PLEK vs Human

[notbillgelder]

bike shorts, specifically, if I do recall....

:laughing4:

 

We need to stay banned together

[notbillgelder]

I prefer Spandex

 

bike shorts, specifically, if I do recall....

 

:laughing4: :laughing4: :laughing4:

We need to stay banned together

[notbillgelder]

Sorry I don't know how that happened.

 

I have a H150 that Kuz had Pleked, and I have several guitars that Bob at Angle Guitars did "set ups" on and I can not tell the difference.

I guess it all dependence on who does the work.

[Vanschoyck]

If there was a shop with a Plek machine in the area I would probably make use of it. The idea of shipping a guitar out to have it done does not appeal. I have several that were "factory generic Plek jobs" and I like them, and one done at Jay Wolfe's that came out nicely.

[Gitfiddler]

I had my 157 triple p'up re-fretted, bone nut installed and plek'd by Gary Brawer. Wolfe plek'd my 555. Both are darn near as perfect (to me) as it is my non-plek'd H525.

 

As has been said, it truly depends on who does the plek job, or the old fashion set up/fret dress.

[JeffB]

Ive had plek'd guitars but never a custom plek'd guitar.

Most the guitars Ive bought plek'd or not have felt great and never had an issue with frets. I dont buy guitars I cant play first.

Out of the guitars Ive owned made in Japan guitars(Ibanez, Yamaha, Tokai etc) and also Tom Andersons and Suhrs have had the best fret jobs.

PRS was up there but each one fell short of being in the list above.

What was interesting to me about the TA's was reading a few instances where people took their TA's to be plek'd and found at the the analysis that the frets/necks were already spot on, no plek needed. The TA's I owned felt like high tech machines.

[LittleLeroy]

I'm using HANGAR18's post as a jumping off point. He said,

 

"Well I'm sure i'll get a lot of pushback from what I'm about to say (rum & diet coke in hand) but...

 

In my humble assessment, Heritage fretwork before the new owners took over was shit because they didn't plek the frets like Gibson does and if all you ever do is play jazz with a high action, who cares? It's no big deal. BUT if you want a low action with high performance (plays like butter) the factory never got their frets to that level of perfection.

 

You want proof? Here's one of my brand new Heritage guitars at the plek machine a few years ago.

"

 

And Guy sez,

"That is a very accurate statement, it is not 2013 down there anymore... We talked for years about how you buy and new guitar and have a pro fully set it up to get the best, which is not the case anymore in most instances.

 

You, like me expect a guitar to play superbly... They are at pretty darn good right now without the PLEK.. which I expressed should be a primary core investment at the market they are seeking."

 

 

Not to be "pushing back", but that vid says it's a "well played H-157", not a brand new one. That said, the vid does show a very dramatic improvement. Now that I have a few Heritage guitars I have to wonder did I just get lucky 3x, or is the fretwork in general a bit better than "shit"? 'Cause the guitars I have all play exceptionally well with no fret issues, with the newest I have being a 2016. Granted there's an uncertain amount of subjectivity with respect to action and setup and I find I always need to tweak to get what's right for me.

 

I've had more than a few Gibsons that were PLEK'd that had fret issues and because of that I've preferred the human touch rather than the machine.

 

I have some questions about the PLEK:

1. Is Heritage using it now and, if so, when did they start using it?

2. Does it matter how fresh the blades are?

3. Does it matter how experienced the operator is?

4. If it's PLEK'd at the factory and is then sold to someone living in a very different climate and the neck shifts, won't that make the PLEK moot?

 

I'm keeping an open mind regarding the PLEK, but I'm not convinced yet it's absolutely better than a skilled luthier.

 

 

After reading all the posts here I am now convinced the Plek, in the hands of a skilled luthier/technician, will consistently yield a better result than a luthier without the Plek.

 

So it has really become, for me, not an issue of PLEK vs. Human, but Skilled Human + PLEK vs Skilled Human alone. A "custom" Plek job done by the right guy is the way to go if one has access and can afford it.

 

Only problem for me is I'd have to ship my guitar to someone to have it done, or travel there with my guitar and have it done.

 

Well, Highland Park is nice in the fall and there's always Ravinia in the summer.... hmmm....

[Polo]

I've learned the discernible difference between a good pair of undies verses a great pair of undies is directly behind the eye of the rider....not the horse.

[HANGAR18]

After reading all the posts here I am now convinced the Plek, in the hands of a skilled luthier/technician, will consistently yield a better result than a luthier without the Plek.

 

So it has really become, for me, not an issue of PLEK vs. Human, but Skilled Human + PLEK vs Skilled Human alone. A "custom" Plek job done by the right guy is the way to go if one has access and can afford it.

 

Only problem for me is I'd have to ship my guitar to someone to have it done, or travel there with my guitar and have it done.

 

Well, Highland Park is nice in the fall and there's always Ravinia in the summer.... hmmm....

 

Just want to re-emphasize that time is also a factor. A hypothetical skilled luthier who can do just as good of a job dressing frets to an already built guitar as a Plek machine will also charge a lot of money because they all charge by the hour. There is also a limit to how many fret dressing jobs a luthier can do in a day and that will limit the luthier's paycheck at the end of the week. You also need to think about how long you need to wait till your turn comes up when you drop off your guitar because that will affect how long you are going to be without your guitar. Plek machines are fast, accurate and cost effective.

 

ps I think the ol' "plek is only as good as the guy operating it" is probably a silly argument because I figure that anyone who is going to go out and buy a Plek machine and run a guitar shop is probably going to know how to use the damn thing. I'm also not inclined to think that a store owner is not going to allow some new-hire to plek your guitar unless they have proven that they know what the hell they are doing.

[Jim W]

Plek is a tool - it's only as good as it's operator.

 

A few years ago, it's my understanding that Heritage had a Plek machine, but wasn't using it because Plek wanted money for updated software (or something like that). What I saw when I was at the factory was that Heritage was using the Plex machine as a coat rack.

 

All of my Heritages need a fret level when they were brand new. And new nuts. But I'm picky - your mileage may vary.

 

I do not know if Heritage is Plek'ing guitars now, or not.

 

Yes, I remember this as well.

 

[ElNumero]

Sorry I don't know how that happened.

 

I have a H150 that Kuz had Pleked, and I have several guitars that Bob at Angle Guitars did "set ups" on and I can not tell the difference.

I guess it all dependence on who does the work.

My very first 150 was not Plekd and my second was. No discernible difference

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TalismanRich]

I don't know if the 525 that I got from Lyle, who got it from Kuz, was pleked or not, but it plays very nicely. On the other hand, the Melancon that I bought had about the best setup and nicest fret job that I've played. Gerard does the setups by hand but the ones that I have played were excellent.

 

I would love to have my 535 and Mille pleked, but I would need to either go to Nashville or up to Sweetwater in Ft Wayne to get that done.

[mtpatty]

as Kuz said...there is a difference in a Plek job and a custom plek job...I am sure there are gifted luthiers out there, but I am going with custom Plek every time. I had Jan from Wolfe 's down in Jupiter Florida re- fret and plek two of my '78 Les Paul Customs back in August 2014- i could not be happier with the results.

[Kuz]

I don't know if the 525 that I got from Lyle, who got it from Kuz, was pleked or not, but it plays very nicely.

 

Yes it was. I had it custom Plek'd here in Ohio, not at the factory (nor a generic Plek job).

 

Another benefit of Plek's scanning (again, scanning & measuring the frets & fretboard with the strings on at tension which no human can do) is the Plek can be so precise in leveling the frets that it will not shave off more fret than is necessary. So ultimately your frets last longer because the amount removed is more specific.

[notbillgelder]

 

Yes it was. I had it custom Plek'd here in Ohio, not at the factory (nor a generic Plek job).

 

Another benefit of Plek's scanning (again, scanning & measuring the frets & fretboard with the strings on at tension which no human can do) is the Plek can be so precise in leveling the frets that it will not shave off more fret than is necessary. So ultimately your frets last longer because the amount removed is more specific.

That is a very good point. I did not think of extended fret life.

[Kuz]

Don't get wrong, I have bought guitars that didn't need Plek'd and played great. But if I have fret issues (buzzing, fretting out, or intonation) I am lucky to have a Plek owner about an hour away and I have him scan the board and fix the problem. I rotate my guitars so I have only had one Plek job per guitar. So for me, if my guitars need fret work, it will be done via Plek.

 

Off of memory of the guitars I currently own, I have had the following guitars Pleked;

-All 3 of my current Heritages (Custom 555, 535 P90, Florentine GE)

-1 of 3 Whitfill Teles

-Ron Kirn Tele

-Chuck Thornton Fusion (Strat)

 

Guitars I have not needed to Plek are;

-2 McInturff Carolina Customs

-Cust Shop '62 Strat

-Collings City Limits GT with P90s

-Gretsch Penguin

-Cust Shop '62 Tele

-2 Thornton Semi-Hollows

-2 Whitfill Teles

 

So bottom line, I only have my guitars that need fret work Plek'd, not all by default. And 90% of the time the Pleking has been minimally and laser specific. Only one guitar, a handmade Aaron Cowles guitar needed more work (afterwards it was a great guitar but I sold it cause I like my Heritage GE better!!!)

[hinesarchtop]

I've done hundreds of refrets and level/crown jobs and don't see the machine kicking my ass.

[Millennium Maestro]

I've done hundreds of refrets and level/crown jobs and don't see the machine kicking my ass.

Gary I would rather give you my money! the best playing guitars that I have had... had master luthiers perform the fretwork

[Heritage1970]

...I agree with what a few others have said here- I've seen PLEKS make really bad playing guitars playable..but I've seen great luthiers do the same. I have nothing against PLEK- I've had some great guitars that were PLEKED, AND I've had some great ones that weren't! My take on it is- if it's already PLEKED and I like it, that's great! If it hasn't been PLEKED and I like it- that's great too. Wouldn't hesitate to have a bad playing guitar PLEKED to make it playable, but if I'm happy with the guitar, I don't bother having it PLEKED. ...Wow.. can't believe how many times I just typed PLEK...just did it again! PLEK!