Fretlight Press Kit.old
2014-02-05
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2013 PRESS KIT
COMPANY
PRODUCT LIST
The Optek Music Systems line-up of Fretlight guitars
includes ve unique electric guitar models and one
acoustic model in a variety of colors and price ranges.
Whether you are a beginner in need of an entry-level
guitar or an advanced level player desiring the sound
of your dreams, Fretlight has something for everyone. All
guitars come with a 10 ft. Fretlight guitar-to-USB cable,
software install disc with FREE Fretlight Studio software,
FREE video lessons (over two hours of instruction) and a
FREE Hal Leonard Fretlight Ready Lennon & McCartney
Play-Along Instructional Video - everything you see the
teacher play lights instantly on your Fretlight Guitar!
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
2013 PRESS KIT
FG-507 ACOUSTIC MSRP: $299.99
The NEW FG-507 Fretlight Acoustic! A full size, tonally balanced,
acoustic guitar that looks and feels great.
FG-521 TRADITIONAL ELECTRIC MSRP: $499.99
This guitar has a classic look, sleek contours and rocks with the
best of them. (Left handed model available)
FG-531 VINTAGE ELECTRIC MSRP: $599.99
The special edition FG-531 Vintage Electric looks and plays great
with its swamp ash body and vintage tone.
FG-541 CLASSIC ELECTRIC MSRP: $699.99
This classic guitar rocks with a two P-90 pickups and a tremolo
bridge.
FG-561 PRO ELECTRIC MSRP: $899.99
The FG-561’s Fralin P-92 pickups will give you studio and stage
tone that you are looking for.
FG-511 STANDARD ELECTRIC MSRP: $399.99
This entry-level electric guitar has a nice compact body, one
screaming humbucker, on-board tuner and one volume control.
COLOR
COLOR
COLOR
COLOR
COLOR
COLOR
GUITARS
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
CHROME COOL WHITE JET BLACK HOT ROD RED
JET BLACKPEARL WHITE
RENEGADE
RED
TOBACCO
SUNBURST
BLACKNATRUAL
PACIFIC BLUEBLONDE
CHROME
ORANGE CRUSH PIX CR20LDX MSRP: $179.99
The Orange Crush PiX CR20LDX is part of Orange’s Crush PiX
lineup.
THE FRETLIGHT GIG BAG MSRP: $59.99
The Fretlight Gig Bag is what a gig bag should be. It ts the guitar
snuggly, has great padding, and additional pockets.
GATOR HARDSHELL CASE MSRP: $99.99
A Gator Case Deluxe ABS Guitar Case for your Fretlight FG-511,
FG-521, FG-531, or FG-561 guitar.
FRETLIGHT DUAL FOOTSWITCH MSRP: $24.99
Add hands free functionality to Fretlight Ready Software.
FRETLIGHT ACOUSTIC GIG BAG MSRP: $69.99
The NEW Fretlight Acoustic Gig Bag is custom designed to ts the
Fretlight Acoustic FG-507 guitar like a glove, has thick padding,
and additional pockets for all your accessories.
ORANGE CRUSH PIX CR35DLX MSRP: $249.99
The Orange Crush PiX CR35LDX is part of Orange’s Crush PiX
lineup.
ACCESSORIES
2013 PRESS KIT
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
2013 PRESS KIT
SHELBY DESIGNS CUSTOM PICKUP MSRP: $99.99
The high output Shelby Designs™ retrot Alnico II Pickup as-
sembly + N-Tune. Have these hot pickups installed on any right
handed FG-421 guitar. Available in black and white.
PLANET WAVES DUAL ACTION CAPO MSRP: $19.99
All the quick and easy features you want, none of the tuning and
buzzing hassles you don’t.
PLANET WAVES SOFT GARMENT LEATHER GUITAR STRAP
MSRP: $37.99
Planet Waves Soft Garment Leather Guitar Strap (More colors
available)
PLANET WAVES LOCKING GUITAR STRAP MSRP: $19.99
A high quality locking strap.
VOX HEADPHONE AMP AC30 MSRP: $36.99
This handy headphone guitar amp plugs directly into your guitar.
Use it with any of pair of headphones. Enjoy serious guitar sound
anywhere, anytime...
ACCESSORIES
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
2013 PRESS KIT
SOFTWARE
FRETLIGHT STUDIO FOR PC AND MAC
All Fretlight guitars now come with the FREE Fretlight Studio software allowing you to pursue endless guitar learning and fun. The Fretlight
Studio allows you access to everything that you want to do with your Fretlight guitar from one handy screen. You can learn chords and scales,
play songs, take video lessons, or learn to improvise a solo!
No more guesswork as to where to put your ngers… No more frustration of spending hours to play a simple riff… With the Fretlight built in
LED learning system, you can get started in minutes!
GUITAR PRO 6 FRETLIGHT READY™ MSRP: $99.99
Guitar Pro 6 is software designed to create, edit and play tablature for guitar, bass, and other fretted instruments. It has a ton of features
such as loop, play, slow down tempo, etc. The Fretlight Ready™ version now lets you see those ngering positions light-up right on the Fret-
light ngerboard. Learning a riff or song is now a snap - it’s really the best of both worlds.
Best of all you can download thousands of user-created songs from many tablature websites and watch them all light-up your Fretlight gui-
tar. Oh – you can even light the bass, keyboard and vocal parts on your Fretlight guitar.
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For the Beginner, Part-Timer or Pro,
Fretlight Guitar Lights the Best Way Forward
“World’s Easiest Guitar to Play” Speeds Learning
Process 10 Times Faster than Traditional Method
(RENO) – The Fretlight Guitar, like so many breakthrough innovations, was born out
of a remarkably simple idea to provide a practical solution to a long-standing problem:
the difcult and often frustrating process of learning to play guitar. Industry statistics show that
80 percent of people who start to play the guitar give up within 90 days of starting. Even for accomplished
players, hitting a plateau is not uncommon. Methods for learning the guitar, whether for beginners or advanced
players, have changed little since the 1950s.
The eureka moment for Rusty Shaffer, an avid guitar player and mechanical engineer, came when he envisioned a guitar that
would speed the learning process by lighting up chords and scales right on the fretboard, showing the player where to place his
ngers. “For me and for most players, going back and forth from chord and scale books to the guitar was slow and agonizing,”
Shaffer recalls. “I kept thinking, why can’t this information be put where I really need it – right under my ngertips?”
In 1987, Shaffer invented the Fretlight Guitar, forever transforming the experience of learning to play.
To develop and market the Fretlight Guitar, Shaffer founded Optek Music Systems, Inc. As new technologies emerged, Shaf-
fer upgraded the electronic components and craftsmanship required to manufacture high-quality guitars with embedded LED
lights that show the ngering positions for chords, scales, songs, riffs and even tablature.
During the early years for the Fretlight Guitar, Shaffer found that within the music industry, particularly among the iconic, old
guard manufacturers, there was little excitement about an innovative guitar that incorporated new technologies. Such modi-
cations were seen as scary, and unnecessary. Retailers were hesitant to rock the boat, presenting Optek with distribution chal-
lenges. Shaffer, however, utilized online sales channels to generate awareness of the unique nature of the Fretlight Learning
System, and the Fretlight Guitar quickly developed a devoted following.
With the advancement of interactive digital technology, the potential for the Fretlight Guitar took a giant step forward. By
connecting through a PC and Mac, the new Fretlight used a combination of software and video instruction to dramatically
simplify the process and accelerate the learning curve up to 10 times faster than ever before possible. The video lessons could
be slowed down and looped so ngerings could be practiced at a comfortable pace, building instant muscle memory, retention
and condence.
By 2004, using new, cutting-edge technologies, engineering and manufacturing methods, the Fretlight Guitar and learning
system had evolved into the revolutionary and disruptive innovation that Shaffer had envisioned. Shaffer re-launched Optek
Music Systems in Windham, N.H. that year while working full time as an intellectual property attorney. In 2010, after relocat-
ing to Reno, Nev., Optek was recapitalized and soon introduced a complete new line of premium electric and acoustic Fretlight
Guitars.
With the tenacity of an entrepreneur and the power of a dream, Shaffer’s determination paid off. In 2011, Guitar World maga-
zine bestowed its prestigious Gold Award to the Fretlight Guitar, proclaiming that “using a Fretlight Guitar with Fretlight Ready
Guitar Pro 6 software is easily the fastest and most effective way to learn how to play songs and expand your scale and chord
vocabulary.” Today, Fretlight Guitars are sold nationwide through select music specialty retailers known as
2013 PRESS KIT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (CONT.)
“Fretlight Showrooms,” and available online at Fretlight.com.
Fretlight is changing the way beginners learn to play,
bringing former players back to the guitar, and allowing
advanced players to audition new scales and improvise new solos.
The Fretlight Guitar lets players concentrate on the neck of the guitar,
eliminating the back and forth routine from traditional books and diagrams,
enabling players of all levels to improve faster while having more fun in the process.
Each Fretlight guitar comes complete with free Fretlight Studio Software, Beginner 101 and
102 interactive video lessons, plus the Hal Leonard Fretlight Ready Lennon & McCartney play-along
video. Thousands of tabs can be downloaded from the internet and learned on the Fretlight Guitar using
the optional Guitar Pro 6 Fretlight Ready software. Videos are also available featuring songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan,
David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and many other guitar heroes. Fretlight provides live chat,
product support and online customer service for players at all skill levels.
Fretlight Guitars, including the complete learning system, start at $299.99 for the FG 507 Fretlight acoustic. The FG-500 series
includes ve electric models: Standard, Traditional, Vintage, Classic and Pro, ranging in price from $399.99 to $899.99.
About Optek Music Systems, Inc.
Based in Reno, Nev., Optek Music Systems is the manufacturer and distributor of the groundbreaking Fretlight Guitar and
learning system. Invented in 1987 by Optek founder and CEO Rusty Shaffer, the Fretlight Guitar has changed the way the world
learns to play by combining advanced digital and LED technologies within the timeless form and function of classic electric and
acoustic guitars. Fretlight Guitars can be purchased at select retailers or online at www.fretlight.com.
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
###
2013 PRESS KIT
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
BIO: RUSTY SHAFFER
OPTEK MUSIC SYSTEMS FOUNDER AND FRETLIGHT INVENTOR
Rusty Shaffer, an avid guitar player, pilot and mechanical engineer, invented the Fretlight
guitar in 1987, forever transforming the process of learning to play guitar.
To develop and market the Fretlight, Shaffer founded Optek Music Systems, Inc. in 1988.
Shaffer is a self-taught musician who has played both guitar and piano for over 20 years.
He regularly writes and records his music and successfully released a CD on an
independent label. He co-wrote a jingle for Dell Corporation with the members of the
Grammy-winning band America, and has performed with them both on stage and in the
studio.
Prior to founding Optek Music Systems, he held an engineering position at United Tech-
nologies, Inc., in which he specialized in composite moldings and laminates.
Shaffer holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the
University of Connecticut and received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law
in Boston, Mass. He is currently admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
In 1981, prior to attending the University of Connecticut, Shaffer received a Congressional
appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. He is a certied ight instructor and
commercial pilot and has taught ight instruction for more than 20 years. He has four
children and lives in Reno, Nev.
www.fretlight.com
2013 PRESS KIT
• Fretlight Guitars are premium acoustic and
electric guitars that include the world’s only built-in
LED learning system. Fingering positions for chords, scales,
songs and riffs light up where players need the information most,
right under their ngers.
• Fretlight represents the most signicant breakthrough innovation to advance the
process of learning to play guitar, the methods for which have not changed since the
1950s. The Fretlight is the world’s easiest guitar to play, enabling players of all levels to get
there faster while having more fun in the process.
• The Fretlight Guitar and learning system uses interactive instruction and video lessons to enable guitar players at
every level to learn up to 10 times faster than ever before possible.
• Statistics show that 80 percent of people who start to play guitar eventually give it up because of the slow, difcult and
often frustrating process of learning to play – the Fretlight Guitar breaks down these difcult barriers and allows
players to see positive results faster with a more enjoyable journey.
• The Fretlight Guitar enables players to concentrate on the neck of the guitar, eliminating the back and forth routine
from traditional books and diagrams.
• The Fretlight Guitar truly has something for every level of player. Ideal for beginners wanting to play their favorite riff
fast, to advanced players looking to audition new scales and improvise new solos.
• Optek Music Systems, Inc. of Reno, Nev. is the exclusive manufacturer of Fretlight guitars. Optek founder Rusty Shaffer,
a mechanical engineer and avid guitar player, invented the Fretlight in 1987.
• Fretlight Guitars range in price from $299.99 to $899.99.
• Fretlight Guitars come with free with Fretlight Studio Software, Beginner 101 & 102 interactive video lessons and the
Hal Leonard Fretlight Ready Lennon & McCartney play-along video.
• Fretlight Guitars are beautifully-crafted, great-sounding guitars.
• Optional Fretlight Ready GuitarPro 6 software allows thousands of free tabs to be downloaded from the internet and
played on the Fretlight Guitar.
• Dozens of interactive instructional videos are available for the Fretlight Guitar that feature songs of some of the
best-known artists in popular music.
• Fretlight guitars are sold online at fretlight.com, as well as through select music retailers nationwide.
• Fretlight provides live chat, product support and online customer service for players at every skill level.
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
FRETLIGHT QUICK FACTS
2013 PRESS KIT
What is the concept behind the Fretlight guitar?
Fretlight guitars are beautifully crafted, guitars with one
ingenious difference: they are equipped with LED lights built into
the fretboard that show the player where to put their ngers to play chords,
scales, songs, riffs and even tablature!
How does the learning system work?
The guitar uses a combination of software and video instruction to dramatically simplify and
accelerate the learning process. The video lessons can be slowed down and looped so ngerings can be
practiced at a comfortable pace, building instant muscle memory, retention and condence.
When was the Fretlight invented?
Rusty Shaffer, an avid guitar player and mechanical engineer, invented the Fretlight guitar in 1987, inspired by his vision of a
guitar that would speed-up the learning process by lighting up notes, chords and scales right on the fretboard, showing you
exactly where to place your ngers.
Is Fretlight only for beginner guitar players?
Denitely not. Every Fretlight guitar includes instructional software and video lessons designed for players at all skill levels,
from a beginner learning their rst song to an advanced player mastering an Eric Johnson solo.
How much does a Fretlight guitar cost?
Fretlight guitars, including the complete learning system, start at $299.99 for the FG 507 Fretlight acoustic. The new FG-500
series also includes ve electric models: Standard, Traditional, Vintage, Classic and Pro, ranging in price from $399.99 to
$899.99.
Where are Fretlight guitars sold?
Fretlight guitars are currently sold online through fretlight.com, and through select guitar and music specialty retailers nation-
wide, including Sweetwater, one of the largest dealers of musical and audio equipment in the U.S.
What do you need to start learning with a Fretlight guitar?
A PC or Mac is all you need. Each Fretlight guitar comes complete with Fretlight Studio Software, Beginner 101 and 102 interac-
tive video lessons, plus the Hal Leonard Fretlight Ready Lennon & McCartney interactive play-along video. In addition, thou-
sands of song tabs can be downloaded from the internet and learned on the Fretlight guitar using the optional Guitar Pro 6
Fretlight Ready software.
What songs can be learned from the videos available from Fretlight?
Fretlight offers an extensive catalog of Hal Leonard instructional videos featuring songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour,
Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, The Doors, Nirvana, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix and many other guitar heroes, plus videos dedicated
to songs in a variety of genres, including acoustic, rockabilly, blues and classic rock and more.
What do “real guitar players” think about the Fretlight?
They love it. The Fretlight has drawn rave reviews from seasoned guitar players and industry experts. Guitar World magazine bestowed
its prestigious Gold Award for performance to the Fretlight guitar, proclaiming, “using a Fretlight guitar with Fretlight-ready
Guitar Pro 6 software is easily the fastest and most effective way to learn how to play songs and expand your scale and chord
vocabulary.”
Media Contact: Spencer Harrison, French | West | Vaughan, 919.277.1169, sharrison@fwv-us.com
www.fretlight.com
FRETLIGHT Q&A
