Plek Guitar Setup System

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HolyEvil

Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia

Plek Guitar Setup System

Anyone here tried this?
http://www.guitarnation.com/articles/preston.htm

It's suppose to be this wonderful setup system by a precision machine.
But is it only good for electric and steelstring guitars?

Would it work for nylon string guitar?

cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 20 2009 7:12:11

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

Amazing machine eh?

But only for guitars wth truss rods. With a truss rod you can build relief (a curve ) into the fretboard.
On classical/flamenco guitars there is no truss rod and the fingerboard is dead flat usually.
It would be helpful to have a little relief on a flamenco guitar but it is difficult to build it in and since there is no truss rod, it would be even harder to adjust it later if the neck moved in any way.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 20 2009 23:29:26

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to krichards)

quote:

ORIGINAL: krichards

On classical/flamenco guitars there is no truss rod and the fingerboard is dead flat usually.
It would be helpful to have a little relief on a flamenco guitar but it is difficult to build it in and since there is no truss rod, it would be even harder to adjust it later if the neck moved in any way.

I beg to differ. I think most luthiers put some relief in the neck of both classic and flamenco guitars. It allows you to set the action a little lower.

Necks move all the time regardless whether they start out flat. Right now we're waiting for the humidity to stabilize so we can finish set-up on four guitars. We like the humidity to be close to 45% but when it's very cold outside it's hard to hold it steady. It's been dropping down to 37-38 at times. Without the finish guitar necks move around a surprising amount with humidity swings. Once the finish is on the neck reacts more slowly since only the fingerboard is unsealed.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 6:09:37

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

Yes, the relief is important. Not much, but just a little bit

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 8:16:11

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to jshelton5040)

quote:

Without the finish guitar necks move around a surprising amount with humidity swings. Once the finish is on the neck reacts more slowly since only the fingerboard is unsealed

John,
I've seen some old Flamenco guitars where the finish has been completely worn off due to years and years of professional use.

Would humidity have a big effect on those too, or does the grain tend to seal up over time?

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 8:30:52

Exitao

Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

Maybe a dumb question, but what exactly do you guys mean 'relief'?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 9:07:10

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ron.M

I've seen some old Flamenco guitars where the finish has been completely worn off due to years and years of professional use.

Would humidity have a big effect on those too, or does the grain tend to seal up over time?

Theoretically yes; but usually there's a layer of skin particles, dirt and natural oils from the hands that probably help seal the wood. We've refinished several necks like you describe. Some were so bad I felt like wearing rubber gloves when handling them.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 9:10:59

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to Exitao)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Exitao

Maybe a dumb question, but what exactly do you guys mean 'relief'?

It's a slight warp in the fingerboard.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 9:35:54

Exitao

Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to jshelton5040)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jshelton5040

quote:

ORIGINAL: Exitao

Maybe a dumb question, but what exactly do you guys mean 'relief'?

It's a slight warp in the fingerboard.

So... concaved? Where is this usually located? Sorry for my curiosity.

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Callidus et iracundus.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 14:39:51

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to Exitao)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Exitao

So... concaved? Where is this usually located? Sorry for my curiosity.

Don't know exactly what you mean by "usually located". Ideally the neck has a warp that descends to about the 5th or 6th fret then rises to about the 12th or higher. This is not to be confused with what we traditionally think of as a warped neck since it is very slight. We use a high quality straight edge to set it. It's measured with the strings on and up to pitch and the action set very close to ideal but no frets. It's kind of a trial and error adjustment done by setting the neck in a jig to bend it one way or the other and sanding it flat then putting on the strings and checking the relief. Once the neck is sanded flat one can also shave a little wood off the back of the neck to get the neck to flex the right amount. It takes a little practice to get comfortable with it. One needs to be aware of how much back bend will result from installing the frets as well (that's part of why it takes a little practice).

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2009 14:55:49

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

John, do you use a reinforced neck?

I dont get much variations and the relief I make on the fingerboard without putting the strings on first.
I use a double reincorcement and controlled humidity.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2009 9:10:02

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson

John, do you use a reinforced neck?

I dont get much variations and the relief I make on the fingerboard without putting the strings on first.
I use a double reincorcement and controlled humidity.

To be honest Anders over the years I tried all kinds of reinforcement from graphite to rosewoods and ebony and never saw any difference in the strength or stability that I could notice over plain Spanish Cedar.

The climate here is almost a rainforest (70-120 inches of rain per year) so we only use a dehumidifier but very rarely in the winter we get some cold dry air and the humidity gets into the high 30's. It seldom lasts more than a few days but we usually just take a break from guitar making when it happens and do some other woodworking. This week I'm building a wine storage cabinet. The humidity never drops low enough to do any damage so it's not a big concern.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2009 10:45:17

Exitao

Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

Thank you for your explanation John. Very understandable.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2009 15:51:09

ToddK

Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004

RE: Plek Guitar Setup System (in reply to HolyEvil)

Both my classical and flamenco guitars have been "Plek'd".

My local luthier, "Phil Jacoby", in Baltimore, has a Plek machine.

The idea with nylon strings, is not about the neck relief.

Its about the frets. With the Plek, Phil is able to file the frets according
to the elyptical pattern of the strings.
This allows for lower action, with no buzz.

TK

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2009 21:11:58