Plek'd Gibson Les Pauls? How much better?

[mt10]

Does anyone have a plek'd Gibson Les Paul? Do you think it makes much of a difference? I was thinking about buying a RI Goldtop and was looking at some used ones but also saw that the 2006's are plek'd, I was wondering if it was worth it to go after a new one since they are plek'd. Thanks

[gregit]

wth is plek'd?


nm...google is a wonderful thing.

[Swirl]

I've played a couple. 57 Custom VOS and 60 Jr VOS, both hands down the best new Gibsons I've ever played.

[fullerplast]

Do you think it makes much of a difference?

Depends on the particular guitar you are comparing it with. IMHO, go for the best sounding guitar with the best feeling neck. You can get any guitar leveled and dressed anytime you want but a good level and dress (or plek) will never make a bad sounding guitar sound good. It will just sound bad with less buzzing.....;)

[brent]

I'm sure the Plek is part of it but the VOS I've played were better than anything I've seen coming straight from Gibson in the past, it's like they suddenly have PRS QC going on

[Thwap]

Depends on the particular guitar you are comparing it with. IMHO, go for the best sounding guitar with the best feeling neck. You can get any guitar leveled and dressed anytime you want but a good level and dress (or plek) will never make a bad sounding guitar sound good. It will just sound bad with less buzzing.....;)

I'd agree with this. I've played some great pre-VOS, and some great VOS, and some not so great of each as well.

[MichaelK]

Does anyone have a plek'd Gibson Les Paul? Do you think it makes much of a difference? I was thinking about buying a RI Goldtop and was looking at some used ones but also saw that the 2006's are plek'd, I was wondering if it was worth it to go after a new one since they are plek'd. Thanks
The internet myth growing around this thing is getting out of control...

The Plek does a fret job. Nothing more.

It's a perfect fret job, but it's still just a fret job.

That would be like choosing your car based on which tires come standard.

Pick the guitar for the guitar. If you really want to put it on a PLek, you can get it done for a little over $100 at any shop that has one.

But you might not even need it. If your frets are good, there's absolutely no point unless you love spending money. In which case you should pay me 50% of the money I just saved you with this advice.

[OldSchool]

If you really want to put it on a PLek, you can get it done for a little over $100 at any shop that has one.



Thats the problem!! I think only 5 exist in the United States. If I had one anywhere in my state (Florida) I'd be all over it.


Man......if I had the dough I'd love to invest in one. In fact I could handle 20% right now. Maybe I should put a team together..............:rolleyes:

[lv]

I have a VOS with the plek job. I've owned a dozen or so historic Les Pauls over the years, some with good frets, some that very obviously neede to go back to the factory (and did). If you buy a plekked 06, you are virtually guaranteed to get a guitar that does not need a fret job out of the box. Buy a non-plekked one, and you may have to immediately have a couple frets filed down.

Lots of other factors to consider when buying a guitar, but my 06 is definitely in the top 3 of the Gibson's I've owned.

[1959burst]

i've been doing perfect fret jobs for over 25 years, am i going to buy a plek machine for my shop?...........................nope

[lv]

i've been doing perfect fret jobs for over 25 years, am i going to buy a plek machine for my shop?...........................nope

Makes sense, yet not really relevant to the question.

[Guitarist]

Makes sense, yet not really relevant to the question.
Oh, but it is. Plek-wha...?

[MichaelK]

Thats the problem!! I think only 5 exist in the United States. If I had one anywhere in my state (Florida) I'd be all over it. That's why we have UPS.

About buying one: I used to be in the printing business, where I learned that you don't invest significant money in a technology unless you already have enough work to keep it busy all the time.

[phoenix 7]

My '04 Les Paul R8 is the only guitar I haven't had to bring to the shop for fret work/set up. It was perfect out of the box and it still is.

[Jack The Riffer]

The Colonel has been plekking for decades, this is nothing new.

[Jack The Riffer]

The internet myth growing around this thing is getting out of control...

The Plek does a fret job. Nothing more.

It's a perfect fret job, but it's still just a fret job.

That would be like choosing your car based on which tires come standard.

Pick the guitar for the guitar. If you really want to put it on a PLek, you can get it done for a little over $100 at any shop that has one.

But you might not even need it. If your frets are good, there's absolutely no point unless you love spending money. In which case you should pay me 50% of the money I just saved you with this advice.

Just think of all those guitarist that don't surf the web who are actually happy with thier stock gear. Poor bastids, my heart goes out to them :rolleyes:

[OldSchool]

That's why we have UPS.

About buying one: I used to be in the printing business, where I learned that you don't invest significant money in a technology unless you already have enough work to keep it busy all the time.

UPS? The reason for a PLEK job would be to make the guitar play better..........Not destroy it. :rolleyes:


Did I mention there is no PLEK in my state or the surrounding states? About 5 in the USA. If You can afford one that machine would be busy 24-7 around here.

I'm serious...........I've contacted the company and I told them I can get 20% up right now..........if they have any other serious takers or someone looking for a silent partner I'm in. http://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon14.gif

[MichaelK]

Did I mention there is no PLEK in my state or the surrounding states? About 5 in the USA. If You can afford one that machine would be busy 24-7 around here.
How many fret jobs do you do a week as of now, more or less?

[dbeeman]

I have owned the same model, same frets and neck profile from same maufacturer plek'ed and non-plek'ed. The plek'ed one seemed to play better to me. IMHO, YMMV .....

[Third Stone]

That's why we have UPS.[/I]




uhhhmm...but after UPS gets done with your guitar, you will need a lot more than fret work!:rotflmao

[justonwo]

My 2001 Les Paul Standard came with a few dead spots in the upper registers, obviously because of a poor fret job. I later had it Pleked under warranty and the results were flawless. A Plek takes the possibility for human error or sloppy QC out of the equation entirely. I don't see why there is so much resistance from the old schoolers. From a QC/Six Sigma standpoint, this machine is the absolute best way to deliver the highest quality fret job to your customers in a consistent way. Human invovlement can only introduce errors. For a large guitar company, Plek is a great QA tool and I applaud Gibson for incorporating one into their production line.

I don't buy into iddea that every single component on the guitar needs to be done completely by hand by veteran artisan craftsman. I don't expect the guy to cast his own pot casings or smelt the metal for the fret wire. If a machine can do the same thing repeatably, then I say free up that time so the artisan can use his talents on parts of his job that haven't been rendered superfluous by technology.

[Trebor Renkluaf]

It's a perfect fret job, but it's still just a fret job.

Hmmm... I wouldn't say it's perfect as I had to have set ups done on two brand new pleked guitars. In both cases they came back playing better after the luthier did a fret dressing and some nut work. I'll take a luthier who knows what he is doing anyday over a high school dropout shoving gutiars in a plek machine.

[MichaelK]

Hmmm... I wouldn't say it's perfect as I had to have set ups done on two brand new pleked guitars. In both cases they came back playing better after the luthier did a fret dressing and some nut work. I'll take a luthier who knows what he is doing anyday over a high school dropout shoving gutiars in a plek machine.

Yeah, well, I don't doubt it. The Plek doesn't do setup or nut work. After you get a wheel alignment you still have to check air pressure in the tires.

As for it needing fret dressing, that's very surprising.

So, where is it that high school dropouts are shoving guitars in Plek machines? I've never heard that before. I thought only skilled tech buy and operate them.

[Trebor Renkluaf]

Yeah, well, I don't doubt it. The Plek doesn't do setup or nut work. After you get a wheel alignment you still have to check air pressure in the tires.

As for it needing fret dressing, that's very surprising.
I was told the plek does do nut work. What good is doing a fret dress without a propper set up? Like I say, I'll take a competent luthier over the plek anyday of the week.

[MichaelK]

What good is doing a fret dress without a propper set up?

That was entirely my point... :confused:

[gregc]

Better? Depends on who's work you compare it to and if he/she is having a good day or not. The PLEK is consistenly repeatable. Set up properly, it does a wonderful job on the nut & frets.

gregc

[MichaelK]

Maybe it would help if you guys read the FAQ (http://www.plek.com/index.php?master=FAQ%27s&rubID=19&sprache=)

[Trebor Renkluaf]

That was entirely my point... :confused:
Well supposedly the Plek machine is supposed to provide guidance in the set up of the instrument (truss rod adjustment, action, etc.).

As for high school kids running it - it's a machine. Once it's set up it doesn't take any skill to turn the switch on. My concern is that people will use the plek as a band aid an otherwise medocre job. Do a mediorcre job of prepping the fret board and installing the frets and let the plek machine clean it up after they're installed. I'm not saying people are doing this, but...

I'd rather have a competent luthier do the propper job before the frets are even installed (leveling and radiusing the fingerboard), then properlay installing the frets, then mimul fret dressing should be required.

For instance, do you think a Tom Anderson gutiar would have better fret work if Tom used the plek machine? I don't.

[Jack The Riffer]

Well supposedly the Plek machine is supposed to provide guidance in the set up of the instrument (truss rod adjustment, action, etc.).

As for high school kids running it - it's a machine. Once it's set up it doesn't take any skill to turn the switch on. My concern is that people will use the plek as a band aid an otherwise medocre job. Do a mediorcre job of prepping the fret board and installing the frets and let the plek machine clean it up after they're installed. I'm not saying people are doing this, but...

I'd rather have a competent luthier do the propper job before the frets are even installed (leveling and radiusing the fingerboard), then properlay installing the frets, then mimul fret dressing should be required.

For instance, do you think a Tom Anderson gutiar would have better fret work if Tom used the plek machine? I don't.
I know you :dude

[MichaelK]

Well supposedly the Plek machine is supposed to provide guidance in the set up of the instrument (truss rod adjustment, action, etc.)...

As for high school kids running it - it's a machine. Once it's set up it doesn't take any skill to turn the switch on. My concern is that people will use the plek as a band aid an otherwise medocre job. Do a mediorcre job of prepping the fret board and installing the frets and let the plek machine clean it up after they're installed. I'm not saying people are doing this, but...

What are you saying??

Seriously I don't get the point. I said it does only fret work, and you're objecting to... what?