Rock Band™ Guitar Strum Fix
	See Also: MIDI Rocker LX - Compact, intelligent MIDI interface for Rock Band.

Strum Fix for Rock Band Stratocaster™ Guitar

Reviews | Guitar Version (Generation) | Installation | Troubleshooting

This product is discontinued and has been replaced with the Strum Fix Plus

Fix your guitar's faulty, unreliable strum switches with long-lifetime, tactile switches. Adds a soft, almost in-audible "click" when strummed (click is not nearly as loud as the strummer on Guitar Hero® guitars). Improves the feel and operation of the strum bar. Easy-to-install, requires no soldering. Details... Compatible with Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3 Rock Band and Rock Band 2 Stratocaster guitars. 14-day return policy -- try it for 2 weeks and return for a full refund if not satisfied. 90-day warranty against defective parts/workmanship.

Reviews

See what others are saying about the Strum Fix from Byte Arts...

Playstation.com - short discussion about the Strum Fix.

Rock Band Forums -- extensive discussion about the Strum Fix.

Strum Fix for Generation 1 to 3 Guitars		Strum Fix for Generation 4 Guitars
Includes: - PCB with switches and screw-type wire connectors (no soldering required). - Mounting screws. - Spacers.		Includes: - PCB with switches and screw-type wire connectors (no soldering requitred). - Spacers. - Mounting screws. - Replacement strum bar.
Not sure which generation guitar you have? Find out here. If you are still not sure, chances are very good (98%+) that you have a Generation 1-3 guitar.

What "Generation" is Your Guitar? Talking 'bout my generation... Currently there are four known "generations" of guitars. Generations 1-3 all share the same basic strummer layout and are compatible with the original Strum Fix boards. Generation 4 guitars have a slightly different layout and require the Strum Fix Gen 4 board. So far, all Rock Band 2 guitars we've seen have Generation 3 strummers and work with the original Strum Fix. While we can't guarantee it that it is 100% accurate, the best way we've found so far to tell if you have a Gen 4 guitar or not is to look at the area near the battery cover on the back of the guitar. All Gen 4 guitars we've encountered so far have an "indentation" next to the screw holding the battery cover on, as shown below.
If you are in any doubt at all, chances are very good (> 98%) your guitar is a "gen 1,2 or 3" -- our data indicates that "gen 4" guitars are pretty rare.
Gen 1-3 Battery Cover	Gen 4 Battery Cover
If you want to be 100% certain of which version you have, then you will need to open up the guitar and look inside. If you do, then you can easily determine which generation your guitar is by comparing it with the photos below.
Generation 1 Strummer	Generation 2 Strummer
Generation 3 Strummer	Generation 4 Strummer Note: the color of the plastice pieces may vary -- yours may be black or white.

Typical Strum Bar Problems:

• The strum bar switch(es) fail - strumming up and/or down no longer works. This is because the switches in the original guitar are of poor quality and are not designed for long-life. Newer versions of the guitar have attempted to remedy this with magnetic switches, which have a long lifetime, but do not provide any "feedback" or "feel" to the user.
• The strum bar has a "mushy" feel; it's often hard to tell when you've played a note or not.
• The strum bar is broken and no longer registers up or down strums. You may hear a rattle inside the guitar as the broken pieces roll around.

Installation Instructions:

• Download the complete installation instructions (PDF format) here. Revised Dec 30, 2010 [1.1MB].

• The existing strum bar switches are bypassed and replaced with a new assembly, featuring high-quality, long-life switches, and improved tactile feedback, or "feel"
• 
• It's easy-to-install, requiring a minimal of tools and skills, but does require cutting some wires to bypass the old switches. The process may invalidate the warranty on the guitar.
• It doesn't change the external appearance of the guitar. Only the internal electrical switch mechanism is replaced.

Rock Band® is a trademark of Harmonix. PlayStation, PS3 are trademarks of Sony Inc. Wii is a trademark of Ninetendo. Guitar Hero World Tour is a trademark of Activision Publishing Inc. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.