My H157 is in the Guitar Hospital

[pressure]

I have had all my guitars Pleked at "The Music Gallery" in Highland Park Illinois. They have a Plek Pro.

 

http://www.musicgalleryinc.com/Ple_Machine_at_The_Music_Gallery_s/86.htm

[Hfan]

How is the variable of truss rod adjustment factored in? Or is it done with the relief flat? or I should say no relief.

[HANGAR18]

How is the variable of truss rod adjustment factored in? Or is it done with the relief flat? or I should say no relief.

 

He mentioned something about the truss rod in that video. I remember him saying that I had set the tension way too loose and that there was apparently some sort of mathematical values for different amounts of tension. I'm pretty sure they made multiple scans and then tried to correct as much of the action as possible by making truss rod adjustments before they got to the place where they were ready to have the machine start removing material from the frets.

[Steiner]

The PLEK machine is an awesome tool. However like any tool it is only as good as the person using it. This is why Gibson Factory setups are often still terrible, even though they go on and on about their PLEK machine. I also really haven't seen any evidence that a Plek machine will do that much better of a job than a tech doing it the "old-fashioned" way.

 

 

+1

[smokedtires]

I was surprised to find this video on youtube:

I figured that Gibson could really benefit from one of these when I purchased a LP from GC and returned it the following day for adjustment d/t Low E sting buzz. The GC tech said it needed to go back to the factory for repair. I found 2 others on their wall with the same issue. Maybe it was the operator as stated above if these studios actually were PLEK'd.

 

Hope you enjoy the results!

[HANGAR18]

MY 535 will be next on my list to get PLEK'd but I don't think I'll choose as low of an action as this 157.

[yuominae]

Wow, listening to the way he described your fretboard and frets in the video made me wince.

Also made me doubt the setup of all my guitars

[HANGAR18]

Wow, listening to the way he described your fretboard and frets in the video made me wince.

Also made me doubt the setup of all my guitars

 

If I still had the 535, the string height would have needed to be set higher in order to be more optimal for the kind of music one would normally play with such an instrument. (I expect to get another 535 someday.) My H157 and one other guitar of similar build are intended for more of a hard rock or heavy metal flavor of playing and thus the lower string heights are preferred.

[DetroitBlues]

The 140 I had was the best playing Heritage or Gibson I've ever used. The Gibsons I had were pleked and I didn't notice a better guitar. O

[tbp0701]

Thanks for posting this and the details. I checked to see if there are any local shops for me. No such luck, but I did find Plek lists who has them. Looks like there are five Plek Pros in the US:

 

http://www.plek.com/en_US/referenzen/service/

[yuominae]

Lol, after reading this thread I'm starting to NEED to have my main Heritage plek'd too

[bluwoodsman]

I might be mistaken, but remembering some discussion of i had of the value of plek'd guits before I bought my Legacy, I think those thoughts that the machine's value is only to get the lowest possible string height are way off base. Look at the video Hangar posted specifically the original position of neck/strings and how out of whack that was. Guitar necks can't be produced to exacting dimensions every time, especially those that are hand made like Heritage and G and L's. The way I look at it, plekking is just a mechanized set up system that can get closer to a perfect setup on necks that can vary widely.

 

IMO the real value is in the assurance that your guitar is not likely to come needing major work to get set up to play. I do think that is worth paying somethign for in a new guitar. What I'm not sure of is whether a good guitar tech can get almost as close. The video I'd like to see is the one showing guitars "as is" condition are read by a plek machine--then comparing the final result after a good tech set them up versus the plek set up.

[Beagle216]

I might be mistaken, but remembering some discussion of i had of the value of plek'd guits before I bought my Legacy, I think those thoughts that the machine's value is only to get the lowest possible string height are way off base. Look at the video Hangar posted specifically the original position of neck/strings and how out of whack that was. Guitar necks can't be produced to exacting dimensions every time, especially those that are hand made like Heritage and G and L's. The way I look at it, plekking is just a mechanized set up system that can get closer to a perfect setup on necks that can vary widely.

 

IMO the real value is in the assurance that your guitar is not likely to come needing major work to get set up to play. I do think that is worth paying somethign for in a new guitar. What I'm not sure of is whether a good guitar tech can get almost as close. The video I'd like to see is the one showing guitars "as is" condition are read by a plek machine--then comparing the final result after a good tech set them up versus the plek set up.

 

Me too, I think that would be interesting.

[holyroller]

I own a metal finishing shop and i deal with machine shops everyday, and i am amazed at what cnc machines with computer softwear can do. I am sure there are great luthiers out there, but i would feel alot better sending it out to be pleked. And yes the plek operater is key in this. The question i would have is the crowning of the frets and fret ends. If you have a bounded neck how would that work.? I would like to try a plek job , but i would like to find a good plek tech. I say this because i have been threw 4 luthiers trying to get my hendrix guitar working properly and they failed. I will never build a guitar again!!! Last place was fretworks in chicago ,, not impressed . Then they told me 130$ done and shipped, then sent me a bill for 168$. Wont be going back there.anyway , i see wolf guitars is pleking guitars, but music gallary is in my backyard. Very excited to send a heritage out. But i sm still waiting on pete to finish my 150

[HANGAR18]

I own a metal finishing shop and i deal with machine shops everyday, and i am amazed at what cnc machines with computer softwear can do. I am sure there are great luthiers out there, but i would feel alot better sending it out to be pleked. And yes the plek operater is key in this. The question i would have is the crowning of the frets and fret ends. If you have a bounded neck how would that work.? I would like to try a plek job , but i would like to find a good plek tech. I say this because i have been threw 4 luthiers trying to get my hendrix guitar working properly and they failed. I will never build a guitar again!!! Last place was fretworks in chicago ,, not impressed . Then they told me 130$ done and shipped, then sent me a bill for 168$. Wont be going back there.anyway , i see wolf guitars is pleking guitars, but music gallary is in my backyard. Very excited to send a heritage out. But i sm still waiting on pete to finish my 150

 

They (Crossroads Guitars) build their own Strats and plek them before they stick the price tag on them and hang them on the wall for sale. Last time I was there they also had made an exact replica of the famous Gilmore Stratocaster.

[holyroller]

Mmmm, thanks fir the info!!