Stage Tour is poised to revive the rhythm game genre when it hits PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S on December 10, and prolific peripheral manufacturer CRKD is absolutely invited to the launch party. CRKD has designed three new Gibson guitars just for RedOctane Games’ new title, and they’re available to pre-order now through the official Stage Tour site or CRKD itself.
The Stage Tour Pro Guitar Collection includes a Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG and Gibson Explorer. The Gibson Les Paul Oxblood Edition is modeled after the iconic guitar of the same name and colorway, while the SG Midnight Blue Edition is based on an abandoned PS2-era controller concept for Guitar Hero II. And lastly, the 8K Gibson Explorer: 20th Anniversary Edition is a stark-white, lightning bolt-shaped beauty inspired by the classic X-Plorer Controller, which was created by Activision and the original RedOctane team for Guitar Hero II in 2007. (Both are obviously based on the famous Gibson Explorer, which dates back a lot further than the early ’00s.)
The Stage Tour Pro Guitar line features Hall effect click strum bars, new mechanical frets, LED neck lighting and ultra-low latency. That translates to polling rates of 500Hz wireless and 1,000Hz wired for the Les Paul and SG models. The 8K Gibson Explorer, of course, features a polling rate of 8,000Hz whether wired or wireless.
The new controllers are made in official collaboration with the rhythm gaming veterans at RedOctane, and so they feature a streamlined button and bar layout mirroring the official Stage Tour Kramer Wireless Guitar Controller. Kramer is available for $110 across each platform, alongside an official drum kit ($200) and microphone ($30 wireless). Note that the drum hardware will not be compatible with Switch 2 at launch, though drum parts can be played with Joy-Con 2s or a Switch 2 Pro Controller.
As denoted by its dark blue coloring, CRKD’s Gibson SG is an officially licensed PlayStation product, and it’s compatible with PS4, PS5 and PC. It costs $130.
The rusty red Les Paul comes in a version built for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC, or one that works with Android, PC and Switch. The Xbox edition is $130, while the multiplatform one is $120.
CRKD
And finally, the Explorer is compatible with PC, Android and Switch, and it costs $130. It looks like this one won’t start shipping until mid-January, while the other two models will be available on Stage Tour‘s release day in December.
CRKD has an established and fruitful partnership with Gibson, already offering a line of rhythm game guitars inspired by the company’s classic silhouettes.
