# Plek anywhere in Canada ?



## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

Any shops with a plek in Canada ?


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Nope. Wanna open one?


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

someone should open one. I don't have the time to be there all day long, have other projects. But perhaps as a partner, I would consider it.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Just my opinion, but I think PLEK machines are highly over-rated. A good guitar tech can do a better job than a computer to tailor a guitar's action to the player. For the price of a PLEK machine, that's an awful lot of custom setups that don't get done properly.


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

bluzfish said:


> Just my opinion, but I think PLEK machines are highly over-rated. A good guitar tech can do a better job than a computer to tailor a guitar's action to the player. For the price of a PLEK machine, that's an awful lot of custom setups that don't get done properly.


 its a great tool to help a tech make it right. And of course the operator must know what he is doing. I own over 20 guitars, and have owned well over 60, and have been playing about 40 years ... over 20 as a profession. Have yet to find a great tech. Just Alot of talk from the shops and always disappointed. I recently have been sending some of my guitars to the states for work. Let me know of anyone /shop that does great work.


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Try this guy

freddysfrets.com


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

hey John,

can u pott a couple of my pickups that have gone microphonic ?


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

Pstar said:


> its a great tool to help a tech make it right. And of course the operator must know what he is doing. I own over 20 guitars, and have owned well over 60, and have been playing about 40 years ... over 20 as a profession. Have yet to find a great tech. Just Alot of talk from the shops and always disappointed. I recently have been sending some of my guitars to the states for work. Let me know of anyone /shop that does great work.


Try this guy as well. He's done 2 of my guitars and I couldn't be happier. He's an Engineer and Designer by trade, and an up and comming Luthier, and member of this forum.
Dave Radlin at Radlin Guitars. [email protected]


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## bluesguitar1972 (Jul 16, 2011)

It can be hard to find someone who really does good fret work. But we're fortunate on PEI to have at least one luthier that does great fret work


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Some time last year, I approached a local luthier about a joint venture deal to purchase what I believed was Canada's first PLEK machine. Basically, I'd bankroll the venture and he'd supply the manpower/skills to do the support work (setups, fretwork the machine couldn't do, etc). I believed it made good business sense given the barriers to entry ($$) and a very close monopoly situation given that Cdn guitarists like myself would avoid sending one across the border given the hassles that entailed.

I'd even had a line on a used machine the company was brokering on a trade deal. It was one of the early generation machines, but was a relative bargain compared to the second generation technology. It was also smaller and less complicated than the newer machines, so would entail a lower trajectory learning curve.

At the end of the day, the luthier hated the idea and we went nowhere with it. I haven't given up on it yet and may still entertain the notion of doing something like that in my retirement years, but current trends/tastes have me a bit concerned about the guitar industry's future (seems to be dying a slow death in some ways).


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

> its a great tool to help a tech make it right. And of course the operator must know what he is doing. I own over 20 guitars, and have owned well over 60, and have been playing about 40 years ... over 20 as a profession. Have yet to find a great tech. Just Alot of talk from the shops and always disappointed. I recently have been sending some of my guitars to the states for work. Let me know of anyone /shop that does great work.



IF you take one of your guitars to this guy and you have issues then i would think, there is a problem with you

http://www.coolguitars.ca/gordmylk.htm


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

Rick31797 said:


> IF you take one of your guitars to this guy and you have issues then i would think, there is a problem with you
> 
> http://www.coolguitars.ca/gordmylk.htm


Never heard of him. Not into folk/bluegrass instruments.
i don't settle for second rate services. Have had refrets done by supposedly by good shops. All were very disappointing. I do better refrets myself and am not a luthier. Most of these dudes never were trained by pro luthiers. If you have never played a great ax than u don't know the difference, than its all good to u.


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

> Never heard of him. Not into folk/bluegrass instruments.
> i don't settle for second rate services. Have had refrets done by supposedly by good shops. All were very disappointing. I do better refrets myself and am not a luthier. Most of these dudes never were trained by pro luthiers. If you have never played a great ax than u don't know the difference, than its all good to u.


i wouldn't think you would know him, i have also had set up by guys that thought they knew how to do it, until Gord came along, he does set ups for alot of pro players that come in to town to play.. the only problem there is usually a waiting list,of a couple weeks , so that tells you something...
you might better just do your own set ups and you dont have to be a luthier to set up a guitar, luthier go much deeper then that.


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

Rick31797 said:


> i wouldn't think you would know him, i have also had set up by guys that thought they knew how to do it, until Gord came along, he does set ups for alot of pro players that come in to town to play.. the only problem there is usually a waiting list,of a couple weeks , so that tells you something...
> you might better just do your own set ups and you dont have to be a luthier to set up a guitar, luthier go much deeper then that.


all have wait lists. wait lists don't mean anything, maybe there the only game in town or 1 of few that do this type of work. Never heard of him. Am a pro player who has many touring years under my belt.
Know many pros, and his name has never come up. I'll check him out.
Was not talking about setups but re-frets. I usually do my own setups , have been for over 30 yrs. Inquiry is to re-frets and its idiocies. There's no pics and/or infor. about his own build.. ? most luthiers have their own creations. Does he do dibs on refrets back to original ? SS frets ? smooth file ends ? re set binding if required ?


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## Ian John (Aug 11, 2009)

Wood moves ...frets go with it...sometimes not..


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

in the Kingston area there are many so called Luthiers with no waiting list, i have been to a few...if you know many pros then you should have no problem finding a guy that does it right.Gord does re-frets , i have not had a refret done by him but the word out there is he is a perfectionist. Just because you have never heard of him doesn't mean he is not one of the best.You will have to call him to ask him his experience with refrets.


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

oh, i have no problem finding guys, but no one local in the golden horseshoe, the old guys i used r gone or retired ( too old).


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Pstar said:


> Am a pro player who has many touring years under my belt.
> Know many pros, and his name has never come up.?


With the greatest of respect, a lot of members have been trying to be helpful with their suggestions for a Luthier and you seem to be pugnacious in return. I would think that a touring Pro of your stature would be "tight" with the best Luthiers in Canada and would not need the advice of the humble members of this Forum in that regard. I used to use Lance Romance (Eric) of this Forum known as the Guitar Tech to the Stars, but unfortunately he has passed away. He was one Luthier that I would trust with anything. I now have a new Tech who approaches Eric's level of expertise but his name will remain anonymous as I don't want you mocking him as a "folkie" or "bluegrasser head" or something worse on a public forum.


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## Pstar (Jan 28, 2011)

there was 1 suggestion, trying to give business to local guys instead of shipping out to the States. His website states " Classical Guitars, Banjos and Mandolins, Dobro and Resophonic Instruments, Ukuleles, various World Instruments:, was not mocking anyone, just reading the resume. Rather keep luthiers in canada busy if they are good. I remember lance. His name has never come up in any conversation about gear, what is wrong with that.


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

> there was 1 suggestion, trying to give business to local guys instead of shipping out to the States. His website states " Classical Guitars, Banjos and Mandolins, Dobro and Resophonic Instruments, Ukuleles, various World Instruments:, was not mocking anyone, just reading the resume. Rather keep luthiers in canada busy if they are good. I remember lance. His name has never come up in any conversation about gear, what is wrong with that.



funny when you read his web site you could not help but see he lists acoustic and electric guitars and basses ...as part of his resume, but you decided to leave it out, for some odd reason.
IF you were to read on he has worked on over 10,000 instruments.. i dont really care were you take your guitars to refret, but the last thing i would be doing is shipping my guitars to the USA, to have work done, if this is how you are getting them to the guitar tech, you have just added another level, of something going terrible wrong.


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