Best Buy Fixes Guitars in RB Demos

[skyehill]

The three Best Buys near me fixed their RB demo guitars...by replacing them with GH3 Les Paul guitars. And guess what, after 3 days they're STILL WORKING. Hopefully the RB guitars all broke because they're lousy low quality demo guitars and the final versions won't be so pathetic. If not, Harmonix, be prepared for a ****load of returns.

[jq71586]

The three Best Buys near me fixed their RB demo guitars...by replacing them with GH3 Les Paul guitars. And guess what, after 3 days they're STILL WORKING. Hopefully the RB guitars all broke because they're lousy low quality demo guitars and the final versions won't be so pathetic. If not, Harmonix, be prepared for a ****load of returns.

And the Les Paul is such a quality piece of equipment, right? If I didn't have to screw around with it before every time I play the game, it would be. The Les Paul was released as a piece of crap, it still remains to be seen if the Strat is still the same.

I don't remember people having problems on the tours going city to city. It's probably since they knew so many people were going to play the demo and with such a lack of care that they probably for lack of a better word just half-assed these demo instruments that are going to break easily.

[SmokaCola]

Wow skye, give it up man.

[Quastor]

You still here?

[MartyMcFly]

We get it already = Don't trust demo peripherals.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was you purposely breaking them just to come on here to talk bad about the Strat.

Go play GH3.

[bmore007]

I demoed GH3 at Best Buy too with the LesPaul and I happened to really like that guitar. Felt sturdy and everything to me. I thought the Rock Band Guitar felt great as well, I really did miss hearing and feeling a click when pushing the strum bar up and down though.

[admanimal]

Has anyone noticed that NONE of the gaming mag people, bloggers, etc. who have been playing the game for weeks now have said anything about broken guitars? Funny how that is.

[logicalnoise]

uh you do know best buy treats every piece of equipment they get in like a basketball right? I've had friends work there and they chuck tvs off the trucks. There's many variables to how tehse things are handled. I had no troubles with the well worn in RB controlelr I used on tour. I never touched the one I saw at BB though.

[MdubMedia]

The guitars are fine around my area.....I think you have something against them. Hmm...

[Mistersh0w]

I just got back from the best buy in Culver City where I finally got to play the damn RB demo!!!! I have to say, the guitar is freakin' awesome damnit! I read the reviews where some peeps said it felt flimsy and that they could break the neck in their hands, but it's all BS! I really liked the guitar, and made sure to check out the "effects" while I was playing "Vaseline", on hard by the way, and I failed right off the bat!! I didn't realize it was gonna be that hard, and i'm 1 song away from beating GH3 on hard. I would consider myself a skilled guitar game player, and these songs I played seemed truly difficult! Though, it may have had something to do with the strum bar... I know what everyone is saying about the strum bar, and it's sort of true. It definitely does NOT click when you strum it, and the tip kind of has an indented grip for your thumb and forefinger. It really took me half way into "Paranoid" (which was the second song I played) before I really got the hang of it, and fell in love with the guitar! Also I HAD to try out the new "solo" buttons, which I did during the "rock out" free form moment, and it was awesome!!! Anyway, I don't know what else to say that really hasn't been said about the demo before... Last thing: The drums were PERFECT! The only problem I had was hitting the "rim" instead of the pad numerous amounts of time, because I really had no clear way of knowing how far apart the pads are from each other while trying to smack out the notes as they come at you fast. So I had to look down alot and make sure I was hitting the pads and not the rims. Also, I can already tell it's gonna be hard as hell to drum with that bass pedal if you've never drummed before! But it will be fun, trust me!

As for the guy saying the guitars need to be "fixed" I don't really see why. The one at the store I went to seemed sturdy and well built.

[masterx1918]

IMO Harmonix supplied BB with shotty guitars for a reason. They probably had an overstock of problematic guitars so they said "hey, lets give them away to best buy so people can demo them until the game comes, since they'll probably only survive that long". I doubt we're getting brand new guitars

[tbradshaw]

The three Best Buys near me fixed their RB demo guitars...by replacing them with GH3 Les Paul guitars. And guess what, after 3 days they're STILL WORKING. Hopefully the RB guitars all broke because they're lousy low quality demo guitars and the final versions won't be so pathetic. If not, Harmonix, be prepared for a ****load of returns.

I don't know why you have to keep grinding this axe about the guitars. You've made your point the 19 previous consecutive posts with the exact same point. Just quit spamming us.

[MundaneSoul]

How much is RO paying you to come in here and talk trash, skye? :D

[espher]

One can only hope your neck is as fragile as you think the one on the guitar is.

[raregamer]

I think all the products are just plastic toys, it really just depends on what you get if you get a good one it will be good other wise it will be bad happens with all new products. Main reason I see the GH one better though whammy bar placement, wireless and experince with creating the product. That is mainly Red Octanes company they make accessories they have been for years. So no doubt about it their guitar is better made.

[jq71586]

I think all the products are just plastic toys, it really just depends on what you get if you get a good one it will be good other wise it will be bad happens with all new products. Main reason I see the GH one better though whammy bar placement, wireless and experince with creating the product. That is mainly Red Octanes company they make accessories they have been for years. So no doubt about it their guitar is better made.

My guitar begs to differ. :D

I have to disconnect and re-connect the next two times before playing and when I detach the next I have to push down all the prongs on the body of the guitar to make sure I get a stable connection.

At least this is one problem we know the Strat won't have.

[MartyMcFly]

Yea the biggest problem people are reporting about the Les Paul is the fact that because the neck is detachable, it's causing loose connections. People have had to find ways to hold it together and crap.

You can find downsides to every product. Once again, even though I said this last week in one of the other 5 threads Skyehill said this stuff in =

Let's wait till we actually get our very own Strat at home to make reviews on it.

[skyehill]

Has anyone noticed that NONE of the gaming mag people, bloggers, etc. who have been playing the game for weeks now have said anything about broken guitars? Funny how that is.

1up had to use a GH2 guitar in their recent video preview due to a broken RB guitar.

[Jimmik]

skyehill will you just go away, jeez

[SirAnonymous]

1up had to use a GH2 guitar in their recent video preview due to a broken RB guitar.

I thought that was because the one guy didn't like the Strat, not because it was broken.

Maybe I'm thinking about a different video.

[scourge]

you guys are busting his balls but I'm concerned about this too.

My Best Buy's guitar is busted now. But there are two stations with working guitar hero guitars. They've got to be getting the same abuse but still work.

And I highly doubt any company would send out a shoddy product on purpose to demo to the public.

[Reaper0563]

I thought that was because the one guy didn't like the Strat, not because it was broken.

Maybe I'm thinking about a different video.

yeh i think they had a broken whammy bar though, which is just bad luck really

no one else has complained about breakage.
Atleast the strat won't have the incredibly stupid design problems that the les paul has, what ******s, making a controller that breaks apart = worst idea eva.

[bumbousdude25]

I thought that was because the one guy didn't like the Strat, not because it was broken.

Maybe I'm thinking about a different video.

You, sir, are correct. PWNED SKYE. :p



IMO Harmonix supplied BB with shotty guitars for a reason. They probably had an overstock of problematic guitars so they said "hey, lets give them away to best buy so people can demo them until the game comes, since they'll probably only survive that long". I doubt we're getting brand new guitars

I think this is the case. Just looking at the facts (tour guitars are fine, mag reviewer guitars are fine, but BB guitars suck), I believe this is the most likely answer.

And, actually, seeing as how not ALL BB guitars suck (mine works great), that even more so proves this point.

I really do like the Strat, too. It just feels so much cooler to hold than the LP or X-Plorer (or SG, for that matter). The solo buttons are awesome (they take some getting used to, but I picked up on them pretty quick), the effects are really cool (a little harder to use during a song, but they still sound cool), the top buttons' larger size and less clicky feel is nice, and just the overall feel of the guitar is... nice. I enjoyed using it a lot more when I first picked it up than when I first used the X-Plorer or SG. Even the initial issues with the strum bar can be overlooked because not only do you get used to that, too (and learn to love it), but again, masterx's point: these are probably just crap-ass demo guitars.

[skyehill]

You, sir, are correct. PWNED SKYE. :p






Actually they stated his guitar was broken (for him it was the whammy bar). So to quote you: PWNED! :p

[tbradshaw]

1up had to use a GH2 guitar in their recent video preview due to a broken RB guitar.

Link, please?

[bl4ckfl4g]

Wow he got death wished upon him because he complained about the RB guitars....LOL GG guys.


There obviously is a problem. I went to two Best Buys near me and the drums worked great but the guitars were broken.

Harmonix could clear a lot of this up by making a statement about it. I have it preordered and fully paid for and I don't want to get ripped off because of a faulty guitar.

[Reaper0563]

Actually they stated his guitar was broken (for him it was the whammy bar). So to quote you: PWNED! :p

that wouldn't keep him from using the guitar though, plus there is only one guitar in the bundle so a bassist pretty much had to use a GH guitar . . . no one is pwned?

[skyehill]

you guys are busting his balls but I'm concerned about this too.

My Best Buy's guitar is busted now. But there are two stations with working guitar hero guitars. They've got to be getting the same abuse but still work.

And I highly doubt any company would send out a shoddy product on purpose to demo to the public.

The reason I keep bringing it up is because you know Harmonix is reading this forum and yet they don't respond to the issue. Why not? If it's a non-factor, tell us. Tell us and then sticky it. Otherwise the huge number of broken guitars continues to translate into: the guitars are fragile.

[Jack_Harvard]

I think something that has been left out is that it's possible that BB is simply replacing any GH guitars that get screwy, and they only have one RB guitar. I mean, that's not unheard of, is it?

[MaineDrummer]

It would be nice though if someone from HMX would at least make a comment on this issue. I played at BB the day it came out and it was fine but I just now got back from WM and the strum was problematic. I am still holding final judgment for the one I bring home. If it's broke, it'll go back. I too am starting to worry a little.

[SmokaCola]

1up had to use a GH2 guitar in their recent video preview due to a broken RB guitar.


Not true, that guy prefers the GH controller over the RB controller.

[tbradshaw]

you guys are busting his balls but I'm concerned about this too.

You're totally right, and actually, skye is right too. It's just that he's been ragging on the same thing in multiple threads constantly and so it's more than just this thread that we're whining about.

It all stems from a thread that he started in which he slammed the guitar as garbage, and then he was mercilessly flamed. Since then he's taken every opportunity to "prove his point" to the detriment of the conversation.

We're all concerned that the Best Buy demo's aren't holding up. But, there's more than enough evidence that they are getting abused in comparison to home use, and we're hoping that everything is going to turn out okay once we get guitars home.

If we could merge the threads together, it would make more sense.

[Reaper0563]

could also be due to douchebags who intentionally wreck the equipment, the last time i went to BB there were two douches that were playing and they were beating on the drums hard and strumming hard, the guy was slamming on the smaller solo keys because he didn't know that they could only work on the solo. They failed the song and said "this game is ***, im going to tell everyone that i played rockband and it was ***." so GH fanboys being douches is a possibility.

@ Jack Harvard, thats a possibility they had tons of GH3 bundles left over at my BB, at least 5 or 6. I don't know if they would swap them out, but its possible. There is no way that those shoddy controllers would last this long :D. Especially with all the connection problems they've been having.

[jq71586]

I'll throw out another possibility. Flame it, embrace it, I guess it's all you decision.

These guitars go through many stages from an initial build to a final build. Maybe these demo guitars aren't the final build. They could have noticed a problem after producing a certain number of them and realized that they couldn't be released to the masses. So instead of just eating the cost from making this small amount of guitars they just decided to send them out with the demos.

Now, you may say, "Won't they take a bigger loss by people becoming frustrated at the guitar and then not wanting to purchase the item?" But the guitar is the least focused on instrument in the bunch. People are going to be so mesmerized by the drums that they may not care that the guitar may have a fault and may chalk it up to overuse/misuse by customers.

So, in the end it may cost them less to lose a few potential customers because the guitar doesn't work 100% effectively, than to eat the cost of disposing of these faulty guitar and have to make a thousand new guitars. I mean there already is a shortage on bundles according to EA, why waste perfectly good guitars on demos that are just going to get beat to crap.

It's just a theory, I'm just throwing it out there. :D lol

[skyehill]

You're totally right, and actually, skye is right too. It's just that he's been ragging on the same thing in multiple threads constantly and so it's more than just this thread that we're whining about.

It all stems from a thread that he started in which he slammed the guitar as garbage, and then he was mercilessly flamed. Since then he's taken every opportunity to "prove his point" to the detriment of the conversation.

We're all concerned that the Best Buy demo's aren't holding up. But, there's more than enough evidence that they are getting abused in comparison to home use, and we're hoping that everything is going to turn out okay once we get guitars home.

If we could merge the threads together, it would make more sense.


Being flamed by fanbabies doesn't bother me. I'm a bigger harmonix fan than most people around here, I bet. I remember sending them an email the day after Frequency came out thanking them for putting out such an amazing game. I've been buying their games ever since. That's why the shoddy guitar bothers me.

[tbradshaw]

Being flamed by fanbabies doesn't bother me. I'm a bigger harmonix fan than most people around here, I bet. I remember sending them an email the day after Frequency came out thanking them for putting out such an amazing game. I've been buying their games ever since. That's why the shoddy guitar bothers me.

Fair enough. I hope that when you pick up the game the guitar--in it's virgin condition--can ease your pain. If not, then you'll be able to come back here and deliver the big "I told you so"s. I'd be cool if, until then, there were less "omg crappy guitar" posts. ;)

[skyehill]

Fair enough. I hope that when you pick up the game the guitar--in it's virgin condition--can ease your pain. If not, then you'll be able to come back here and deliver the big "I told you so"s. I'd be cool if, until then, there were less "omg crappy guitar" posts. ;)

I won't say "told you so". I'm not a fanboy. I'm a concerned fan of Harmonix. And if my RB guitar sucks, I'll simply use my GH3 guitar, which I really love.