Strat= Awesome!!!

[xenopherus]

I was having a bunch of trouble with the strat yesterday like everyone else. My fingers couldn't find the buttons, the strumbar didn't seem to work properly. I was getting really sick to my stomach that I had just paid tons of money for something that didn't work right.

So, I woke up this morning, went to work. Came back home... Suddenly my sub-par strat rocks harder than the X-plorer! There was some sort of update to the game last night that might've had some part in it, but.... Well it was like I woke up and was suddenly able to play expert like, well, an expert.

My fingers could somehow glide effortlessly (mostly) over the fret board, easily finding each button quickly. I started out very patiently and extremely gently strumming the strumbar... I was hitting fast note passages most of the time not needing to strum both up and down, but would make that adjustment for the insanely fast passages. Songs that I didn't think I'd pass at all I'd end up getting through with at least 80% with most songs coming in the mid 90% mark. The only song that was a close call was Suffragatte City. I made plenty of mistakes, but each one I knew was entirely my error. (I haven't had the time yet to play every song on expert)

WOW!!! What a great guitar! I'm totally baffled how it suddenly works better than the X-plorer now. It still has that weird overdrive malfunction every now and then, but that I can live with. If anyone out there is still having problems with their guitar, I guess it just takes time to get used to. I'm SO glad I got used to it!

[StrangeDays]

Yeh, I'm not sure why some folks are hating on the Fenders (other than some folks getting busted guitars)...I really dig mine so far.

I'd like to hear what other people think about them in a few weeks once people get used to them.

[StealthOps013]

Well,
1. whenever i press yellow alone or blue alone on my solo buttons, it always says i am pressing a yellow blue chord, so i can never hit the stand-alone note.

2. my effects switch completely skips over my wah-wah, and it just show up.

3. i get sooo many random misses from the strumming and buttons.

[SmokaCola]

So far mine is ok, i've beaten all the songs and played a few online with other people. I'm really hoping it stays this way. I feel bad for the guys that have busted guitars :(

[SlivedCupWinner]

It's a shame that so many seem to be having problems with it, but I have to agree that the Strat is a great controller. I had been having a hard time on GH getting my pinky going, so I was playing with just three fingers. As a result, I only had a couple of tiers doine on GHII expert.

Because, the strat was better for me at training my pinky to get in the action. So as a test, I went back to GHII last night and went from tier 3 to tier 6 in expert. Got stuck on Crazy on You just because I don't know the song that well and need practice. The x-plorer feels a little funny though because it's so small compared to the strat.

The strum bar is also really nice, just barely have to move it. I wonder if folks are breaking theirs trying to get the same tactile repsonse that the GH controllers give with the "click" Myself, I've gotten a lot better at alternate picking with it as well.

No complaints from me, just hope to not have the same issues as others.

[mind_in_rewind]

It only took one song to get used to the Strat. I really like it.

I have a question, though. Is everyone's whammy-bar bent outward? It seem too far away, and looks a little odd. Is mine bent, or does everyone's look like this?

[NattyLight]

Are you really set on getting a drum throne? If not, a chair works just fine.

[SlivedCupWinner]

Are you really set on getting a drum throne? If not, a chair works just fine.

Wrong thread? or did I miss something?

and ya, my strat whammy bar sticks out a good ways. But at least (for now) it stays where I put and and doesn't drop.

[Bakkster]

I have a question, though. Is everyone's whammy-bar bent outward? It seem too far away, and looks a little odd. Is mine bent, or does everyone's look like this?

That's the way the whammy bar is on a Strat. You can blame Fender if you don't like it ;)

I'm willing to bet money that once the production issues are taken care of and everyone has had a chance to get used to the Strat, it will be the new (plastic) guitar of choice.

[milesodanglers]

I was having a bunch of trouble with the strat yesterday like everyone else. My fingers couldn't find the buttons, the strumbar didn't seem to work properly. I was getting really sick to my stomach that I had just paid tons of money for something that didn't work right.

So, I woke up this morning, went to work. Came back home... Suddenly my sub-par strat rocks harder than the X-plorer! There was some sort of update to the game last night that might've had some part in it, but.... Well it was like I woke up and was suddenly able to play expert like, well, an expert.

My fingers could somehow glide effortlessly (mostly) over the fret board, easily finding each button quickly. I started out very patiently and extremely gently strumming the strumbar... I was hitting fast note passages most of the time not needing to strum both up and down, but would make that adjustment for the insanely fast passages. Songs that I didn't think I'd pass at all I'd end up getting through with at least 80% with most songs coming in the mid 90% mark. The only song that was a close call was Suffragatte City. I made plenty of mistakes, but each one I knew was entirely my error. (I haven't had the time yet to play every song on expert)

WOW!!! What a great guitar! I'm totally baffled how it suddenly works better than the X-plorer now. It still has that weird overdrive malfunction every now and then, but that I can live with. If anyone out there is still having problems with their guitar, I guess it just takes time to get used to. I'm SO glad I got used to it!

Yeah this exact thing happened to me, i was doing sooo good and then the downstrum stopped working in the middle of train kept a rollin on expert lol and so i tried to do the rest of the song on upstrum, after failing it i then tried an easier song and saw that the downstrum would not work at all, needless to say i have a replacement on the way that i ordered from ea.support.com/rockband

[mind_in_rewind]

That's the way the whammy bar is on a Strat. You can blame Fender if you don't like it ;)Ahhh, I see. Thanks for the info. :) I have a Tele (no whammy), never used a Strat. I hope they make a Tele, that would be sweet! Only a matter of time, I guess.

[Tenacious_B]

I love the strat, it feels like a real guitar, the freat buttons are great and I like the strum bar.. Only complaint i have is that it seems harrd to do alternate chords in quick succession like r-b-o | r-b | r-b-o

[CancerDancer]

... the downstrum would not work at all...

Same problem I had, but overall whilst it worked I was very impressed with it, and the game as a whole.

[bumbousdude25]

I absolutely love the Strat, more than any GH guitar, that's for sure. I've been using it since I got the game midnight Monday/Tuesday, and have encountered no problems so far (knock on wood ;)). The Strat is just so full of... awesomeness. It's hard to explain, but just the overall feel of it is better than the X-Plorer, SG, or Les Paul. Plus, I think the strum bar has spot-on accuracy, unlike the clicky GH guitars, which were obviously annoyingly loud and obnoxious, and had resistance to them, making them not quite as accurate. The buttons (all 10 of them) feel better, too, and are much easier to slide with.

Anyway, that's my take. :D

[ddarko]

Ditto. I had no problems using it from the get go but I just didn't like the feel of the strat at first but now it's really starting to grow on me. From a quality standpoint it still feels a little chinzy and flimsy, plus I thought it would be much larger. But really I forget about all that when I'm playing it so it's all good. I've heard that picks work well with this thing so I may pick one up and try it out. Overall a great game and having tons of fun! :)

[Xzyliac]

The Strat is amazing. The size is brillant and if you have kicked the bucket on GHII nailing solo with the higher frets is like a whole new challenge. Some effects feel cheap (echo has too much delay for my taste) but for the most add enough creativity to stand beside freeform drum fills.

The Strat is a new standard. Haters be damned.

[jordan15b]

i was playing xpert detroit rock city i was wammying a power note and the spring snapped in it or something becuase now it moves freely other then that i love it

[hardyfoster]

i don't know if everyones is this way, but i can lightly tap my strumbar with a medium guitar pick and it registers as a strum. i don't mind it. i do fine with it.

red octane built a toy guitar you could beat up on a such and it still works.

it seems harmonix built an instrument that you have to take care of. no problem. but the people who aren't familiar with instruments may have a problem.

i don't know if the previous guitars do it, but on the strat, if you hold down / up the strum bar, it will get registering. (try it when selecting menu choices). so perhaps any software fix maybe if it is strummed once, don't strum again until it is returned to the center position.

[visualdeity]

I love the Strat. It's a great controller. The issues people are having are real, though. Mine worked flawlessly at first, but after rocking out all day yesterday on it, the downstrum doesn't work any more (you have to jam on the strum bar REAL hard to get it to register the strum), and upstrums are starting to get flaky. Thankfully, EA seems to be ready to provide great service, and I hope the new one I get from them lasts longer, because I seriously dig the controller.

Oh, mine also came with the effects switch not attached, and I couldn't figure out how to get it put on. I'm assuming that isn't normal, though.