Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Plekking a fretless?
- Thread starter AudioDwebe
- Start date
Huh?
A plek is only for fretted basses...
I have heard of luthiers smoothing feet boards.... But not plek
A plek is only for fretted basses...
I have heard of luthiers smoothing feet boards.... But not plek
The plek machines are also able to level the fingerboards, at least according to the Lull shop in Bellevue.
Anyone?
Anyone?
I thought the point of plek was that frets are by their nature harder to get level, much less true for fretless fingerboards. But no reason it wouldn't work, either - just seems like overkill, one of those aluminum beam sanders from stewmac would seem to accomplish the same thing for a lot less. But if you've already got the plek machine, sure would be a time-saver.
I'm an idiot. I thought you meant using plectrum. Sorry. I don't know what plek is. I will do my own research so please don't trash too severely TB'rs.
Got it...Next to the tone, the playability is one of the most important characteristics that determines the quality of a musical instrument. The plek process guarantees the best possible string action for each instrument, matching the individual style of the musician. A guitar with optimised playability just sounds better: the strings do not strike the frets during playing and any intonation problems that may occur due to too low a string action are eliminated.
Can you post a link of the ad?
according to Lull's website:
"The PLEK is a computer controlled fret leveling machine. It can level frets to within .001 mm accuracy. This kind of precision can not be matched by doing the job by hand…..…"
according to Lull's website:
"The PLEK is a computer controlled fret leveling machine. It can level frets to within .001 mm accuracy. This kind of precision can not be matched by doing the job by hand…..…"
I think a Plek machine COULD level a fretless fingerboard with the right cutter installed. I don't know if any of the Plek machine owners actually do that operation. It would be very similar to the diamond milling operation Carvin does on fretless necks. I have a Carvin diamond-milled fretless neck (AC50) and it plays wonderfully. But I will also say that my G&L L2500 fretless developed a "bump" in the neck that I had to take a sanding block to to flatten out. The deal is that unless the fretless neck is precisely flat you will get weird buzzing on certain notes with very low action. Low action is needed if you want lots of Mwah.
The deal is that Carvin milling and the luthier sanding are done with the strings (tension) off the neck. So you make the neck absolutely flat in that case and HOPE it works out once you put the strings (and tension) back on. Sometimes it does and sometimes it does not. Plek on the other hand MEASURES the neck profile with the strings on and under tension. And then you take the strings (and tension) off and it measures it again. The machine creates a mathematical model between the tension and un-tension states and then profiles the neck so that (supposedly) once it is shaped and re-tensioned the curve will come back smack-dab into "perfect". I had my Conklin Pleked and that one certainly did!
So the same thing would also apply to a fretless fingerboard being planed by a a Plek machine. But from what I've seen on my fretless basses that kind of accuracy isn't really needed. Just sanding it untensioned and flat and then putting the strings back on and tweaking the truss rod to pull it into the profile seems to work just fine so the Plek expense in that case is probably overkill.
I just called and spoke with them. I didn't speak with Mike, but one of the other guys (don't recall the name) in his shop.
The guy told me they plek fretless basses all the time. Plek plus setup will run somewhere between $180 and $255. The guy wasn't sure if it was a two or three hour job and asked that I call to orrow and speak with Mike directly for a more accurate number.
I looked at the tool at StewMac and the price was around $140. I looked up the radius of the bass (15") but SM didn't show that radiused block (14 and 16). Maybe an inch doesn't make much of a difference?
Anyway, I'm considering it. I'm curious if it'll make a difference (guessing it will).
The guy told me they plek fretless basses all the time. Plek plus setup will run somewhere between $180 and $255. The guy wasn't sure if it was a two or three hour job and asked that I call to orrow and speak with Mike directly for a more accurate number.
I looked at the tool at StewMac and the price was around $140. I looked up the radius of the bass (15") but SM didn't show that radiused block (14 and 16). Maybe an inch doesn't make much of a difference?
Anyway, I'm considering it. I'm curious if it'll make a difference (guessing it will).
Last edited:
The PLEK can be used on just the nut.
It could never get a nice finish on the fingerboard. If it cut the radius on the board it would still have to be hand finished.
It could never get a nice finish on the fingerboard. If it cut the radius on the board it would still have to be hand finished.
I've sanded my own and you can never be sure you've sanded enough, and it is a pain to have to put the nut back in, strings on, bring to tension, retighten the truss rod to find out it's not enough. I'm not even sure where my DIY-store aluminium channel (cheaper!) is...
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
DO NOT BUY A BLOCK THAT IS NOT 15"!!
I am sorry for yelling but that inch is a world of difference, you would regret that big time.
Why are you hell-bent on PLEK? A pro does a better job than a PLEK, a PLEK is just faster. I wouldn't hesitate to send my bass to somebody who does it old school, just make sure they have a good rep.
Just for the record, I spoke to Mike Lull personally and he stated they use the PLEK machine to level the fingerboard on all of his basses. I plan on bringing a Warwick I got with a twisted neck and have him re-level the fingerboard with the PLEK machine. He quoted me $225 to have this done.
Michael
Michael
Fodera pleks their fretless (and fretted) instruments.
They do as good a fretwork/fretboard prep as anyone, but they recognize that there are things that the machine can do better/faster (if setup and run correctly).
They do as good a fretwork/fretboard prep as anyone, but they recognize that there are things that the machine can do better/faster (if setup and run correctly).
Turnaround
Commercial User
Or you can level the fingerboard with the strings on and at pitch - the same way frets can be levelled with the strings on. Or use a neck tensioning jig (second best in my books). Takes a bit of skill to do but is something I routinely do when there is only minor levelling to be done. You can get really superb results with this method.
Wow! I'd say it takes some skill! Special tools maybe to get under the strings? You sure couldn't use my Fret files under the strings at tension or my sanding blocks! But you are right that would the the ultimate in neck profiling! I have seen those neck tensioning jigs and I guess it's better than nothing but one has to assume the neck bends the same way in the jig as it does under string tension which I am not sure is always true.
Listen to the man about the 15" block! He speaks the truth!
As for a pro doing a better job then a PLEK, this is not true. Nor is a PLEK necessarily faster. The quality of EITHER job depends on the skill of technician. PLEK is not some magic computer genius. In getting the machine to do it's work the operator must look at the measurements the machine makes on the guitar neck and then the operator must make judgments in telling the machine what to do to correct the situation. It is NOT some automatic process. Which of course is the same situation with a pro luthier where the skill and judgment of the technician determine how great the final result will be. So the question of who does the best job would be the technician with the most skill and experience. Duh! So my advice is I wouldn't hesitate to take an instrument to a Luthier with great skills (I have (my Ken Smith) and received amazing results) And I would also advise that you need to choose a PLEK operator the same way. A poor operator can give you a poor job in spite of the accuracy of the machine!
