Richard, amazing precise technology. Really liked the video. Really enjoying my OM GRAND. Thanks again. We hope to get to Santa Cruz in the future to meet you all. God Bless, Steve
I was blessed to spend an afternoon with Richard Hoover at Sant Cruz Guitars several years ago. I learned more about the guitar in several hours than I had ever known. If and when I can I am getting a custom made Santa Cruz Guitar. If you are ever in Santa Cruz call them up and spend some time with this knowledgable friendly man . I was hoping to find Richard a piece of Pennsylvania Chestnut sometime in an old barn and I will. Thank you so very much Richard and your wonderful staff !!!
Hey Richard, Really enjoyed watching your Plek demo video. I miss our time together there at SCGC and with our friends there in SC. Hope you and family are doing well and staying dry! If I ever make it back to town, I'll come see you. BTW, visited one of your dealers in New Hampshire, and bought a Baritone Uke from them. Miss you my friend...
My Comment: "That is a great video. Santa Cruz Guitars is doing what a responsible manufacturer should do with a PLEK machine. Starting @6 minutes in, when R. Hoover mentions the lumpy fingerboard problem, they show the PLEK working on correcting all the lumpiness and defects in shaping on the fingerboard BEFORE they install the frets. Bravo! This is exactly what the expert hand-builder would do, and the expert doing a re-fret as well. Having done so properly the first time, the next re-fret should be a snap, and, as Terry Straker (Guitar Works, Evanston, ILL) told me, very little fret dressing would be necessary 'the second time around'. The full value of the properly used PLEK is shown here, to do the requisite neck shaping formerly done by hand at a great cost in time and labor. I don't believe you would get the same result from having a local guitar store employee throw your basic production model American Standard Stratocaster on the PLEK machine with frets already in place to try to do a quick fix, but I suppose that would provide a good enough improvement in playability at not much cost."
My wife and I were fortunate to spend an afternoon with Richard with Richard a couple years ago. I learned more in those several hours about a guitar than I had learned in the 40 years previous. Thank you Richard !
Ah what a cool video Richard, love seeing in the shop when the guitars are being built. Always like hearing the dogs in the background :) Amazing instruments
+Krantz Mee too. I played the Import model OM a few yrs back and I never forgot how impeccable and beautiful they are. I really want the OM version also they make a Pre-war model which is equally stunning.
My concern with this (admittedly amazing) technology is with such exact measurement tolerances, if you decide to change your string gauge/tension later on, how will this affect the dynamics of playability optimization? It would seem that if you change the string, the optimization goes out the window, since the new string will have new characteristics which weren't accounted for in the original milling specs.
darkones12345 its necessary to have an idea of what string gauge you use consistently before committing to a guitar like this,any long standing musician doesn't change string gauges like their underwear as your intonation and setup will be not optimized for a different string gauge.
This would be the case even if you did the fretjob by hand, it is important to know your strong preference before working on any guitar. If you change string brands/gauge after a setup, it’ll throw all your previous efforts out the window
I bought a Martin Dreadnought spruce and rosewood. This Guitar went through the plek system but when it arrived it wasn’t set up. The nut and bridge had to be cut and one shim removed . So from your video it looks like your guitars leave the factory already set up? Except for what the player tweaks. Do you own Córdoba as well? I have one of those with a spruce top and electronics for gigs.
This is so amazing....Wow, just wow....But, why not do a compound radius as well as all of this? It would make the fingerboard more conical shape than flat an accommodates for easier chording down by the nut and then easier soloing up higher towards the bridge.
There's a local store (Minneapolis) that has a PLEK machine in their shop. $200 for regular frets, $250 for Stainless Steel. The service also corrects the nut slot depths to perfection. My hand made guitar already played nicely, but after the PLEK, it plays better than my Tom Anderson, and that is saying a lot. Most noticeable if you use a lower action. I don't think I would pay the price to do regular frets, because sooner or later, you will need another level/crown/polish. With stainless, it's good to go more or less forever.
I just got my American Series Stratocaster back from a Plek job. The frets are ruined. The fret height runs from 041" at the first fret, to 035" at the 22nd, a difference of .006". Do not go with Plek. Find a skilled luthier..... Plek=overrated.... Don't do it. Find a skilled luthier..
Absolutely! Find a skilled luthier. One who has a PLEK machine! The PLEK is not a miracle. It's a tool, just like a file, or a saw or a carving knife. A proper PLEK service includes some hand work and setup performed by a person. There is a person who has to operate the machine. Like any computer operated device, it does what it is told to do. It doesn't make any sense to worry about the difference of fret heights. How does the guitar play? Typically on any guitar setup, the last few frets are going to get gradually lower than the rest. This is called "fall away" and it's not a mistake, it's essential. Give it another chance!
Fascinating video. Thank you so much. One day I will own a Santa Cruz guitar 🤘🎸
Extraordinary. Thanks as always RC!
Richard, amazing precise technology. Really liked the video. Really enjoying my OM GRAND.
Thanks again. We hope to get to Santa Cruz in the future to meet you all.
God Bless, Steve
I was blessed to spend an afternoon with Richard Hoover at Sant Cruz Guitars several years ago. I learned more about the guitar in several hours than I had ever known. If and when I can I am getting a custom made Santa Cruz Guitar. If you are ever in Santa Cruz call them up and spend some time with this knowledgable friendly man .
I was hoping to find Richard a piece of Pennsylvania Chestnut sometime in an old barn and I will.
Thank you so very much Richard and your wonderful staff !!!
Fascinating. Richard Hover is a genius.
Hey Richard, Really enjoyed watching your Plek demo video. I miss our time together there at SCGC and with our friends there in SC. Hope you and family are doing well and staying dry! If I ever make it back to town, I'll come see you. BTW, visited one of your dealers in New Hampshire, and bought a Baritone Uke from them. Miss you my friend...
My Comment: "That is a great video. Santa Cruz Guitars is doing what a responsible manufacturer should do with a PLEK machine. Starting @6 minutes in, when R. Hoover mentions the lumpy fingerboard problem, they show the PLEK working on correcting all the lumpiness and defects in shaping on the fingerboard BEFORE they install the frets. Bravo! This is exactly what the expert hand-builder would do, and the expert doing a re-fret as well. Having done so properly the first time, the next re-fret should be a snap, and, as Terry Straker (Guitar Works, Evanston, ILL) told me, very little fret dressing would be necessary 'the second time around'. The full value of the properly used PLEK is shown here, to do the requisite neck shaping formerly done by hand at a great cost in time and labor. I don't believe you would get the same result from having a local guitar store employee throw your basic production model American Standard Stratocaster on the PLEK machine with frets already in place to try to do a quick fix, but I suppose that would provide a good enough improvement in playability at not much cost."
Wonderful!
Thank you!
My wife and I were fortunate to spend an afternoon with Richard with Richard a couple years ago. I learned more in those several hours about a guitar than I had learned in the 40 years previous. Thank you Richard !
Wow - great, great video. Very informative.
Ah what a cool video Richard, love seeing in the shop when the guitars are being built. Always like hearing the dogs in the background :) Amazing instruments
"Your brain will shrink without new purpose". ~Richard Hoover
This just makes me hotter to own a SCGC guitar
+Krantz Mee too. I played the Import model OM a few yrs back and I never forgot how impeccable and beautiful they are. I really want the OM version also they make a Pre-war model which is equally stunning.
My concern with this (admittedly amazing) technology is with such exact measurement tolerances, if you decide to change your string gauge/tension later on, how will this affect the dynamics of playability optimization?
It would seem that if you change the string, the optimization goes out the window, since the new string will have new characteristics which weren't accounted for in the original milling specs.
darkones12345 its necessary to have an idea of what string gauge you use consistently before committing to a guitar like this,any long standing musician doesn't change string gauges like their underwear as your intonation and setup will be not optimized for a different string gauge.
This would be the case even if you did the fretjob by hand, it is important to know your strong preference before working on any guitar. If you change string brands/gauge after a setup, it’ll throw all your previous efforts out the window
Who squeezes the string all the way down to the fingerboard?
I bought a Martin Dreadnought spruce and rosewood. This Guitar went through the plek system but when it arrived it wasn’t set up. The nut and bridge had to be cut and one shim removed . So from your video it looks like your guitars leave the factory already set up? Except for what the player tweaks. Do you own Córdoba as well? I have one of those with a spruce top and electronics for gigs.
I'd love to try one out.
This is so amazing....Wow, just wow....But, why not do a compound radius as well as all of this? It would make the fingerboard more conical shape than flat an accommodates for easier chording down by the nut and then easier soloing up higher towards the bridge.
What is the cost to plek? Is it the same price for stainless?
There's a local store (Minneapolis) that has a PLEK machine in their shop. $200 for regular frets, $250 for Stainless Steel. The service also corrects the nut slot depths to perfection. My hand made guitar already played nicely, but after the PLEK, it plays better than my Tom Anderson, and that is saying a lot. Most noticeable if you use a lower action. I don't think I would pay the price to do regular frets, because sooner or later, you will need another level/crown/polish. With stainless, it's good to go more or less forever.
I want my Santa Cruz OM Plek'd please.
+Alister Rae Did it get done at factory already ?
Thanks to the strobe light I saw that I've been strumming six noodles all these years.
Dangerbag approves this message
Just sales waffle!
Plek my guitar, please.
+LuckyLicks Anyone can learn to re-level frets and create 'fall away' at the upper frets, with practise you can get good results:)
The Plek is the second best thing to a master luthier. I'm so proud of our great luthiers here in Finland.
Man... This guys accent is very old. I notice the pronounced WH sound. Cool guitars btw.
I just got my American Series Stratocaster back from a Plek job. The frets are ruined. The fret height runs from 041" at the first fret, to 035" at the 22nd, a difference of .006". Do not go with Plek. Find a skilled luthier..... Plek=overrated.... Don't do it. Find a skilled luthier..
Absolutely! Find a skilled luthier. One who has a PLEK machine! The PLEK is not a miracle. It's a tool, just like a file, or a saw or a carving knife. A proper PLEK service includes some hand work and setup performed by a person. There is a person who has to operate the machine. Like any computer operated device, it does what it is told to do. It doesn't make any sense to worry about the difference of fret heights. How does the guitar play? Typically on any guitar setup, the last few frets are going to get gradually lower than the rest. This is called "fall away" and it's not a mistake, it's essential. Give it another chance!