Sweetwater Plek Problems??
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- I needed a backup to my Eart Telecaster so I decided to try getting a guitar from Sweetwater and having it Plek'd. I've heard many great things about Plek'd guitars, but..well I had issues.
I love shopping with Sweetwater, but this time was a miss. What was your experience with getting a guitar Plek'd? Was it better than mine?
Sweetwater is asking $300 for this "service." Thanks for the heads-up.
don't do it, find a 3rd party who is more trained
a new guitar shouldn't need fret leveling work out the box, don't waste your money, on something it shouldn't need, spend it on a better guitar and, if it plays bad send it back.
I can do it myself for free with a few hex wrenches, screwdrivers, and a few other tools.
@@FortessofShredyeah I can setup my guitars no problem, adjusting the truss rod setting intonation and action height, those things on an electric are all designed to be easily adjustable to ones preference. What's not acceptable on a new quality instrument is the need for fret work or adjustments to get it to play well outside of the norm, example I'm not gonna reset a poorly installed neck or recut a nut if it's spaced incorrectly. If I buy a good acoustic I expect it to come with the nut, saddle and intonation correct as there are no screws to adjust it, I don't want to be getting files out on the nut or saddle or frets doesn't mean i can't do it I just won't accept a new instrument that needs that kind of work, in my eyes it a lemon if it needs something like that. So it depends really, Electrics are pretty different as they are designed to be easily adjusted acoustics not so much. Obviously none of this applies to used guitars I will do whatever it takes on a used one if it's the instrument I want. The one advantage to paying the store to set it up is you shift responsibility to them, so you can pull it out the box try it and if it plays like junk you can just go nope and send it back, it's particularly helpful if you roll the dice and buy on line as someone at that store should have at least handled it for longer than the 5 mins it takes to pack it and hopefully weed out any problems so a new gear day isnt ruined by receiving something that's trash.
I had a bad experience with them too . Ordered a guitar and supposedly had that point inspection they do and it was just messed up, I returned it and the second one had issues also but I ended up fixing them my self. Don’t be fooled by the point inspection.
That’s a bummer, but not surprising. I bought a demo guitar from Sweetwater that arrived with electronics that were barely attached to the body. They rattled they were so loose. The 55 point inspection is BS.
If a guitar doesn’t play great from the factory I’m not interested , I’ve had dozens of electrics and acoustics just bought an Epiphone Sheritan From GC and it plays absolutely perfect the set up is perfect , my son just went and bought same guitar and his is set up perfectly also , why on earth would anyone have a Plek done until they played that actual guitar
When I bought my first serious electric, a Fender Custom Shop, I was shocked to learn from a local luthier that it's not uncommon to see the frets needing leveling on a brand new Fender.
I've had multiple guitars from Sweetwater with blatantly obvious issues that their "inspection" apparently didn't catch. As well as Plek'd guitars that were done completely wrong. Their marketing is BS, don't believe any of it, and don't ever pay for a Plek from them. They really have no clue what they're doing. They're basically scamming unsuspecting customers who don't know better.
It does seem that way, but my guess is they had really good people before and since it grew, they didn't hire the right talent to run the machines.
Either way, I agree. Unless something changes, no point in taking the chance on a Plek.
I don't know how you could mess up an automated system like that. Other than they don't make sure it's placed in there correctly. Or they just don't do it and say they did do it.
@@ared18t It's not as automated as you think. There are a lot of parameters that have to be put into the machine that are all specific to the guitar you're giving a Plek to. This is why it's extremely important to have a Plek technician that knows how to use the system. Sweetwater probably uses generic templates for all guitars and end up messing up Pleks.
Thanks for the honest assessment. I bought a Gibson Les Paul from SW. Had to have the nut worked on by a local luthier. SW did pay for it but that's not the point. I'm sure they're paying some kid $15.00 an hour to 'do the 55 point inspection'. As others have said it's all marketing horsehockey. Either that or they need a 56 point inspection.
They need a 69 point inspection.
I have ordered a ton of gear through Sweetwater. Including three guitars. Two of which I paid for a setup and a bone nut. The latest was a signature Telly. It arrived with terrible fret sprout and a twisted neck. A twisted neck can't be fixed. So Fender missed the twist. And somehow even with the 55-point inspection, $99.00 setup Sweetwater didn't catch it either. Their 'inspection' process leaves a lot to be desired.
Good for you. Encouraging to see that you know the difference.
I’m throwing my review in bc I want others to know that the issues are very few. Have to remember if you have an issue that you’re more likely to look up videos like this and the issue will seem bigger. I just bought a telecaster ultra and had it plek’d and it came in perfect. Not one single issue. Don’t be afraid of their process.
I agree. People are quick to speak up when there are issues but often do not share praise or positive feedback.
I am glad you got a plek on your Telecaster and love it. There is something truly inspiring about a well playing instrument!
Another issue with it is that the guitar doesn’t have a roasted neck so through out shipping the guitar is experiencing many different temperature changes which twist and contours the guitar neck making what the work the sweetwater shop did basically useless as you probably are in a different temperature zone with different humidity. It’s a nice feature but it only actually benefits higher end guitars unfortunately.
Thanks for doing the video. I was thinking about sending a guitar for the Plek treatment . I think I will try a local luthier.
I'm glad you found it helpful. Honestly, I wish it had just worked out perfectly. I haven't had luck finding a good local luthier.
Then again, I did learn how to do it myself after I made this video, which is scary, but very rewarding.
I ordered a USA made PRS from sweetwater. The one I wanted was backordered, then a few days later my rep called and said they had one in stock they could send me. The action was terrible. The bridge wasn't even set correctly to the factory specs. I can do my own setups so I fixed it, it would have been more of a pain to send it back. I trust PRS's QC so I think the reason it magically appeared in stock is it was a return. The guitar was fine otherwise, but if it was a return they need to be up front about it.
That's the thing that frustrates me. I know we can do the work, but at that price point, we are paying so we don't have to.
You should expect to set up a one-trillion dollar guitar. Generic setups, even good ones, are still generic, and you, presumably, aren't. Plus, shipping and climate differences will always mean it'll no longer be 100% precisely the same.
My best playing guitars were purchased and Plek'd at Sweetwater and I've had great results until they raised their pricing. The next guitar Plek'd with the new pricing showed up missing the high E string when I opened it up. I had to install the string and do the setup myself, which took some of the joy out of the purchase. The guitar played fine, but that was the last Plek I did.
What the? How you they miss a whole string. Someone was clearly rushed.
YepRushed Watch you tube videos sweetwater tour andertons, know your gear and casino guitars There are timers in each cubical for your alloted time on said instrument.
I ordered a $2200 Fender ultra from SW without the plek setup and the guitar arrived flawless and perfectly playable right out of the case. The salesman i had to assist me didnt even offer it, i asked and he said i probably didnt need it.
How do you like your ultra? I've been eyeing the white or the blue one. I kinda like cheap guitars for gigging, but these seem really nice.
I got a ultra strat it was set up perfect out of the box
I have bought numerous guitars from Sweetwater - including high end guitars - and a few were delivered with major issues that should not have passed an inspection. Bridges being misaligned with the neck, fretboard edges that were supposed to be "rolled" and were not, a neck on one guitar was not even close to being straight. I assume they send out some guitars with issues, thinking that most people won't catch them. Finally, I recently received a guitar that was clearly a demo model, but was not advertised as such.
Bummer, sounds like you have just as bad of luck as I do!
I bought an Ibanez RG from Sweetwater a few months ago and had it plek'd. It buzzed a little when I got it but they had the action set really low. I checked the frets with a rocker and all the frets checked level. I raised the action slightly and it plays great. I just bought an LTD ec-256 that was a demo from them. That turned out to be a great guitar for the money.
That's awesome! It sucks you had to do some work, but at least it turned out great in the end!
This all happened in 2023. I received a brand new Gibson ES 345 in 60's Cherry from Sweetwater. When I opened the case I saw a chunk of wood with one side painted red, and some additional shavings of wood in the case. I also had previously purchased a ES-345 that arrived with a pickup selector switch that would not hold the setting, either up or down. It bounced back to the middle position, so I returned it As I said, both of these guitars were brand new. So much for the vaunted 55 point inspection. I venture to say the case was never even opened on the ES with the wood shaving issues. They gave me a $300 credit for my issue with the wood chunks (I kept that guitar as I could find nothing wrong with it) and Sweetwater paid for the repair on the PU selector switch with a local repair shop. But a 55 point inspection? Puhlease, give me a break.
Not sure how someone could miss chunks of wood. I'd imagine it is like any workplace, you have a few employees that phone it in and don't actually do their jobs. Still very frustrating to be on the receiving end of that!
I too have had bad experiences with sweetwaters plek process. Ordered 2 guitars a couple months apart, paid to have them pleked and both buzzed terribly. Returned both with no hassle but did have an issue with my refund on the second one but eventually got it worked out. I will still be shopping at sweetwater but wont be getting anything pleked anymore though.
Interesting you say that, my return hasn't process yet and it arrived 16 days ago. I reached out yesterday and they are looking into it.
Iv bought 2 guitars from Sweetwater both have been pleked. I had no issues but now that they are charging $300 a plek job I doubt I will ever have them do it again.
May I ask what was the previous price?
@@DerComputerist it used to be $250.
@@EmoKidsRule100I would probably consider it if it was still $250 but $300??… Yeah no.
I live a little over 200 miles away from my nearest Guitar Store So I made the drive And found a really good guitar, only to discover that all the card readers were down that day in the City. S.O.L. So now I buy all my stuff from Sweetwater these days, but I have not been happy with their Plek service at all.
Were they out of banks and atms in that zip code also
I've always wanted to get a guitar plek'd as it seems like some good technology but in the back of mind I always had doubts that it could be done better than I can do it or my luthier that I use. I've seen too many instances where I've actually played a guitar at a shop that had tags that said it was a plek'd guitar and it played underwhelmingly. Glad I never paid for it to be done because I would be extremely picky about it as the sole job of a plek to mathematically allow the guitar to be setup optimally.
For sure! I bought a Gibson new and at the time (still might be) they came Plek'd and I was not impressed. Beside the issues low E issue I had with this Strat, it played really nice after the Plek, but I was done messing with it at that point.
The machine does not make a tech or a luthier better at what they do. The machine is only as effective as the person running the machine It’s a great tool but you still need to really know what effect the choices you make in the grind strategy will have on the guitar once it’s done. Get Plek’d by people who already had a reputation for great fretwork, and the end results tend to be amazing
I do the fret levels but have all the tools. Started on cheap giutars! Bought two used Mexican strats and both required a fret level. Bought a 40th anniversary green telecaster from sweetwater, for less than the cost of a plek, neck, frets, and nut we're great out of the box!
I ending up buying a Player Telecaster and did some fretboard work on it. I figure if I'm going to play guitar the rest of my life, I should get better at working on them.
I run a guitar shop. Unfortunately, that's par for the course from Sweetwater. I've personally worked on 7 guitars that they pleked. All were just awful, and required a lot of work to get right. Around $200.
Sweetwater's whole QA process is bad. I think that they just say that they check them. Oftentimes the box of the guitar has never been opened. I would avoid buying guitars from them.
If the box of the guitar hasn't been opened, how do they post pictures of the actual instrument you're buying? 🤔
I opened a music store 2 years ago since it was something I always wanted to do. Coming from the corporate world working for a company that was privately owned and then went public. I saw the changes in the company. It's been a few years since Sweetwater went public, the 1st thing to go is quality. I recently had one of my customers buy an Epiphone LP for her husband for Christmas. Every time they come in his wife is always bringing up the 55-point check. I always tell her that being a small shop I go way beyond that. So I get a phone call, and he states that this guitar sounds like crap. I told him to bring it in. As soon as I opened the case, the 1st thing I saw was the neck pickup was backward. With the pickup ring being at an angle it put the high side up causing the strings to bottom out when playing. So the guitar made it through Epiphones QC and Sweetwaters 55-point check with the neck pickup backward. I have bought things from Sweetwater in the past and was really impressed with them but what happens once they go public, the quality goes down, and then they start messing with the employee's pay and benefits. That causes a revolving door and the customer service plummets. I will say between them and Guitar Center they keep my guitar service department really busy.
That's awesome, I hope you have great success. Running a business is hard work!
Yeah, that's what I think too. I've notices a shift. I have no issues with my rep, but quality coming out of there just seems off now. You get what you pay for in employees though, so maybe that's part of the issue. But that's the hard part of running a business.
Last part made me chuckle, LOL.
I wouldn't buy a higher end guitar online . I have to try it out to see if I'm going to like it-without all that return shipping hassle. I have bought a few cheap upgradable project guitars online, but there's not much money involved and I know how to work on them. I'm not buying an expensive guitar online only for it to have high frets and other issues. That one would have to be perfect out of the box.
I bought my martin d28 modern deluxe from sweetwater, normally i would buy local but nobody had one and then i spotted one at sweetwater with an absolutely gorgeous grain on the back and sides, i spoke to ben there and jokingly asked if it was worth having it Plek'd he was really honest and said absolutely not, its a 4k martin, it should play perfect out the box and it did. He did measure the action on it for me, i had them lower it a little to my liking and put my preferred strings on, that only cost $100 (strings were $20 of that), even with the lowered action it has zero buzz on any fret, it is truly one of the nicest things i own, every time i open the case it feels like the first time over and over again.
honestly though if your spending over $500 on any guitar it should never need fret leveling and at the very worst maybe a little side dressing if the neck has dried out a little bit, from that price point and up if its not good out the box and needs material removal to play its going back. I have $100-300 guitars with perfect necks that just needed a basic setup that said if they needed a little work its kind of understandable for the price. these days with cnc consistency of the guitar parts has got considerably better its the assembly process that can make or break a guitar but thats easier to fix than something like an incorrectly carved neck or body of the old days that people have all seem to have forgotten about lol.
At the end of the day all guitars can usually benefit from a basic setup which is essentially setting neck relief for desired string gauge, then action & intonation to ones preferences rather than factory spec.
Man, I've got a serious case of Martin envy! My Taylors are awesome, but there's something about that Martin tone that really speaks to me. I'm really glad you snagged a good one!
Totally get what you mean about the frets. For the price, you'd expect them to be spot on, right? But it's wild, I've played $3k Gibsons and PRS with uneven frets, while some $300 guitars are flawless. Learning to level frets myself has been a lifesaver, but sometimes it’d be nice to just unbox it and only have to tweak the action to my liking..
@@DustinRadtke yeah I can do all my own setup etc I have done re frets/crowns on several guitars over the years and dressed old played in guitars. Something just feels wrong to me about having to do it on a brand new expensive guitar, if a manufacturer can't get it right for that kind of money they get to deal with the inconvenience of a returned product. I lusted after the martin for so long but the frugal part of me kept saying no, I eventually gave in and I can't put the martin down 😂
Great video. I was thinking about paying the $300 for the Plek treatment. Now I’m having second thoughts.
I think it is still a great concept, if you could choose who does it I might still pay for it.
@@DustinRadtke That's the key right there - who your operator is. I had my Les Paul Plek'ed last week and it plays incredible. The person who operated the Plek machine is very experienced with it so mine came out great.
I used to do guitar setup work for a music store, and 90% of my work was taking care of guitars that had already been set up but still had some kind of an issue (often high frets). Yes, sometimes this is due to a rush job, but it is also true that a guitar that is perfectly set up can go crazy. Some guitars keep moving for weeks or even months. To be fair, I live in Michigan, and the weather here can be very humid in the summer and then very dry in the winter when people are running their furnaces. I had one acoustic guitar that needed a new bridge saddle. I made a new saddle, left it little bit high so I could tweak it later, and let it sit overnight. When I woke up the next morning things shifted so much that the strings were lying right on the frets. That was the worst case I ever saw. I would never pay to have a guitar PLEK'd because I know that as soon as I got it back home everything would move and I'd have to let it acclimate and only then could I make the final adjustments.
Oh, for sure, especially on repairs.
I said something similar. I also have found that a brand new neck will settle a lot after strings are first installed. This includes movement of the frets themselves caused by the movement of the wood around them due to changing conditions or the addition of new tension. A guitar can play brilliantly fresh off my workshop table and 24 hours later the whole set up needs to be tweaked.
I hear you brother. I live in New England and face the same issues. I have 10 guitars and sometimes it feels like I spend more time working on them than playing them.
Personally I would never pay for a Plek service for the very reasons you mentioned.
If I can't buy in person Sweetwater is my go to. I've ordered several guitars from them, acoustic and electric. I had considered having the Players strat I ordered from them plecked but decided not too. I'm glad I didn't though because it came in perfect. I guess I got lucky...but you know what they say...bad news travels faster and further. At least they have excellent customer service from what I've heard and new guitars can be returned.
Absolutely. My Player Telecaster had poly coating on the fret wires, so I guess I just have bad luck with guitars. Tons of players get almost perfect guitars out of the box.
That said, Sweetwater has always been great with returns if I have any issues. It's truly a zero-risk purchase, and I've been shopping there for years.
Weather will and can affect the truss rod. Sending a guitar through ghe mail means that conditions may have been a contributing factor. Extreem changes can cause these issues. When set up at Sweetwater, it may have been perfect but when they shipped. It moved. Plek guives you lowered action but has no room for miatakes or even weather conditions.
True, but weather doesn't usually mess up a nut.
As you said many years in retail you'll more than likely know the kind of person who works that plek machine.
my plex job from them was half assed. but the guitar was so alive I kept it and had my luthier fix it.
I had an issue with my newer Telecaster and I did the same thing. I should have returned it, but it sounded so good and felt so nice to play that I did the work to fix it.
The player series strikes again.
Idk why it’s not talked about more but that line of guitars has SO many problems. Every single one I’ve picked up off the wall over the last 5 years has had serious problems.
It’s bizarre to me because older MiM fenders are incredible.
Well i have three from Sweetwater that have been pleked it was a special promotion on each one free they are perfect .one in 2018 one in 2020 the last march 2023. I wonder if the person running this plek machine no longer runs it. They should have caught yours the first time and offerd you a replacement before it shipped.
That's awesome, I wish I had that luck with mine. On paper the process seems so easy to do correctly.
I’ve got a few new fenders from Adorama over the years- all on sale and most were most likely open box returns. I was able to find a minor blem on just about all of them but I will say they were all set up and played perfect- it was just cosmetic. Sorry you had to send her back
I ordered my Charvel with the Plek service and it was perfect. It is my best playing guitar by far. I don't know if I would do it everytime I got a guitar but I would do it again.
That's awesome! It is good to hear people do have great experiences. Maybe I'll try it again one day.
Damn what the plek does wouldn't allow that first issue to happen, i was just gonna order a 1100 breedlove and have it plek but not now...i have big trust issues and unless i had before and after measurements or video id never believe they did more than set relief and then sand saddle for action...if that...
I just got a new Schecter Reaper-6 Elite with a huge wood divot/paint valley 6" long and a ton of hand polishing scratces beneath the bridge. All of this after a 55 pt inspection, plek and setup. At least 3 techs saw these unacceptable flaws and still signed off on it. Extremely disappointed.
That's super frustrating. The good news is they will do a full return for you, but I'm sure you'd much rather have the guitar you ordered in perfect shape.
@@DustinRadtke You're right Dustin. When "New Guitar Day" shows up and it's not perfect, it's a real heartbreaker. They are trying to set things right. My sales engineer is awesome.
The bad news is that it's a pain in the ass to send it back! I hate guitar Center but you can take it back to the store and get a full refund....if it's on their card you'll have your money 100% in 3-4 days. I usually order a new guitar thru GC and take my tools to the store. If it's bad I never leave the store with it....immediately do a refund. The sales people at GC or Sweetwater are not awesome...they are nice unless you call them out after they call you 16 times and waste hours when all they'd have to do is spend 10 minutes looking at the guitar. Stop buying online unless you can get a full refund and see the guitar before you take possession. The sad thing is most buyers don't have a clue what a good guitar is and Sweetwater banks on that!@@DustinRadtke
Fret leveling is really not that difficult if you buy some good tools and are decent with your hands. It's also rewarding and a good way to make some extra cash.
It isn't hard on paper, but if you messed up it's a pain. I ruined my fist attempt. Now there are great tools that make it super easy to do.
I had a similar experience with Sweetwater and PLEK. I have no problems with Sweetwater. The one time I ordered a guitar with the PLEK process, I was disappointed. Nothing major, but it still needed a set up. I learned that a PLEK job is NOT a set up. I just pre-ordered another guitar with them, and this time I ordered the set up. My rep, Aaron Reginald,(awesome guy) asked me several questions on how I like to play, how I wanted the guitar to play, etc. That didn't happen with the PLEK job. So far, nothing beats a real, old fashioned HUMAN, playing your guitar and adjusting it according to what they hear and feel until it;'s right.
Exactly and a human should be playing and testing the instrument 'post plek' to make sure that shite is right
I got a more top line Schecter with ebony board and stainless frets. I wanted it Plek'ed to be perfect. A Plek machine is designed to make the guitar neck perfect but it is only as good as the operator and the trained technician. Also a comment on the supposed set up point inspection: I got this guitar out of the box seemed OK, frets looked evenly machined. Then I noticed they had screwed my stop tail piece all the way down to the wood so the strings were grounding out on the back edge of the bridge. (Some LP's can screw down with no issue of clearance, some cannot, and Gibson will tell you it simply does not matter as that is string tension and a user feel thing. BUT they stipulate one DOES NOT GROUND OUT the strings on the edge of bridge, EVER! I also noticed the strings would ping on the thinner ones as the nut was too tight and obviously had not been done by the Plek machine. I gave them the Strings I use but clearly the nut slots had not been scanned. I was so mad I did not stop complaining till they refunded my $300. I could set a guitar up better than these nits half drunk and up all night.
What further got me were this round of questions about what style and how do I play and what action so on. I simply want the guitar as perfect as it can do. Lowest action without buzz 4/64>5/64 at most with only a .10 relief (measured not guessed). I would expect the Plek to get lower action probably 3/64>4/64 as it needs to be better than my normal setup or why bother? Why would a ham fisted neophyte level player get his guitar Plek'd to make the neck perfect if he is playing like Roy Rogers neck action out of tune crap fest. A Plek is perfection and the machine if setup right by a trained skilled technician can make a guitar so good as to make you wonder why it is not standard practice (See Heritage Guitars). I don't want these nits touching my next guitar and if they won't bypass that whole mess of "experts" I will get one somewhere else.
Thanks for sharing! It sounds like you have high standards like myself. I totally agree the Plek machine should deliver almost flawless results, but it really depends on the technician.
Unless I know the tech personally or have a solid recommendation, I won't use the Plek machine again. Leveling my frets myself gets me 95% there, but it's definitely time consuming work.
The charge you get from the non-existent quality check is like the $$$ doc fee I was charged to buy a used motorcycle from a dealer. It does not mean a thing OR that they even did it. It is to get more money for the product.
The 55 point inspection may not be great, but they do not charge for that.
I recently bought a Les Paul 50's standard (not from SW), frets had had to get leveled and polished. I can do it myself so I did. But I'm not impressed with the trust in PLEK and the lack of QC after PLEK. PLEK doesn't guarantee anything.
I totally botched my first level and crown job. That's why I decided to try the Plek. I'm sure if someone like yourself ran the Plek machine it would have been perfect. I'm guessing they were just rushed and didn't double check it. The machine is only as good as the person running it.
Now that I've discovered the fret kisser tool, my fret work game is much better an faster.
I recently had a Fender Bass pleked and found the same issue with the E string. Initially after the plek job the action was too low, after fixing that problem the A-G strings sounded perfectly fine but, the E string still had a twangy tone to it, and as the guy in the video stated, the nut was cut too low by the machine. Thanks to Sweetwater for making things right by replacing the pleked bass with a brand new model. It wasn't too much of an inconvenience to go through this ordeal being that I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I wish I lived close to Sweetwater. Things are so much more convenient when you can talk to someone face to face. Then again, I might end up buying too much stuff!
I'm glad they made it right for you!
@@DustinRadtke Yeah, the proximity to the store can be both a blessing and a curse. I sometimes just hang out there for hours just to kill time. Funny part is; you're absolutely right when you said you might spend too much money, because one of my good friends who's also a bass player, laughs when I tell him "Welp I'm headed to the Crack House" whenever i visit there. lol
Maybe they are in over their head because I have had serious problems with getting the correct product, no trouble with returns but it's a pain and time consuming , 3 problems in a row
That's frustrating.
I agree, especially when it seems like the problems could have been caught easy. You get excited for a guitar and then have to lug it to the closest UPS or FedEx to ship it back. While not hard, it does take a chunk of your day.
Most decent luthiers will charge you around $100 for a proper fret leveling job. You'll get proper results at a much lower price. I've had several guitars done and the results have always been perfection.
Sounds like you found a good luthier. I haven't had great luck locally.
@@DustinRadtkeyeah the trick is to get plugged into the local Facebook musicians groups in your area. You’ll find out REAL quick who NOT to take your guitar to and usually several positive recommendations.
I found the guy I took my Carvin C66 to about 12 years ago through word of mouth at a musicians open mic guitar night.
Most small mom and pop shops do good work as they wouldn’t be in business if they didn’t. I’ve moved to a different city since my C66 work and the new local guy runs a folk music/bluegrass instrument store but is intimately familiar with fretwork and instrument setup so electric guitars are a piece of cake for him.
@@DustinRadtkeit can be hard to find good techs. I recently finally found a good luthier near me! Amp tech not so much, well I’m on the third one I’ve tried and still searching!
Except for the action being way too high on one of my Slash Les Paul’s, I haven’t had any issues with any of my 15 guitar purchases over the yrs. Amps, pedals, pedal boards, no problems as of yet. Very happy with them.
I wish I had your luck and budget!
Oh man, that sucks. I guess their 57 point inspection needs a few more points.
I had a back-and-forth a few years ago with a seller on Reverb. "So, has it been set up by an actual luthier?" "It's been Plek'd." "Are the nut height and intonation good?" "It's been PLEK'd!" "Any modifications to the wiring?" "IT'S BEEN PLEK'D!!" And it turned out the frets were visibly uneven. 😂
Thanks for the video, I am getting myself a $3000 guitar for Christmas, and I was going to pay the $300 to get it Plek’d. If Sweetwater can’t get it right after $600 worth of work, I’m not buying anything from Sweetwater. They suck.
I'd say I've had more positive experiences with Sweetwater than negative. I'd still buy a guitar from Sweetwater, but I doubt I'd do a Plek again.
So how did your Christmas guitar turn out?
Sorry you had a crap experience. I just purchased a Andy James B.C. Rich Assassin several months ago and had it Plek'd And boy did it come out fantastic I have zero complaints with my experience. although I agree on the price point...it should be much cheaper.
If you haven't already, make sure to let them know. We often hear more negatives than positives in life, so it's great to share good experiences. I'm glad things worked out for you!
I just got a RG550 off Sweetwater recently. And the set up was spot on. And nearly perfectly in tune. But it did come from the Fujigen factory in Japan. So the setup was probably not because of Sweetwater
Nice score on the RG550! Sounds like you got a great one. Fujigen does top-notch work, so it’s no surprise the setup was spot on.
Was going to do the Plek thing. Not a chance now. I will ship my Taylor back to factory. A 4 thousand dollar guitar should sound like one.
Spend that kind of money on a Martin instead. They plek at the factory.
My Taylor was set up perfectly! But honestly I can't stand it plugged in. I've been looking at some Martins.
@@DustinRadtkewhat electronics are in there? Maybe check out some other ones and swap it out. But def look at some Martins!
A Plek job is only as good as the guy running tue machine. The same as having it done by hand. Before immediately going to the nut being cut wrong id look at the truss rod. You may be completely right but there are other issues that can cause ringing off the first fret.
I wish some of y’all would post these complaints on the Sweetwater site. Seems they don’t censor complaints. Also, Dustin, I’m assuming you went guitar shopping at your local GC or Sam Ash, right?
I bought a telecaster from a local shop. It came with its own set of problems. The price was right and I fixed it myself.
I use Sweetwater to chat with the "experts" and then go find a better price somewhere else. I let them do all the work and let someone else give me a better deal 😂
A lot of the time, they’re fellow musicians, so If someone puts in the work, I’ll shop with them. Unless there’s a crazy deal somewhere else, but even then, I’ll check if they can match it.
Thry do thousands of guitar's. Not surprised a few get through the cracks.
55 point inspection is questionable. I have a buddy with an epiphone lp from SW that should have even left the factory much less any kind of post manufacturing inspection. 13th fret looks like it was glued back in with on leveling. total fret out. on way that had any kind of inspection.
Jeez, I bet that was frustrating. Something that obvious should have been seen if it truly was looked over before shipping.
I had that same buzz from fresh strings on my open a string, I adjusted everything and figured the nut was the problem. Turns out the string was bad. No buzz, problem solved. Next time try changing the strings!(if you hadn’t tried that)
Honlestly, it didn't even cross my mind. I figured the strings were new, but it could have been a bad one.
I will for sure try that if I encounter that issue again! Thanks!
Just bought a pro series ii midnight blue with plek pro and thankfully it plays like a dream
That's awesome! If you haven't you should let your rep know so they can pass it on. I'm all for promoting good work when it happens!
@DustinRadtke I did write them a very good review.
Weeks before this, I bought a les paul and they sent me the wrong serial # which I returned Only to find out they sold the model I picked out.
I did not write them a bad review on that one however because even though they messed up I felt like I was being picky even though If they let you pick out the serial number you want, that's what you should get.
When spending that much money I expect all the details to be right.
Plek should be coming from the factory.
That is NOT a $300 job, sounds like a regular Strat, I'm currently having a debate over at the comment section of the new Sweetwater video about Plek, and your video just proves my point. Lovely guitar, though!
Yeah, it was beautiful.
While it may not change the sound, a good leveling and setup can transform a guitar from just okay to truly inspiring to play.
I ordered a Gig Bag from Sweetwater, it arrived empty.
Isn't that how gig back are supposed to come or you saying they shipped just a box?
@@DustinRadtke I received the gig bag, but He said in the video; he ordered a guitar and a hard case separately; Sweetwater shipped his guitar in the case he ordered.
Bought a few guitars from Sweetwater with zero issues.
I've had more good experiences than bad. Just didn't work out this time.
Unless they know how you are going to set up the guitar, there is no way they can do a proper Plek job. That's why I have my local luthier do it. And I never noticed you checking the neck's relief, which is always going to be a problem with guitars that are being shipped.
They never pleked it the first time. Inexcusable. That is REAL disappointing coming from Sweetwater.
You really have to watch the fret work and nut work. I was gonna say on low end new guitars but I think you just need to inspect all craftsmanship on any guitar cheap or expensive ie Gibson
Glad my buddy is an expert luthier. My guitars are fucking perfect all the time!
Plekking doesn't magically make necks perfect, it makes them perfect for how the guitar's set up on that particular day.
If the neck goes out of whack, it'll be as bad or worse than were it set up properly, you'll potentially have a wide range of deviance between frets, some might have next to no metal while others could be fresh and tall.
If the neck's set up well and the truss rod's adjusted, a decent fret-dressing is all that's required, Plek machines seem to be pointless to me.
I guess I got lucky, seriously happy with my freshly plek'd American Professional II Telecaster.
That's awesome. Make sure to let them know so whoever did your plek can get the great feedback. They need more of those workers.
I just had a JM Jazzmaster plekked at SweatWater…it’s the best guitar I have now.
Make sure to tell them they did an amazing job!
I'm starting to see more and more people playing Jazzmaster guitars and they always sound great.
That sucks...
How confident are you that it was even PLEK'd?
I'm 99% it was. I've played a lot of guitars and this for sure had work done prior to me getting it. The frets were very smooth and while it had issues on the low strings the high strings played so nice.
@DustinRadtke
Don't let it sour you on the PLEK process. It's only as good as the tech. I would recommend trying Joe Glaser/Glaser instruments, if you are so inclined. He is the foremost expert on PLEK in the U.S.
I'd speculate, yours probably didn't receive the attention required of the process. It can take several hours. Sweetwater probably does so many they take shortcuts.
Out of curiosity, did you spec any fallaway?
Did they know you were a YT influencer?
Fender QC has been in the toilet since 2020 when the plandemic started. I bought a Player series around 2020 and it was a POS, bad fret work, witness lines (visible glue joints) on the top of the body, and it just played like sh*t. I returned it. I have a 2015 MIM Strat that I bought new and it's perfect, the difference in build quality between the 2015 and the POS Player series is night and day. To top it off I like the ceramic pickups in the 2015 better as well. I bought a 2022 MIM Charvel San Dimas last year from another online store. Almost half the frets on the first one weren't crowned. I kid you not. I have never seen that. I returned it and got a replacement it was much better but I still had to re-crown the last four frets which I did myself and I reset the neck, it was heavy on the high E side. I got 30% off on it. I like to do the work myself, I've dealt with too many guitar techs that shouldn't be guitar techs. I have $300 Squiers that came perfect out of the box and they just needed the action adjusted a bit.
That’s crazy you had so many issues! I thought I was the only one with bad luck. It's nice to know it's not just me.
I've started working on my guitars more, too, because of the poor quality ones I keep getting. It’s been fun to learn, but it's frustrating that you can't just buy a nice guitar without knowing how to fix them.
My friend has a Squier Strat we call the unicorn because it was perfect out of the box. So, you’re right, it does happen! I wish I had that luck!
The whole 'plek' thing feels like a scam to me. I'm waiting on a guitar where I did actually pay for a basic setup .. but there's no way I was going to cough up 300 bucks for some ultra perfect setup. Although the guitar I'm getting is probably not nearly as expensive as that one you got. It's a shame, .. that finish is so pretty. I figured I'd try em' out this time to see if the basic setup is worth it. If it's not, I'll just pay the local luthier to fix it.. and I won't go that route with Sweetwater if I buy another guitar from them.
It does seem high, but after doing a fret job myself, it took me over 2 hours. I don't know how long it takes in house but I'd say at least that. So cost of the labor and the machine it isn't too far out there.
I'd recommend learning how to do the basic set up yourself. It is almost impossible to do wrong and can really make you guitar play so much nicer. Fret work on the other hand can really mess up a neck if done poorly...I know from experience. RIP my first neck off my old squire strat! :)
@@DustinRadtke I'm not a good guitar player and I don't really require perfect action or fretwork. I just want the intonation to be solid without any buzzing. I figure paying a dude in town 60 bucks to get me there is worth escaping the anxiety of messing with it. I'm a hobbyist and not mechanically inclined in the slightest. I'm a painter and I don't even like building canvases. Anything I ever build always ends up warped. 😂Hopefully you got another guitar with a finish that was as nice as that metallic candy apple red .. Man that thing sure was a looker. I love that kind of a finish on just about anything.
I bought a Harly Benton... I stripped the paint, did the fretwork, and put some hardware on it... I am pretty happy. I also kept the H.B. logo just for laughs. Great video BTW.
I've heard great things about the Harley Benton guitars. I might pick one up someday.
Incorrect comments are rampant on this thread. First #1 the 55 point inspection is free with all guitars. Whether it finds discrepancies or not, it’s a free service. So if your input jack is loose when you get it just tighten it. It’s good to learn maintenance of your instrument . #2 the 299 plek job also includes a setup by a real tech. the pleking option does include a machine but pleking is controlled by a computer being operated by a human guitar tech. Truss rod adjustments are made to reduce the amount of fret being taken off. It’s apart of the process… lotta comments getting it all wrong….
I doubt if it was even plucked. Thise machines are computerized and can detect any problems.
A machine can only be as good as the human operating it. If the human that has to instruct the machine on how to proceed had no clue what he's doing, no matter how much a machine can be perfect, it'll make a flawed job.
No we are not lying my personal experiance on my tele had a loose input jack that shake test they show should have caught that.
My buddies Lp std got plekked and set up. The low e string is pivoting on the bridge then up to saddle. That is blaringinly ? Bad
Ive now learned a plek is like a computer its great if you know how to use it. I just cancelled the plek job and will take to a local shop with the plek pro and only 1 guy who does pleking
I run a string instrument repair shop. I see "pleked" guitars all the time that needs releveled or polished. In my experience the plek machine is only as good as it's operator. Cheers
100% agree!
Used to be, if your guitar had a buzz, you'd just bring it to you local mom and pop music store, and they would fix it. Now people ship it across the country and back and get it back not fixed.
Nobody serious buys their gear from Sweetwater, much less has them pleked by them.
Where do the serious get their gear?
While I have received perfectly Plek'd guitars from Sweetwater in the past, things have changed apparently.
Honestly, it could all be better again. It really depends on the people working on the guitars.
@@DustinRadtke I hope it changed I will be getting a new Yamaha TRBX604 Bass with their PLEK and a new Tusq nut install. Hopefully it comes to me great and ready to play. I will know on Tuesday.
@@Abyssdiverhow did it turn out for your bass?
I'm expecting a pleked guitar on the 19th of August 24' from Sweetwater. We shall see. Hope your turned out perfect.
The Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured and Supremes have the Sweetwater "Add Plek Pro" option advertised on them. If you read Sweetwater's description of those guitars, it states Gibson runs them through a Plek Pro machine at the factory. 🤣🤣🤣
I forgot that Gibson did that! I wonder how many people paid for it again from SweetWater. :)
Unfortunately I've never had good experience with Sweetwater! Although I do like candy!
Expensive candy! :)
Also, why did they take out the smarties?
@@DustinRadtke yes it is! I guess they save all the smarties for their self! Hope you have an awesome day!
What? That was the only good thing, maybe they didn't want us getting too smart?@@DustinRadtke
I would like to see how much material the plex removed..
Basically the same as any fret leveling would.
What were they like before being sold?
What specifically are you referring to that I sold?
@@DustinRadtke In August 2021, it was announced that Rhode Island private equity firm Providence Equity had purchased a majority share of Sweetwater, and Surack had stepped down as CEO.
Oh, I get what you're saying now. I had a few issues before, but they always fixed them quickly.
I don't think they offered the Plek service before the sale.
The main difference I've noticed since the sale is that they’re less willing to negotiate on price.
It used to be easier to find good deals, especially on higher-end items. But it seems like Guitar Center is tightening up too, so it might be a market-wide change.
Never had a positive experience with Sweetwater. Every single guitar I bought had glaringly obvious issues.
At least they have a great return policy.
Sir, why are you wearing gloves...😢
Haha, maybe I edited that part out, but I have really dry hands and it's easier to keep the box from slipping with the rubber on the gloves.
I also hate paper cuts from cardboard.😆
I had one p l e k e d and my tech did one. Couldn't tell them apart.
If you find a good tech, make sure to let them know you like their work. Good techs are worth their weight in gold.
You need a guitar tech. ,don't pay for plek.please. and your right it just needs the nut slot(s) redone.
A beautiful finish doesn’t mean much when you have half the guitar face covered by a pickguard . That’s one of several things I don’t like about Strats and Teles.
That's valid. It took me a while, but pick guards grew on me. Now I can over strum and have a good time without worrying that I'm scratchign up my paint.
@@DustinRadtkeMaybe try a clear pickguard? Covers all bases (and guitars 😂)
#sweetwater has gotten too big to the point of not caring,, all there blather about 55 point this and plek that oh and heres some free stale candy,,, you definitely take a gamble when you buy from them, one good thing is if you complain loudly enuff they will give you freebies…and usually take back returns no questions asked…
Damn.....hate to hear about these things. I keep hearing and reading about this and more from SW. So much so, I have a long pause whenever I've thought about maybe buying a $5K-$15K guitar from them. I can count only 3 places I trust for online. SW is not one of them. Oh sure, returns under policy no prob, but no way I have the patience to send back things more than once. I don't hate on SW, but I do believe they are way over-hyped.
I still think Sweetwater is a good place to shop. I know I can return it without question if there is an issue, but returning items can be a time suck and a pain if you don't have a drop off close to you.
Sweetwater really earned their reputation they have, but let's hope they don't lose it by becoming too big that the details get missed.
Plek makes me nervous. I have one guitar Plek'd and it is great. But would I dare Plek a valuable or rare guitar? I dont know.
If you got it Plek'd somewhere where you know who worked on it, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Then you know the results can be replicated. Also, a Plek doesn't affect the guitar just the fretwire and that can be replaced, so no big worry.
The problem isn't the Plek machine, it's the operator. With a bigger company, they probably have a larger staff and it would be luck to get the same tech that you had success with.
Doing fret level isnt terribly expensive and i trust a luthier before a machine run by someone who doesnt have much knowledge , or is careless
that low e buzz is normal. i can't believe you guys return a guitar because of a little bit of string buzz without understanding it's perfectly normal.
I get a slight buzz on the low E as well. Not all the time, kind of latent after the initial pluck, and not severe. It doesn't bother me at all and I find it kind of charming. Doesn't come thru the amp at all. Joe Walsh famously said, "Fenders are supposed to buzz!" That fret leveling IS an issue, though.
I'm sure sweetwater has some slip ups, but to say it's not worth it is not true . I've had 2 setups and a plek service done. Didn't have any issues. Also, sweetwater is great about their returns/ refunds . I've had some guitars I didn't like and returned them, no problem.
I totally agree with you. I’ve bought tons of guitars from Sweetwater and have had several plek’ed. Never had issues with that service and their customer service is top notch.
@@vedder10 yup I think this video can be misleading, their customer service is great.
It needs to acclimate before any plek
If the frets were put in right in the first place there's no need to have them plek
I had a charvel usa of mine plek'd there. It didn't improve anything. I will say gibson USA are factory plek'd and I've had good luck with their playability and set up.
All the Gibson Les Pauls i've owned came ok, didn't really feel any better than anything else though.
I could tell the work they did on this Strat was a huge improvement over stock, but the mistakes ruined the full job.