Hammer-ons and pull-offs are much easier to spot this time, as they appear as slightly thinner notes dropping toward the target. No more guessing what you need to strum and what you can just fret.
I am very pleased with the Fender. The more I use it, the more I prefer it to Guitar Hero III's Les Paul. Rock Band for the Xbox 360 does not come with a wireless guitar. It is wired, which is a step backwards. The 360 bundle would have cost more, due to Microsoft licensing fees for wireless (which really seems lame to me) so the Fender is a wired USB device. PS3 owners get a wireless guitar. A wireless 360 guitar controller is available, but costs more of course.
The drum kit that comes with the game is close to full size, and has four heads to bang on. The left one is always the snare; right is always the crash symbol. The top two perform double duty between tom-tom and high-hat, depending on the situation. Overdrive is triggered by a crash symbol at the end of a freeform fill.
The drum kit also has a kick pedal, which you push down when the orange note crosses the target. Of all the instruments in Rock Band, the drums are the most fun to play. They are also quite challenging for people who cannot coordinate their foot from their arms (like me). Drumming on Expert exhibits similarities to actual drumming, so if you know a real drummer, sing them up for your Rock Band band!
I am sure the drums went through some rigorous stress testing, they feel solid. The rubbery drum-heads are springy, and the stand is aluminum. You can tap lightly or go all Animal on them if you wish — both ways seem to do the trick. (There is even an Achievement called AN-I-MAL!!! for completing the Drum Solo Tour on Expert.)
The microphone that comes in the Special Edition package picks up your voice well, it feels like a mic should. You are scored on the pitch you are supposed to be singing at. You can sing an octave higher or lower. Still, singing is going to be the hardest to master for a lot of people.
It is a downer to report that some of the equipment has been failing, even broken strait out of the box. This is the first Harmonix game post Red Octane, and it seems there have been some issues with the hardware. I have read of problems with the kick pedal or drum heads, but the most prevalent problem is the down-strum of the Fender.
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