Well, well, well. If this wasn’t the biggest surprise of 2025 (Even though it has been teased for months). A new Gibson Les Paul-style gaming guitar? I’m pretty sure that was on absolutely none of our bingo cards. But here we are, and for the 5-fret rhythm game community, it’s a momentous occasion. This week, CRKD launched their new Gibson Les Paul gaming guitar, and if you’re a veteran of plastic instruments, that name might ring a bell. Why? Because the CRKD team includes some of the original minds from RedOctane, the legendary manufacturers behind the classic Guitar Hero controllers. They’re basically the OGs of strumming and shredding, so we came in with high hopes. Let’s see if they delivered.
The Good Stuff: All Killer, No Filler
First off, let’s talk about the build quality. This guitar isn’t just a toy; it’s a genuine, premium piece of hardware. It feels sturdy, weighty, and absolutely fantastic in your hands. You won’t find any flimsy plastic here.
- The Neck: The mechanical fret neck that comes with the Pro model is, without a doubt, the best stock neck I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The feel and responsiveness are truly next-level. This is where the experience of the CRKD team really shines through.
- Connectivity: Connection is a seamless dream. The multi-platform version I reviewed connected to everything I threw at it-PC, Switch, PlayStation, you name it. The only one that didn’t work out of the box was Xbox, but even that can be solved with a RetroCultMods mini host adapter for an XBOX 360 connection. It’s almost as if they thought of everything. (And, next month the officially licensed Xbox model releases which supports PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series)
- Community First: The CRKD team has been incredibly supportive and reactive to player feedback. It genuinely feels like they care about what the community wants, and that’s a rare and beautiful thing to see in the gaming hardware world.
- Endless Customization: This guitar is a Swiss Army knife of rhythm gaming. The included mode switch lets you toggle between normal Guitar Hero mode, Fortnite Festival mode, custom keybinds, and even a special KeyJam mode that emulates a keyboard for maximum compatibility. I’m pretty sure this thing could probably do my taxes if I configured it right.
- The Strum Bar: The hall effect strum sensor is a game-changer. It’s super responsive, and since it’s a hall effect sensor, it should be highly resistant to the kind of wear and tear that plagued older guitars. Here’s hoping this thing can withstand years of intense thrashing.
- Full Controller Experience: This isn’t just a one-trick pony. The guitar has all the buttons of a normal controller, including two hall effect analog sticks and all the face and shoulder buttons. This means you don’t have to put your guitar down to navigate menus. (Festival players know the pain…)
- Connection Options: You’ve got options for days. The guitar supports Bluetooth, wired, and dongle modes, and it even has a clever little compartment to store the dongle. No more losing that tiny piece of tech in the couch cushions. (RIP World Tour dongle. You are dearly missed 🙁 )
- The App: The guitar connects to the CRKD app, where you will revel the number of the guitar (For example, mine is 5,311 out of 24,963). after the reveal experience you can use the app to configure any aspect of the guitar from key binds, to stum bar sensitivity and feedback and even the tilt angle sensor for Star Power!
The Not-So-Good Stuff: Minor Gripes and a Little Heartbreak
- Haptic Feedback & The Encore: This is where things get a bit complicated. After spending a week with the guitar im not a huge fan of the haptic feedback on the Pro model’s strum bar. But, just before launch, CRKD announced that the upcoming Encore version would have the same hall effect strum bar but with mechanical switch feedback instead. This was a direct result of a last-minute reliability issue with the original switches. If I had known this earlier, I maybe would have gotten the Encore (but there are a few more considerations listed below).
- Colorway Conundrum: This is my biggest personal gripe, and I’m convinced it’s a genius move by CRKD to get me to buy two guitars. The colorways are tied to the specific model. The Pro model, with its fantastic mechanical frets, only comes in a “Blueberry Burst” colorway. Meanwhile, the Encore, with its arguably less-desirable membrane frets, comes in a much prettier Black/Gold combo. My dream guitar-the Encore with mechanical frets-would require me to buy both and swap the parts (or just the encore and order a mechanical neck seperately), which is a significant hit to my wallet. You got me, CRKD.
- Paint Job Woes: While the overall build is great, the paint job on my Blueberry Burst Pro model was a little subpar, with some jagged edges. I’ve also seen other users complaining about paint rubbing off, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
Final Thoughts & Score
Despite a few minor issues, the CRKD Gibson Les Paul is a huge step forward for the 5-fret rhythm game community. The build quality, the customization features, and the responsive design are all testaments to the fact that the CRKD team truly knows what they’re doing. The fact that they’re so supportive and reactive to player feedback makes this an even more exciting prospect.
It’s also worth giving a massive shout-out to the PDP Riffmaster. While it had its own shortcomings, it definitely paved the way and proved there was a market for high-quality new guitars, allowing the CRKD Les Paul to shred onto the scene.
Score: 8.5/10
This score is for the Pro model specifically. If the haptic feedback is improved in future iterations, or if the Encore model’s mechanical feedback proves to be excellent, this score could easily climb to a solid 9.0.
