How good is PLEK?

[idoker]

I've made an appointment for next week to get my bass PLEK'd for about $250.00.

I would like to know from those that have had this done, or those that have acquired a bass that has had this done, is it worth the money? Is the difference in the set-up/fret leveling quality superior to that of the “hand” set-ups you've had in the past. Is the playability of your instrument that much better than you previous "non-plek" set-up of the past?

Even though I have research this fairly thoroughly, I'd still like some more input.

[Mike Shevlin]

I played a PLEK'd Lakland 5502 @ NAMM last month that was better than my USA 5594- I had played 5502's in the past that were not nearly as impressive & I'm sure that the PLEK treatment has something to do with this.

[DaveF]

What is wrong with your bass? Why did you make an appointment to get it PLEK'd? Is there a nagging issue that you're hoping to get fixed?

[ia02]

My american p-bass was plek'd by Joe Glaser in Nashville. Joe also plek'd my taylor 710 acoustic. Joe is the guy who trains many of the other plek operators in the country as well as the guy who set up the plek machines for Gibson. My reason for putting all the out there is simply to say that the bass was plek'd by a true plek expert. As a side note joe is the luthier who works on many big name country/rock acts in Nashville (Clint Black was in the shop the day that i was there). Joe knows his stuff. Here are my observations:

1. the $250 price is a bit higher than what i paid ($350 for both my bass and the acoustic, including new strings), but is not unreasonable, i have heard of others charging more than $250.

2. the bass plays better, despite the setup being very good to begin with.

3. the finish on the frets is perfect. polished to a true mirror shine.

4. joe opted to leave a VERY VERY small amount of fretwear on the top of the most worn frets rather than removing it all together. this was not because removing it would have been difficult or because the frets would have been too low. Joe reasons (and i strongly agree) that the VERY small amount he opted to leave would return within a matter of weeks (considering the amount I play). removing all of the wear would be futile and would really just be removing more fret metal than needed. the plek is so accurate that he could leave the few thousandths of wear while knowing that it would not affect playability in the least bit.

5 plek does equal bragging rights for some, not me, but if you're the type that wants/needs the best it is indeed the best.

However......

A. if you do not desire VERY low action the plek setup isn't really necessary. a normal hand fret leveling (by a good luthier, NOT a ****** guitar tech) is more than sufficient.

B. the plek setup, despite being very accurate, is only as good as the machine's operator. the operator must still tell the plek machine what to do. it is by no means an automatic process.

C. if i had to do it over again i would opt out of the plek. for a guitar (not bass) that needs the absolute lowest action possible the plek may make sense. for a bass i just don't think it's necessary. many of the big name builders (gibson, martin etc) use the plek because it allows them to run pre-made automated processes over and over again with no discrepancies. one machine can do the work of 15 or 20 well trained humans, perfectly, every time, 24hrs a day.

D. If you are hoping for magic PLEK is not your answer, it is god but not that damn good. The best bass players of the past never had plek'd basses. Their tone was exceptional because they were exceptional players. They could have played a 2x4 with strings and squeezed that same great sound from absolute ****.

I hope my response was what you were looking for. Feel free to ask me anymore specific questions about the PLEK process. I am by no means an expert but did speak with Joe Glaser at length about the merits of the machine/process. So I guess I know a bit. Good luck!

[ia02]

Originally Posted by DaveF

What is wrong with your bass? Why did you make an appointment to get it PLEK'd? Is there a nagging issue that you're hoping to get fixed?

+1, why are you getting the bass plek'd?

What type of bass is it? If you are trying to fix a problem (caused by it being a poorly made bass) i'd save the cash for a better bass...

[idoker]

Originally Posted by DaveF

What is wrong with your bass? Why did you make an appointment to get it PLEK'd? Is there a nagging issue that you're hoping to get fixed?

The bass I'm having PLEK's is a fairly new Yamaha TRB5PII. It's a fine instrument and has never really given me trouble. It has been set-up once, since I've owned it approx. a year and half, and the set up was mediocre at best.

As for what's wrong with it, there really isn't anything "major" wrong with it. The action is a little higher than I like and there is slight buzzing on some of the frets. There are some other very minor issues.

The thing is, I play and teach bass guitar as my main source of income. I'm constantly on this instrument day-in and day-out. For what I do, I need an impeccable set-up, because I require a very smooth playing instrument and a very precise sounding instrument.

I would like the action to be as low as possible without any significant buzzing. I have always liked my action on the low side, due to my style of play. But, of course, I haven't always enjoyed the low action I desired.

As far as the luthier that will be PLEKing my bass, it Dan Erlewine out of Athens, Ohio. He's the author of "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and a very well respected expert on both the guitar and bass.

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

[ia02]

Originally Posted by idoker

As far as the luthier that will be PLEKing my bass, it Dan Erlewine out of Athens, Ohio. He's the author of "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and a very well respected expert on both the guitar and bass.

If I were having Dan Erlewine work on my bass I would with no hesitation ask for a hand setup. He is indeed one of the greats. It's up to you in the end. Whether he does it by hand or with the PLEK it will definitely play better. Most likely the last guy who setup your bass didn't really understand the true mechanics and finer subtleties of a good setup.