RIFFSTICK History
The pROtoTYpE
The first prototype controller I made was intended to be a one-off project. I had a BlockHead Grinder Wired guitar that absolutely sucked, and one day I decided to take it apart and see how it worked. Learning how simple the guitar controllers were inside, I realized that there were not many PCBs or parts needed to make a fully functional guitar. After two weeks or so of trial and error, I created this abomination by re-using all of the original BlockHead guitar parts in a custom fit case to make something travel sized.
Posting photos of this creation on the Clone Hero subreddit, multiple people messaged me asking if they could buy this one-off prototype from me. Seeing the interest, I decided I should try and look into making some sort of portable guitar hero controller product, much better compared to this prototype (which I still have).
The original RIFFSTICK
The original RIFFSTICK was 100% hand wired. Getting everything to fit and play "fine" took about a month and a half of daily work, leading to this controller I could assemble from nothing to finished in about 2 hours. It was slow and led to many mistakes and frustrations, but I was able to make about 12 of these hand-wired controllers before I decided it was time to look into custom PCBs to speed up the assembly process.
All of the original hand-wired RIFFSTICK controllers were sold on my old Etsy store, and I still remember and cherish many of those first customers who truly believed in me. Those are my real OGs, and I am so happy to have had their support and cheers along the development process.
RIFFSTICK PCB
My first PCB ever! (kind of)
Longing for a faster, easier, and more consistent controller assembly I teamed up with a long-time friend of mine ChromaMods to design the first RIFFSTICK PCB. Turns out it actually is not that hard if you have any CAD design experience under your belt. I used this PCB design opportunity to improve the frets of the RIFFSTICK dramatically, increasing comfort and reducing the risk of breakage while playing, which was an issue the original RIFFSTICK suffered from more than I hoped for. The RIFFSTICK PCB is the first controller I am generally very happy with, and never needed another version, but the features (scope creep) must expand.
RIFFSTICK PCB 1.1
Also my first PCB ever! (also kind of)
The RIFFSTICK PCB 1.1 controller board is based on the original design made by ChromaMods, however all modifications I made myself, which was a great learning experience.
The RIFFSTICK PCB 1.1 fixed a few issues and features easier assembly for the USB C port, a hall sensor for magnetic whammy support, and breakouts to separate the fret section if desired to make a full-size controller. Minor design changes went into the printing of every element for the RIFFSTICK PCB 1.1 controller over the original RIFFSTICK PCB, however it likely is not noticeable besides the big Whammy bar in the side of the controller.
Hopefully, soon I can create some affordable full-size guitar controllers for the community. Thank you to everyone for supporting my work and allowing me to create a relatively affordable product.
