Southpaws Can Now Become Great Guitar Players Quickly and Easily

Press release
Source: Optek Music Systems, Inc.

Optek Music Systems, Inc., a leading company dedicated to the development of interactive musical instruments, today announced that left-handed guitar players, or those lefties who want to become accomplished guitar players, can now improve their skills in significantly less time. The company has introduced a new model of its popular Fretlight FG-405 Acoustic Electric guitar, making it the world’s first computer-powered teaching guitar for left handed players. For the first time, individuals can achieve the rock stardom of other great left-handed players, such as Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Paul McCartney.

“We want to help create the next generation of great, left-handed guitar players,” said Rusty Shaffer, President & CEO of Optek Music Systems. “This new model allows inherently creative Southpaws to apply that creativity towards making music and ultimately, to get much further than with a regular left-handed guitar.”

The Fretlight FG-405 is a unique combination of the simplicity of an acoustic guitar combined with an electric neck, Piezo pickup, 3-band EQ and built-in digital guitar tuner along with the learning power of software-driven LED lights in the patented polymer fretboard. It is really two guitars in one that is ideal for left-handed beginners who want the simplicity of learning from an acoustic, but want the flexibility of using it as an electric. The body consists of a compact telecaster style thin-line acoustic with a spruce wood top and mahogany sides and back and features a 2-way adjustable truss rod.

As with every Fretlight guitar, the left-handed FG-405 ships free with a USB cable for PC or Mac connectivity, a CD-ROM that includes the Fretlight Lesson Player, containing 30 beginner lessons and a library containing over 2,000 chords and scales, and two-week trials of four software titles -- Fretlight M-Player for learning favorite songs quickly and easily, Fretlight Improviser for improvising guitar solos, Guitarz 6.6 for playing and editing tablature files and AxMaster for advanced chords and scales. The package also includes the Getting Started with Your Fretlight 40 minute DVD.

Optek Music Systems’ Fretlight guitars enable beginner, intermediate, and advanced guitarists to learn chords, scales, and songs from a series of LED lights embedded in the guitar’s fretboard, which signify where the user’s fingers should be placed. Connected via the USB port of a computer and driven by a selection of educational software titles, the Fretlight guitar allows users to learn, memorize, and play a wide variety of rhythm and lead guitar styles.

The left-handed Fretlight FG-405 Acoustic Electric is available immediately. MSRP is $579.95.

For more information, visit www.fretlight.com.

About Optek Music Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Optek Music Systems, Inc. is a privately held music education company whose products are available via the company’s web site and through music retailers and distributors throughout the world. Thousands of users have experienced the educational power of Optek and its products. Optek has several U.S. and international patents as well as patents pending for advanced guitar learning systems and musical instrument manufacturing designs. For more information, visit www.fretlight.com or call (800) 575-6511.

Related Link
Introduction to the Optek Fretlight Guitar and an Interview (2005) with Optek Founder, Rusty Shaffer

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