GH II: X-Plorer StarPower/Killswitch Button Mod - Pics

[Beacon]

Yep. It's a faster down strum.

Your strum bar is just a flat bar on a central pivot. If you look at the guts of your controller under each side of that bar is a button. Push the strum bar down and it pivots and pushes down one button, pull it up and it pushes down the other button.

A number of people either just "down strum" or "up strum". For really fast notes you pretty much have to "alt strum" which is moving the strum bar quickly up and down to hit both buttons in rapid succession. With a "killswitch" you can pull off faster strums than you would be able to get just using the strum bar because there's a shorter range of motion.

[Neptune49]

Now I understand it. I thought it was a way to maybe hold down the kill switch so that you didn't have to strum or something to that effect. Personally, I'm an up and down strummer so luckily I don't have to worry too much about that. Neat customization though!

[Beacon]

Originally Posted by Neptune49

I thought it was a way to maybe hold down the kill switch so that you didn't have to strum or something to that effect.

Nope, I'd considered that though. They would create a new set of problems - for chords you'd have to hit two/three buttons perfectly, you wouldn't be able to hold buttons prior to when they'd need to be strummed, and it wouldn't hold notes after the initial strum either so your score would drop like a rock. (At least that's how I think it would react if you wired them in the way I'm thinking you'd have to)

There was a trend with the SG folks that put in a set of smaller fret buttons closer together lower on the neck for soloing but you still had to strum the notes.

[David Akers]

I'm with Neptune, in that I'm trying to be a "both-way" strummer. I've also not had trouble to this point with just down-strumming. I'm seriously considering the star-power one, though. On some of the faster parts, tilting the guitar is screwing me up.

-David

[Neptune49]

It sometimes screws me up, but it's all a part of rocking hard for me. I think it's hilarious watching people raise the guitar up to unleash the star power. Makes us look like rockstars.

[David Akers]

I have to say, that's one of the coolest things to me is the feeling of being a rockstar. And I don't want that to go away, but I'm sure my wife would prefer it if I'm not forced to swear so loudly and so much.

-David

[Beacon]

You can do it on your stock guitars as they are now by pushing the "Select" button (that should read "Back" cause I'm a dullard and forget things ) - but I defy you to find your select button in the middle of playing a song, push it and get back on the strum bar without dropping a dozen notes or so.

It doesn't negate the tilt sensor, just copies the select button, you can still tip your guitar to salute the rock gods if you like.

EDIT: Thanks to DA for pointing out my goof with the button name. Can't believe I did that, lol.

[David Akers]

Yeah, I knew that the select button (or one of them, since I thought it was actually the back button) did star power, but there's no way my fat fingers are going to hit that tiny little button that's currently on the guitar in the middle of a song. Tilting was the best way for me, but this new, better placed button will probably be easier, if I do the mod.

-David

[tranemiles]

another Beacon modification bringing tons of traffic to GUG...great job, Beacon! Check out the view counts on both your GHII mod threads! Also, kudos to IAC for getting the word out to the gaming news sites.

[Beacon]

Be afraid, I've got another one in mind as soon as I find what I'm looking for.