To Plek or not to Plek?

[Tpi]

Plek: That is a search term that yields one similar thread regarding factory-plek'ed guitars, but not who here has had their basses plek'ed, new or old. Those search terms are scattered to a few random threads.

Tomorrow I bring my weeks-new-to-me, though warehoused-thru-at-least-one-NY-freeze/thaw-cycle-for-over-a-year Ibanez SR4FMDX-EGL to one particular shop in Huntington Beach, CA. (I don't know if we're allowed to mention shop names).

This shop is ibanez warranty (for side issues EGL has) and are the only Plek option in the immediate region. Being a one hour drive in good traffic each way is nice. Being ~40 miles of the I-405 thru Venice/LAX, it could be three hours or more on a friday afternoon returning home. And then again next week to pick her up whatever day that is.

There are very few videos of the plek process, though each is good and several vids of folks before and after reactions. Every last person has a big smile is the consensus with almost genetic-level changes as-were to the guitar itself, improving sound, playing and everything.

Certainly the math holds up and the machine is the machine. Unless some evil-guitarist hacks in while your bass is being mapped and cut, the result is going to be flawless. Subtract one number from the other and zappo-bang, the neck is robot-grade perfect.

The price is negligible or steep depending on how you view it. I'll be paying some $230 or so, though I have a special change going into the order. For the price paid on the bass, the plek and setup is just a percentage tithe to the rock gods. That said, one youtuber treats a $100 beater to the plek and is stunned by the difference. So delicate or basher, plek seems to satisfy all.

Under $250 seems to be the general consensus.

 

[ddnidd1]

Plek also depends upon the skill of the operator. The shop you are going to does an excellent job. They've done 4 of my basses. A year or so ago the charge was $200.

Also unless policy has changed - cash gets a discount.

 

[Killing Floor]

Done it. Worth it. Sure, some skilled luthier will rightfully say they can perform equally by hand tools. Some certainly can. But none of those people work at the Ibanez or Fender factories or any other major factory.

Not only have I had basses done, I’ve also had nuts made. Yeah, a Plek tool can completely shape a bone nut!

And the guy who owns the machine locally is a highly regarded luthier and does detail work for Collings Guitars. It’s absolutely worth it in my experience.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I'm sure it's worth it. I don't have the time and $$.

 

[Tpi]

Also unless policy has changed - cash gets a discount.

I will keep that in mind when I discuss it with Hugh tomorrow. Thanks!

PS I haven't voted in my own poll yet as I don't know how I feel yet, but expect it will be in the OMG range.

 

[sleddogn]

Why the Plek not? My gibby's have it done via factory, they are very nice in this regard....

 

[LowEndLobster]

I've had over 10 basses PLEK'd by TJ Thompson in Maynard, MA. G&L L2500 CLF S750, Peavey Cirruses, Sires, the Fender Gold Foil and others. The playing experience improved dramatically each time. It was really interesting to see how the machine is operated and how much skill is involved in not only operating the machine but also preparing the instrument properly. I have a video coming soon showing the PLEK process and discussing the scanned readouts. If you have an instrument that you love and want it to play its best, then the price is well worth it ESPECIALLY if you can get it done locally. I'm really fortunate to have TJ close by (30-40 min drive).

 

[pingvuiini]

13th Street Guitars??

I had my Tiny Boy bass Pleked there and I feel it made a lot of difference.

 

[nostatic]

to quote my attorney ex-wife, "it depends..."

Some of my instruments have been plek'd, others not. As others have noted, results can depend on the skill of the operator/setup, and your delta depends on the starting point. If you have uneven fret heights (easy to check), then it can make a big difference. In the neck/frets are in good order to begin with, your mind is likely safe from being blown.

Thankfully I escaped LA a few years ago. Living in Santa Monica (and prior, west LA) for many years, I have first-hand experience - that section of the 405 will suck the life out of you tout de suite.

 

[steelbed45]

I had some fretwork done by Straight Frets in Austin, and I also opted for the PLEK process - that was definitely the right call. They did a fantastic job.

 

[Ggaa]

If I needed it and it was available I'd do it.

 

[sawzalot]

I've had basses plekked with varying results. Some have been absolutely game-changing, especially if there was a defect that needed correcting. Sometimes it's been just ok. Critical to the process is a human being following the process to really tweak it to how you want it to play.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Sweetwater offered the option while I was purchasing my new Schecter Stiletto.
Mulled it a bit but didnt see the sense in it for a bass I hadn't touched nor played yet.

Option would have come to about 25% of the bass purchase price... sort of steep for "insurance of playability" of a factory-new, warranteed instrument.

A more expensive instrument should not need such straight from the factory. A less expensive instrument its hard to justify the cost.

In this case it worked out for me... no detectable shortcomings in the delivered instrument.

May consider in the future if I ever have a situation I cant correct myself.

 

[markjazzbassist]

had it done by well known shop in LA, i wasn't impressed. years later moved back to hometown (cleveland), local luthier i found here on TB did it by hand and it was perfection. as some one else said, the machine doesn't do the work, it's only as good as the operator. so my vote is no not worth it.

 

[Maxi Funkl]

I haven't pleked anything but sure would love to.
If was recording or playing out regularly I'd be all over it.

 

[Clark Westfield]

This video explains the PLEK machine so we all can understand if we really need this on our guitars.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

Every last person has a big smile is the consensus with almost genetic-level changes as-were to the guitar itself, improving sound, playing and everything.

This very well depends on your skill set. Is there a problem now? If not, it's probably a waste of funds. Your bass may already be as good as it needs to. Pleking does not automajically impart a more fluid or better sounding playing experience. It may not help at all. Just sayin.

Also, you may want to let your new baby go through a full 4 seasons and test how temper mental it is before deciding on what needs to be done.

 

[40Hz]

We have one pleked guitar in the house. It plays beautifully and has a nice feel to it.

We also have several more that haven’t been pleked. Most of them also play beautifully and have a nice feel.

I have mixed feelings about it having also played some pleked instruments owned by others. Some felt exceptionally good, others felt fine but weren’t anything worth writing home about. They just felt like guitars with a good setup. So for me it’s one of those things that may make a difference if it’s actually needed. But it’s really hard to know in advance whether or not it will. Or even if it is needed. I have been told it can only do so much and will not work miracles. A lot depends on what the machine is given to work with and how much experience the operator has. Because there’s still a fair degree of art involved in the process.

There’s also the question of how well do any of the pleking advantages last. The process seems very specific to what the machine scans and analyzes at the time of the pleking. Suppose you change over to a very different type of string and then realize you need to adjust the neck relief and string intonation. I’m unclear about whether that makes any difference to the plek. But if someone does know for sure (any plek operators here?) can you please educate me about this? My suspicion is that with tolerances as fine as the ones the machine is adjusting things for, any change to the neck is going to have an effect in terms of specs. But I have no idea if that is going to have any significance in terms of real world feel or playability.

Anybody ?

 

[DrBnz]

I have a couple with a PLEK job. Just means I can set them up as low as I want. But if you're neck was relatively straight in the first place (and no fret buzz) then you're fine without it. One thing I'd point out is for the best results you wanna PLEK it with your favorite strings installed.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It depends on how well done the fretwork is now, how much the bass costs and if you are going to keep it. If you put $300 into a Plek and want to sell the bass, you won't recoup any of that cost.