All First-Party Guitars
First-party guitars are produced either directly by Harmonix/Neversoft or licensed to another company (Red Octane, Mad Catz, PDP, etc.) to make guitars in collaboration with Harmonix/Neversoft. They are typically of higher quality than third party guitars and have more direct support from the CH community.
This page lists all known first-party guitars, as well as their features and compatibility information.
"Recommended" denotes guitars that are known to be at least mostly reliable and can be recommended to new players.
Guitar Hero Guitars
Guitar Hero 5
Recommended
Game: Guitar Hero 5
Platform(s): Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: Swappable faceplate, detachable neck, slider bar (not usable in Clone Hero.)
Notes: Larger size, good neck connection, lower neck pollrate.
Windows
- PS2/PS3: Requires the PS2/PS3 Guitar Hero 5 guitar receiver, which looks similar to the PS3/PC World Tour one. The two are not interchangeable!
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS2/PS3: Requires the PS2/PS3 Guitar Hero 5 guitar receiver, which looks similar to the PS3/PC World Tour one. The two are not interchangeable!
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS2/PS3: Requires the PS2/PS3 Guitar Hero 5 guitar receiver, which looks similar to the PS3/PC World Tour one. The two are not interchangeable!
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero Kramer Striker
Game: Guitar Hero 3
Platform(s): Playstation 2
Notes: Has severe input delay in its original form, but is a popular guitar for modding.
Windows
- PS2: Requires the Guitar Hero Kramer Striker receiver and a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS2: Requires the Guitar Hero Kramer Striker receiver and a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS2: Requires the Guitar Hero Kramer Striker receiver and a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero Les Paul
Xbox 360 and Wii variants recommended
Game: Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Platform(s): Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: Swappable faceplate and detachable neck.
Notes: Three official variants, with the white faceplate being Wii-exclusive. The detachable neck connection is a known weak point. A common solution is hardwiring the neck to the body.
Windows
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Les Paul receiver. The PS3 variant has noticeable input delay when used on PC.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Les Paul receiver. The PS3 variant has noticeable input delay when used on PC.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Les Paul receiver. The PS3 variant has noticeable input delay when used on PC.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero Live
Game: Guitar Hero Live
Platform(s): PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, iOS
Features: Detachable neck and interchangeable dongles.
Notes: The only 6-fret guitar. All variants except iOS are identical, and what you need to connect one will depend on the receiver rather than the guitar itself. See the guitar's Receivers & Dongles entry for an overview of available receivers.
Windows
- Xbox 360 Receiver: Natively supported, but may require a driver update.
- PS3/Wii U Receivers: Requires GHLPokeMachine or GHLtarUtility. Visit this spreadsheet for setup instructions.
- PS4 Receiver: Requires GHLPokeMachine. Visit this spreadsheet for setup instructions.
- Xbox One Receiver: Requires RB4InstrumentMapper.
- iOS Guitar: Requires Bluetooth and a program. See this spreadsheet for a guide.
Mac
Mac support is currently unknown. It's likely that most (if not all) variants are incompatible.
Linux
- Xbox 360 Receiver: Natively supported.
- PS3/Wii U Receivers: Natively supported as of the 5.11 kernel. For older kernels, set up the hid-ghlive-dkms kernel module.
- PS4 Receiver: Natively supported as of the 5.15 kernel. For older kernels, set up the hid-ghlive-dkms kernel module.
- Xbox One Receiver: Requires the xpad DKMS kernel module.
- iOS Guitar: Unknown.
Guitar Hero SG
Recommended
Game: Guitar Hero 1 and 2
Platform(s): Playstation 2
Notes: Three color variants.
Windows
- PS2: Requires a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS2: Requires a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS2: Requires a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock
Recommended
Game: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Platform(s): Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: Detachable neck and detachable wings.
Notes: The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 variants can have issues syncing to their receivers. A somewhat rare "Battle Axe" variant is available.
Windows
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS3: Requires the Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero World Tour
Recommended
Game: Guitar Hero World Tour & Guitar Hero: Metallica
Platform(s): Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC
Features: Swappable faceplate, detachable neck, slider bar (not usable in Clone Hero.)
Notes: World Tour guitars are known to have weak strum switches that must eventually be replaced. The Guitar Hero Metallica variant is identical aside from a different faceplate.
Windows
- PS2: Requires the PS2 Guitar Hero World Tour guitar receiver and a wired adapter. The receiver looks identical to the Kramer Striker receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- PS3/PC: Requires either a PS3/PC Guitar Hero World Tour or a Guitar Hero Les Paul guitar receiver. The receiver looks identical to the Guitar Hero 5 receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS2: Requires the PS2 Guitar Hero World Tour guitar receiver and a wired adapter. The receiver looks identical to the Kramer Striker receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- PS3/PC: Requires either a PS3/PC Guitar Hero World Tour or a Guitar Hero Les Paul guitar receiver. The receiver looks identical to the Guitar Hero 5 receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS2: Requires the PS2 Guitar Hero World Tour guitar receiver and a wired adapter. The receiver looks identical to the Kramer Striker receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- PS3/PC: Requires either a PS3/PC Guitar Hero World Tour or a Guitar Hero Les Paul guitar receiver. The receiver looks identical to the Guitar Hero 5 receiver, but the two are not interchangeable.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver. - Wii: Requires a Wii remote or a wired adapter.
Guitar Hero Xplorer
Recommended
Game: Guitar Hero 2 and 3
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Features: Plug-and-play everywhere except Mac.
Notes: Smaller size.
Windows
- Xbox 360: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
Mac
- Xbox 360: Requires a breakaway cable and an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. The breakaway cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
Linux
- Xbox 360: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
Red Octane Mayflash Wireless Guitar
Game: Guitar Hero 1-3
Platform(s): Playstation 2
Notes: Known to have bad latency and general reliability issues!
Windows
- PS2: Requires the RedOctane Mayflash receiver and a wired adapter.
Mac
- PS2: Requires the RedOctane Mayflash receiver and a Mac-compatible wired adapter.
Linux
- PS2: Requires the RedOctane Mayflash receiver and a wired adapter.
Rock Band Guitars
PDP Riffmaster
Recommended
Game: Fortnite Festival, Rock Band 4
Platform(s): Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Features: Detachable neck.
Notes: Originally released for Fortnite Festival and Rock Band 4 in 2024. Available at various retailers and PDP's own website.
Windows
- PS4/PS5: Can be used both wired and wirelessly. Both options lack support for tilt and whammy on PC.
- Wired mode requires connecting the guitar via USB and holding down all five frets while turning it on. Only works on Windows.
- Wireless mode requires the Playstation variant's unique receiver.
- Wired mode requires connecting the guitar via USB and holding down all five frets while turning it on. Only works on Windows.
- Xbox One/Xbox Series: Requires the Xbox variant's unique receiver and a dedicated program to work with Clone Hero.
Mac
Not supported.
Linux
- PS4/PS5: Requires the Playstation variant's unique receiver. Lacks tilt and whammy support on PC.
- Xbox One/Xbox Series: Requires the Xbox variant's unique receiver and the xone kernel driver for full support, or Steam input for partial support without tilt and whammy.
Rock Band Stratocaster (RB1)
Recommended
Game: Rock Band
Platform(s): Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: Quieter, but softer frets and strum bar, which are not ideal for high-level play.
Notes: The base Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2 guitars are visually identical outside of their neck colors. The Rock Band 1 guitar features a maple neck.
Windows
- PS2/PS3: Requires the black PS2/PS3 Rock Band guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Wii: Requires the white Wii Rock Band guitar receiver.
Mac
- PS2/PS3: Requires the black PS2/PS3 Rock Band guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Both variants also require an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2.
- Wii: Requires the white Wii Rock Band guitar receiver.
Linux
- PS2/PS3: Requires the black PS2/PS3 Rock Band guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Wii: Requires the white Wii Rock Band guitar receiver.
Rock Band Stratocaster (RB2 & RB3)
Recommended
Game: Rock Band 2 & Rock Band 3
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: Quieter, but softer frets and strum bar, which are not ideal for high-level play.
Notes: The base Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2 guitars are visually identical outside of their neck colors. The Rock Band 2 guitar features a rosewood neck. An alternative color variant is also available.
Windows
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Mac
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Linux
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver. - Wii: Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Rock Band Stratocaster (RB4)
Recommended
Game: Rock Band 4
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One
Features: Quieter, but softer frets and strum bar, which are not ideal for high-level play.
Windows
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox One controller receiver and RB4InstrumentMapper.
Mac
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Unknown.
Linux
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox One controller receiver, combined with either the xone kernel driver for full support, or Steam input for partial support without tilt and whammy.
Rock Band Jaguar
Game: Rock Band 4
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One
Features: Quieter, but softer frets and strum bar, which are not ideal for high-level play.
Notes: Originally bundled the Rock Band 4 Rivals.
Windows
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox One controller receiver and RB4InstrumentMapper.
Mac
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Unknown.
Linux
- PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and mapping buttons in-game. The PS4 variant lacks tilt and whammy support on PC!
- Xbox One: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox One controller receiver, combined with either the xone kernel driver for full support, or Steam input for partial support without tilt and whammy.
The Beatles Rock Band: Hofner, Gretsch, Rickenbacker
Game: The Beatles Rock Band
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Windows
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires the Wii Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Mac
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controller receiver, along with an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2. - Wii: Requires the Wii Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Linux
- PS3: Requires the PS3 Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Xbox 360: Requires a
genericbasic Xbox 360 controllerreceiver.receiver. - Wii: Requires the Wii Beatles Rock Band guitar receiver or the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
Rock Band Precision Bass
Game: Rock Band 2 & Rock Band 3
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Features: A unique split strum bar.
Notes: Different variants were released for Rock Band 2 and 3.
Windows
- PS3 (RB2): Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- PS3 (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Wii (RB2): Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Wii (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
Mac
- PS3 (RB2): Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- PS3 (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Both variants also require an adapter that can convert XInput into other APIs, such as the Mayflash Magic NS2.
- Wii (RB2): Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Wii (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
Linux
- PS3 (RB2): Requires the PS3 Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- PS3 (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
- Xbox 360: Comes in wired and wireless variants.
- Wireless: Requires a basic Xbox 360 controller receiver.
- Wired: Requires a breakaway cable to connect via USB. The cable normally comes with the guitar, but can also be found on Ebay, or any equivalent.
- Wii (RB2): Requires the Wii Rock Band 2 guitar receiver.
- Wii (RB3): Requires a rare unique receiver.
Rock Band 3 Pro Guitars
Game: Rock Band 3
Notes: MIDI guitars released for the Pro Guitar mode in Rock Band 3.
Not natively compatible with Clone Hero.