireless Guitar Hero controller shreds like cheddar

Video: Manson MB-1 guitar sports X-Y midi controller, tons of 'tude

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Apr 24th 2009 at 11:24AM

We're generally downright Ludditic when it comes to our music (we like it loud and bratty -- and no backing tapes, please) but one can't help but get a little giddy when confronted with a guitar that does, you know, other stuff. Matt Bellamy's Manson MB-1 signature is not only a respectable ax in its own right, but it also features an X-Y controller (think Korg Kaoss Pad) for two dimensional control of damn near any FX plug-in you can get your hands on. Available in "Matt Black" and "Red Sparkle," this bad boy starts at £2,999 (that's almost $4,400, folks). But what do you expect for what Music Radar has termed "easily the most technologically advanced signature guitar on the planet?" Or you could just buy a Kaoss Pad and shove it in your Les Paul. But we wouldn't recommend that. Make sure you check out the stunning video demonstration after the break.

[Via Music Radar]

Continue reading Video: Manson MB-1 guitar sports X-Y midi controller, tons of 'tude

Speak n' Spellbinder makes your ABCs a little bit creepier

by Laura June, posted Apr 15th 2009 at 6:34PM

Mysterious music man A.J. Gannon's put together this wild Rock Band guitar / Speak n' Spell hybrid for use on his upcoming album. Calling it the Speak n' Spellbinder, the letters are individually mapped to the buttons on the neck of the axe and it boasts tons of really insane effects. The result is something a little grating, if totally, randomly awesome. Just further debunks that myth about video games making you lazy, doesn't it? Check out the video demonstration after the break, and be sure to hit the read link for many, many more insane instruments made by Gannon.

[Via Make]

Zivix's Headliner guitar lets you rock the real and virtual stage

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 9th 2009 at 2:39AM

Survey says: kids who pretend rock out in music videogames are more likely to want to learn to play those instruments for reals. For would-be strummers, that means a rather abrupt transition from cheapo plastic toy with buttons to hand-crafted wooden instrument with strings. That could change with the Zivix Headliner, a prototype guitar that also works in both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, featuring sensors on the neck to act like buttons and real strings that replace the plastic strum bar. It's not the first game-friendly guitar with strings we've seen, nor indeed is it the company's first stab at creating a hybrid instrument like this (they demo'ed something similar called the Hero Maker last year), but with a little more venture capital infusion Zivix hopes to have this model on sale by year's end for under $250 -- expensive for a game controller and not exactly cheap for an electric guitar. Any takers?

[Via OhGizmo!]

Maestro guitar attachment shows you how to shred with lasers

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 5th 2009 at 2:33PM

The world needs another instructional guitar tool like it needs another hole in the ozone layer, but in all seriousness, this one is stupendous. Er, it exhibits remarkable potential, considering that it's not yet beyond the concept stage. Designer Eugene Cheong has dreamed up the Maestro, an attachment that can supposedly be adapted to work on any guitar (of the electric variety, we presume) and teach you what frets to mash in order to actually become a halfway decent player. Put simply, the device accepts MP3 files via SD card, and then it breaks down the tunes into tablature which can be displayed via lasers. Once you see the beams lighting up your fretboard, you mash / strum in order to keep up and "learn" the songs. We can only hope this thing adds a slowdown mode should it ever hit store shelves, 'cause even the amateur probably doesn't want to tackle select Dream Theater tracks at full speed.

[Via DVICE]

Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on

by Nilay Patel, posted Jan 10th 2009 at 5:51PM

We'll be honest -- we're totally in love with Gibson's Dark Fire guitar. The $3,499 update to the Robot guitar we played with at CES last year is lighter, faster, easier to use and features new Chameleon Tone technology that actually reconfigures the individual pickups to deliver different sounds. The FireWire / MIDI breakout box enables you to record directly to a computer, but you can also tweak presets and control the guitar from the included Ableton Live / Guitar Rig bundle. It's seriously hot -- and it's even hotter when it's being demoed by German inventor Chris Adams, who might be the single coolest dude at CES. Check it out after the break!

Gallery: Gibson Dark Fire hands-on

Continue reading Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on

ezGear's You Rock Guitar packs multi-touch and ultimate babe magnet

by Jacob Schulman, posted Jan 8th 2009 at 4:41AM

If ezGear's last guitar wasn't quite complex enough for you, check out it's latest product -- the You Rock Guitar. Compatible with both Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band: World Tour for Wii, and your PC or Mac, the You Rock has a full multi-touch fretboard which simulates a "real" guitar with six strings instead of five buttons. You can hook this bad boy up with a standard .25-inch connection, or plug in your iPod or MP3 player through the mini-stereo jack to rock out to your own private collection of Metallica. The folks over at ezGear promise a SDK for even further expandability by Spring, and expect the $150 device to be available in either Q2 or Q3.

dreamGEAR unveils Warbeast guitar controller, Quad Dock controller chargers

by Ross Miller, posted Jan 3rd 2009 at 12:33AM

The perfect complement to ION's Drum Rocker kit, dreamGEAR has unveiled the WarBeast wireless guitar controller for PlayStation 3 and PS2. It's compatible with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Rock Revolution games and features a removable faceplate for customization and removable neck and headstock for easier transport. Officially licensed by B.C. Rich, the company is touting this axe as the first and only full-sized guitar controller on the market -- although we bet Starpex and maybe even Gene Simmons would beg to differ. It's now available on the company's website for $130, though if you can't afford that Rock n' Roll lifestyle, Amazon's got it for $90. They've also got a new Quad Dock Xbox 360 controller charger and some refreshed versions of their PS3, Wii lineup, which aren't out yet -- according to Electronista they'll go for around $30 or $40.

[Via Electronista]

Read - dreamGEAR WarBeast product page
Read - Amazon WarBeast product page

Playing Guitar Hero could make you want to do something besides play video games

by Laura June, posted Dec 1st 2008 at 9:50PM

Sure, some studies have shown that excessive gaming can lead to less interest in things like studying and doing homework, but it turns out that, pretty unsurprisingly, playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band might actually lead children to want to learn... to rock out on real instruments, anyway. That's right, according to a truly shocking report in The Times of London, roughly half of the 3 to 18 year-olds in the UK have played a music game, and one fifth of them have been motivated by their playing to give a real instrument a try, which has led to 2.5 million new budding Ted Nugents (or Jared Letos) springing up. So it's true, the kids aren't exactly studying, but at least they're doing something that could maybe eventually lead to them standing up or... something. School's out forever, dude.

[Via TechDigest]

How would you change Guitar Hero: World Tour?

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 28th 2008 at 11:00PM

Interestingly enough, a lot of the gripes you readers had with the original Rock Band were addressed by Activision in the rivaling Guitar Hero: World Tour (cymbals, anyone?), but we're pretty sure the picky ones out there still have something to complain about. And seriously, when dropping upwards of $180 to $190 for the full-on band kit, you absolutely have a right to nitpick. Now that you've hopefully rocked through a few set lists, how are you enjoying things? Are the revamped / new instruments to your liking? Are the sensors accurate enough? Do you wish there was a freestyle mode in order to give real drummers free reign over what beats they play? Is your equipment holding up under the intense pressure of rockin' it all night long? Grab a mic and spit your feelings (in rhyme or prose, whatever) below.