Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I wonder if there are any plans for Plek in Rickenbacker's future? I think if any brand could benefit from Plek, RIC is it.

What's Piek?
JimK

Plek. http://www.plek.com/en_US/home/

Sorry, I misspelled the word. No wonder I couldn't find it. So I looked at the website. And I must say that at first blush, it seemed like trying to fix a problem that isn't there. Or it seemed like a whole lot of bother with minor adjustments that either I or a repair tech could take care of. And I have successfully addressed the situation of neck relief on my 360/12 in the past.

In the second place, in shipment from factory to dealer, to purchaser some of that fancy-schmancy computer set up work is going to go out of alignment anyhow requiring the dealer, or the purchaser to make the necessary adjustments.

In the third place, (and NOW the truth comes out ) I wouldn't trust or depend on a computer to guess correctly how I like my Rick set up, which is different from my Gretsch. On the Rick, I want no relief whatever; flat as the Kansas landscape. On the Gretsch, some relief is permissible. Two different guitars, two different styles of playing.
JimK

Running instruments through the Plek machine has basically become industry-standard technology at this point, has it not?

I don't know. Has it? If it has, then I guess my comments don't amount to much.
JimK

No Jim, I think your comments are still spot on. As far as I can tell, Plek is just an over-engineered marketing ploy.

Clint wrote:No Jim, I think your comments are still spot on. As far as I can tell, Plek is just an over-engineered marketing ploy.

This, for the most part!

I can't make up my mind about the use of there machines. While action height preference differs between different players, the problems of high or low frets bothers everyone. It seems sometimes workers are rushed & an attitude of "that will do" exits. While this machine could eliminate that the instrument still has to have the initial adjustments done by humans? If this is true it still takes someone paying attention & knowing what their doing. Sooooo, will it really eliminate bad setups?

Clint wrote:No Jim, I think your comments are still spot on. As far as I can tell, Plek is just an over-engineered marketing ploy.

No. It's more for luthiers and guitar repair shops that have high volume. Due to the cost the only folks that can afford the machine are companies like Gibson. The Plek machine just makes factory spec consistent for a lot of guitars in a short period of time. No luthier can be exact, quick, and consistent for numerous guitars in a short period of time for basic setup and fret filing.

I dont doubt it does what its supposed to, but its always struck me as solving a problem they invented in a way. I feel the same way about that Buzz Feiten thing.

sloop_john_b wrote:Running instruments through the Plek machine has basically become industry-standard technology at this point, has it not?

I don't think music manufacturers are at that point yet and maybe they never will be. I have never played a Pleked instrument and felt any better about it than a non-Pleked one. So although some builders have adopted it, I don't see every builder eventually going that way in the same way that CNC has become really pervasive.

Plek that!

Played by humans, set up by humans! That's my opinion.

vjf1968 wrote: Due to the cost the only folks that can afford the machine are companies like Gibson.

Humbug! Do you actually know how much the machine is? I even know a luthier who has one...

There's time, programming and maintenance too.