A number of people have had issues with one or more frets not registering on the wireless Les Paul guitars that shipped with Guitar Hero 3 last October. The issue has been confirmed on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the guitar, and the problem is directly related to the detachable neck. The problem is, the neck is never tightly secured to the body of the guitar, and this causes a poor connection with the pins and contacts that communicate what fret you are hitting to the console.
There are other methods on the net such as hardwiring and using a hook and rubber band set-up. But I've found a way that is easier. All you have to do is put a few pieces of electrical tape where the guitars latches on to the neck, and that in turn will secure the guitar neck so it has solid contact at all times.
The fix is quick and easy, 4 steps and then you're ready to start rocking again. Here it goes:
Step 1 - Cut 3 pieces of electrical tape into 5/16" x 1/2" rectangles. Try to be as accurate as possible because if they are too big, the slot walls will snag it and undo all of your work.
I used random electrical tape I had lying around, but I don't think the thickness will effect the outcome.
Step 2 - Apply the pieces of tape one at a time on top of each other, making sure you stay in the middle of the groove. The image below shows where you should place the tape:
I used surgical tape because, surprisingly enough, black electrical tape doesn't show up too well on black plastic. You don't need pinpoint accuracy when placing the tape, just make sure none is hanging of off the sides, or poking out of the groove. Stay centered.
Step 3 - Slowly slide the neck back into the body of the guitar, and make sure the lock engages. You may have to push the lever on the back all the way up, but you will notice a "click when it is snug. You'll notice your neck doesn't jiggle anymore, and that's what the goal was. If for some reason your neck still jiggles, cut one more rectangle of tape matching the measurements above and place it on top of the first 3. I've fixed 5 guitars just using 3 pieces, but some neck size differences may occur.
Step 4 - Rock out! Test that bad boy out, make sure the response is better. It is possible to damage the contacts and render them broken, but that is very rare, and will only happen if you jammed the neck in and out of the guitar as hard as you could on a regular basis.
Well I hope this is helpful, good luck to anyone who attempts it. The only downside to this fix is now you can't use it as an excuse when you're getting your ass whooped online. I used that excuse all the time, and I sorely miss it.
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