CRKD & Gibson Unveil Les Paul Guitar Controllers

[T0@st]

Take center stage and own the spotlight with the CRKD Gibson Les Paul Guitar Controller! Two exclusive editions are now available for pre-order—the LP Black Tribal Encore Edition and the LP Blueberry Burst Pro Edition. Both guitars feature the legendary Gibson Les Paul shape, reimagined as a game controller. Whether you're rocking out in Fortnite Festival, reliving classic Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, or shredding in community favorites like YARG or Clone Hero, we've redefined a legend with modern innovations built for today's rhythm gamers. From the team that developed the iconic hardware for Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, this release continues the revival of rhythm gaming like never before—bringing the band back together for a whole new era!

SHARED FEATURES
Both the LP Black Tribal Encore Edition and LP Blueberry Burst Pro Edition share advanced features with key differences in fret button and strum bar design. The Pro Edition features mechanical fret buttons (instead of standard fret buttons) and a Hall Effect Strum Bar with Haptic Feedback (instead of a mechanical strum bar). The Encore Edition includes standard fret buttons and a mechanical strum bar.




LP BLUEBERRY BURST PRO EDITION
Inspired by the legendary Gibson Blueberry Burst Les Paul electric guitar, redefined with modern features for today's gamers.



Mechanical Fret Buttons (instead of standard fret buttons) and a Hall Effect Strum Bar with Haptic Feedback (instead of a mechanical strum bar). Expected to ship June 2025.



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[Mrgravia]

What...what year is this?

 

[Dristun]

I used to play GH in tournaments during the golden years, and I'm honestly not sure having any sort of feedback and harder to press mechanical buttons is a great idea. You'd want as less resistance as possible to press and strum super fast without getting your hands and fingers tired.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I reckon it's some 15 years too late

 

[Solaris17]

I would love to see the market research that drove this.

 

[Super Firm Tofu]

Must be enough players of YARG and Clone Hero (and whatever it's used for in Fortnite) to make it worth it. :shrug:

 

[cfenton]

I reckon it's some 15 years too late

Clone Hero is fairly popular and people pay quite a bit for working controllers on the second-hand market. Mind you, I don't know how many people, but apparently enough to make this production run worth doing.

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

I usually just roll my eyes at those guys with the giant, crazy rock band setup at Quakecon.......and try to setup as far away from them as possible in the byoc.

i bet they love this thing.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

 

[80-watt Hamster]

I reckon it's some 15 years too late

Depends on how many units they need to sell. I think plenty of folks still play GH and RB, though I've no clue in what numbers. What I do know is that guitar controllers wear out and break, and new units are thin on the ground. I figure they could sell in the tens of thousands if they could get the word out. Except... no Xbox or PS4/5 support? That cuts me right out of the market. Of course, only RB4 came out for PS4/5 and I don't think it sold well.

 

[Beermotor]

If it's a Gibson you can expect it to be 3x as expensive as other controllers with half the quality control.