How Low is Too Low?

[DeadNight Warrior]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I like a higher action personally. I used to play with an action of about 4mm, from the top of the 12th fret, if I remember correctly, but since I've moved it a little lower. My main guitar (UV777BK) is set to probably about 2mm. Any lower and I find I just can't bend the strings properly.

[metafaza]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I have a question. When we're talking about buzzing out, do we mean when the guitar is plugged in (clean channel would work best) or is it unplugged? The reason I'm asking is that if you can't hear it buzzing plugged in, but you know it's buzzing unplugged, do we treat it as a buzz or not?

I'm not sure if I made it clear...

[dg]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

You may not hear it as buzz when you're plugged in, but it can affect your tone & sustain. One really noticeable area is pinch harmonics. Just a little bit of buzz can really mess them up. I think everyone has their own perfect action height, just like neck shapes or anything else. Over the years, I've pretty much settled on medium-low.

[Twisteramps]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I like lower action for the most part. I've never had someone come to me after a gig and say "wow, your action must be really high" or "your action must be set low, the way you play". Whatever a player is comfortable with is correct for them.

The only real downside I find with having your guitars set really low action-wise is that you spend a lot of time tweaking them if they are on the edge - any change in neck relief can screw you up in a hurry. One of the things I do on most of my 'keepers' is to get the nut height down. Nearly all of my factory guitars had the nut too freakin' high from the factory.

Pete

[McDog]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

When I stop to look at it, my action looks and feels really high and I think that it should be lower, but when I am actually playing it doesn't bother me and I play just fine so it doesn't matter at all.

[slash]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

The easier it is to play the longer I can play. Low is the way to go for me. I can't ever seem to get it low enough though.

[metafaza]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

One one of the sites about Chris Holmes it's written that he likes his action so low, that the strings buzz. I believe most of us are trying to get away from the buzz. What do you make out of it?

[mccullpl]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I like low action, but I can get it TOO low on my KV2...for me, that is the point where i can't get the tip of my finger under the string enough to bend it. You'd think with the tall, medium fret this wouldn't be a problem, but it is.

[metafaza]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

That's what I did last weekend. I lowered the action to the point that I didn't like the feel it gave the guitar. Pinch harmonics became harder to achieve, bending is harder, as the lower strings get in way and just regular freting became easier, but on the other hand, it feels strange to me if I don't feel that I'm pressing a string. So, I went up with the action to half way between where it used to be and where I lowered it to. The guitar plays much better. I may go higher even more.

[Sunbane]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I partly blame high action for not learning to play well during my early years.

My old Vantage (which was my only guitar back then) was a ***** : The highest string tension ever, combined with very high action. No matter how I've tried to adjust the neck, I still can't get rid of the bow in it. I sat practicing scales and arpeggios day in and day out on that thing, but never really got any better. I'd get cramps very quickly and bending strings was always very painful, so I settled for playing rhythm for years to come. It wasn't until I got hold of a sucky Plywood Kramer that I realised that I actually had a wicked vibrato in my fingers and started playing a bit of lead - but I was already years behind everyone else, and stuck to the role of being the riff guy in the band.

It has taken me a shitload of time to adjust my technique for lead playing - to easen up the vice grip of death on the neck. Excessive force slows you down - this was my problem all along. I wasted my time battling a crappy guitar. A light touch is what you need to develop proper speed and technique. Low action isn't a must, but it definitely helps.

Btw, I still own the Vantage P.O.S. She does have a wicked sound - and I figured that as long as I own her, she can't harm anyone else. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

'bane

[The Chase]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

One good thing about the high action is that you get great tones from it. Ahhh! I hate my fender's neck!

[mccullpl]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

back when i started, (1985?) they recommended that i start on acoustic, because it would build up your finger strength. i agree with the idea of starting on something with decent action and string tension, because i still press the strings too hard...and i only played that acoustic for 2 years....

[iron_monkey]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I agree with the comments about playing acoustics and getting too strong a grip. My first guitar teacher said "If you can play a steel string acoustic, you can play anything". Well, seems it would depend on what style you want to play [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I can't seem to make up my mind on the high vs. low action question other than I aways seem to want the opposite of what is on the guitar at the time. When I don't think about it though, I don't seem to care.

[metafaza]

Re: How Low is Too Low?

I can't agree more! I also started playing on an acustic. It gives you the strength in fingers, but what I think is also very important you can't cover up your mistakes with tons of gain or effects. That teaches you to be more precise. That's the way I see it. Many youngster who started on the electric when faced with an acustic are dramaticly unable to play anything. I used to play metal tunes on my acustic, it was a good workout.