OFF THE WALL: The Proper Care and Feeding for Guitar Controllers Company: GameVortex.com Product: Guitar Hero Controller Since you are reading this, I assume that there is probably some reason that you are worrying about taking care of your guitar controller. Perhaps other controllers have broken on you in the past or perhaps you have a friend whose guitar controller got broken. Maybe you are concerned about the cost of purchasing a replacement. All of these could be very valid concerns. First off, let me assure you that, in general, the guitar controllers are fairly sturdy, given typical usage conditions. That is, if you play with them normally, they should hold up well. However, if you pretend that you're a rockstar and smash it against the floor after a performance or run around your house, dragging it behind you and letting it smack into things, then it's not likely to last very long. There are primarily 3 things to consider in the care for your guitar controller. First: how you use the controller. Second: the cord (or batteries, if cordless) and finally, how you store the controller. Using your guitar controller: My first suggestion, as to usage, would be to treat your controller as if it were a real guitar. Treat it with respect and use it with care. In order to keep your guitar controller operating in peak condition for the longest amount of time, you should not eat food or drink close to your controller. Liquids are a natural enemy of electronics, and your guitar controller, be it wired or wireless, is electronic. Soft drinks, with their high sugar content, can make buttons or the strum bar sticky, even if it doesn't short out the electronics. Even food particles can work their way in and around buttons or the strum bar and cause them to stick. When you're playing your guitar controller, be aware of other people and animals in the room, as well as things you might bump into, such as furniture or microphone stands. If your controller is a wired controller, be careful not to stand such that people will want to walk in between you and the console, as they could trip on the cord, possibly damaging your guitar or even the console. Maintenance of guitar controller cords and batteries: There are two types of guitars you might have: Corded and Cordless. If your guitar controller has a cord, you'll need to be mindful of the cord, so that you don't pull it out of the guitar or damage the wires inside. When playing, make sure you're not too far away from the console. The cord should go straight down to the ground and then run along the ground to the console. If the cord is suspended in the air between your controller and the console, you're too far away. If you need to play from a long distance away, you can use extension cords (for example, USB extension cords) to increase your range. I have had success using extension cords I picked up for a dollar a piece at a dollar store; just make sure that you're picking up the right type of cord for your controller. If your controller is wireless, you won't have to worry about taking care of a cord, but you DO need to be mindful of the batteries. If you're using your guitar a lot and running through a lot of batteries, you may want to purchase rechargeable batteries. Regardless, however, you will want to inspect your batteries periodically for signs of wear. This is especially true if you don't use your guitar controller very often or if you live in an especially hot or humid climate. Batteries can corrode over time and with heat and moisture. Corroded batteries have to be replaced. What's worse, however, is that the corrosion can damage the electronics in your controller. When left unchecked, a corroded battery can also leak battery acid, which can also damage your guitar controller, as well as make a huge rust-colored mess on whatever it comes into contact with. For this reason, it is a good idea to remove the batteries from your guitar if you are planning on storing it away for a length of time, say over a week or so. Proper storage of a guitar controller: The first thing to remember about storing your guitar controller is not to let anything rest on its face. Don't store it face down or set anything on top of the guitar controller. While your guitar controller should be fine laying flat on its back for long periods of time, horizontal surfaces tend to get things set on top of them. And, for that matter, it seems like every time something spills or falls, it does so in a downward motion. For this reason, I would suggest storing your guitar controller in a vertical position, perhaps in a corner of a room. If you have a drum set, as well, you could do what I often do; store the drum set in a corner and let the guitars lean against the edges of the drum heads. The ridges in between the drum heads do a good job of keeping the guitars from falling over. If you are really worried about the guitar controllers, however, there are things you can purchase to protect them. In fact, what people often do to store real guitars would work here as well. There are guitar stands that are sort of tripods with rubber-wrapped parts to cradle your guitar (or controller), gently, in a upright orientation. Some include a rubber or plastic piece that locks the neck in place so the guitar doesn't fall out if it gets jostled. I have used a guitar stand without the locking piece with my bass guitar, 2 acoustic guitars and guitar controllers, and this has never been an issue, but if you want the extra precaution, it's available. Another option, and one that Cyn uses in her home, is to hang the guitar controllers from the wall. There are special hangers that are rubber coated and are designed to allow your guitars to be stored up on your wall, where they can both be up off the floor and safe from harm, as well as providing something to help decorate your room. Still another option is to use something called a "gig bag." This is a padded bag designed to protect your guitar (or guitar controller) when you carry it around from place to place. There are gig bags made specifically for guitar controllers, in fact. These are smaller than gig bags made for real guitars, since the scale is different. Finally, if your guitar has a cord, be careful not to wrap the cord too tightly when storing it. Wrapping the cord in a tight circle or wrapping it tightly around something else (such as the guitar controller) can put undue stress on the wires inside of the cord, causing them to eventually break. You should wrap the cords in larger loops, loosely, and then tie a cord management wrap, such as a Velcro wire tie around it. Never tie the cord around itself and into a knot. This makes really tight bends in the wire which is bad for it, as mentioned above. A Final Word: If you have any problems due to manufacturer defects, they typically show up quickly under normal usage and often will be within their warranty period. If you don't have such defects, and you take good care of your guitar controller, it should last for a long time. -Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins Related Links: Guitar Controller Stands at Amazon Guitar Controller Bag at Amazon Guitar Wall Hangers at Amazon