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it's just me or there is someone else who loses taste and creativity when the neck action is too low?
I tried to setup the action of my 335 following gibson factory measures and while it still doesn't buzzs, and allows more speed, the too light touch of the guitar makes me loose musicality...
any thoughts?
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08-01-2015 11:42 AM
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In my case I would not say, because the easier to play the less in the way the guitar is to my free expression.
I love very low action with just a slight relief almost dead straight neck even on my Archtops.
For a long time I thought the neck on my Epi Regent was THE NECK, that was until I got the Tal...
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If I'm fighting the guitar, I'm not too creative. If the guitar plays easily, I'm creating, not thinking about the guitar.
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2mm action is easy to play and creative to me;
1,2 mm (high E), gibson factory setup, is extra easy to play not creative to me...
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I do think that if I am playing only on muscle memory, not thinking, I don't play creatively, and maybe having a guitar that plays easily facilitates that. Some guitars do seem to play themselves, they take so little effort.
Russ
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so you say: the lower = the better (buzz free, of course)
anybody "needs" some tension?
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Looooooooowwwww action here.
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I like to feel string travel to the neck. Super low action feel unnatural to me. Same feeling I have with touchpads vs. real keyboard. With pressing you have more options than if only touching and gives at least an impression of more control.
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I think I agree with you, gianluca, if I have interpreted your point correctly. I do not favor a razor low action on electric or acoustic guitars, especially if it is a nylon string "classical". I like or need some 'rebound' to the string over the fret, so I prefer a higher action than some electric players generally. Without the 'rebound', I feel like I am just pressing the string into the neck making it harder to fret the notes quickly. Too low an action for me is 'dead'.
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on my les paul I have it set up..low as possible without buzz..it intonates true to the 22nd fret..i do a lot of wide stretch chords (thanks ted greene?) and voice movement within those chords..so my pinky has to have easy touch to get some notes to ring true..
on the other side of that..fast runs and some albert king bending also work for me with very low action..
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I generally like it pretty low, unless the guitar has some acoustic tone to it, then i like to be able to play as hard as i want without things getting "splatty."
Every guitar has a "happy zone" for me...
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I prefer low action to the extent that I can also tolerate a little buzz.
The buzz also depends on how strong you are picking.
I generally have a light touch.
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Chazmo nailed it..
Originally Posted by Chazmo
Last edited by Max405; 08-02-2015 at 12:36 PM.
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Oh yeah, most definately. Originally Posted by gianluca
User thicker strings. Originally Posted by gianluca
Last edited by LtKojak; 08-01-2015 at 05:26 PM.
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I've heard that Frank Vignola likes to keep his action high.
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I have found that a somewhat higher than average action facilitates left-hand muting.
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Jack White agrees with you:
“I always look at playing guitar as an attack. It has to be a fight. Every song, every guitar solo, every note that’s played or written has to be a struggle. It can’t be this wimpy thing where you’re pushed around by the idea, the characters, or the song itself. It’s every player’s job to fight against all of that.”
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I would say the opposite for me. High action feels like fighting the guitar and I find that to be adverse to creativity. This is especially true for chordal playing and comping. I'm not into really whacking the strings with the pick or fingers; there are those who swear but it and they likely need higher action. Some folks really drive those strings to get their sound (Martino, for example). Originally Posted by gianluca
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I feel the opposite personally. But... that is a very personal thing. The feel of a guitar is of primary importance IMO because it doesn't matter how it sounds if it doesn't feel right. Although I typically play unplugged, I play it as though I am... plugged. I don't really go for acoustic only sound so even my acoustic archtops have very low action.
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No.
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Yes. Indeed over the years I have gone this direction, and cannot go back to lower action where there are less dynamics on tap. At least this has been my experience with archtops, and it has become my preference with acoustic guitar as well as solidbody playing over time. Originally Posted by gianluca
Greg
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I'm with the OP. I find my playing more melodic and am using more thought with the action a tad higher and neck relief a bit more than the lowest and flattest I can setup the guitar. I think when the neck is dead flat and action near buzzing I get lazy and go for speed and licks.
Last edited by MaxTwang; 08-02-2015 at 01:46 AM.
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I find for me that I am able to articulate with more subtleties if my action is a bit higher. It seems to give me just a bit more control over the string. It might not sound logical, but with a lower action, I have to press into the fretboard harder to add the articulations I like. Taller frets help also.
Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 08-02-2015 at 02:40 AM.
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I like a little fight. I also whack the crap outta the strings, so...
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“I always look at playing guitar as an attack. It has to be a fight. Every song, every guitar solo, every note that’s played or written has to be a struggle. It can’t be this wimpy thing where you’re pushed around by the idea, the characters, or the song itself. It’s every player’s job to fight against all of that.”
Load of twaddle IMO, the action and the string guage has to be what you prefer, no way should you always be concious of the string tension and height it would stifle the flow if you are worrying about the guitar setup, how do you explain pianos and saxes etc where string guages, heights etc don't apply, try lowering or raising the strings on a harp for example. A string needs enough height (or air space) to vibrate freely without hitting the fret this will vary from light to heavy guage strings, back in 56 when I started playing I used guitars with horrific actions not knowing any better at the time but I soon learned from that, over the years my preference for string guages and action heights has changed, these days I have my action at 1mm on the 1st string and just over 1mm on the 6th at the 12th fret but I do my own fret levelling and crowning and I like a fall off from the 14th fret upwards this gives me a very low buzz and rattle free action with little neck relief using 12's.
Not very good pics I'm afraid.
Last edited by Para; 08-02-2015 at 06:32 AM.
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