Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller for Wii

There are really two uses for this controller, as a Rock Band 3 controller and as a MIDI controller. The latter is by far the more entertaining of the two. It's also why this is a 5 star rating instead of a 3.Physical:It obviously plastic, it's quite light, the strings make a dull thud as you strum them, the fret buttons are fairly soft to the touch, the screw holes on the back of the neck are right in the middle where your thumb is going to slide over them, and the scale is quite short (seems about like a 3/4 length.) Overall though, it feels sturdy enough and has a "good enough" feel to it. It's not great, but it's not terrible. The worst part, for me, are the screw holes in the back of the neck. I also don't think the neck feels quite like a real guitar either. The relative softness of the fret buttons also makes it easy have accidental button presses (until you get used to it.)As a Rock Band 3 controller:I'd say this is going to be very much hit-or-miss for many people. The controller itself works well, tracks presses fast enough and with enough lax to take into account transitions between chords. The game play basically tries to keep the scrolling to you type interface with mounds with numbers describing the fingering positions. For instance, an A5 on the 6th string will give a number 5 and a low mound on the 6th string and a larger mound on the 5th string that you have to basically interpret/judge that it's not going to be fret 6, but fret 7. On chords it will often also give the chord name too. So the learning curve for the interface alone is going to be fairly steep. I think the thing that most people don't realize with this controller, is that most songs are going to need to be learned at the higher levels. This basically means going into practice mode on the songs and learning all the parts of the song. Better guitar players than myself may be able to play many of the songs without the need to do this, but I doubt many would be able to play all. For a total novice, this may be more work than they're willing to put in. Additionally, there really isn't much that says this is the (more-or-less) required path to play the songs. It can easily come across as too difficult even at the easier levels. There's also a gotcha here for people trying to learn guitar and using even the practice method in game. This will not teach someone everything they need to know to play a real guitar. Most songs, even played very well on the controller will sound odd on a real guitar without proper technique. There will be many gaps that will have to be filled in later (reading sheet music and/or tabs, bends, hammer ons, pull offs, dynamics, etc.) In other words, someone can potentially learn the fingering for some songs, but not how to play the songs.As a MIDI controller:I'm really surprised this feature isn't played up more by people. To me, this was the main reason to buy this controller. Once that I purchased a good MIDI-to-USB adapter, it did not disappoint. To clarify this with a real example, I bought a cheap < $10 adapter (HDE USB to MIDI cable, really any of the clear cable cords with a black oval center) and it did not work. The MIDI showed up as usable but the controller would not register any input to the MIDI monitor. I even got a replacement sent because I thought it was the adapter, but it didn't help. I upgraded to a Creative EMU XMIDI 1x1 and it worked perfectly. I've now spent many hours playing with various sounds, tap mode, strum mode, effects, octave changes, etc. It's a fun MIDI controller if you don't know piano. It's also much cheaper than the You Rock Guitar.Overall, I've had a lot of fun with this and was not in the least bit disappointed. I bought this product with realistic expectations of what it was going to be. It's not a real guitar, it's a MIDI controller that can also be used to play a semi-realistic rhythm game. It has limitations as a learning tool, but that's dwarfed in comparison to the other great things that can be done with it. I would absolutely recommend this to people who already know how to play the guitar and are interested in electronic music. If you have little to no desire in synth music, it may not be worth it. If you're expecting to learn guitar with this, curb your expectations and be prepared to spend a lot of time in practice mode of the songs. In addition, be ready to spend a lot of time with a real guitar learning what the game can't teach you.

Very complicated, little instruction. Unless you already know how to play guitar, this won't really help, in my opinion. It's a great concept, but it's very difficult to figure out and it doesn't tell you what notes you are playing. I didn't care for it, but someone that knows how to play guitar may love it.

This is very nicely looking all plastic game controller. If you want your kids to have a lot of fun, and probably even learn a few things - buy it (it is relatively cheap now days), but make sure you have Rock Band 3 CD disk for your Wii (everything you need to play Rock Band 3 except CD disk comes with the controller).Now, lets assume you also want to use it yourself to play something, or to use it as midi controller, and if so, you many want to know a few things first:Pros:1. Relatively cheap to purchase2. Looks nice3. It is plug and play - very easy to connect (assuming you have all the cables)4. Easy to useCons:1. It is a plastic toy for kids with some midi features, it does not feel like a guitar at all (other than shape)2. Buttons work fine, but feel strange and unusual, takes time to get used to them3. Strings are too soft and too sensitive4. Again, it is a plastic toy, not a professional midi device or guitar, so do not anticipate much from both quality and features.5. Does not work wirelessly, requires additional cablesI was using it with iPad, but I guess you can use it with whatever you want. Here is a list of items you need for the thing to start making sounds:1. MIDI to USB cable2. USB Power Hub, since iPad does not provide enough power through its USB port. I was using D-Link DUB-H4, but you can use whatever hub, as long as it is AC-powered.3. USB to USB-c cable or USB cable and USB to USB-c adapter in order to connect to iPad4. You will need some kind of midi app. I was using both Synthesia and GuitarCapo+, but you can use whatever you like.Here is how to connect everything:1. Plug midi cable using MIDI IN interface to Guitar Controller2. Plug USB interface of MIDI cable to USB Power Hub3. Connect USB Power Hub with iPad using USB to USB-c cable4. Turn on power on the Guitar controller5. Open Synthesia app, go to Settings/Music Devices. Guitar controller should be identified already there. So, select that USB MIDI Controller as input device, and follow the instructions to complete the setup. Once you are done, you should be able to play the Guitar controller and hear sounds.6. Download online manual on how to use the Guitar Controller as MIDI device to find explanation of buttons, etc. That manual does not come with the controller, you need to search google for: rock band 3 guitar controller midi manual pdfMy conclusion: If your primary goal is to let your kid having fun, play the game and learn something about guitars - this controller is an excellent choice. Besides, the MIDI features will allow you to enjoy the thing yourself. However if you are a professional musician and need MIDI controller or MIDI Guitar for work - do not buy this toy, look elsewhere.