Plek'd Squier Affinity Vs Fender Custom Shop Strat

[peskypesky]

[pdcorlis]

Thanks for the video! Boy it raises all sorts of questions... is Plek’d guitar better than the set-up done by your average AGF member? Is it better to buy a less expensive guitar to leave room in your budget for a Plek job? I’m sure there are more questions but it’s early and I haven’t finished my coffee yet.

Thanks again for the video - and have a Happy New Year!

[toomanycats]

My 2¢

Pleking is great, but all it does is perfectly level the frets and crown them (can also cut the nut). With perfectly leveled and crowned frets you will be able to set the action as low as possible. Consequently, you'll be able to bend strings further without fretting out, will have increased sustain on those bends, and will be able to better intonate the instrument. However, beyond this Pleking doesn't make the guitar in and of itself sound better. The wood is still the wood, the electronic circuit is what it is, and the player is still the player. The Plek is not a magic machine.

Sure, a skilled luthier can accomplish the same thing as Pleking, though it will be more inconsistent and time consuming. It's just a fact that no human is as fast and precise as a CNC machine.

I wouldn't buy a cheap guitar that required a PLEK, because guess what? Your "cheap" $150 guitar is now a $300 guitar and isn't a bargain anymore! After you spend another $150 on pups and hardware you'll realize that you should have either 1) Cherry picked an better example of said cheap guitar model (one with level frets), or 2) Just got a better quality mid priced instrument to begin with.

[uwmcscott]

I like Phillip's vids, some people are put off by his attitude but I think he does a good job of being pretty unbiased/transparent.

As far as the cost of plek, I view it kind of like the difference between getting your car tuned up by a local/backyard mechanic vs having it done at a dealership that has all the latest technology/equipment. You will likely get close to the same end result, but the dealer can probably do it faster, more consistently but at a higher cost. Certainly there are exceptions.

And as far as having it done on a "cheap" guitar, that's also kind of a personal preference thing. A $150 guitar doesn't automatically become a $300 guitar any more than a $1500 guitar would become a $1650 guitar after being Plek'd. If you have a guitar that you like and intend on keeping, and it needs fretwork, either option could be considered IMHO

[Mossman]

I've always thought of Plek as over-kill, and it's hard for me to think of a situation in which it's justified. From the perspective of someone who knows how to level and crown frets, it might be worth it if the guitar needs a full fret level down the entire neck, and you don't want to spend the time to do it. That can be an all-day job (at least for me), and my time isn't exactly worthless to me. Leveling is quick and easy. It's the crowning and polishing of each individual fret that's the majority of the work. But in my experience, it's rare to come across a brand new guitar that needs more than a couple of frets touched up (unless it's a super cheap guitar, like a Cozart, or something. I think a trained baboon installed the frets on the one I had).

I would certainly never have a Plek job done preemptively... These days, most decent guitars (yes, even Squier Affinities) don't even need that. Hell, I can't even remember having to file a single fret on any SX guitar or bass that I've owned (yet somehow, they still can't cut a nut properly!), so you can't assume that even a cheap guitar is going to need a Plek job. And if the guitar's expensive and it has wonky frets, that shouldn't be tolerated, and I'd just send that guitar back.

If you don't know how to level and crown frets, I think you could have all the frets replaced for cheaper than having it Plek'd.

[Mossman]

I wouldn't buy a cheap guitar that required a PLEK, because guess what? Your "cheap" $150 guitar is now a $300 guitar and isn't a bargain anymore!

Make that a $400-$500 guitar. Most places charge $200-$250 to Plek a guitar, and that cost gets even higher if there's nobody in your local area that has a Plek machine. You're usually expected to pay for shipping both ways, so you can add about $120 to the cost, depending on how far you have to ship it.

[peskypesky]

Personally, I have never considered a Plek job. I buy cheap guitars and I learned how to level, crown and polish frets. I'm no expert at it, but it's also not rocket science. You just need the right tools, some guidance, and some patience.

A plek in Austin costs $220, which is more than most of my electric guitars cost.
https://straightfrets.com/pricing-and-s ... k-machine/


I might consider getting a plek on my classical guitar, if I were to start playing it seriously. Classical guitars are a pain when it comes to getting low action. No truss rod in neck, for example.

[golem]

I think Plek is pretty cool. If I was a pro or had a lot of cash and wanted everything perfect I'd probably Plek every once in a while. I'm neither.

[peskypesky]

I think Plek is pretty cool. If I was a pro or had a lot of cash and wanted everything perfect I'd probably Plek every once in a while. I'm neither.

oh yeah, if I was a pro, it would be a no-brainer.