Enmitygauged Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I had a rehearsal the other night the lead guitarist brought in his 2006 Trad LP I was on my 2010 Standard LP. I swear his strings were 1-2mm above the frets. It felt weird as. Now my questions are how low is too low and if I am reading the Gibson Warranty right then lowering the action voids the warranty?? I mean in comparison my Standard looked like a classical guitar. He reckons that he doesnt get any fret buzz but I cant fathom playing that low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpanda Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Too low is when the strings are resting on the bridge pup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 . When the amped sound/tone gets thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 My P-Bass has the low E string at less than 1mm at the first fret, and not much more than 2 at the 20th... Measure your guitar and tell us how high is too high! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 It depends completely on your playing style. If my action is too low my finger will slip off the string when bending during solos. I need to have something to grab on to. Lowest is NOT always best. I would say I PREFER my action probably higher than most. Even on my jazz guitars, on which I do mostly chord chunking, the action can be TOO low to be comfortable for ME. I'll say it again.....LOWEST IS NOT ALWAYS BEST!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I don't think there's a law for this (yet). It's all a matter of what works for you. I prefer action that is very low. Works for me and fits my style. But I know some that like it higher and have a hard time with my guitars. As long as it doesn't buzz, put it where it works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Too low is when the strings are resting on the bridge pup . When the amped sound/tone gets thin. the above quotes are all good. I will add another which is when the string start buzzing on the frets or the nut that's when it's too low also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 L5Larry and I have different choices at this point in time, but the bottom line is that "too low" is very subjective although obviously you don't want the strings dragging on pickups or frets when you're not even playing. I play with very light hands and prefer that - so I prefer a very low action and light strings on most guitars except... On the guitar I've used off and on for more bluegrassy-type flatpicking, the action is higher so I can strum and not get buzz. I use heavier strings on that one too. I think that were I to start playing with a jazz type band I'd make some significant changes in strings and setup, though, for that type of rhythm thing. So... Yeah, it depends on the player, his or her preferences, the general guitar setup, his or her playing style... For example, there's no way I could use a Carter Family Scratch ("Lick" if you will) with my light strings, thumb and fingerpicks, for example. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Buzzing or bad tone other than that's it's all about feeling. I actually have higher set-ups now than I ever have I'm heavy handed anyway and I like to play with bends and even slide work much of the time so I don't like really low actions anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Depends on what you like. I've read lots of books when it says 1-2 /64 inch for the e side and 3-5 /64 inch on the E side, but that doesn't work for all guitars and all playing styles. There are guys that like high action and it gives them lots of stuff lower action won't. It also takes away some. Some guys like lower action and are willing to compromise attack and live with fretbuzz. I like it different for all of my guitars and it also depends on what strings I'm using. I use everything from 9s to 12s and right now my main 2 guitars sport 11 flatwounds with wound 3rd. I say all this to illustrate what the great guy who taught me all he knew about set ups told me when we started: not everyone will like their guitar the way you like yours, and not everyone will like their guitar the way you like their guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopssorryy Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Too low overall is string buzz, but too low for you is up to you and you alone. If it's not comfy to play then it's wrong for you. My guitar is setup for me and all my friends think it plays well, but werid. It's all personal when it comes to guitar setup, you can go by books, but they'll never be perfect for you. There is no such thing as a magic number for action, and while the messurements you can get are good, they aren't the best for everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Like most others have said, it's really a matter of personal preference. My preference is slightly higher so that I get no fret buzz, maximum note clarity and sustain, and no finger slippage. But, I give up a little speed and ease of playing. That's just the trade-off. As someone else here once put it, I like to feel my guitar "fight back" a little when I play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enmitygauged Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 thanks for the info guys. I have always left my action on the Gibsons at least as factory standard unless the factory was a mess. I was told that to change the action voids the warranty is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I don't see that anything approaching a standard setup with relatively standard strings could do much at all to void a warranty. I'd void it if a regular LP were converted to a 6-string bass or a 12-string with heavy string son it, but... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Once again, what are the measurements? And where were you looking? 1-2mm is pretty high for a guitar at the first frets, maybe not too bad a little further into the neck relief. Their link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enmitygauged Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Once again, what are the measurements? And where were you looking? 1-2mm is pretty high for a guitar at the first frets, maybe not too bad a little further into the neck relief. Their link Straight from the gibson website. Gibson does not warranty the playability of a instrument whose "action" is lower than the standard "action" as defined in the owners manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 That's "playability" that's being discussed, not damage to the guitar. My guess is that some idiots dropped their action to 3 micrometers, then demanded Gibson give them a guitar that actually can play without buzzing at that level. You ain't gonna hurt a Gibson by putting a relatively standard set of strings on it and having an action as low as it goes without buzzing for your style of playing. I guarantee that rhetorically, and basically in real terms, so does Gibson. On the other hand, Gibson is saying that if you think you can strum and bang away on 9-42 that are 3 micrometers above the frets - without buzzing... no, they ain't going there. Neither would you. We here can say, "Only an idiot would expect light strings that close to frets without it buzzing horribly," but in today's world, I think Gibson has to put it into a warranty card. There's probably an equivalent in almost any other decent brand's warranty if you read carefully, because inevitably some idiot will figure it's worth suing whether he/she knows something totally unreasonable is being asked of a guitar and guitar company. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enmitygauged Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 That's "playability" that's being discussed, not damage to the guitar. My guess is that some idiots dropped their action to 3 micrometers, then demanded Gibson give them a guitar that actually can play without buzzing at that level. You ain't gonna hurt a Gibson by putting a relatively standard set of strings on it and having an action as low as it goes without buzzing for your style of playing. I guarantee that rhetorically, and basically in real terms, so does Gibson. On the other hand, Gibson is saying that if you think you can strum and bang away on 9-42 that are 3 micrometers above the frets - without buzzing... no, they ain't going there. Neither would you. We here can say, "Only an idiot would expect light strings that close to frets without it buzzing horribly," but in today's world, I think Gibson has to put it into a warranty card. There's probably an equivalent in almost any other decent brand's warranty if you read carefully, because inevitably some idiot will figure it's worth suing whether he/she knows something totally unreasonable is being asked of a guitar and guitar company. m True Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 IMX 'action' can often be an arguable issue.... I have guitars with a variety of action/string gauge set-ups And they are all good to play in different situations eg 12's with med action on a jazz hollow body down to 9's with very low action on a whammy superstrat And also a set-up, fret-dress by a tech will change the whole thing....allowing lower buzz-free action.... V.....a goin' downtown lookin' for some action.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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