Guitar action

[davidl]

I'm usually a fan of pretty low action or have been until recently.

On my Les Paul's, my setting is pretty low at around 1.75 64ths at the high E and 2.25/64 at the low E.

On my Es-339, I'm set at factory 3 at the high E and 5 at the low E and it is great there. I have to dig a little and it gives a little more flexibility and heart if that makes sense.

What are your opinions or knowledge based on experience?

 

Dave

[ChanMan]

I'm usually a fan of pretty low action or have been until recently.

On my Les Paul's, my setting is pretty low at around 1.75 64ths at the high E and 2.25/64 at the low E.

On my Es-339, I'm set at factory 3 at the high E and 5 at the low E and it is great there. I have to dig a little and it gives a little more flexibility and heart if that makes sense.

What are your opinions or knowledge based on experience?

 

Dave

 

Low action on my Lester, a bit higher on my Strats.

 

Personally, I think it's whatever works for you.

[Murph]

I prefer a high action on electrics, and even higher yet for acoustics. I too feel it helps for "digging in". A low action feels too restrictive to me, if that makes any sense......

[Andy R]

I'm usually a fan of pretty low action or have been until recently.

On my Les Paul's, my setting is pretty low at around 1.75 64ths at the high E and 2.25/64 at the low E.

On my Es-339, I'm set at factory 3 at the high E and 5 at the low E and it is great there. I have to dig a little and it gives a little more flexibility and heart if that makes sense.

What are your opinions or knowledge based on experience?

 

Dave

 

Well action is in the hand of the beholder There is definitely no right answer. I would say it really depends on your style, touch, etc... What feels comfortable to you. It is not unusual to change over time especially as your hands get stronger, pick attack changes amps you"re playing through etc... again I pick kind of hard and aggressively so I need a little higher action for my particular playing style. I f the higher action is causing you to dig in a little harder and play a little more aggressively then I could see where your picking up the "Flexibility and heart" My string height changed (got higher) over the years as my string gauges increased and the gain on my amp started getting rolled back. It is the natural progression of things. If it feels good do it!

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Andy

[davidl]

I prefer a high action on electrics, and even higher yet for acoustics. I too feel it helps for "digging in". A low action feels too restrictive to me, if that makes any sense......

 

I appreciate your perspective. From my reading on the forum you are a performing musician. Do you think it might have something to do with your finger strength?

Also do you use a heavy gauge string? I use 10's exclusively on all my electrics and 12's on my acoustic.

 

Dave

[Thundergod]

Like Murph, I prefer higher action, lower action is unconfortable

[duane v]

lowest action possible with super high frets, and in some cases a scalloped board

[St James]

Like Murph, I prefer higher action, lower action is unconfortable

 

I too.

If ya read TONE TIP #33 it claims that when you RAISE your action and LOWER your pups you get better tone more of that great GIBSON bell like quality and your sustain lasts longer.

With the strings further from the pups the less the electro magnetic field can strangle your strings keeping em from resonating.

I changed to this lower set up and went frm 10's to 12;'s and my god in 40 years of playing I never heard such great tone

Makes my SLIDE licks really stand out.

The higher set up is not difficult to play ..you;'ll get used to it in 5 minutes and your strings last longer not being so skinny !!!

 

Gibson > Lifestyle > Features > Gibson Tone Tips #33: ...

 

 

Gibson Tone Tips #33: String Height — Raise It For Tone!

Dave Hunter | 09.01.2009

In this installment of Gibson Tone Tips we’re going to take a look at a simple factor of any guitar’s set up, but one that newer players often approached from too a narrow standpoint. When a learner first picks up the electric guitar, he or she is often most drawn to an instrument that has the strings as low to the fingerboard as is functionally possible, because this is easier on tender, unfamiliar fingers, and makes that guitar feel more comfortable in the beginner’s hand. From this point on, our “feel preference” is often set, and we take this “low action=great guitar” bias with us from guitar to guitar, throughout our playing career, imposing it forever after on guitars that we set up ourselves.

 

Certainly low action makes a guitar easier to play, and for some styles it really is a necessity. What I would like to address here, though, are the high incidences of guitarists who perpetually chase “the perfect tone”, while continually focusing on string height purely as a function of playing feel, rather than as a factor of tone, which it most certainly is. The old set-up rule that you “get your strings as low as you can without buzzing” seems to make perfect sense. Set up to that criteria, however, while your strings might not buzz noticeably, their vibrational arc is more than likely still inhibited by the proximity of the frets. Also, play harder than usual — which, if you’re like me, you will often find yourself doing in live situations, even if you’re not aware of it — and that set up does also lead to a little unwanted buzzing, though your amp settings, the energy of the live gig, and any effects in the chain might help to mask it.

Just for fun, try taking this inverted approach to setting string height: instead of getting them as low as you can without inducing serious buzzing, set your strings as high as you can have them and still be able to play with some reasonable facility. Doing this correctly might also require adjusting string intonation at the bridge saddles, because their angle and distance across their speaking length is now changing slightly, too, but for now just try it as is, in case you choose to return your action to point one. (Note that raising string height at the bridge might need to be coordinated with a tweak of neck relief at the truss rod, although I will leave that to your own best judgment as there is plenty of debated between the flat-neck/slight-relief crowds, and this determination will depend upon your own preferences.)

 

Play your guitar a while like this, and notice how much more ring, richness, and sustain you get out of it. The strings should now vibrate for close to the full potential of the instrument (which, of course, also depends upon factors such as nut and bridge type and condition, body style, neck and body woods, and so forth). Put simply, your tone is likely to sound bigger and fuller, and to bloom with a broader voice and a longer note decay than previously. If this as-high-as-you-can-hack-it setting is a little too much for every-day playing, try backing the strings down a hair at a time, and hopefully you can find a height that offers a healthy compromise. Sure, it’s also possible you preferred it the way it was before you adjusted it at all, and if your playing style involves a lot of speed riffing, hammer-ons and pull-offs, or extreme bending, you might simply require that as-low-as-it-goes actions (and will very likely mask its drawbacks with some judicious high-gain tone). With any luck, though, you’ll have discovered an easy means of achieving a fatter tone, without purchasing or modifying a single thing.

 

Higher strings can potentially induce some drawbacks that you will need to minimize. Before settling on your new action, you want to determine that strings don’t go out of tune in any fretting positions up and down the neck. You also need to ensure that using a capo, if you ever play with one, doesn’t throw all strings out of pitch too badly. Also note that if this experimentation results in raising your strings considerably from their previous position — and your guitar remains playable after doing so — you might also need to adjust your pickup height slightly. But, note that lowering the pickups further from the strings can often also help the strings to vibrate more freely (as discussed way back in Gibson Tone Tips #1), so leaving the pickups lower might be adding a double bonus to your new playing set up. Play with the options and see what works for you, and that will yield the “best right answer” for each individual player — and once you have achieved it for you, be sure to check and change your intonation, as necessary. If low action floats your boat, great, but it’s worth knowing that there’s a wealth of tone hiding in that thin slice of air between string and fingerboard.

 

HOPE THAT EXPLAINS IT

 

St James

[pippy]

I thought my action was medium-to-low until, recently, someone remarked that they found it a bit high...

 

Four or five years ago I swapped to using .011s (from .009s) and found the tone to be better.

 

It didn't take long at all to get used to the slight increase in tension.

 

P.

[bigneil]

I got my Ibanez set low for when i am in a fast fingers mood, and i got the action set higher on my g400 for more tone/volume and feel. and i got my Epi' spotlight set to medium as a good all rounder.

[Andy R]

I too.

If ya read TONE TIP #33 it claims that when you RAISE your action and LOWER your pups you get better tone more of that great GIBSON bell like quality and your sustain lasts longer.

With the strings further from the pups the less the electro magnetic field can strangle your strings keeping em from resonating.

I changed to this lower set up and went frm 10's to 12;'s and my god in 40 years of playing I never heard such great tone

Makes my SLIDE licks really stand out.

The higher set up is not difficult to play ..you;'ll get used to it in 5 minutes and your strings last longer not being so skinny !!!

 

Gibson > Lifestyle > Features > Gibson Tone Tips #33: ...

 

 

Gibson Tone Tips #33: String Height — Raise It For Tone!

Dave Hunter | 09.01.2009

In this installment of Gibson Tone Tips we’re going to take a look at a simple factor of any guitar’s set up, but one that newer players often approached from too a narrow standpoint. When a learner first picks up the electric guitar, he or she is often most drawn to an instrument that has the strings as low to the fingerboard as is functionally possible, because this is easier on tender, unfamiliar fingers, and makes that guitar feel more comfortable in the beginner’s hand. From this point on, our “feel preference” is often set, and we take this “low action=great guitar” bias with us from guitar to guitar, throughout our playing career, imposing it forever after on guitars that we set up ourselves.

 

Certainly low action makes a guitar easier to play, and for some styles it really is a necessity. What I would like to address here, though, are the high incidences of guitarists who perpetually chase “the perfect tone”, while continually focusing on string height purely as a function of playing feel, rather than as a factor of tone, which it most certainly is. The old set-up rule that you “get your strings as low as you can without buzzing” seems to make perfect sense. Set up to that criteria, however, while your strings might not buzz noticeably, their vibrational arc is more than likely still inhibited by the proximity of the frets. Also, play harder than usual — which, if you’re like me, you will often find yourself doing in live situations, even if you’re not aware of it — and that set up does also lead to a little unwanted buzzing, though your amp settings, the energy of the live gig, and any effects in the chain might help to mask it.

Just for fun, try taking this inverted approach to setting string height: instead of getting them as low as you can without inducing serious buzzing, set your strings as high as you can have them and still be able to play with some reasonable facility. Doing this correctly might also require adjusting string intonation at the bridge saddles, because their angle and distance across their speaking length is now changing slightly, too, but for now just try it as is, in case you choose to return your action to point one. (Note that raising string height at the bridge might need to be coordinated with a tweak of neck relief at the truss rod, although I will leave that to your own best judgment as there is plenty of debated between the flat-neck/slight-relief crowds, and this determination will depend upon your own preferences.)

 

Play your guitar a while like this, and notice how much more ring, richness, and sustain you get out of it. The strings should now vibrate for close to the full potential of the instrument (which, of course, also depends upon factors such as nut and bridge type and condition, body style, neck and body woods, and so forth). Put simply, your tone is likely to sound bigger and fuller, and to bloom with a broader voice and a longer note decay than previously. If this as-high-as-you-can-hack-it setting is a little too much for every-day playing, try backing the strings down a hair at a time, and hopefully you can find a height that offers a healthy compromise. Sure, it’s also possible you preferred it the way it was before you adjusted it at all, and if your playing style involves a lot of speed riffing, hammer-ons and pull-offs, or extreme bending, you might simply require that as-low-as-it-goes actions (and will very likely mask its drawbacks with some judicious high-gain tone). With any luck, though, you’ll have discovered an easy means of achieving a fatter tone, without purchasing or modifying a single thing.

 

Higher strings can potentially induce some drawbacks that you will need to minimize. Before settling on your new action, you want to determine that strings don’t go out of tune in any fretting positions up and down the neck. You also need to ensure that using a capo, if you ever play with one, doesn’t throw all strings out of pitch too badly. Also note that if this experimentation results in raising your strings considerably from their previous position — and your guitar remains playable after doing so — you might also need to adjust your pickup height slightly. But, note that lowering the pickups further from the strings can often also help the strings to vibrate more freely (as discussed way back in Gibson Tone Tips #1), so leaving the pickups lower might be adding a double bonus to your new playing set up. Play with the options and see what works for you, and that will yield the “best right answer” for each individual player — and once you have achieved it for you, be sure to check and change your intonation, as necessary. If low action floats your boat, great, but it’s worth knowing that there’s a wealth of tone hiding in that thin slice of air between string and fingerboard.

 

HOPE THAT EXPLAINS IT

 

St James

 

Isn't this pretty much what I said? :P Just without all of the cool technical detail and important informational Stuff.

 

Well action is in the hand of the beholder There is definitely no right answer. I would say it really depends on your style, touch, etc... What feels comfortable to you. It is not unusual to change over time especially as your hands get stronger, pick attack changes amps you"re playing through etc... again I pick kind of hard and aggressively so I need a little higher action for my particular playing style. I f the higher action is causing you to dig in a little harder and play a little more aggressively then I could see where your picking up the "Flexibility and heart" My string height changed (got higher) over the years as my string gauges increased and the gain on my amp started getting rolled back. It is the natural progression of things. If it feels good do it!

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Andy

[cabba2203]

lowest action possible with super high frets, and in some cases a scalloped board

 

+1, but I like scalloping starting from the 12th fret, not the whole neck.

[EVOL!]

Action is relative to the player and depends on picking style, string gauge, and type of playing (fretting hand). I too play pretty hard and ham-handed with 11s so my action is higher than your average 9 gauge, finesse player. I ain't Malcolm Young, but you get the idea.

[ChanMan]

I thought my action was medium-to-low until, recently, someone remarked that they found it a bit high...

 

Four or five years ago I swapped to using .011s (from .009s) and found the tone to be better.

 

It didn't take long at all to get used to the slight increase in tension.

 

P.

 

This is a very important fact....

 

My Ibanez has one of the lowest actions I've ever encountered on an acoustic. In talking with the sales lady (I forget her name, but she played with Joe Maphis) she played it and mentioned that it was "obviously set up for a man" because the action was so high....

 

One man's trash is another's treasure :)

[sparky scott 29]

I always like them as low as possible... w?o the buzz of course..

I think it's a lot to do with what get use to as well.

[davidl]

There have been 2 mentions of scallop. I've heard the term but don't know what it means. Can someone explain it for me?

Thanks

 

Dave

[ChanMan]

There have been 2 mentions of scallop. I've heard the term but don't know what it means. Can someone explain it for me?

Thanks

 

Dave

 

 

Normally your fretboard is fairly flat between the fret wires. When you fret a string, your finger and string will "bottom out" against the fretboard. On certain guitars, the fretboard is actually concave, giving them a scooped, or scalloped, profile. When you fret your fingers will NOT touch the fretboard. I'm told it can speed up your playing and reduce the amount of pressure needed to actually fret a note.

 

 

I'm also told that once you've adapted to it, it's hard to go back :)

[davidl]

Normally your fretboard is fairly flat between the fret wires. When you fret a string, your finger and string will "bottom out" against the fretboard. On certain guitars, the fretboard is actually concave, giving them a scooped, or scalloped, profile. When you fret your fingers will NOT touch the fretboard. I'm told it can speed up your playing and reduce the amount of pressure needed to actually fret a note.

I'm also told that once you've adapted to it, it's hard to go back :)

 

Thanks for the explanation Chanman.

Much appreciated.

 

Dave

[ChanMan]

If you have a Guitar Center close, you can try out an Yngwie Malmsteen Strat... the entire fretboard is scalloped. OR... there is a Steve Vai JEM series Ibanez that has just the upper register scalloped.

 

 

[BigKahune]

Depends on the guitar and what I use it for.

 

Acoustics used for rhythm strumming - higher; acoustics for finger or flat picking - lower.

 

Electric rhythm - higher; electric lead/fill lower.

[LPguitarman]

Lowest as possible for me.