I’ve been playing guitar since I was 4, but when I was finally told I could get an electric guitar for my 11th birthday, the first thing I looked for was a Fender Strat. It’s a classic guitar for rock and blues. While these days I’ve moved on to a Gibson SG for any solo recording projects I can fit into my schedule, I’ll never pass up the opportunity to jam on a Stratocaster.

Harmonix, the developer behind Guitar Hero, has signed an exclusive deal with Fender Musical Instruments to base the guitar peripheral for their upcoming Rock Band game on the Fender Strat. Don’t be surprised if any other Rock Band equipment, such as the bass guitar, are also based on Fender designs. Harmonix’s goal with Rock Band is to create a complete and authentic recreation of a musical experience for the players, a goal which Fender acknowledged and understood and was eager to partner with Harmonix in this new venture.

Roland Corporation and Boss will also be featured in Rock Band, which I’m sure many of you musicians out there are familiar with for their keyboards/synthesizers and guitar effects pedals. In addition, Harmonix has confirmed that Guitar Hero controllers for their respective consoles will be supported in Rock Band, and hopes to work with Activision, the new developers working with the Guitar Hero license, in allowing Rock Band peripherals to work with Guitar Hero III.

Keep in mind that Rock Band is only officially confirmed for the 360 and PS3 at this point, but that Harmonix says the Wii “absolutely” has a chance of appearing on the Wii, as they hope to eventually reach all major home consoles. If recent trends in hardware sales are any indication, the Wii is about as major as you can get.

GameSpot