Plek'd Gibsons?

Wattage

Wattage

High Voltologist
Spent a bit of time with a '17 Classic T Goldtop today and I am stumped.

It's built really well, flawlessly as best I could tell. It sounded great, had a really nice neck but what are they doing with these plek'd frets!?! They are flat topped speed bumps that are miserable to play. Plek-ing the frets is great, gets them all nice and level but then someone has to give them some sort of crown so you can play the damn things. Am I missing something?

Played a few other '17's of various models and configs and they were basically all the same. :chairshot
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

The crowning machine costs extra.

Haha i wouldn't know anything about the process but you would think crowning would be essential.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Starting in 2014 Gibson started using cryo treated fretwire, which lasts longer. As a result, they used the plek machine to grind the frets lower, on the theory they'd never have to be replaced.

The public cried they were too low- they were close to Gibsons fretless wonder, so starting in 2016 they started with those schoolbus profile frets- which feel jumbo size. I find them uncomfortable but probably could get used to them
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

The cryo frets were good. But I could still use a refret on my 2014 Trad. Or at least a partia lplus level & recrown. But I'm apparently tough on frets.

I don't mind the squared off shape or size really. But I'm probably just used to it. I do feel you have a little more real estate for your fingers to get in the right place when chording. I don't find it noticably worse to bend on than my sc245's impeccably done frets.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Plek machines!! Bah,humbug!!!!
Find a decent luthier,get the job done properly!

(Slight topic shift)
OK,if you're pumping out 50,100,200 +++ guitars a day,ease the burden with a Plek.
I can't understand why shops that might do 5 fret dresses a day would possibly need one.
If you're doing more than that,get an apprentice!! You should be able to afford it.

Cheers,PJ (the grumpy ol'bastard!!) :D
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Wattage said:
Plek-ing the frets is great, gets them all nice and level but then someone has to give them some sort of crown so you can play the damn things. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Yes. The fact that the PleK is a tool, and as such, the operator needs to know how to set up and operate the machine to give the expected results... plus MAINTAIN the machine as well.

Looks that Gibson failed in some (all?) of the aforementioned points.

Why am I not surprised...? :scratchch
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Pontiac Jack said:
Plek machines!! Bah,humbug!!!!
Find a decent luthier,get the job done properly!

(Slight topic shift)
OK,if you're pumping out 50,100,200 +++ guitars a day,ease the burden with a Plek.
I can't understand why shops that might do 5 fret dresses a day would possibly need one.
If you're doing more than that,get an apprentice!! You should be able to afford it.

Cheers,PJ (the grumpy ol'bastard!!) :D
Click to expand...

I think in the right hands the machine would be pure mastery. With a tolerence of .001mm it would do a better job than any human ever could.

Does it matter? Nah but still i like the idea.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Nothing wrong with a plek machine

Well they were some funky frets if that was their intention. The guitar was quite nice otherwise.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Well those first few I played must've been early runs. I played a few today and they were far better, they've tweaked something in the process. I would prefer a little more crown but I found one I absolutely loved to death so be prepared for an NGD later tonight.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Wattage said:
Well those first few I played must've been early runs. I played a few today and they were far better, they've tweaked something in the process. I would prefer a little more crown but I found one I absolutely loved to death so be prepared for an NGD later tonight.
Click to expand...

^ Banana waiting in the in the wings, preparing to dance.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

I'm sure I'm going to be in the minority here? I've got 4 Gibsons with Plecked necks now, they are later ones (2015 & 2016) but to be perfectly honest I love them all to pieces!!! LOL, I have taken a lot of guff for sticking up for the 2015 models though!!! The way I see it is that they are like The Grateful Dead or Phish. People either love them enough to live in a van for 9 months & travel around the country without ever missing a show (Me in 2000) or absolutely hate them & there's little in the way of middle ground...

It's also probably worth mentioning that I love the 2015's for what they can be more than what they are when you open the box, especially initially! The G-Force system sucks plain and simple & the Brass Zero nut was just a stupid idea but they can be had cheap enough that you can get some great tuners to replace the G-Force (if it hasn't been replaced already, a lot of them have been) & Gibson is more than happy to send you a Titanium replacement zero fret nut which actually makes that system kinda amazing! At least in my case it completely solved any & all tuning issues that I was having with the two 2015 Z.F.N. Les Paul's I've got....

As for the Plecked machine I do think that the operator of the machine, set up, Etc. does play a substantial factor because I've played some that were much flatter than mine. It also kinda sucks for any bound guitars because it takes off that almost iconic Gibson wrapped fret binding but, at least on the guitars I own, there's some good stuff as well...

For example they can be setup rather well with relative ease, especially the L.P.'s equipped with Z.F.N.'s!!! There's something to be said when I've got what's basically shred stick action on my set-neck guitars and not even a hint of fret buzz or string rattle anyplace on the finger-board!!! Also, & this is just my opinion, the Titanium nut, Plecked cryo-fretting, coupled with Titanium saddles provides a slightly louder & more resonant guitar I.M.H.O....

Brass nuts and saddles tend to give a guitar a bit of a sonic mid-bump & Aluminum hardware will give it a slight mid-scoop. Titanium basically just sounds like steel but slightly louder so that along with the molecularly harder Cryogenic fret wire can make for a grate guitar that will hold up for quite awhile even if you're one of those guys who sweats through two Nashville bridges a year!!!
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

Just as playing a nice guitar doesn't make you a great player, using a Plek machine doesn't make the operator a brilliant luthier. I have a couple of guitars that I had refretted with stainless frets and then Pleked and they're flawless but the dude who did the work (Phil Jacoby) had been doing great fretwork long before he got the Plek.
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

I've had to redo a couple guitars that were pleked. Not up to my personal standards for a fret job. I always do better, so why bother with a plek. Not a selling point for me, but I'm paying for it anyway.

Yes!!! Bah...humbug!
 
Re: Plek'd Gibsons?

kramersteen said:
According to this it does crown them as the grinding wheel is concave.
Click to expand...

In theory that all looks great. But it still depends upon the interpretation of data and programming by the technician. And human technicians are one of the big problems with Gibson quality control these days.
 
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