Rock Band 3 Squier Pro Guitar Controller In Depth Review - Part 1

[@toshineon]

I can't beliveve they added a Pro-Chart for "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce. That has to be riddiculously hard :p

[@jasonkindo93]

RockSmith you can use you own guitar then

[@adi22121]

rocksmith is amazing, but this video uploaded before rocksmith released

[@SkyP1e]

I've had RB3 for nearly two weeks and I am so relieved that you say that the game is "pretty picky". I went to conservatory and have been playing professional keyboards for decades. However even songs that I have been playing on stage for many years were scoring me around 80%. I thought I had been fooling myself about my playing all this time. However, it is a relief to know that the game is just THAT strict. Thanks.

[@floating_in_glass]

I'm sad that Rock Band died out in the way that it did, but am a bit happier knowing that the rhythm games are coming back with a strong cult following. The implementation of "pro" instruments was such a cool idea and a technical feat, even with the problems that they have. It's impressive and an awesome tool to gamify practicing an instrument. I can see why the pro guitars have some problems that make them tough to FC anything, but I will say that the pro drums are amazing for playing/learning drums. The timing can be too strict/loose depending on the chart, and you can always cheese the parts (changing midi outputs, playing open hats as a ride), but it's a great way to learn drum part.

[@V0S1N0]

All I was looking for was one example of someone playing a song with the sound of the guitar audible, as it might be when playing a track. Good job making sure there isn't a single moment where your aren't talking over the playing.

[@yol_n]

The guitar doesn't make sound it's just ingame

[@Rooblez]

the guitar only makes sound when you disable the Mute, as the Mute is how the game recognizes which strings are being plucked

[@noobsaibot299]

This looks real confusing

[@noobsaibot299]

I'm saying the lay out of the game is confusing...

[@qua1ntZz]

​@@noobsaibot299 this game is bullshit. you can learn faster real guitar than this lol

[@manormanman7092]

@@qua1ntZz Its more of a good challenge for those that already know how to play a guitard then a learning experience.

[@Mickocarbomb]

@@qua1ntZz if you want to learn guitar Rocksmith 2014 is the best route overall when it comes to gaming, and it's the best if you're experienced and want to have fun.

[@humangenerator3824]

Cool, but does it djent?

[@deasename5839]

High gain amps djent.

[@KitsuneZeta]

the little chord thing at 9:00 - It's the error allowance Harmonix has on Pro Guitar/Bass - if you're close to the correct chord and only off by a fret on a string or two, it'll usually give it to you. Antibodies is the best spot for observing it (the entire last half of the song consists of two chords - 0-7-7-7-7-7 and 0-7-7-9-7-7 - and simply playing the first of those two will only result in one (maybe two) Combo Breaks per measure). Pro Keys has a similar thing with accidental key clipping.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@TheCurtor Since the strings are muted when you play the game you don't need to worry about tuning the guitar. The tabs are charted correctly based on the alternate tunings so you play a drop-d song just like you would on real guitar.

[@cahill95ta]

Just finished all 3 parts. Great job on the review. You covered a lot of the pros and cons really well. Should be extremely helpful for those that are curious about the Squier.

[@ColinThor]

Its a very fun way to learn to play songs aswell, not only practice guitar skills but managing to play the songs. If you can play a song on expert it has the real notes, chords and everything as the song should be which is amazingly done well

[@wowfornoobs]

Hey guys! In case you missed it the guy in the video is in a band called Rose of Jericho.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@burnsnewman I've thought about it, but i really don't want to pay full price for rocksmith. one thing that bother's me about rocksmith is aside from being able to play your own guitar, rocksmith does not introduce anything new that Harmonix didn't already think of 2 years ago.

[@roseofjerichoband]

sure, you can still find on secondary markets like amazon or ebay. i would recommend rocksmith though at this point.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Mouse48861 I'm glad the review has helped! Yes you can hook the guitar to up to any amp. It is identical to a regular guitar with the added feature that it can play RB3

[@Rembull1980]

You did the best review of the RB3 Squier I have seen to date. Excellent job!! And I dig your band as well.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Mikethekiller7 yes and no - it doesnt feel the same as a real guitar. the strings are muted so its not like your going to be able to pick this guitar up and play it exactly like your normal guitar. This is really intended for simpler techniques.

[@mrcrowley5597]

guitar games should be fun like the original one

[@roseofjerichoband]

@CrimsonFyre when there is a blue bar with no numbers that means you strike the strings without pressing your fingers down on the fretboard. It gives you a percussive sound. at 9:50 - the way you read the notation is that the "3" indicates the lowest note position then you tell by the height of the blue bar that you are supposed to play 5. If you can't read it there is a way to turn on numbers on all the strings so its easier to read. See the second part of the review.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@leon102 You have two options. If you want the best score then you have to play with the strings muted. If you don't care about the score then you can play the strings like normal.

[@roseofjerichoband]

thanks for the comment! i agree that if you have no interest in learning to play real guitar, then the squier is not for you. Also the squier doesn't have a tremolo; it has a fixed bridge.

[@GeorgeG90]

hm..... impressively detailed video. Gratz. Well my favourite guitar heroe 3 pc version with normal 5 buttons was my enjoyable experience. I believe real guitar on this rock band 3 should be for those who learn or learned how to play and wanna have fun on TV for an hour or so.

[@deasename5839]

It's fun getting 100% plus on rocksmith. It kinda rewards you for having fun!

[@Izodbmx93]

Me still stuck on the five color buttons for music games, i'm personally freakishly amazed that this is actual guitar playing on a game. definitely making the switch!

[@roseofjerichoband]

@AverageJop25 well you don't have to play on expert level. There are four difficulty levels so you can ramp up your skills and not get bogged down. also you can turn on "no fail" mode which pretty much means you can wail on the guitar all you want and you will never die.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Guitar42697 It is not a pickup - its a felt string mute. and yes, it moves.

[@yehaaa6]

@theorangejelousy the Squier Pro guitar has been discontinued, you can still find it on eBay and other such places though. the Mustang Midi button controller is still readily available.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@starfan28 unfortunately not. there is a lot of additional electronics in the squier that make it work with rock band 3

[@MrFlashXs]

I will admit that it is a start for learning guitar, while I don't own one, this can be a pretty fun way to learn guitar. Granted, it's somewhat basic compared to anything else but, it's a start. I'm impressed with Rock Band and when I have alot of money, I may get one myself

[@coffeediction]

So you kinda learn a real guitar while you play this ? WTF! Going to buy this.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@FallenSlothAM666 If you've never played guitar before then RB3 is going to be a very helpful learning tool. If you have the disciple to learn it on your own then getting a guitar works too. I would say for someone with no guitar experience it is easier to learn through the game.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@feign88 No, you have to have the squier RB3 guitar to play in pro mode. No other guitars will work.

[@ThisIsntEmoMusic]

I know I’m about 12 years late but could I plug this into and amp and gig with it? I think it would be hilarious

[@funkinfungoid]

I think it would be a pretty awful experience, but hilarious nonetheless

[@roseofjerichoband]

@danitcho yes all of the songs have a "learn the song" mode that shows you fingerings and chord positions so it would probably be great help to you in learning guitar.

[@PappaTrond]

Read the MIDI PRO Adapter FAQ at the rock band forums: Q: Can I use any guitar with a MIDI pickup or any MIDI guitar with it? A: No. The Fender Squier RB3 Guitar is the only electric guitar that will work. It has sensors for finger placement in the neck that combine with MIDI pickup data to send SysEx messages to the MIDI PRO adapter.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@theorangejelousy No - you need the squier rb3 controller to work with the game. there is a lot of extra electronics in the fretboard of the squier that make it work with the game.

[@j3bb9z]

Thanks, man. Now that review was really helpful. Have you tried Rocksmith? Would be cool if you'd make a review about that one and compare it with this Rock Band thing.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@artgeek12583 the guitar was $280 when it was new at Best Buy. I'm not sure if you can still get it there. Ebay might be your best choice.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@cestherrun I really dont have much of an opinion on RockSmith cause I havent played it but I can tell you that I'm not a fan of the fact that they invented a whole new way of reading music. RB3 uses guitar tab which many people are familiar with. Also I'm a bit skeptical on how well using your own guitar will work. The RB3 squier was engineered for this purpose and it just barely makes the cut so unless they came up with something revolutionary for RockSmith i would wait for the reviews.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@essendon073 There is no lefty version of the guitar, but I do know that some people have re-strung the guitar as a lefty and it does work.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Jicklenop You don't have to change tuning cause the strings are muted when you play the game so no sound comes out of the guitar anyways. The strings must be muted or else the game cannot properly detect which string you are picking.

[@roseofjerichoband]

You have good points which I also bring up in part 2 & 3 of this review. This game is not intended as a substitute for a real guitar teacher. Also if your only goal is to learn to play guitar then I don't recommend this game. But it can be a good supplement to help you.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@YourFearIsReal Yes, this guitar is a real guitar. You can play it like normal.

[@OZPerpetue]

@feign88 But you can now buy Rocksmith, which allows for any guitar to be used, try it.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@BCONN96 yes you can play it as a realy guitar - it is a real guitar.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@sangc93 No, it doesn't read bends because the strings are muted when you play. So bending doesn't really do anything.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@instantdeath99 I really have no idea. My best guess would be it is unlikely that they are going to make more. But don't spend your money just on my opinion!

[@roseofjerichoband]

@BayHarborButcher04 I don't have any easy way of remembering them. unfortunately you're just gonna have to practice until you know the strings by muscle memory. it takes some time but you'll get there.

[@Prophetkryztof]

To kind of explain the peculiarity thing a bit where you don't have to hold all the positions, I read before they released the guitar that they were going to put things like that in there. If that C had been followed by the exact same note in succession, and you still didn't have those high strings barred, it would have counted against you. I have noticed that you are able to fudge up the first note chord with some give. But the rest of them have to be right in order to count.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@bo5061 Yes, there is a lefty flip mode but the guitar is right handed, so you'll have to play it upside down or re-string it.

[@PaceBreaker]

I think it has more to do with learning - even though it's distinctly used in PRO mode (irony). You can improvise and play (for real) how you want after you've learn the core elements, right?

[@roseofjerichoband]

@raitosanruku The squier is a real guitar. You can play it like normal. And yes I do think you can learn something from the game.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@DoubleS0312 You have a couple options, you can tilt the guitar like the regular controller or you can press a button on the midi adapter.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@paullewis560 You string the guitar just like you would a regular guitar, so the strings do break but you can replace them.

[@MrBuntudor]

The Tom Petty 'trick' (10:00) could be that the algorithm is looking for the fundamental notes of the C chord CEBG. Playing the B and E strings open qualifies for this. Apologies. I bore myself regularly.

[@instantdeath99]

@roseofjerichoband Oh trust me, I've been looking into getting one of these things since they were announced. Your review just confirmed that they are extremely cool. Just want to be able to get one before it's too late.

[@JoshNoelh]

well in the games defense this is the first time a controler like this has been made for any music game so you cant expect that every thing will be bang on the first time around im expecting the Rock Band 4 Pro guitar to solve some of the problems of the Rock Band 3 Pro Guitar or maybe solve some of these problems in rock band 3

[@roseofjerichoband]

@very0bad0ducky I would recommend this for someone learning the guitar and overall the price is good. It is expensive for a video game controller but in terms of guitars it is reasonably priced.

[@CrystalOtag]

i love the sound of your pick so nice

[@roseofjerichoband]

@ghostBCH no, you can still use the plastic 5 button guitars to play the game.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Tiwaking Sorry, but I can't honestly remember if the midi chord comes with the guitar or not. In any case you can pick up a midi cable from any music store or on amazon

[@LattWest]

Thanks for the review man! My old RB1 guitar just busted and I was considering getting this.

[@PappaTrond]

Or - hang on - the You Rock Guitar is compatible with RB3 as well - but don't count on any MIDI guitar to automatically be compatible. ;)

[@roseofjerichoband]

@2DMARIO5000 No, the game only works with the Rock Band 3 Squier.

[@yehaaa6]

@theorangejelousy my guess is that Fender needed to clear up their machines to make other guitars, and this is a very niche item with low sales. I don't think it's because there's too many flaws.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Anxakaem The song is called "Signed With Love" and it is from our album "Out of the Maze." Check out the video description for a link to the song.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@xXx3Xavier3Xxx Yes, it is a real guitar and you can tune it like a real guitar.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@Uberado Its similar and different. the game has its own feel compared to real guitar. in some ways its harder in other ways its easier. In general most of the songs that I play I only look at the TV for reference, not for reading the individual notes. I'm not sure where you can buy the guitar now as it has been discontinued.

[@BayHarborButcher04]

@FreeHugs330 Thanks FreeHugs and everyone else that replied to me. I have to say learning guitar is harder than playing drumset( I'm a percussionist in high school for almost 7 years now) but I can say that Harmonix helped me learn how to read a guitar now I just have to practice it more. Im thinking of buying the keyboard which would also help me and looks very fun too. Thankyou all

[@roseofjerichoband]

For rock band I would recommend just getting a 5 button guitar. If you are really interested in playing guitar, then I would go with Rocksmith.

[@rojband]

unfortunately the squier has been discontinued so the only places you can find it are on ebay and other resellers.

[@ShortFingeredShreder]

One thing I guess that would be bad that is if you're a guitarist (like me), then the game might have the songs fretted differently than you know how to play and that would be extremely confusing!

[@roseofjerichoband]

@SkyP1e Yeah i think its a combination of you're just not used to playing music this way and the controller is not near up to par with pro instruments. When I gold starred subdivisions i nearly leapt out of my chair cause it took so many tries. Then i plugged the RB3 guitar into my amp, and played subdivisions with the CD and thought, "man this is so much easier!"

[@roseofjerichoband]

@ChrisLeeNo1 Yes i do think it could improve your technique, but whether its helpful to you is really up to you. if RB helps you stick with playing guitar then I definitely think its worth it.

[@Nettacki]

They've already widened their timing window in 3. What are you talking about?

[@PappaTrond]

No. There are a few other MIDI guitars out there, but only this one is compatible with Rock Band.

[@squallgallardo]

Well, I just got a real Squier and I'm sooooo happy

[@roseofjerichoband]

@R2J3M Yes, though I have never tried it. As far as I know the guitar functions as any other midi instrument.

[@Harrysound]

The problem is the midi triggering is slightly off sometimes but mainly because the track scrolls down rather than left to right.

[@Rouwiinator]

Probably someone already told you but ... if you want to use your own guitar wait for Rocksmith ... it's a real guitar game from ubisoft where you can use every real guitar which is going to be released this year (sorry for bad english)

[@pksstr]

also as DLC: -Highway Star -Child in time but they dont have support for RB3 pro guitar :( Child in time has keys though, also if you export the songs from rock band 1 you get space trucking among with other 40 songs

[@roseofjerichoband]

it works on both xbox and ps3. You just need to get the correct mad catz midi adapter

[@roseofjerichoband]

@southster6319 No, the squier only works with Rock Band 3

[@mustaine566]

IT does not take logn to even put new strings on a guitar. with a floyd rose it takes a bit longer but not that long at all

[@fcrick]

great video - i had to return mine because a lot of the fret detectors were completely broken and the pickup didn't detect one of the strings even after much tweaking :( I might buy another one at some point hopefully it will work that time...

[@roseofjerichoband]

@REXMANSAUCE Between the Rock Band store and the Rock Band Network I would say about 1/3 of the RB catalog is metal.

[@inmysoul_TLH]

this looks really hard to use

[@inmysoul_TLH]

No but I have it now and its Hardee than a regular guitar. Not really that cool.

[@GoliathosUS]

oxSimply Adoredxo It's way cooler than the stock guitar.

[@inmysoul_TLH]

Its way harder though...maybe even harder than actual guitar because I used to play. Just my opinion.

[@theabsolute23]

oxSimply Adoredxo Probably just the songs are harder. I used to play guitar too, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that we're not as good as the actual artists of the songs. So we usually play dumbed down versions of songs, sticking to basic power chords and things of the like. Because we don't have the skill to play so crazily. It makes perfect sense, actually that this guitar would seem harder.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@truesteban090 i have no idea. i assume it will be around $60.

[@xXxFRAGxXx]

awesome job, looking forward for next part(s) :) will get it as soon as I can in Europe

[@roseofjerichoband]

@xarpolla Unfortunately i don't have much experience with modding the guitar. Do a search for docsrockbandmods and post on the forums with your problem. There are a lot of people there that know more about the guitar than I do.

[@Lebowskiification]

this makes learning more fun.

[@roseofjerichoband]

@EasyExpertVillage No, the only guitar that will is the Rock Band 3 squier guitar controller.

[@vrillco]

@vintimv001 Steve's Music in Ottawa says they have some in stock, so you may want to check your local music store for availability or special orders.

[@RoC1909]

Nice PRS in the back!!

[@TheAqualegend]

Holy F**K that looks hard as hell..A true definition of rock legend if you could sightread and get good scores on most songs.

[@kiwi5slayer]

This is exactly what I was looking for, in a review anyways. I'm somewhat interested in this however, I've been playying real guitar since oct29 last year, but I really think they should of put 24 frets on the guitar simply because of some of the dlc coming out that actually require the 23rd and 24th frets. By the way, Subscribed.

[@Uberado]

How does the gameplay compare to actual playing the guitar? Is it all the same? Different? Difficult in it's own right? If you learn one of the songs on real guitar, could you play it on this without looking at the TV? Also, where could I buy one of these?

[@ripast2605]

Why the pro guitar experto is not launch in rockband 4????

[@roseofjerichoband]

@antonis9292 yes, the squier is a real guitar.

[@roseofjerichoband]

you are correct. ROJ has 9 songs in rock band 3.