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Emerald now using a Plek machine...
Just saw the video on FaceBook - Emerald is now using a Plek machine on all their guitars to insure more consistent fret leveling. Nice addition to their building process.
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Some CF, some wood. |
#2
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When did they start using it?
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#3
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They've just announced it today on Facebook. Someone who is receiving a guitar today asked whether it would have been Plek'd was told "yes", so they must have had it for a week or two, at least.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#4
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That's good news--one more step toward perfection.
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#5
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Good stuff, I had an issue with one high fret on mine when I got it.
I almost want to buy another with all the cool new stuff (pinless bridge etc) |
#6
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Plek is good for cutting nuts as well.
Bet it will have fun with fan frets. |
#7
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Walnuts, pecans, and almonds???
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#8
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Im thinking about ordering a fan fret 6string so I asked if they go through PLEK machine and the answer was no. That means that in addition to paying 600 extra for the fan fret you allso lose the value of having a pleked guitar.
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#9
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Disappointing, but I understand the need to cut costs.
__________________
Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#10
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Curious as to why you say ‘Disappointing’.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#11
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A skilled tech or builder will do a much nicer job than a PLEK.
The main reason to use a PLEK is labor savings. It's why Martin has PLEDed their guitars for a decade or so, and nobody would call their fretwork particularly outstanding. On a custom instrument, I'd normally consider it a downgrade. Wouldn't prevent me from ordering another Emerald though.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#12
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Quote:
__________________
Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#13
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It will be interesting to see how they incorporate the PLEK into their build process. Basically specialized CnC machines, the can be used to precisely cut nuts, true-up fingerboards, and do fret work - at least the first 95-98% of it pretty well and probably faster than any human. But for the best custom guitar work, a human has to come behind the PLEK and give it the last few percent, feel and fix, and sign-off. My guess is they were doing all this by hand before.
My Emerald necks are very nice, showing that someone spent some serious time getting them right, but I have no idea how much human work and rework has to be done out of the molds. We have few pictures or videos of the hand work at Emerald, and I don't know (and probably won't - I suspect they want to keep their magic/trade secrets it a secret) the work they have to do vs building a wood guitar. Probably a lot. Maybe the PLEK will allow the volume to increase and the quality to remain acceptably high at the same time. Last edited by redi; 09-05-2021 at 11:59 AM. |
#14
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It's not very exciting for people (myself included) who favour handmade instruments but a PLEK machine used optimally by someone qualified is supposed to give better and more consistant results than what a tech could do. But that requires a proper initial set-up before the guitar gets Pleked. Then the process is iterative, with many redundant measurements under and without string tension, etc.
I'm not sure I would see any difference on my fav' OM though, the handmade build and set-up is so good that any improvement would be way below my perception threshold. Last edited by Tøf; 09-05-2021 at 07:21 AM. |
#15
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This is where it'll get interesting. My 2 Emerald purchases came in clean as a whistle, but they were clearly not set up. If they are doing this first, and then pleking, it seems like a positive thing.
__________________
2004 McCollum GA redwood/walnut, 2011 Lame Horse Gitjo, 2019 Pono 0-10V Engleman/Acadia, 2019 RainSong V-DR1100N2, 1925 Weissenborn Style 4 Good Guys: Howlin Bob,skiproberts,Dustinfurlow, jherr, sevenpalms, Methos1979, Flat Top, bgpicker, Luria, TobyWalker, JerryM,jonfields45,eljay,buddyhu,funky2x |