Rock Band 3 - Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Compared to the bundled guitar from Rock Band 2, this is an evolution, but in a positive direction. The buttons have a much softer, less clicky feel, reducing the noise, and also allowing you to use less force when playing. I can play longer before my wrists start to hurt, which is a big win. The softer touch also seems more accurate, allowing me to play more by feel and sound instead of having to look at the notes on screen.

The wireless USB dongle is included, even though it is not mentioned in the description. Everything you need is in the box, unlike the Wii Guitar Hero 5 Stand-Alone Guitar which cannibalizes a regular controller.

The main plastic case has gone to a cheaper looking, matte finish, but they've also dropped the price $20, so I'm more than willing to make that tradeoff, especially when it comes with superior control. Not worth buying as a replacement for a working guitar, but an excellent way to add a guitar to your band.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This guitar started out very quiet compared to the Rock Band 2 predecessor, but after 2 weeks of heavy use and breaking it in it sounds just like the old one.

In function it is identical to the older Rock Band 2 Strat but the Wii version of this guitar is missing the sound effects slider (can't speak for the other consoles).

It comes with the USB dongle and is backward compatible with Rock Band 2 (and I'd assume RB1 as well but cannot verify).

All in all a decent replacement guitar, but nothing groundbreaking. If you liked the Rock Band 2 Strat you will like this one.

Best Deals for Rock Band 3 - Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller

The Pros:

1. Works with all Rock Band & Guitar Hero Games!

2. The strum bar is totally silent and very responsive.

3. You can feel the quality! It's like your holding a real Stratocaster.

4. Light weight.

5. Pretty much forces you to hold and strum it like a real guitar.

The Cons:

1. Takes some getting used to (actually can be frustrating) if you don't actually play the guitar.

2. Can be uncomfortable to hold the buttons if you have short fingers.

Ok, first about the cons.... They actually become Pro #5!

I bought this guitar when it first came out. When I first tried playing it I hated it. I always played with the Guitar Hero World Tour guitar, and this is definitely a Rock Band style guitar. On top of this the strum was totally silent. I never realized how much I depended on hearing the click of the strum bar until it wasn't there. I was missing bunches of notes that I was sure I was hitting. I through it back in the box, just a little more than unhappy. About 2 weeks later I decided to learn to play with this guitar or else. After all I just spent $60 on it. After about a month of frequent playing I finally got fairly comfortable with it, after I figured out what my problem really was. I have pretty short fingers. With the fret button setup on the guitar taking up the entire width my fingers would hit the bottom of the buttons causing me to hit 2 colors thus missing notes. When I figured out how to hold the guitar so I could play using only the tips of my fingers my scores steadily improved. When I got used to the silent strum and learned to up strum with my fingers instead of just down strumming with my thumb I'm consistently beating the high scores I had with my old Guitar Hero guitar.

My Verdict:

Now that I've played with this guitar for a while I'm glad I stuck with it. I now have 4 other Guitar Hero guitars just collecting dust (Including Warrior of Rock). A couple more month with this guitar and I'll be ready to shell out the $150 for the pro guitar with actual strings. It really forces you to play the right way. Simply put apart from the above mentioned pro guitar, there is no guitar that comes close to this one! Buy it and put some time and effort into it and you will not be sorry. It's a game changer!

Honest reviews on Rock Band 3 - Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller

I just received this peripheral today and so far so good.It came with a wireless donge and no major problems with the set up and syncing. It seems to be functioning properly; the strum bar works unlike the original RB guitar. The plastic does look a little cheaper than the previous RB2 guitar but it still looks good, love the blue color and it is still sturdy. I like that this guitar works with both RB1 and RB2, so it was worth the money for me. Especially since unfortunately GH peripherals do not work with the original RB and the setlist is sweet. Though I like this guitar for a lot of reasons: i.e. no wii remote use and ease of set up, it still is not as good as GH Red Octane when you compare comfort and functionality, because it is not as ergonomic. The frets on RB guitars are square and do not provide a lot of traction, which can lead to your finger slipping and hand cramps. GH guitars have rounded fret buttons with an indention, something to consider before purchasing. All the same I'm sure this guitar will provide hours and hopefully years of playtime and fun.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Rock Band 3 - Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller

If you are looking at this guitar you probably already have the game, this is every bit the same as the one that came with Rock Band 2 for the Wii. Works great. After trying for months to get an second guitar I snatched this one up as soon as I saw it, and I was not disappointed.