Anyone have a plek fret level done???

[XSSIVE]

i just found a place near me that does plek fret leveling and i'm contemplating having a few guitars done to make them play as close to perfect as possible. the only problem i have with this is the cost which would be roughly b/t $200-$250 a guitar (depending on if it has a floyd or not) now that includes a full setup and strings obviously. but it's still a very scary price IMO.

so my question is to anyone that has had a guitar pleked...

is a plek fret level worth the extra cash over a regular fret level done by a PRO (and i stress PRO) luthier by hand?

i may just pick one lucky guitar and see how it goes since that is a scary price but i'd love to have a few done when i get extra cash.

anyway, does anyone have any feedback on a guitar they had done or one you played that had been done?

-Mike

[FretFire]

I've always heard great things about them (in fact they seem to be a call for a price increase when selling guitars over at TGP ), but haven't played one myself to know how they compare to a pro tech job.

[Ez74]

I've always heard great things about them (in fact they seem to be a call for a price increase when selling guitars over at TGP ), but haven't played one myself to know how they compare to a pro tech job.

I was going to say that it seems like every guitar listed on TGP has just been plekked. I'd really like some info on this also. I've thought about getting my '82 Epi pleked .. but i'm afraid that it really needs a refret

[Blake]

What is plek leveling?

[XSSIVE]

http://www.plek.com/

there ya go, tons of info. it's pretty much the perfect fret level.

-Mike

[kmcguitars]

What is plek leveling?

I think it's some kind of CNC related work? Hope Mike chimes in to clarify. And where on the Island Can I have this done?

[kmcguitars]

http://www.plek.com/

there ya go, tons of info. it's pretty much the perfect fret level.

-Mike

Thanks for the heads up Mike. Closest place is in the city on 30th st?

[SpiderVenom]

Drool... this is why not being filthy rich and living in NZ sucks.

[Zerberus]

I haven´t played a PLEK´ed guitar in a while, but I honestly didn´t find it to be anything amazing or any better than my own refrets

FWIW

[hacker]

I have a Heritage Prospect that was factory-Plekked and it plays great. The action is nice and even all the way down the fretboard. With that said, my Hamer Standard plays just as nice, and it is not Plekked. Both guitars do play better than any of my Fenders or Gibsons.

[seafoamer]

More than just my gtr feels better after being plekked.

Seriously, if you aren't experienced enough to do the minor everyday adjustments a gtr might need, maybe this is for you. But other than those, i find it a bit gimmicky.
Gtrs are unpredictable to a certain point. Some months i may adjust a truss a few times. Other times, it may be years. Same thing with intonation, action etc. Plekking may be a step closer for some ppl/gtrs, but it obviously won't be the "end all" thing for u & ur gitahhhh.

[Jeff_H]

I'd love to have a few of my guitars pleked....I hear it does wonders. I'd start with one to see how I like it. Essentially, you and the tech can program this thing to give your frets almost any profile you want, and it has to be more accurate than by hand....computers are just that much more precise.

[BoomBoomChild]

i just found a place near me that does plek fret leveling and i'm contemplating having a few guitars done to make them play as close to perfect as possible. the only problem i have with this is the cost which would be roughly b/t $200-$250 a guitar (depending on if it has a floyd or not) now that includes a full setup and strings obviously. but it's still a very scary price IMO.

so my question is to anyone that has had a guitar pleked...

is a plek fret level worth the extra cash over a regular fret level done by a PRO (and i stress PRO) luthier by hand?

i may just pick one lucky guitar and see how it goes since that is a scary price but i'd love to have a few done when i get extra cash.

anyway, does anyone have any feedback on a guitar they had done or one you played that had been done?

-Mike

That price isn’t too scary when you consider the $400 that Mike Lull charged me to do a full fret leveling and dressing of the fret ends on my Warmoth baritone neck. Albeit, the frets were stainless steel (harder to work with than nickel) and that price also included a full setup. But, the guitar plays perfectly now and it better for that price.

So with that said, I’d give the plek a try with just one of your guitars and maybe let a master luthier do one of the others and compare them.

[jmh151]

Heritage guitars got PLEK machines because while being great guitars, there were many complaints regarding their fret jobs and leveling, which always had to be corrected by a Luthier- some dealers like Jay Wolfe did it on the guitars they sold. The PLEK machine eliminated their bad fret jobs, and for the preice you're getting a better playing guitar than a Gibson

[innerdreamrecords.co]

When I can play like Eric Clapton I'll do that.

[DesertRose]

I've heard alot about this Plek thingy.
But over at my local store which does the plek thing charges like twice the amount i've seen mentioned above.

I would like to send my 94' LP classic for plek and see what are the wonders it can really do and with that kindda cash money paid for.

[ShredFetus]

I don't get it? There is one shop here in Australia that does it, & they are only charging $99 AUD for a complete PLEK dress & setup... It is listed on Australian Ebay for $99 "buy it now"... How can it be so much cheaper than what you guys pay?

[Tweed]

I'm not a "machine-guy" when it comes to guitars. I have guitar tech friends who scoff at the PLEK. And I can understand them feeling that way.

Joe Glaser in Nashville is as good as it gets when it comes to having work done on a guitar. If someone wants it done right, they go to Joe. Folks ship guitars to him from all over so he can work on them. I went to his shop 2 days ago with a tele that needs some attention. He's going to plane the fretboard to flatten the radius from it's current 7.25", so that it will be easier to play and bend strings up high. That plus the refret will cost about $350. The frets will be leveled and dressed on his PLEK machine. I spent almost an hour with him, getting a tour of the PLEK. He swears by it. This is coming from a guy with years of experience doing what the PLEK does. It's an amazing thing. Joe has been involved in the design and refinements that have been made since the original PLEK. His machine can cut nuts and saddles as well. He told me it is more precise than anything human hands can do. The machine scans the fretboard and creates a profile, with every little bump, every little dip in that board. It then levels the frets, crowns and polishes them. The profile is stored in a database for future reference.

The Gibson Custom shop recent purchased a PLEK. God knows they need it. Joe is doing the in-service work, showing their people how to use it. Not all CS guitars will be PLEK'd, obviously...but it's a move in the right direction, as some of the fret work that comes out of that place leaves a lot to be desired.
If it's good enough for Glaser, it's good enough for me.

I've read nothing but praise from folks who've had guitars PLEK'd. John Suhr PLEKs every guitar he builds. I don't see anyone complaining about his guitars.
It looks like prices for a PLEK job are all over the place. I think Glaser charges $130 for it here in Nashville. Don't quote me on that, but if it's costing me $350 to have the board planed, and new frets installed, that $130 figure is probably about right. Both electric and acoustic guitars can be PLEK'd.

At the end of the day, the only human touch that really matters to me...is mine...when I play it

[MattPete]

Cool article on the Plek:

http://www.citypaper.com/music/story.asp?id=10062

[XSSIVE]

well, thanks for the thoughts guys. i think i'll have one of my "Clone" guitars that i have built pleked sometime down the road.

-Mike