Pro guitar set up

[chris mcbain]

Hello shad friends,
just been browsing on the Peach Guitars Site and watched a 75 minute video on a full guitar set up it seems they have a laser type system called PLEK that can pick out
any problems with the nut/frets/ radius etc and costs £ 175, the Guitar tech starts with the usual checks working on a bench then puts all the info into the PLEK
system which can pick up any problems to within 100th of a millimeter so extremely accurate, once the results are in the Guitar tech sorts all the problems out
completes the set up, so this costs around £100 more than a standard bench type set up. This got me thinking If you buy a £200 guitar and have this full set up
done at £175 would this guitar play as good as high end one then had another thought, if it did the hardware would probably not be up to much so if you changed
the trem/tuners/ pick ups that would cost around £300 so total cost around £675 ( but still an entry model with mods ) so if you bought say a Fender Player
Plus at around £800 and had the full PLEK set up would total £975 would this guitar be as good as say a fender Pro 11 at around £1700 as they have very
similar specs, has any one had this set up done ? is it worth it ? what's your views on it, thought this topic would get plenty of reactions.

Thanks Chris.

[dave robinson]

My views are simple.
Plek is a way of parting people from hard earned money where a common sense 'set up' would easily do the job.
I have always done all my own setting up and at minimal cost, my motto being 'If it isn't broke, don't fix it'.
Far too many people buy guitars and change and swap out parts because they can. My experience has put a hold on all of that and in many cases in the past, I have been guilty of spending money unnecessarily on parts I didn't need - lesson learned. OK, some instruments benefit from improved pickups or tuners or a bridge, but nowhere near the amount that are subject of discussion on these boards. All that has been required is some slight adjustment and common sense applied. In recent months I have successfully set up some really cheap Encore & Vintage guitars bought on eBay for as little as £10 & £20 and made them sound as good and play as well as my high end USA Strats.

[chris mcbain]

Hi Dave ,
Only saw this PLEK set up today never heard of it before was just curious to see if it was any good, I paid once for a pro set up as I had no idea how to set
a guitar up that was about 8 years ago, ever since then have done my own by following info on various sites and don't have any problems with buzz
etc so must be setting it up somewhere in the right ball park.

Chris.

[dave robinson]

There's no doubt whether or not the PLEK set up is any good, it is. But atmospheric conditions and climate does change continually, changing the structure of the timber in the instruments, in turn re-adjusting everything then it needs a further set up. Then it's another £175 or whatever to go through it all again.
I find simple manual adjustments do the job just as well but without the extortionate cost. You'll learn how to set up as you play and understand what your own preferences are, which I found rewarding owning so many different guitars. What I would say to you is, if your guitar sounds and plays well, then it's probably set up in a satisfactory fashion.

[Uncle Fiesta]

I can never understand why people don't learn to do their own setups. (I could teach you, but I'd have to charge.)

Think of it like a car. If you have a horrible boring front wheel drive hatchback, BUT keep it clean inside and out, hose the road salt off the underside in winter, check tyre pressures and fluid levels weekly, have it regularly serviced and take it to a garage as soon as you notice a problem, then you've got a better car then your neighbour with a Ferrari, who never touches it except when he's driving it. Of course it'll never be as quick or as flash, but it'll last longer, hold its value longer and be more reliable (especially if it's not Italian.)