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Plek pro - is it worth $299?

#86
B String said:
I don't know about anywhere as good as a skilled Luthier, I do know that the fret work I've had done by Maurilio at Nordstrand is as good as I could want (or need) Great craftsman.
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obviously, we are dealing with fine measurements when it comes to fret leveling. a "big" difference in feel and performance will be an increasingly small measurement as the fret level is better and better.

a plek will get you "there," sure.

but i think there is a significant, noticeable difference from the "best" luthier work to plek. i've played instruments off the plek machine and thought "if this was mine i'd bring it in for a fret dressing immediately.."

i get my frets done by larry of fitzgerald guitars on long island. though few members here will know larry and his work, i can say someone like him can out perform a plek machine to a degree i'm comfortable describing as "not even close" to the same result.

and hey, i've also had frets done by other people (who, to my surprise, have good reputations online) who would get out performed by the plek machine.

so, my stance is partially based on being local to who i believe to be one of the most skilled guitar luthiers in the country.
 
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#87
Marley's Ghost said:
I'm looking into buying an Am Pro II P bass from Sweetwater and they are offering Plek pro for $299. Is it worth it?

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You're already paying 2 grand, what's another 300 bucks to get it as perfect as it could be?

So, a luthier straightens the neck, and sands the frets with a beam with sand paper on it. He then files the frets, one by one, back into circles, and polishes them, one by one, shiny again.

The machine levels, crowns, and polishes it with a 1/1000 margain of error. It is then set up and checked by a human before it gets re-packaged. I'd go with the machine.
 
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#88
JeezyMcNuggles said:
You're already paying 2 grand, what's another 300 bucks to get it as perfect as it could be?
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15 %, and a cash that could be spend on something like a killer compressor pedal, for instance.

JeezyMcNuggles said:
The machine levels, crowns, and polishes it with a 1/1000 margain of error. It is then set up and checked by a human before it gets re-packaged. I'd go with the machine.
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Providing that the person who operates the machine knows what he/she is doing.
 
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#93
blr2 said:
A nonsense like the above, could only be written by:
1. A person that knows nothing about compressors.
2. A person that complies to p.1 and/or doesn't play with a band.
3. A deaf person.
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We play bass, we're all deaf.

I play in many bands.

A compressor drops the level of the signal by a ratio of decibels. If it's on to where you notice it, you notice it. All dynamics are lost, and you get an odd pop squeeze as it engages. In a studio, you use compression mainly to raise the level of the music. Live, to avoid clipping in the mix.

You should evaluate your set up if you think I'm wrong in any of that.
 
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#94
groooooove said:
obviously, we are dealing with fine measurements when it comes to fret leveling. a "big" difference in feel and performance will be an increasingly small measurement as the fret level is better and better.

a plek will get you "there," sure.

but i think there is a significant, noticeable difference from the "best" luthier work to plek. i've played instruments off the plek machine and thought "if this was mine i'd bring it in for a fret dressing immediately.."

i get my frets done by larry of fitzgerald guitars on long island. though few members here will know larry and his work, i can say someone like him can out perform a plek machine to a degree i'm comfortable describing as "not even close" to the same result.

and hey, i've also had frets done by other people (who, to my surprise, have good reputations online) who would get out performed by the plek machine.

so, my stance is partially based on being local to who i believe to be one of the most skilled guitar luthiers in the country.
Click to expand...

I agree. Just like there are different levels of players, there are different levels of Luthiers.
 
#95
Certainly not a necessity. When spending $1800 on a bass, my expectation is that it should come out of the factory with good fretwork, or else I would return it. For a less expensive instrument, I would do a level and crown myself or pay someone less than half of the PLEK cost to do it. I’m not pooping on the idea of the PLEK system- it’s a great thing, but good luthier will get it right for less.
 
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#98
My 3 Sandbergs are plekked from factory and two of them play great. The third one is fretless so...
I purchased a Fender Player P from SW and I was having a bit of a truss rod problem. The bass was playing well but I wanted to make sure that the rod wasn't frozen. I shipped it back and they solved the problem and asked if I wanted to have it plekked and they offered it for free because of my inconvenience. The bass came back playing even better than it did before. I am very happy with it. But it was free. I probably would pay to have it done if I had a problem with the frets on a bass but I wouldn't do it to all of my basses, it would cost way too much.
 

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