When Guitar Hero was king of the console music games, the Bass player was nothing more than the 2nd player spot, and the note chart was usually pretty lame. Nobody liked playing the Bass part, and it seemed like it was really toned down so it was easier to play with a regular controller when a second guitar wasn’t available.
Now with Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour on the market, the Bass part has been upgraded to be the intricate part of the band it’s meant to be. Not everyone still likes playing the Bass, and I’ve seen some rather heated arguments when the same person gets stuck playing Bass numerous times in a row while playing online, but there are a number of strange people like me out there who enjoy the groove and rhythm needed to get the most out of playing the Bass chart.
Mad Catz has the answer for us Groove Assassins in the form of a Bass Guitar made specifically for Rock Band 1 and 2. Should you buy it? Find out after the jump.
The Mad Catz Fender Precision Bass Guitar is one heck of a name and one heck of a controller. The first thing any Rock Band or Guitar Hero player is sure to notice when they see the Precision Bass in person would be the sheer size of the controller. It’s an 84% scale replica of the original, and a good deal larger than the Rock Band guitar, and it makes the Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Guitar look like a banjo when it’s sitting next to it.
The second thing players are sure to notice about the guitar is its main attraction: the split strum bar. It’s pretty much the same size as the strum bar on any other guitar controller you may come across, but it’s split in half and features a “thumb rest” above it. The reason for this is so you can rest your thumb above the strum bar, and it positions your hand perfectly to use your index and middle fingers to strum, and you strum up of course. The idea of using two fingers independently to strum may sound difficult, andit is at first, but soon it becomes amazingly natural. You’ll find yourself keeping better rhythm, hitting fast note streaks with more efficiently, and you’ll feel like a grooving bad-ass in the process.
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Sweet, I guess it makes it easier for you when we play together
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Being a bass player for 3 years, this is getting a little to far…I love rockband, but boy if your going out and buying fake bass guiatar maybe you should try the real thing?
@ CharliWag(blarg_)
Is it really going out of the way if it costs the same amount as a regular rock band guitar and works better as a bass guitar?
@CharliWag: You have a point, but when you compare it to $99 or $130 guitars – or the $300 ION Drum Set, it’s really not that bad. It’s the same price as a regular Rock Band Guitar.
Plus, I have tried the real thing, and it’s fun, but I have no need to learn the real instrument and I’m never going to be in a band, so I’ll stick to the game.
My family has this guitar, and it is pretty cool with the size and whatnot, but I simply couldn’t get used to the double strum bar (I’m usually the one who plays expert bass in the house).
Granted, I didn’t try for too long, so maybe I’ll give it another go. I just can’t see how I could hit fast bass parts with the double-bar (like much of Panic Attack, for example, which is my favorite song to play on guitar or bass).
Wow! Mad Katz and very well made in a sentance that isn’t ‘Mad Katz never produces products that are not very well made’! Crikey! Well it’s good to see that they’ve finally decided to mend their ways and produce some quality stuff for a change.
You didn’t mention the fact that it’s NOT WIRELESS!!!
That’s what kept me from getting it.