So with that in mind, I’ll be documenting my progress, complete with pictures. I’ll keep it to this one post in hopes that people will see this and be inspired. In the end my project may not look at “cool” as Eddy’s, but I’m sure the experience will be worth the while. Now then, here’s what we’ll need:

Supplies

I would also recommend PVC cleaner and cement, a rubber mallet, miter box, and finally a saw. Oh, and a tape measure and some patience. If you have a power saw, it will speed things up greatly, but you shouldn’t have any problems with a regular handsaw. I live in a small-ish apartment but am lucky enough to have a basement large enough for this project. If you have a garage or basement, I would recommend using those, otherwise, a living room/spare room should work as well. Keep in mind the shavings alone are going to be a nightmare to vacuum up, and then there’s the carpet that needs to be protected. Simply put, use whatever space you have. With that, I think we’re ready to go…

If you’ll turn your attention to the yellow miter box in the image above, notice how it is plastic. Be very careful when sawing. My very first piece ended up ruined because I started sawing into the miter box itself. Thankfully I decided to start with the 3″ pieces first. Still though, quite frustrating. This ended postponing the project a few days while I researched what type of powered miter saw would be best for me (and my budget). I’ll be going to Home Depot to purchase one tonight.

FEB12 UPDATE: Front half of PVC rig is dry fitted. Need to cut a few 1.5″ pieces for the connectors. Still deciding if I’ll start the back half tonight or not, I still need to get laundry done. How late is too late to use a miter saw if the first floor neighbors’ bedroom is directly above where I’m working?

NOTE: all thumbs and fingers are currently accounted for.

Hour 3

That said, last night, Day 7, it didn’t start out very well. Being a complete novice at this, I newbishly twisted a few dials on my guitar, which ended up being the volume dial. Sure enough I plug my guitar in, head back into the “sustaining notes” technique, and start tuning my guitar, only to discover the game isn’t recognizing the higher notes. I get down to the sixth string and nothing. The tuner doesn’t display -50 or +50m, just blank. I continue to slowly adjust the tension, trying to get the game to register the notes, but still nothing. After roughly 10-15 minutes of trying to tune my guitar, I put it back in its bag and post on the CheapAssGamer forum (I’ve been a member here for years, very helpful bunch…at times):

So the game won’t register E on my guitar (smallest string). I tried for about 15 minutes to tune my guitar and it would get hung up on that string. No registering at all, not even -50 or +50…what the fuck?

This game is pissing me off really fast.

An hour passes, I’m watching something, Family Guy perhaps? I’m browsing online for a few guides or lessons on transitions. Someone posts a reply:

Sounds like it’s registering the the other strings, so you probably have a problem with your guitar, not RS. So try the following things:

-make sure to use the tuner found in the menu. This is much more accurate than the tuner that pops up before a song
-turn volume all the way up on your guitar

The high E may have been so out of tune that the game no longer recognized it as high E

I put my guitar back out of its bag, plug in, and go straight to the main menu and select the tuner from there. I start strumming, again, the sixth string doesn’t register. Not panicking yet, I adjust the volume. Still nothing. Now, let me make it absolutely clear, I have never handled a guitar prior to this week. With that in mind, I turn the volume all the way in the opposite direction…

I strum the sixth string.

-9. It’s as if the heavens opened up and there were a choir singing praise. It could have also just been the echo of my having strum the sixth string and it sound coming out of my soundbar. Who knows. A few more adjustments and my guitar is in tune. Crisis averted!

I went back into sustaining notes and tried this 3-4 times before deciding to call it a night. It’s obvious this I my current hiccup and I’ll need to practice transitions before moving on. My primary concern with this game/experience and I don’t want to get burnt out/overly frustrating to the point that I dread playing. I’ve also come to the realization that I won’t be able to play every day, what with work, a wife, and other games (like Mass Effect 2, which is amazing so far). So with that in mind, I’ll be updating once a week. I’ll still try to document my playing each day, a few notes (pen and paper) here-and-there. But overall, I think these blog posts would be far more informative and entertaining if I skipped the daily updates.

Hour 2

My index finger is still a bit sore. I wasn’t expecting this, it feels a bit weird. I only “played” for roughly an hour on day 1 and yet my finger feels like I had been playing for hours. That’s neither here nor there, all I know is I made it past day 1 and still want to play.

I turn on Rocksmith and plug in my guitar. Another tuning session it appears. I’ve heard that your standard strings will require constant tuning so I was kind of expecting this. I start with another “technique”. I don’t recall the name but it had me sustaining notes. Simple enough at first but then they throw in transitioning from the highest string, down one string, and then back up at the highest. Since this is sustaining it didn’t me much time to make the transition.

This isn’t going well tonight. I continue to miss the transitions, either the notes themselves or the strumming. I repeat this technique a few more times but quickly learn that the game doesn’t repeat the same technique as before. This is actually a bit discouraging because I want to learn…

Oh well, I roll with the punches and keep trying, though not much progress is being made. I decide to switch it up and try out the Ducks game. Simple enough; play the note where the duck appears and a laser will destroy the duck. Cool! I make it to level 15 I believe, pretty simple really, and more importantly, fun. I was slowly learning the different…frets? Not sure if that’s the right word. Let it be known that I added the included stickers from the game the neck of my guitar. The numbers range from 3 to 15. Again, I don’t know the technical terms but they are spaced evenly it seems and I’m hoping it helps with finger placement.

After ducks I decide to try an event. Still feeling discouraged from the failed technique before I just wanted a simple song to “jam” to. I don’t recall the song, something by the Black Keys perhaps? All I remember is the crowd didn’t look into it and when the song started I was off one note/fret. I paused the game looking to restart the song…

Not an option. Really? You won’t let me restart the song, I have to continue or end it and then go through the tuning and loading screens again? Fuck that.

And that’s where day 2 ended. Perhaps it was my mood, being a Friday and all, the stress of the entire week hadn’t dissipated yet. Or perhaps I was still frustrated from the sustaining technique from earlier. I’m not sure. All I know is that I decided it was best to turn the game off and take a break. I’ll pick it up again on Monday. Oddly enough, as I write this on Sunday night, my index finger still has a slightly numb feeling. Weird.

Hello awesome, where have you been all of my life?

I ordered the “game” from Amazon, it arrived in less than two days. Amazing as usual. The guitar was another matter. I’m left-handed. I always played RB and GH left-handed. Therefore, naturally, I wanted a left-handed guitar. Unfortunately these aren’t as popular as one would imagine. Seeing as I am somewhat broke right now, what with Christmas and all, I opted to use my Amazing credit to purchase the guitar. And while I would have loved to of bought a $300+ guitar, logic prevailed and I settled for a seemingly solid beginner guitar:

Assassin 39″ Inch Sunburst Full Size Lefty Electric Guitar

Sounds fancy, eh? Not many reviews, though the seller is reputable according to the rating sites. I did manage to find a review that mentioned this is clearly an “Asian copy” but that the quality and sound are far better than the inexpensive price would have indicated. Should this little adventure not pan out, I won’t be out $100′s. It took a a few days longer for the guitar to arrive but it finally found its way to my doorstep. This is where my tale begins…

Hour 1

I eagerly pop the game disc into my console, download update 1.01, and sit back while the game loads up for the first time. Unlike Rock Band and Guitar Hero, a controller seems to be required to navigate the menu. Not a problem, just something I felt worth mentioning. The game immediately loads the tuning tool, which my new guitar desperately needs. A few minutes later and apparently my guitar is now tuned. I honestly don’t know. My strings aren’t loose anymore, which is good, right? I’m a newb, so whatever the game tells me, I’m game (literally).

My first lesson? A single note from ”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by Rolling Stones. The game tells me to use my index finger. Pain mode = engaged. Pushing that aside, I immediately noticed this is going to be a long road. Strumming from a 3 to a 5 and back isn’t possible without first looking to ensure I’m on the right fret, and then making sure I’m strumming the right string. No one said this was going to be easy.

My first hour comprises of more single note “techniques” and “challenges”. I didn’t feel like I made much progress, but I’m also completely new to this. I’m hoping to feel more comfortable with my hand/finger placement after a week or two is under my belt. So far, color me impressed.

Gone are the days where you pop a game in and just start playing. Why has the process become so long and drawn out? I understand graphics have improved, along with audio, and we now have online multiplayer modes. But at their core, games are supposed to be fun, instant (or near instant) gratification. I’ve also become frustrated with the whole being confined to the living room, or bedroom, or wherever I happen to have one of my consoles setup. I feel as though gaming has turned into a movie-going experience, and that isn’t a good thing: Buy expensive ticket. Smell it…it smells like toxic ink, eww. Go to concession stand, spend more money on food and drink. Find auditorium for movie, sit and wait for previews. Still waiting. 20 minutes, really? A recap of the previews, seriously? Wow. OK, movie is starting…wait, more previews…sigh.

Now, I know loading times will never go away, especially with how complex video games are today.  What’s most unfortunate is how long it now takes consoles themselves to boot up. As a child, I could turn on my Nintendo or SEGA Genesis and within seconds I was playing. Not so with the current generation, or the previous generations for that matter. It seems as soon as 3D gaming came about, loading times increased. So what do we do? The Next-next generation of consoles are on the horizon, with popular rumors indicating their first public appearances sometime this year. It’s unlikely any of them will include SSD’s…not without a substantial price increase. I fear even “Cloud” gaming will suffer load times due to loading the initial app and then waiting for the game to buffer.

Ultimately, what do I want? Well, instant-on would be ideal, but until that happens, the PS Vita seems to be my best option. Load times still exist, but I will no longer be limited to a console experience in front of a TV. I just wish hardware manufacturers would realize that some of us gamer’s just want to play games. Let us turn off all the extra “features” that we don’t need or want. One day, perhaps?