If your Guitar seems to cut out or have problems with the down strum, here's the fix.

[thebillyman]

Alright, I haven't tested this long term yet as I just did it, but so far it's returned the strumming to its original state.

The problem: The little metal pieces that touch when you strum have a plastic piece behind them. There is space in between the metal and the plastic, allowing the long used metal to bend and get too far away from the other metal piece.

The fix:
Step 1: Remove the back of the guitar. Be careful with your screws and the back of the guitar as to not pull on the wires connecting to the battery pack.
Step 2: Get some paper, scissors, and preferably some tweezers.
Step 3: Make a strip of paper about a quarter of an inch wide. Fold it to make a rectangle. Fold it over three to four times (depending on the thickness of your paper). You will have a small rectangle of paper.
Step 4: Using tweezers, stick the paper rectangle in between the metal and the palstic backing (the black plastic, not the white plastic on the strum bar). I did this for the down and up strums just to be safe. this should keep the metal pieces close enough together so they can't bend out.
Step 5: Put the back back on, play, and prasie the Lord if it works.


To harmonix: It seems like an easy fix to this problem would be to make the plastic backing touch the metal piece instead of having that small distance between the two. That way the metal won't be able to bend out of place, even in the slightest.

Good luck to everyone. I know a lot of people are having problems, but I will say the game is truely amazing. Phenomenal!

[bassmasta93]

hey, i was wondering, how did u get the back off because ive been tryin to get the screws out but there stuck

[DansNutz]

hey, i was wondering, how did u get the back off because ive been tryin to get the screws out but there stuck


Try using a screw driver :p

[bassmasta93]

Try using a screw driver :p


no duh, but the screws are glued in there or somethin and i cant get them out

[cwb420]

Kinda lame u would need to post this thread anyway... i dunno how this subpar hardware made it on shelves... sounds to me like 50% of peoples strum bars quit workin in one way or another...harmonix can't tell me in all the pre-launch testing, none of these hardware problems came up? I just don't understand it.. i hope theres a recall

[tehbizz]

There are batteries in a USB-powered guitar? That doesn't make any sense.

[FallenAce]

bassmasta: That happens when the screw gets stuck in the plastic. Start to wedge the two pieces of plastic the screw is holding together apart WHILE unscrewing. It will force the screw to catch the threading and it will start to come out. You need to be gentle on the plastic while you separate, but increase the force as you go to keep the screw moving.

[Anthonysandoval]

no duh, but the screws are glued in there or somethin and i cant get them out

there are a couple screws behind the pickguard

[Arkanazzt]

Using the paper shim is one fix..

I fix mine by lightly filing down the contacts. I used a real light grit sandpaper and ran it between the contacts 6 or 7 times. Then cleaned the contacts off with some rubbing alcohol.

I've had 0 problems since doing this for about 10 hours of play and it's still going strong.

[Arkanazzt]

there are a couple screws behind the pickguard

You don't take off the pickguard.. you take off the back of the guitar.
There's 4 where it attaches to the neck, and 12 around the edge of the guitar

[Anthonysandoval]

You don't take off the pickguard.. you take off the back of the guitar.
There's 4 where it attaches to the neck, and 12 around the edge of the guitar

when i took apart my guitar, i took off ALL the screws on the back, and it still would not come off, i then unscrewed the pickguard and discovered there were 2 more screws behind it that were not letting me remove the back of the guitar.

[Granteezy]

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the advice for those willing to take their guitars apart, but come on Harmonix, WTF were you thinking putting this guitar on shelves? I want a new guitar, and I want it yesterday!

[dborden]

DO NOT DO THIS! There is a better fix: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=40188


filing anything will void your warranty.

[Supergeek]

Ok, I tried this solution. It helps tremendously on medium and slow playing, but for fast, rapid chords the guitar still cuts out/double strums like every 5 to 8 notes.

For example, When You Were Young has a lot of repeated chords. I was lucky to get 3 stars. I had played 8 other songs before that and gotten 5 stars on each, but they were slow to medium paced songs without a lot of repeated chords.

[PunkJr]

DO NOT DO THIS! There is a better fix:

http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=40188


filing anything will void your warranty.

This is an AWESOME thread. Great reverse engineering there. :) Thanks for posting that!

[dborden]

This is an AWESOME thread. Great reverse engineering there. :) Thanks for posting that!

my pleasure. I just dont want people to ruin there warrantly by filing things...

[cwb420]

nice reply dborden... that seems to be whats wrong with mine, downstrum is slightly mis aligned... again seems odd this design flaw passed thru pre-launch testing but i guess this is an easy fix without jimmy riggin it...:cool:

[lineous]

Ok, I tried this solution. It helps tremendously on medium and slow playing, but for fast, rapid chords the guitar still cuts out/double strums like every 5 to 8 notes.

For example, When You Were Young has a lot of repeated chords. I was lucky to get 3 stars. I had played 8 other songs before that and gotten 5 stars on each, but they were slow to medium paced songs without a lot of repeated chords.


I have this EXACT same problem. I know I'm hitting the chords at the right time, but some times it won't register... will the above fix this or what is going on?

[Quastor]

I've bookmarked that thread. Thanks!

[crustyjuggler]

I hope my guitar doesn't go down like this. But if it does, thanks for posting the tips

[eaiyen]

Thank you Dborden ! That was an excellent post and very informative. I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders reading thats it basically just needs a screw tightened, I been almost afraid to even play with my strat.... My whammy bar was clicking but It was just the spring catching on itself...Easily remedied :p

[RockGrl]

Is this problem with the guitar strum on both PS3 and 360? We returned our defective PS3 bundle and got the XBOX bundle and have had ZERO issues whatsoever. Even the drums work better and the microphone has no more echo. The PS3 bundle sucks.

[roxperch]

Well ... the Ben Sones fix has worked so far. Only played five songs, but got 100% on medium Maps only using downstrums. Gonna get the stepson to play it as he treats things with a little less, um, respect.

[killi_]

another caveat to this repair, is the double strum problem could be caused by the metal contacts. i opened mine, and found that the metal contact furthest away from the strum bar was bent inward toward the other contact, and a strum would be very erratic. i removed the two metal contacts, bent the outside one further away to where it was resting up against the black screw holder when reinserted, and presto, fully functional plastic geetar

[Maggot_Brain]

All these threads about fixes are fine and dandy except for one thing: It shouldn't break this fast! What we got here is a design flaw and I'm eagerly awaiting an official response from Harmonix.

[Childs Play]

Thanks for tip .... Im gonna try that for mine .... it only acts up every now and again but at least I know there is a fix to it ... even if i have to do it myself

[roxperch]

All these threads about fixes are fine and dandy except for one thing: It shouldn't break this fast! What we got here is a design flaw and I'm eagerly awaiting an official response from Harmonix.

Agree. Even though I fixed mine, I'm still doing the trade-in thingy.

[InsaneGame]

Will this work on a cutting out up strum? my down strum works fine...

[jeepman83706]

DO NOT DO THIS! There is a better fix: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=40188


filing anything will void your warranty.




Am I missing something with removing the back of the guitar? I've gotten all the screws out and it feels like there's something in the middle of the guitar that keeps the back from coming apart. You say to "gently" pull the back off, which makes me think I'm doing something wrong. Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

[Keebler]

Am I missing something with removing the back of the guitar? I've gotten all the screws out and it feels like there's something in the middle of the guitar that keeps the back from coming apart. You say to "gently" pull the back off, which makes me think I'm doing something wrong. Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

There's 2 more screws apparently hidden under the faceplate on the front.

[Anthonysandoval]

There's 2 more screws apparently hidden under the faceplate on the front.

exactly, what i have noticed is people that have the metal contact strumbars dont have screws behind the pickguard, and ones that have the other strumbar have screwes behind the pick guard

[jeepman83706]

so then I need to remove all the screws from the front thereby removing the white plastic part?

[Anthonysandoval]

so then I need to remove all the screws from the front thereby removing the white plastic part?

pretty much, but you will only be able to move the white part just enough to access the screws, the switch on the front of the guitar prevents you from completely removing the white part

[jeepman83706]

pretty much, but you will only be able to move the white part just enough to access the screws, the switch on the front of the guitar prevents you from completely removing the white part



man my hands are tired!! OK, here goes. have you done this? does it really work, fixing the strum this way?

[Anthonysandoval]

man my hands are tired!! OK, here goes. have you done this? does it really work, fixing the strum this way?

i have opened up my guitar, but i dont have the same strum mechanism as described in the fix, mine is just messed up.

[jeepman83706]

Wow!!! The inside of my guitar doesn't look anything like that picture!!! And there's a bunch of scotch tape holding wires everywhere! lol

[jeepman83706]

i have opened up my guitar, but i dont have the same strum mechanism as described in the fix, mine is just messed up.



yours must be like mine then. did you just order a new guitar? Wow, how messed up is this???


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/2058533767_3248eb7a9f.jpg

[freakonate]

The problem with the guitar is printed right on the back. "Made in China"

[innocentsinner]

Jeepman, that's the kind that I have too. It looks absolutely ridiculous.


See those screws (top left and bottom left) that push down on the plastic 'flipper' housing? They're supposed to push down on top of the housing to hold it in place, I'm assuming. With mine, the screw misses the top housing and pushes against it instead of on top, tilting it at an angle because of the pressure. The housing is also slightly bent as a result and missing a piece of plastic (not an important one, but it still adds to the damaged, cheap look of it all). The quality of these guitars is ****ty, at best. And foam? Seriously?

[TheWabbit]

As much as I want to open the guitar and fix the strum myself, I just called Customer Support. I just hope the new guitar works.

[xizorhutt]

if mine breaks im not opening it up because that will void the warrenty and you wont be able to get a replacement for free. Thank god the GH2 and GH3 guitars work on the 360 cause that gives me three back ups. Feel sory for the PS3 peeps who are sh*t of luck lo.:eek:

[cwb420]

if mine breaks im not opening it up because that will void the warrenty and you wont be able to get a replacement for free. Thank god the GH2 and GH3 guitars work on the 360 cause that gives me three back ups. Feel sory for the PS3 peeps who are sh*t of luck lo.:eek:

far as i seen, taking the screws out and looking inside doesnt void any warranty... and if u do take it apart and have the same setup mentioned in the post by borden, you can obviously see that the down/up strum side will be mis-aligned.... easy fix aslong as it stays long term wich is yet to determine....:cool:

[jeepman83706]

As much as I want to open the guitar and fix the strum myself, I just called Customer Support. I just hope the new guitar works.



That's my worry too. Are they just going to send me another guitar that is the same that would come in the special edition bundle game? Or have they fixed them and will they send out a newly designed one? Chances are I'll get the same design as the original I got. I wonder if they will replace a replacement :)

[jeepman83706]

far as i seen, taking the screws out and looking inside doesnt void any warranty... and if u do take it apart and have the same setup mentioned in the original thread, you can obviously see that the down/up strum side will be mis-aligned.... easy fix aslong as it stays long term wich is yet to determine....:cool:

And if you have one like mine that I posted a pic of on page 4, then you're just screwed and should order another :)