Mad Catz Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Mustang Guitar Controller Red Mad Catz Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Mustang Guitar Controller Red

Pros: Connects and works easily with both Mac and PC
Good response and dynamics
comfortable to play

Cons: Instrument exhibits some flex on the neck.
Small learning curve to control synth instruments accurately

Other Thoughts: I purchased this hoping it would work as a midi guitar. I am a recording musician who mainly plays guitar and bass, so I struggle when adding synth sounds on my keyboard. I plugged this in and used it with Garageband and I was immediately adding a piano part to my latest song.

I was extremely pleased with how it responded and the ease of play. I was extremely comfortable to play and fit my hand well.

This would be a five star if not for a few issues.
1. There is some flex in the neck while playing which can be a little distracting.
2. On some patches the note continues to ring until the button is pressed again. sometimes a problem whne playing open notes.

Overall I am very pleased with this purchase and my $2000 korg keyboard is now being used as a sound generator.

Pros: Of a higher quality than most Madcatz accessories I've used. Easy to assemble and, from a video gamer perspective, very fun to play. The rock band 3 pro mode notation system is, IMO, very intuitive and the tutorials bring a player up to speed quickly. (Disclaimer: I've been fooling around with guitars part time over the last 3 years)

Cons: Since I have spatially memorized the distance between, and specific location of, each string/fret, this product was very frustrating for me. I had zero feel for where my hand was on the neck and for which "string" my fingers were pressing. The pro guitar mode does provide you information with respect to which strings/cords are currently being pressed but a player's focus cannot be split between currently pressed notes and those notes upcoming in the song...you're Neo or something.

In addition, the strings were all of the same thickness and lose tension. This confused my brain because guitar players identify plectrum "position" by associating string thickness, vibration, and sound produced. IMO, if you can learn to memorize pic location spatially on the Mustang, then that is a good thing. However, experienced guitar players will be very annoyed.

Other Thoughts: Pro Guitar mode is amazing. Good job Harmonix.

For those new to guitar:
Go for it. Amazing training tool. You'll learn a ton in a short period of time. Really speeds up the learning process.

Experienced guitars players beware. I returned the Mustang b/c I didn't want to learn another *instrument* with the rock band drums/keyboards waiting in the wings. The rating reflects my experience. I'm assuming that most ppl who purchase this product have guitar experience. The rock band players I know, who aren't musicians, have largely expressed disinterest in the Mustang.

Pros: - Pretty decent build quality.
- Responsive
- Only way to play Pro at the moment (without an extremely expensive midi guitar and midi adapter).
- Its lightweight? (Might be good for some?)
- Newegg actually has the sucker!

Cons: - The 'string buttons' and strings, are all the same thickness so it can make it difficult to figure out which 'string' you're on since they all feel the same.
- The 'string buttons' could use a little more resistance, at the moment they are very easy to press down.
- The nylon strings, while apparently replaceable, feel kind of fragile.
- Its plastic, lightweight, and 17 frets vs standard 22 (though for gameplay I don't think it'll matter, for the time being anyways)

Other Thoughts: Its pretty uncanny valley if you've played an actual guitar before. However, if you haven't, this thing is perfect.

The buttons feel easier to press then normal strings so this'll help with bar chords etc which can be difficult for a beginner to learn.

The buttons are also not as hard on your hands as an actual guitar string, you will still probably build callouses over time, but I doubt you'll have to worry about bleeding fingers after playing too long...

Pros: It shipped!

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: This review is in place not to comment on the product, which I have not received, but rather to acknowledge that this posting is in fact real - I put in the order, it processed and charged, and has provided me with shipping tracking. So if you (like me) were skeptical that this was really being stocked since no retailers seem to know how to obtain this item, it is a legitimate posting. Give Newegg your money for being one of the few folks to really deliver this on release day. :)

Pros: Amazing learning tool. Being able to run through supported songs at various speeds is amazing enough, but the game shows you the correct fingerings for each and every chord when in the 'learn a song' mode. I've successfully transferred skills learned in the game to a real guitar, and I couldn't be happier.

Also works for lefties, unlike the Squire Stratocaster coming out in March.

If you want to learn how to play a real guitar but don't want to get your fingers all blistered up, this is the way to do it.

Cons: The buttons, while great, aren't actual strings. You can't bend them like real guitar strings. The body of the controller is very light, unlike a real guitar. I found that it moves around more than a real guitar when played.

Other Thoughts: Not so much the controller's fault, but I do wish the game would tell you the tunings for each song. Some are played standard, a few in drop D, and others still in other non-standard tunings.

The game tells you the chord names to the left of the note highway in game. Combined with a chord book or Google I can see how the game could be a good learning tool.

The black string connection box, where pickups would be on a real guitar, is right where I tend to strum on a real guitar. It's taken a minor adjustment to get used to.

Many of the songs on the Rock Band 3 disc are going to take a lot of time for me to learn how to play on this thing. The Mustang controller is definitely NOT for party play unless you already know the songs by heart.