PS2 Guitar Hero Controller on PS3: Not Compatible

PS2 Guitar Hero guitars do not work on PS3. No adapter, dongle, or software workaround enables full functionality.

Technical Reasons

Factor	PS2 Guitar	PS3 Requirement
Connector	PS2 proprietary (controller port) or USB (late GH3/WT/Aerosmith)	USB HID or Bluetooth (Sixaxis/DualShock 3)
Protocol	PS2 controller bus (SPI-like) or proprietary USB descriptors	Standard USB HID / Bluetooth HID
Drivers	Built into PS2 BIOS / game	PS3 system software only recognizes Sony/licensed USB HID devices
Whammy Bar / Tilt	Analog potentiometer / mercury switch	Expects standard HID axes

PS2→USB adapters (e.g., Super Joy Box, Mayflash): Translate digital buttons only. Whammy bar (analog) and tilt sensor do not map. Game sees "button mash" but no whammy/star power tilt.
PS2 USB guitars (GH3 Les Paul, World Tour, Aerosmith): Use proprietary USB protocol. PS3 ignores them—no driver match.
Modding the guitar: Rewire to Arduino/Teensy → USB HID. Possible but requires soldering, firmware coding, and case modification. Not practical for most.

Buy a PS3 Guitar: Guitar Hero III/World Tour/Warriors of Rock (USB dongle), Rock Band (USB dongle), Guitar Hero Live (dongle + Bluetooth). All work natively.
Use a Wii Guitar + Wii U Adapter + PC → Parsec → PS3 Remote Play: Convoluted, high latency. Not recommended.
Play on PC (Clone Hero / Phase Shift): PS2 guitar + PS2→USB adapter works perfectly in Clone Hero (free, custom songs, online). Best new life for old hardware.

Bottom line: Get a PS3-era guitar. They're cheap used ($15–30) and plug-and-play.

PS3 Games