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05/12/25

Guitar Hero Live Controller Issues

Learn how to sync and calibrate the Guitar Hero Live controller, as well as solve some other potential issues

Guitar Hero Live controllers have been engineered to be very sturdy and withstand hundreds of hours of gameplay. The following document lists some of the most commonly seen concerns with Guitar Hero Live controllers.

 

General Questions

1. My guitar controller has started missing inputs, including strums from the strum bar and fret inputs. What do I do?

Make sure that the guitar controller is properly calibrated using the in-game calibration tools.

2. The fret button on the controller is sticking. What do I do?

First, make sure the issue is with the physical button and not the game itself by re-calibrating the controller.

If the issue is with the button, carefully remove the affected button and blow in the back of the button and its contact point on the neck to remove any dirt or debris that may have collected underneath.

Please note: Do not use any cleansers, cleaning products, or chemicals to clean the guitar controller, doing so may damage your Guitar Hero Live controller.

3. Will my Guitar Hero Live controller work on another console system or with the mobile version of the game?

The Guitar Hero Live console controller will work with any console. The wireless USB receivers, however, are designed to work specifically with one console and cannot be transferred to another. You can tell what system the USB receiver is designed for by the color of the button on the end of the receiver:

  • Gray button: PlayStation 3
  • Blue button: PlayStation 4
  • Green button: Xbox 360
  • Black button: Xbox One

The console controller will not work with the mobile version of the game.

The Bluetooth version of the Guitar Hero Live controller will only work with the mobile version of the game and will not work with any console version of the game.

4. Where do I find my guitar controller’s serial number?

Your guitar controller’s serial number can be found inside the battery compartment on the back of your controller directly under the batteries. The serial number consists of a 19-character combination of letters and numbers that begins with “S/N.”

5. I was playing Guitar Hero Live and the guitar suddenly disconnected from the game. All four LED lights on the guitar are flashing rapidly and I cannot re-sync it.

This is a rare issue that can come up when too many information packets are sent to your USB receiver too rapidly. If this happens, follow these steps:

  1. Power down your Guitar Hero Live controller and console.
  2. Remove your USB receiver from your console.
  3. Replace your USB receiver in your console and power it back up.
  4. Turn on your Guitar Hero Live controller and re-sync it with your game.
6. All four LED lights are rapidly blinking on my controller and the game isn’t registering any input. What’s happening?

The controller is searching for the wireless receiver and cannot find it. Make sure that the USB receiver is properly inserted into your console. If the receiver has been removed, do the following:

  1. Power down your console and guitar controller.
  2. Reinsert the USB receiver.
  3. Restart your console.
  4. Restart Guitar Hero Live.
  5. Re-sync your guitar controller.

If your USB receiver is properly inserted in the console, check to see if you have any other USB devices inserted in your console. Certain USB devices may generate interference that will prevent the receiver from receiving data. Remove the interfering devices.

7. All four LED lights on my controller are blinking slowly and the game isn’t receiving any input. What’s wrong?

Your batteries are dying. Replace the old batteries with a pair of fresh AA batteries.

8. Will my Guitar Hero Live controller work on older editions of Guitar Hero?

Possibly, although this is not recommended as the older games were formatted for a five-button guitar controller. As a result, an older game may misinterpret inputs from the Guitar Hero Live controller, rendering the game unplayable.

9. I tried to use an older Guitar Hero controller with Guitar Hero Live and it didn’t work. Is something wrong?

No. Due to the new six-button configuration of the Guitar Hero Live guitar controller, older 5-button Guitar Hero controllers will not work with Guitar Hero Live.

10. I'm trying to add a second guitar to the game with one dongle, but it's not working. Is something wrong?

No. In order to add a second guitar, you must have a second dongle that is compatible with the system.

 

PlayStation 3

1. I was in the middle of playing Guitar Hero Live and the game just stopped accepting input from the controller. What happened?

This is a rare issue in which the PlayStation 3 USB receiver can lose connection with the controller after many hours of uninterrupted play. To resolve this, restart your console and the game, and then re-sync your controller with the receiver.

 

Xbox 360

1. I was trying to play Guitar Hero Live on my Xbox 360 and the guitar controller is completely unresponsive. What’s wrong?

This can happen if your controller vibration option on your console is disabled. To resolve this, you will need to enable the controller vibration on your Xbox 360.

  1. Press the Guide button on your controller.
  2. Go to Settings, and then select Preferences.
  3. Select Vibration.
  4. Select Enable Vibration.