Xbox 360 RockBand Fender Bass
9.3
10
9
9
Solid.
Play bass more than anything on RB and GH, so this was a no-brainer for me. The strum bars have taken a savage beating for 2 years and still work well. If you've ever bumped anything/anyone with your regular GH/RB guitars, expect to lose the majority of the fake tuning pegs. They will snap off with very little encouragement. The neck feels exactly like the RB2 guitars, just longer and with bigger buttons. If you're a clumsy, musically inept player like myself you might like feel of it. If you're a finesse player who wants to rip through hammer-ons and solos, this probably won't be for you. The body of the guitar is pretty impressive. It has a great weight and feel, and the buttons all feel really nice. The effects dials feel nice, and you can do some pretty cool stuff with them, but they can sometimes be a little awkward to get to and manipulate during songs. The dual strum bar was trivial for me, didn't really walk it much but my more musically inclined friends got a kick out of it. Seemed more novelty than genuinely useful. If you play a decent amount of RB/GH with groups of friends, it tends to get people more excited about playing bass. All in all, a good buy for any RB/GH fan who wants to round out their musical instrument collection. If you're looking to use this as your main guitar, I'd go for something else. If you play bass a lot, this is a must buy.
7/9/10
Great guitar...but keep your reciept handy.
It is a great design. Makes playing bass really fun. Double strum bar is a great addition. The fender strap is comfortable. Guitar has good production values, and after the price drop, it's a great value too. The only problem for me, and it's an annoying one, is that the strum bar will get stuck in the up position and sometimes it will double-strum. I bought one new, and returned it because the blue fret button was non-operational. When I returned it the clerk recommended I pick another brand because she had a few of them come back for various reasons that week. The second one I purchased new, double strums quite often. If one strum bar goes out completely, then the guitar loses it's luster. Keep your reciept handy. Hats off to MadCatz for a good product. A little quality control will make it better.
1/21/09
Great Bass for RockBand
I would recommend the Xbox 360 Fender Bass to anyone who likes playing or is stuck playing the Bass in RockBand. I bought this product because my friend who has mastered the guitar on the RockBand always wants to play the guitar instead of the vocals or drums and I didn't have another guitar controller for myself to play the Bass. So I was stuck singing which got boring pretty fast and it ticked me off that I couldn't play what I wanted on a game I owned just because my friend wanted to play it. So then I looked here at gamestop for good deals on guitar controllers and found the Fender Bass. I was so excited that there was finally a Bass controller for RockBand so I bought it and now I have my own personal instrument to play in RockBand! I have had it for about a month or more and it still works fine I love the split strum bar and how it is bigger than the RockBand guitar because it makes it more realistic. And its kind of funner because it isn't just playing with another guitar controller it's actually a Bass controller. But it still has the smaller fret buttons near the bottom of the neck and can be used as a guitar in RockBand but is much more comfortable to me because it's bigger.
12/21/08
On the mark
Anyone who wants a REAL bass experience needs to get this one. I normally play lead guitar or drums in RB and RB2. I've not been a real fan of playing bass because of the current design of the RB guitars. They just aren't comfortable for strumming up. (Your hand gets fatigued easily) Having been around music most of my life... my brother plays REAL bass and Guitar. As soon as I got my hands on the new RB precision bass... I was hooked. Not only does the size feel more like the real thing... but strumming up feels more natural. (the thumb rest above the strum bar gives you more control) Top it all off by adding the split strum bar...and I'm ready to let someone else take over my normal spot of playing DRUMS or LEAD GUITAR. I have a feeling I'll be playing bass and ONLY BASS for quiet some time. This has given me a whole new game experience I might have otherwise continued to overlook. And as far as comfort... I think ALL FUTURE RB GUITARS should be equipped with the SAME STRAP that comes with this one. After playing for a while with the other GUITARS...the straps tend to "RUB" your neck the wrong way. After playing 3 hours straight with the BASS... I couldn't even tell it had a strap. It's just that comfortable. So my overall review would be... Buy this BASS as soon as you get a chance... and if your like me... it will take some time before you will want to put it down.
10/31/08
madcatz just understands
I went 2 pick up guitar hero wt and noticed it at the local gamestop so yeah i had 2 have it i actually bought it for my gf who usually plays bass but i wouldn't let her play it i love the double finger action and playing it on both wt and rb2 i gotta say now if they can only make a guitar that big i would be in heaven. This bass is wheres it at. The strap is comfortable the nob for the whammy is a nice touch no more random whammy bar smashing. So if your coordinated enough to understand this monster i can't recommend it any faster because it just made the bass fun again besides your pretty doing it you know. Just though it would of been wireless that would of been nice but hey what can you do right.
10/27/08
Makes Rock Band 2 super fun!
I picked mine up at a local store last week and I just want to say I'm very impressed! The first thing I noticed was the strap. It's wide, maybe close to 3 inches and very soft and comfortable. The larger size (I read somewhere 84% of the original) is nice because I'm 6 feet 200 pounds, so that gives it a good comfortable feel. It's got weight to it so it doesn't feel like a light cheap controller. Functionality is excellent with one caveat: The wammy knob is in a wierd spot to me and sometimes I can't find it when I need it, like for when a held note is white and I want to get extra overdrive. Also the split strum bar is very unique and it does take some getting used to, but when you do, man it rocks! You get into the groove of playing and it feels like the real thing. Makes playing bass 100x better! Also, there's a switch on the back that says RB1 and RB2. Switch it to the appropriate game and it's supposed to tell the game it's a dedicated bass guitar. I dinged it a bit more on durability because of the tuning pegs. They turn which is cool, whatever. The problem is it's that really cheap plastic that's kinda clear, then it's got that silver foil stuff on it. I can see one or more of the pegs breaking off if the controller fell and landed wrong. They're just not very thick and have some play (wiggle) to them. As far as the strum, it's got a nice heavier pull, similar to the real strings (I strum up with index and middle finger) and it seems really solid like it's gonna last. In fact, it would be nice if the guitar controller had the same strum bar, only not split. I think MadCatz nailed this one! Definitely a must buy! To sum up: Pros - Awesome feel and weight Great design, thumb rest is a a nice touch Nailed the strum bar, though it takes a bit to get used to Makes playing bass in Rockband awesome! Cons - Wammy knob hard to find in a hurry sometimes Cheapness of the tuning pegs
9/24/08
the idea is great
I bought this online hoping to get an awesome bass, considering I mostly play bass. It seemed like a great idea with the split strum bar. When I received mine, the head of the bass didn't fit on right, but I just overlooked that, as it wasn't too important to me. I started to play with it, and I would miss a few notes here and there. Granted, I'm not used to missing that many (I'm fairly good on bass) so I decided to just switch to up and down strumming. Even doing so, on songs I would normally get an easy 100%, I was pulling 94's or so. The strum bar was missing notes. Also, on held notes (only orange) they would drop. I decided to return it to a store near me, and got a new one as a replacement. I tried it out again, but the strum bar would stick down (making down-strumming difficult, and navigating menus even worse). At times it double strummed when I up-strummed (as it would shoot back down and stick again). Also, on this one, the yellow and green buttons couldn't hold notes, and the red button had to be pushed quite hard to work. I'm hoping I only got two defective ones, because it is a lot of fun to play like a real bassist. I wouldn't say to not get it, because I enjoyed using it. But I can only handle so many missed notes that aren't my fault. So, in summary, the bass controller is a lot of fun to use, but make sure you can get to a store to replace it easily if need be.
9/20/08
A MUST get for Rock Band bass fans
If you're one of those Rock Band players that prefers to rock out on bass instead of guitar - then this little accessory is a must-get for you! Long story short - the bass is slightly larger than the current Fender guitar, and weighs slightly more (though the neck is slightly thinner). This gives the 'instrument' a nice real-life feel that was sort of missing with the smaller/lighter guitar. Another big plus is the button set-up. The buttons are slightly flatter than the guitar, and seem to be a bit more responsive to the touch. The same goes for the buttons on the lower end of the fret. But the most important thing has to be the double strum bar. Fortunately, the SB is solid, and clicks very well. Some users have mentioned that the 2 strum bars cancel each other out when they are hit simultaneously. I did not run into that problem and find the new setup extremely easy to use. I also enjoy how there is a natural thumb rest, which definitely helps players get through tough note sequences - like in "Run to the Hills". The only problem that some folks might have a hard time adjusting to is the so-called 'whammy knob' - which replaces the whammy bar on the guitar setup. While the knob is durable, it does take some adjustment to get used to turning the switch to generate the effect - though I did notice that it does seem to rack up the energy faster than the whammy bar at times. Also, the back and start buttons are also setup as knobs instead of bars - so keep that in mind if you want to manually launch your overdrive effect. Overall the bass is sturdy, easy to use (and overdrives are easy to activate for the most part - though I noticed its a bit harder to launch the OD when you are using the bass in a seated position). I would strongly recommend it to anybody who's a serious Rock Band fan.
9/4/08
Finally, a strummable bass guitar
Let's be honest, trying to bass it out on a regular rock band guitar was a joke. Rocking with two fingers was as worthwhile as taking a break and walking the dog just to get yelled out for walking the dog while drinking water, bad water. Pros: - Sturdy construction. Second gen crasftmanship at work here. - Two flippers is a huge improvement. If you're serious about rocking the hard bass songs on expert. - They've finally gotten the effects out of the way by making it a knob. thank you. - Really, really, really nice strap. Cons: - If you're like me and like to 'flick' the flippers, don't. They are loud. The strum bar is quiet if you strum and don't let it fly back, but if you play it like you would a real bass, it's loud. - Whammy bar is a nob. makes it hard to whammy on the small holds. - Start / back knob is very awkward to use. I'm not sure I like the idea of turning a knob at the bottom of the guitar for star power to trigger. (In our house, we've learned our lesson about raising the guitar in the middle of a jam. Plastic doesn't feel good on the face.) - I don't like the thumb rest above the strum bar. Also, using this as a normal rock band guitar is a bit annoying (but doable) because of the split strummer. You only have half the strummer bar to work with. Summary: I have a constant flux of 4 - 20 friends stopping over at my house at any given time. When we jam, we jam. I would not pick this up if you're not into really rocking out (and acting like a bunch of wanna-bes). To be honest, I bought this in part to avoid the 5 minute wait before each set to decide who is bass and who is lead. If you have the bass in your hand, you're bass. The strap feels really nice. I love the strap. I'm going to wear it to work tomorrow. It is awesome.
9/3/08