There are not many things a rock star would rather do than to grab the electric guitar and smash it to pieces, climb the drums like King Kong to smash them, smash the stack of loudspeakers with the microphone and so on... you get the idea: smash things. Of course that many other people would find that disgusting and many more would never dream of doing something like that. Especially if they're rock stars playing rock band in their bedroom. But you could lose control anytime, anyway.

So if you like to accidentally smash your Rock Band instruments in true rock'n roll style, or if you simply want some diversity, go thank Harmonix and MTV Games. Because these two announced that individual instrument peripherals for Rock Band will start shipping to US stores starting this February,12.

"The release of standalone instruments allows Rock Band musicians to enjoy the full Rock Band experience, including drum, microphone and guitar head-to-head modes, creating a whole new level of competitive fun," said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder, Harmonix. "We're also delivering a stand-alone wireless guitar solution for all versions of Rock Band as well as providing the opportunity for consumers to build their band one instrument at a time."

Indeed, this decision brings some really exciting instrument "versus" modes, allowing Rock Band fans all over the world to compete against their friends in Microphone vs. Microphone, Drum vs. Drum and Guitar vs. Guitar modes. Yeah, bring the battle, on!

Here are the exact release dates and pricing announced (fox Xbox 360, PS2 and PS3 consoles): Rock Band Drum Kit - $79.99 coming this February and Rock Band Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller - $59.99 coming on the 1st of April 2008. Hopefully it's not a joke. Oh, wait! Electronic Arts is the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band, so it can't be a joke.