McCartney's replica Rock Band bass looks awesome, backwards

by Griffin McElroy on May 12th 2009 12:25PM

Regardless of your feelings towards the mop-topped British rock sensation upon which the next Rock Band game is based, you have to admit -- The Beatles had them some lovely instruments. Two of these six-strings, Lennon and Harrison's Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet, will be coming as $99 add-ons to The Beatles: Rock Band -- however, a third replica guitar will be coming in the game's Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Paul McCartney's Höfner bass guitar, pictured above.

According to a recent Harmonix press release, this wireless periph will work with all versions of Rock Band. It certainly looks gorgeous, but as our well-read colleagues at Engadget point out, this Höfner controller was designed for a right-handed player. McCartney, of course, was a Southpaw. Man, the game isn't even out yet, and already Harmonix is taking outrageous liberties with history. Unbelievable.

[Thanks, MarkHawk!]

Source

Tags: bass, guitar, harmonix, Microsoft, Nintendo, paul-mccartney, peripheral, rock-band, the-beatles, the-beatles-rock-band, Wii, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (59)

Harmonix should start a side business of custom controllers. Work out a deal with Fender and Gibson and any other big guitar companies that I don't know about. You could go online and create your favorite guitar for rock band. I'd like to get a black telecaster.

Or, Harmonix could sell the electronics and other hardware needed to make the guitar work, and let anyone build whatever "chassis" they want with it. Heck, they could just let the Chinese manufacturer take orders directly from anyone.

The day Fender and Gibson start making their own overpriced custom-branded Rock Band guitars is the day rhythm-genre goes to far and 'Learn to play a real fucking instruments' argument becomes more valid than ever.

that whole "learn to play a real instrument" line is as tired and pointless today as it was the first time it was uttered. It has never been valid and never will be. We have people on this planet that will spend gobs of money to create an authentic costume for a video game or cartoon character. At least money spent on this stuff serves a functional purpose!

'We have people on this planet that will spend gobs of money to create an authentic costume for a video game or cartoon character.'

I don't mind people making their own modded controllers or obscure companies doing so, but I do have a problem with the idea of world famous real guitar companies making, advertising and selling plastic guitars for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

I don't belong to the 'Play a real instrument' crowd(even if I do have petty problems with stuff like 9-year old who can play TFAF on Expert, being more popular than a 9-year-old that can play Stairway to Heaven) however, I'd still prefer to keep real life as far away from Rock Band as possible because personally I don't see anything good coming out of it that wouldn't be outbalanced by all the ammo 'Play a real instrument' guys would get out of it.

...nor do I want masses of GH players who become big celebrities then proceed to blow their brains out with shotguns or drown in their own vomit...although that's on a slightly more dystopian note :-D

It's my opinion and I am quite aware of it's flaws, but I'm gonna stick to it. I know that an official Fender Plastic Guitar won't be the end of the world as we know it,but hey it's a slippery slope.

That 'Learn to play an instrument' argument is stupid.
Why don't you say things like "Why don't you ACTUALLY go out an cut someone in half with a gun with a chainsaw on the end..."

It's a bit of fun. Get over it.

i vote for a minarik medusa.

@Alex: The reason is that going on a chainsaw rampage is fantastical and can't be done in real life without major consequences. Guitar Hero, on the other hand, serves only to simulate something that can be done fairly easily with much more reward and for not much more money than is spent on the game itself.

This really looks excellent for a plastic guitar. I don't know if I'd drop the cash for the big box set but it sure is tempting. Wish the stand alone guitars looked as nice as this one.

I'm hoping they offer all the instruments as stand alone items on the Rock Band website. I am slightly disappointed they didn't go the Dual strum bar route.

"McCartney was a Southpaw"

IS a Southpaw. C'mon, it's been almost 35 years... can't we finally put this whole "Paul is Dead" rumor to rest?

the walrus was Paul.

Yea, he's the only one NOT dead.

Don't let Ringo hear ya say that. Would be weird to read/hear your own death announced.

Unless Sir Paul has become ambidextrous in the intervening years, or there's some very big and unfortunate news I don't know about (heaven forbid), I'd say McCartney still *is* a southpaw... Though if we want to get really pedantic, the past tense is accurate, too, aside from the implication that the present tense is no longer valid.

For 5 picarats: I'm right-handed, so which direction must I be facing for my dominant hand to be "south"?

.....east?

Indeed. The reason we call left-handed people "southpaws" comes from baseball; baseball diamonds are oriented so that the batter faces east and the pitcher (who usually gets the designation) faces west. A left-handed pitcher, therefore, throws with his "south" hand, as opposed to the more common right-handed pitchers (their "north" hand).

This is all completely tangential to the fact that Paul is not dead.

The first one McCartney bought was a RIGHT handed version that he played UPSIDE DOWN, so this version is correct.

Except, that would put the whammy bar above the strum bar, so, no, this is wrong.

It would put it above the strum bar if you held the right handed guitar left handed, just as this one would.

Papercutninja is right. It's hard for us left-handers to find left-handed guitars, and I imagine it was harder back in the early '60s. But one problem I've had with both the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises is their lack of left-handed instruments. "Just flip it over" is what I get told, but, as Zoot Suit Jedi has pointed out, this creates an Awkward Whammy Bar Situation. Whenever I visit a games retailer, I make a point to announce in a loud voice that "If anyone influential is listening, the reason I am not making a [Guitar Hero/Rock Band] purchase today is because of the sideism promoted and perpetuated by the makers of [Guitar Hero/Rock Band]."

As much as I appreciate the historical realism of having Paul's bass be right-handed, I thought finally I'd have a chance to hold an instrument made for my people.

I'm left-handed but play the guitar the way right-handed people play---much easier to read and translate the music.

Left-handed people are the devils reincarnated.

I can assure you Zoot Suit Jedi that the whammy bar is itself the most glaring inaccuracy..
and as long as I've entered pedantic territory- let me just mention that this thing is not made of wood like Paul's Hofner.

damn it, the beatles guitars are the best ive seen so far and this bass is making me think about pickin up the whole kit. too bad only gh:wt guitars are completely backwards compatible.

as it stands ive got room for 1 RB2 guitar, 1 drum kit and 2 world tour guitars and maybe a set of Lips mics; i think that setup can play every music game on the market. if the RB2 guitars were backwards compatible id just buy 2 of those tho.

What are you talking about? RB2 guitars (and drums) are backwards compatible, and these instruments will be, too. 0_o

will the hofner bass be ina bundle with just the guitar and game?

i only have 1 guitar

I don't think so. I believe that is the for the guitars released earlier this week.

Yeah, I think that's what they're saying here. You can only get this guitar in the set with the game, pearloid drums, and mic(s). Pretty weak...

Still not paying $250 for the set.

I think Heather got his left hand in the divorce, he had to switch to righty.

I'm sorry, this version is completely acceptable.

Left-handed guitars and basses were very expensive when the Beatles started, and they weren't exactly swimming in money at Liverpool.

Paul played a right-handed bass upside down. Don't be criticizing unless you have your facts straight, Joystiq.

And it's not like that was uncommon, either. Know who else played a right-hand guitar upside down? Name Jimi Hendrix ring a bell? I think Dick Dale did as well, and I'm just trying to think of super huge names.

Left-Handed guitars and basses are still expensive!

Most lefty guitars are about $100 more than their righty counterparts. Low end Fender's and Epiphone's are less than that.

I'm a "southpaw" and left handed guitars are way too expensive for me, so I've opted for a right handed guitar instead. It's convenient because the majority of the population has around a 9:1 right hand to left hand ratio, and I can easily pick up and play a right handed guitar at many places as opposed to the latter. That's the only thing that's good about that, although I think I'm missing something "special" when I'm not playing with my dominant hand

Is the strum bar split into two?

Doesn't look like it

From what I 've seen of McCartney, he played with his thumb, rather than traditional/pick play...

Well then, that's interesting.

It's just shine on the base.

WTF!? I'm lefty! Should have known Harmonix would ruin this game for me. There goes any hope I had of getting a first party lefty controller.

Assholes.

Bass guitars don't tend to have wammy bars (ugh) anyway so where it is, is neither here nor there, but it looks alot better than i thought it would, still would have liked to see George's Rickenbacker 360, or an Epiphone Casino, but still far better looking than most game guitars.

Almost thinking of getting this ... as i like the idea, but have always hated most (nearly all) of the music that these games feature, tried Guitar Hero 1 and just felt dirty when a Red Hot Chilli Peppers or whoever song would be next, but i hate to even guess what this will cost in Australia, 600 dollars for the lot maybe.

To give Harmonix some credit, they're probably thinking that Rock Band players are likely to already own several standard guitar controllers and that this kit is more attractive if it includes a bass guitar for a change. At least, that's the way I'm looking at it.

ITS NOT LEFT HANDED....GOOD JOB PAUL, NICE EYE.

Wait, what?

Isn't this a right handed instrument played upside down, and then turned the right way up to be a right handed instrument again? Why would the whammy bar move? Especially as the original never had one.

It should have the strummer split so you can play with two fingers...

or in three, to play with three.

That's way to epic for me!

Nice tremolo on Paul's bass there. That's the goofiest thing I've ever seen.

That's lame that this is only available in the set. I already bought the RB2 set, so I don't need new drums. This is the first 1st party bass that they've made available (besides the Mad Catz Fender bass that was only for 360) and you can't get it alone? I was going to buy a set w/ this bass and the game for my wife for Xmas (she's a bass girl), but now that plan is ruined. Thanks a lot, Mtv...

Ebay my friend, if you really still want to do it.

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McCartney's replica Rock Band bass looks awesome, backwards

Reader Comments (59)

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