Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: briant on April 11, 2009, 03:56:11 PM
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http://www.plek.com/
I just picked up my Rogue 5 from having it setup and run through the Plek machine. Wow. It already played wonderfully - now it practically plays itself. Very worth it if you have the opportunity to get it done.
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Thanks for that Briant, Looks like a good thing to try from their site. I have one bass that I can't seem to get right at only the fifth fret on the G of a 5 string Excel. There is a shop on 30 west in NYC that I'll contact. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the service? I'm off this week and a drive into the city might be a nice way to spend the day.
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The shop I had it done at (http://www.mikelull.com (http://www.mikelull.com)) charges $235 for a trip in the Plek and a full setup.
I spent 2+ hours practicing today after I wrote this. I honestly cannot rave enough about how insanely good this bass feels after a trip to see the Plek machine. It's unbelievable. Really.
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I had one of my Spector's fingerboard planed, refretted and Plek'd for a little more than $400.00 at Glaser guitar shop in Nashville. Also had my jazz bass Plek'd as well. Both jobs were worth every cent, so one more bump for the mighty Plek!
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Plek itself is not a silver bullet - it is a tool. As with anything to do with musical instruments - the skill of the operator is important. The Plek machine is a sophisticated tool that requires a skilled tech.
If you are going to get an instrument Pleked - choose the shop on the basis of good customer feedback.
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These guys got back tome right away and mentioned what dnburgess said. The price range is from $200-250 plus strings and tax. I'm going to try on Tuesdaydespite da Flippin' bridge toll into Manhattan!
Peekamoose Custom Guitars, LLC
251 West 30th Street, Suite 7FM
New York, NY 10001
212-869-2396
info@peekamoose.com (mailto:info@peekamoose.com)
http://www.peekamoose.com (http://www.peekamoose.com)
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My electric luthier, Gary Brawer in San Francisco, was one of the first to get a Plek machine. The set ups are quite good. I forget what he charges, but I feel very secure that he knows what he's doing. He was Jerry Garcia's luthier, among others.
Bill, tgo
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name dropper!
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I've just watched the video and it seems a very interesting machine. However I can't help thinking that if humidity or temperature where you are playing or living is significantly different from where the pleck setup took place, it may require you to make further neck relief adjustments yourself. In that case, surely that will move the neck away from the perfect settings made by the pleck.
If you are saying it's a good starting point then I can see some benefit.? Nothing can be perfect in every setting.
It may be a useful starting tool as dnburgess points out.
Jazzyvee
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The fret leveling that it does would apply to all setups in any environment. Having perfectly level frets is always good. And this machine does it better than any human ever could.
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Good file technique should give perfectly level frets...I'm a jeweller with 15 years experience so I know filing; any GOOD repair guy should be the same...I haven't watched the Plek at work so maybe I'm missing something, but I'm a heavy-handed pick-attacking THUG, so low action is a minus for me, but I'e had guitars stung 14-56(playing guitar in my old band) that players thought was 11-49, even with high action, so can the machine make feel? Tony
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Well I'm on my way back to NYC today to pick up my bass un-pleked. The story goes in order to get the right grind to have the optimum fret surface the fret would be so ground down that a refret would be needed. So they suggested a refret on my almost new condition Custom Excel 5 for around $500 bucks. Very interesting for a fix of my complaint of a buzz on the 5th fret on the g string. His assistant has also said she had to charge me 45 min for the work they did measuring the bass but with no repair work, Kind of like an AIG thing? I guess everyone get stumped now and again. Any opinions from the community here?
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sounds like someone was trying to plek your wallet, if you have some luither skills you can buy a fret filing block from stew mcdonalds or luithers mercantile which as about as long as the finger board, I have used them before and as long as you go slow that may help you, what about the one side of the truss rod have you tried to adjust it, I had a buzz on my G at third fret and I had took 2 1/4 turns of tension off it and left it for 2 or 3 days and went back and added 1/4 turn and it went away, I am saying this in case they are just trying to make money off you for some big fret job. it may not be a fret and they are just trying to rip you off, At first I thought mine was a fret but it was a simple neck adjustment. Maybe take it to a local first small shop and have the frets checked to be certain that is the problem...good luck just trying to give you some options John
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That's a bummer...
I just got my Aria bass back from a luthier and though I'd almost given up on that bass, I must say I'm in love again!
He did a great job, no buzzes anywhere.
If the Plek would do a better job, the strings will be where John Entwistle wanted them: on the other side of the fretboard!
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Thanks John, I have a feeling that he's being business minded. Mica and I had a chat about it and if after a second opinion there really is an issue (I DOUBT) I'll send it back to the mothership. I'll work on the adjustments again this afternoon. But at least I'll spend a lovely spring day in the city with my brother and nephew before I bring my bass back to Joisey after its little holiday on 30th street.
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Danno,
On my Orion I had a buzz around the 7th fret the first winter. I took it into a local shop and the luthier reseated 8th fret and gave it a slight filing. This fixed it for all of 20 bucks. Without having seen your bass I'm betting it is something simple like this.
Keith
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Good file technique should give perfectly level frets...I'm a jeweller with 15 years experience so I know filing; any GOOD repair guy should be the same...I haven't watched the Plek at work so maybe I'm missing something,
.001 mm of accuracy. I don't doubt that is possible by hand but I imagine it is going to take some serious time to get every fret that even/level with one another with a file.
Your mileage may vary but I wanted to share my experience with it. There aren't enough words to express how big a difference it made and I was fairly skeptical going into it.
danno, sounds like they were trying to get more money out of you. Bummer.
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The bill was 81.28 with tax for labor to scan bass on Plek and establish that frets are too irregular for a grind & polish. The term roller coaster was used to describe their condition. As the bill was being printed, the assistant asked how many did I own, I replied currently 12 but have owned 5 more. Well no wonder they'll take care of it for you. They also implied that it wasn't made correctly. As I was rolling down 30th on my way back to Jersey.I get a call on the cell. Did I explain our estimate policy? NO. You can apply the labor amount to work done within a 30 day period. No Thanks. We could apply that amount to any other job, would yoube interested in that? No. Well thats your choice.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You can guess how impressed I was. New Yawk, just like I pictured it!
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Danno - this emphasises that Plek is just a tool - not necessarily the right tool for every job. That's why you should go to a Plek shop run by a good luthier. Or alternatively go to a luthier who is familiar with Plek and is busy enough that he/she will refer you to Plek when its appropriate.
The problem is the machine is so expensive it creates a commerical imperative to use it as much as possible.
The medical analogy would be say CAT scanners. A good GP will do an initial diagnosis and decide whether a cat scan is needed or not. But walk into a specialist cat clinic and you're always gonna get scanned.