About non-compression truss rod and Plek

[zambly]

Hi,
I play an Asat Special since 4 years, it was produced in 2006.

I love that guitar, and I'm just wandering from what year does G&L started to use the non-compression truss rod and the Plek Machine.
Does my Asat (2006 USA Made) has these specs or not? Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Ric

[Craig]

Hi,
I play an Asat Special since 4 years, it was produced in 2006.

I love that guitar, and I'm just wandering from what year does G&L started to use the non-compression truss rod and the Plek Machine.
Does my Asat (2006 USA Made) has these specs or not? Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Ric

Hi zambly,

2006 for both. So, if your ASAT Special was built in 2006, it should
have the non-compression truss rod and have had the neck Plek'd.

Hope this helps.

[zambly]

Thanks a lot Craig,

as a dealer told me, it's possible to look the neck and notice there isn't the cut that was necessary to do the bi-cut process, so my Asat surely has the non-compression truss rod.

By the way, can we say that if a G&L has the non-compression truss rod it surely has been plek'd? I mean: non-compression t.r. and Plek Machine were started together as a standard or maybe the Plek was introduced after the new truss rod?
Ric

[jazzrat]

I'm cornfused....
I have a 2006 dated neck on my Legacy and it is very clearly bi-cut.
Could the changes have been made mid year or something?

[jazzrat]

Good info, Thanks Tim.
If i remember mine says December so I got one of those 4th quarter Bi-cuts.
The fretwork is very even so it may have been Plek'd.

[zambly]

thanks Tim,
so because of what you explained, it's possible to say that if a G&L has the non-compression t.r. it surely has been plek'd too... right? (because both the specs started together in the last months of 2006, even if bi-cut necks have been available until the begin of 2007)

[Craig]

Howdy:

It was in September of 2006 that they began the switch to non-compression and adding PLEK. The Trinity series were the first, and all had PLEK but 1/2 were bi-cut and 1/2 were non-compression. Since instruments are made in parts, it's very very very (did I say "very?") possible that a neck in the 4th quarter of 2006 could be bi-cut. My personal opinion to the time line based on observation and checking in weekly on Trinity and going to the factory is this:

PLEK: September 2006.

Non-Compression "full time": 2007 for certain. But I'd pick Nov. 2006 because of the necks being in transistion.

Regards,

Tim

Thanks, Tim!

My source was from a contact at G&L I got a number of years ago and he gave me only a general time frame. BTW, he has
since left the company.

[Craig]

thanks Tim,
so because of what you explained, it's possible to say that if a G&L has the non-compression t.r. it surely has been plek'd too... right? (because both the specs started together in the last months of 2006, even if bi-cut necks have been available until the begin of 2007)

Yes, I would say this is right.

[Craig]

From a recent discussion in another sub-forum:

Steve Grom, Director of Manufacturing, discussed about a noticed change on the new necks:

The truss rod access hole is now cut using the HAAS CNC router; where in the past it was a secondary,
manual operation using a drill and small barrel sander. The new method allows for a cleaner hole that will not end
up “out-of-round” as some of the older ones could. The other improvement with this method is consistent location
of the truss rod nut. The depth and side-to-side location of the truss rod nut could vary and this would make
certain necks much more difficult to adjust.

Hope this helps.