Action Issue - "stiff"

[rpg51]

What you are saying makes a lot of sense to me and I have no doubt it is true.  But, alas, I am a mere mortal. :(   At this stage of my development I enjoy the playability and I don't miss the undisputed positive consequences of higher action.  If, (or rather, when), my skills improve, I'll raise the saddle and let it scream. B)

[Hoser Rob]

Hey, my skills aren't the best in the world.  It ain't hard to get used to an extra 1/64" at the 12th fret and it makes a big difference in how hard you can play.

[jimmyd]

In addition to ronmacs list I would add neck angle. I think a perfect setup starts with a perfect neck angle then gets the fretboard/frets flat. After those are addressed the other factors such as nut height, saddle height,, come into play. Most factory and many custom guitars need some or all of the things listed to be done to perfect the setup. I think it makes a huge difference. I have a slope dread that I thought played pretty well. It developed a slight buzz on a couple of strings above the 12th fret. The builder reset the neck, redid the fretwork, cut a new saddle and finished the complete setup. The results are remarkable. The action is much easier to play and it has plenty of power and tone. I run mediums on it with no strain. Most people who play it think I'm running lights.

[Hoser Rob]

Neck angle usually affects the saddle height ... if there's not enough of it you can't lower the saddle enough.  This happens to all flattops eventually over time.  I think it's more unusual for that to specifically affect the action above the 12th fret, but it happens.

Regarding stiffness vs. action height, if you look at www.stewmac.com and go into the string height gauge part of the free info page, you'll find factory spec and "low action" settings by Dan Erlewine.  He's one of the top repairmen there are.  His recommended low setting for a Martin OM (25.4" scale) with light strings is .070" at the 1st string.  That's almost 5/64" (about 1/128" less), but many good guitars are set lower.  That's OK for playing yourself but if you want to play loud with others lower action won't give best results.  There's no free lunch.

[rpg51]

A couple of things occur to me -

First, our discussion might be more useful if we describe a guitars action in objective terms.  It seems to me that "Action" is really just a collection of physical measurements.   I have a guitar repair book by Dan Erlewine in which he describes the process of setting a guitar's action in some detail.  It really is very interesting reading for a neophyte like myself. The "action" may be best described, at least initially, by reference to the measured height of the strings at the first fret when the neck is capoed at the third fret(nutt height), the height of the strings over the 7th fret or so when capoed at the first fret and fretted at the 14th fret (neck relief), and the height of the strings at the 12th fret (saddle height).  These are objective measurments that you can take and you can return your guitar to these measurements, or change them, as you like.  No question it is more complicated than this because you have the other variables we have mentioned as well, but the most easilly adjustable factors are nutt height, neck relief, and saddle height.  Erlewine gives suggested high, medium and low figures for all these dimensions for a variety of different guitars and explains how to take the measurements and how to make adjustments. Obviously these are just guidelines and can/should be changed to suit the individual.  Nevertheless, these figures are a great start and at a minimum get you into the right universe on these settings. They help immensly when trying to understand what action is.  Knowing these dimensions for your own guitar may be the best way to keep tabs on your action and to understand what you are doing when you change your action.  At least that is my sense of all this.  I would love some input from the luthiers/techs out there on this board.  

Second, in the low action v. high action debate we need to keep in mind that players are at different levels and play with different styles which may affect what sort of action works best for them.  My personal feeling is that if you are a beginner or even an intermediate player you are best served by making your guitar as easy to play as possible.  This means lowish action.  You need every advantage you can get when you are learning. I often work on new chord fingerings and lead sequences on my electric guitar for just this reason, its much easier to play.  I think it helps me a lot to ease into new things in this way.  I stay more relaxed and I have much less tension.  After I have a new chord fingering down pretty well on my electric I find it transfers pretty well to my acoustic which has higher action and a thicker neck.  That is my approach anyway.  So for my purposes, I want my acoustic set up on the low side.  When I get further along in my playing I agree, it might make sense to raise the action a bit and use medium strings.  But for now its low and light for me.