Rockband Mods

It appears that the first 3rd party instruments for Rock Band are going to be available for purchase starting next week (June 22nd).  Mad Catz was given the official stamp of approval from Harmonix to become the officially licensed 3rd party manufacturer of instrument controllers for Rock Band, and it looks like their wired Bass controller for the Xbox 360 is the first out of the gate.

[EDIT] The product links have been removed from Amazon, but we’ve still got all the details here. 

According to the product information page on Amazon.com, the Xbox 360 Rock Band Wired Bass Guitar is to be released on June 22nd for $69.99 and will include the Mad Catz dual-strummer which is essentially a split strum bar that will allow you to use two fingers to strum up and down simultaneously.  The PS3 version is set to be released on July 15th and the Wii version on August 1st. 

Here is a complete list of features:

• Licensed Fender Precision bass styling
• Comfortable thumb rest
• Custom finishes for enhanced realism
• Whammy effect via volume knob
• Split strum bar for fast finger action
• Oversized tuning keys
• Durable plastic construction
• Wired USB connectivity

A wireless version for the 360 is expected to be released on Spetember 15th and feature all of the same functionality of the wired version but will have a “Blond Maple finish” compared to the white finish of the wired version. A wireless version for the PS3 and Wii has not been revealed.

Also of interest are the Wired Microphone controllers which integrate the d-pad and buttons of a standard Xbox 360/PS3 controller into the handle of the mic making it so your lead singer doesn’t need to fumble around after every song looking for the controller to signify that they are ready to “Rock Out”.

Here are the mic features:

• Built-in controller – easy navigation through all in game menus
• High quality soft-touch finish
• High profile pop / wind screen
• Convenient lock/unlock button
• Wired USB connection

The Xbox 360 version is supposedly already released, but taking a while to ship, while the Playstation 3 version is scheduled to ship on July 15th. Both versions will set you back about $59.99.  A mic controller for the Wii has not been revealed at this time.

If you’re looking for a unique guitar controller to add to your collection, then the Mad Catz Rock Band Telecaster Wired Guitar might be just what your are looking for.  Officially licensed by Fender, the Telecaster controller will feature the following:

• Licensed Fender Telecaster styling
• Perfectly scaled with high detail
• Built for speed – new, improved strum bar and quick response fret buttons
• Programmable strum
• Telecaster Bridge Plate used for Whammy
• Smooth Hot-Rod Red finish

The Telecaster controller so far has only been revealed for the Xbox 360 with a price tag of $79.99, and a wired version at that.  I would assume that the Telecaster will be coming out for all platforms and a wireless version is in the works, but you know what they say when you assume…

Finally, Mad Catz has revealed a couple of drum sets that will also be releasing in the near future.  The first being a Portable Drum Kit. Set to be released on July 15th for the Xbox 360, and August 15th for the PS3 and Wii, the portable drum kit will feature a small form factor with quiet pads that will make taking the band on the road a much easier feat. The portable kit will also feature foamed tipped drum sticks to help with noise dampening and will cost around $49.99.

The one product that I’m really looking forward to is the Premium Wired Drums from Mad Catz. These will be the first officially licensed third party drum sets for Rock Band and will include some interesting features such as:

• Based on authentic electronic drum kits
• Added high hat (with foot pedal)
• Crash cymbal
• Fully adjustable drum heads (includes two axis motion and can be repositioned)

They look incredible, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them!  The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the Premium drums are set to be released on August 1st while the Wii version will be released two weeks later on August 15th. The drum set for all systems will put you back about $149.99.