Pleking System?

[KDRR]

I`m somewhat ignorant about Pleking a guitar. Exacty what is it and how long has it been going on and do they (Gibson) do it to all their guitars? Thanks KDR

[badbluesplayer]

The Plek machine is a computer controlled machine that is used to dress the frets and cut the nut on a guitar. The guitar is put in the machine with the strings on and the thing scans all the frets and determines how to level the frets out so there won't be any buzzing. I think it also cuts the nuts on new guitars.

[powerwagonjohn]

I don't think the strings are installed but the neck is tensioned to simulate the string tension. There are other places besides Gibson that pleck guitars. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks John

[CR9]

The PLEK machine puts the guitar under tension and with average relief but without the strings. It cuts the frets to a uniform height all the way down the neck so there should be no buzz. It is far better for production than doing each one by hand, but some people still fine tune the frets. I am not 100% sure, but I do think it also cuts the nut. Here a few photos I took in 2006 of the Custom shop PLEK in operation. In the 3rd shot you can see it working on one fret.

 

 

 

 

[kaicho8888]

here's a video.

[badbluesplayer]

Thanks for the link to the video. Cool.

[powerwagonjohn]

I have a Gibson 2009 L-4CES that I bought new. It played very good when new but lately I have had problems with frets buzzing and took it into Hoffman Guitars for a set up. They found that the string height at the sales were slightly off [closer on the center strings and higher at the outer strings. They also found a few frets were a little higher than others and are going to do a light fret dress. This guitar was plecked at the factory and is under warranty so the shop will see if Gibson will cover the work. I do expect some changes as this guitar ages and I am confident we can get this guitar playing as it should. I think the pleck system is a good idea but not a replacement for personal attention by a good guitar tech. I will let you all know how it turns out.

Thanks John

[brantobrien]

When it comes to Plek the guy to go to is Joe Glaser. He gives the best understanding of what plek truly is intended for. I'm sorry to disagree with one above poster, but plek is not only intended for the production environment. Do a search on Joe and you'll see a level of knowledge and wisdom on fretwork that goes well beyond what the average player would know or even want to know. But if you want the best fret job in the world, look up Michael Tuttle and bestfrets, nothing like it.

 

One more thing...

 

You can't accurately plek a guitar without a least the hardware being installed! The imaging of the neck of the guitar happens with the strings on and tuned to pitch. That is how the plek knows what to cut the nut to and the subtle variations that a neck takes on as tension is placed on it. Sheep, no wonder Gibson still has a bad wrap with their guitars being all over the map for playability! Still, once the guitar is setup right, NOTHING sounds better in a production guitar than a Gibson! Which is why I would buy one again and again over other brands

[strat-o-steve]

A pleked guitar does sound and play nice. But it is really just a cop-out for factories to be lazy and not hire skilled people to setup the guitars. It also may get to where they cut corners in manufacturing, with a belief the "plek" will sort it all out in the end. Nothing will ever replace the human touch and attention to detail that only an experienced person can deliver ;) Wonder how many humans are now out of a job due to the plek? LOL

[rocketman]

I actually feel that a good pleked guitar is much better than a none one. I don't feel any "grab" in the frets when I do bends. It may take a job away from a human but so did the cotton gin and we survived that.

[stein]

A pleked guitar does sound and play nice. But it is really just a cop-out for factories to be lazy and not hire skilled people to setup the guitars. It also may get to where they cut corners in manufacturing, with a belief the "plek" will sort it all out in the end. Nothing will ever replace the human touch and attention to detail that only an experienced person can deliver ;) Wonder how many humans are now out of a job due to the plek? LOL

You said it right there.

 

I am not qualified to say the PLEK is a good thing or a bad thing, but what I can say is that just because it is a machine does not make it perfect. Machines have to be maintained, and regardless of how sophisticated or expensive, it can still work well or not work well depending on how good a machine it is.

 

I am always a little sad and weary of things like this, because a machine like that is quite an investment, and the only thing that makes it a good investment is eliminating having to rely on skilled labor and craftsmanship in a labor force. So, your company is now actually worth more if you have eliminated the risk factor involving poeple and the unknowns that come with that.

 

The human side of it, as far as building goes, is that humans actually make the best machines. The learning capacity and the ability to learn to make things fast, efficient,and of quality that a human can do by becoming skilled is often overlooked. Poeple and workforces can always be improved by investing in making your poeple better skilled.

 

From watching the video and the explanation of how it works, I would actually bet that a human would have had the job half done before it even hit the machine, and it would be interesting to see a race and a competition between that machine and a highly skilled craftsman.

[Enmitygauged]

A pleked guitar does sound and play nice. But it is really just a cop-out for factories to be lazy and not hire skilled people to setup the guitars. It also may get to where they cut corners in manufacturing, with a belief the "plek" will sort it all out in the end. Nothing will ever replace the human touch and attention to detail that only an experienced person can deliver ;) Wonder how many humans are now out of a job due to the plek? LOL

 

I think you have to look at the cost vs skill. there is no way a human can wire a string as well as a machine and the same goes for the Frets. I am a trained CNC programmer. It isnt always about cost or production rates sometimes a machine can do a much better job. All my Gibsons are Pleked I wouldnt have it any other way. They are all perfect. I just bought a Martin D28 and trust me its action and frets were all over the place making it almost impossible to play. I made the store reset everything before I would take it. I can get a CNC laser to cut a sheet of metal better than any sheet metal fabricator and a hell of a lot quicker. I can have a CNC router cut out the body of the guitar quicker and nicer than any human and with no imperfections 99.9999% of the time barring a blunt Bit. I will say that sometimes just sometimes on a wood product a hand made finish due to its errors will look a thousand times nicer because simply perfection can look plastic.

[brantobrien]

Just so that others are aware, Martin also has and uses a Plek... Again, it's a tool that needs to be used properly to be effective. So far, from what I've seen, Plek in the hands of a competent luthier is what makes the difference. Check out Joe Glaser, get educated on what Plek is for after verifying his credentials on the subject. Sometimes there is an amazing guitar that roles off the production line, but it is rare with or without Plek. Joe's amazing....but even then, there are other guys that take frets to the next level in the same way that Joe does in properly using Plek (however Plek isn't the ONLY way to do a fantastic fret job).