Hey BP - Why No Pleck Machine?

[Boogie.Man]

Silo

The day I play a PLEK'd guitar that plays as well as the half dozen EBMM's I've played over the years, I'll START giving a sh1t about PLEK machines.

BP - You're people really do outstanding work. I've played bound-neck, Korean-made guitars that can't touch my old Silo in terms of smoothness and consistency.

Go HUMANZ!

I traded my red Silo in on a Stingray. It was a very, very nice guitar.

 

[Ken Baker]

And ifImaybesoboldastoaddmyownpersonalopinionhere, there is certainly a contingent of techno-geeks who believe that Plekking (this sounds dirty, like something you might do to someone's vuvuzela) is the "answer" to fine-tuning the adjustments on a stringed instrument.

Perhaps there are some, even many, who feel that way. Having played both Plek'd and non-Plek'd basses, all I can say is YMMV. And Jack, you know where I'm coming from.

I think that if each instrument were exactly the same and were going to be played by robots, that might be true.

Mm... not so much. If every instrument was exactly the same, the fretwork could be done by a well-trained simian. The fact is that every instrument is different, and the Plek machine measures each one individually. Then the frets get finished and polished by hand by a human.

I've seen a Plek machine in action and it's pretty darned cool. Of course it isn't the be-all / end-all of fretted instrument building, but it is an option that some builders are finding attractive.

Ken...

 

[Stephen]

I think the Plek makes most sense for the experienced player who knows the instrument in question, is sure about his choice of strings and his ideal setup - which would be rather low. Then the process, done by an experienced operator, is very likely to give that final individual edge.

In mass production it would "only" give you a very good but still generic fret job, and I don't have the impression that EBMM is in need of any improvement here - they are excellent as it is.

 

[Big Poppa]

I dont have a problem with the Plek...Just wasnt worth it for us. If it was better and worth it we would have to have about 5 of them...thats $625,000 last I looked.

I was talking to Dan Lakin at the show yesterday..."I bought a Plek....Nobody cared."

 

[Mabongohogany]

Interesting. It reminded me that besides my (2) EBMM basses (NOT gonna say "Balls"...)

I have both pre- and post- OEM -plekked models of "another excellent brand of bass guitars- with a connection to MM"
(You can connect the dots)

No major outstanding ,outrageous difference in feel in how the instruments
arrived set up out of the box. The fretwork and set-up in both cases was/is outstanding, as is the case with MM basses of course.

The PLEK is an amazing tool for a manufacturer, but it doesn't necessarily
revolutionize an already excellent manner of production.

 

[Funky Chicken]

I dont have a problem with the Plek...Just wasnt worth it for us. If it was better and worth it we would have to have about 5 of them...thats $625,000 last I looked.

I was talking to Dan Lakin at the show yesterday..."I bought a Plek....Nobody cared."

I own Lakland #276. Dan didn't need a Plek machine either.

 

[RoboChrist]

I don't get it....having a bass plek'd from the factory does you no good when all you're going to do is take it to get the frets hand-dressed a few years down the road. The machines themselves do not justify the price of buying and owning one (they cost more than a CNC mill).

 

[mmbassplayer]

So it is a 20 minute process? I say probably 10 minutes for setup, so you can ideally get 16 instruments done in an 8 hour work day? Seems like a slow process to me to fix something that isn't broke. JOSH

 

[Jim C]

(they cost more than a CNC mill).

Maybe for a toy, but a multi turret Haas machine is considerably more expensive.

Would be interesting to know if a professional factory set up man could hand file and dress 16 necks a day; I would guess that to be a bit optimistic

 

[Hellboy]

Would be interesting to know if a professional factory set up man could hand file and dress 16 necks a day; I would guess that to be a bit optimistic

The important thing is that everything works for Ernie Ball as a company and for the customers. I have nothing to complain about regarding my EBMM basses so my personal opinion is that I don´t find this discussion very interesting. Sterling takes care of his employees and they make great instruments. That is indeed good enough for me.

Sincerely//Jan

 

[Colin]

So it is a 20 minute process? I say probably 10 minutes for setup, so you can ideally get 16 instruments done in an 8 hour work day? Seems like a slow process to me to fix something that isn't broke. JOSH

10 minutes? I don't think so. The process at MM involves more than one person.

 

[Big Poppa]

Wow I really cant understand this and the hostilities and attacking Jack. He gets zero and does a fabulous job. Walk a half a block as a mod and you will never complain again.
I dont have a problem with Plek machines or companies that use them. someday we may have a dozen....I dont see it but we are always open to it. It doesn't give us the return on investment and I kind of like the job we are doing.

Isnt that enough? Why does anyone else have to have an opinion or perception or reality. Its my money and they are expensive!

 

[MrMusashi]

Its my money and they are expensive!

the heart of the problem is that for the rest of us they are free to spend any way we see fit..

all i know is that all my eb basses have excellent fretwork!
no sharp ends, perfectly crowned and my oh my are they shiny and smooth!

MrM

 

[JayDawg]

Plek'd or not Plek'd, I will still buy Music Man basses. The quality it top notch and from what I have seen of the company, they will only do something if it makes their product better or makes good business sense. I have 1 EBMM bass in my possession right now and 2 EBMM basses on the way with more to come at some point later on in the future. The one that I have in my possession is the best playing bass out of all of the basses that I own. So I cannot complain with what EBMM is doing.

 

[Bart B]

Before reading this thread I had no idea of plek machines were. After reading this thread it still doesn't make a difference to me, the frets have to be dressed (?) properly and they ARE. And I love to hear humans are doing it.

Thumbs up for EBMM

 

[Eilif]

I love that BP cares about his employees.

I love how the frets are on a brand new EBMM instrument.

I don't hear Luke, Morse, Levin, etc. complaining that their frets haven't been Plek'd.

It's silly that people are trying (or at least seem to be trying) to convince BP that Plek is the way to go or that he should at least be open to the option. It's arrogant for us end users to think that we know BP's business better than he does, even if our intentions are good.

 

[Big Poppa]

Actually its ok to bring things to us....You never know when you wqill learn something. Producing guitars and basses is a process that is constantly evolving

 

[Psycho Ward]

Well, one of my fondest memories of the 1st open house was the factory tour. I remember seeing Ursula, the many other high tech machines and the whole place was clean as a pin. But I'll never forget seeing the rows of benches with actual humans sanding and working with their hands. These people were taking time to get it right, to make it feel right. I will always be impressed by that.

Plek as far as I'm concerned could be name of an EBMM employee.

 

[drTStingray]

Well I've just read the whole of this thread...........

I thought the six pages odd of posts were going to be talking about plectrums i.e plecks/plecs....easy mistake to make I guess as I don't use these I was looking forward to allowing my mind to be opened to the possibilities - oh well, I now understand something about high tech machinery I never heard of before.

Like many here - I just play the things, have a love and enthusiasm for them which leads me to want to know a certain amount more for me the pleck is going a touch beyond my own comfort zone but respect to the guys who want to know - and for the owners being so candid.

Anyway I don't care how you make em BP and Co, the product is great and long may it continue to be so. I only ever hear people say great things about Musicman instruments - pleck or not

PS I never realised Dudley posts on here - guitarburettor - fantastic user name

 

[Rick Auricchio]

I thought the six pages odd of posts were going to be talking about plectrums i.e plecks/plecs...

The name Plek is a play on words for plectrum.