Members scuzzo Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 im wondering if my action is too high.. or perhaps i have just played a guitar with that high an action i have just gotten use to it, it helps in the ringyness or the chord.. but im trying to find an example of High Medium and Low action on electric guitar and am having no luck,, so if you could,, please tell me what action you prefer on your guitar and even a close up photo of the string height.. there may already be a thread or two on this topic but i have had no luck in finding it through search, awell.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitlvr Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 I don't have a pic, but I like my action around 7/64" at the 12th fret. Most people would consider this medium or high action on an electric. But I like it there. 90 percent of my playing these days is through the cleanest setting I can get, and I need the higher action to avoid fret buzz on clean settings, especially since I hit the strings hard sometimes. I also think the tone is a liitle "rounder" for lack of a better word, with slightly higher action, and I prefer the feel as well. It has also been my experience that if the nut is cut properly I can get away with higher action without noticing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 Each guitar will need a little different set up, so measurements can be deceiving/ irrelevant. But, the way I learned to check my action is to fret the 1st fret and the last fret (with the other hand:idea:) on the fat E string. Then you look for the low spot in the neck, around the 12th fret and you should be able to slide a business card in there, not much more or less. This I would call medium action. This works really well for me. No buzz and no choking of the notes on higher frets. ymmv. Another thing I've been told is that you don't want a lot of travel when fretting on the first fret. If the string on the 1st fret has to go a long way before it touches that fret, then the nut is likely too high. The skinny E string is good for checking this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 9-Pin-Phoenix Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 I set my Fender style guitars up based on the recommendations on the Fender website. Usually 4/64-5/64 at the 17th fret, depending on radius. the method Orange Jackson mentions is good for verifying the relief of your neck also. I use feeler gauges (I got them cheap at Harbor Freight) and look for .006-.008 in relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 i play with what I guess is considered medium action. Usually around 3/64ths on high e and 4/64ths on low E. I don't like it super low. one of my les pauls.. here's my charvel my EJ strat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 Yeah, I'm a little spaced out today. "Action" not neck relief. (note to self:poke:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 i play with what I guess is considered medium action. Usually around 3/64ths on high e and 4/64ths on low E. I don't like it super low. That's how i set mine as well. I also like about .3 mm of relief but that depends on the individual neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danny James Posted November 2, 2019 Members Share Posted November 2, 2019 On 6/29/2009 at 3:57 PM, Orange Jackson said: Each guitar will need a little different set up, so measurements can be deceiving/ irrelevant. But, the way I learned to check my action is to fret the 1st fret and the last fret (with the other hand:idea:) on the fat E string. Then you look for the low spot in the neck, around the 12th fret and you should be able to slide a business card in there, not much more or less. This I would call medium action. This works really well for me. No buzz and no choking of the notes on higher frets. ymmv. Another thing I've been told is that you don't want a lot of travel when fretting on the first fret. If the string on the 1st fret has to go a long way before it touches that fret, then the nut is likely too high. The skinny E string is good for checking this. The 1st fret last fret method is for checking neck relief, which does affect action, but it has nothing to do with setting your bridge action height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danny James Posted November 2, 2019 Members Share Posted November 2, 2019 I run 5/64 treble 6/64 bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sammyreynolds01 Posted November 2, 2019 Members Share Posted November 2, 2019 about 6/64 on the bass and 5/64 on the high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emory Posted November 3, 2019 Members Share Posted November 3, 2019 Was musing on this very subject yesterday.... I prefer medium action and thought "why?". Okay, this came up on brain screen: tight rope walkers. String is tight rope (but not too tight, haha), your finger like the walker. If you care to do a flip on the rope, need to depress it a bit and use sling effect to get some height (pull off), which in my convoluted mind is like doing a hammer on, pull off. If string action low there is not enough "dip" of the fretted string, increase of tension to get a good "bounce" up. This probably makes no sense, besides being a "what the heck is he talking about?" post. Anyone with genuine info? I'm headed down the tunnel of dementia and at that stage where I can still type whole sentences, but content and explanation may be suspect. Hey, if we can't flail about here, where can we? (I don't want to dip my toe into the political forum, btw) Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.