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Rocksmith 2014 announced

I already own Rocksmith on Steam thanks to Steam Sales, I'm trying to find something that's under $100 for just a basic guitar+the cord

I don't know what the rocksmith guitar + game retailed at but I can tell you a 100$ guitar is probably unlikely - and if it does exist is going to be garbage. You can get the cable pretty cheaply if you can find a place moving old xbox360/ps3 stock though.
 
Under $100? Good luck getting a playable guitar at that price.

Yup, I'd say you should at least invest 200 bones for a decent beginner guitar.

I made the mistake of buying some $100 Squire strat from Craigslist(pretty sure I overpaid for it too) when I first wanted to learn to play and the difference between that and my current Jackson DK2 Dinky is huge.

Your actual enjoyment for learning the instrument will be compromised if you start yourself off with a shitty $100 guitar. Action will be terrible, sound will be terrible...It will just be more of a chore to play.
 
Under $100? Good luck getting a playable guitar at that price.

Agree, for under $200 maybe you can get a solid serviceable guitar, nothing amazing, but something good to start out with, a couple of links below (UK prices, but should all be roughly under $200 from any decent US retailer).

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-affinity-fat-strat-montego-black/15965
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-affinity-tele-2-tone-sunburst/56616
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-les-paul-special-ii-vintage-sunburst/16714
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-sg-special-cherry/16841
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-grg150dx/57465
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-grga32-mrs-(metallic-red-sunburst/56456

If you are buying your first guitar I'd really recommend getting it from a guitar shop rather than online, as they will probably set it up, string it up and get you ready to go for little to no extra cost (dependant on how much you spend). Also if you've got a friend who can play and knows a little about guitars take them along, as for a complete beginner walking into a music shop can be a little intimidating.
 
I always feel bad for people going out to buy their first guitar, my first two guitars were absolute crap because I had nobody looking out for me(Didn't know any guitar players). I'm talking high action, bowed necks, uneven frets, shitty electronics like the full blown works, that first year of guitar playing was hell. I don't even know what advice to give to someone like me when I was starting out, if you walk in alone you are a sitting duck for a salesman to offload some crap they can't sell to anyone in the know. They'll spot you in a second, because you probably don't even know how to properly hold a guitar. They can grab any old piece of shit and play any old riff and it'll probably sound amazing to you, it's what happened to me. I bought my first guitar because a salesman played me some good sounding blues on a 2000$ amp and have regretted it ever since.
 
I already own Rocksmith on Steam thanks to Steam Sales, I'm trying to find something that's under $100 for just a basic guitar+the cord

I would probably up that limit a bit more. I'm a beginner, bought my first guitar back in July of this year and when I asked for advice from my mate who has been playing for years he said buy something that looks awesome. Doesn't have to be overpriced but if it looks great you want to pick it up all the time and you know what? He was right. I put in anywhere from 10-20hrs per week and although I should be watching learning vids instead of just reading tabs to songs I like I am having fun and enjoying it.

I can play the whole of Metallica 'For whom the Bell Tolls', most of Megadeth 'Youthanasia' and riffs from a few other Megadeth songs. (I'm 41 btw and learning extremely late in life)

Honestly, don't by a mediocre looking guitar. My axe is an ESP in matte black, but can't remember the model name. Cost me $300aud (around $240usd I think).
 
Meh. I just got a cheap Squire + Amp bundle. It was 180 bucks. I just started by practicing some finger dexterity building exercises and Rocksmith. It was pretty rough at first. My brain and fingers would simply not cooperate with one another. But I have made some really good progress I think. I will invest in something better next year though if I continue to make progress.
 
I always feel bad for people going out to buy their first guitar, my first two guitars were absolute crap because I had nobody looking out for me(Didn't know any guitar players). I'm talking high action, bowed necks, uneven frets, shitty electronics like the full blown works, that first year of guitar playing was hell. I don't even know what advice to give to someone like me when I was starting out, if you walk in alone you are a sitting duck for a salesman to offload some crap they can't sell to anyone in the know. They'll spot you in a second, because you probably don't even know how to properly hold a guitar. They can grab any old piece of shit and play any old riff and it'll probably sound amazing to you, it's what happened to me. I bought my first guitar because a salesman played me some good sounding blues on a 2000$ amp and have regretted it ever since.

I was fortunate to have almost the opposite experience. Although when I bought my first electric I had been messing around on a beat up old classical that was handed down to me, and had been given a POS electric from a friend that I had twiddled on. I'd saved up nearly ÂŁ500, so I walked into the store found an Ibanez that really took my fancy (was at least ÂŁ400 at the time, and this is about 17 years ago). I had a mate who had worked in a music shop and told me to always haggle, so I just said I want this, and you can chuck in a soft case, a couple of sets of strings and set it up for me.

Honestly, don't by a mediocre looking guitar. My axe is an ESP in matte black, but can't remember the model name. Cost me $300aud (around $240usd I think).

Definitely agree here, if you buy something you like the look and feel of you are more likely to pick it up on a regular basis.

Edit, my first purchased guitar many moons ago when I used to play live.

my04f.jpg
 
So does this actually teach you how to play guitar? maybe like theory and stuff instead of just memorizing songs?

Also is there a PC version?
 
So does this actually teach you how to play guitar? maybe like theory and stuff instead of just memorizing songs?

Also is there a PC version?

There is a PC version, steamworks and uPlay AFAIK. TBH I'm not sure how much the original game got into music theory, but it did teach you songs (from simplified versions, to the full versions). it taught you various techniques, and had some pretty good excersises. Due to my issues with the original game I never went that deep, so I'm not sure if it taught scales, modes and chord.

I'm not sure how you could make learning music theory any fun though, I once had to write 100 questions on music theory for a very popular quiz game, it was really difficult trying to write witty questions on intervals, triads, keys and other such stuff.
 
What are the new features of 2014 anyway?

Much easier to read interface including which fingers should be on which frets (ex: You may see a "1" across strings 6,5,4 [Red, Yellow, Blue] on the 5th fret. That would be your index finger making a half bar or pressing the red yellow blue strings simultaneously on the 5th fret). This is applied to the entire fretboard. Much easier.

Loading is essentially gone.

Riff Repeater accessible instantly from any song.

Session mode - Jamming with an AI band of your choosing. "Teaches" improvisation through scales/modes.

Seemingly massively improved guitarcade.

Seemingly massively improved lessons both in quality and number.
 
My opinion on gear - I would go and get an epiphone les paul special II ($150, $100 used probably) for a couple reasons:

1) You could save $30 and get a special I but you would only have 1 pickup, not 2 and I think it's worth it since this isn't something you can put a little money into to fix later. I think the guitar in the Rocksmith bundle is a special I.
2) Materials and workmanship are probably going to be around the same made in Mexico stuff until you get up into $500 or $600 range but then again modern machining means these things are pretty decent/consistent anyway. Actually, I think a $600 guitar is still made in Mexico most of the time. Maybe a $1000 Gibson is made in the U.S.?
3) I picked the Les Paul body because it's a popular body for all kinds of music, and is really basic and no frills. Something like the Fender Stratocaster has a whammy bar/floating tremelo and that makes it a pain to restring, a pain to retune (stuff like drop D etc.), and is just extra stuff you have to learn about before you even really need it.
4) Les Pauls look awesome.

It's probably worth it to find a luthier/guitar tech in your area and pay $30 to get your guitar set up also, cheap guitars don't come set up well out of the factory vs. something more expensive is tweaked to play well.

If you're only in it for Rocksmith, don't bother getting an amp for $100, just use the computer. If you really want, Vox makes $30 headphone amps that work pretty well (amPlug) probably worth looking into (you have to plug headphones into it, but I think its neat, portable, and sounds better than my $100 15 watt practice amp).

That's as cheap as I would go to start off. Could probably go less but this is stuff that is decent enough to grow with you for a while - upgrade the pickups and you really aren't missing anything until you're willing to put down $600 for a new guitar IMO.
 
For anyone that cares, I bought a used version of the original rocksmith bundle off amazon. Basically paid $110 for everything
 
Pawn shops are your friend.

The problem with buying second hand when you know nothing about guitars is you could get one that is half rooted. Bent necks, rusty strings, dodgy bridge etc. At least buying a first gat from a music shop gives you some peace of mind as well a support.
 
Pawn shops are your friend.

I wouldn't reccomend a pawn shop if he doesn't know what he's looking for. You can get really screwed over for a shitty instrument with bad wiring or pickups etc.

Should go to guitar center or local guitar shop and find something he likes the look and feel of and talk to the people working there. They will be able to help him with finding something thats good. I got a baby ML as my first guitar and the guy i bought it from tuned it and set it up for me and everything.
 
I already own Rocksmith on Steam thanks to Steam Sales, I'm trying to find something that's under $100 for just a basic guitar+the cord

Word of advice, don't go dumpster tier when getting a guitar. There is a different between a cheap guitar and a dumpster tier one and at under 100 bucks you won't be getting a cheap guitar.

If you really want a true cheap guitar i recommend the following

For around $200-$300

Yamaha EG112c, you get abit of a kit aswell.

DV016_Jpg_Large_516049.001_black_group.jpg


Again around $200-300

ESP LTD M-10 (comes with abit of kit like the above Yamaha)

DV016_Jpg_Large_H71350.002_black.jpg


or any Strat Squier

I'm personally a ESP LTD fantard so i would recommend their stuff.
 
Going to grab this when I'm able so I can play with what I'm used to:
DV016_Jpg_Large_1366901764883_A.jpg


I miss my old RR3 but I don't have the money to spare to get another. :P
 
Any Bass players here? I know absolutely nothing about Basses and I'm gonna go to my local music store with my brother tomorrow because he wants to start learning how to play the Bass. I was looking around the site for the different basses they had and he is most interested in getting a Squier Vintage Jaguar Bass Special

md_add335138.jpg


Would you recommend this? If not what other bass would you recommend that's no more than 250 bucks? Also does a bass need a bass amp for it to sound right? All I have in my house is my practice peavey guitar amp and he's not likely to want to spend extra on getting an amp on top of the bass. He'll probably play the original Rocksmith for PS3 since I'll be getting the 2014 version for PC.
 
My opinion on gear - I would go and get an epiphone les paul special II ($150, $100 used probably) for a couple reasons:

1) You could save $30 and get a special I but you would only have 1 pickup, not 2 and I think it's worth it since this isn't something you can put a little money into to fix later. I think the guitar in the Rocksmith bundle is a special I.
2) Materials and workmanship are probably going to be around the same made in Mexico stuff until you get up into $500 or $600 range but then again modern machining means these things are pretty decent/consistent anyway. Actually, I think a $600 guitar is still made in Mexico most of the time. Maybe a $1000 Gibson is made in the U.S.?
3) I picked the Les Paul body because it's a popular body for all kinds of music, and is really basic and no frills. Something like the Fender Stratocaster has a whammy bar/floating tremelo and that makes it a pain to restring, a pain to retune (stuff like drop D etc.), and is just extra stuff you have to learn about before you even really need it.
4) Les Pauls look awesome.

It's probably worth it to find a luthier/guitar tech in your area and pay $30 to get your guitar set up also, cheap guitars don't come set up well out of the factory vs. something more expensive is tweaked to play well.

If you're only in it for Rocksmith, don't bother getting an amp for $100, just use the computer. If you really want, Vox makes $30 headphone amps that work pretty well (amPlug) probably worth looking into (you have to plug headphones into it, but I think its neat, portable, and sounds better than my $100 15 watt practice amp).

That's as cheap as I would go to start off. Could probably go less but this is stuff that is decent enough to grow with you for a while - upgrade the pickups and you really aren't missing anything until you're willing to put down $600 for a new guitar IMO.

I absolutely love my Les Paul Special II. Anyone considering entering into guitar with this model, go for it. I've had mine for years and never had any problems.

I finally played Rocksmith not too long ago and it was really fun, but I still didn't want to shell out for it. I wish the library was a bit bigger. Has anyone made custom tracks for this thing?
 
when I asked for advice from my mate who has been playing for years he said buy something that looks awesome. Doesn't have to be overpriced but if it looks great you want to pick it up all the time and you know what? He was right. I put in anywhere from 10-20hrs per week.

Honestly, don't by a mediocre looking guitar. My axe is an ESP in matte black, but can't remember the model name. Cost me $300aud (around $240usd I think).

Gez said:
ESP LTD M-10 (comes with abit of kit like the above Yamaha)

DV016_Jpg_Large_H71350.002_black.jpg

This was the one I bought minus a kit (I bought a Spider 15 amp as well) Personally I reckon it was the best looking guitar in the shop at that price.
I look forward to jamming on it as soon as I get home. m/
 
I always feel bad for people going out to buy their first guitar, my first two guitars were absolute crap because I had nobody looking out for me(Didn't know any guitar players). I'm talking high action, bowed necks, uneven frets, shitty electronics like the full blown works, that first year of guitar playing was hell. I don't even know what advice to give to someone like me when I was starting out, if you walk in alone you are a sitting duck for a salesman to offload some crap they can't sell to anyone in the know. They'll spot you in a second, because you probably don't even know how to properly hold a guitar. They can grab any old piece of shit and play any old riff and it'll probably sound amazing to you, it's what happened to me. I bought my first guitar because a salesman played me some good sounding blues on a 2000$ amp and have regretted it ever since.

My first guitar was a piece of crap too, an Epiphone Explorer. I upgraded to a Jackson Soloist SXLT which I absolutley love about 6 months after getting Rocksmith and doing an incredible amount of research on the internet. It's like night and day, I go back to the Explorer and it feels absolutely terrible. I truly believe it was making it harder for me to learn.

So does this actually teach you how to play guitar? maybe like theory and stuff instead of just memorizing songs?

It teaches you how to play the instrument, it doesn't teach you much in the way of theory so there is a big gap there between Rocksmith and traditional tuition. In a lot of ways, as Guitar Hero taught you to play a plastic guitar controller, Rocksmith will teach you how to play with the much more complex real guitar controller.
 
Just to chime in on the first guitar conversation, for those considering getting a guitar under $200, and I cannot recommend enough looking for a Used guitar.

95% of higher quality guitars used are better than a lower quality guitar brand new.

I suggest finding a couple guitars that retail in the $300-$400 range, then scouting craigslist or Guitar Center for the same guitar. You'll be surprised what you find.

EDIT: Here's a solid choice if anyone is willing to go up to $250 (they have one or two under that, but you get the idea): http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedge...ch&max=250&q=mim&distance=100&sort=0&dir=desc

I searched guitar center's used section for mexican made fender strats under $250 (MIM = made in mexico Fender stratocasters). Brand new Fender MIM strats go for about $500. They are all kinds of perfect for any new player. Just ask if it has been "set up" in the shop before pulling the trigger.
 
Australia and New Zealand get two extra tracks for free.

Rocksmith 2014 ANZ Limited Edition includes 2 extra songs to download:
• Tame Impala - Elephant
• The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock

Downside is everywhere I have looked it is either the cable bundle or guitar bundle. I need neither, just the game.

I'll have to wait and see how this 'track import' thing works so I can work out trading in the original Rocksmith with cable if I have to buy the cable bundle for RS2.
 
So what's the release date? Wikipedia and other sites say it's tomorrow (Oct 22), but official page and steam page says it's sometime this October or just this fall.
 
I'm pretty hyped for Rocksmith 2014, I play bass but I might take the plunge and pick up a guitar combo pack for PC with the game, the first game was decent but flawed, but 2014 looks like it has dramatic improvements in all areas, especially in teaching players how to play guitar.

On an unrelated note, I'm surprised to see that nobody is making an OT for the game.
 
Come on 4am AEST...why does the Steam update time need to be 4am? I got work tomorrow. Still setting an alarm to get the download going then a later alarm to get some play in before work.
 
Good to hear they're supporting it, though I never picked up the original.

I saw the game go cheap but then remembered I'd still need that adapter...
 
It's fucked that Australians have to wait for the 24th. We live in the future, if anything it should have unlocked on the 21st.
 
I have a couple of questions about the game for those that have played.

1. Are there leaderboards? I had a basic look but couldn't find anything to compare my scores with friends.

2. Is there a way to listen to your performance after you've played the song like the original?
 
I have a couple of questions about the game for those that have played.

1. Are there leaderboards? I had a basic look but couldn't find anything to compare my scores with friends.

2. Is there a way to listen to your performance after you've played the song like the original?

All songs have leaderboards under score attack mode.

No you cannot listen to your performance.
 
Would this help me learn guitar? I've been told it works.

I've jumped in with that anticipation and expectation (having never touched a real guitar in anger until last week). As others have noted, it isn't all encompassing (no musical theory, for example, though I guess strictly speaking that doesn't matter too much) and doesn't have the same feedback fidelity that a teacher sitting adjacent to you would have (for technique issues), but if you just want to to learn to play some riffs and enjoy the learning process it seems like the ducks guts.

I cleared my diary for tomorrow, told some clients to go jump until Monday - I'll be jamming in front of the PJ all day.
 
Would this help me learn guitar? I've been told it works.

It doesn't teach you how to read music sheet but it does teach you how to play. It also teaches you techniques like harmonics, hopos, slap pop, slides, sustains, etc.

Also, if you have never read tab before, you'll easily pick it up after playing Rocksmith.
 
I got mine from xs cargo for 100$ for guitar+amp. Sounds fine to me so I see no point in saying that you can't get a playable guitar.

Trust me when I say investing in a decent guitar will help you learn. I did the cheap guitar thing too. First a guitar and amp combo that cost about $150. Then a sub-$200 Epiphone. At the time they both seemed like they were good enough to learn on, but over time I found they had major issues. It's a lot easier to learn when you're not fighting with your instrument because it has poor intonation, fret buzz etc.
 
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