Anybody been "Plek'd" yet?

Devon8822 · Post by **Devon8822** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:17 pm

You guy who are bashing the Plek system, are really ignorant. There is no reason why it would be bad to have a perfectly level guitar. It is the same price as a normal fret dress... NOT MORE EXPENSIVE. Its around a hundred for the fret dress plus you you pay for the setup, etc... which make it look like more. When one of these comes to Canada I will be first in line. Supreme tone.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:30 pm

Im sure a machine can auto level like no human but what about crowning and rounding off the frets? Just sanding all your frets down to be totally even sounds like only half the job and by the sound of it thats all that gets done like PeperN said.

I wonder how long this has been around? I remember a couple years back picking up a fender off the rack at a Sam Ash and playing it and the thing had the lowest action Ive ever played on a guitar. It was unbelievable. You couldnt bend on this sucker because the other strings would suck right under your finger and it didnt fret out anywhere. But the frets where crazy flat and felt like a gravel road and it killed sustain and made an awful artifact when you would bend or vibrato. If it was around I have the feeling it was Plek'd.

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:33 pm

The Plek crowns, too.

There's clearly a misunderstanding here of what the Plek does, both in operation and in the neck scanning. It doesn't result in low frets. The action can be whatever you want it to be.

Why speculate and make negative assumptions without even trying the thing? Jeez. Try it, then give your thoughts.

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:14 pm

Devon8822 wrote:You guy who are bashing the Plek system, are really ignorant.

Its just the way of the world. Lets all bash the shit out of something cause its different and unconventional, THEN we'll take a look at it and see what it's REALLY about.
(Sound familiar?? I seem to remember a black guitar player from the mid to late '60's that took the same criticism until somebody stopped and said "HEY... WTF??? This isnt so bad after all, is it?? Well, NOW we better idolize him so we dont seem so ignorant about what is so friggin' PAINFULLY obvious".)
People are funny that way.

/

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:04 pm

Its good to have a little perspective but dont pretend if someone searches back through your posts they wont find you acting the same way in regards to something else. No offense to you guys if someone wasnt guilty of being a hypocrite theyd be a strange human being. Thats why I try to curb sounding too self-rightous but if you look Im sure youll find it here plenty in 7000 posts.

Something like this you have to do a lot of talking because you cant take your guitar to get a fret job over and over again so theres a greater need to do it right the first time. I turn over guitars too often to have thta much need for fretwork anyway but if I had a lot of guitars Id definitely try it. Worst case Id have to pay someone for a quality crowning.

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:54 pm

Billy Batz wrote:Its good to have a little perspective but dont pretend if someone searches back through your posts they wont find you acting the same way in regards to something else. No offense to you guys if someone wasnt guilty of being a hypocrite theyd be a strange human being.

Well said, and very true.

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Glaser's Plek work has always been phenomenal for me. Perfect crowning, the frets shine like glass. Again, I think the crowning thing became an issue here when it is a non-issue that could have been answered by reading up at plek.com. Or give Joe Glaser a call - really nice guy.

As I've said, I've had Erlewine dress several guitars for me. He does beautiful nut work with rounding the corners and what-not, but I always had buzzy G strings afterwards. I had Margueritte at Fretnot.com refret and dress a Hummingbird for me. Both did fabulous jobs overall but I truly feel the Glaser Plek'd guitars were better players. Just a notch above the rest. That '56 Junior had fret ends smooth as glass and intonation I never thought possible from a stoptail guitar. I was a total convert after that one. I had the guitar for a couple years and it played just as well throughout that time.

The '64 southern jumbo I have played like a dog. Glaser leveled/dressed the frets, added a little roundover higher up on the neck, and leveled out a neck hump. No buzzes anywhere on it. Action is about 5/64" at the low E - just right. Intonation is spot on. He also recut the nut.

And for what a Plek dress +setup costs ($120-$140, if I recall), it can't be beat.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:40 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG4BOLlKOb4

It looks really cool Ill give ya that.

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:56 pm

Haven't seen that before, thanks!

Quickdraw · Post by **Quickdraw** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:45 pm

That was a very cool video! Good find. For what it is worth... I found my 07 R8 to have been one of the best "out of the factory" setups I have recieved from any company. I was the first person to pull it out of the box. IMO the PLEK was a definite upgrade. The few tweaks I made for personalizing only made it easier. I'm sure this topic is already a dead horse...

6string · Post by **6string** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:05 am

Amazing how people will bash things they known nothing about. Oh well...

I've had the good fortune to have lived and made my living playing guitar in Nashville for over 25 years. Joe Glaser has worked on my guitars for most of those years (twenty or so). He is the best.

Several years ago, Joe was the first person in the USA to get the PLEK machine, and it was a HUGE investment at the time. He perhaps knows the machine better than anyone, with the exception of the inventor. When someone else buys a PLEK... Martin, or Gibson, or whoever, they send Joe to set it up, and teach the crafstmen how to use it. Often, the guys that work at these companies building guitars day in and day out snub their noses at it much like the majority of the earlier comments in this thread.

That being said, I can tell you that when I have a guitar done on the PLEK at Joe's shop, it is perfect.
Let me repeat that... when I have a guitar done on the PLEK at Joe's shop, it is perfect. Sublime.
It will do whatever the operator programs it to do... height, radius, relief, you name it. It stores each guitar it does, so when a player brings in another guitar, the luthier or operator of the machine can look at what's been done in the past and if the player says "I want it set up like my '63 strat", that's what he gets.
I think you still need a good luthier that understands how you like your guitars set up, and then, knows how to translate that to the PLEK.

Joe once told me that the PLEK will do every single time, over and over, what a really great fret person will do maybe once or twice in his life on his best day.

I speak from personal experience.

Bob

rockstah · Post by **rockstah** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:04 pm

it isn't about low action, it isn't about a flat neck. its about a guitar playing in tune all over the neck. i thought this is the deal with plek.

Quickdraw · Post by **Quickdraw** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:54 pm

I definiteley agree it isnt about low action... but unfortunateley you cant get around the fact that a bad setup (from the nut grooves, fret job, proper relief, and appropriate strings for "that setup") will never let you go as low as you could with a proper setup. But you are 100% correct... I notice that alot of people jump on a proper setup immediatley assuming that means the closest action possible with as little relief as you can get.

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:45 pm

rockstah wrote:it isn't about low action, it isn't about a flat neck. its about a guitar playing in tune all over the neck. i thought this is the deal with plek.

My Plek'd '56 Junior with stopbar tailpiece intonated perfectly up and down the neck. Even without an adjustable bridge.

AGAIN (!), you can have high action or low action with a Plek setup. 6string put it perfectly when he said "Joe once told me that the PLEK will do every single time, over and over, what a really great fret person will do maybe once or twice in his life on his best day."