Trad Jazz Guitar Action?

**christianm77** · 08-09-2018, 03:27 AM

**oldane** · 08-09-2018, 06:27 AM

IMHO, the heigth of the action is not just about avoiding buzzes but also avoiding the sharp slap of the string hitting the fretboard when digging in hard. First, I don't like the sound of that slap (but of course that is a matter of personal preference). Second, it sets an upper limit for the volume - and thus the dynamic range - you can get (when the string slaps against the fretboard, it has hit the max amplitude).

OTOH, there's an (idividually variating) upper limit for how high the action can be and the guitar can still be playable for longer periods of time. So in the end it becomes a compromize. Few people would be able to play Freddie Greens ½" action for more than a few bars and he himself once admitted to John Pisano that "it took some time getting used to it". Thad Jones has told that Green permanently had deep grooves in his fretting fingers, so he must have had very thick callouses to protect the softer tissue of his fingers. Sometimes I have wondered why his action was THAT high on Greens Gretsch. It was high on the sunburst Stromberg too, but as far as I can see from photos, it was not as high as on the Gretsch in later years. Maybe it was a neck set problem (?) which he never got fixed. On pictures from the late years, it looks like there's a big screw in the neck heel of his Gretsch (he never used a strap so it's unlikely it's a strap button) which wasn't there in the earlier years with that guitar. A Danish rhythm guitarist who befriended Green in his later years and had a chance to have a closer look at the Gretsch found it to be in a miserable condition. The Gretsch company once said that despite Green being an official endorser, they never saw neither him nor the guitar at their repair shop apart from one occasion around 1960 when he accidentally broke the neck of it.

**Tal_175** · 08-09-2018, 10:58 AM

There is the obvious mechanical advantages of high action in the form of lack of smack and buzz. But as some people also alluded to, there is also some less obvious tonal effects of action.
If I may nerd out here a bit, high action means:
1- Steeper back angle of the strings behind the bridge which increases downward pressure of the strings resulting in a louder guitar.
2- Reduced stiffness of the bridge due to increased length of the bridge posts under the saddles which means less efficient energy transfer to top (well, I did warn about nerding out).
3- Reduced uniformity of intonation. Intonating based on the notes on the 12th fret may no longer mean strings will be in tune further away.

I think 1 is the most prominent of the three above. Especially true for flat top acoustics but also noticeable on trapeze guitars. But to me these are extremely subtle factors compared to how action affects the feel of the guitar. How comfortable and natural guitar feels to me has more effect on the tone I'm producing. I cannot stand hearing buzz, so if it doesn't buzz, I get no benefit from increasing the action.