How do I fix my Rock Band guitar?

My Rock Band 2 wireless Fender guitar controller recently stopped accepting down strokes on the strum bar and the equivalent direction on the guitar's D-pad. The guitar is about 18 months old. I've read several articles online that indicate it could be the microswitch on the strum bar but that doesn't seem to fit with the D-pad also being ineffective.

Has anyone else experienced this and is there an easy fix? I'm adept at soldering, if necessary.

Solution 1:

I helped a friend to fix his Rockband Guitar ... it was very simple ... but we had to cut a little bit the plastic from the strum bar! ... but it WORKED.

Anyways. .. we used this video instructions.

Solution 2:

I had a guitar with this same problem and it turned out to be a loose internal connection. There's a point in the internal wiring where the wires from the strumbar and the D-pad come together, and downstream from that point there was a loose connector with one pin that both signals passed through so neither would register. I recall that I didn't have to do any soldering to fix it - I fiddled with the multi-pin connector and shoved it more tightly into its slot, and that fixed it.

You might have the same problem, or you might have a broken wire in that area. But the key is: at some point the signal from those two inputs is carried on the same wire, and your problem is likely in that area.