I just learned that Logitech is entering the ultra premium fake plastic guitar market (read: $250 and up) with their Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition. Right now it is PS2 / PS3 only, unfortunately.

I’ve been skeptical of previous entries in the ultra premium guitar category, but this one (minus Xbox 360 compatibility, which has been hinted at in the comments of their blog entry about this guitar) might actually be the first one I’d consider buying. Some features:

• Full size guitar replica
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Metal: frets, whammy, tuning pegs
• Quality buttons and strum mechanism (hopefully)
• Includes new Guitar Hero: World Tour touchpad
• Wireless (I’m looking at you, Mad Catz Precision Bass)

I trust Logitech to make high quality peripherals, so I have high hopes the strum and buttons will be on par with the truly excellent Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar. I’ve always felt that all the other ultra-premium guitars may have looked cooler than the official first party guitars, but in terms of actual feel and quality control, they were inferior. What’s the point of a fancy $80 to $300 controller if you can’t actually perform as well as the $60 default controller in the game?

Of course, as with any $249 peripheral, best to wait for some initial reviews when the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition is actually released in December. I am cautiously optimistic on this one.

While it’s not quite as high spec as Logitech’s entry, the $80 Gene Simmons Axe Guitar makes up for that in sheer badassery.

Sadly, it too is PS2/PS3 only. And given the no-name manufacturer, probably won’t be as good as the first party controllers. But just look at it! It’s the fabled axe guitar, as originally won when you finally managed to complete Guitar Hero 1 on Expert — man, I was stuck on Bark at the Moon on Expert for weeks. Whoever put that super hard solo right at the end is just cruel. I guess we can blame Randy Rhoads for that.

And for comparison purposes, here’s the actual Axe Bass that Gene Simmons plays.