Logitech's just partnered up with Activision to release some official "premium" instruments for the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour game. There aren't a whole lot of details in the release, but Logitech will provide a guitar for each of the four platforms (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2) that the game's coming out for. Why are we interested? Because Logitech actually has been known to do some pretty good peripherals, and their racing wheels are always quality. Since there is no photo of the guitar to go along with this release, well, I just had to make my own. Enjoy. [Kotaku]

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You're probably familiar with Blackwater Worldwide, the mercenary group that works in warzones and doesn't allow itself to be held back by silly things like ethics or respect for human life. Well, they're looking to hire some new mercenaries, and they know that they want people with wartime experience. That means troops. How do you get on current troops' good side? How about dropping free Xbox 360s with Guitar Hero out of planes for them in Afghanistan?

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Guitarists may get all the chicks, but some of us loudly and proudly played less popular instruments and heck, we ought to get a chance to be a hero too! While I plead with Harmonix to include the noble Euphonium in their next music game, you other band geeks can show solidarity with your instrument of choice by wearing it on your shirt. Torsopants has a crazy collection of Guitar Hero parodies for almost every musical player out there. Banjo Hero? Kazoo Hero? Didgeridoo Hero? All yours for US$19 plus shipping. [Torsopants via Boingboing]

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Guitar Hero fans usually hate the Rock Band guitar controller and vice versa. Instructables has a pretty good how-to that can solve the problem for Guitar Hero fans at the cost of a Rock Band controller. It's a way to mash up an old PS2 Guitar Hero controller with the Rock Band Fender guitar and make a perfect hybrid with raised keys a clicky strum. You could just use an Xbox 360 Guitar Hero controller for Rock Band if you're on an, but where's the fun in that? [Instructables]

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Playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band might make the average Joe feel more like a rock star--but the fact that you are playing on a tiny plastic guitar kind of ruins the fantasy. That's where the StarPex comes in. It is the first full-sized wooden guitar for the PS2/PS3 and it features a 10-button design with solo-buttons and an Overdrive/Star Power button, chrome plated tuning pegs, a wired/wireless connectivity option and a modular design that will allow users to trick out their guitar. The StarPex will be available in late August for US$179.95.

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A reader in Michigan sent in this image he snapped at his local Wal-Mart of a hither-to unknown controller for Guitar Hero for the Wii called the Rage. None of us have heard of it, a Google search turned up nothing, and there's nothing on Wal-Mart's website about it, so it's a mystery. But it's a sweet looking one, with the box stating it's got the most realistic action yet, light-up LEDs on the fretboard, and a realistic looking wood-toned neck. Pretty sweet, though with the US$54.78 price tag, you pay for the good looks. Thanks, James!

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One of our main complaints about playing bass on Guitar Hero or Rock Band is that the guitars aren't bass guitars. The Ant Commandos, a company that specialises in making cheaper versions of video game accessories, has just released a wireless PS2/PS3 bass guitar. It doesn't solve the problem of not being able to double-strum with two fingers, which the Mad Catz version does, but it is long necked like a real bass. The Widow Maker is available now for $US69. [Ant Commandos]

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IGN has the first hands on with Guitar Hero World Tour, which continues the instrument one-upmanship with a touch-sensitive neck on its more guitar-sized guitar that'll let you do lots of wicked stuff like alter notes during a sustain above and beyond the whammy bar, or tap it to play like a slap bass. In the music creator, you can use it to do things like mess with the drum machine in real time, tweak loops or add sustains or staccato notes. Overall, the new guitar--and the game--sound awesome, and not just a straight rip on Rock Band, which has us excited. [IGN via Game Life]

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Before you laugh, Hannah Montana has some high-tech instruments out that even hardcore gadget heads can appreciate. My favourite is the Mic Kit, expertly demoed by Disney creative director Jon Guerra in the clip above. The kit is a USB mic with software that teaches you how to sing with proper pitch control and recognition through a karaoke-style game. It analyses your vocal range too, and adjusts the songs accordingly so you don't have to worry about sounding hopelessly out of tune.

There's also a Guitar Hero-style plug-and-play game for kids that has 3 buttons and a cool touch-sensor bar instead of the typical strumming button. It's $US70, and the mic kit is $US50, both coming soon. [Disney]

You know Guitar Hero has gotten ridiculously big when the franchise gets its own Nintendo DS. Coordinated with the Guitar Hero: On Tour launch June 22, a silver and black Nintendo DS adorned with the Guitar Hero logo will be available in a limited edition bundle. The price is yet to be announced, but specially branded DS systems rarely cost any sort of premium. The real price you'll pay is the irreversible damage all that heroin does to your body. [Kotaku]

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