Accessories

Do not work properly
Hi-Hat double hits every time, crash double hits sometimes.

They WILL NOT stay in place even with it tightened to the max, the cymbals fall down onto the drums pads. Should say "DUCT TAPE REQUIRED" to make it work properly. If they didn't double hit and I could actually use them they might be fun.

Enhances the drumming experience.
Ordered these from Amazon, got them and hooked them up very easily. Having the cymbals doesn't technically change RB2 at all, since the game doesn't make you use them. But once you train yourself to use them , it really enhances the drumming experience. The fun of playing a game looking like a doofus on plastic instruments is because it makes you feel like a real rock star. Having the cymbals only adds to that.

My only regret is that I didn't wait for the triple cymbal pack. I talked myself out of it because I was too impatient. Now I really wish I had it! I'll be buying the single cymbal pack as soon as it's available.

Not for left-handed drummers
The Madcatz cymbal expansion kit adds to the realism of the Rock Band 2 drumming experience, but only if you use a right-handed drum setup. For those who use a lefty setup (rightmost pad as snare drum), there are two major problems:

1) The RB2 drum kit lacks a cymbal port for the red pad, which is the crash cymbal in lefty mode. Because this port is missing, lefties cannot the Madcatz cymbal pad as a crash cymbal.

2) In lefty mode, the RB2 software does not recognize the cymbals as independent inputs. During a drum fill, both of cymbal pads play the same tom sounds as their corresponding drum pads. Similarly, in freestyle mode, one cymbal plays a hi-hat sound, and the other plays a tom sound. In other words, lefty mode behaves as if no cymbals are plugged in at all, with only four distinct pads/sounds playable during fills and freestyle. Only if you switch to a right-handed setup are the cymbals are correctly recognized and play independent sounds.

Theoretically, either or both of these issues could be addressed in a software patch, but as of the writing of this review, the game's developer, Harmonix, has been aware of the issue for several months but has not indicated any plans for a patch. I recommend that lefty players do not purchase cymbal expansions unless Harmonix announces a fix for these problems.

Very nice expansion kit
Overall these are a great expansion to your Rock Band 2 drumkit (they don't work at all with Rock Band 1 Drums). The cymbals seem to be solidly made and can withstand some decent beating. I agree with the previous review about the set up being somewhat difficult. You need to be careful to put the wingnut in before clicking the two pieces together. But once everything is on they are very stable and feel like a normal part of the kit.

Game-wise they make for some nice playing in rock band. The cymbals take over two of the colors and you choose which by choosing which plug on the back of the kit. The caps on the cymbals can be changed depending on which color you are using them as. When you plug them in for rock band the cymbals become cymbal sounds while the pads they replace become toms.

These also work with Guitar Hero World Tour. However, it should be noted that you probaly want Yellow and Blue with World Tour while you probably want Yellow and Green with Rock Band because of the way you kick off star power. That means some annoying switching and a bit of confusion after switching if you only get the 2 cymbal kit. I kind of wish I woulda gotten the three just to avoid that.

But they definitely make drumming more fun, more immersive, and more difficult if you want it to be since you can now play a cymbal when it calls for one rather than just another pad. Some Madcatz stuff is a little hokey but these are legit.

4/5 - docking one for initial setup and annoying switching of colors

A nice addition to the game
I recently purchased this add-on for the Rock Band 2 Drum Set. Over all I really like it. I believe it lends to a more enjoyable/realistic playing experience.

Some Pros: You get two cymbals which is nice and fills out the drum set with out making it too cluttered (Which is why I opted for two instead of three). When you use the freestyle drum trainer, the cymbals work just like cymbals while all the pads act just like drums which is kinda cool. You do have some options as to the height and location of the cymbals. The response seems to be good and I haven't had any problems with them not registering hits. They do appear to be velocity sensitive also meaning the harder you hit the louder the sound in the game.

A Con: The initial setup is kind of tough. You basically get a two piece plastic clamp that you use to secure the cymbal "pole" to the rest of the drum set. The clamp snaps together in two places and then you have little "wing-nut" bolts you use to tighten everything down securely. Those "wing-nut" bolts are hard to use because the distance from the place you screw in the "wing-nut" bolt to the hole it goes in, is kinda far. SO you have to squeeze on the clamp to get the bolt in there. Maybe is was just my setup but I don't think a child would be able to do it on their own.

Other then that I am enjoying this addition to my gaming experience.