Jukebox Machines

Coker says:

I bought this book about five years ago and have used it extensively. If you are looking for a book on how to climb, this is not the book. If, however, you are looking for a book that will maximize your physical performance and prevent injury, this is the book for you. Packed with hundreds of pages of insightful text, detailed photos and illustrations, and illuminating charts and tables, this book takes twenty-first century sports medicine and science and condenses it into a practical format for the modern climber. I highly recommend this book.

Nunnally says:

This book will not tell you how to hold onto a tiny crimpy hold with one finger while your feet hunt for somewhere to stand. It WILL tell you lots of things about how muscules work, what good training looks like, and what good climbing feels like.

This is not a recipe book, because in climbing, there is no recipe. Everyone climbs under a different set of constraints – strength, weight, skill, etc. This is a book that will give you the tools you need to watch your own climbing and improve it. Read it cover to cover.

Lalani says:

I purchased this on sale at Amazon for about $100. At that price this was well worth it. I don’t really play Rockband nearly as much as I did when the game was released. Back story: In a relatively short period of time I went through 3 of the original guitars. The first (the original RB wired version) died of strum bar failure although I was able to open it up and jury rig a fix. The second (the wireless RB version) failed on overdrive activation (but otherwise was functional), the third (the wireless from the RB2 bundle) doesn’t register the yellow fret unless pressed very directly (pressure must be straight down on the key – hard if you have small hands). I pretty much gave up on the game because of the quality of guitar peripherals (I remain somewhat miffed that at the low durability of such expensive add ons). Oh, that tiny little spring for the whammy bars also broke on the first two (although winding a rubberband around the outside of the bar to the bottom guitar strap peg fixes that problem)

So, I purchased this version on a whim and since my friends still like to break out the game every now and then. I can say the feel is excellant the extra weight feels good once you get used to it. More to the point the strum bar (although it is clicky) is very solid and seems like it will hold up over time (there is very little play in it and the return action is good – so strummer can use this without getting the double strums that happen when the bar is too loose).

So, I would say if you intend to play a lot you might actually save some money (and certainly some frustration) by buying something like this. However, I would also say that at the normal price I would consider this too expensive personally.

Jia says:

As a disclaimer, allow me to state that I am an expert-level player in Rock Band. I have an extensively large quantity of DLC music, am able to clear every song I own, and have unlocked the platinum instrument icon in Rock Band 2 shortly after its release. I have previously played rhythm games with the RedOctane Gibson SG for PS2, the Les Paul for Xbox 360, and the stock RB2 Fender Stratocaster controller. I will be comparing this controller to the RB2 Strat. I will not discuss any drawbacks that are implied for those who play lefty. (Any shortcomings you would normally experience from that are still seen here; this should not come as a surprise.)

This is an excellent controller, by far. It takes almost everything the RB2 Strat has to offer but with a clearly higher level of quality and feel. Both sets of frets are exquisite; I cannot fathom a controller design with frets better than what this controller has to offer. It feels almost effortless to fret even the most complex of note sequences; this controller will spoil you and dissuade you from returning to your RB2 Strat controller. Furthermore, the finish of the guitar neck is perfect. I find sliding to be as comfortable and smooth as I do on most electric guitar necks. The whammy bar holds up well and is neither too stiff nor too soft. The back button is accessible to those who prefer to activate their Overdrive with their strumming hands. The start button is in fact not a button, but a knob. You can rotate it in either direction until it clicks, which is when the controller notifies the console that Start has been “pressed”. An excellent design as to prevent accidental pausing during song play. The D-pad and Xbox guide button are beyond the Start knob and are easy to use as they are near the edge of the guitar body.

The headset jack is positioned even better than where it is located on a standard RB2 Strat. It is on the read of the body where you would normally access the tensioned springs for the bridge of an actual Fender Stratocaster. This position makes it innately easy to keep the headset wire out of the way while playing. We also have the jack for connecting a pedal for Overdrive activations. The controller comes with an adapter to allow you to connect and drum pedal that is compatible with RB drums into your guitar. This adapter fits very snugly and holds tightly very much like an audio cable connects an electric guitar to an amplifier. The realistic feel is just a bonus, but the true benefit is that it gives you a little bit of freedom without worrying about your drum pedal’s wire popping out of the controller, which was a hassle with the RB2 Strat which did not offer any additional securing mechanism to keep the jack in place.

Lastly we have the strum bar, which is the only element this controller offers that could come close to being a shortcoming. It’s slightly stiff and requires more effort for tremolo picking/high tempo alternate picking. It is a matter of getting used to, but it can be a small hurdle for those accustomed to the nice, gentle strum bar the RB2 Strat has. In addition to this higher level of resistance, it has a bit of a click when strumming. Typically, playing the game at least at a moderate volume is enough to virtually completely drown out the sound of this click; it was definitely noticeable at first since the RB2 Strat’s strum bar does not click, but it is easy to forget about with a little play time.

Since this is a replica, the neck’s length is the same length of a full scale electric guitar neck. Also, the weight of the controller is roughly 7 pounds, if I recall correctly. Any electric guitarist who is also a Rock Band enthusiast should find these attributes very comfortable and familiar; many reviews list these as a drawback of the controller, but that is most likely coming from players who are not electric guitarists and are foreign to the dimensions and weight of actual instruments.

I was lucky to pick up this controller during a Deal of the Day for 66% off, which brought it down to the retail price of the Beatles RB guitars, and I will say with no hesitation this controller is beyond worth its value for that price. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recommend at full retail price of $299. Those who find money to be no object, or are hardcore enthusiasts of the game who want a high-quality controller with authentic feel, should go ahead and try one of these out, undoubtedly. Those treading the line of hesitation due to its price, I find it difficult what to recommend. I can just assure that essentially anyone satisfied with the feel of the RB2 Strat will be impressed with this controller. In my opinion a price of $199 is much more reasonable but I leave the final judgment call about this matter upon you.

Hastings says:

Very nice cable that does everything needed from a instrument cable. The only knock against it is the really large, heavy, gold ends. They are very bulky and heavy. This may be a better design than the plastic ended monster cable I had before, but it seems to me that these heavy metal ends may lead to wear problems down the road. Maybe not, I guess we will see!

Eubanks says:

Is a great cable, no fuzz or static, difficult to have it broken or damaged. Almoust imposible as a matter of fact.

Gaston says:

This thing literally Rocks!! Such a fun item and really the perfect gift. Got one for Fathers day love love love it. Stuck it on everything in my house, the recycling bin is perfect. Great for camping over the 4th of july took it with us and since it’s so compact it’s perfect for backpacking. I stuck it on our canoe and BAM the whole thing became a speaker.

I’m stocking up on these for holiday season to turn some more heads.

Krause says:

These speakers have been the perfect solution for listening to music by the pool.
It is slightly inconvenient to have to manually turn the speakers on and find the right frequency for each use, but really it takes less than one minute to get two speakers working. Because they are mostly used on the weekends, not a big hassle, but a remote control would make them perfect.
The sound quality is fine for the environment, but audiophiles might be disappointed.
The speakers have already survived some rain storms, so if I had to decide again, I’d definitely go with this product.

Mengle says:

I did a ton of searching and research on wireless outdoor speakers. I was prepared to spend 4 times what the rock cost. Really glad I didn’t. Easy to set up; very good range from base; very good sound. Battery life seems a little short but who cares as long as you have an outdoor outlet in range. Overall, great product and excellent value.