Since Guitar Hero for the Playstation 2 was originally released in late 2005, it was inevitable that someone would go about converting a real guitar into something you could use in the game. The first one I ever saw was toolmonger’s How-To: Build Your Own Custom Full-Sized Wireless Guitar Hero Controller.

Of course, gutting a real guitar to turn it into a fake plastic version of itself takes serious chutzpah. I’m also not sure you would end up with a very practical guitar controller for all that work, either. I wouldn’t expect a real guitar, designed for use with strings, to map all that well to buttons and a plastic strum.

But why build what you can buy?

I remember reading about Art Guitars real fake guitar controller last year; $399 for a guitar with plastic heart but the body of the real thing. The first reviews were mixed, which is sort of disturbing for a controller this expensive and high end.

But you could never really buy it. It looks like they’ve finally made these real products under the Peavey AG Riffmaster series, and you can buy them now at $399, with a 6-8 week build time.

You aren’t stuck with the default graphics; you can customize the Riffmaster and put your own graphics on there.

Unfortunately, this is only available for the PS2 at the moment. Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the AG Riffmaster are coming “fall 2008″.

Last year, I rented the documentary Air Guitar Nation from Netflix.

It’s a fantastic movie about the Air Guitar Championships, and it is far, far better than I expected it to be. The spirit of fake plastic rock is strong in this one. If you’re looking for pointers on how to improve your (fake) performance chops, you absolutely can’t do better than these guys and gals.

It’s totally about freedom.. you don’t have to be a rock star to be a rock star.

I would say, at its height, it is performance art.

It’s judged like figure skating.. and it’s probably less absurd to watch than figure skating, if you think about it.

If you enjoy Guitar Hero and Rock Band even a little, you can’t not enjoy Air Guitar Nation. It’s great. I highly recommend either renting or buying it.

Here’s a bizarre, upside-down on fake plastic rock– real guitars made from game consoles:

This is a guitar from the article made from an old Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive, as it was known in Europe):

When people ask me about my unhealthy obsession with fake plastic rock, I always explain: it’s about the music. I’ve always loved music, though I have no musical talent whatsoever. Playing songs in Guitar Hero and Rock Band is just another way to experience the music with your friends.

That’s why I was so excited about the Rhino 4-CD box set Heavy Metal. I own many Rhino box sets and they’re always top-notch. This one is no exception. It’s awesome.

The music is in exactly the same vein as the Guitar Hero and Rock Band tracklists, to the point that there’s significant overlap. See for yourself:

Disc 1

1. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
2. Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer
3. Easy Livin - Uriah Heep
4. Highway Star - Deep Purple (Rock Band)
5. Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper (Guitar Hero II)
6. Lost Johnny - Hawkwind
7. Bad Motor Scooter - Montrose
8. Working Man - Rush (Rock Band)
9. Man On the Silver Mountain - Ritchie’s Blockmore’s Rainbow
10. Detroit Rock City - Kiss (Rock Band)
11. The Ripper - Judas Priest
12. Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
13. Lights Out - UFO
14. Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult (Guitar Hero I)
15. Demolition Boys - Girlschool
16. White Witch - Angel Witch
17. The Phantom Of the Opera - Iron Maiden
18. Neon Knights - Black Sabbath

Disc 2

1. Ace Of Spades - Motorhead (Guitar Hero I)
2. Am I Evil? - Diamond Head
3. Nice Boys - Rose Tattoo
4. Attack Of the Mad Axeman - Michael Schenker Group
5. Denim And Leather - Saxon
6. Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg
7. Gangland - Tygers Of Pan Tang
8. Witching Hour - Venom
9. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest (Guitar Hero I)
10. The Number Of the Beast - Iron Maiden (Rock Band, Guitar Hero III)
11. Star War - Raven
12. Say What You Will - Fastway
13. Black Funeral - Mercyful Fate
14. Animal (F**k Like a Beast) - W.A.S.P.
15. Mean Streak - Y&T
16. Holy Diver - Dio (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
17. Queen Of the Reich - Queensryche
18. Whiplash - Metallica

Disc 3

1. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions (Guitar Hero III)
2. Metal Health - Quiet Riot (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
3. Into the Fire - Dokken
4. Balls To the Wall - Accept (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
5. Round And Round - Ratt (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
6. I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
7. The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Hanoi Rocks
8. Big Bottom - Spinal Tap
9. Midnite Maniac - Krokus
10. I’ll See the Light, Tonight - Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force
11. Crazy Nights - Loudness
12. Shake Me - Cinderella
13. Watch the Children Pray - Metal Church
14. To Hell With the Devil - Stryper
15. A Little Time - Helloween
16. Wrecking Crew - Overkill
17. Caught In a Mosh - Anthrax (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
18. Peace Sells - Megadeath

Disc 4

1. Still Of the Night - Whitesnake
2. Rock Me - Great White
3. Talk Dirty To Me - Poison (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
4. Bathroom Wall - Faster Pussycat (Guitar Hero: 80’s)
5. Hall Of the Mountain King - Savatage
6. Kiss Me Deadly - Lita Ford
7. Hail And Kill - Manowar
8. Trial By Fire - Testament
9. Welcome Home - King Diamond
10. South Of Heaven - Slayer
11. One - Metallica (Guitar Hero III)
12. Cult Of Personality - Living Colour (Guitar Hero III)
13. Youth Gone Wild - Skid Row
14. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera (Guitar Hero I)
15. Beg To Differ - Prong
16. Dead Embryonic Cells - Sepultera

I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the vagaries of music licensing more than critical choice, but still– it’s a fantastic box set. Of all the box sets I’ve collected (and I have many) it is one of my favorites to listen to. I can’t recommend it highly enough to fellow fake plastic rock enthusiasts. So what are you waiting for? Check The Heavy Metal box set out on Amazon– and remember, this one goes to 11. Literally.

Here’s Spinner Magazine’s take on the “best” 25 band logos. Fun stuff; click through if you don’t recognize the band or logo.