August Update

I’m calling this the “August” update because I meant to post it while it was still August, so instead let’s just pretend it’s not really September yet. :-)

Inventory and Supply Issues Update

The last few months have continued to see supplier shortages and delays so we have not been able to build enough Strum Fixes and Fret Fixes to keep them in stock each week. That is starting to change though, mainly because I’m now getting larger quantities of parts and also am finding alternative suppliers who seem to be able to ship things on time.

We are also bringing more 3D printers online and getting more help with printing, soldering and assembly, but that will take a little longer to have effect so some shortages will continue for the next few weeks.

Another factor is the unexpected popularity of the Riffmaster adapter (for installing a Strum Fix in the new PDP Riffmaster guitar) — the adapters are actually quite complex and take quite a bit of time to print and so that was eating into our throughput of other parts. I now have a printer dedicated to making the adapters so more will be in stock soon.

Custom Guitar Design Update

Yes we are making our own guitar! It’s not the first time either — back in the early days of Rock Band we scratch-built some guitars out of wood and made our own electronics, but this was in the days before 3D printing was a thing and the cost to make the guitars was just too high, especially considering that you could get a brand new (plastic) guitar for like $40.

Over this summer we’ve had an mechanical designer working on the guitar but because I was tied up with other things (e.g. supply issues) I couldn’t complete the PCB designs so the project was basically stalled for a while. I’ve also been tied up with a long-term software project that needed a lot of my time in the last few months.

Now that the supply issues are getting under control and I have more help I finally have time to work on the guitar again and it’s now my #1 priority. Already this week I’ve made more progress than in the last few weeks and it’s only Wednesday!

My main priority right now is getting the neck design finalized — we’re printing parts and building some engineering prototypes to test how the fret buttons feel. While I’m trying to make the layout, size and positioning of the fret buttons similar to how they are on a Rock Band guitar, because we are using mechanical keyboard switches the frets are going to feel quite different, but I think it will be a big improvement over the original guitars and you will get used to it quickly. Our neck is also quite strong and doesn’t twist and bend like most of the plastic guitars do since we are using a combination of aluminum rods and fiberglass plates to make the structure rigid.

My main goal with this guitar is to make something that is fun to play, reliable, and easy to repair or upgrade. A lower priority is making something that looks like a real guitar — our guitar will have a body and neck like a real guitar, but the overall look will be more “industrial” and no one is likely to mistake it for a real guitar.

Different body styles will be available (in different materials including wood), or you’ll be able to make your own. You can also use the guitar without a body — all the electronics are housed in the “core” part of the guitar and neck.

I’ll be posting more details on the guitar soon, including some CAD renderings and pictures of prototypes. We do not have a deadline for when the guitar will be available — I know people are getting anxious, but I really want to take the time to do it right since we plan to make this guitar a core product that will be around for years to come.

It seems like rhythm games are starting to make a comeback — I’m seeing more posts and more people seem to be trying out Clone Hero (or similar games) — I have no idea if we’ll ever get a new version of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but maybe we don’t need them anymore?

That said, I still keep my PS3 plugged in and set up to play Beatles Rock Band — one of the best games ever IMO.

Best regards,
Scott P