PRS SE 22 Custom won’t intonate after plek

cwk84

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Aug 22, 2021
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SoCal
Like the title reveals I had my axe plek’d and the nut replaced. The guitar won’t intonate on all strings. I already changed strings. Didn’t help. Current stings are NYXL 10-46. Pick ups are at a reasonable height at 5/64th and 6/64th respectively. The weird thing is the 12th fret harmonics are all on point but the fretted notes aren’t. They’re all flat about 8-13 cents. I can adjust the saddles either way it never changes. It stays flat. So the guitar doesn’t respond to my input. I’ve never had this issue on all strings. Usually it’s a bad string. But like I said I changed strings already and that didn’t help. It’s not a bad batch because I use the same strings on other guitars with no issues. Same batch. I’m at my wits end. Either they messed up the plek job or the nut isn’t cut right. I will mention, though, that I had to other guitars pleked and they don’t have that issue. Maybe I got lucky, I don’t know. Any idea what the issue could be?
 
Sounds strange, sorry you have to deal with this. Are you positive you're fretting VERY lightly when checking? The fact that you say you can adjust the saddles and it makes no difference is very odd to me. How does the guitar sound in normal playing?
 
Yes I’m positive because the strings are flat a couple cents not sharp. When I press down hard they go sharp.
 
Sounds strange, sorry you have to deal with this. Are you positive you're fretting VERY lightly when checking? The fact that you say you can adjust the saddles and it makes no difference is very odd to me. How does the guitar sound in normal playing?
+1, be nice to see the saddles
 
Seems like you should take it back to the tech who Plek'd it and have them make it right.

(IMHO, Plek is overrated but that's another discussion...)
I don’t think it’s overrated. It’s a way to accurately level and crown frets if you aren’t as skilled with your hands but know what you’re doing in theory. If you can point me to a good tech in SoCal I’ll gladly give them a visit. But I’m suspecting that they didn’t crown the frets right. Maybe they didn’t realize it is 25” scale length and the crown is off by a hair. That’s my only explanation. But then again I’ve had other guitars plek’d at the same place and the turned out great. Super consistent feel and perfect intonation. I already went back to them because they didn’t adjust the bridge right. They seemed very annoyed with me. I don’t think they know what they’re doing apart from operating the machine and I think it’s only the shop owner who can do it right. The other dudes aren’t trained well.
 
Are you saying there's no change when you move the saddles? Or that you just can't get it sharp enough with the saddles move forward. If your saddles are all the way forward, and your strings are still flat, it could be the new nut. Is it slotted correctly, angling downward so the point of contact is at the very end facing the fingerboard? Levelling and crowning shouldn't affect the intonation as long as the crown is dead centered on the fret's width. Take a look at those frets. If his machine was out-of-whack, maybe the crowns aren't centered? Other than that, I've got nothing.
 
Are you saying there's no change when you move the saddles? Or that you just can't get it sharp enough with the saddles move forward. If your saddles are all the way forward, and your strings are still flat, it could be the new nut. Is it slotted correctly, angling downward so the point of contact is at the very end facing the fingerboard? Levelling and crowning shouldn't affect the intonation as long as the crown is dead centered on the fret's width. Take a look at those frets. If his machine was out-of-whack, maybe the crowns aren't centered? Other than that, I've got nothing.

No matter how I adjust the screws the intonation doesn’t change. It doesn’t even get worse. It just moves maybe a few cents and that’s it. I’m also suspecting the nut or the crown. If he didn’t adjust for the 25” scale length the crown won’t be in the center. I’ll check when I get home. The nut was also cut by the machine.
 
Like the title reveals I had my axe plek’d and the nut replaced. The guitar won’t intonate on all strings. I already changed strings. Didn’t help. Current stings are NYXL 10-46. Pick ups are at a reasonable height at 5/64th and 6/64th respectively. The weird thing is the 12th fret harmonics are all on point but the fretted notes aren’t. They’re all flat about 8-13 cents. I can adjust the saddles either way it never changes. It stays flat. So the guitar doesn’t respond to my input. I’ve never had this issue on all strings. Usually it’s a bad string. But like I said I changed strings already and that didn’t help. It’s not a bad batch because I use the same strings on other guitars with no issues. Same batch. I’m at my wits end. Either they messed up the plek job or the nut isn’t cut right. I will mention, though, that I had to other guitars pleked and they don’t have that issue. Maybe I got lucky, I don’t know. Any idea what the issue could be?
Is this the same guitar that you previously posted about the tech dropping the saddles AND trem screws to lower the action to where you wanted it?
 
I don’t think it’s overrated. It’s a way to accurately level and crown frets if you aren’t as skilled with your hands but know what you’re doing in theory. If you can point me to a good tech in SoCal I’ll gladly give them a visit. But I’m suspecting that they didn’t crown the frets right. Maybe they didn’t realize it is 25” scale length and the crown is off by a hair. That’s my only explanation. But then again I’ve had other guitars plek’d at the same place and the turned out great. Super consistent feel and perfect intonation. I already went back to them because they didn’t adjust the bridge right. They seemed very annoyed with me. I don’t think they know what they’re doing apart from operating the machine and I think it’s only the shop owner who can do it right. The other dudes aren’t trained well.
There must be SoCal members here! Hook this gent up with your tech!
 
Is this the same guitar that you previously posted about the tech dropping the saddles AND trem screws to lower the action to where you wanted it?
Yes same guitar. But I didn’t have intonation issues back then. And the action issue was on my part. I expected too much out to the guitar. I have gradually moved on to a reasonable action height of 1.5mm at the 17th fret. I’d say that’s reasonable low-medium. I’ve also gotten better with setting up my guitars. Even when I get it from a tech I have to adjust it to my liking otherwise I won’t enjoy it. I’ve never had intonation issues to that degree. Usually it’s a bad string or a badly cut nut slot. But all strings and especially after the plek job? Suspicious. I’m on way home now. I’ll check the frets and take some pictures.
 
Well guys I think I know what the issue is. There’s literally no crown on the frets. It looks like it’s off center on some frets and others don’t have a crown at all, just a round top. That’s an absolute joke.

Here are the pictures:

 
Well guys I think I know what the issue is. There’s literally no crown on the frets. It looks like it’s off center on some frets and others don’t have a crown at all, just a round top. That’s an absolute joke.

Here are the pictures:


So much for the (consistent) superiority of PLEK…

If your SoCal=OC there’s Tom Rieser. http://www.trguitars.com/
You can also find him on Facebook.

He’s at Jim’s Music once a week or you can check when his mobile repair unit is in your area. I found him years ago when Gibson still listed independent warranty repair shops on their site.

I’ve had him recrown and setup several Les Pauls cuz I don’t like the ones with frets like ‘school bus’ tops.

His fretwork and setups are pristine.

But really the original PLEK shop should be the one making it right.
 
Sounds like a “compensated vs non-compensated nut” issue. But, like previously mentioned, that responsibility lies with the shop that did the PLEK. Make them make it right.
I’ll send it to PTC for a refret. The frets are already lower than I like. The cheapest way for them to fix it is another plek setup. They’ll never go for a refret. And that means the frets will be even lower. I’ve had issues with the bridge already.
 
So much for the (consistent) superiority of PLEK…

If your SoCal=OC there’s Tom Rieser. http://www.trguitars.com/
You can also find him on Facebook.

He’s at Jim’s Music once a week or you can check when his mobile repair unit is in your area. I found him years ago when Gibson still listed independent warranty repair shops on their site.

I’ve had him recrown and setup several Les Pauls cuz I don’t like the ones with frets like ‘school bus’ tops.

His fretwork and setups are pristine.

But really the original PLEK shop should be the one making it right.

Yeah well I got burned hard. Lesson learned. I’ve had other guitars plek’d in the past and it felt really consistent. And the crown was visible and even. I guess it’s like everyone says, it depends on the experience of the machinist. I’ll contact the shop owner for sure because I’m almost certain that he didn’t do it. He did my Jackson and it turned out perfect. Plus, I’ve read reviews from customers who had the same experience. When the shop owner worked on their guitars it was perfect. When he had his employees work on it there were always issues.
 
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