HMX: Strat strum bar durability

[tf5_bassist]

If someone at HMX could answer this, that would be awesome indeed, I'm sure Canfield has a clue or two about this, judging from his blogs...

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I'm one of the very few people who play GH with a pick, and for the most part, there's not a problem. The SG holds up really well against playing with a pick. I can't speak for the Xplorer, since I don't have one, but so far, I've been playing GH3 with a pick, and the strum bar is getting more and more loose every day. It feels like a totally different strum bar now, whereas the SG has taken probably 20 times as much more abuse, if not more.

My question is... Has the Strat been playtested with this kind of abuse, particularly with a pick? Picking tends to put a lot more strain on the strum bar than normal play, but I know that it shouldn't be a problem, as the SG is demonstrating. Has anyone actually played through a career or two with a pick at HMX during playtesting?

I just don't want to destroy my beautiful Strat when I get it. Should I be relearning how to play without a pick if I want to keep the Strat safe? For some odd reason, I just completely suck ass without a pick.

[Quastor]

Just a couple notes, I've read elsewhere that the Les Paul strum bar is loosening up, so it's not the way you play, it's the guitar itself.

And I think playing with a pick is a bit outside the normal use of the guitar controllers, so I don't think it's likely they tested it like this. Though I'm sure there's enough picks lying around the offices that maybe someone will give it a try for you.

[HMXChrisCanfield]

We knew that some people use picks so we make sure to keep any paint or coloring off of the strum bar. It wasn't a focus, but we were aware of it. We actually did have a few people in playtesting that played with picks; things went fine.

I just spent an hour picking (1.0 mm) the strat, and it didn't seem to play any different before than after. Now, that guitar has 20 hours on it, so it may have just been pre-loosened.

It is likely that the strum bar will feel stiffer a the beginning than once it has loosened up a bit, but this is universal. Also... who really knows what will happen once the hardware is in the wild. Getting real physical stuff out there is always a bit nail biting.

As a side note, the nub on the strum bar makes it feel a bit more like you're picking a string, though some day I'd love to really nail the picking experience.

[tf5_bassist]

Awesome Chris, that's some good info, and makes me feel a lot better about not breaking the Strat's strum bar. I noticed the nub on the strum bar and thought that'd work really well for strumming feel-wise, although I didn't pick the guitar on the tour 'cause I didn't want to accidentally break a tour guitar lol...

On a rather odd note, however, about "nailing the picking experience"... what about creating a guitar that has a string instead of a strum bar, using something like this:

http://www.stoffelshome.de/alt_controller/yamaha_ezag.jpg

These MIDI-controller guitars have like, 5" strings that are permanently mounted at a pretty accurate tension, and it's really easy to play these. It'd be sweet to see a Rock Band controller with one of these strings in place of the strum bar. I've got this crazy idea for a controller with a removable strum bar that can be replaced with a string sensor like these synth guitars, and I'd guaranteed at least two one if one were ever created lol.

Plus, HMX could make more money off of selling replacement string modules for the wankers who break 'em. :D

Okay, enough of me rambling on this topic for now, probably should go do some work and tell some people how to fix their DVD drives. :/

[The_Vampire_Lestat]

Awesome Chris, that's some good info, and makes me feel a lot better about not breaking the Strat's strum bar. I noticed the nub on the strum bar and thought that'd work really well for strumming feel-wise, although I didn't pick the guitar on the tour 'cause I didn't want to accidentally break a tour guitar lol...

On a rather odd note, however, about "nailing the picking experience"... what about creating a guitar that has a string instead of a strum bar, using something like this:

http://www.stoffelshome.de/alt_controller/yamaha_ezag.jpg

These MIDI-controller guitars have like, 5" strings that are permanently mounted at a pretty accurate tension, and it's really easy to play these. It'd be sweet to see a Rock Band controller with one of these strings in place of the strum bar. I've got this crazy idea for a controller with a removable strum bar that can be replaced with a string sensor like these synth guitars, and I'd guaranteed at least two one if one were ever created lol.

Plus, HMX could make more money off of selling replacement string modules for the wankers who break 'em. :D

Okay, enough of me rambling on this topic for now, probably should go do some work and tell some people how to fix their DVD drives. :/

That would be sweet.

[LongDarkBlues]

So on something like that in RB would it not matter which string you hit? Or would they have to redesign the onscreen fretboard to accommodate 30 different note placements (assuming it's still just 5 buttons)??

[tf5_bassist]

So on something like that in RB would it not matter which string you hit? Or would they have to redesign the onscreen fretboard to accommodate 30 different note placements (assuming it's still just 5 buttons)??

Nah, I'm just talking like, one string. Having multiple strings I would think would result in multiple hits being registered. But if it were just one string, mounted like on that MIDI guitar, in place of the strum bar, it'd be seriously easy to play. At least for those of us who are used to playing either with a pick, or fingerstyle on bass.

String gauge, I'd probably try using a heavy string, maybe like between a .30 on a bass (the G string on a 4-string bass) and a .52 (low E) on a guitar... Something thick enough to withstand abuse, but thin enough to speedpick easily enough.

edit: To clarify, I'm not really referring to changing the whole play mechanics, just the way that strumming is registered. One string to substitute one mechanical strum bar. Eliminates bar slapback, no downstrum/upstrum stickiness, although without some creative sensor engineering, it won't be able to detect which way the strum's coming from since it's sensing vibrations from the string in general, not a switch being thrown by a moving piece of plastic. So the "Authentic Strummer" achievement would have to be done on a regular controller if that sensor wasn't able to be implemented, and menu navigation would have to be done with the D-pad.

[seafisch]

That would be very cool. I'd buy a couple - thinner gauge for guitar playing with a pick, thicker gauge for bass playing with the fingees.

[tf5_bassist]

That would be very cool. I'd buy a couple - thinner gauge for guitar playing with a pick, thicker gauge for bass playing with the fingees.

Yeah, that would be totally feasible with snap-in modules. I'm sure it's not as easily implemented on the manufacturing side, developing a reliable-connecting snap-in module that will withstand abuse, not fall out on you mid-song, etc etc, but it'd be completely worth it in the long run, I think, for both the gamers and HMX as another long-term revenue stream.

[LongDarkBlues]

Just for fun - damn would that be challenging, but a great way to learn a real guitar:

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3199/rockband6stringsof5.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockband6stringsof5.jpg)

[tf5_bassist]

aaaaaahahahaha... that's so awesome, I wish imageshack wasn't blocked at work, i'd love to see the full one, but it'll have to wait until i get home I guess hehe.

[Quastor]

Just for fun - damn would that be challenging, but a great way to learn a real guitar:

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3199/rockband6stringsof5.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockband6stringsof5.jpg)

I'm laughing so hard people are giving me strange looks at work.

That's an awesome picture though. Maybe it's how they'll handle RB2? :P

Props on the image though, it looks really great, except the font isn't Rock enough.

[mohkilla]

If someone at HMX could answer this, that would be awesome indeed, I'm sure Canfield has a clue or two about this, judging from his blogs...

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I'm one of the very few people who play GH with a pick, and for the most part, there's not a problem. The SG holds up really well against playing with a pick. I can't speak for the Xplorer, since I don't have one, but so far, I've been playing GH3 with a pick, and the strum bar is getting more and more loose every day. It feels like a totally different strum bar now, whereas the SG has taken probably 20 times as much more abuse, if not more.

My question is... Has the Strat been playtested with this kind of abuse, particularly with a pick? Picking tends to put a lot more strain on the strum bar than normal play, but I know that it shouldn't be a problem, as the SG is demonstrating. Has anyone actually played through a career or two with a pick at HMX during playtesting?

I just don't want to destroy my beautiful Strat when I get it. Should I be relearning how to play without a pick if I want to keep the Strat safe? For some odd reason, I just completely suck ass without a pick.


I gotta tell you im there with u bro i play GH with a pick too... i have the xbox one and the strumbar on my X-plorer has gotten loose too :( thats why i stopped playing with a pic... on the new guitar

[Tomahawk214]

Quick question: How durable is the silver paint on the whammy bar? I have noticed that some of the paint has been wearing off of the whammy bar on my Xplorer from all the times i've used it. Under it is a brass color, and it's not a big problem, but it just feels weird now and I keep thinking I accidentally had some soda get all sticky on it or something, but I realize it's the metal underneath.

Oh and I hope the strum bar isn't like what I played a Best Buy, it felt really stiff and soft and much harder to strum, plus the downstroke didn't work. I'm assuming this is the normal wear and tear of a demo guitar (similar things happen on the demo GH2 Xplorer) but I really hope the stiffness and softness isn't part of the guitar? Does it feel like strumming the old GH guitar?

[tf5_bassist]

I gotta tell you im there with u bro i play GH with a pick too... i have the xbox one and the strumbar on my X-plorer has gotten loose too :( thats why i stopped playing with a pic... on the new guitar

Yeah... I never had the xplorer, although my bro in law has one, and he had to beat the sh!t out of it just to get it to stop doublestrumming on him... i figured the LP would be better designed and hold up to it like the SG. guess not lol...


Oh and I hope the strum bar isn't like what I played a Best Buy, it felt really stiff and soft and much harder to strum, plus the downstroke didn't work. I'm assuming this is the normal wear and tear of a demo guitar (similar things happen on the demo GH2 Xplorer) but I really hope the stiffness and softness isn't part of the guitar? Does it feel like strumming the old GH guitar?

It was probably a preproduction guitar, and got the sh!t beat out of it by a bunch of idiot 'tweens. The ones I played on tour were sexay.

[Catalytic]

Just for fun - damn would that be challenging, but a great way to learn a real guitar:

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3199/rockband6stringsof5.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockband6stringsof5.jpg)

And my head just exploded. :eek:

[Emo_Reaper]

Thats halarious,and as much as im against them making the game so that you actuallly learn guitar,that looks sweet. I think they should just stick with the normal controllers.

[tf5_bassist]

And my head just exploded. :eek:

Hah! I finally got around to/remembered to look at this at home, and oh man, that's priceless. I think that might go as my wallpaper for a while. :D