We purchased this based on the need to "clean up" the Rock Band room. The other reviews were pretty good and it looks sharp online. We ordered on a Sunday and it arrived on Wednesday.
First impressions were good. Although quite heavy, it DOES look sharp, feels nice to sit on and holds a bunch of stuff. I put two wireless guitars, Rock Band 2 wireless drums and pedal, the mic, and a half-dozen controllers and remotes into the box with no problem. Once closed, visitors would never realized how addicted you are to fake plastic rock.
The Rock Box's internal drum support frame seems like a great idea, and it is, but needs two kinds of improvement. First, the lid closes at a low angle. This "clips" the front edge of my Rock Band 2 drums, making the box very tricky to open without damaging them. I picture a visitor just pulling the box open without knowing and SNAP--dead drums. That's the weakest part of the design and could be overcome by adding a little more depth to the box itself.
Once you open the box, the hinged drum support rises and "locks" about two feet up. The range of motion ALLOWS for a few more inches of height, but sinks back to that one level. (As a 6' tall drummer, I "force" it to stay at the higher level by placing a block against the hinge base.) It would be EXCELLENT to improve the support structure, which seems fragile, and allow multiple height settings. Both of those aspects compare poorly to the stock Rock Band drum kit.
Would I buy this again? Yeah, maybe, but I'd at least look for other options that handled the drums more elegantly. You could, for example, re-use the stock drum struts by putting sockets near the inside front edge, saving the cost of all that hinge engineering.
Pros:
- Exterior looks nice, comfortable padded top
- Easy to "assemble"
- Can fit many extras in the box, including controllers, games, and remotes
Cons:
- Lid edge "grabs" the green and red drum edges, a significant damage hazard
- Drum kit support doesn't "lock" at highest level, making it harder to use for tall players
- Feet could use pads to prevent floor marks, given the box weight
