We are always striving for perfection, utilizing the latest techniques, tools, and technology to push the craft of guitar repair forward. Our pursuit of this ever elusive goal has led us to the PLEK.
The PLEK machine is a highly specialized computer controlled tool, primarily designed for precision fretwork and advanced setup functions. It is also a philosophy – a means of looking at the guitar and it’s interaction with the musician in a systematic, precise way. The PLEK, operated by an experienced guitar tech, can make your guitar play better than you ever dreamed possible.
The greatness of any guitar lies in the quality of it’s fretwork. If the frets aren’t perfectly even within a tolerance of .01mm(.004″), notes won’t speak properly, bends will die out, and the guitar won’t sustain. Every guitar, regardless of it’s price or brand, can be susceptible to uneven frets. Not only are frets rarely perfect from the factory, they also wear down over time, as the strings vibrate against the fret. If you’ve ever been unsatisfied with your instrument, and haven’t been able to adjust it to eliminate buzzing, you can benefit from having your guitar PLEK’d and setup to suit your playing style.
Here’s how the PLEK process works: first, when you come in to our shop, we discuss your options and preferred action for your particular instrument, so we can customize the setup to your specs. We prepare your guitar with your requested string gauges and place the guitar inside the PLEK. We then use the PLEK to scan your instrument, where it registers 6,000+ data points along the neck, with a tolerance of .001mm(.00005″). We use this information to properly set the truss rod to put the neck in it’s proper state of relief, and then program the PLEK to level the frets, taking into account your desired action, playing style, and other factors. The PLEK levels the frets into a perfect parabolic curve, allowing each note to speak cleanly with no buzzing nor fretting out. In addition to being extremely accurate, it also eliminates the guesswork of truss rod adjustment, as the neck is in the perfect state of relief when it comes out of the machine. Once the PLEK process is complete, we customize the setup of the guitar to your specs. Your guitar will play easier, sound better, and be more enjoyable to play than ever before.
No matter what instrument you play, be it electric or acoustic guitar, bass (fretted or fretless), or other stringed instrument – all can benefit from a PLEK precision level and setup. Drop by the shop anytime to see what the PLEK can do for you.