RB Strat vs. GHIII LP (from a guitar players POV).

[Zanaflex]

In writing this, please keep in mind that I am a GuitarHero newb. GHIII was my first jump into this type of gaming. But also keep in mind that i have been playing real guitar for years. This won't be a full on review. I just read these forums alot, and see some complaints about this or that, and want to give a different perspective.

I have owned quite a few guitars IRL. From Cheap Squire Strats (when I was starting out), to USA Made Strats, Gibson (not EPI) Les Paul Customs, and now just own one Paul Reed Smith Custom 24:)

I will say this from the get go. The Strat is MUCH more like a real guitar then the Les Paul.

The Neck:

The first time I picked up the Les Paul, it just felt odd. Not like I expected it to feel like full size, made of wood guitar. But the neck is so short, and the radius of the neck is more like a box. While the Strat's neck is much longer, and the radius is a little more like a real guitar, although thin.

The Buttons:

This will be short, this is just a matter of personal prefference. Like stated many times before, the Strat could use more of a bump on the yellow. I do like the Strat's buttons more, but that also may have something to do with the neck, which is huge for me

The Trem Bar (Whammy):

Again goes to the Strat. It feel much more natrual. This also may have something to do with, a real LP will not have a Trem bar unless it is a "Bigsby" (or similar), and the bar its self will be MUCH fatter. But again, they work pretty much the same so personal decision.

The Strum Bar (Best for last;):

This is what got me to write this in the first place. I have been reading alot of people complaining about the Strat's strum bar. While I would agree that it is MUCH different then any of the GH series guitars. Lets take that out of the mix for a minute. Lets forget about the fact that you are a expert GH player.

The first time I sat down with the Strat and hit the strum bar. You know what it felt like to me? And this might sound crazy, but it felt like a guitar string. No not dead on, but it has tension like a string does. The LP strums "feels" flimsy (not broken or anything like that). Yes I know these are both toys, and will always feel like toys. I actually play the RB Strat with a pick, and can rock Creep on expert.
But I have a feeling that in making the strum bar, this is what they were going for. To give it as much as a real feel as possible, well within the price point.

Sorry if this seemed like I am pro Strat. But just from a Guitar Players POV, it does win out, hands down.

Thanks for reading!:)

[Nate Finch]

Very cool review. Never having played a real guitar I'd have no idea what a string feels like, but I can definitely tell the strat's strum bar is more springy and less clicky. I'd heard of people positing that you could play with a pick, but never knew anyone actually had. That's wicked cool.

[NeptuneTQ]

Very cool review. I too agree, the strum bar on the Strat feels VERY natural to me, where as the LP feels like a button on a videogame i'm pushing. I understand game players like the "click" because it helps them with rhythm, but in real life on a Guitar we hear no click, that's what the drummer's for :) Not saying one or the other is better, just my own opinion as well.

[DesiredFX]

When the down-strum on my first strat broke and I was forced to up-strum, I switched to primarily playing bass in online bands. As a bass player, I was used to up-strumming most notes, anyway, and I'll agree that up-strumming that bar with my fingertips felt very much like strumming a string on my bass (only slimmer). The only minus to it was that it was hard to repeat-strum it with index and middle finger the way I normally would a real bass--even if the string is pulled slightly up by the index finger, the middle finger can still strum it before it returns to its "home" position. This technique doesn't quite work on the strat or I would be murdering some of the uber-repetitive basslines that many songs have.

[Credge]

A lot of people don't understand how important the neck actually is. Every one of my guitar purchases have been all about how it plays. I could care less if it's a bright pink guitar with neon green stripes that sounds really terrible. That can be adjusted. The next, though... well necks are a bit different. A good neck will always be good with proper care. A bad neck rarely excels above mediocre.

This applies to toys as well, especially if you will be spending lots of time with it. Fast runs become that much more doable with a good neck.

[polishdog90]

I like the buttons on the Les Paul way better. I also like the click, because it helps me keep in rhythm.

[sporkBrigade]

I think it's a real shame that people can't seperate what makes a good strum bar, and what strum bar they're just used to. They're very different issues, but people just can't view something that's so different as a good thing.

Meh, I'm happy with my strat. That's what counts, I guess.

[DesiredFX]

ya and while im playing on the les paul and ur strat is getting replaced ill be laughing

Was that even remotely necessary?

The purpose of this thread isn't to put down the Les Paul but for one guy to explain why the Strat feels more like a real guitar to him. He didn't put down anyone who prefers the LP, and neither has anyone else.

[Zanaflex]

Was that even remotely necessary?

The purpose of this thread isn't to put down the Les Paul but for one guy to explain why the Strat feels more like a real guitar to him. He didn't put down anyone who prefers the LP, and neither has anyone else.

Yeah dude, this is not a Strat is better then the LP hands down neener neener neener post.
All I was trying to express was that to me the Strat is much more like a real guitar.

While I was reading these posts, I was almost shocked that the replies were real. That people agreed and disagreed with what I wrote, BUT did it with respect. I was just trying to open up some conversation from a different prespective. It has NOTHING to do with the Strat issues (or even the LesPaul issues with the buttons stop working).

[Alphadown99]

Okay, so for right now, my review is only for the Les Paul, as I won't be getting Rock Band for a while. So anyways, hope this helps you:

Neck:

LP: Okay, so this feels MUCH better than the SGs. I definitely think that this neck and the Xplorer's are the two best out of the Guitar Hero Guitars. Although they are nice, they are NOTHING like a real guitar's neck. They are about half the length of a real one, and are, well, plastic, but that's a given. Also, the detachable neck was a STUPID idea. I have never had to disassemble my guitar for ANY reason. It may have been a good idea, but because of the faulty pins, that made it a terrible decision on Red Octane's part.



Body:

LP: The body is very sturdy, and is a decent, comfortable shape. I much prefer this shape over the Xplorer's but I think that the Stratocaster is a much more comfortable guitar in real life, and since Harmonix is emulating the strat shape, I'm pretty sure I'll like the feel of the Rock Band guitar better than the Les Paul.



Buttons:

LP: Giant improvement over the Fisher-Price looking bright colored buttons of the past on the SG and Xplorer guitar peripherals. Also, the frets on the LP have much more resistance than the Xplorer. I also like the spacing and the size of the buttons much more.



Strum Bar:

LP: The bar was nice and quiet when I first bought the guitar, at least when I was strumming down though. As soon as I got to the higher tiers of the game, starting with the song Holiday In Cambodia, on expert, my bar loosened up, and became much more clicky and squeaky. Still, it is much nicer than previous guitars.



Overall Look:

LP: Two words, the Strat Wins. The Les paul is decent, and much better looking than the old guitars. Props to Red Octane for the interchangeable faceplates, but it's not a feature that I use, so I'm not making the Les Paul any better in my eyes because of it. The Les Paul is small and generally looks like a toy. The thing that pushed it over the edge was really the tremolo (whammy) bar. So, alright, I'm all for realism. The Les Paul standard does NOT have a whammy bar in real life. In this respect, I can't stand the LP, at least cosmetically. However, it DOES serve the purpose, at least until my Rock Band arrives ;-).


Well, I hope that this review was helpful to any people who are hoping to buy, and that if my review influences you, that it does so in a good way.

[Kyle11268o]

ya and while im playing on the les paul and ur strat is getting replaced ill be laughing

Well, before we're too harsh on ol' "rocksrocks," let's take a look at his spelling, punctuation and grammar, and realize that we're not exactly dealing with the sharpest crayon in the box. Perhaps this was the closest thing to an intelligent response he could muster.

"A" for effort. ::golf clap:: :cool:

[Zanaflex]

hahahah that was awesome

[Frederf]

As much as I like the Stratocaster overall over the Les Paul, there are are a few areas where the Les Paul does have better properties than its rival:

1. Neck button action. The Strat neck buttons are rather clicky with a tactile "ca-lunk" on occasion while the Les Paul has smoother action.

2. Neck plastic color and finish. The Strat neck plastic is overly shiny, slick, and a very puke-tan.

3. Reliability. As fas as I know Les Paul has had a tiny fraction of the number of problems as the Strat. Then again it is the evolution of the previous designs while the Strat is much more of a departure.

4. Cordedness. I actually prefer a corded guitar over a wireless one but the Strat fails on two fronts. Firstly the cord is too short, a fraction of the length of the drum and microphone cords. Secondly, there should be a connector on the face of the guitar. Real guitars plug a jack into the guitar body while the Strat is unfortunately hard-wired. A jack would have simplified storage, transport, and possibly allowed a belt-clip wireless adapter in the future.

[Kyle11268o]

hahahah that was awesome

:D

...yes, and now we can all wait for the obligatory response:

"stfu ur a *** im the sharpest craon in every box i can beat every song in the game on expert whats ur gamertag i will pwn u ****!!!!!!"

PS - Sorry for going so far OT. Personally, I <3 the Strat (when it works - bought two, replaced both. Seemingly working fine for the time being....).
I heartily agree that the neck length is vastly better than the old models. I've never done more than dabble with guitar/bass in RL, but I'm taller than average, and those tiny guitar controllers of old sure take their toll on your wrists and such. My wife is only 5'2", and she always thought (long before she even touched the Strat) that the old ones were too small and cramped. I think that says something...
I also very much prefer the new strum bar (again, when it works). It seems so much more sensitive and, dare I say, realistic, as opposed to incessantly clacking away on a rocker switch.

[Zanaflex]

I think you got it there man. Only if they could make the Strat less problematic we would be Rockin! I am going to buy a 360 wireless version when it comes out, so we will wait and see:)