FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar User Guide

: June 4, 2024
: FRETLIGHT

Table of Contents

Introduction, Customer Care & Warranty Information
Installing the Fretlight Studio Software
Connection Tips
Using your Fretlight Guitar
The Fretlight Neck & System
Understanding Humidity
Troubleshooting Guide
Documents / Resources

Series Electric Guitar
User Guide

Introduction, Customer Care & Warranty Information

This manual is designed to cover all Fretlight instruments. If you have questions about your Fretlight that are not found in this guide, please see our Support Page: Fretlight.com/support
The online Support Page offers additional information about your Fretlight including:

Fretlight Guitar Support
PC Software Support
Mac Software Support
Guitar Pro Software Support
Accessory Support

You can also contact Fretlight Support:

Email: [email protected]
phone: M-F, 10 AM – 4:30 PM
775-636-7300
Fretlight Ready Software
Check out the “help” files included in every piece of Fretlight software.
Guitar Pro Support.
You can also find information atguitar-pro.com.

Fretlight 1-Year Limited Warranty
Optek Music Systems, Inc. warrants all Fretlight guitars against defects in workmanship and/or materials for a term of 1 year from the receipt of the product

Installing the Fretlight Studio Software

For PC Users (Windows 7 and above):

Insert the Fretlight Software Installation disc into your computer or download it from the link provided in the order confirmation email. A menu screen will pop up. Click the “Install” button for the Fretlight Studio software.
Launch the Fretlight Studio software from your desktop by double-clicking the 14:

Fretlight Studio icon
For Mac Users (OSX 10.7 and above):

Insert the Fretlight Software Installation disc into your computer. or download from the link provided in the order confirmation email. Browse the disc to view its contents. Open the “Mac Software” folder. Install the Mac Fretlight Studio from the OS “10.7” and above.
Launch the Fretlight Studio from your Mac’s Applications folder.

Note: PC XP & Vista and Mac OSX 10.5 & 10.6 users, please visit our support page at Fretlight.com/support to find compatible software.
Connect Your Fretlight Guitar

Locate the Fretlight USB Cable included with your Fretlight guitar.
Connect one end of the cable to your Fretlight guitar, then connect the other end of the cable to the USB port in your computer. The third connector (1/4″ jack on the USB side of the cable) is for the Fretlight footswitch.
DO make sure your computer is connected to a 3-prong plug power outlet. If you have a laptop, you can certainly use it without connecting to a power supply, this can also remove any noise if present.
DO make sure that the Fretlight USB cable is plugged into a root USB hub on Er your computer (likely one of the USB ports on the back of a desktop computer).
DO make sure that you are plugging into a wall outlet that is grounded (i.e. 3-prong).
Don’t use a 2-prong plug or a 3-to-2 adapter plug. xr
Don’t use an external USB hub. The Fretlight MUST be connected directly to the root hub of your computer.
Try not to use power strips or extension cords as this WILL introduce extra noise into the system.
Make sure that you’re using a shielded guitar cable. Cable quality can make a significant difference in extraneous noise introduced into the system. We recommend using a name brand, good quality cable

Connection Tips

FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar - Fig

3-Prong Cable| 2-Prong Cable &3-to-2 Adapter| Power Strips

The Player’s Guide to Getting Started

FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar - Fig 2 How to Hold a Guitar
The first step in learning how to play the guitar is learning to hold it properly.

FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar - Fig 3

How to Hold a Pick/Strumming

Position your picking hand so that the back of the thumb is facing upwards.
Relax the hand completely; allow the fingers to curl up.
Place the pick between the side of your index finger and the front of your thumb.
Maintain a light grip on the pick.

How to Use a Guitar Strap

Locate the two strap knobs on the guitar. One is located at the bottom end of the body and the other is located at the upper horn or near the back of the neck.
If your strap has a length adjuster, attach that end to the strap bottom at the bottom of the body (for comfort).
If you are playing right-handed, place the strap over your left shoulder. If you are playing left-handed, place the strap over your right shoulder.
Adjust the strap length to your comfort.

How to Tune Your Fretlight Guitar
Before you start to play, make sure your guitar is in tune! When tuning your guitar to “standard tuning” (i.e., most songs) the open strings are tuned to the following notes

FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar - Fig 6

Adjusting the six tuning pegs on the headstock of the guitar will tighten or loosen the string to change pitch. You can watch a brief video about how to tune your Fretlight guitar in the Fretlight Studio. Just open the Fretlight Video Player, double click on “Beginner Lesson” and follow the teacher’s instructions.
How to Connect Your Fretlight Guitar to an Amplifier
Connect one end of a standard 1/4” guitar cable (not included) into the output jack on your Fretlight guitar. Connect the other end to the input jack on a standard guitar amplifier.
Adjusting the Settings on Your Amplifier
After connecting your Fretlight guitar to an amplifier, you can adjust the settings to create different sounds and tones. Consult the amplifier manual to learn more about
adjusting these settings.
Adjusting Volume Control, Tone Controls & the Pickup Selector
Use the Pickup Selector Switch to adjust which pickups are active. The Volume Control (or Master Volume) is used to adjust the overall volume of the guitar. The Tone Controls are used to adjust the tone or brightness of the sound. The middle Tone Control is used to adjust the sound of the neck pickup, while the other Tone Control is used to just the sound of the middle pickup. There is no Tone Control for the bridge pickup.
The Five Different Positions on The Pickup Selector
The Pickup Selector is sometimes referred to as a “Five Position Switch” or a “Five Way Switch”. The table below identifies the active pickups (highlighted in blue) for each switch position. Position one is towards the back of the guitar and position five is towards the front.
Pickup Selector switch

FRETLIGHT 500 Series Electric Guitar - Fig 7

Active pickups are highlighted in blue.

Using your Fretlight Guitar

Playing Artist Videos and Video Lessons
Learning to play some of your favorite music genres or even some of your favorite artist’s songs is easy with Fretlight Ready Artist Videos and Fretlight Video Lessons. Here’s what you need to do to start jamming!
For PC & Mac Users:

Insert a Fretlight Ready video disc into your computer.
Browse the disc.
Double-click on the .fvp video and click “Install”. The video will automatically play after it’s installed and extracted.

Using the Chord and Scale Library
Understanding chord and scale patterns is a great way to take your playing to the next level! The Chord & Scale Library in the Fretlight Studio features the QuickStep Playlist, allowing you to create lists of chords and scales, stepping through those lists with a Fretlight footswitch. This feature is great for:

Stepping through custom chord progressions.
Transitioning back and forth from different scale patterns while soloing.
Learning and memorizing various scale box patterns and chord inversions.

For PC & Mac Users:

Open the Fretlight Studio.
Click on “Open the New Chord and Scale Library”.
Choose “Chords” or “Scales” from the drop-down “Category”.
Choose the “Type”, “Note/Key” and “Position/Form” to show the chord or scale.

Using Improviser
You already know how to play, now you need to know where to play those great scales! Improviser, found inside the Fretlight Studio, is a very powerful tool to further your understanding of the fretboard. You can practice with over 120 built-in progressions. The improviser is like having a backing band play while you noodle around on a scale to ‘improvise’ a lead, solo, or riff. The idea behind Improviser is that you can audition sections of scales in order to quickly hear how they sound over the progression you’re playing and decide if you want to keep playing with that scale or move to another one. Don’t forget, Improviser will also light up the chord tones on the entire fretboard. That means that you can now practice your rhythm playing using different inversions instantly!
For PC & Mac Users:

Open the Fretlight Studio.
Click on “Open the Fretlight Improviser”.
Click the “Load Song” button found in the upper left.
Choose a progression.
Click the “Select” button on a Mac or click the “Open” button on a PC.
Click the play button and start jamming!

The Fretlight Neck & System

The 8-Pin DIN Fretlight Jack

Your Fretlight guitar has what looks like a MIDI jack mounted in the body. This is NOT a 5-pin MIDI jack. This is an 8-pin DIN plug. Please do not try to plug a MIDI cable or MIDI plug into this jack or try to send any MIDI information to your Fretlight neck. Doing so will result in severe damage to your Fretlight Guitar System and will VOID your warranty
The Fretlight Guitar

Neck The advanced polymer fretboard uses standard silver-nickel frets and cleverly conceals the patented Fretlight Learning system. The ultra-thin circuit board contains 132 low-profile LEDs and a dedicated Sonix micro- controller that powers the learning system to display any chord, scale, song or in real-time.
Cleaning Your Fretboard
The advanced polymer fretboard acts and behaves like a normal rosewood or ebony fingerboard in many ways except for cleaning and/or sanding. Use only a dry or damp cloth (water only) to clean any finger oil or residue from your Fretlight fretboard. After you’ve been playing for a few months, you may notice small scratches on the fretboard’s surface. You can always smooth those out by buffing the fretboard lightly with a Scotch-Brite™ pad.
Do NOT use any solvents, oils or fluids other than water. Doing so will VOID the warranty.
Do NOT use a powered sander or sanding device on your Fretlight. Doing so will VOID the warranty.
Fretlight Dual Footswitch (Optional)

Using the optional Fretlight footswitch gives you hands-free control of your Fretlight software. Simply connect the 1/4” plug from your footswitch into the 1/4” jack on your Fretlight USB cable.

Understanding Humidity

It’s true! Climate affects any guitar’s playability. Your Fretlight guitar has been pre-adjusted for standard humidity and temperature. We’ve made a slight correction to the truss rod in order to achieve this setting. This should help your guitar play easier while it acclimatizes to your environment. As your guitar neck acclimates to your home, you may need to have your guitar professionally set up for your locale and environment. If you feel that you would lie to try to adjust the neck yourself, follow the instructions below
Adjusting the Neck of your Fretlight

Sight down the side of the neck from the back of the bridge to the nut. A very slight upward curve in the neck or a flat neck is desired for optimal playability (depends on how hard you pick and strum). More experienced players opt for a flat neck.
If the neck needs some adjustment, first loosen the strings, then insert the Allen wrench into the truss rod nut located at the headstock.
If the neck is bowed upward too much, turn the truss rod clockwise a quarter turn, tune up the guitar and check the neck again. If the neck is bowed downward, turn the truss rod counter-clockwise a quarter turn, tune up the guitar and check the neck again.

Stratabond® is an engineered hardwood (FG-500 necks) that reacts very slowly to truss-rod changes. Allow approximately 48 hours between each truss rod adjustment. Repeat if necessary. Stratabond is a registered trademark of the Rutland Corporation.

Note: Your Fretlight guitar has a two-way truss rod for bowing the neck up or down. As you turn the nut, you may pass through a dead point (center) where the nut spins freely until it catches the threads of the truss rod in the other direction. This is normal. If you are uncomfortable with performing this adjustment, contact a guitar service technician who regularly performs standard guitar adjustments and set-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: I broke a string—what do I do now?
A: First of all, relax. It happens to every guitar player! Strings are usually sold in a set of 6, although you can purchase singles depending on the retailer. Strings can be purchased at your local guitar store, online, or at www.fretlight.com (your guitar came with a set of medium 10 gauge strings). You can find a tutorial on how to change strings on the Fretlight Video page.
Q: What is the Fretlight Dual Footswitch?
A: The Fretlight footswitch is a device that allows you to have the hands-free operation of “Fretlight Ready” programs with just the tap of your foot! It’s especially useful when using the Chord & Scale Library in the Fretlight Studio software to step thru a user-created QuickStep Playlist.
Q: How do I program the Fretlight Dual Footswitch?
A: Locate the footswitch “Options” menu inside your software. Right and left buttons can be user-programmed to activate a variety of tasks.
Q: How do I purchase additional Fretlight Ready Artist, Style, and Lesson Videos?
A: Additional video lessons may be purchased at www.fretlight.com or through any authorized Fretlight reseller.
Q: How do I operate a left-handed Fretlight?
A: All Fretlight software has the ability to correctly light a left-handed Fretlight guitar. Look for the left-handed option in the software’s preferences or options menu (e.g. in the Fretlight Video Player, clicking on the guitar icon in the lower left corner controls right-hand vs. left-hand).
Q: Does Fretlight require an internet connection?
A: No. Just connect your Fretlight guitar to your PC or Mac with the Fretlight USB cable, launch your Fretlight software, and away you go! The only time you will need an internet connection is to download or unlock purchased software titles.

Troubleshooting Guide

Problem	Possible Cause(s)	Solution
I hear buzzing on the strings and frets— what’s going on?	• Player is playing

the guitar too hard
• Your guitar is not set-up properly
Note: Wooden necks (on every guitar) will absorb and shed water (humidity). This can bow the neck upward or backward, which can cause the buzzing that you hear on the strings and frets.| • Try playing the guitar a little softer.
• A simple and routine truss rod adjustment or guitar “set-up” can solve most fret buzz issues. See “Adjusting the Neck of your Fretlight” on page 12.
Note: It is common for all guitars to need a “tune-up” a couple of times a year when the weather changes. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, contact your local luthier or guitar technician.
LED lights are only showing the demo pattern or not lighting when software is running.| • Software| • Unplug your Fretlight and restart your computer. After restart, plug the Fretlight in and launch the appropriate software. Be sure that only one Fretlight program is running at a time.
• Make sure both nds of the Fretlight cable are fully inserted into the guitar and your computer.
• Ensure that your Fretlight is plugged into a ROOT SB ort on your computer. Unplug all other USB devices.
• If you ave the Fretlight footswitch plugged in, try clicking either button. sometimes the footswitch is set up to “Turn lights on/off”. Go to references of the software program you are using and make sure that rights are enabled in the “ON” position.
| • Fretlight is not plugged in properly
| • USB issues
| • Footswitch
The Fretlight Studio is not opening o is giving error messages.| • Old software
• Corrupted software
• Incompatible software| Go to www.fretlight.com and download the latest version of the Fretlight Studio. Before installing, make sure to turn off any anti-virus programs.
Notes: