This week readers, colleagues, friends and Gamestop employees (handling the returns we've been hearing about) are all discovering what happens when sloppy Red Octane peripheral manufacturing takes place. In regards to the Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II guitar malfunctions, Red Octane may be "currently in the process of having [their] internal QA and production teams" looking into a possible issue -- but we're starting to find a common thread.

We were already concerned by the fact that two different guitars were released with the game. Red Octane is being very tight in their communication on this issue and has yet to explain why two models were manufactured before the $90 product shipped. Model number 95055, where the pedal jack is next to the power cord, is the model resulting in the most complaints of a faulty or slow-reacting whammy bar. Model number 95065, where the pedal jack is next to the shoulder strap, is having less complaints, but was received broken by our sister site Xbox 360 Fanboy.

Still want to take the risk of buying Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360 before this problem gets fixed? Consumers may lessen their chances of getting a broken axe by taking a look at the back of the retail box (detailed picture after the break). On the back of the box, above the UPC and ESRB rating, you'll see the "Part No." A majority of issues revolve around Part No. 95055, so try avoiding it to diminish risk of a faulty whammy bar.