First Act
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Key people | Bernard Chiu (Chairman, CEO) Mark Izen (President, COO) Ronald Izen (Vice chairman) |
| Employees | 150 (2007) |
| Website | http://firstact.com |
| References: [1][2] | |
First Act is a musical instrument manufacturer, which producers guitars, bass guitars, guitar and bass accessories, drum sets, percussion instruments, and amplifiers, as well as student-line clarinets, saxophones, and trumpets. The company also manufactures products for children's musical education.
The company also makes limited edition guitars, which are made by hand by luthiers in Boston. Currently, there are three guitars in the First Act Limited Edition Guitar Series: the "Lola", the "Sheena", and the "Delia".
First Act's drum sets come in a variety of styles, ranging from simple, beginner sets, to eight-piece medial sets.
In 2008 First Act partnered with Maroon 5's lead vocalist and guitarist, Adam Levine, to produce 222 by First Act.[3] The line comprises 22 music products, the signature product being the custom electric guitar designed by Adam Levine, engraved with his lucky number: 222.[4] The whole line is sold through a partnership with Target.[5]
In 2010, a video game division of First Act, Seven45 Studios, released a title called Power Gig: Rise of the SixString. Peripherals include a functional electric guitar with controller buttons which can be plugged into amplifiers, a microphone, and a motion sensor system to simulate drums.
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[edit] Volkswagen First Act
Volkswagen initiated a campaign in 2006 in which the company gave away special edition First Act guitars along with a special series car. The stereos in these Volkswagen could be used as an amplifier for the guitar. An accompanying ad campaign featured guitarists Slash, John Mayer, and Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap playing First Act guitars through the sound systems of Volkswagen automobiles.[6]
[edit] Popularity
The special edition guitars, "Lola", "Sheena", and "Delia", are known to be played by artists such as: Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Rusty Anderson from Paul McCartney, Matt Pike from High on Fire, Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher from Mastodon, Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Al Berry from Avril Lavigne, Nick McCarthy from Franz Ferdinand, Lee Malia from Bring Me The Horizon, Dave Knudson from Minus the Bear, Anders Björler of At The Gates, Adam Gardner of Guster, Tim McTague and James Smith of Underoath and Serj Tankian of System of a Down.
First Act sells a Paul Westerberg Signature electric guitar.
[edit] References
- ^ Hoover's Company Records (2008-08-12). First Act Inc. (FY 2007). Hoover's Inc.
- ^ "Management Team". First Act. http://www.firstact.com/AboutFirstAct/ManagementTeam.aspx. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ http://www.firstact.com/AboutFirstAct/Press/10_2008_222_by_FirstAct.aspx
- ^ http://www.top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=43289
- ^ http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-8421271-7347009?ie=UTF8&index=target&field-browse=1038576&ref=sr_bx_1_1&field-keywords=first%20act%20222
- ^ http://www.motortrend.com/features/112_0703_first_act_vw_garagemaster_guitar/index.html
