Plek job in Norman

[Stanley Student]

I need the frets on my bass re-dressed and was thinking of trying the Plek machine. The nearest one to me (Dallas) seems to be in Norman OK. at NMC and was wondering if anybody on TB has had them do any work with the Plek. If so, were you satisfied with the job?

[tbone0813]

I had a Benavente PLEK'd by them a couple of years ago and I was not satisfied at all. The action had to be raised quite a bit to get rid of the buzzing. At that point the action was too high for me. It was especially bad toward the high side of the neck around the 20th fret. This was my only experience with the PLEK machine and it very well could have been the operator. If you are set on having this done I would send it to Mike Lull and have him do it. I have only heard success stories coming out of his shop.

[BigOldHarry]

interesting... This is the first negative response to pleking I've read...

[spellcaster]

I went through Norman a couple years ago and stopped at the shop.
Found a long sought after case for my Sunn 2000s but I did not get a bass Plek'd.
I did take a look around and talked with them a bit about it. They had a lot of great things to say about having a Pleck'd bass and from what I understand excellent feedback from those who had it done. Also, from what I remember it was not too expensive.

[Stanley Student]

Word of mouth is always the best (or maybe in this case, worst) advertising. A machine is only as good as its operator and I've also read good things about Mike Lull but for the price to have him Plek my bass ($235.00), the additional cost of shipping it and the chance that my bass may be damaged during shipping, I have to admit I'm a bit skittish.
Can anyone attest to why I might ship my bass to Mike Lull? If its worth it, I might look into sending it to him.

[Syco_bass]

In my opinion, frets are best handled by someone with a skilled and patient hand. I have had very good success using hand tools, precise measuring tools a good eye and patience. Unless your neck is warped, a good luthier can acheive great results for you without having to ship your bass anywhere.

With that said, Mike Lull builds fantastic basses and has fine luthiers working for him. I would be very surprised if you sent your bass to him and was not satisfied with the service they provide.

Good luck.

[smithplyr]

Had some issues with my 62 Jazz,Having a bit of a slope around the 14th fret.Would not give me low action because of it,I took the chance on getting my Bass Plek`d by Vince at Crossroads Guitar Shop here in Northern Va,Wow!!! the out come of the Plek came out great,Action on my Bass is to kill for with no Buzz any where on the Neck.Wish I would have had it done a long time ago.A bit pricey yes,But so well worth it!!,Vince is a great guy and really knows his stuff when it comes to Pleking a Guitar or Bass,Look him up or give him a call about the Plek process!!! Great Guy!!!,Vince charges $210 for the Plek

[HaMMerHeD]

Hi. They are about 2 miles from my house. It costs about $125 and the guy that does it is good at it. I had it done on a friend's guitar for his birthday, and he says it plays better than ever.

[mikeyswood]

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

interesting... This is the first negative response to pleking I've read...

You must not have read Sadowsky's opinion of these services. I agree with Roger's opinion about this 100%.

[OmnitzGarima]

Originally Posted by Stanley Student

Can anyone attest to why I might ship my bass to Mike Lull? If its worth it, I might look into sending it to him.

I've heard nothing but great things about Mike Lull and the Plek machines. But, I can get my basses set up locally (Mike Lull is local for me also, BTW) by one of the best in the business for less than half that $235. I haven't played a Lull-Plek'd bass, so I can't say how much value he adds, but for now I'm happy as things are.

Shipping scares me.

[smithplyr]

you know what they say about Opinions???

[JLS]

"I am often asked my opinion of the PLEK machine.....

I was one of the first people that PLEK approached many years ago....and I have stayed current on the improvements they have made over time. Honestly, I have yet to find a good reason to purchase a PLEK.

First of all, I made my reputation on my fretwork. There is no machine on the planet that can do better fretwork than Sadowsky Guitars. Second, there is a fundamental flaw with the logic behind the PLEK. 99% of all neck problems are in the true-ness of the fingerboard. I am fundamentally opposed to removing material from the frets to compensate for problems in the fingerboard. If there is a playability issue with one of my instruments, I will remove the frets, rework the fingerboard and then refret with our impeccable fretwork.

I can see some benefit to companies that import a lot of inexpensive instruments or to repair shops that do a lot of fret dressing and set-up work. However, a PLEK machine brings no "value added" to Sadowsky Guitars, other than having to pass the $100,000 + expense to my customers.

My final word on the subject is that the US sales representative for PLEK, after working on one of my instruments, called to tell me "Roger--you are about the only builder I know who does not need a PLEK"."

[JLS]

Originally Posted by Syco_bass

In my opinion, frets are best handled by someone with a skilled and patient hand. I have had very good success using hand tools, precise measuring tools a good eye and patience. Unless your neck is warped, a good luthier can acheive great results for you without having to ship your bass anywhere.

Good luck.

Can't agree more: Plek is a much-ballyhooed cure-all. I'll hold the level/recrowns I produce up to a pleked instrument any day of the week.

[Bassholio]

I had a friend of mine recently purchased a $3500 dollar Les Paul with a Plek job.
It literally looked and played like an unfinished fret job. The frets looked like someone took a rat tail file to them. I couldn't imagine how they could get proper intonation on any fretted note.