Daniel Sussman, Peripheral Producer – “It was critical to the staff at Harmonix, many of whom are musicians in real rock bands of their own, that the Rock Band instruments have a more authentic and realistic look and feel to them than we'd seen with prior music games.

We really wanted the play experience to be as accurate an emulation of playing music as possible, and to pull this off requires peripherals that are true to the real instruments.

We've partnered with Fender and modeled the guitar controller after the Stratocaster. We're really pleased with how the peripherals are turning out. They're really gorgeous pieces of hardware.”

The Fender Guitar

“We designed the Rock Band guitar peripheral to look almost exactly like the iconic Fender Stratocaster. The Rock Band guitar controller also has a toggle switch similar to the one on a real Fender Strat that allows you to manipulate sound through reverb, flange, wah, delay, etc. We also made the Rock Band guitar lefty compatible!

“We put the button colors on the sides of the neck rather than on the top of the buttons. The new solo buttons at the neck of the guitar let you“finger tap” your way through guitar solos (no strumming required!) Choose your own showboating audio FX by using the Strat’s five-way FX switch. Unlock new FX as you go, including flanger, wah wah, echo & chorus.”

• Rock out your way! Players can beat on drums, sing along, groove as a bassist and shred riffs as guitarists (using a licensed replica of the legendary Fender® Stratocaster®) – either in single player career mode leading a band, in multiplayer as part of the band, or against each other – in person or online!
• Unrivaled song library! Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists – from punk, metal and alternative to classic and southern rock of the 60s, 70, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
• Fully customizable! Form your own band, create and customize your own rocker, and then travel on a fast rise to fame around the world in a quest for rock ‘n’ roll glory!
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Dies! Supports downloadable content for never-ending challenges.
• Play together in your living room or across the world! Rock Band offers deep online functionality, allowing players to rock together whether they’re in Rhode Island or Reykjavik.
• Rock Band ships with 40 of the most epic rock acts ever (with downloadable songs and albums to come)! Nirvana’s “In Bloom”, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, Queens of the Stone Age’s “Go With The Flow”, Foo Figthers’ “Learn to Fly”, The Hives’ “Main Offender”, Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, The Strokes’ “Reptilia”, The Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach”, Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”, David Bowie’s “Suffragette City”, Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, Stone Temple Pilots’ “Vasoline”, Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”, The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – AND MORE!