Should I get my R9 Plek'd?

[Stowburst]

I usually do my own set ups (intonation, action, TR, Fret dress etc) and i'm happy with the way it plays.

I'm hearing lots of chat about a Plek set up and might be interested..

Can anyone tell me what they think about this? Have you had your guitars Pleked, whats the action / playablity like?

cheers

s

[Liam]

I understood it was something they had to use a machine in the factory to do, but maybe I'm wrong. Thought it was either Plek'd when built or not at all. Maybe someone can explain.

I always reckon if you can level the frets properly by hand (I use a 16" ground steel tube with abrasive paper - THE way to go - got the idea from StewMac, but made my own to save money!), and you know how to crown frets nicely and cut a nut so it feels nice and is snug on the strings, you can get any guitar playing nicely.

If the frets are correctly placed it will even play in tune once you've set the intonation!

[AndyC]

Hey Stow!

I had Phil at Philtone in Baltimore Plek my R7 and my R9. Both guitars played very well before I had it done. When I got my R7 I wanted to put a bone nut on it. I sent it to Phil for that and I had him Plek it at the same time. I like very low action, but no buzzing. Hard balance to find. He found it. What was cool was he sent it back with a printout plotting the action and fret height before the Plek, and after.

The feel it had after the Plek was that a master had setup the guitar. I do my own setups and I have the process down pretty well, but I don't have the eye or the tools that that Plek machine has! And that Phil has!


I bought an R9 new from Gibson at Summerjam, but it had been played (loaned to "an artist"). I wanted to put a bone nut on that one too. Again it went to Phil, and again it came back playing just that much better than when I sent it to him.

I'm really picky about setup, and the Plek jobs have been the best I've ever had my Les Pauls play. I wouldn't characterize it that it's beyond what a good luthier can do, but it certainly matches the best a luthier can do by hand.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by Liam

I understood it was something they had to use a machine in the factory to do, but maybe I'm wrong. Thought it was either Plek'd when built or not at all. Maybe someone can explain.

Gibson does indeed have a Plek machine (2 now I think) at the Custom Shop that all the reissues go through as they are built. It is not however, something that HAS to be done as the guitar is built. It's a machine that they strap the guitar into that reads the neck, and grinds and polishes the frets after the scan. It can be done at any time. The strings are removed from the guitar but the Plek machine puts pressure on the neck the same as the string guage you are using would put. It's a very cool process, and a very expensive machine.

There are pics on the web (probably on here somewhere) of the Plek process.

[Liam]

Judging from the standard of original setup on my 2001 R9, Plek must be a huge improvement.

Thanks for the info, Andy. I had often wondered. Do they use it for fingerboard levelling or just frets?

[swankmotee]

Actrually, the machine does the computations and crowning while the guitar is strung up to tension thus making the correct tweaks on the neck per the correct bow or imperfections under load. I've had three guitars done at Joe Glaser's shop ( He's the guy who worked with the inventor beta testing this original design and also helped Gibson set up their machines) here in NashVegas and they were as perfectly adjusted as I have ever experienced! Joe used me as one of his test monkey's because I use extremely low action (I've been the brunt of his jokes for many years!) to see if mine would play and sound accurately without buzzing or fretting out. In the beginning I worked with him back in forth to get a proper compound radius to my liking and the machine did a flawless job on a paticularly nasty ole 57' Strat that had alot humps and divots on the fretboard surface. The machine compensated for all the uneven spots and the fret dress was perfect! It's also very eye opening to see the computer graph of your baby before the work with all the heights of the frets shown in their worn and uneven glory! There is no way a human can do as a fret job this accurate and the minute you play it afterwards you will never go back!

[Stowburst]

Originally Posted by swankmotee

There is no way a human can do as a fret job this accurate and the minute you play it afterwards you will never go back!

Well thats what I keep hearing!! I think there is a Plek place here in the UK and you can wait while they do it...I might check it out.

[lp59aholicDon]

If ya can afford it, Why not, especially if you have uneven wear in the frets