Optek 400 Series Fretlight

It was bought a few weeks ago - made in China. It has the normal number of frets for a cut back. It is an acoustic which was made with two half panels front and back glued together. The glue and the cloth inside holding the glue together was beaded and looked poorly put together.
It came with a chunk of wood lying inside the case (bought separately) and a cable hanging loose inside the body. Initially no sound came from it when plugged into the amp, although using the same cable and my Spanish guitar (electrified) there was no problem. It eventually played, but I had no idea what the loose wire was, if it was dangerous and if it would happen again - not to be expected from a very expensive teaching tool.
The fret board is a laminated composite and has built in LED lights which is the reason that it was attractive as a teaching tool. They work off the computer, but the software that it works with does not come as part of the package and has to be bought as an extra for $30.
It has a built in tuner and the one side of the tuner was coming out of the body. The pickup is built in and cannot be seen.
The neck is very narrow for an adult man's hands and awkward to play on the frets. All in all it is a small version of the real thing and in my opinion seems to be a toy.
The finish was multiple layers of what seems to be polyurethane and the neck was raw wood.
There was a crack in the bridge where the strings attach to the body.
The neck has a steel rod down the middle and it comes with an Allen key requiring it to be readjusted all the time.
Nothing extra is included with the guitar other than the computer cable which is of no value without buying all of their software packages such as the video player. 2 free sets of lessons are included.

I play acoustic and Spanish guitar and the sound is poor. The practice amp that they sold to me is just that, a practice amp and used for practice under your desk at home. It was neither rich/full or bright. It was just a sound. There is no variety on it.
Using the LED lights was incredibly difficult to do and see and watch the Video Player on the computer screen all at the same time.
It is just easier and better in the long run to bite the bullet, learn to read music (easy) and learn where the notes are on the frets (easy) and take it from there. I think in retrospect (in my opinion) that this is just a gimmick although I think that the software is well written, but not necessary.

The guitar came damaged and initially did not work at all. A chunk of wood fell out of the body. A cable was hanging loose inside it. The tuner was coming out of the body. The neck was misaligned with the body a there was a gap visible between them. There were glue clumps beaded just inside of the guitar opening. The bridge was cracked on the lower E string side. The front and back panels are joined by glue in the middle so that the grains did not even closely match. Shaking the guitar produced rattle inside it as if something in there was loose.

This guitar has no chance, in my opinion, of withstanding live playing. The hardware was falling apart when I received it so I doubt that it has any chance of lasting. The polyurethane is probably the only thing on the guitar that will last, I think. There was no strap - bought a good one, and they did fit the buttons. How long those buttons will last is anyones guess. That guitar, in my opinion, is unreliable. No way would you dream of taking it to a gig.

Dealing with the company was for me, a nightmare. They never pick up the phone and that seems to be policy. They did not once call back when I left messages. They responded to some emails after a lengthy delay, but not all. I finally got angry and sent an unhappy email after which the manager called me back. He started screaming at me, and told me at length what he thinks of of all his perceived defects in me as a person and my personality inadequacies. I told him that I thought that I was the customer and deserved to say what I think, whereupon he told me that they were sending my money back and that I am not a customer and that he will talk to me any way that he pleases.
I had offered to spend more money and upgrade the $50 (in my opinion) guitar that all in all had cost me over $1000 with all the software - they stood to make even more money but he did not seem to understand this - some manager!
I had received a return authorization number eventually, but they did not call or email that they were going to have FedEx pick it up. After 4 days of emailing and waiting I went to FedEx and paid for the return. He told me that I am too impatient!
He also was angry that I had not waited to have them call and direct me to stick back the hanging cable with glue or something else. Why should I received a $600 damaged guitar and have to fix it? How do I know that there is not something seriously and perhaps life threatening wrong with it? He said that there was nothing wrong with it when it cam back because he "played it"! Hello - he did not open it up, he played it so it is perfect! Duh!
I payed an extra $149.95 (dummy!) for a "Custom Deluxe Set-Up and Extended Warranty". What warranty - none. I paid for the shipping, they wanted me to fix it by phone, and they played it when it got back so it was perfect! Then they also wanted me to pay for shipping the upgrade guitar that I requested.
He told me, other than all the multiple personality defects that I have, that I the type of person that can never be satisfied and that they do not want to have anything more to do with me (poor me!).

i have been playing for 55 years. I wanted to learn some of the new rock licks and I thought that this would be a fun way to go. I own a Gibson and a hand made Spanish guitar (made in Madrid by Manuel Rodriguez e Hijos ).
I should have read the reviews on this site, which are similarly negative as my own experience and then I would have avoided this rather expensive and very negative experience.
If it were stolen or lost I would regard that as a blessing, but it is gone, so I do not have the problem. I do not trust them at all, and I called the credit card company to dispute the charge as I have sent it back and I have no idea if they will refund me the money - I am way out of pocket for the software, but what can you do?
The only type of guitar that I could compare it to, possibly, is a $50 one from Target or Walmart (only my opinion).
If I were to improve it, I would make it like the Yamaha solid front and back, I would offer options for the size of the neck, I would insist on quality control by an independent observer, and I would get a manager that is trained and experienced in people skills. They need a person to answer phones, take call, respond to problems in a friendly way, and to give respect to the paying customer, something that they do not do at all right now.
In my humble opinion, this product and the company is to be avoided at all costs, unless they produce a quality product equivalent of the gigantic price (you are paying for the software not the guitar) and include the vital video software package as part of the deal, and stick by the meaning of the English word "Warranty", and what that really means to people, not what they would like it to mean for their convenience in not having to deal with problems.

Fretlight 421, Classic black, Fender Strat rip off. For more details look up the Fretlight website. I purchased this guitar early 2008, so I have owned it now for a little over 6 months.

Sounds alright, nothing spectacular, and that in any case for a beginner is quite irrelevant.

It was alright, no flaws, arrived as disclaimed, I skipped the initial recommended setup, eventually paid $75 to Sam Ash to setup the guitar.

I dont think reliability is a function that matters for this guitar, since it is touted as a learning tool, not for professional use.

No experience.

I own a Gibson box guitar, I have owned atleast 4 other box guitars in my life before.

I consider myself a beginner. That's because, even thought I can play almost any chord on a guitar, I cannot play riffs or lead pieces on the fly, say just by listening to them. you tell me a chord seq for a song and I can strum along just fine, but anything more, I'm stuck. This review is purely from the standpoint of using the Fretlight as a quick learning tool for people beyond absolute beginners. This review is not intended to comment on the performance of the 421 as a musical instrument (incidentally my piece warped within a month of purchase and I had to spend $75 at Sam Ash to get it 'setup', but I am willing to give the benefit of doubt to the instrument).

here's my two cents: in terms of the helping you learn faster, the fretlight honestly does little to help you. the concept of watching the fretboard light up with the notes to play, although sounds very intuitive and appealing, is far from it in real life. It is actually very unintuitive to slow a riff down just so you can get the notes right, because then the tune just doesnt sound right and you lose track altogether. This is assuming you have access to the MPlayer s/w (I think another 50 bucks) and you purchased the mid file that allows you to light up your favorite lead on the fretlight.

Bear in mind, I found one post on how to create a mid file on your own that'll work with the fretlight using guitar pro s/w, and I followed the steps and couldnt get it to work (I am a CIO for startup, I think I know how to work a s/w and a computer). So you are pretty much stuck with buying the MPlayer mids from the Fretlight store (they cost betn 3-7 bucks a piece).

if you want to learn to play riffs, lead pieces, spend 60 bucks and buy the guitar pro software. innumerable guitar pro software tabs are available on the internet for free. After muddling around with MPlayer (yes, I bought that and a bunch of mids from the Fretlight store) for over 6 months, I finally purchased Guitar Pro, downloaded a few guitar pro tabs and you know what? I'm still not much better, but atleast the 3 tabs I did download, I know how to play them.

In summary, if you hope this is your answer to be a guitar player, sadly it isnt. Especially if you already own an electric guitar, you are way better off getting the guitar pro s/w or others like it. These products are far more versatile and have way more features for way less the price.

Good luck learning the guitar, it is a great instrument.

PS: If you dont know how to even hold a guitar, the Fretlight may be of help. Maybe, just maybe, if the frets didnt just light up, but actually displayed the note you are playing, atleast you would learn the spread of notes on the fret board.

S/S/H pickup configuration 21-frets set in a "advanced polymer fretboard" that lights up. The guitar usb's to your computer so the lights can be controlled by software. Black finish. I'm giving this category a 3 because although the lights and computer connection features seem like cool ideas the truth is it is really not that useful and more of a gimick.

Their is noise all over it, humbucker, pots and the computer. If you are learning guitar which they are marketing towards, you need to have this guitar set up and for a beginner that would suck.

The guitar came to me with lights out in the fretboard. The main reason as to why you would buy this thing. If that is the reason to buy this guitar, should they not test it before it leaves the floor? You would think it so. The company supposedly went Chapter 11 and is trying to re-establish. I wonder if they will make it with this kind of quality... I would think not.

Set up was non-exisitant. They better quality control if they are selling this to beginners. Fit and finish was poor for paying 500 plus dollars. You could buy a Paul Reed Smith and some beginner books for that much.

If you were a professional and brought this out on the stage, I think your audience would think you are joking and question your professionalism. It is meant for learning (and it is questionable at that), I do not think it is meant for professional play.

It came in such poor condition that I asked to have it returned. The person on the phone wanted me to take it apart and fix it myself. I own too many guitars and maintenance is always being done to one of them. I am sure I could have fixed what they wanted me to but I think it should have been working before it left the factory.
Would a car company tell you to fix a new car they just sold to you.

They were nice on the phone but you could tell that they seemed really defensive when I asked for my money back. I could tell that they were well versed at fielding the customer dissatisfied calls. I have sent it back.

Overall, the capabilities of this guitar teaching you anything is in question. It sure does not help when the lights that are supposed to tell you where to place your fingers do not light up. But if the lights are so important, why do they not sell pianos and other instruments that light up and tell you where to place your fingers? If this is such a fantastic teaching instrument, why is not every guitar store in the US selling this thing?

Okay, the only reason to buy this guitar is for the light-up, instructional fretboard. That feature alone earns this guitar a high score in this category.

The sound is good enough for the purpose of this guitar. It isn't going to be your number one axe, but it is a pleasant learning tool.

Mine was a B-stock from ebay. I had to set it up to stop fret-buzz, and fix an electrical short that was causing the volume to drop off. It was missing three screws from the pickguard, but luckily I had extras. I don't think they spend any time setting up the B-stock guitars. On the other hand, cosmetically it looked pretty good for B-stock. The discolorations on the fretboard are not noticeable from 2 or 3 feet away. So I rate this good for cosmetics, but drop the score due to the electrical problem and poor set-up.

Again, judge it fairly for what it is: it is a learning tool. It is not a main guitar. I think it should hold up pretty well as a learning instrument.

Hmmm. I emailed Fretlight about the problem with the short. They basically said "Fix it yourself. If you send it back to us it will take weeks for you to get it back because we are moving. It is easier for you to fix it or take it to a local shop to get it fixed."

I actually like the guitar for what it is. I am also glad I didn't pay full price for it. It is worth what I paid, but no more. You can't think it is going to replace your nice guitar(s), but it is fun and educational. I would buy it again, but I was frustrated by the condition when I received it. Don't buy a B-stock unless you are familiar enough with guitars to do some tweaking and repair work.

Strat Copy (Pink off ebay) Guitar is a little heavy which I like. Frets are on the bigger side which I like. Standard Strat features. Not a $1400. strat but a good guitar and totally playable.
This guitar is designed to be a learning tool and it excels at that. Combined with a few of Fretlights software packages it is a COMPLETE learning system from music theory, your first chord, your first Lead, your first song (all the way through) to totally jamming along with many types of music and evey your favorite songs. I play rock and I have been learning a Spanish guitar scale to play over one of their songs and it really sounds good! I'm expanding!! You can cover miles in one night with your computer. There is no other system like this that I know of. It is the best in it's class. Easy 10 for this.

Like I said, it's no Eric Johnson/Clapton strat but it is perfectly playable depending on how you use it. For some music the pickups are just fine. "LEARN TO PLAY" Single coils are ok. A little bright as is the humbucker. There is no treble pot for the humbucker (like many strats) which I can't stand. I'll be fix'n that real soon. The guitar as a whole has a lot of sustain which I like. I play mine through a Fender and a Marshall amp. I also have tone in my fingers so I can make it sound pretty damn good. I'll have to mention (again) some fret work for this guitar since buzzing does affect the sound. I measured a 12" radius on the fretboard so you can bend notes till the cows come home with no fretting out. For what it is designed for the sound is just fine - give it a 10. Compaired to a $1400 modern strat I'll have to give it's sound a 6.

Setup was a little worse than a standard Guitar Center setup. The action is probably really the only weak spot with this guitar. If you take the time to get the neck,frets,action,nut all dialed in by someone who know's what their doing you can have yourself probably the most valuable guitar in your collection considering what a massive learning tool it is. The flaws mine came with were: high action, some frets buzzed, neck pickup won't level caus the body is not routed out enough by the neck pocket, pickguard screws poorly aligned so they go in angled (not all but some). The rest of the neck and body both finish and blemish is perfect. Compared to a Guitar Center Mexican strat for fit and finish I'll have to say a 7

You can totally gig with this guitar. It's just a guitar!! The only thing unique is the LED fretboard and the one cable going to the USB plug. The neck is not going to just fall off or crack and if a USB cable wire came undone it would not affect the guitars ability to play live. It's just a guitar. It stays in tune fine. The electronics may be a little cheap for everyday hard use but If you want to gig with it, give it some upgrades! I don't gig out with mine. I have a much nicer guitar that is designed for optimum tone and playability. Given that, I have to give the benefit of the doubt to Fretlight and say it "looks" durable and reliable enough.

Ok, I think this is a great product and I will definatly keep mine and I hope my kids will get the spark and use it (if they can get it out of my hands). That said:

When I got mine out of the box and plugged it in to my computer, it didn't work. SON-OF-A B###!! I said. I hate getting ripped off and I started to worry about my future conversation with the fine people at Fretlight/Opek. So I called and talked to someone? I was very polite as were they and explained my problem. He said, "sometimes the little plug under the pickguard at the neck gets plugged in but misses some pins. That is most likely the problem. If you want to send it back, we will fix it. If you would like to try to fix it yourself, you are welcome to do that too. Your choice". Since I can get the strings loose and the neck off in about 3 minutes I said I'll try that first.. WaaaLaaa!! I fixed it!! Yahoo!! I plugged it in, fired up their Improviser software and haven't put it down since.
So their customer support worked for me. I was ready to unleash holy hell on that company if they thought they were going to blow me off. I used to be a little pussy guitar player but those days are long gone. They were very informative and accomodating on the phone and we got it all worked out with no problems.

Here goes..... I have listened to pop/Rock music since the Beatles "I wanna hold your hand" and have played guitar since "in-a-gadda-da-vida". I have toured around the states and played ALL the possible clubs in San Diego including ALL the Navy base clubs. So I've been around. My brain never wanted or liked to learn music theory because there was a Van Halen song to be learned by ear. Much faster! I have some people believing that I can learn "ANYTHING" by ear and I have learned a lot that way. Enough to make a living. In reality I am a very limited guitar player. I get in ruts. I have a harder time trying to learn different styles of music than rock. Like some Spanish scales, Irish jigs, Polka's, yes even Country. I have had my eyes on this Fretlight guitar for several years and now that I have one with the software that goes with it. I am very happy I got it. In just a few weeks I have filled the "empty" side of my brain with a little music theory, some new scales, even learned officially what I've been playing for years. My Lead playing has improved since I know where I'm going, where to start, where to stop, what sounds better this way and that way. It's all good. Oh and I have a good Les Paul, a good Stratocaster, a good Acoustic and a bass. I play Fender and Marshall amps. Prefer Greenbacks since they go both ways, clean and crunch. Just like the a piano, there will ALWAYS be a Fretlight guitar in my house. Top of it's class!

Great strat copy - perfect for what it was desinged to do. Actually, nice humbucker pickup.

Sound is okay, typical strat copy - but - it does have a bit more sustain because fo teh fingerboard

Awesome - everything was in order

So far - 3 months in and she's chugging like a champ.

good - although, they are better on the phone tan by e-mail.

great instrument - has taken me places I NEVER would have been.

Ultimate guitar education instrument. Stratlike guitar with lighted frets and software applications that teach guitar neck from beginner to master. Nice looking instrument with a good feel. Mine is pink because part of the pink guitar sales proceeds go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Very nice paint job. Guitar seems pretty well built, however, I wouldn't be too rough with it.

I play mine through a Tone-Port and the guitar effects on the BR 1600 to get some fabulous sounds. Hotter pick-ups would be nice, but these are adequate. Fretlight is very playable with a full range of sounds.

My Fretlight arrived with a basic factory set-up that was immediately comfortable to play. There is no whammy bar and the neck is smooth and easy to do any kind of string bending and trills. This is an all around cool guitar and an extremely powerful learning instrument.

The Fretlight is mass produced overseas and has that kind of over-all presence. You can probably gig with it as a main ax but remember, it is designed as a primary teaching instrument. It is a master guitar teacher at your constnt beck and call. You can learn any scale, chord, arpeggio, inversion etc. on any position on the neck. This is just for starters.

Optek has been around for a while. The Fretlight 421 is an evelution from earlier, more expensive models. They have a fabulous website with lots of demo videos. The guitar comes with a basic warranty. An optional long term warranty is available. I haven't dealt with them beyond submitting my order. Processing and delivery was handled promptly and professionally.

I have been playing guitar about 40 years. As soon as I plugged my Fretlight in and set the software up, I wished I had this guitar and teaching system forty years ago. The entire system is very easy to use, is constantly evloving, and can take a complete beginner to mastery in a much shorter time than conventional guitar lessons. The volume and quality of available teaching software is incredible. In a nutshell; This Fretlight guitar and Optek system works!!

2/2006 paid $249 4 a blem, played good, needs a setup, nice sustain. downloaded some tab, Kid Charmelagne Steely Dan, looped a few bars of solo, was playing it in 5 minutes, another 4 minutes i memorized its location on neck with lights off. Sorry no teacher, or bobbing my head to and fro looking at tab etc could do this. oh yeah I DON'T PLAY GUITAR!!! yeah i play piano, pretty good, and a little bass, I have good not great ears for picking solos etc out from cd's. Worth every penny, now along with free lessons, WORTH IT. You'll pay for full version of Axmaster as it will show you alternate tunings, you'll pay for full version of Guitarz to play any tab STILL WORTH PRICE. Install one app, try it for 20 days decide to buy, then install the next one use it for 20 days and decide on that. I am cheap and ITS STILL WORTH IT!!
does the tab play perfect? no but you can tweak it, if you know the song, solo, which you should you'll get it figured out, without too much brain strain.

Sounds plays fine, I have an olp SSH and the optek is a bit heavier with polymer neck so sustain is better. Its a learning tool mostly but plays fine, can be adjusted just like any guitar. If your room isn't grounded properly you'll hear a 60hz buzz but can be fixed by snipping an internal wire, 5 minute fix OR fix your bad ground.

good not great, neck is straight but will need a setup. Average. completely playable.

Live, yes, will it last, yes, buttons solid, so far, 4 days yes.

The people answer their phones and are committed to this deal, they have been around 15 years. This thing is getting upgraded with new features and has alot to offer with several software apps. Their forums admins are asking/taking suggestions.

I've been playing 20 years various instruments, small garage studio in L.A. If stolen would replace.

I love that I can play various tunes, solos quickly and retain the info to play on any guitar/bass. If you want to shed alternate tunings, you can, hard jazz chords to one finger bar chords, yep, theroy, yep, what scale/s to play over specific changes?, does it TAB? oh yeah. try it.

Probably made in china or some other mass producing country that doesn't care about building a quality instrument. S/S/H pickup config. 21-frets with "advanced polymer fretboard" (read plastic) that lights up. Connects to your computer via USB so the lights can be controlled by software. Black finish. Typical strat copy guitar with the usual features (besides the lights and the computer connection). I'm giving this category a 3 because although the lights and computer connection features seem like cool ideas, the lights aren't really aren't as useful as you might think. Read on though.

This guitar sounds bad. The pickups are very weak and noisy. Even the humbucker makes a lot of noise. It picks up a tremendous amount of noise from the computer. The pots are of very poor quality and contribute their own noises when operated.

When I first removed it from the gig bag, all 6 strings buzzed badly. After tuning it up and allowing it to sit for a few hours, the strings would play in the open position. Even then, the frets buzzed in random positions even though the action is set relatively high. This is almost certainly the worst playing guitar I've ever played. On the back of the neck there is a very noticeable knot flaw in the wood which should not have been passed by even the most liberal quality control department. The "advanced polymer fretboard" has some sort of residue on it that wears away as you play, making me think it should have been cleaned off before the instrument was shipped. The strings are corroded out of the box, which I suppose would explain why they ship a brand new set of strings with the instrument. They'd probably have fewer returns if they took the time to restring and set up the guitar in the U.S. prior to shipping it out.

I would never consider using this guitar for live playing. Given what I've said about the poor quality of the instrument, I would not expect it to be very reliable or durable. Also, I'm concerned about the durability of the lighted fretboard. It doesn't seem that there is any easy way to repair it if an LED were to fail besides replacing the whole neck.

I contacted Optek to obtain a return authorization. The person I talked to sounded surprised that I wanted to return the guitar, and explained that all guitars require set up. I can understand needing a set up, but I've never had one where all six strings buzzed on every fret like this one did. I've bought many guitars over the internet and received them in acceptable playing condition. I think Optek should consider spending some more time on their quality control instead of just shipping the guitars out as they are received from China or wherever it is they are made. I'm going to give them a 6 in this category since they did credit my card in a timely manner.

I've been playing for around 25 years. I own around 25 guitars from various manufacturers (PRS, Fender, Gibson, Peavey, Ibanez, etc.). I normally check the user reviews here before purchasing and I sure wish I had before I ordered this hunk of junk. It plays like a Wal-Mart special and the lights really aren't as cool as I originally thought they would be. If it had been a quality instrument it might have been worth keeping, even if I never used the lights, but it turned out to be the opposite. The lights don't forgive the shoddy quality.

22 fret strat copy w/ polymer neck, s/s/h pickups, 5 way switch, black in color w/ white pickguard, comes w/ guitar power software, you know the deal there. its a strat knock off that lights up via usb. giving it a 5 here as having owned and returned one. being a new player that should totally should benefit from this. i can tell you these features are a total gimmick. i learned more from 1 20 dollar lesson from a local teacher in a half hour than that software taught me in a week, and yes, i tried all the demos from all the software out there.

pickups sound like cheap as cheap can get. very very noisy. so much so i had the guitar looked at. everyones suggestion (3 guitar techs said the same thing) change out the pickups, massive fret buzz which ill get to in the next section

ok this polymer neck idea, was a bad bad one. i havent tried the older drilled neck w/ led's inlayed but they shoudl have stuck w/ it. no matter what you do, have it set up by a luthier all you want (I know i did at 40 bucks a pop TWICE). the neck will flatten back out giving you retarded amounts of fret buzz. so unless you want a guitar youre going to need to adjust the truss on at LEAST once a week, pass on this guitar seriously. the switch is really noisy and feels like it could break on every switch. the pickups feel also like they could be yanked out. also, the nut is plastic. giving this one a whopping 2 since they at least painted it all one color w/o effing that up.

since the neck is bound to flatten out on you under use. im going to say not really reliable at all. same goes for the tuners and the switch and pots being trash. again a 2

their forums are totally overrated seriously. its a graveyard. and never will they admit anything wrong w/ the design of their guitars. by comparison, when calling samick and asking about their guitars flaws, they suggested putting in a switchcraft switch as their switches "arent what we hoped they would be, we hope to do better in the future". youd never get that kind of honesty out of optek.

also the warranty. oh god, 1 year only. 2 years if you buy a 100 dollar upgrade, which i promise, youll need. given you can buy a ton of CHEAP well made guitars w/ limited lifetime warranties. im giving support a whopping 1.

giving it a 1 overall. crap guitar, overrated software and lights in the neck. crappy support and horrible warranty. youre better off buying a plywood les paul at best buy or a plywood sears guitar and an ernie ball how to play guitar book (whats sad is that book taught me more in 2 minutes than that optek did in weeks.