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Would love to hear your thoughts on string action. Which is better high, medium or low? Is there an optimum setting for the tone of the guitar? Is it pretty much an individual thing?
I have not looked at this much, but I can tell you that I have always use low action and while I can play faster, I seem to get more ghost notes and string ringing noise with it low.
Is there anything that I need to know?
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12-25-2018 12:13 PM
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I set my guitars up at 4/64 on the high E and 5/64 on the low E.
All my guitars are set up this way if possible.
I have one guitar (an LP clone) that will not get to this and is a bit higher.
Yes, extremely low action can result in strings contacting the fretboard.
Very low action is best with a very level fretboard. If your fretboard is not level then low action may cause issues.
Ibanez electric shred guitars have fretboards that are suitable for very low action as they are quit flat.
Heavy picking technique also is not compatible with very low action. Too much string vibration.
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I like a very straight neck, almost no relief, very low action, and big frets. That's just me.
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The neck is the key to a well-playing guitar.
If the neck is bad forget it.
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+1!
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
(disclaimer: slide guitar is a different beast when it comes to string height)
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I think you got to ask "better for for who and for what".
On my electric guitars I prefer a medium action. I don't like a very low action because I like a clean tone without string slap and buzzes. Also with a not too low action a greater range of volume is possible because of the potentially greater string amplitude.
For the acoustic archtop I use for 4-to-the-bar rhythm playing I use a higher action in order to being able to dig in more and get more volume without slap. It's not the ideal setup for fast and delicate single note playing but for two and three note shell chords it works fine.
Apart from those preferences the action also depends on the string gauge/tension. With a thicker string one can get away with a lower action.
The action also seems to influence the sound of an archtop guitar. The higher the action, the greater the downward force on the top via the bridge. The downward force is also increased with increased string gauge. On some guitars a downward force beyond a certain limit will dampen the vibration of the top. That's the case with my 1997 Benedetto Fratello which sounds better with 12s than with 13s or 14s. OTOH too little downforce will result in a suboptimal tone. That's one reason why a correct neck angle is important. The optimum downforce is individually varying from instrument to instrument (sometimes also between instruments of the same brand and model).
I'm sure the luthiers on the forum can say much more about this than I can. They may even want to correct me
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I'll take as little tension on the strings as I can get away with and keep the guitar in tune.
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LAPWOB (low as possible without buzzing) for me on my electric guitars. Slightly higher on the acoustics so I can dig in.
I set my guitars up with almost no neck relief and keep my frets leveled/polished and use flatwounds.
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The issue for me is how hard I pick.
When I'm soloing in a high energy situation I tend to pick harder and, if the action is too low, the notes can get duller, presumably because the string is contacting a fret, even with perfect setup. Can I train myself out of doing that? Well, not yet.
So, it's as low as possible without that happening. Presumably, a different measurement for different players.
String tension matters too, which is gauge related, but also scale length and tailpiece design. A very thin neck can affect feel too. So, it's not one thing.
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Action on the guitar is a set of factors that while can be measured, is a fuction of the player themselves. You can throw out a lot of numbers but in the end the best will be based on the player. Under idea situations I like to set a guitar up myself as lower action, not buzzing but I need tension. When doing set ups ideally I watch the person play that helps me hugely. I then ask them them to play my guitar and see what they think. Then when they pick the guitar back up assuming it is not a flattop i have them play the guitar for any final tweak.
Mostly my flatop top repairs I work to perfect action at the first fret. I want to hear the flatop player tell me, “wow I can play a bar cord F major at the first fret with ease. Even the bluegrass players get a bit excited. Looking for pure volume and power you do need to go to action higher than low, or what some of previous posters have said.
Those crazy jazzers like SS playing all over the neck.......who would imagine?
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I like my action medium-low. Low action obviously helps fast runs, but I raise it a bit for chording, which is easily as important. Raising the action a bit gives me more room for dynamics, especially when chording.
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On a gig one usually plays a little harder and therefor a higher action is advantageous. Generally speaking I keep the action on all of my guitars on the high side, just so that I'm still in a "comfort zone" , the exception being my classical guitar which is only played with nails, no pick. On that I can keep the action comfortably low and still get a good strong tone , with medium tension strings. I can't stand any string-slap and my picking hand is quite strong so even with 014 strings on my archtops I jack them up - the tone I get motivates me to keep at it !
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Very low.
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Like others, as low as possible without buzzing. I don't want to have to work hard and tire my left arm out. If I get the occasional minor buzz or fret slap, so be it. It ain't the end of the world. It does depend on playing style, and for acoustic I'll accept marginally higher action so I can hit the strings harder, but it's all as low as possible without buzzing. Raising the bridge to get more of a break angle doesn't do much good, because the difference in break angle is almost impossible to measure between 1/8" and 1/4" action height. Higher action affects intonation adversely, and does little, IME, for tone once you get high enough so there is no buzz or slap with heavy strumming. At least that's my preference, which doesn't affect anyone else's preferences.
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Very informative, folks. Thanks for your thoughts.
I have a guitar that is set up with noticeably higher action than my other guitars, but not super-high action. I found that it helped playability when I just happened to pull it out of its case, where it has been for a couple of years. My chord work seemed to go a bit better on that guitar.
I am going to slightly raise the action on my other guitars to see if I can get the same effect.
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I set my actiom just above Low Not high enough to effect intoneation but High enough for no Buzz with a harder pick. Right now I need to work on my Arch Top neck I get Buzz on the high e at the third so I will level and crown them soon waiting on a 12" radius Block. so I prefer a low medium action.
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I set my action high enough to facilitate left-hand muting and to produce a clear, buzz-free note on the strings I want to be ringing at that time.
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I tend to have strings a bit higher than average for grabbing strings to do bends.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I tend to go with medium action. My hands really enjoy low action, but I find it doesn't really work for me with the way I play and the things I like the guitar to do. So medium is a working compromise. Nice playability, but with nice definition, dynamics, muting, and ability to dig in. I also like some relief in my guitars, don't play with a straight neck.
A good way to check if a guitar is in optimal condition, is to try it with low and high action. It should be able to successfully cope with both.
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Different people prefer different action, just as they prefer different strings, different body types, etc. There is no one right or wrong action height for all players. Fortunately, for most archtops it's quick and easy to change the action by just turning the adjustment wheels on the bridge. If you go too far, turn them back the other way. This obviously assumes that the neck has the optimal amount of relief, and that also is different for different players. It can take considerable time and experimentation to get it all right for an individual player. I've done it so many times on my own guitars that it's usually pretty quick. I know where to start and where I'm going, and the only thing that might take awhile is uneven frets. That has to be fixed before it's possible to get low action. With even slight differences in fret heights, playable action without poor sound is compromised. Frets, nut slot, relief, and action are all inter-related. But once the frets are perfectly level, the nut slots are cut properly, and the relief is adjusted to one's preference, changing action is easy. And it's not difficult to change the relief by small tweaks of the truss rod.
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Really depends on the guitar and music style but generally like a lower action. But also have a light touch and use light strings.
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I like mine kind of highish because I like the strings to fight a bit.
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I play with low action only if I have to. Solo guitar playing asks it often. Otherwise medium.
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Not high action for me- 4/64". And about .005" relief. Light touch.
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I never saw the need for punishing my left hand any more than necessary so I always thought every player setup their git this way. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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