PS2/PS3 Rock Band 2 Standalone Guitar

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Sale Price: $119.95
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I have been a long time Guitar Hero (GH) player. And after playing Rock Band 1 a few months ago, I found it fun but hard to strum the notes as easily as I can with GH.

Recently I was playing the new Rock Band 2 (RB2) guitar at my local electronics store and fell in love with the wood burst body and wood paneled neck. So I placed my pre-order and received it today....

I am in love. I love the sturdy and non-clicky strum bar (I HATED the "click-click" sound of the GH strum). The frets give off some noise but not that bad. They feel good but are harder to keep your place as easily as GH. The feel of the guitar is nice and feels like quality in your lap or hanging from your shoulder. The nice sleek lines of the guitar is even nicer to look at when you're not playing. The whammy is nearly identical to the whammy bar of GH but a bit longer. The start button is nicely recessed and the PS3 button and connect button are nicely designed.

I was really relieved to see that the standalone RB2 guitar is in fact the wood burst body design and NOT the black RB2 guitar that is included in the RB2 bundle. I am extremely pleased and I have officially crossed over from GH to RB. The guitar looks like a real Fender Strat and after owning this guitar, GH guitars look like cheap 5-year old toys.

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I wrote a review of the last generation Strat controller that you can find with the original product: Playstation 3 Rock Band Wireless Guitar

This review will address, primarily, the modifications Harmonix made.

As I said in the title, if you didn't like the last one--that is, if you HATED it, as many people do--you're not going to like this one, either.

Harmonix mostly tweaked the things that most people complained about and added a couple plush features, as well.

First, the strumbar: it's still a Strat strumbar, but it has a much better defined range of motion and comes to a complete and definite stop going in each direction. It is still "soft" and noiseless, but it should appease people who found the original to be "mushy."

Second, the fret buttons: still a bit clicky, though much quieter. You don't really get that loud "snap-back" clack when you release the buttons the way you sometimes did with the guitar from the original game.

Third: you can use this for either game, so if you just want an upgrade to your RB guitar for now, this will do it for you. I really recommend jumping up to RB2, though.

Now, the extra features:

The wireless dongle has a little something extra about it this time: two USB ports so that it can function as a hub as well as a dongle. Makes it possible to hook up four instruments on a two-USB-port system without the use of an external hub.

Auto-calibrate (RB2 only) is wonderful feature: select it from the menu, hold the guitar up to your speaker, then hold it up to your TV and you're calibrated. It has worked absolutely perfectly for me and I'm actually playing and scoring better because of it.

The rest of the changes are pretty much cosmetic and very minor. I do think this controller looks nicer than the original, but the one I got (which came with the special edition) isn't a flameburst design but just the usual black.

Buy PS2/PS3 Rock Band 2 Standalone Guitar Now

No question, obviously this is the guitar you should spend money on. I've played with other guitars, and they just don't respond the same way, nor are built with any durability in mind. If you own, or have owned, the original Rock Band Fender Strat, you know it was not a good guitar. Harmonix really did a great job in retooling the guitar. The strum bar is sturdier, the neck action is smoother, the clicking sound from the frets is quieter, and overall is a great plastic instrument! The guitar is really made for authenticity, unlike GH guitars, which to me seem very toy-like, and thick. With this upgrade, Harmonix really hit one out of the park.

DO NOT BUY AN IMITATION GUITAR! YOU WILL REGRET THE MONEY YOU WILL SINK INTO IT!

Read Best Reviews of PS2/PS3 Rock Band 2 Standalone Guitar Here

Too bad the game "kit" only comes with one guitar when you'll obviously need 2! I tried another budget guitar and ended up buying this one when the feel of the other one proved unpleasant and difficult. Save your money and buy this one from the start.

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I enthusiastically welcomed the design changes in the RB2 guitar, including self-calibration, more tactile strum bar, and quieter fret buttons.