Guitar Industry Heroes: Video Games Spur Sales of Real Instruments

Reynaldo Ulloa has already become a guitar hero, the next logical step for him is to learn to play guitar.

“I do want to learn how to play my favorite Guitar Hero songs on the guitar,” said the 18-year-old Hempstead resident, who has placed high in two tournaments for the game. “It would be better than tapping them on my plastic Les Paul.”

Guitar industry insiders are beginning to see the potential in the immensely popular video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which they believe will bring in new guitarists like Ulloa, and therefore, new customers to a market that has been experiencing a national slump during the past two years.

Guitar Hero 3 on XBox 360.

“We’re beginning to think that there is a small undercurrent of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band customer that might be coming over to the dark side, for a lack of a better way of putting it, and actually buying guitars,” said Sammy Ash, Chief Operating Officer and an owner of Sam Ash, a national chain of musical instruments stores founded in Brooklyn. “We think that the kids are really getting into this whole concept: ‘Wow, you know what? Look what I can be with a toy, it can’t be that much harder to play guitar.’”