If You Play Bass In 'Rock Band,' You'll Want Mad Catz's New Guitar Controller

It's no secret bass is the weakest instrument in "Rock Band." Most songs just aren't any fun to play.

Since playing with Mad Catz's new bass-specific guitar, however, MTV Multiplayer has wondered whether the instruments have simply been designed incorrectly for bass fans.

It's true that the $69.99 asking price for Mad Catz' musical peripheral is a steep investment for music game fans who already have an apartment full of plastic instruments, but if you're a fan of bass, you will absolutely want this controller.

[2paclives]

no go, sorry, but for $70 mad catz should've made it wireless. Welcome to 2 years ago!

[RevN8r]

My brother-in-law actually picked this up because a Gamestop Employee told him it was wireless (he was stupid for not checking), but he decided to keep it because it really does enhance playing bass parts.

It's not worth much, but here's what I think:

The split strum bar is really nice, and they put a thumb rest in to make it more obvious that you upstrum the bass parts, and it makes upstrumming easier. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang, it's totally worth it. The "Start" and "Back" buttons have been changed to a nob that you twist to one direction for "Start" and the other for "Back," and that is fine, but it also took a little getting used to. The effects switch is also a nob, and again, it feels nice. There is a switch on the back to change it from a RB1 instrument to an RB2 instrument, but we played RB2 on the RB1 setting for about an hour, with no issues, without even realizing it.

The neck is stretched out a bit more, to give it a larger feel, but what I ended up feeling is that the buttons near the head are just a bit too far (making for a slightly awkward wrist angle), and the ones near the body are a bit too close (feeling cramped with the body). I like that they took the whammy bar away, but I hate where they put the new control nob - You have to take your hand off of the strum bar, and move it to the bottom of the body to twist the nob for the desired effect, and that usually makes me just not use it. There is also a battery compartment on the back, but we were unable to get it open, and it made us wonder if it's actually used for anything.

Overall, it's a fun instrument, and it definitely changes the way you play bass parts, making them a bit more desirable. I wouldn't personally pay $70 for a Mad Catz peripheral that is wired (instrument only, no game), but I enjoy playing it when I'm at my brother-in-law's. If they would lower the price or make it wireless (or both;), I would definitely consider it.