Plek is many things to many different people. We like to think of it as a question – What makes for the best possible playability in a guitar? – which we have turned into a machine.
It is also way of looking at the fingerboard, the frets, the strings, of your instruments. It is the application of decades of research and experience, and dialogue with master guitar builders.
It is a philosophy, an idea of quality and playability, as well as a technology.
For more information on Plek machines, the Plek system, and Plek technology, take a look at the links below. Whether your focus is on guitar production, quality control and research [making], or on repair and maximum flexibility [repairing] or whether you are a musician looking to get the best out of your instrument [playing], you are in the right place.
Plek machines provide an invaluable set of tools for professional guitar makers. If you are a guitar manufacturer producing upwards of 400 instruments per month you ought to start by taking a look at the Plek Pro. If you are an individual luthier or a small manufacturer, it is probably best to check out the PLEK STATION.
Read more
Guitar repair requires a machine that can deal with any type of instrument and which offers maximum flexibility. Check out the standard and optional features of the PLEK STATION, which is used by reputed repair shops throughout the world. The Plek Station can also be used for research and development, or quality control.
Read more
If you are a musician looking to get the best from your instrument, then check out the advantages that a Plek job can bring. View our video explainers to see what other people think about the Plek process. Then take a look at our list of repair shops to find your nearest Plek-equipped guitar expert!
Read more
Plek is more than just a machine, it is an entire process environment that helps you to achieve optimum playability for your instruments. Take a look at our Plek System feature for some insight into how the Plek world fits together.
Plek owners – both builders and repairers – are rightly proud of the work they do with their machines. Here is a selection of Plek-related Instagram pictures.
Höstrusk ute men varmt och skönt i verkstan. Just nu är vi många tekniker på plats så passa på att lämna in din gitarr så tar vi hand om den. Allt för bästa spelbarhet. Välkommen!👋🎸
#swedenguitarworks #gitarrverkstad #gitarr #guitar #plek #getplekd
Particolare del tastatore della Plek machine. Colui che rileva imperfezioni del millesimo di millimetro.
#plekcloeguitars #cloeguitars #plek getplekd #loveplek #loveguitars🎸 #getplekd #tastatore
What’s the one place you should never take your guitar?
Trick question, you know we think you should have it by your side at all times… and with the Ascender’s folding technology, you can. 💯
#theascender #acousticguitar #acoustic #electric #bassguitar #bass #guitars #guitarsofinstagram #guitarsdaily #guitarspotter #guitarsolo #guitarsarebetter #guitarstagram #guitarshop #guitarsolo #guitarshred #guitarsecret #guitarsetup #customguitars #boutiqueguitars #coolguitars #guitarsetup #getplekd #customguitars #guitarspotter #newguitarday #rvlife #rv #campervan
Celebert besök av Eilert Pilarm på verkstan. Vi håller med Eilert när han säger:
"En Elvislåt på en nyplekad gura är aldrig helt fel"
Trevlig helg! 🙌🏻 🎸
#eilertpilarm #swedenguitarworks #plek #getplekd #elvislåt #gitarrverkstad #gitarr #guitar #husumselvis
#martinsmusikkiste #martinhense #lefthandconversion #linkshandumbau #deeringbanjos #getplekd www.martinsmusikkiste.du
Vi börjar veckan med att tacka johannestrubaduren för dessa ord:
- Det finaste man kan göra med en gitarr (förutom att spela på den då) är att låta den få en PLEK hos swedenguitarworks.
- Från att ha varit en strängskramlande, ointonerad (gick *** inte och intonera) svårstämd surdeg med sjuk stränghöjd till att bli en de mest lättspelade och finaste guror jag lirat på.
- Hatten av för Leffe & Co och den gitarrkärlek de ger.
Vi säger tack till dig johannestrubaduren och ser fram emot att få höra dig spela på gitarren inom en snar framtid och välkommen åter! 🎸🙏🏻 🧡
📷: johannestrubaduren
#swedenguitarworks #gitarr #guitar #pleksetup #getplekd #gitarrverkstad
A little peek at what I’ve been working on. This 900 series had a nasty tail split and top crack after some shipping damage to a dealer, so it was sent back to the factory. My job was to piece it back together and try to save it.
First I put the splintered sections of the side back together. Then I used a spreader bar to push the tail block back out and line up the sides with the top, so I could glue it back to the kerfing. Then I patched and leveled out the broken finish on the tail, before gluing the top crack and drop filling with CA, scraping it level. Next, with some help from one of my trainers, we scuffed the tail section and did a UV spot touch up over the damaged area. After that, I level sanded everything with 1000, wet sanded to 2000, then buffed it out and reassembled.
Flashback to my first ever real “project” that took a lot of effort and stretched out my comfort zone quite a bit. This was pre-IG days for me so I never posted about this.
This mid-70’s rickenbackerofficial #4003 bass came to me from a great customer and friend named Jeff Smith during the GC days. Jeff was from the southwest and was visiting Cincy on a work contract and we bonded over our musical interests.
Jeff got this bass as a teenager (if memory serves) and it had an accident on stage that led to the fingerboard snapping through at the 7th fret. I was honored when he asked me to try and repair it after all those years.
I pulled the board off (first time I’d ever done that), mended the two broken pieces back together and reinforced it from underneath, reinstalled the board, and refretted the now intact neck.
The bass also had an issue with the bridge pickup, so we had ericfixesstuff rewind it for us!
This was 6 years ago. Time flies. After this didn’t go all tits up on me, I gained confidence to try bigger and better repairs. Seems to have worked out so far! Flash forward 6 years and tomorrow I start over at Taylor.
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #dankluthiery #sandiegomusicscene #sandiegoguitarrepair #sandiegoluthier #ricbass #rickenbacker4003 #rickosound
Down in the old stomping grounds around #nashville for a few days this weekend and I’m getting some work done while I’m here. I have the absolute honor of fixing up a few guitars for ryanknightguitar who I’ve been a fan of for years. Life’s funny like that sometimes.
Day 1 was a refret on a fender_jp 1952 reissue #tele that had some worn out baby frets. Installed some jumbo jescarmusic wire in there.
Day 2 was a couple of setups and some electronics touch ups on an officialibanezguitars #RG550 in Road Flare Red, and a PRSguitars Custom 24.
Honestly it felt good to get my hands dirty again after taking the first couple of weeks off since I left Singapore. I needed a break, for sure, but after a while I started to feel weird not doing anything. Plus it’s always a bonus when I get to fix up some instruments for someone I’ve been listening to forever. Thanks again Ryan!
Fun side note, that RG550 is the one Ryan played on tour with BDM, and used in the Necropolis video!
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #dankluthiery #havetoolswilltravel #hotelguitartech #shred #fenderjapan #ibanez #prsguitars
Well. That’s a wrap on Singapore guys. I just (literally just now) put the finishing touches on my final project in the shop, a Carvin strat copy that came down from Vietnam for a refret and some other fun stuff. I’ve been UNBELIEVABLY busy as I closed out everything here, and quite frankly I just didn’t have time to make posts. It’s been a WILD 3+ years here. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed servicing this very interesting community of musicians and collectors. Thank you so much to all my loyal customers that have brought me so much business over the last several years. It’s been a treat to keep all your instruments playing as best as they can. I’m very excited for what’s to come, and I’ll share more when I can.
Singapore✈️Tokyo✈️Chicago✈️Cincinnati🚘Nashville🚘Cincinnati✈️???
America, I’m coming for you. Cincy folks, get at me! I’ll be there Saturday night! Nashville folks, I’m coming down there June 4th for a nice long weekend, so get at me!
•
•
•#comingtoamerica #guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #singaporemusic #singaporemusicians #singaporemusicscene #havetoolswilltravel #tarvelingandloothing
My favorite coworker until she breaks (thankfully Joe Glaser and Plek friends to the rescue...). 🥺 #getplekd #plek #perfectfretwork #cnc #brokenbit #petunia #guitarrepair #plekselfie
I missed #straturday but this would have been my submission. This is a 2017 fendercustomshop that had position markers that were basically invisible in even good lighting. The customer asked for my help, and help I must!
I drilled out all the super dark dots and replaced them with new clay dots. Now you can actually see them when you play it. Much better. Finished it off with a getplekd fret level. This thing is a monster player.
•
•
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #singaporemusic #singaporemusicians #singaporemusicscene #fendercustomshop #inlay #inlaydots #dankluthiery #coolguitaroftheday #getplekd
Had this super cool old gibsoncustom M3 model come over from Jakarta, Indonesia for some restoration work. Full refret, with a fingerboard refinish, and a full rewire to replace some old road-worn grungy wiring. This one was from 1996 I believe. Definitely a #coolguitaroftheday for sure, and I think having it in the shop indirectly inspired the shape for my 36 fret monster build recently. Very fun guitar to play. The fretboard markers are side dots too, and the amber lacquer kind of hides how vibrant they are, which is a shame. When they were raw before we did the finish touch up on the board, they’re very turquoise colored pearloid.
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #indonesiamusicscene #gibsoncustomshop #vintagegibson #refret #guitarrestoration
Finally got a chance to put the finishing touches on the #sj200 refinish/fingerboard replacement/bridge replacement project. Topped it off with a new pickguard, a new nut and saddle, and a matching set of bone bridge pins. I also stained the maple inlays on the neck and the bridge with a bit of amber stain, since the plain maple really stuck out. It still thumps just as hard as it did before all the mods, and sounds killer.
•
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #singaporemusic #singaporemusicians #singaporemusicscene #fingerboardreplacement #dankluthiery #blockinlays #j200 #jumboacoustic #gibsonacoustic
Structural repairs like this always present interesting challenges for putting the pieces of the puzzle back in one piece. This one is a taylorguitars #bigbabytaylor that took a tumble. All in all, it closed up nicely. Tomorrow we’ll get it all set up.
•
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #wellplayedgear #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #singaporemusic #singaporemusicians #singaporemusicscene #brokenguitar #topcrackrepair #structuralrepair
Fun project incoming! This is a gibsonguitar #sj200 I did a neck reset on a couple years back. It had developed a weird body geometry issue and had a nasty hump on the fretboard extension, so long story short we ended up doing a fingerboard plane and took it to about .060” under spec. I burned through some inlays and the side dots became visible from the top edge of the binding. It always bothered me.
To rectify this, we’ve decided to replace the fretboard, and I chose a nice piece of ebony for this. I used a piece of that same fretboard to make a new #mustachebridge for it as well! This was my first time making one of those, and it was pretty fun. I also decided to change the inlays to blocks and used flamed maple scrap I had laying around for that.
Thanks to everyone who followed this journey in my story as well. It’s been a fun challenge.
•
•
•
•
•#guitar #guitartech #guitarrepair #expertfretwork #heystewmac #wellplayedgear #guitarrepairsingapore #guitarrepairs #getplekd #luthier #luthiery #whatsonyourbench #guitargasm #singaporemusic #singaporemusicians #singaporemusicscene #jumboacoustic #acousticguitarmods #acousticguitarrepair #dankluthiery #getplekd
