Guitar setup

[Godin15]

Curious to see how many use low action? I prefer it for myself, I find I'm quicker and have better control in my playing.

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Guitar setup

I set it where there's no buzz. I pick hard and like to play slide, so my action isn't super low, but not high either. My objective is good tone, so I set it up for that. I've been playing mandolin and bluegrass guitar the last couple years, so any electric setup seems easy.

[kingsnake]

Re: Guitar setup

I like it somewhere in the middle, i def don't play SRV high or shredder low. Kinda depends on the guitar and the buzz factor.

But that said, i like my strat low, tele in the middle, and acoustic high.

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Guitar setup

As long as I can't feel my finger slipping under the next string when doing bends above the 12th fret, I'm good! [emoji12]

[Davii]

Re: Guitar setup

I had an Epi LP100 years ago that had a really bad fret job - the luthier the shop gave it to to sort out had to reduce the frets so much, that combined with a low action meant I could play lead with just my fretting hand. Picked attack was faffin' awful though, mostly thud n' snap.

[Mincer]

Re: Guitar setup

My action is low with scalloped frets. I don't pick very hard and let the pickups and amp do all of the work for me.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Guitar setup

My action is so low that the strings pass below the frets.

[dave74]

Re: Guitar setup

I seem to gel well with the Ibanez recommendations for action and relief.

http://www.ibanez.com/world/manual/guitars/Maintenance.pdf

Notice in the fine-print it says that larger than standard gauges will require slightly more clearance.

[zionstrat]

Re: Guitar setup

I'm the unusual one at the opposite end of the spectrum- I play 11s and 12s at standard tuning, with medium to high actions and extra heavy picks.

The reason? I read a Steve Howe article when I was a kid that he glued credit cards together to get the thickest possible pick for dynamics- He could always loosen his grip for light parts and tighten up for power.

The pick thing worked and as I increased the difficulty across the board, I noticed a number of things
1. I did have substantially better dynamic control than my buddies
2. I was much stronger
3. I could play far more intricate parts (especially complex rhythms) because the strings didn't flop around- this includes faster arpeggios as long as long as open strings aren't included
4. And recently, I've realized that much of the strength of my tone comes from heavy strings, the ability to hit them hard for growl and back off for the cleaner parts (taking a repeating arpeggio from clean to growl based on string pressure is a perfect example).

Negatives are pretty obvious-
1. I always require locking tuners
2. Pull offs are a little easier with a lighter action, but intricate tapping or sweeping a mix of open and fretted isn't as easy in heavy land.
3. Left hand only notes are actually easier for me, but reaching over to tap with the right hand is difficult.

It's funny, I have one light string low/action guitar that we use to demo pups and it's set up with 9s so practically anyone can play it. Tonewise, I can only get 90% of my sound with light strings, however, it's easier to play simple, straight non-complex rhythms and I end up tapping and sweeping all over it on auto pilot- kind of case in point of the stuff I give up for my sound.

Hope this might be helpful to someone else- there aren't that many of us

[Mincer]

Re: Guitar setup

I'm the unusual one at the opposite end of the spectrum- I play 11s and 12s at standard tuning, with medium to high actions and extra heavy picks.

The reason? I read a Steve Howe article when I was a kid that he glued credit cards together to get the thickest possible pick for dynamics- He could always loosen his grip for light parts and tighten up for power.

The pick thing worked and as I increased the difficulty across the board, I noticed a number of things
1. I did have substantially better dynamic control than my buddies
2. I was much stronger
3. I could play far more intricate parts (especially complex rhythms) because the strings didn't flop around- this includes faster arpeggios as long as long as open strings aren't included
4. And recently, I've realized that much of the strength of my tone comes from heavy strings, the ability to hit them hard for growl and back off for the cleaner parts (taking a repeating arpeggio from clean to growl based on string pressure is a perfect example).

Negatives are pretty obvious-
1. I always require locking tuners
2. Pull offs are a little easier with a lighter action, but intricate tapping or sweeping a mix of open and fretted isn't as easy in heavy land.
3. Left hand only notes are actually easier for me, but reaching over to tap with the right hand is difficult.

It's funny, I have one light string low/action guitar that we use to demo pups and it's set up with 9s so practically anyone can play it. Tonewise, I can only get 90% of my sound with light strings, however, it's easier to play simple, straight non-complex rhythms and I end up tapping and sweeping all over it on auto pilot- kind of case in point of the stuff I give up for my sound.

Hope this might be helpful to someone else- there aren't that many of us

Cool, Steve Howe is one of my favorites. He has a weird picking style, and tends to use 12's for both his E and B strings. His picking comes from his arm mostly, and not his wrist, and his sound got a lot cleaner over the years- compare Yessongs to any recent live album. I just tend to play very lightly, and let the pickups and amp do the work (and I don't want to work that hard).

[zionstrat]

Re: Guitar setup

Cool, Steve Howe is one of my favorites. He has a weird picking style, and tends to use 12's for both his E and B strings. His picking comes from his arm mostly, and not his wrist, and his sound got a lot cleaner over the years- compare Yessongs to any recent live album. I just tend to play very lightly, and let the pickups and amp do the work (and I don't want to work that hard).

It would have been nice to have a subtle touch and I can't imagine scalloped fretboard... Very very cool and reinforces that we all bring different strengths... Would be fun to record a collaborative track to hear the best of SDUF members.

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[Mincer]

Re: Guitar setup

Well, funny thing is that I don't use much gain- maybe like 70s or 80s Steve Howe, and cleaner. That is 90% of my playing. I played for 12 years before I owned a distortion pedal or an amp with distortion, so I got used to a clean sound.

[Paully]

Re: Guitar setup

I'm a heavy strings, 11's with a wound 3rd. Medium high action and very heavy pick guy.

[zionstrat]

Re: Guitar setup

Well, funny thing is that I don't use much gain- maybe like 70s or 80s Steve Howe, and cleaner. That is 90% of my playing. I played for 12 years before I owned a distortion pedal or an amp with distortion, so I got used to a clean sound.

Mincer, I love cleans as well. Today most of my tones are built on top of clean warm twin tones, but before that they were based on jc120 chorused sounds.

On the other hand, I'm probably in crunch land 40% of the time and Steve Howe or Alex Lifeson tones are goid examples of my goal.

In a way, the growth of metal has helped me... I get the blues country rock gigs that require clean to crunch variety.

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[zionstrat]

Re: Guitar setup

I'm a heavy strings, 11's with a wound 3rd. Medium high action and very heavy pick guy.

I'm 11s and 12s wound g with the 12s. We ought to compare notes.

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