What is a PLEK and do I need one?

A PLEK machine isn't an automatic device where you leave your guitar for a couple of hours and wait while it is serviced to your satisfaction. It's more like an incredible set of eyes and hands that can see and help make adjustments with a precision that is simply not possible with human eyes and hands. The process is made possible by talented and seasoned luthiers who know how to operate the machine and more importantly, know how to work with specific instruments. 

A guitar is a funny thing. How you set yours up is a matter of preference. Some people like their string action (string height off the fretboard) high so they can use a slide, while others like their string action as low as possible so they can play fast with ease.

For the most part, guitar players just play what they have, not knowing that guitars are adjustable. This doesn't include just amateurs, even pros like Merle Haggard and Elvis Costello have stories of playing guitar for years with the action so high it made playing uncomfortable, until they finally found someone who knew how to fix the issue.

We sometimes see students who come in complaining of sore fingers or feel as though they are unworthy of the instrument because of the difficulty they have getting clear sounding notes on the instrument, only to find that the guitar isn't set up properly. Many of us just assume that the guitar just doesn't play well in certain places. We get used to dead spots and fret buzz, and we adjust our playing around those issues. 

It's very rewarding to see the PLEK process work for people. It can bring guitars to life that have had longstanding issues, and it fixes dead spots that players have thought were just something they had to live with.  Give us a call at 612-822-3334 or come into the shop to ask if your guitar might play a whole lot better than it ever has with a PLEK setup. And, while you are here, take our PLEK challenge, to enter a drawing for a free PLEK for your own guitar.