Homemade Guitar Hero Controller?

[JonnyBoy]

Well, I haven't had a chance to play the game yet so I don't know much about the SG controllers, but wouldn't it be cool to sacrifice an old guitar and build a controller from scratch?

First thing I would do is remove the truss rod from the neck and keep the channel (for wiring of course) and lead the wires to the control cutout under the pickguard. Problem is, can I find buttons shallow enough to fit inside the neck of the guitar? Frets are made of nickel, so I could drill through them most likely.

For those who have played the game...how does the whammy bar work? Is it detected as a button press? If it is, then you can just mount a button underneath the bar and when it is tilted back, it could engage the microswitch, I'd switch out the springs for lighter tension. The only thing left is the thing that you strum. Is it a button or a switch or something? Can somebody possibly explain it? This could be really cool if done right. All we would need to do is hack PS controller.


Tell me what you think...

[Luxury]

I've played it and it is a TON of fun.  I've been trying to get it at my local stores, but nobody has the damn thing.

As for the wammy bar, it felt like it was an analog control.  It does pitch the note, and has a visual representation of it happening on screen.  The more you bend it, the larger the waveform gets, and the more out of tune it gets.  I don't know how you could do something homebrew, but there must be a way.

[JonnyBoy]

analog...hmmm. I wonder how it's detected for the consoles, if it is detected as a movement of the analog joystick, then I guess maybe I can rig up an intricate movement of pullies and string to get it to tug on the stick.

Man, there goes any hope of a homebrew one, what kind of movement is the strum component? Thanks for your help by the way.

[JonnyBoy]

I'm looking at my guitar right now, and I'm worried there won't be any room for the microswitches of the buttons...hmm. Maybe I could use a smaller button, maybe something from Radio Shack.

[spiffyshoes]

Why don't you make a Guitar rather than use a real Guitar.

[GGKoul]

http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=topics&f=10

[versapak]

http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=topics&f=10

Weird...

I could have swore that I already had a post in here that linked to those forums.


Is this thread posted in multiple locations?

[JonnyBoy]

A real guitar would make the game much more of an experience, I just think it'd be fun. And Versapak, you posted the link in the main guitar heros thread.

Thanks for the help guys, I think I'm going to just hang back for a bit and see what others do, then mooch off their ideas.

[Generic Eric]

That is pretty cool

[JonnyBoy]

Well, I guess the whammy is a pot, not a switch or an analog control...

I guess the way that the strum works is a rocker switch that presses on two buttons underneath, the rocker has "fingers" on the bottom that press the button.

[versapak]

Well, I guess the whammy is a pot, not a switch or an analog control...

I guess the way that the strum works is a rocker switch that presses on two buttons underneath, the rocker has "fingers" on the bottom that press the button.

A pot is an analog control.

[JonnyBoy]

Okay okay okay, sorry for my igorance  .

[dennis808]

Check out this thread, where a guy made his SG-controller wireless!

http://forums.makezine.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=33

[MameMaster!]

hmm...there's already a kiddie ripoff of the Guitar Heros!-- -but it's only $24.99!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4016670

[MameMaster!]

hmm...there's already a kiddie ripoff of the Guitar Heros!-- -but it's only $24.99!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4016670