Worth EVERY PENNY! Back in 2021 I ordered a Studio Les Paul from Sweetwater, and I paid for the setup. I asked them to set it up and gave them the "exact" string heights I was looking for, and they absolutely nailed it! It was one of the best setups I've ever seen (and I worked as a guitar repairman/tech at multiple music stores for 30 years, as well as a R&D for G&L in the 80's). The intonation was set perfectly, neck bow was exactly where I like it, and the nut was perfectly cut! No buzzes, smooth perfectly crowned/polished frets, literally everything was presented perfectly. It's the first guitar I've purchased in 20+ years that didn't require any tweaking on my bench! As I recall it was $50 for the setup in 2021, and that included installing the new set of strings of my choice. Again Well worth EVERY PENNY in my humble "old guy" opinion. 🙂
Now I've heard it might be 100 bucks. Also some other guy said it might be 200. The website doesn't indicate price tag on this. I don't understand why this has to be such a mystery. 😂Even the dude here "Is it worth it" ... well, it might be helpful to know the price. Guess I'm gonna have to get on the phone with the dealer. It's so weird. They must fluctuate the price on that a lot.
@@Fiveash-Art I just had it done, at least for a new guitar purchase it was 100 bucks, I included the strings I wanted (10-46 Slinky Flat-wounds $20) in my checkout and they credited me back 9 bucks so they must figure the cost of regular strings in that setup
@@MakerMark13 Yep.. I ordered it, and it gives you the info once you place the order. I'm having them do the basic setup for 100. If it's no good, I'll just take it to a local guy. So we'll see. 👍🏻
@@solodad001 Yeah.. The 'plek' thing. Hell no to that .. I got em' to do a basic set up with the gauge strings I wanted , drop tuned, so it won't buzz with proper intonation along the neck. 100 bucks for that. I'm alright with that. That 'plek' stuff I think is for a musician who's professional .. I'm just a bedroom hobbyist. I don't need all that nonsense. My ears aren't that sophisticated anyway. Got myself a Schecter Omen Extreme, Blood Burst coming tomorrow. 🎉 It's cool looking.. Looks like the Daedric weapons in Skyrim. 🤘🏻😈🤘🏻
I bought an Epiphone Firebird about 1 month ago. They had a promotion, free plek and setup. I had it set where there is no buzz. The setup was awesome the fretwork is killer. Very happy with my purchase and the deal Sweetwater gave me.
100 % worth it. I was looking at an Epiphone SG @ Guitar Center and it had a horrible set-up. I ended up ordering one from Sweetwater and paid extra for the set-up. The guitar was excellent upon arrival. The Guitar Tech did a great job.
Agreed - I have never been disappointed by Sweetwater on anything. I prefer to have a set up that I can count on only making minor adjustments. if at all.
I was about to say the same thing, I have never been disappointed with Sweetwater, their service is awesome! The guitars and amps I have purchased have all arrived in perfect condition ready to play. Awesome company!
I bought an Epiphone 50's reissue LP back in January. I'm a lefty but play upside down, so a setup was mandatory (including new nut). The luthiers at Sweetwater did a fantastic job. I'd heartily endorse their work.
I think Sweetwater charges $75 for the setup (last time I inquired). That is well worth it if you can't do it yourself and don't have a tech you trust to take it to locally (never ever use GC!!). A guitar that has been set up to your specs is just that much more of a joy to take out of the box and play. They also have the Plek service which includes a full setup for $300. You really shouldn't need to Plek a new guitar, but if you really want it precise then they have the ability.
"You really shouldn't need to Plek a new guitar......." lol The ONLY new guitar I've bought which didn't need a Plek treatment is a Kramer Duke 6-string.
@@rb032682 Maybe I have been lucky but none of the new guitars I have bought needed anything more but a tweak on the truss rod - certainly not leveling, etc. Your mileage clearly was different.
@@rb032682 exactly! But I am thinking of Japan made Kramer's from the 80's even down to the focus brand, very well made guitars without the pointy headstock ha ha, original Floyd, decent pickups rippers all, also hammer slammers another well made guitar even though the cheap ones were made with plywood bodies with the cheap fender style six screw trem, amazing that they stayed in tune even after hard trem work, crazy they worked that well.
Well Dylan, these last videos just pushed me over the edge and now I've got one of these guitars coming my way! Found a pretty sweet deal on a used one on Reverb. Been waiting 20 years for a nice 'burst to come along and looks like this might be it! Can't wait to see the next video and hear your impressions.
I like Sweetwater, but I’m not impressed with the 55 point inspection because my Squier Classic Vibes 60 Strat ($429.99) came to me rattling. I removed the pick guard and found a big glob of solder bouncing around in there. 🤦🏼♂️ I suppose it could have broken off in transit to me though, so I can’t definitively say they missed it.
I order a $2K Gibson SG that I had to send back. So much static through the amp that it was not playable. I have doubts about that 55-point inspection for sure. They were great though and didn't hassle me and they refunded everything in 2 days after receipt.
In 2016 I bought a Fender American Strat Elite. Sweetwater claimed they did their 55 point inspection. Bologna. The tension screw for the term arm was missing. I called them asking if they could send me one. The said it was under the block. I sent a picture of the bottom of the block showing that there was no screw to be found. I sent a picture of the hole on the side of the block where the screw was missing. Crickets. Nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Zilch. I went to the hardware store and bought several sizes hoping one would fit. Luckily one fit perfectly. NOBODY in the business world today does what they say they can do. NOBODY.
Sweetwater is by far the best on line guitar buying opportunity and experience out there. I’ve only bought a couple from them, so far, but they were perfect. And my sales engineer is cool as hell. They don’t say their 55 point set up. In fact they made it clear to me, without asking, that it checks those points to ensure they are in the manufacturer’s stated tolerances. Plus you buy the guitar using high res photos of the actual serial number and get to pick one from 3 to 5 others, also with high res photos and even know their individual weights. Finally they have discounts? Bonus bucks and multiple ways to pay for or finance your gear. Sweetwater is amazing. I LOVE working with them and firmly believe they genuinely care about their customers and work hard to make the experience a great one. I wish there were more companies like them; I’m a customer for life!!!
I will agree in that my sales rep is great...and yes Sweetwater truly makes the effort to please their customers who after all keep those doors open and have for many years !
I recently had a setup done on Sweetwater, on a Fender American Professional II Telecaster. It was terrible! First off the 6th and 5th strings were too far apart. The string action was too low, where the strings were too low to the fretboard that they rattled against the fretboard. My lesson is, if I buy another guitar from sweetwater. Is just buy it and have it shipped to me. I’ll do all the work myself when I get it. I did contact them about it and they did rectify the problem. Which was good on their part.
As you said Dylan, people should learn to do their own setups as most things are quite simple to do. When I got my first guitar as a 16yo I didn't know any different or that you could take it somewhere. So I just read books and learned to do it with some practice and basic tools. But it also depends on how many guitars you own or plan on owning. I bought tools years ago as I tend to buy a couple of guitars a year, so its money well spent for tools. If you are only ever going to have one or two guitars, then maybe not. I still think players at least should be able to set their action, relief and intonation as a minimum. Funnily enough, I've bought a few Epiphone SGs over the years and I've never had to do setups on them as they came from the shop setup pretty well. I'm not sure whether the shop did it or it came like that from Epiphone themselves. They were off the rack guitars so I'd say the store set them up before hand (I got them from local stores here in Oz). I don't know if 0.07" is too high. I actually set my guitars up at about 2mm low (0.078") and 1.5-1.7mm high (0.06-0.067") because I have stumpy fingers and find its hard to get under strings for bends if its too low sometimes. I also tend to play a bit hard. It just depends on the guitar and condition of the frets.I just try and get it low enough with the least amount of buzzing.
Just got an EVH Wolfgang Special (Chlorine Bust) and had it set up in Eb standard (drop D tuna to Db), and out of the freaking box, this thing was ready for a gig! That's a testament to the quality of the EVH branded Floyd as well as the incredible setup quality. Yes, it was pricey ($160!) but totally worth it as I didn't have to frustratingly play the balance game with the Floyd and the non-standard tuning. Now I can just change strings and keep things set up the way they are. Another YES vote for "is it worth it."
got me today a jackson, frets were nice, but i made them perfect by dressing the ends and polishing, also new strings, tuned to c-standart. set up the floyd ect. guitar was awsome when i played it in the shop. now after doing the work i feel its properly MINE. i would really urge anyone to learn the skills. its usefull, fun and at least i feel it makes the instrument my own. similar with cars. its not YOUR car unless your turned a screw ;P
The problem with setups is if you get one from out of state, a lot can happen between when it leaves and when it arrives, especially if one is in a dry climate and the other is more tropical. For example, a guitar leaving Florida will not be the same when it arrives a week later in AZ. It's part of the reason most manufacturers and retailers set the action high.
I paid for a setup on an Ibanez acoustic I bought from them. I’m not sure if they actually did one. If they did, they did a bad job. I did ask for the lowest action that could be achieved without excessive buzz. But around the 4th or 5th fret the low E and A strings rattle like you hit a metal rake with a baseball bat, which I don’t think that fits the parameters. It gets the job done for open position stuff, but I might as well throw away my capo.
I just got a Sterling SR50 from Sweetwater. It qualified for the 52 point inspection. When I got it, it was missing the tremolo bar, truss rod adjuster and cheap cable that is usually included, the trem was sticking out so far there was no action left. I made one turn on the high e tuner and the string snapped immediately. I adjusted the trem, in doing so I put new strings on it, tried to unlock the low E tuner and the locking knob came off with out unlocking the string. Now the guiter was in great shape after I set it up and I love it so I'm keeping it and Sweetwater has been on point with fixing all the issues but I was a bit irritated with the missing packet of extras that I canonly assume was taken out during the inpection that should have caught the simple issues I had including a potentially missing package with a trem bar and various other components.
When using the nut/string height measuring gauge, Stewmac say to push the string down either side of the fret. I noticed that you were pushing the plunger down with your finger to fret the string, that's so much better .... thanks for th insight.
I would never ever pay anyone a fee to do anything to my guitar that I can't do on my own.. everything that can be done I could do myself....I don't trust anyone.. NOBODY loves my guitar more than me.. Just like I would never pay anyone to baby sit my kids..
A basic Sweetwater setup is between $99 and $159. I'm surprised it's that much, especially for a huge, mass retailer. I live in NYC and my luthier / tech is genuinely "famous" in that world. He and Dan Erlewine are very tight. And he charges me $75 for a setup while I wait and I get to play the guitar afterward to make sure it's exactly what I wanted. And then there's a 30 day window to come back and make tweaks for free if needed. I'll take my deal over Sweetwater's any day.
Doh! I just ordered a guitar from Sweetwater on Saturday & this video comes out today! 😄 (I was planning to do a setup myself anyway, but now I’ll be considering letting them do it the next time.)
A TH-cam guy made a video of the plek process at Sweetwater. There's a graph that displays the results ie how consistent the frets are. First, the machine auto flattens the neck on the fixture and they didn't check how flat it was. The machine grinds some frets down and then dresses them hoping to get them all the same height. They were within 1/4 of a mm and the guy says "a quarter of a millimeter, that's totally imperceptible" well, is not. It's 0.01" which is a regular fret height difference on a decent guitar. The worst thing was, after the guy got home, he noticed that the frets that guy ground and dressed were a different shape than the rest. The plek machine operator either forgot to change the tool or they use the same dressing tool on every fret. Either way, that's not good. From what I saw, I'd never pay for a plek job. One other interesting thing is the plek operator never checked to see if any of the frets were standing tall needing a quick press down, which one or two of them usually need from my experience. The setup is especially critical if you want low action and hate fret buzz, that's the most difficult setup, so I have a couple perfect guitars and just crank my amp on the guitars with not so perfect frets!
This all happened in 2023. I received a brand new Gibson ES 345 in 60's Cherry from Sweetwater. When I opened the case I saw a chunk of wood with one side painted red, and some additional shavings of wood in the case. I also had previously purchased a Les Paul that arrived with a pickup selector switch that would not hold the setting, either up or down. It bounced back to the middle position. As I said, both of these guitars were brand new. So much for the vaunted 55 point inspection. I venture to say the case was never even opened on the ES. They gave me a $300 credit for my issue with the wood chunks and paid for the repair on the PU selector switch. But a 55 point inspection? Puhlease, give me a break.
I bought an Epiphone ES-339 from Sweetwater and it came with neck pickup that only worked in the middle position of the switch the neck position was totally dead. It also would bind at the nut so it wouldn't stay in tune. I will add I sent it back and got a replacement that did not have these issues. Whoever inspected it must have had a really bad day or was hungover!
If you buy a guitar from any other vendor, it will usually be drop shipped directly from the factory to your door. If there are any flaws, or defects, YOU will be the person who has to deal with it. Good luck on that! If you buy a guitar from Sweetwater which qualifies as a (55 point) guitar, they will have handled the guitar, tested the guitar, made sure it is up to factory specs, and there there are no obvious physical flaws. In other words you will have a very good guitar, and a clean slate to either personalize yourself, or to have them set it up for you.
Sweetwater setups are usually 99 bucks. Last year I bought this same guitar, but I had them install the Gibson Burstbucker 1&2 set and Plek it along with a setup. It plays and sounds fantastic, neck and neck with my Gibson LP 60’s.
Do. It. Yourself.... if you don't already know how, then try... that's how you learn. Getting your guitars set up the way you prefer on your own is part of the fun too.
I have a new Heritage H-150 Standard (Heritage's version of a Gibson Les Paul Standard) arriving toward the end of this week coming directly from Heritage. My Heritage rep wrote the following in an email to me: "We now PLEK each guitar during production so that it will arrive playing wonderfully right out of the box." Based on this, it should not need to be set up. I will soon find out for myself.
A plek will ensure the frets are level. It won't ensure any other aspects of the setup (action height, intonation, pickup height etc) are good. It still needs a plek and a setup.
Here's my thoughts, Sweetwater tried to get me to buy guitar because I had click to the notify me when in stock button. The sales rep then calls me and tells me the best way to get us to go ahead and pay for it. That guitar would not come in stock for about 6 months. Literally tried to get me to spend money on something I wouldn't see for half a year. Secondly, ordered a telecaster that went through their 55 point inspection and it had some pretty high frets and was unplayable in some areas. What's the point in having a 55 point inspection if they're not checking stuff like that? As far as the setup goes, I've only paid for one set up from them and it was worth it. It was done very well but it was expensive when I could have done the same thing myself for free. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not pro or against Sweetwater. But they would have to have something that I wanted I couldn't get somewhere else. I'm not going to go specifically to them because I do not trust their inspection processed nor do I think they offer anything extra.
Well worth learning to do your own. If you own multiple guitars you will save a crap ton of money even after the initial investment in toos. I just figure every guitar I bring home will need a full setup and a seasonal adjustment every 6 months or so as temperatures and humidity changes, even with a central air system. Just reset my Revstar Std yesterday after 7-8 moths of playing. Minor truss rod and bridge adjustments, fret level check, tighten hardware, clean/oil fretboard and new DR Blues 10's strings.
Here's thing about Sweetwater's 55pt inspection in my opinion anyway...As per my sales rep this 55pt inspection (done on guitars $399+ and my new guitar was almost $700) is a very basic inspection and pretty much just going by what the manufacturer has given the retailer . It is NOT a set up, nor do they adjust or correct anything...apparently so in that I just received a brand new Sire T7TV thin line Telecaster. I bought a demo initially to save a few bucks...lovely guitar, gorgeous finish and light weight which is why I wanted a thin line that was under $700 and Sire's T series offers a bone nut, staggered locking tuners, compensated brass saddles and of course their signature rolled fret edges. The strings on the demo's fretboard buzzed all over the place....so I chose to return it and get a band new one paying the difference. 2nd attempt and now this one was received with a different set of issues. The G string sounds like a sitar so apparently no one heard that prior to re-boxing... they could have checked to see if the string was sitting in the nut properly, there is buzzing on a few frets with a few strings AND the most disappointing was the extremely scratchy toggle switch and the input jack is a little loose...not the cup but the actual jack ! Now tell me when you look at all those checked boxes on their 55pt inspection card, how the hell can they miss things such as I'm describing ? I totally understand from the manufacturer (often they are out of the country), to the retailer then to the buyer instruments go through some environmental, and climate changes...as well as some rough handling by those that deliver things. However when they are supposedly checking to make sure all is well, all is right with the electronics, all is right with the hardware, the finish, etc....how can they let an instrument leave their premises not right ? 55pt inspections, which are not considered set ups (although when you see all the tick marks on the inspection card, it might as well be) makes one question why pay the $99-159 for a full on set up when again based on handling and various climate changes before it reaches you in which truss rods, intonations, and other potential issues can occur (according to a Sweetwater guitar tech explanation to me)...so then potentially one just wasted the additional set up fee. Guess from all the below comments, it's just the chance you take if you don't have the proper tools and know how to maintain your guitar yourself. p.s...now that you want to drop all those modification to this guy's Epiphone, won't it need to get set up again ? 🤦♀
I ve.ordered a mij evh wolfgang ($2699) I have a friend who is a luthier and has been doing it for many years but doesn't have a plek machine in his back room lol but has done great work for me but at $299 for plek at sweetwater do you think it's something you would recommend since my guitar is coming from there I've saw some bad reviews from people who have had this done and alot of good ones what is your thoughts
I have them do the Plek setup on all guitars from them. The Plek set is so good I have them do it to all my new guitars. Well worth the $300 the guitar comes perfectly setup.
I bought a demo from Sweetwater and the setup was perfect, not sure if I got lucky of if they set it up to be a demo. The only other guitars like this was the most expensive Gretch I bought and a Charvel I bought. I very other guitar I bought I tweaked or if it was bad took it to a pro. Set ups are mandatory in my humble opinion. More enjoyable to play and is important for ear training.
I've been playing guitar since the 1970s (not professionally, but eagerly). I like my guitars to play well, be well intonated, and stay in tune. I don't want fret sprout or dead spots or rough frets. Beyond that, I have no idea what to ask for in a setup. I've had some of my guitars get set up by shops or by an independent luthier (including 2 I had done by Sweetwater including the Plek). They always seemed better but I don't know why or what I should ask them for. When I had Sweetwater do the setups, I told them "pretty average action, not too high, not too low, at the discretion of the guitar tech", and I got results I liked. If I ask for "make it average", is that even worth doing? It seems as if it is but I can't say why and I don't know what to say I want. But I also got maybe half a dozen other guitars from Sweetwater that I didn't have set up, and they play fine anyway. What does that mean?
I have bought a Squire Bass VI and a JTV-69 Variax from Sweetwater. Both guitars arrived in giggable condition without paying for their 'setup' service. I could have pulled either guitar out of the box and headed for a gig. I bought a Variax Standard from Musicians Friend. The guitar arrived with a neck severely back-bowed, terrible intonation and goofy action. It took several hours of setup labor to make the guitar playable.
Really great subject. This has been an unanswered question of mine for years. That's a good looking guitar. I've got Gibson's version. Peter Green is a great idea. Your client has good taste. You need to demo the work with "Slabo Day".
I think their 55 point inspection is absolute bs and I wish they wouldn’t even bother. So I have to say they gave me an awesome price on my guitar so I didn’t give them a hard time about this, but I ordered a Gibson Les Paul custom and it showed up with a chip on the headstock right behind the d string tuner. It didn’t “just happen” in shipping and it didn’t come like that from the factory. So I opened up the case and I saw a little piece of paint with nitro in the case and the chip in the headstock. How did I know they caused this damage? Because I did it once myself by accident (on a different LP also with kidney tuners) when I was tuning, I caught my thumbnail on the headstock while quickly tuning. So anyway, I’m convinced they did that and then didn’t notice that they cracked the finish which then fully broke off in the case. Like you said in your video, the action was set at a monstrous 6/64th with a ton of relief in the neck. So point is, the stupid inspection is 100% worthless and potentially even caused a ding in your precious new guitar. Only reason I didn’t give them a hard time was because I already beat them up on price for it.
If you don’t do your own setup it is better to have one done by someone you can talk to about what you like and that they will do that. I like my action not high, but not as low as many because I do a lot bends, and if the action is as low as many have, it’s harder to bend. I want a bit of space to get my fingers under the strings a bit. But the action I will use will also vary depending on fret height I have a guitar with high frets and one with very low frets, so the action is bit different
What a beautiful-looking guitar - the veneer top is wonderful! It’s let down visually by the light-coloured fretboard (although it can be stained darker). I never understood why Epiphone used to have a blunter cutaway horn than Gibson - that looks identical now 🤔10:57
Hey Dylan, Awesome video. I've had good results with Sweetwater setups in the past, i do them myself now tho.. Since we're on the topic of Les Paul's, heres one for ya... My 2008 LP Studio always sounded a bit "muddy" to me. When I opened it, I was shocked to find a PCB in the control cavity !!!... I didn't know that was a "thing" with Gibson. I guess with most PCB applications it's for consistency and ease of manufacturing. I was curious as to your thoughts on this method of wiring guitars ?.. I really wanna gut it and start over using the 50's style of wiring with quality pots and caps. Your thoughts?
Since I go to a super light string gauge, (.007 or .008) I'm going to need a setup anyone. Better to get it done before they ship it and everything is ready. If it is a higher end guitar then I get a plek. Never been disappointed.
I had Sweetwater install a bone nut and strings of my choice on a new Jackson bass. I know that Sweetwater keeps a climate controlled building that might've played a part in my bass neck going into a back bow almost a week after I took delivery of it and the first time I played it in a church setting in which the bass was hard to play. I was surprised on how much the neck moved in four days. Afterwards I properly did a setup on it. On the other hand a friend of mine's custom guitar he had ordered and waited a long time for it to be finished,the paint around the tremolo cavity started separating from the wood. He got a swift response from Dave over at Sweetwater and it got shipped back to them and after a preliminary inspection it seems that Jackson had sanded the wood too smooth or that the paint wasn't prepared properly so Sweetwater shipped the guitar to Jackson to remedy the problem either by repainting it or a replacement
Fenders setup specs for Strat and tele is 1.6mm at the 17th fret. Don’t know where you got 2mm. If you unbox a fresh am-pro II you’ll find they’re set about 1.75mm from the factory despite their specs.
I bought a PRS SE from Sweetwater. And while the guitar was very nice, Sweetwater did NOT do a 55 point inspection, or, at least it missed a number of issues they say they check. 1) the action was way high and the truss rod needed adjusting 2) the intonation was also way off and needed correction. As it came from them, it was unplayable. So much for their 55 point inspection, which is worthless. Would I pay for a set-up from them? NO. Why? Because I would rather have my local tech dial it in to my specs where I could communicate exactly what I want.
I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to not have a nice guitar from a factory tampered with before I play it. I am pretty shure ESP isn't going to skrew up a guitar they send out, but a "guitar tech" trying to make it "better" might. That is why I am afraid to order guitars from sweetwater.
I know this video is about an Epiphone but the Les Paul and the topic got me thinking about how sweetwater has a plek machine and on the website if you add a Gibson to your cart it will ask you if you want it Plekked for 299.99. So I wrote Sweetwater and asked if Gibson was still plekking all their LPs out the door, he said yes. I was just wondering to myself how many new Gibson lp owners paid for an extra plek job😮. Just sayin...er..,wonderin
Their Plek pro setup is $299. They even try to sell it to you if you buy a Gibson even though every Gibson is plek’d at the factory 🙄. People should learn to setup their own guitar & save some serious $ plus get it the way you want it.
Just learn setup and do it yourself. I have measurements I use that make me happy and I just take what the guitar gives me and play it in. You will get used to it. I do all of my guitars with the same measurements and tweek things from there.
Sweetwater rarely gives us regular people more than a nominal discount. There are smaller dealers that give better discounts compared to SW. @@DylanTalksTone
Oh… so you are a “discount” shopper. So you see the already competitive price and you want MORE…. So you go to the struggling local dealer and ask him for a discount instead. I see. …. Yeah I don’t do that.
totally true. sweetwater does offer great service but if you're looking for a deal there are way better smaller retailers. Cream City Music and Sight and Sound music are some of my favorites. @@ShredDead
@@DylanTalksToneThat's not true, I've been dealing with Sweetwater for around 30 years now. The only time I see anything discounted is if it's been in stock for awhile and it's not selling. Plus, there's always a hidden fee in their 0% financing offers. Personally I prefer to deal with MF.
If you buy a guitar that is 1,000 plus it makes a difference but I played a squier that had a plek and set up and it was still a shitty squier. It just felt cheap.
A few months ago, I bought a guitar from Sweetwater. It came with 12's, and I wanted 11's. They wanted to charge me $100 for a setup and for a set of strings. I'm buying a new guitar from them and they can't put the strings on that I want? I'm not impressed with Sweetwater customer service.
Epiphone , is an Epiphone. You are better of with a Fender.. I have a LTD, gibson custom and a standard from Sweet water and they alway has been awesome.
First, the plek service wasn’t needed? I guess not. Second, the guy who bought it didn’t know how he wanted it set up, so they set it up exactly how YOU like it and this was just a lucky guess? I’ll stop being facetious and sarcastic. Electric guitar companies should have a default set up that will be perfect for 95% of players. PRS seems to get this. Sweetwater should have a default set up (and apparently they do - the one you got) and they should only deviate from it if the customer explicitly instructs them to. Musicians shouldn’t be put on the spot to be expected to know a bunch of technical specifications, nor should they be expected to sound stupid by saying subjective things like “I want it set up to be really comfortable and play great”. And if the plek computer is so great then it should be used on all guitars sold by sweetwater, but even better, Epiphone should plek its guitars at the factory (and maybe they do). Buying a guitar is way too difficult these days because what one gets is a crap shoot. Sweetwater is essentially offering “give us an extra $300 bucks and we’ll try to finish manufacturing the guitar.” “And if we don’t?” “Just figure out how to repack and box the guitar up and pay to ship it back to us”.
An Epiphone worthy of being considered Guitar Porn. I'm happy that Sweetwater does such a great set-up. I've rehabilitated many guitars and they all share 1 problem, their owners gave up because they were never even set up basically.
I got the best tech in Miami Marty from South Beach music he charges 75$ plus strings, everyone who knows, goes to him. He turned my firefly 335 into a Gibson, I swear 😅😅
So you absolutely think its “worth doing” yet you have no idea what sweetwater charges? What? Seems like the most basic thing needed to make a video of “is it worth it”
The 55 point thing is more like it works sorta thing in my opinion. I take guitars to the same guy here in town. I like his work and i really wanna keep the last shop in town open so my buisness goes to him (hes also amps pedals n that kinda his shop now)
Phil McKnight has a good vid at Sweetwater talking to the techs at their workbenches about how the process works, what they do and don't do. Basically as Dylan said, they check it against each manufacturer tolerances. An inspection. They're not trying to adjust it for a perfect setup - just a "within brand tolerance" check. They also have a time limit - anything that's fixable but can't be done in their allotted 55 point time gets bounced to a second line repair team team doing bigger jobs/repairs, or returned to the manufacturer. Biggest eye opener - most of the major brands have management staff working in offices at sweetwater so they'be got their finger on the pulse for production issues/trends.
Worth EVERY PENNY! Back in 2021 I ordered a Studio Les Paul from Sweetwater, and I paid for the setup. I asked them to set it up and gave them the "exact" string heights I was looking for, and they absolutely nailed it! It was one of the best setups I've ever seen (and I worked as a guitar repairman/tech at multiple music stores for 30 years, as well as a R&D for G&L in the 80's). The intonation was set perfectly, neck bow was exactly where I like it, and the nut was perfectly cut! No buzzes, smooth perfectly crowned/polished frets, literally everything was presented perfectly. It's the first guitar I've purchased in 20+ years that didn't require any tweaking on my bench! As I recall it was $50 for the setup in 2021, and that included installing the new set of strings of my choice. Again Well worth EVERY PENNY in my humble "old guy" opinion. 🙂
Now I've heard it might be 100 bucks. Also some other guy said it might be 200. The website doesn't indicate price tag on this. I don't understand why this has to be such a mystery. 😂Even the dude here "Is it worth it" ... well, it might be helpful to know the price. Guess I'm gonna have to get on the phone with the dealer. It's so weird. They must fluctuate the price on that a lot.
@@Fiveash-Art I just had it done, at least for a new guitar purchase it was 100 bucks, I included the strings I wanted (10-46 Slinky Flat-wounds $20) in my checkout and they credited me back 9 bucks so they must figure the cost of regular strings in that setup
@@MakerMark13 Yep.. I ordered it, and it gives you the info once you place the order. I'm having them do the basic setup for 100. If it's no good, I'll just take it to a local guy. So we'll see. 👍🏻
@@Fiveash-Art I think it's $300 now.
@@solodad001 Yeah.. The 'plek' thing. Hell no to that .. I got em' to do a basic set up with the gauge strings I wanted , drop tuned, so it won't buzz with proper intonation along the neck. 100 bucks for that. I'm alright with that. That 'plek' stuff I think is for a musician who's professional .. I'm just a bedroom hobbyist. I don't need all that nonsense. My ears aren't that sophisticated anyway. Got myself a Schecter Omen Extreme, Blood Burst coming tomorrow. 🎉 It's cool looking.. Looks like the Daedric weapons in Skyrim. 🤘🏻😈🤘🏻
I bought an Epiphone Firebird about 1 month ago. They had a promotion, free plek and setup. I had it set where there is no buzz. The setup was awesome the fretwork is killer. Very happy with my purchase and the deal Sweetwater gave me.
Same…it is a beast of a guitar.
I`ve been saying for years that you`ll never have a guitar set up the way you want it unless you learn to do it yourself
This is true! Especially because there are going to be adjustments that need to be made as time goes on.
100 % worth it. I was looking at an Epiphone SG @ Guitar Center and it had a horrible set-up. I ended up ordering one from Sweetwater and paid extra for the set-up. The guitar was excellent upon arrival. The Guitar Tech did a great job.
Agreed - I have never been disappointed by Sweetwater on anything. I prefer to have a set up that I can count on only making minor adjustments. if at all.
I was about to say the same thing, I have never been disappointed with Sweetwater, their service is awesome! The guitars and amps I have purchased have all arrived in perfect condition ready to play. Awesome company!
I bought an Epiphone 50's reissue LP back in January. I'm a lefty but play upside down, so a setup was mandatory (including new nut). The luthiers at Sweetwater did a fantastic job. I'd heartily endorse their work.
I think Sweetwater charges $75 for the setup (last time I inquired). That is well worth it if you can't do it yourself and don't have a tech you trust to take it to locally (never ever use GC!!). A guitar that has been set up to your specs is just that much more of a joy to take out of the box and play. They also have the Plek service which includes a full setup for $300. You really shouldn't need to Plek a new guitar, but if you really want it precise then they have the ability.
"You really shouldn't need to Plek a new guitar......." lol
The ONLY new guitar I've bought which didn't need a Plek treatment is a Kramer Duke 6-string.
@@rb032682 Maybe I have been lucky but none of the new guitars I have bought needed anything more but a tweak on the truss rod - certainly not leveling, etc. Your mileage clearly was different.
The plek is amazing if you ask me!
Kramer Duke = the poor man's Steinberger.
@@rb032682 exactly! But I am thinking of Japan made Kramer's from the 80's even down to the focus brand, very well made guitars without the pointy headstock ha ha, original Floyd, decent pickups rippers all, also hammer slammers another well made guitar even though the cheap ones were made with plywood bodies with the cheap fender style six screw trem, amazing that they stayed in tune even after hard trem work, crazy they worked that well.
Well Dylan, these last videos just pushed me over the edge and now I've got one of these guitars coming my way! Found a pretty sweet deal on a used one on Reverb. Been waiting 20 years for a nice 'burst to come along and looks like this might be it! Can't wait to see the next video and hear your impressions.
I like Sweetwater, but I’m not impressed with the 55 point inspection because my Squier Classic Vibes 60 Strat ($429.99) came to me rattling. I removed the pick guard and found a big glob of solder bouncing around in there. 🤦🏼♂️ I suppose it could have broken off in transit to me though, so I can’t definitively say they missed it.
I order a $2K Gibson SG that I had to send back. So much static through the amp that it was not playable. I have doubts about that 55-point inspection for sure. They were great though and didn't hassle me and they refunded everything in 2 days after receipt.
I’m really looking forward to the teardown and comparison. Great video!
In 2016 I bought a Fender American Strat Elite. Sweetwater claimed they did their 55 point inspection. Bologna.
The tension screw for the term arm was missing. I called them asking if they could send me one. The said it was under the block. I sent a picture of the bottom of the block showing that there was no screw to be found. I sent a picture of the hole on the side of the block where the screw was missing. Crickets. Nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Zilch.
I went to the hardware store and bought several sizes hoping one would fit. Luckily one fit perfectly.
NOBODY in the business world today does what they say they can do. NOBODY.
Sweetwater is by far the best on line guitar buying opportunity and experience out there. I’ve only bought a couple from them, so far, but they were perfect. And my sales engineer is cool as hell.
They don’t say their 55 point set up. In fact they made it clear to me, without asking, that it checks those points to ensure they are in the manufacturer’s stated tolerances.
Plus you buy the guitar using high res photos of the actual serial number and get to pick one from 3 to 5 others, also with high res photos and even know their individual weights.
Finally they have discounts? Bonus bucks and multiple ways to pay for or finance your gear.
Sweetwater is amazing. I LOVE working with them and firmly believe they genuinely care about their customers and work hard to make the experience a great one. I wish there were more companies like them; I’m a customer for life!!!
I will agree in that my sales rep is great...and yes Sweetwater truly makes the effort to please their customers who after all keep those doors open and have for many years !
I recently had a setup done on Sweetwater, on a Fender American Professional II Telecaster. It was terrible! First off the 6th and 5th strings were too far apart. The string action was too low, where the strings were too low to the fretboard that they rattled against the fretboard. My lesson is, if I buy another guitar from sweetwater. Is just buy it and have it shipped to me. I’ll do all the work myself when I get it. I did contact them about it and they did rectify the problem. Which was good on their part.
As you said Dylan, people should learn to do their own setups as most things are quite simple to do. When I got my first guitar as a 16yo I didn't know any different or that you could take it somewhere. So I just read books and learned to do it with some practice and basic tools. But it also depends on how many guitars you own or plan on owning. I bought tools years ago as I tend to buy a couple of guitars a year, so its money well spent for tools. If you are only ever going to have one or two guitars, then maybe not. I still think players at least should be able to set their action, relief and intonation as a minimum.
Funnily enough, I've bought a few Epiphone SGs over the years and I've never had to do setups on them as they came from the shop setup pretty well. I'm not sure whether the shop did it or it came like that from Epiphone themselves. They were off the rack guitars so I'd say the store set them up before hand (I got them from local stores here in Oz).
I don't know if 0.07" is too high. I actually set my guitars up at about 2mm low (0.078") and 1.5-1.7mm high (0.06-0.067") because I have stumpy fingers and find its hard to get under strings for bends if its too low sometimes. I also tend to play a bit hard. It just depends on the guitar and condition of the frets.I just try and get it low enough with the least amount of buzzing.
You are a decimal point off on your inch measurements. Should be .078" & .060-.067".
@@G1951-w1y Fixed - Thanks. I had the converter on cm instead of mm LOL. I really hate imperial
Just got an EVH Wolfgang Special (Chlorine Bust) and had it set up in Eb standard (drop D tuna to Db), and out of the freaking box, this thing was ready for a gig! That's a testament to the quality of the EVH branded Floyd as well as the incredible setup quality. Yes, it was pricey ($160!) but totally worth it as I didn't have to frustratingly play the balance game with the Floyd and the non-standard tuning. Now I can just change strings and keep things set up the way they are. Another YES vote for "is it worth it."
Did you get it at sweetwater by any chance?
got me today a jackson, frets were nice, but i made them perfect by dressing the ends and polishing, also new strings, tuned to c-standart. set up the floyd ect.
guitar was awsome when i played it in the shop. now after doing the work i feel its properly MINE.
i would really urge anyone to learn the skills. its usefull, fun and at least i feel it makes the instrument my own. similar with cars. its not YOUR car unless your turned a screw ;P
The problem with setups is if you get one from out of state, a lot can happen between when it leaves and when it arrives, especially if one is in a dry climate and the other is more tropical. For example, a guitar leaving Florida will not be the same when it arrives a week later in AZ. It's part of the reason most manufacturers and retailers set the action high.
I paid for a setup on an Ibanez acoustic I bought from them.
I’m not sure if they actually did one. If they did, they did a bad job. I did ask for the lowest action that could be achieved without excessive buzz. But around the 4th or 5th fret the low E and A strings rattle like you hit a metal rake with a baseball bat, which I don’t think that fits the parameters. It gets the job done for open position stuff, but I might as well throw away my capo.
I just got a Sterling SR50 from Sweetwater. It qualified for the 52 point inspection. When I got it, it was missing the tremolo bar, truss rod adjuster and cheap cable that is usually included, the trem was sticking out so far there was no action left. I made one turn on the high e tuner and the string snapped immediately. I adjusted the trem, in doing so I put new strings on it, tried to unlock the low E tuner and the locking knob came off with out unlocking the string. Now the guiter was in great shape after I set it up and I love it so I'm keeping it and Sweetwater has been on point with fixing all the issues but I was a bit irritated with the missing packet of extras that I canonly assume was taken out during the inpection that should have caught the simple issues I had including a potentially missing package with a trem bar and various other components.
When using the nut/string height measuring gauge, Stewmac say to push the string down either side of the fret. I noticed that you were pushing the plunger down with your finger to fret the string, that's so much better .... thanks for th insight.
Great subject. If I knew your guy’s name, I’d recognize his generosity by name.
I would never ever pay anyone a fee to do anything to my guitar that I can't do on my own..
everything that can be done I could do myself....I don't trust anyone.. NOBODY loves my guitar more than me.. Just like I would never pay anyone to baby sit my kids..
A basic Sweetwater setup is between $99 and $159. I'm surprised it's that much, especially for a huge, mass retailer. I live in NYC and my luthier / tech is genuinely "famous" in that world. He and Dan Erlewine are very tight. And he charges me $75 for a setup while I wait and I get to play the guitar afterward to make sure it's exactly what I wanted. And then there's a 30 day window to come back and make tweaks for free if needed. I'll take my deal over Sweetwater's any day.
Who is he? Contact?
Awesome video. Is the setup different than having the guitar “plekked” ?
Doh! I just ordered a guitar from Sweetwater on Saturday & this video comes out today! 😄 (I was planning to do a setup myself anyway, but now I’ll be considering letting them do it the next time.)
A TH-cam guy made a video of the plek process at Sweetwater. There's a graph that displays the results ie how consistent the frets are. First, the machine auto flattens the neck on the fixture and they didn't check how flat it was. The machine grinds some frets down and then dresses them hoping to get them all the same height. They were within 1/4 of a mm and the guy says "a quarter of a millimeter, that's totally imperceptible" well, is not. It's 0.01" which is a regular fret height difference on a decent guitar. The worst thing was, after the guy got home, he noticed that the frets that guy ground and dressed were a different shape than the rest. The plek machine operator either forgot to change the tool or they use the same dressing tool on every fret. Either way, that's not good. From what I saw, I'd never pay for a plek job. One other interesting thing is the plek operator never checked to see if any of the frets were standing tall needing a quick press down, which one or two of them usually need from my experience. The setup is especially critical if you want low action and hate fret buzz, that's the most difficult setup, so I have a couple perfect guitars and just crank my amp on the guitars with not so perfect frets!
Looking forward to seeing what you have planned.
This all happened in 2023. I received a brand new Gibson ES 345 in 60's Cherry from Sweetwater. When I opened the case I saw a chunk of wood with one side painted red, and some additional shavings of wood in the case. I also had previously purchased a Les Paul that arrived with a pickup selector switch that would not hold the setting, either up or down. It bounced back to the middle position. As I said, both of these guitars were brand new. So much for the vaunted 55 point inspection. I venture to say the case was never even opened on the ES. They gave me a $300 credit for my issue with the wood chunks and paid for the repair on the PU selector switch. But a 55 point inspection? Puhlease, give me a break.
I bought an Epiphone ES-339 from Sweetwater and it came with neck pickup that only worked in the middle position of the switch the neck position was totally dead. It also would bind at the nut so it wouldn't stay in tune. I will add I sent it back and got a replacement that did not have these issues. Whoever inspected it must have had a really bad day or was hungover!
The flame on this Epiphone is phenomenal.
If you buy a guitar from any other vendor, it will usually be drop shipped directly from the factory to your door. If there are any flaws, or defects, YOU will be the person who has to deal with it. Good luck on that! If you buy a guitar from Sweetwater which qualifies as a (55 point) guitar, they will have handled the guitar, tested the guitar, made sure it is up to factory specs, and there there are no obvious physical flaws. In other words you will have a very good guitar, and a clean slate to either personalize yourself, or to have them set it up for you.
Sweetwater setups are usually 99 bucks. Last year I bought this same guitar, but I had them install the Gibson Burstbucker 1&2 set and Plek it along with a setup. It plays and sounds fantastic, neck and neck with my Gibson LP 60’s.
This was a useful video. Nice one, Dylan, as always.
I had my LTD setup by sweetwater and new nut installed and it was perfect.
Do. It. Yourself.... if you don't already know how, then try... that's how you learn. Getting your guitars set up the way you prefer on your own is part of the fun too.
I live 10 minutes from Sweetwater every guitar I buy is spot on guitars that I have taken in for a low action set up is amazing
I take it locally and they charge $70 vs $99 and I help keep them in business.
I have a new Heritage H-150 Standard (Heritage's version of a Gibson Les Paul Standard) arriving toward the end of this week coming directly from Heritage. My Heritage rep wrote the following in an email to me: "We now PLEK each guitar during production so that it will arrive playing wonderfully right out of the box." Based on this, it should not need to be set up. I will soon find out for myself.
A plek will ensure the frets are level. It won't ensure any other aspects of the setup (action height, intonation, pickup height etc) are good. It still needs a plek and a setup.
@@PaulCooksStuff Thank you.
Straight from Heritage; it will be flawless out of the box.
@@jburdsinfuse I like "flawless." My rep said "playing wonderfully" but flawless sounds a lot better.
Here's my thoughts, Sweetwater tried to get me to buy guitar because I had click to the notify me when in stock button. The sales rep then calls me and tells me the best way to get us to go ahead and pay for it. That guitar would not come in stock for about 6 months. Literally tried to get me to spend money on something I wouldn't see for half a year. Secondly, ordered a telecaster that went through their 55 point inspection and it had some pretty high frets and was unplayable in some areas. What's the point in having a 55 point inspection if they're not checking stuff like that? As far as the setup goes, I've only paid for one set up from them and it was worth it. It was done very well but it was expensive when I could have done the same thing myself for free. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not pro or against Sweetwater. But they would have to have something that I wanted I couldn't get somewhere else. I'm not going to go specifically to them because I do not trust their inspection processed nor do I think they offer anything extra.
Was it Plekd? I've been considering buying an epiphone and adding the plek package to it.
This is a great video you did! I get my guitars from sweet water and i never had anything wrong with my guitars.
I had Sweetwater set up an Ovation 12 string, it was done perfectly.
Well worth learning to do your own. If you own multiple guitars you will save a crap ton of money even after the initial investment in toos.
I just figure every guitar I bring home will need a full setup and a seasonal adjustment every 6 months or so as temperatures and humidity changes, even with a central air system. Just reset my Revstar Std yesterday after 7-8 moths of playing. Minor truss rod and bridge adjustments, fret level check, tighten hardware, clean/oil fretboard and new DR Blues 10's strings.
I'm excited about this comparison just wish you had a heritage to compare along with those 2
Here's thing about Sweetwater's 55pt inspection in my opinion anyway...As per my sales rep this 55pt inspection (done on guitars $399+ and my new guitar was almost $700) is a very basic inspection and pretty much just going by what the manufacturer has given the retailer . It is NOT a set up, nor do they adjust or correct anything...apparently so in that I just received a brand new Sire T7TV thin line Telecaster. I bought a demo initially to save a few bucks...lovely guitar, gorgeous finish and light weight which is why I wanted a thin line that was under $700 and Sire's T series offers a bone nut, staggered locking tuners, compensated brass saddles and of course their signature rolled fret edges. The strings on the demo's fretboard buzzed all over the place....so I chose to return it and get a band new one paying the difference. 2nd attempt and now this one was received with a different set of issues. The G string sounds like a sitar so apparently no one heard that prior to re-boxing... they could have checked to see if the string was sitting in the nut properly, there is buzzing on a few frets with a few strings AND the most disappointing was the extremely scratchy toggle switch and the input jack is a little loose...not the cup but the actual jack ! Now tell me when you look at all those checked boxes on their 55pt inspection card, how the hell can they miss things such as I'm describing ?
I totally understand from the manufacturer (often they are out of the country), to the retailer then to the buyer instruments go through some environmental, and climate changes...as well as some rough handling by those that deliver things. However when they are supposedly checking to make sure all is well, all is right with the electronics, all is right with the hardware, the finish, etc....how can they let an instrument leave their premises not right ?
55pt inspections, which are not considered set ups (although when you see all the tick marks on the inspection card, it might as well be) makes one question why pay the $99-159 for a full on set up when again based on handling and various climate changes before it reaches you in which truss rods, intonations, and other potential issues can occur (according to a Sweetwater guitar tech explanation to me)...so then potentially one just wasted the additional set up fee.
Guess from all the below comments, it's just the chance you take if you don't have the proper tools and know how to maintain your guitar yourself.
p.s...now that you want to drop all those modification to this guy's Epiphone, won't it need to get set up again ? 🤦♀
I ve.ordered a mij evh wolfgang ($2699) I have a friend who is a luthier and has been doing it for many years but doesn't have a plek machine in his back room lol but has done great work for me but at $299 for plek at sweetwater do you think it's something you would recommend since my guitar is coming from there I've saw some bad reviews from people who have had this done and alot of good ones what is your thoughts
I have them do the Plek setup on all guitars from them. The Plek set is so good I have them do it to all my new guitars. Well worth the $300 the guitar comes perfectly setup.
Think the PLEK is worth it as well?
I bought a demo from Sweetwater and the setup was perfect, not sure if I got lucky of if they set it up to be a demo. The only other guitars like this was the most expensive Gretch I bought and a Charvel I bought. I very other guitar I bought I tweaked or if it was bad took it to a pro. Set ups are mandatory in my humble opinion. More enjoyable to play and is important for ear training.
Been playing guitar for 52 years as well as repairing and making guitars .55 point really 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I've been playing guitar since the 1970s (not professionally, but eagerly). I like my guitars to play well, be well intonated, and stay in tune. I don't want fret sprout or dead spots or rough frets. Beyond that, I have no idea what to ask for in a setup. I've had some of my guitars get set up by shops or by an independent luthier (including 2 I had done by Sweetwater including the Plek). They always seemed better but I don't know why or what I should ask them for. When I had Sweetwater do the setups, I told them "pretty average action, not too high, not too low, at the discretion of the guitar tech", and I got results I liked. If I ask for "make it average", is that even worth doing? It seems as if it is but I can't say why and I don't know what to say I want. But I also got maybe half a dozen other guitars from Sweetwater that I didn't have set up, and they play fine anyway. What does that mean?
The great mystery. There seems to be a lot of that with this 'Plek' nonsense. I love Sweetwater, but to me if feels a little fishy.
I have bought a Squire Bass VI and a JTV-69 Variax from Sweetwater. Both guitars arrived in giggable condition without paying for their 'setup' service. I could have pulled either guitar out of the box and headed for a gig.
I bought a Variax Standard from Musicians Friend. The guitar arrived with a neck severely back-bowed, terrible intonation and goofy action. It took several hours of setup labor to make the guitar playable.
Great video Dylan,thank you.
Really great subject. This has been an unanswered question of mine for years. That's a good looking guitar. I've got Gibson's version. Peter Green is a great idea. Your client has good taste. You need to demo the work with "Slabo Day".
Thanks for this, was always curious about that. saving up for a new guitar and a bass
I think their 55 point inspection is absolute bs and I wish they wouldn’t even bother. So I have to say they gave me an awesome price on my guitar so I didn’t give them a hard time about this, but I ordered a Gibson Les Paul custom and it showed up with a chip on the headstock right behind the d string tuner. It didn’t “just happen” in shipping and it didn’t come like that from the factory. So I opened up the case and I saw a little piece of paint with nitro in the case and the chip in the headstock. How did I know they caused this damage? Because I did it once myself by accident (on a different LP also with kidney tuners) when I was tuning, I caught my thumbnail on the headstock while quickly tuning. So anyway, I’m convinced they did that and then didn’t notice that they cracked the finish which then fully broke off in the case. Like you said in your video, the action was set at a monstrous 6/64th with a ton of relief in the neck. So point is, the stupid inspection is 100% worthless and potentially even caused a ding in your precious new guitar. Only reason I didn’t give them a hard time was because I already beat them up on price for it.
If you don’t do your own setup it is better to have one done by someone you can talk to about what you like and that they will do that.
I like my action not high, but not as low as many because I do a lot bends, and if the action is as low as many have, it’s harder to bend.
I want a bit of space to get my fingers under the strings a bit.
But the action I will use will also vary depending on fret height
I have a guitar with high frets and one with very low frets, so the action is bit different
You said that sweet water did the set up. Did they plek this guitar?
What a beautiful-looking guitar - the veneer top is wonderful! It’s let down visually by the light-coloured fretboard (although it can be stained darker). I never understood why Epiphone used to have a blunter cutaway horn than Gibson - that looks identical now 🤔10:57
How can nut height always be too high on a locking nut? No measurement of neck relief? Was intonation fretted ?
Can’t wait to see the difference’s thanks
Thank you. Great information. I’ve always trusted Sweetwater.
Hey Dylan, Awesome video. I've had good results with Sweetwater setups in the past, i do them myself now tho.. Since we're on the topic of Les Paul's, heres one for ya...
My 2008 LP Studio always sounded a bit "muddy" to me. When I opened it, I was shocked to find a PCB in the control cavity !!!... I didn't know that was a "thing" with Gibson. I guess with most PCB applications it's for consistency and ease of manufacturing. I was curious as to your thoughts on this method of wiring guitars ?.. I really wanna gut it and start over using the 50's style of wiring with quality pots and caps. Your thoughts?
The last few Les Paul’s I got from Sweetwater have been perfect although I use tens and I love medium action so they’re perfect right out of thebox
Since I go to a super light string gauge, (.007 or .008) I'm going to need a setup anyone. Better to get it done before they ship it and everything is ready. If it is a higher end guitar then I get a plek. Never been disappointed.
On the recap... Thanks For Sharing 🎸
I had Sweetwater install a bone nut and strings of my choice on a new Jackson bass. I know that Sweetwater keeps a climate controlled building that might've played a part in my bass neck going into a back bow almost a week after I took delivery of it and the first time I played it in a church setting in which the bass was hard to play. I was surprised on how much the neck moved in four days. Afterwards I properly did a setup on it. On the other hand a friend of mine's custom guitar he had ordered and waited a long time for it to be finished,the paint around the tremolo cavity started separating from the wood. He got a swift response from Dave over at Sweetwater and it got shipped back to them and after a preliminary inspection it seems that Jackson had sanded the wood too smooth or that the paint wasn't prepared properly so Sweetwater shipped the guitar to Jackson to remedy the problem either by repainting it or a replacement
Fenders setup specs for Strat and tele is 1.6mm at the 17th fret. Don’t know where you got 2mm.
If you unbox a fresh am-pro II you’ll find they’re set about 1.75mm from the factory despite their specs.
Does a AM-Pro II GT11 from Sweetwater need a Plek? Just bought one new
@@smcgarry No they're usually pretty good. There are always ones that need a little something but a plek is definitely not necessary.
@@iancurrie8844 Ok thanks, that’s what I figured
I'm interested. I have one on Sweetwater's bench right now, so I'm hoping it's worth it.
Do you think it is worth spending the money for a Plek job from Sweetwater?
I bought a PRS SE from Sweetwater. And while the guitar was very nice, Sweetwater did NOT do a 55 point inspection, or, at least it missed a number of issues they say they check. 1) the action was way high and the truss rod needed adjusting 2) the intonation was also way off and needed correction. As it came from them, it was unplayable. So much for their 55 point inspection, which is worthless. Would I pay for a set-up from them? NO. Why? Because I would rather have my local tech dial it in to my specs where I could communicate exactly what I want.
If you don’t know howbmuch the set up cost, then how do you know it was worth it?
I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to not have a nice guitar from a factory tampered with before I play it. I am pretty shure ESP isn't going to skrew up a guitar they send out, but a "guitar tech" trying to make it "better" might. That is why I am afraid to order guitars from sweetwater.
Yes... love Sweetwater ❤
I know this video is about an Epiphone but the Les Paul and the topic got me thinking about how sweetwater has a plek machine and on the website if you add a Gibson to your cart it will ask you if you want it Plekked for 299.99. So I wrote Sweetwater and asked if Gibson was still plekking all their LPs out the door, he said yes. I was just wondering to myself how many new Gibson lp owners paid for an extra plek job😮. Just sayin...er..,wonderin
I've had enough setups from Sweetwater to say it's hit or miss with them. Depends on the tech -- even with protocols -- it's the tech's skills.
ive had to adjust evry guitar ive ever owned..my personal preference is never the same as the generic setup they left the factory with.
Pretty sure I was quoted $100 on an acoustic recently.. well worth it if that includes a fret job on the Epiphones..
Their Plek pro setup is $299. They even try to sell it to you if you buy a Gibson even though every Gibson is plek’d at the factory 🙄. People should learn to setup their own guitar & save some serious $ plus get it the way you want it.
Just learn setup and do it yourself. I have measurements I use that make me happy and I just take what the guitar gives me and play it in. You will get used to it. I do all of my guitars with the same measurements and tweek things from there.
I love my Epi LP Standard Pro but it so heavy. It rips though.
For the upcharge that you endure with Sweetwater, a setup should be included.
Upcharge? They usually sell at or below MSRP and shipping is free….
Sweetwater rarely gives us regular people more than a nominal discount. There are smaller dealers that give better discounts compared to SW. @@DylanTalksTone
Oh… so you are a “discount” shopper. So you see the already competitive price and you want MORE…. So you go to the struggling local dealer and ask him for a discount instead. I see. …. Yeah I don’t do that.
totally true. sweetwater does offer great service but if you're looking for a deal there are way better smaller retailers. Cream City Music and Sight and Sound music are some of my favorites. @@ShredDead
@@DylanTalksToneThat's not true, I've been dealing with Sweetwater for around 30 years now. The only time I see anything discounted is if it's been in stock for awhile and it's not selling. Plus, there's always a hidden fee in their 0% financing offers. Personally I prefer to deal with MF.
If you buy a guitar that is 1,000 plus it makes a difference but I played a squier that had a plek and set up and it was still a shitty squier. It just felt cheap.
Is this the Epi LP with the '59 neck?
@@andrewbecker3700 No, its actually the standard 50s
A few months ago, I bought a guitar from Sweetwater. It came with 12's, and I wanted 11's. They wanted to charge me $100 for a setup and for a set of strings. I'm buying a new guitar from them and they can't put the strings on that I want? I'm not impressed with Sweetwater customer service.
Epiphone , is an Epiphone. You are better of with a Fender..
I have a LTD, gibson custom and a standard from Sweet water and they alway has been awesome.
First, the plek service wasn’t needed? I guess not. Second, the guy who bought it didn’t know how he wanted it set up, so they set it up exactly how YOU like it and this was just a lucky guess?
I’ll stop being facetious and sarcastic. Electric guitar companies should have a default set up that will be perfect for 95% of players. PRS seems to get this. Sweetwater should have a default set up (and apparently they do - the one you got) and they should only deviate from it if the customer explicitly instructs them to. Musicians shouldn’t be put on the spot to be expected to know a bunch of technical specifications, nor should they be expected to sound stupid by saying subjective things like “I want it set up to be really comfortable and play great”. And if the plek computer is so great then it should be used on all guitars sold by sweetwater, but even better, Epiphone should plek its guitars at the factory (and maybe they do). Buying a guitar is way too difficult these days because what one gets is a crap shoot. Sweetwater is essentially offering “give us an extra $300 bucks and we’ll try to finish manufacturing the guitar.” “And if we don’t?” “Just figure out how to repack and box the guitar up and pay to ship it back to us”.
An Epiphone worthy of being considered Guitar Porn. I'm happy that Sweetwater does such a great set-up. I've rehabilitated many guitars and they all share 1 problem, their owners gave up because they were never even set up basically.
You need to increase the volume level of your vocal
the 55 point inspection is free for guitars over $399
That’s not a setup
So I’m going to pay for a setup only for it to still potentially go a little off due to shipping….
A properly cut nut and properly set string height will not move in shipping.
I got the best tech in Miami Marty from South Beach music he charges 75$ plus strings, everyone who knows, goes to him. He turned my firefly 335 into a Gibson, I swear 😅😅
How do you do a video about the service and not know how much it cost? FOH
So you absolutely think its “worth doing” yet you have no idea what sweetwater charges? What? Seems like the most basic thing needed to make a video of “is it worth it”
Some things are worth whatever they cost. This… is worth whatever they charge.
@@DylanTalksTonethat is a terrible response
ITS 299.00 FOR PLEX SET UP, ?????
299 for a Plek is a good deal. That’s not a setup.
Then what happens if you wan to change to 11s😅😅😅😅..when down tuning 8s just dont work..what if you are required to go to drop A? Get another guitar😂
The 55 point thing is more like it works sorta thing in my opinion. I take guitars to the same guy here in town. I like his work and i really wanna keep the last shop in town open so my buisness goes to him (hes also amps pedals n that kinda his shop now)
Phil McKnight has a good vid at Sweetwater talking to the techs at their workbenches about how the process works, what they do and don't do. Basically as Dylan said, they check it against each manufacturer tolerances. An inspection. They're not trying to adjust it for a perfect setup - just a "within brand tolerance" check. They also have a time limit - anything that's fixable but can't be done in their allotted 55 point time gets bounced to a second line repair team team doing bigger jobs/repairs, or returned to the manufacturer.
Biggest eye opener - most of the major brands have management staff working in offices at sweetwater so they'be got their finger on the pulse for production issues/trends.
Sweetwater quoted $700+ to refret stainless steel on my Tele 😂
That’s about right
Wow, 8's on a 24 3/4".
Billy Gibbons uses 7's on his.
@@Darth.Shredder I don't understand how that's possible.
@@hanskung3278 I don't understand why you'd think that it's not possible. He's even got his own signature string set.
"Is it worth it?" .. Well, .. Wouldn't it be kinda essential to know how much it costs then? 😂.. I mean come on dude.