Plek questions....

[BobbyBobo]

I'm considering this process for a few guitars. One is a RG520qs. I think I've read the machine will recut the nut if necessary, but will it do that for a locking nut on a trem guitar?

I've read the nut on my guitar (and maybe all other locking nuts?) is not cut for the radius of the neck. So if the nut is flat, wouldn't you want it to be cut to match the radius of the board?

Also, my Edge trem seems to not be set up perfectly for the 430 radius either. I've read it should be. If I set the action for 2mm at the low E and 1.5mm at the high E measured at the 24th fret, I don't get an even drop on the strings going down from 2mm to 1.5mm. The G is the most off being too high. Anyone fixed issues like this? The intonation seems pretty good, but I wonder if I mess around with that could it slightly change the string heights?

I guess I'm being picky about this setup stuff, but I figure I want to know if it can be done to perfection before whipping out the wallet.

[ryanb]

You don't recut locking nuts. They are hardened. It is already radiused to match the neck and should be pretty close. If it is off a lot, it probably is the wrong nut for the guitar.

You adjust the radius of the Edge saddles by adding/removing shims under the saddles. Intonation will not change the height. Set the intonation where it belongs.

[callen3615]

I had a high g string on my rg470, the saddle needed to be sanded down. Check and see if you dont have the saddles swapped for different ones. You might have to shim the saddles to match the radius.

[BobbyBobo]

Well maybe I got wrong info about the nut not being having a matching radius of the board. It's hard for me to tell by the eye, think I'll need the strings off to get a better look. I just asumed the info I had was right.

I took the saddles off and they all appear to be exactly the same height. The base that the saddles bolts to is where the radius comes from. I'm new to trems, so this was all news to me. Only thing I can think is the G saddle would need to be sanded a bit.

Callen, did you just take some off the bottom of the saddle?

Oh and anyone feel free to throw in some Plek observations/advice if you have any. Thanks guys!

[callen3615]

Yes. Why must I enter 5 characters to post???

[BobbyBobo]

Thanks callen.

But now I wonder, if the G string has always been that high, was the factory fret level done around that little off piece of hardware? So if I lowered it, maybe I'd get excessive buzzing on the G string?

But it also seems to make sense to have the action of each string set about right before having it Plek'd.

And just to make sure I understand it correctly, if I had 2mm action at the low E and 1.5mm at the high E, then the action for every string from low E on down should each get slightly lower than 2mm. For example :

E = 2mm
A = 1.9mm
D = 1.8mm
G = 1.7mm
B = 1.6mm
E = 1.5mm

[evilkleg]

Definitely make sure the locking nut is the correct one for your neck. This is super important when it comes to PLEKing because the process won't correct radius issues. Also the bridge and saddles if you think that is a problem.

As for the PLEK process itself- go for it! I had it done to one of my guitars at Mike Lull Guitar Works in Bellevue Wa. I live in Victoria, British Columbia Canada so it was quite a bit out of my way but I was going to be in Seattle for a Mariner's game so I figured "what the heck?"

Anyway, after the process my RG 520 played better than any guitar I have ever played with nice low action. I have never had a fret dressing by hand that was as good. The bonus is because the PLEK also reshapes your frets, your whole guitar should acoustically sound better too.

The only drawback is cost. PLEKing is pricey.

I like it so much I'm planning a trip back specifically to have ALL my guitars done.

[Darin]

Originally Posted by callen3615

Yes. Why must I enter 5 characters to post???

shhh, we don't question the methods of the mods. Just accept it and move along quietly to the next thread.