Replacement guitar arrives, same problem.

[Black_Heaven]

The reason I wanted/needed a replacement was that the star power tilt activation was wonky. Wanted to activate on it's own and tilting didn't work at all.

So my replacement shows up this morning just as it was re-scheduled to. Open it up package up the old one and get ready to try the new one out. Strum looks like it works off of magnetics now, which that worries me a bit, but oh well.

Anyways, I get to playing everything is fine til I try to tilt for star power, nothing, even shaking it like a wild man, nothing. OK time to open it up to see just what the hell is wrong.

Crack it open and what do I notice? The tilt sensor is unplugged. I'm guessing it came unplugged during shipping because it looks like the hot glue missed that one connection, thus allowing it to slip off from whatever vibrations it could and/or would suffer from shipping and/or playing. So I plug it back up, use a little modeling glue to keep it from wiggling free again and start the song back up and sure enough it's working just fine. Alright lets put it back to gether now.

Problem fixed right? Yes and no. Yes the tilt does work now, but it's iffy. If I'm not seemingly holding it in a certain position(parrallel to the ground and face of the guitar parrallel with the TV)before I tilt it to activate star power it does not want to work. Also I find myself having to "reset" the tilt sensor. By that I mean shaking the guitar a little bit to get the little ball in the sensor to move back to the other side or something, I don't know since I can't see inside of it to see what's really going on. But none the less I still don't have a reliable and properly functioning tilt sensor, and thus I don't have a reliable and properly functioning Stratocaster Rock Band guitar.

I might try to tweak the angle of the tilt sensors to see if that does any good, but I'm doubtful.

Some information you might need to know. I typically play sitting down and laid back, it's what's comfortable to me when playing gmaes. I'd say I hold the guitar at about a 30 degree angle or so from my left to right and probably about at a 10 degree angle or so face of the guitar toward the ceiling

Quick notes:

My replacement Strat's tilt sensor out of the box did not work. Problem? The tilt sensor was not connect to it's main board, simply unplugged at the connector.

Once plugged back in it worked but still with the same issues I had for needing a replacement, random tilt activation or none at all.

So my question is this, and it's for any one on the Rock Band/EA staff that can help me in this matter, what do I do now if it continues to not function properly and reliable? Do I, or is that to say can I send the replacement back for a replacement? Or is it the way I'm holding the controller, do I need to change my play style even though in the past other guitar controllers did not require this of me? Or am I SOL because I opened the guitar to find out a simple connector wasn't plugged in?

Really, I love this game and I don't want to have to use my old Xplorer to continue playing reliably. I'd use the Les Paul I have if it wasn't a massive piece of dung., but even if it worked just fine I'd still rather use the Stratocaster. I really like the Strat(best guitar controller, in my opinion, I've used thus far, even with the problems)but with my continued problems with it I can't trust it.

[Rockonforever]

"I really like the Strat(best guitar controller, in my opinion, I've used thus far, even with the problems)but with my continued "problems with it I can't trust it."

I am floored by that statement. I'm certainly not the best "player" at this, but having played the Les Paul from GH III, the Explorer from GHII & the PS2 guitar the Strat is not even in the same league. Like the weight & the idea of the solo buttons, but playing it stinks in my opinion. can't wait for the individual Les paul to be released. Maybe time will tell, but it seems unresponsive at times and the buttons seem much harder to hit (especially on fast parts).

For anyone who cares, most game shops are offering $20 to trade in the Strat. As Steve Miller once wrote, "Go on, take the money and run".

Just my opinion.

[Black_Heaven]

What can I say, I love the silent strum bar(something I've modded on my Gibson styled guitars), the fret buttons feel much better to me, there's less space inbetween the fret buttons, the thinner, wider neck, the thinner body and the overall larger size of the Strat are all things I much perfer over the SG, Xplorer and Les Paul. Plus I think it's aesthetics are far superior, from the the slicker more mirror like finish of the body, to the screws on the pickgaurd to the neck looking les like a childs toy. Also I perfer the stiffer fret buttons over that of any of the Gibson styled GH controllers.

Only thing I'm trying to really figure out is how to remove the effects switch knob so that later I can paint the guitar when the warrenty is expired. I've painted all my other guitar controllers and I'm not about to not paint this one. I'm thinking it's the typical barbed fitting, which in that case is going to be a PITA to get off.

Oh, and I too am waiting for the individual Les Pauls, I only pray they aren't as bad as the bundle units. That and I sure as hell hope they get rid of that foolish removable neck. I'm also hoping for wireless Strats later on as well. Hopefully Microsoft and Red Octane/Acivision doesn't have the wireless guitar locked down to only the Red Octane/Activision Les Paul.