Lol, was just browsing On Sweetwater , for only $200 they’ll plek your new $7000 bass. Can someone explain to me why a $7000 bass would benefit from a plek job.
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Plek job on a $7000 bass ?
- Thread starter sonic 7
- Start date
A skillful luthier can certainly do a great job but a PLEK machine has a tolerance of 1/1000 of a millimeter which can come in handy for folks who like a really low action without some frets buzzing. I see your point about offering a PLEK job on a $7K instrument, for that kind of money the frets should be perfect as they are.
Because perception is reality and the amount of navel gazing that goes on regarding "bespoke experiences" is vast and never ending. Just look at the classifieds here for examples.
That said, I have a 1988 4003s Rickenbacker I bought used and had it PLEKKED as a part of its initial setup after I got it. The frets had been "dressed and leveled" by the previous owner and it needed a lot of work to make it functional.
А $7000 bass should either come plek'd or have a fretjob so good, that it doesn't need a plek.
They offer the Plek service for any investment - your choice to add (or not) as an option. Many of the higher end instruments are already Plek’d.
People cut corners no matter what their product retails for.
Don't they offer the $200 PLEK job on any guitar? It would probably be a pain for them to explicitly not offer it on high end guitars.
Because a woodworker artisan is not necessarily a master fret finisher.
That’s why Collings offers it.
That’s why Collings offers it.
It's called "up-selling". SOP for retailers, same as it ever was.
The expensive bass may not need any adjustments to be perfect, but a $200 Plek job on a $7K bass makes more $$ sense than a $200 Plek job on a $400 bass, even though the cheaper bass may be more likely to need it. For someone who can toss off $7000 for a bass guitar, another $200 is nothing.
Retailer: "Would you like fries with that order?"
Customer: "Sure, why not."
Any bass guitar is first and foremost a musical instrument, not a luxury piece of furniture
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
Hell, Gibson Pleks all their guitars at the factory now. It just makes good sense n' stuff.
A plek machine is only as good as its operator.
I wouldn't let a sweetwater plek operator within 10 feet of my $7000 bass if I had one. If I'm spending that kind of coin, I'm taking my bass personally to the only luthier in my state with a plek and I'm going to ask him to show me the computer generated assessment of the neck before the plek program is initiated.
I'm also not buying a $7000 bass I haven't personally laid hands on and played. So there's that.
I'm also not buying a $7000 bass I haven't personally laid hands on and played. So there's that.
I’m sure Plek does a great job on initial fret leveling, but since the frets are hammered into wood, which moves over time, how permanent is the benefit? Certainly better than most off the shelf fret jobs, but I’m not convinced that a skilled Luthier can’t do nearly as well.
A couple of musings on this:
Some have said that a Plek is an expectation on a bass costing that much. Are there a significant number of people who think this way? Some old information I have on the cost of this sort of a machine is quite astronomical. I doubt many boutique low-volume builders are going to fork over the hundreds of thousands of dollars this machine costs if they are getting excellent results with whatever hand-driven method they are using (I've heard $100K-250K).
I have seen a few boutique builders who offer it, but a quick search on Plek's website shows all of the examples I know of are located driving distance to another shop that has a Plek machine. Personally, if the builder is offering the bass without Plek then I'm going to take it that way.
Some have said that a Plek is an expectation on a bass costing that much. Are there a significant number of people who think this way? Some old information I have on the cost of this sort of a machine is quite astronomical. I doubt many boutique low-volume builders are going to fork over the hundreds of thousands of dollars this machine costs if they are getting excellent results with whatever hand-driven method they are using (I've heard $100K-250K).
I have seen a few boutique builders who offer it, but a quick search on Plek's website shows all of the examples I know of are located driving distance to another shop that has a Plek machine. Personally, if the builder is offering the bass without Plek then I'm going to take it that way.
If a $7k bass doesn’t come perfect right away, you better buy something else.
Or ask for a $300.00 discount and bring it to a competent luthier to set it up.
Or ask for a $300.00 discount and bring it to a competent luthier to set it up.
I'd suggest folks should really let their new bass hang out in their natural home environment for a couple seasons before committing. Things move and settle like mentioned above.
Yes on this!! If I spend $7000 it better be perfect and have perfect wood that it stays perfect!
