june 2012

Well-known for providing a unique learning tool with LED-lit fretboards, Fretlight''s latest models bundle even more software and tools for beginners while aiming to simultaneously provide a gig-worthy instrument.

Ace Frehley had a guitar that lit up on command, Rickenbacker had its Light Show 331, but the pairing of guitar and lights has rarely been a practical affair. The exception is the Optek Fretlight, which has been around in several incarnations since the mid 1980s. The Fretlight was never aimed for the guitarist looking to impress Lady Gaga at an audition (so don’t call your wardrobe coordinator just yet). Rather, the primary focus of the Fretlight has been the less glamorous world of music education.

The concept behind the Fretlight is simple—illuminate the fretboard to direct the player where and how to play. It seems simple, but part of the Fretlight’s success as a learning tool is attributable to the quality of its software, and Optek continuously focuses on software development. The Fretlight FG-421 reviewed includes some of the most up-to-date software (Guitar Pro 6 Fretlight Ready, Fretlight Player, and Fretlight Lesson Player). It’s also an easy-playing guitar that makes the interactive instruction component of the instrument a lot more satisfying.

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The 600-watt Headliner head and Headliner 410 cab represent a modern take on the qualities that have made Peavey products so enduring—robust power, reliability, and impressive construction.

Do you remember your first big rig? That mighty amp and speaker cabinet you received as a gift or saved up a long time for? Mine came on Christmas Day, 1995. I ripped off the wrapping paper on the two big boxes by the tree to find my new Peavey Mark VI head and Peavey 4x10 cabinet. My reaction could only be described as a massive freak-out. I immediately plugged in my red Charvel 4-string, and the ensuing euphoric volume didn’t just punish my parents for a good part of the day—it bludgeoned them and my bandmates for years to come.

If you’ve performed anytime in the last 47 years, there’s a good chance you’ve also played through some creation from the Peavey Electronics Corporation. As technology has evolved, so has the company’s designs. This year, they introduced bassists to the newest members of their bass family with the Headliner series. The 600-watt Headliner head and Headliner 410 cab represent a modern take on the qualities that have made Peavey products so enduring—robust power, reliability, and impressive construction.

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The Nebula IV phase pedal does a very cool job of melding vintage inspiration and modern construction.

Flash back to the early ’70s: American auto manufacturers are still building bigger muscle cars and the new burgeoning guitar effects industry is churning out increasingly creative and capable studio effects in smaller, stage-ready, battery-operated packages. Companies like MXR and Electro-Harmonix are forging future legends with their fast-expanding ranges of portable effects devices.

Then jump ahead a few more years. Gas prices are high, the economy is sputtering, and effects manufacturers—like their Detroit brethren—are feeling the pressure to downsize to compete with cheaper imports. The automotive and effects industries each responded to those challenges with varying degrees of success. But just as the Mustang II never quite captured the glamour or speed of say, a Mach 1, you can argue something went missing with the sound of those newer effects.

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