
Victory Pete
Banned
Do you think the PLEK system at Gibson is good?
VP
VP
It's only as good as the guy running it, but yeah, I think it's a good system.
I haven't played a PLEK'd Gibson, but this is what I've heard in a nutshell. Shops like Anderson and Suhr have gotten spectacular results from one, because they take extra steps while using it (for example, keeping the necks under appropriate tension). Gibson hasn't - the average quality of fretwork is better than what they were getting pre-PLEK, but it's still nothing to write home about.
Still, it's an improvement, I hear.
EMG has been doing that for some time, and Dimarzio and (I believe) Duncan are starting to do it as an option. On one hand I can see the appeal - if you're not good with a soldering iron or don't own one, a pickup swap is a simple plug-and-play operation. However, you lose quite a bit of flexibility...
I think your run with Gibson has a lot more to do with exceptionally good luck than any PLEK related changes. That said, what sort of setup issues are you having?
My nut slots and saddle slots are inconsistent. The slots on the same saddle for the paired strings are way off, for example the octave D string bottoms out and buzzes while the lower D string is quite high. It is just a bad job all around. When I set nuts and saddle slots I use feeler gauges and other gauges to accurately set the slots to conform with the given radius of a fretboard. All of my other Gibson were done very well in this regard, just not the PLEKed SG 12 string.
VP
Honestly, that sounds like user error on Gibson's part. The PLEK process is computer controlled to remove issues like inconsistent nut heights, so if the process is being done correctly (and, again, I don't believe it is - I've read that Gibson doesn't PLEK under string tension) you shouldn't be seeing wildly different heights.
I'm also wondering if the PLEK doesn't currently have 12-string support, and if the octave slots on the nut are being cut by hand, perhaps...?
You've got it on backwards.The slots on the same saddle for the paired strings are way off, for example the octave D string bottoms out and buzzes while the lower D string is quite high.
You've got it on backwards.![]()
Nope. And that is the way it came.
A directional tune-o-matic?
Quick edit from the expert. I quoted "They only go one way." I guess that was too obviously incorrect.
Quick edit from the expert. I quoted "They only go one way." I guess that was too obviously incorrect.
Way. .........................VP wrong? No way!
Tune-o-matics go either way and can be inadvertently reversed quite easily. Happens all the time. Can't tell anything from your pic. Is it oriented up or down? Looks upside-down to me but I can't discern slot depth at that resolution.
They only go one way when they are already slotted, especially in a 12 string (different size slots). Even on a 6 string the slot is not always dead center, so reversing it would throw off string spacing.
VP
VP wrong? No way!