The New Toy

It’s a belated sort of gift, but the Starpex Sunburst finally arrived.  As to be expected (and yet, at the same time it’s one of those “doesn’t fully hit you in the face until it’s in the flesh” sort of experiences) it’s big.  Very big.  I know the text kept describing it as being the same size as a full size guitar, but still… you really get a sense of how toy-like the Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars are when you have this monster next to them for a side by side comparison.

The important thing though is how it plays, and on that count… this is, without a doubt, the best fake guitar I’ve ever used.  The strummer is perfect and the fret buttons are completely responsive.  The build of the Starpex oozes quality.  Obviously it’s going to take a while to get used to the size and spacing of the buttons, but I’ve already managed to finish one song on Rock Band 2 (Bodhisattva, by Steely Dan) that had thus far eluded me, and I was surprised to see that it was the responsiveness of the fret buttons during hammer on/pull off sections in solos that finally allowed me to nail it.  I’m not saying this thing will turn aspiring fake guitarists into instant masters… but it does seem to improve playing at least somewhat.