Being a guitar player for over a decade, I must say this makes playing that much more fun for me personally. Those individuals that have only played this game with the "kit" included instruments, be it Rock Band or Guitar Hero, may hate this item. This guitar is the full size and full weight of my a Fender Stratocaster, and feels natural to play with my background. Compared to the plastic completion, this thing is huge, and may effect you "shredders" out there. This guitar is not as accurate during faster parts of most songs (do to real fret spacing), I must say that I don't mind missing notes when playing with this. The only thing that is not "real Fender" on this guitar is the plastic fret board, but that is not a negative thing, and blends nicely with this accessory.
This guitar, combined with the overdrive pedal, give a new aspect of playability that renews any avid player of the Rock Band series continued interest. Before you buy however, you have to ask yourself do you prefer the Rock Band controller button layout (flat) or the Guitar Hero controller button (raised) layout. If you prefer the Guitar Hero style, this controller is not for you, and will not change your mind and it may actually make you hate it more. The fret buttons are in the real fret locations, so you will have to adapt to stretching your fingers hit all the keys, which makes it very difficult to play during faster parts.
Pros:
* All natural wood body and neck made by the Fender factory itself
* Real metal tuners, connection port (for use of the overdrive pedal), and whammy bar
* Full size and weight (just over 7 lbs.)
* 2.5 million cycle strumming switches
* Start and Select buttons hidden as volume knobs on the guitar
* Whammy bar hangs in a traditional place
* Works amazing with the Overdrive Pedal accessory
* Great for traditional guitarist that want to transfer and play music genre games
Cons:
* Hard to move fast between buttons for speed accuracy do to the real spacing of the frets
* Strum bar is louder, clicks, and does more wear-n-tear on the fingers
* Weight (for those not used to it) can be overwhelming, especially for those long play sessions
* No calibration mechanism on the guitar
* Three AA batteries to use (still no XBOX rechargeable battery pack use)
* Easy to hit Start and Select knob-buttons when using whammy bar.
Final Thoughts:
The Fender Stratocaster XBOX 360 Replica Guitar for Rock Band is not your snap/impulse purchase, or for those just getting into the game. This guitar and purchase are for those individuals that absolutely love this game, that has all the previous peripherals for this game (such as the ION Drum Rocker Kit with expansion cymbal, multiple plastic guitars/bass laying around, the Rock Band Stage Kit, the overdrive pedal, a ton of downloadable content, etc., etc.). This guitar is an investment, and a serious one at that, and I can say brings the rock experience a little closer to home. This Fender Replica is truly a thing of beauty.
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Frustration. This is my third Mad Catz guitar within the last two months and all have exhibited the same flaw. After the first couple hours of use, one (or more) of the buttons begins to bind if not pressed exactly on center. In the case of this current Stratocaster it is the blue button (the previous two were Precision Bass guitars with binding red buttons). A binding button makes it all but impossible to get a decent score since you spend your time concentrating on pressing one of your buttons firmly and on center rather than having fun with the game. Additionally you can't slide a finger over from an adjacent button since the button binds with an edge press.Other thoughts:
The controller looks terrific, just as pretty as in the glamour shots.
The finish of the wooden neck could use a bit more attention, it looks good but feels not quite finished. It gets more coarse where the neck flairs into the headstock. The headstock is high gloss and pretty in front, but surprisingly rough in back (looks OK though). The neck of the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller sets the standard here. The Logitech neck feels significantly better in your hand with a terrific satin finish on the back where you will be holding it.
The plastic fretboard looks very good close up and feels fine.
The buttons are spaced like a Rock Band Strat, not a like real guitar frets, so the reach from green to orange is standard (I held them together and they were almost identical).
What others have said about the size and weight is true. If you already play an electric guitar you will immediately find this controller comfortable and natural to use (and a lot of fun). If you've only used the standard controllers before it may take some getting used to. Although the button spacing is standard the reach out to them is further due to the length of the neck. The weight is what every guitar player on earth has been shouldering forever, it's no big deal, but it's certainly no hollow plastic guitar. Real guitar straps work and there are some very comfortable ones out there.
The tuning pegs rattle. Since there are no strings to put tension on them, the tuning pegs rattle if the controller is moved aggressively. I'm guessing this would be easy to rectify with some glue or eve small pieces of tape. Since I'm not keeping it I don't want to mess with the issue.
The whammy bar will hit the back button. The back button is a press to actuate (unlike the start button below it which is a twist to actuate). Hitting the back button initiates overdrive/star power. You will have to consciously moderate your whammy technique to avoid accidental star power use (view the "Wireless Wooden Stratocaster Replica for Rock Band Walkthrough" on youtube to see the required technique). Seems like they would have been better off with the d-pad at the top of the button stack, where interference with the whammy would be minimized. On the plus side, in it's current position star power is right at your fingertips (nice). It's perfectly usable as designed but you can no longer flail the whammy bar like a mad man.
The Strat works with the Mad Catz Electro-Harmonix Overdrive Pedal. As noted above overdrive is super easy to actuate on the Strat. The overdrive pedal adds a wire to a wireless controller. You may find you have to look away from the screen to find the overdrive pedal on the floor. The "pedal" is actually a metal button that doesn't work that great with stocking feet. This is not a review of that product.
I'm at a loss here, I don't even know how to rate the product. I like the Mad Catz Strat very much and want to rate it a 4 to 5 but the one fundamental thing a game controller must have is buttons that work; that implies total fail rating of 1. I just can't bring myself to rate it that low. Three controllers with sticking buttons in a row is starting to feel like a design flaw. I upgraded from the Mad Catz Precision Bass to the Strat hoping that their flagship product would have top quality hardware. Unfortunately, the button binding feels exactly the same on the Strat as on the lower priced bass. I'm going to return this one and try one more time, but hope is fading fast.
Update Sep 2010:
4th time was the charm. The replacement Strat works well and the buttons have been reliable so far. Additionally, the finish of the neck is superior to my original in both appearance and feel.
Good controller. Tons of fun.
Best Deals for Xbox 360 Rock Band Wireless Fender Wooden Stratocaster Replica
As a disclaimer, allow me to state that I am an expert-level player in Rock Band. 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. 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. I will be comparing this controller to the RB2 Strat. I will not discuss any drawbacks that are implied for those who play lefty. (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. It takes almost everything the RB2 Strat has to offer but with a clearly higher level of quality and feel. Both sets of frets are exquisite; I cannot fathom a controller design with frets better than what this controller has to offer. 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. Furthermore, the finish of the guitar neck is perfect. I find sliding to be as comfortable and smooth as I do on most electric guitar necks. The whammy bar holds up well and is neither too stiff nor too soft. The back button is accessible to those who prefer to activate their Overdrive with their strumming hands. The start button is in fact not a button, but a knob. You can rotate it in either direction until it clicks, which is when the controller notifies the console that Start has been "pressed". An excellent design as to prevent accidental pausing during song play. 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. It is on the read of the body where you would normally access the tensioned springs for the bridge of an actual Fender Stratocaster. This position makes it innately easy to keep the headset wire out of the way while playing. We also have the jack for connecting a pedal for Overdrive activations. The controller comes with an adapter to allow you to connect and drum pedal that is compatible with RB drums into your guitar. This adapter fits very snugly and holds tightly very much like an audio cable connects an electric guitar to an amplifier. 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's slightly stiff and requires more effort for tremolo picking/high tempo alternate picking. 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. In addition to this higher level of resistance, it has a bit of a click when strumming. 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. Also, the weight of the controller is roughly 7 pounds, if I recall correctly. 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. 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. Those treading the line of hesitation due to its price, I find it difficult what to recommend. I can just assure that essentially anyone satisfied with the feel of the RB2 Strat will be impressed with this controller. In my opinion a price of $199 is much more reasonable but I leave the final judgment call about this matter upon you.
Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Rock Band Wireless Fender Wooden Stratocaster Replica
Good reviews here already, so I will keep this short and compare it with the other current expensive controller, Logitech's Orange Guitar (LOG) I reviewed previously.Looks.
Feels and looks great! Full size and beautiful, though the underside is unsightly with the white plastic covers from where they gutted this real guitar and put the electronic innards. The LOG looked better all around, but due to it's smaller size and orange color, this subjective category can go either way (a tie in my book at 5-stars).
Function.
The strum bar clicks very loudly whereas the LOG was incredibly silent. I prefer silent, but I've gotten used to the clicking as it often corresponds with our drummer. It's very easy to accidentally trigger the back button either by hand or with use of the whammy bar whereas the LOG was ideal. But this guitar has much better fret buttons full sized and easy to activate whereas the small protruding and inconsistent buttons on the LOG were my deal-breaker. (4-stars vs 3-stars)
Final experience.
My arms and neck get a true workout with this full-size beauty, but I'm enjoying the Rock Band experience so much more! (hence 5-stars) The accidental star-power triggering is annoying and the loud strum bar is taking some time to get used to, but overall I'm finding it a great guitar and will keep it. I'd complain about the price, but I paid less by buying a used one from Amazon, so I paid the same price as the LOG which I didn't keep. A truly personal preference that can be expensive to experiment with, but has been very rewarding.
Now to find a good wireless mic... Rock On!
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