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Fender unveils Squier USB Stratocaster that talks to iOS, lends cred to iPad jam sessions (video)
There's no shortage of instruments and peripherals to make GarageBand sing on iOS gear. Anyone jonesing for well-known instruments has had few options, however, which makes Fender's launch of a USB-capable Squier Stratocaster something of a watershed moment. While it can plug into any quarter-inch jack or a computer's full USB port, the extremely familiar electric guitar will strum its notes directly into any older iPad, iPhone or iPod touch through a pre-supplied 30-pin cable; yes, you'll need a pricey adapter to rock out on an iPad mini. All the familiar controls and outputs you'd anticipate are present, including a 3.5mm headphone jack for some quiet practice in the den. Fender's $200 price puts the USB Squier well within reach of mobile musicians -- we just wish other guitar makers would follow suit.
Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster video review: Going to town in a Lincoln
Though the cornucopia of Pro Guitar tutorials available on last year's Rock Band 3 possessed multitudes of promise, the absence of a solidly-built, authentic guitar controller squandered away my hopes of learning to more proficiently rock in the real world by taking lessons in a fake one. I've sustained myself over the past four months on the possibility that the MIDI-enabled Squier Stratocaster controller would capitalize on these possibilities. After spending a few hours with the axe, I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. Check out the video after the jump for the full scoop on the Rock Band 3 Squier, presented in a bold, groundbreaking audio-visual format. (How else could you be impressed by all my mad shredding skills, and my capacity for producing sweet, crunchy riffs?)
Best Buy nabs exclusive Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster
If you're in the market for a new Rock Band axe, it looks like you'll be heading to Best Buy very, very soon. That's right, the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster is seemingly a BB exclusive. The $280 peripheral, which requires the MIDI PRO-Adapter to function, will hit shelves on March 1st. Until then, we'll just have to be happy with the Mustang Pro.
Rock Band 3 Stratocaster is a Best Buy exclusive
If you want to rock, first you have to pay your dues. To Best Buy. Last week, Best Buy announced that it would be exclusively selling the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster before the peripheral's previously announced March release date. Now, according to the retailer, it'll be the only place to go for the $280 guitar after that, as well. In a brief statement received by Joystiq today, Best Buy said that it would be "the exclusive retailer of the Rock Band 3 Squier when it goes on sale in stores on March 1." Pre-orders for the instrument (which requires the MIDI PRO-Adapter for use with the game) will be offered beginning tomorrow, December 15, both in-store and on BestBuy.com.
Best Buy to carry Rock Band 3 Stratocaster early, pre-sales start Dec. 15
Best Buy has informed us that it will exclusively offer the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster "controller" (also known as "the real guitar") before the previously announced March 1 release date. Just how early Best Buy will be selling the guitar has yet to be confirmed, but the retailer claims to have the exclusive on the device "through March 2011," perhaps pushing back the availability of the guitar from other retailers. Best Buy will begin taking pre-orders for the "Pro" peripheral on December 15, both in-store and online. Don't forget, you need a MIDI Pro Adapter to use this guitar with Rock Band 3. To use it like a regular guitar, you need ... an amp!
Squier Stratocaster for Rock Band 3 set to tour March 1st for $280
We've been waiting on this one for quite awhile... and well, we've got awhile longer. Fender has come clean with the price and release date of its Squier-branded Stratocaster for Rock Band 3 will hit the road on March 1st for just a penny shy of $280. The six-stringed warrior -- which also serves as a MIDI controller and a real instrument -- has far and away been our favorite method of playing the rhythm game's new pro guitar mode, and though the button-laden Mustang is available now for just over half the price, it really doesn't compare to the real thing here. Even the January 1st pre-order seems a ways off -- guess we'll be brushing up on our keytar skills in the meantime.
Fender's Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster guitar rocks out March 1, 2011
Fender has finally announced when its Squier Stratocaster guitar, the one built and licensed for Rock Band 3, will be available and, more importantly, how much it will cost prospective rockers. The guitar is expected to be released on March 1, 2011 for $280 (with pre-orders beginning January 1). The Strat certainly isn't cheap, but it's competitively priced in the world of electric guitars. It is an actual guitar, after all, as opposed to the 102-button Mustang controller from Mad Catz, and the Squier is expected to provide a greater level of realism to RB3's Pro Mode. In addition to teaching players some real rock chops, Fender's guitar can also be plugged into an amp and, like the Mustang, serves as a fully functional MIDI instrument. It's worth reiterating that Mad Catz's $40 MIDI PRO-Adapter is required to use the Squier with RB3. And it should also be noted that the Squier can't be used to play the game's standard modes, meaning you'll have to resort to a good ol' plastic guitar if you want to rock along with the classic multicolored gems. %Poll-55190% [Thanks Nick!]
Rock Band 3 Pro guitar preview: the guitarist vs. the guitar hero
Since our brief glimpses at E3, we've managed to pick up Rock Band 3's new Pro guitars a few times -- both live on the Engadget Show and otherwise -- and have gotten a better feel for how both the Squier Stratocaster (a.k.a. the "real guitar") and Mad Catz's 102-buttoned Fender Mustang replica play. We'll save the in-depth coverage for the final review, but what follows is two separate impressions coming from two different perspectives: one from Ross Miller, a former guitar instructor with 12 years playing experience, and one from Sean Hollister, a Guitar Hero player with no musical background whatsoever. Head on after the break for our full impressions. %Gallery-101752%
Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster plays both real and virtual guitar... at the same time (video)
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).%Gallery-95362%
