PS3 Rock Band Wireless Fender Precision Bass - Hot Rod Red

by Mad Catz

Product Features

• Patent-pending dual/split Strum Bar for two-fingered Bass action
• Doubles as an in-game Guitar with Whammy Knob & solo Fret Buttons
• Premium Fret Buttons and Strum Bar / Right or left handed gameplay
• 30 Ft. (9.2m) wireless range / Includes official Fender Bass Strap
• Compatible with Rock Band, Rock Band 2, The Beatles: Rock Band, and Guitar Hero 5

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002LCVONW
• Product Dimensions: 33.7 x 2.6 x 11.4 inches ; 4.6 pounds
• Media: Accessory
• Release Date: September 11, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,546 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #36 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Hardware > Controllers > Guitars
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Mad Catz’ officially licensed Wireless Fender Precision Bass Replica is the must-have bass guitar for every Rock Band enthusiast. The custom finish and strap both ensure your bass axe will look as good as the real thing on and off stage. With the premium-quality dual/split strum bar you can hit notes like never before. Its two-piece design allows for two-finger flicking like no other bass can offer, meaning the patent-pending technology provides the extra edge you need to excel in the game. A Whammy dial and an additional set of Fret Buttons for strum-free finger tapping allow the bass to double as a guitar, making it all you need to jam either role in-game. If you had to choose only one bass guitar for throwing down in Rock Band, this feature-rich Wireless Fender Precision Bass Replica from Mad Catz would be your only choice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe I'm lucky, but my 1st one works fine!, November 10, 2009

By 

Sweet Willy T. (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PS3 Rock Band Wireless Fender Precision Bass - Hot Rod Red (Accessory)

Keeping in mind: (1) I currently play RB2 for PS3 mostly on EASY level - starting to move towards MEDIUM, yet (2) I actually play guitar and bass and I can play several of the RB2 and DLC songs on guitar (chords at least, some leads depending on the song) and/or bass (yet I LOVE playing RB2 - go figure, eh? It's fun to me!), and (3) I have my PS3 on a standard def TV which I'm about 6 feet from when I play, here are my observations on this controller:

While I was looking for a BASS controller to play BASS on, and this controller looked similar to an actual Fender Precision Bass that I own (albeit with a simulated maple fingerboard as opposed to my actual bass's rosewood fingerboard - I do prefer maple btw) I was concerned about the early reviews about connectivity, etc., but finally went for it and bought this.

When the controller arrived I had NO problems with connectivity (NOTE: I connected the USB dongle directly to the PS3, not to a USB hub or piggybacked onto the guitar dongle, and no other instruments were connected). I then played a few of the shorter RB2 songs in Quickplay mode, using this controller as both a bass and a guitar - no problems with the fret buttons in the lower register or in the upper "solo" register, nor with the strum/pluck bars. Last night I spent more time (about an hour) playing songs in Tour mode mostly on bass, and had no problems with anything - except my dexterity!

Even as someone who does "pluck" an actual bass with the non-fretting hand (though I do generally play bass mostly with a pick - especially if the song is fast), the dual strum/pluck bars take some getting used to if you're "plucking" (playing with 2 fingers of the non-fretting hand)! If you do pluck though, with the thumb rest it does make it a LOT easier to play a "Bass Groove" with upstrokes only. Note that you can use the strum/pluck bar(s) to "strum", so don't let the dual design deter you.

With the other reviews about connectivity issues, controllers arriving D.O.A., etc., I'm playing it safe and keeping my shipping box and materials intact just in case I have to return this controller after a more thorough "play in". So thus far, I'm leaving my review at 4-stars, though this controller works well for me so far!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Playing bass is even more fun now., November 9, 2009

By 

drblk "Paul" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PS3 Rock Band Wireless Fender Precision Bass - Hot Rod Red (Accessory)

I might be one of few, but I've always liked playing bass guitar on Rock Band. Having the right giant plastic instrument makes it even more fun! The guitar comes mostly ready to go right outta the box...you just snap on the top. I had no problem getting it to work on my PS3 and was playing bass on my new Fender within minutes of tearing open the box. The way you play the bass guitar took a little getting used to, but now I like "plucking" while playing better than "struming". (You can still "strum" if you want to, but why would you want to?) It also has the nicest included guitar strap of any plastic guitar out there.

The only downside is the RB Wireless Fender Precision Bass feels lighter and more "plasticy" than I was expecting; it's not a bad thing, I was just expecting it to be heavier. It actually feels lighter than my RB2 Fender Strat guitar.

The RB Wireless Fender Precision Bass works great with Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and is perfect with Beatles Rock Band. It doesn't, however, work with any Guitar Hero game I've tried.

Get this guitar! It's fun to play, works flawlessly, and looks impressive when you have friends over to play Rock Band!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Takes abit to get used to, January 14, 2010

By 

K. Anderson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: PS3 Rock Band Wireless Fender Precision Bass - Hot Rod Red (Accessory)

I received this as a Christmas gift and opened it up hook it in and it was DOA.
I got an exchange and it worked perfectly.

All I can say is that if you have played expert bass on the regular Rock Band guitar, this will knock you back down until you get used to it.

The fret is higher so you have to relearn where your fingers are. The double strum is tough to get used to if you have been downstrumming all the time and want to learn to use the thumb rest and upstrum with two fingers. The strummer on mine is alittle stiff so trying to use a finger on each strum made my hand tired very quickly.

The whammy knob is abit harder to use than the bar when it comes to trying to get the most out of a power-up. However, the start/select placed on a knob is a nice touch.