Using the Wii Guitar Hero controller with Rock Band
July 7th, 2008We’ve had an email from someone who wants to know if it’s possible to use a Guitar Hero guitar with Rock Band for the Wii. The bad news is that you can’t, which is a shame because we know you can with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. There have been a number of third party Wii guitar controllers released so we thought we’d compare each instrument and draw up this Wii instrument compatibility matrix which lists each Wii instrument and which titles they are compatible with:-
Recommended Guitar Controller
If cross-compatibility is critical then the most suitable 3rd party controller we’ve looked at is the $69.99 ezJam Wireless Guitar which works across the board with all titles. Although build quality isn’t up the same standard as the official controllers it isn’t let down by features – strum, tremolo and whammy bars are all covered along with a tilt sensor to take advantage of features found in later versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero. If you are after something less ‘Nintendo white’ and a little more ‘rock’ with the same compatibility as the ezJam then the glam styled Rock Thunder might be more suitable with a quieter strumming action than the ezJam.
Runner up
If it wasn’t for lack of compatibility with the original Rock Band for the Wii we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the $59.99 Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar as the axe of choice – these guitars are exceptionally well built compared to every other guitar controller we’ve played and guaranteed to work with all Guitar Hero titles along with Rock Band 2. If you have your heart set on playing tracks from the original Rock Band with there is a workaround. Using the $29.99 Rock Band 2 you can transfer the 55 songs from the original Rock Band disc over to a suitably sized Wii compatible SD card. You’ll then be able to use Rock Band 2 to play your mega library of tracks from the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 plus any of the 800+ downloadable songs you may have acquired along the way. We’re hoping that Harmonix will implement a similar export key system for transferring tracks from the forthcoming Beatles Rock Band and Lego Rock Band.
Additional accessories
Whilst researching these guitar controllers we came across a must for any serious guitar collector wanting to keep their controllers tidy in the living room – there is a $13.99 Dual Guitar Holder which doubles as a mic stand and a Triple Tree Guitar Stand which holds up to 3 guitars for $29.99.
We’ve also found a specially designed storage box for holding Rock Band accessories – once your kit is tucked up inside your visitors won’t know you are a secret plastic rocker. Amazon have shaved around 50% off so if you are in the market for some new furniture and want somewhere to hide a pair of guitars, a set of drums and a mic then have something to put your feet up on after a heavy rocking session then this is a great space saving idea.
For those of you wanting to play a Wii music game without the need for instruments then we recommend a look at Disneys multiplayer Ultimate Band which uses strumming and drumming actions on the Wiimote and Nunchuck to play – watch our review of Ultimate Band to see what you think.
Buy from Amazon.com:
- Guitar Hero 3 Les Paul – $59.99
- Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar – $59.99
- Guitar Hero World Tour Drums – $79.99
- Rock Band Guitar – $59.99
- Rock Band 2 Guitar – $52.99
- Rock Band Drums – $99.99
- Rock Band 2 Drums – $89.99
- ezJam Wireless Guitar – $69.99
- Wii Shred Ax Guitar – $25.99
- Frontman Wireless Guitar – $36.95
- Rock Thunder Guitar – $50.00
- Gene Simmons Axe Guitar – $66.96
- Wii Rock Icon Guitar – $39.99
- Dazzle Wireless Guitar Hero Controller – $39.99
- Intec Universal Wireless Guitar – $69.99
- Wii Guitar Evolution Wireless Guitar – $49.99
- Xtreme Wireless Guitar Controller – $47.99
Related Wii music articles:
- Guitar Hero 2 review
- Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock review
- Guitar Hero World Tour review
- Guitar Hero Aerosmith review
- Guitar Hero Mii support
- Rock Band review
- Rock Band 2 review
- Rock Revolution review
- Wii Christmas party games
- Samba De Amigo review
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Tags: Wii, Wii Guitar Hero controller, Rock Band
Posted in:
Matt's blog, Wii
Comments:
59 Comments
That sucks if I’d have known that i wouldn’t have bought it.
rock band should make something to hook up the guitar hero guitar im sick of buying more controllers
Yea, i’m sick of blowing my money on controlers, if some1 has connections with nintendo, tell then they need to make hook up items, but, I bet they won’t so they can get more money, those cheapfaces!
Thats why you should all buy 360s beotches! and don’t even say im a fan boy cause im not and youd be wrong you emo japanese wii players, slut. go read your vampire romance crap.
what if we already have a controler and we put it in? how do we hook it up?
i really wish that SOMEONE i really dont care who, would come up with a Controller with the nice, Big built in fret Buttoms from the rock band guitar and add in the sweet smooth strum bar from the GH Gutiar, and have them work on BOTH games.. i HATE the rock band controllers strum bar.. its so hard, makes me miss notes that i would have hit if it was more like GH strum bar.. :( MEH!
this really sucks the only reason i bought rockband was to play with 2 guitars..? and now i have to buy another friggin controller wat a rip off.
Wow that totally sucks!!! do you think there is a cord that you could buy to connect it?? like..where you would orginially put the control in the wii guitar, plug in like an adapter thats connected to a cord to connect with the rest of the instruments like the drum and microphone??
my rock band guitar was broken as soon as i got it out of the box!
my friggen drum was broken, then I went and returned it and spent about 4 hours trying to hook the guitar hero guitar up with rockband to realize the japs did not make it work. I am dissapointed
Blame Activision.
They are not adhering to the standard and as such, Activision’s controller will not work. It probably does not help that Activision and Harmonix are in competition with each other…
I 4 1 have had it with Nintendo !! Im SO p.o. about not being able to use my Hero guitar with Rock Band…its the last straw. I’ve been an avid Nintendo freak since the 1st system came out…and I vow to NEVER buy another system from Nintendo.
First the graphx suck, u cant download songs & play online with other peeps like the other systems & now this?? Unacceptable to pay almost $200 for somethin & still have to buy more. Ive had enough & wrote em an email about it too. I hope the rest of the world does the same.
How is this activisions fault u idiot. They designed a guitar that uses the wii mote. F**king Harmonix comes in and said that wont make us any money. They should just quit and go out of business
anybody that has money is not worried about saving us money……thats what this is all about making 2 different games that are virtually the same so ppl bought guitar hero bc it came out first…then someone else made rock band not too long after that so ppl are dumb enough to waste all that money buying both…. i know i did…of course you cant use that controller on rock band that would be too simple
thank f*** i read this site first, i was just about to buy rockband to use the GH guitar which the block in the GAME store said would work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KIN RIP OFF WORLD
LOL, the guy at the store told me it would work with Rock Band. What a liar. Or he’s just stupid. He looked like a nerd so i thought he knew what he was talking about. Anyways…
I’ve heard of the RB guitars Breaking easily, but I’ve noticed some people mistake them for broken when they really need to TURN ON THE SWITCH IN THE BACK! (Read the instructions.)
But basically, The wii Rock Band is the same for all systems…minus the character customization and song availability. Go a head and get the X box. The prices have dropped.
http://www.n4g.com/wii/News-194726.aspx
This may be the answer
its a money spinner like the 360 wireless adaptor for live £60 guitar i think i can get it for a tenner there both money spinners
That is so pathetic. They just want us to buy more controllers.
has anyone gotten their Rockband Guitar to work on Guitar Hero game? THis really sucks.
man….I got rockband about 2 weeks ago and of course you dont get two guitars so I asked for a second guitar for chirstmas….I got it today early and it was a guitar hero guitar which ticks me off because I dont even have guitar hero…the wii really sucks and they are thinking about making a wii 2? they cant even make good games. anyway this really sucks…
that sucks
I may as well take up real guitar playing with the collection of gotdam fake ass plastic guitars I have to have out in my living room just to play 2 seperate popular games! Im furrious!
you can use the same mic on both games but thats all
Have any of you actually tried it? I use our GH guitar for RB2 all the time. The only problem is that it appears to have a slight lag that makes it hard to use for lead guitar – but not much of a problem for bass. If you adjust the timing, it adjusts it for all instruments, not individual. So, calm down, all. It works.
I just bought Rockband II wireless drums , I already had Guitar hero III Les Paul and it works with Rockband AC/DC live trackpack . This is on a Wii system. But I tried to use my Guitar hero guitar on my buddies Rockband I game , and it won’t work? Any Ideas?
Dave, Guitar Hero controllers work for Rock Band 2, but not for Rock Band 1. I’ve been playing RB2 since it came out, oblivious to the RB1 issue, imagine my suprise when I try to load it up today… poop.
For the Wii, Both the GH Les Paul and the World Tour guitar work with RB2. RB1, however is different. The drum controller from GHWT will work with with RB2. The RB stuff DOESN’T WORK with GH games The RB drum controller does not have speed and pressure sensitivity. Down loadable content (DLC)for RB 2 is lagging behind the other platforms but they are working on it. They promise some releases each week, starting this month.
The DLC for GHWT is on par. GHII lack a lot for cooperative band play and the GH Aerosmith is a slight improvement. If you like jamming with friends and family of all ages, which is really what the Wii is all about, I found the best bet is a GHWT kit then picking up RB2 as a standalone software. If you feel like adding to the software, maybe GH Aerosmith or loading up on Wii points and getting the DLC stuff you like. RB1 songs are supposed to work with RB2 but due to RB 1’s lack of online conectivity for Wii, buying RB1 for its content is just about useless.
EZ Gear has a guitar for the Wii that will work on both Rock band and Guitar Hero. You can get it at KB Toys for $70.
I have been drawn to the more kid-friendly content of RB/RB2 but I couldn’t get past all the bad reviews on the RB controllers. (Plus I really do prefer GH gameplay myself.) I love Vic’s solution of buying GHWT with controllers and then the RB2 game standalone… this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks!
Well I have a question… My GH gutar worked on christmas day on my rock band sistem for my Wii but i have no idea how i did it… So all of you ppls are wrong cuz it worked for me a couple times but now it wont work no more and it is making me mad!!!>:0…So I know it can work but I just dont remember how to make it work!=-(
I found that both the Guitar Hero III Les Paul Guitar as well as the Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar controller work with Rock Band 2. Out of sheer boredom, I tried the GH:WT drums with RB2, and found that it works as well; when the orange cymbal was hit, the blue button on the screen was hit. I haven’t yet tried the microphone, but i’m pretty sure that would work too, as on both RB2 and GH:WT it’s just a USB port on the end of the mic. Hope this helps! =]
semour butts, you are a fool. you cannot claim not to be a fan, then claim the superiority of a sytem over another, then go on to insult anyone who owns that system. it doesnt work that way. you are a fanboy in denial.
We just bought Rock Band 2, set it up, turned it on, and our Guitar Hero III guitar synced right up and we played with the 2 guitars, drums, and mic for 3 days straight.
i payed 30 bucks for this now i cant play!
I got Rock Band 1 today and I have not played it yet but some ppl say that GH guitar will play for RB (BR2) and some ppl say that it will not play so I do not know…
Is there a pach?
I have played Rock Band and the Guitar Hero guitar will not play with Rock Band! The guy at the stor say that he had it and it will play! What a rip off!
(But I still like Rock Band!)
I have all 3 systems and I like them all for different reasons. The Wii is a fun, family based system and not really intended for use by hardcore gamers. They never pitched it as a such a system. Nintendo has always kind of been geared toward younger kids and teens. That is why they keep the price of their systems and accerssories down compared to the Microsoft and Sony. If you are a hardcore gamer then the Wii is not for you and you are the a$$ not Nintendo for buying it and expecting it to do more than advertised. Nintendo doesn’t say they have the best graphics or that they have the best multiplayer titles out there. They say play together and have fun with your family. I have a 5 year old and her and I get hours of enjoyment out of the system and I prefer its active play to the regular sit still and play buttons stuff anyway. So for me the Wii works. When I feel like killing a bunch of stuff after she’s in bed and screaming at people I can’t see while I splatter them all over the wall I turn on my 360. When I want some great looking graphics and to play some franchise titles I can’t get on another system or to watch a Blu-Ray movie and chat with a smaller group of people I turn my PS3.
As for GH the guitar will work on RB2, but not RB1. I prefer the Rockband 2 drums over the World Tour drums. But I think both the guitars have their flaws, but the GH one is a little better that the RB, but I expect this to be the case I mean that’s what GH is know for it would be kind of pathetic if they couldn’t at least beat RB at that.
I have been using my GHWT guitar with RB2 for Wii. I also bought an extra guitar that I use for both . (They work fine until you add the drums) Was using GHWT drums with RB2 also. Decided to purchase the RB2 drums. They work fine with just 1 guitar but when you add the extra guitar or microphone, the calabration is completely off on the drums, if you calibrate the drums then the guitar calibrations are off. Do you think its because the guitars have to be used with the Wii controllers and the drums don’t? Should I just go buy the RB2 guitars? Does anyone think that will help? Thanks
Actually, the mic will work for every each plat. that has a usb entry ( ps2, ps3, wii, xbox360 ) im not sure about Xbox.
Can someone please comfirm that i can use my ghIII Les Paul in a RBII?I’ve only got RBI, i’m unsafe = (
What I want to know is does the GH3 guitar work with ACDC Rock Band? If it does, sweet, I will buy it, if not, Nintendo can go to hell! The majority of the songs on GH3 were sh** but ACDC rock!
How the Hell can you guys blame Nintendo? They did not make either of these games. Blame the companies that did
I think its all a money making thing from the companys that made these games,
I got rock band song pack1, tryed to use GH wt does not work, the rock band drums Dont work on ghwt,
so you can end up with 4 guitars 2 drum kits
nintendo wii, needs to get update to fix this or will lose loads of buyers
Thanks for the update. I was thinking about buying the Rock Band Country pack. I have Guitar Hero Legends and Aerosmith, got the Aerosmith guitar, and then bought the Guitar Hero Les Paul for the Wii. Guess there’s no need to get Rock Band Country.
If I have GHWT, can I use the guitar to play RB AC/DC? I really want to play along with AC/DC!
Ugh…I guess I got an extra guitar for no reason.
“If I have GHWT, can I use the guitar to play RB AC/DC? I really want to play along with AC/DC!” – yes, but you need to disconnect to be able to return to the wii menu.
Likewise The Beatles: Rock Band game.
All you need to do is stay away from Rock Band 1, if you have GH guitars.
“What I want to know is does the GH3 guitar work with ACDC Rock Band?” – yes. See also my post re: GHWT guitars.
I purchased Rock Band Beatles for the wii and it came with the wireless guitar. I bought Rock Band 5 last night and at first the guitar would NOT work. Today I made sure the wireless transmitter was flashing blue when I turned on the GH5 game and low and behold I WAS able to use this controller with the game. The drums that came with RB Beatles works just fine on GH 5 as well.
I hope this helps anyone who had the initial problems I had. Troubleshooting works miracles!
[...] those guitar accessories stored neatly in the living room or bedroom. See our recent run-down of Wii guitar accessories for more ideas of what to get fans of Rock Band and Guitar Hero for [...]
Hi,
I just joined this site, because i have a burning question!
Last month I bought a Wii!!! Yeah!
I want to play backup wii games. How do I need to Wii Ombouwen?
Thank you in advance for your replies and help!!
Jannes
can u use the guitar hero 5 guitar and play the AC/DC rock band game ???
i dont want to waste money buying the game and it doesnt work… plz help!
Thanks for the easy-to-read chart. I’ll be making smarter choices this Christmas thanks to you!
Does anyone know if I would be able to use the Wii Metallica wireless guitar with wii Beatles Rock Band? Thanks
Where does Rock Band Beatles for Wii fall on this list? Does it work like a RB1 game? A RB2 game? Or something different?
*sigh* I almost got RB Beatles for PS3 and thought “no, this is the kind of silly, fun, family game we should be playing on the Wii”. Of course, right out of the box, everyone wanted to play the guitar, and no one wanted the drums (except me) or the mic. So… now I need to buy another guitar controller. So… What works for the Beatles on Wii (besides the very overpriced “official” John Lennon and George Harrison guitars?)
I have “Beatles Rock Band” for the Wii and am looking for a guitar controller which will function on both at a reasonable price. I’ve found a site that offers a “Dragon Wireless Rock Guitar” (including the slote for the Wiimote) and works with the entire GH saga. Does anyone know if it works with the RB games? Thanks.
GH guitar will work on RB Games released after RB2. Before that they had different drive engines.
hey,
I am about to buy the AC/DC live rockband trackpack. I haven’t got any other rockband games but I do have Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero V.
I have 2 guitars, the Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar and the Xtreme Wireless Guitar Controller, will I be allowed to play without buying anything else?
Thanks