Rocksmith 2014

[guitarguy6]

Picked up Rockmsith 2014 a few days ago and figured I'd post a quick review. I played the original Rocksmith and this is definitely an improvement. The #1 greatest addition to this game is the riff repeater. When you choose "Learn a song" at any point you can press B (on xbox 360) and it opens up riff repeater. From there you can choose which parts of the song you want to have repeated, you choose the difficulty, and you can also set the speed. When you reduce the speed of the song the pitch is not affected. This makes learning parts super easy. For those of you not familiar with the game when you choose to "Learn a Song" it starts by only playing a few notes of the song. If you don't make mistakes it starts adding more and more notes until you are playing the full song.

They also added online leaderboards for "Score Attack" mode. In this mode you play the song and it generates a score like in the guitar hero games. Having the online leaderboard is a welcome addition. When you beat the song on the hardest setting it unlocks "Master mode" which plays the song and scores you but there are no notes displayed on the screen.

The guitar tones are fantastic and quite a bit better than the original. My only gripe is that there's some sort of latency issue. When I play a note on guitar it takes about 1/2 second for the game to output the audio. I've been on their forums and it doesn't seem to be an issue affecting everyone (I'm on X360).

I have some gameplay videos on my youtube page for anyone interested. http://www.youtube.com/user/RB3PROGUITAR/videos

 

[VladDracule]

I would like to buy this however nobody locally seems to sell it with the guitar

 

[djoye]

Are there any games in the 2014 version that teach you at least the natural notes on the fretboard? The original had a baseball game but instead of mentioning the note (ABCDEFG) it would just show the color and the fret number that it wanted you to hit. This doesn't help me in the real world because my strings are all silver-colored and I need more realistic information to drive this stuff into my head.

 

[djoye]

I would like to buy this however nobody locally seems to sell it with the guitar

It works with any real guitar. Go to a pawn shop or a small local guitar store (the better of the two) and buy a guitar that feels heavier than 20lbs (if they're too light, the wood is crap and it probably won't stay in tune), don't spend any less than $150 on the guitar and you should be fine.

 

[guitarguy6]

Just buy the game with the realtone cable and any electric guitar or bass will work.

They still use the different colors to represent the strings as well as the fret number. After some practice you start to remember what color represents which string. I only played one mini game that was teaching scales. This is it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nm8uCOpIQM

 

[chineseman]

Can you actually learn to play the guitar on this or is it more for people with some background.

 

[Yippee38]

And spend the money to get a pro setup if you don't know what you're doing. It will make it easier to play the game.

 

[Dashboard]

Thanks for the input. I wanted to pick the original game to learn guitar but never got to it.

might do it this time

 

[guitarguy6]

Can you actually learn to play the guitar on this or is it more for people with some background.

You could definitely use this game to learn how to play guitar. There are lessons in the game and they show you a bunch of different chords and scales. It doesn't beat having a guitar teacher but it'll definitely get you on track to becoming a decent guitar player.

 

[chineseman]

You could definitely use this game to learn how to play guitar. There are lessons in the game and they show you a bunch of different chords and scales. It doesn't beat having a guitar teacher but it'll definitely get you on track to becoming a decent guitar player.

Sounds good! Does this thing work with acoustic guitars are only electric?

 

[guitarguy6]

Sounds good! Does this thing work with acoustic guitars are only electric?

It will work with an acoustic guitar as long as it has a 1/4" input. Something like this:

 

[Firepac]

Is this game better on console or PC?

 

[Vercinaigh]

It will work with an acoustic guitar as long as it has a 1/4" input. Something like this:

Will it work -correctly- is the question. With the old one, a lot of stuff you could not do because you have less frets and it simply doesn't work the same way, you do not play them the same. Just curious.

 

[Serpent]

Have no idea about this one, but the first Rocksmith is not something a beginner can pick up and expect to truly learn. They do give you basics, but they go from basic to something much more advance very quickly.

Also... as for which version is better, I'd say PC, because of the potential of some people modding it with their own music.

 

[guitarguy6]

Is this game better on console or PC?

I have slight latency issues on my 360 version. I tried it on PC and after a bit of tweaking there's basically 0 latency.

 

[guitarguy6]

Will it work -correctly- is the question. With the old one, a lot of stuff you could not do because you have less frets and it simply doesn't work the same way, you do not play them the same. Just curious.

If the songs have more frets than your guitar it will not work unless you manually figure out where to get that note on a different string. For instance lets say the song has 18th fret on the A string you could play that on the 13th fret of the D string instead.

 

[vikingod]

I'm not trying to trash anyone here, but there is some advice on here about purchasing guitars, learning and whatnot that isn't exactly great. I'll offer a little advice based on my 20+ years of being a musician.

1) There are some really great websites for learning guitar, many of which are free. I suggest JustinGuitar.com. I would have killed for an instructor like him when I was starting out. Use his site as a guide and Rocksmith as part of your practice routine.

2) Stay away from pawn shops unless you really know about guitars. Nothing wrong with used equipment (I buy virtually everything used these days), but pawn shops are often filled with garbage at high prices. Ebay is a much better option. If anything, you can compare prices of similar guitars.

3) More weight does not equate to better sound. In fact, it's often preferred to have a light guitar if you're gigging regularly. Want to find a good sounding guitar? Play it and judge for yourself.

4) Don't waste your money on a crap guitar, it'll deter you from practicing and you'll quit. For an inexpensive electric guitar to start with, there are a lot of great options. One of the most popular being Fender Squire. There are some lesser know companies, such as Dillion and Agile, that may even be better options. These are made in Korea and are just a good or better than the lower end Fenders / Epiphones, quality wise. They can go on ebay for $200-$300 used. If you don't like it or want to upgrade, you can sell it on ebay without a loss. There are also Chinese-made clones (counterfeits, really), but these can be dodgy and can require a lot of work to get/keep playable. I'd stay away from them as a beginner.

5) Practice makes the player. A video game is fun and all, but don't forget it's just one tool. You want to play guitar well, play guitar often. Good thing is, it's a ton of fun.

If you have any questions about starting out, feel free to PM me.

 

[VladDracule]

I'm not trying to trash anyone here, but there is some advice on here about purchasing guitars, learning and whatnot that isn't exactly great. I'll offer a little advice based on my 20+ years of being a musician.

1) There are some really great websites for learning guitar, many of which are free. I suggest JustinGuitar.com. I would have killed for an instructor like him when I was starting out. Use his site as a guide and Rocksmith as part of your practice routine.

2) Stay away from pawn shops unless you really know about guitars. Nothing wrong with used equipment (I buy virtually everything used these days), but pawn shops are often filled with garbage at high prices. Ebay is a much better option. If anything, you can compare prices of similar guitars.

3) More weight does not equate to better sound. In fact, it's often preferred to have a light guitar if you're gigging regularly. Want to find a good sounding guitar? Play it and judge for yourself.

4) Don't waste your money on a crap guitar, it'll deter you from practicing and you'll quit. For an inexpensive electric guitar to start with, there are a lot of great options. One of the most popular being Fender Squire. There are some lesser know companies, such as Dillion and Agile, that may even be better options. These are made in Korea and are just a good or better than the lower end Fenders / Epiphones, quality wise. They can go on ebay for $200-$300 used. If you don't like it or want to upgrade, you can sell it on ebay without a loss. There are also Chinese-made clones (counterfeits, really), but these can be dodgy and can require a lot of work to get/keep playable. I'd stay away from them as a beginner.

5) Practice makes the player. A video game is fun and all, but don't forget it's just one tool. You want to play guitar well, play guitar often. Good thing is, it's a ton of fun.

If you have any questions about starting out, feel free to PM me.

Im well aware of these things. I was a rather high level violinist up until my graduation from high school and have spent a few semesters learning and building a violin from scratch at my university. I doubt this is something that will turn into a serious hobby for me, i just simply dont have the time, especially now starting a new job and my dog needing a lot of care/attention due to some injuries. Do you know if the guitar that they sell as a bundle with the game is "enough" to get a basic start?

 

[vikingod]

Im well aware of these things. I was a rather high level violinist up until my graduation from high school and have spent a few semesters learning and building a violin from scratch at my university. I doubt this is something that will turn into a serious hobby for me, i just simply dont have the time, especially now starting a new job and my dog needing a lot of care/attention due to some injuries. Do you know if the guitar that they sell as a bundle with the game is "enough" to get a basic start?

I wasn't trying to be critical, just wanted to put my perspective out there in case it's useful for someone.

As far as the guitar bundle, I believe its an epiphone les paul jr. While standard Epiphones aren't bad (I have a 2000 Epiphone Les Paul Custom that I love), this guitar is what's called "short-scale". That is, the frets are small and there are fewer of them compared to a full scale guitar. Generally, these are made for young kids, but I don't recommend them for anyone (including young kids). You're better off picking up a full scale guitar used. Like I said above, a used Agile or Fender Squire is a great option and they can be had around the price of the bundle.

 

[VladDracule]

I wasn't trying to be critical, just wanted to put my perspective out there in case it's useful for someone.

As far as the guitar bundle, I believe its an epiphone les paul jr. While standard Epiphones aren't bad (I have a 2000 Epiphone Les Paul Custom that I love), this guitar is what's called "short-scale". That is, the frets are small and there are fewer of them compared to a full scale guitar. Generally, these are made for young kids, but I don't recommend them for anyone (including young kids). You're better off picking up a full scale guitar used. Like I said above, a used Agile or Fender Squire is a great option and they can be had around the price of the bundle.

I went ahead and bought rocksmith when a friend of mine found a used Ibanez with an amp for $75 at the flea market.

I will say im not a huge fan of how the game sounds when played through the sense cable. The guitar sounds distorted like its being played with a distortion pedal makes it harder to even really hear what i am playing and how it really sounds. Also the guitar volume doesnt seem to be very loud

 

[MaZa]

It works with any real guitar. Go to a pawn shop or a small local guitar store (the better of the two) and buy a guitar that feels heavier than 20lbs (if they're too light, the wood is crap and it probably won't stay in tune), don't spend any less than $150 on the guitar and you should be fine.

Bollocks. Weight doesnt matter. Basswood is light (and unfortunately soft, chips easily) but acoustically its a good tonewood. Its used in cheap guitars a lot because its... well... cheap. But you do find it in expensive ones aswell from time to time.


I wouldnt spend less than 200$ on beginners guitar. The risk of getting a dodgy piece of shit that makes you hate practicing is too great. This happened to me, bad guitar and bad learning material combined. Made me put guitar away for years...

And for the love of god stay away from tremolo / floyd rose guitars in this price range. You wont need one for long time, its a hassle to set up (forget about changing tunings quickly, it needs a new setup every time string tension changes) and in lower priced guitars they are soft pieces of crap that wear out fast and stop staying in tune. Good quality Floyds are expensive. Fixed bridge is the way to go. I prefer fixed bridges anyway no matter what guitar as I am more a rhythm guy.

Low end LTD's (ESP's budget line/brand) that I have tried have been consistently good, 50 series and up. I own F-50 and still love to play it. Cort also offers good bang for the buck.

I'm not trying to trash anyone here, but there is some advice on here about purchasing guitars, learning and whatnot that isn't exactly great. I'll offer a little advice based on my 20+ years of being a musician.

1) There are some really great websites for learning guitar, many of which are free. I suggest JustinGuitar.com. I would have killed for an instructor like him when I was starting out. Use his site as a guide and Rocksmith as part of your practice routine.

2) Stay away from pawn shops unless you really know about guitars. Nothing wrong with used equipment (I buy virtually everything used these days), but pawn shops are often filled with garbage at high prices. Ebay is a much better option. If anything, you can compare prices of similar guitars.

3) More weight does not equate to better sound. In fact, it's often preferred to have a light guitar if you're gigging regularly. Want to find a good sounding guitar? Play it and judge for yourself.

4) Don't waste your money on a crap guitar, it'll deter you from practicing and you'll quit. For an inexpensive electric guitar to start with, there are a lot of great options. One of the most popular being Fender Squire. There are some lesser know companies, such as Dillion and Agile, that may even be better options. These are made in Korea and are just a good or better than the lower end Fenders / Epiphones, quality wise. They can go on ebay for $200-$300 used. If you don't like it or want to upgrade, you can sell it on ebay without a loss. There are also Chinese-made clones (counterfeits, really), but these can be dodgy and can require a lot of work to get/keep playable. I'd stay away from them as a beginner.

5) Practice makes the player. A video game is fun and all, but don't forget it's just one tool. You want to play guitar well, play guitar often. Good thing is, it's a ton of fun.

If you have any questions about starting out, feel free to PM me.

Excellent advice. And +million for Justins site. I think every new guitarist who consider being self taught should go through his beginners course before venturing to deep end on their own.

I had high hopes for the original Rocksmith. When it was released I was getting back to playing guitar and thought it could be dream come true by bringing gamification aspect to learning. But no. I found out it tries to progress you way too fast and this leads to tense and sloppy playing. Bad habits that bite you in the ass later on. Plus I hated the way it first teaches you to play songs wrong...

Maybe the new one is better?

 

[MaZa]

I wasn't trying to be critical, just wanted to put my perspective out there in case it's useful for someone.

As far as the guitar bundle, I believe its an epiphone les paul jr. While standard Epiphones aren't bad (I have a 2000 Epiphone Les Paul Custom that I love), this guitar is what's called "short-scale". That is, the frets are small and there are fewer of them compared to a full scale guitar. Generally, these are made for young kids, but I don't recommend them for anyone (including young kids). You're better off picking up a full scale guitar used. Like I said above, a used Agile or Fender Squire is a great option and they can be had around the price of the bundle.

Not true. Epiphone Les Paur jr is a 22 fret and 24.75 scale. A normal Gibson scale which I tend to prefer over 25.5. 22 frets vs 24 is a matter of taste and if you really need to go that high for really ear blistering sounds.
I think the Les Paul jr is just very light but size itself is fairly normal.
http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les-Paul/Les-Paul-Junior.aspx

I went ahead and bought rocksmith when a friend of mine found a used Ibanez with an amp for $75 at the flea market.

I will say im not a huge fan of how the game sounds when played through the sense cable. The guitar sounds distorted like its being played with a distortion pedal makes it harder to even really hear what i am playing and how it really sounds. Also the guitar volume doesnt seem to be very loud

It seems like there is something wrong with the wiring or the pots. If you can try the guitar out with real guitar amp. If it sounds like that through the clean channel take it to a tech. A wiring problem is an easy and cheap fix. Might as well as get a new strings and a setup while you are it. A proper setup (neck relief and string height) makes the guitar feel much better.

 

[MaZa]

*deleted*

 

[guitarguy6]

I went ahead and bought rocksmith when a friend of mine found a used Ibanez with an amp for $75 at the flea market.

I will say im not a huge fan of how the game sounds when played through the sense cable. The guitar sounds distorted like its being played with a distortion pedal makes it harder to even really hear what i am playing and how it really sounds. Also the guitar volume doesnt seem to be very loud

It's not the game, you bought a $75 guitar and amp at a flea market lol. Bring the guitar into a repair shop and have them take a look.

 

[VladDracule]

It's not the game, you bought a $75 guitar and amp at a flea market lol. Bring the guitar into a repair shop and have them take a look.

not sure about that. Friend has 2 gibsons that they bought brand new and he played the one he picked up for me and said the sound is of the same quality playing rocksmith, also it sounds much much cleaner/clearer on the amp. He played all of them using my game and cable for 360

 

[Pringle]

It's not the game, you bought a $75 guitar and amp at a flea market lol. Bring the guitar into a repair shop and have them take a look.

This. Hell, it's a $75 Ibanez (probably one from a 'starters pack' Guitar Center shills), it's most likely not worth bringing to a shop to get it looked at

 

[VladDracule]

Based off of photos I can find on the Ibanez GIO, it appears to be a GIO GRX40A which is an extremely well rated guitar especially at entry level and original cost can be upwards of 200

 

[MaZa]

Based off of photos I can find on the Ibanez GIO, it appears to be a GIO GRX40A which is an extremely well rated guitar especially at entry level and original cost can be upwards of 200

To be honest that is exactly a starter pack guitar and they are never good. But it is a functional real guitar and should work well for playing Rocksmith.

Again, take it to a tech/luthier for string change and setup. This is something I do with every new guitar, used or brand new. Factory setups are rarely good and who knows how old the strings are. And if there is any issues with your guitar he should be able to fix them too.

 

[Katalysis]

I have played bass for a long time and have a high-quality one (an American Standard Fender Jazz), but I have picked up Rocksmith mostly for screwing around on guitar. So, for everyone who is just getting into this, let me just say that musical instruments are something where you get what you pay for. That's not to say you cannot negotiate on price or that there are not good models, but you need to do your research. A "well-reviewed" $200 "starter" guitar is going to a foreign-made, mass produced instrument that you cannot expect to sound great, especially right out of the box. I have a shitty Squire Strat that, even when setup ideally, cannot stay in tune, whereas my bass can stay in tune for months (and it cost $1000 more, of course).

In the case of that Ibanez GIO, that was made in China. That distortion buzzing you are hearing could be any number of things: saddle height, truss rod adjustment, bad pickups, etc. I would take the thing into a local guitar store or even a Guitar Center and have them take a look at it. You can have it professionally setup and they can tell you if anything is wrong with it.

 

[VladDracule]

I have played bass for a long time and have a high-quality one (an American Standard Fender Jazz), but I have picked up Rocksmith mostly for screwing around on guitar. So, for everyone who is just getting into this, let me just say that musical instruments are something where you get what you pay for. That's not to say you cannot negotiate on price or that there are not good models, but you need to do your research. A "well-reviewed" $200 "starter" guitar is going to a foreign-made, mass produced instrument that you cannot expect to sound great, especially right out of the box. I have a shitty Squire Strat that, even when setup ideally, cannot stay in tune, whereas my bass can stay in tune for months (and it cost $1000 more, of course).

In the case of that Ibanez GIO, that was made in China. That distortion buzzing you are hearing could be any number of things: saddle height, truss rod adjustment, bad pickups, etc. I would take the thing into a local guitar store or even a Guitar Center and have them take a look at it. You can have it professionally setup and they can tell you if anything is wrong with it.

Your ignoring my post when i said the sound is significantly clearer when played through an amp. I can guarantee its a fabric of the game and heres why. Ive been playing through the practice tracks, and ive noticed that as soon as the song ends and its in between the track ending and loading the results screen, there are a few seconds where the guitar comes through significantly clearer. It is consistent, it happens after every single practice track at the same time, which means the audio input during actual gameplay is intentionally distorted