How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

[Guitarist]

I'm kind of stuck here. Yesterday, while restringing my Jackson Soloist (w/ Floyd), I relieved a little bit of the string tension and raised my action pretty significantly. Now, this does make my playing a good deal more difficult, but I'm just loving the way the strings are vibrating and the tones I'm now getting.

It's only been a day, but I'm very anxious to reset the intonation to match the new action. I think I'm going to play it out for another week or so and decide where my compromises will take place, if any. Maybe I should just keep playing what seems to be an outrageously less playable guitar, and get use to it. Raise the standard of playing just a little bit for the tone...

What do you guys/gals personally find with your guitars concerning their set-up and playability? Ever been in a situation like this? Thoughts and experiences...

 

[Zerberus]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I don´t compromise on my guitars. It´s either what I want, how I want, or it´s something I don´t need or want. And I´m willing to pay a premium to get what I need, how I want and need it.

Playing live you can´t afford to compromise, there are too many other things that Murphy controls for your rig to be one of them

Part of me also sees it as: Would I buy myself a 100 dollar car? No, because I want something that will last a while, preferably forever, and that yon´t cause problems in any way if properly maintained. And with guitars it´s no different

 

[chcjunior]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I strive for a happy medium. I use 11's on my G&L and TNT's on my Dean. I'll push the action and neck relief so I can use those guage strings without getting any fret buzz. Having played long enough with those guage at a slightly higher string action, I don't even notice the difference any more.

I did have to have a fret dressing on my G&L recently in order to use the 11's sans fret buzz and still be easily playable. The action was simply too high otherwise.

 

[trelf]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

:newangel: I agree - you dou have to strive for some sort of happy medium > I tried the SRV thing of playing a strat with a massive action & 14's. I loved the sounds but just had to stop - it was seriously wrecking my hands.

It was really funny going between that & the ibanez rg I had at the time as this was set up with 8's!!! :smack:

 

[brianwenz]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Hello Hello---
Since I've been playing pro since the 60's, my experience comes from LOTS of different guitars with LOTS of different string guages and set-ups. Regardless of string guage, the fact remains that when I pick a little lighter I get a naturally fuller tone with less "fret rattle". If I'm playing a guitar with a flatter fingerboard [Gibson, PRS, Hamer, Jackson....] it's MUCH easier to set it up with a lower action while a Fender [especially older, vintage models...] or something else with a more arched fingerboard absolutely must have a higher action so the strings don't clatter against the frets. I've done all my own set-ups and fret work for years and insist on having each guitar able to play with as low an action as physically possible. I start with the action set at it's absolute-lowest and play the guitar for awhile to see how it sounds / feels in a band or studio setting. [Always being aware that my playing style will increase or decrease the "rattle" factor....] After a little time I usually settle on a string height / string guage combo that works. [I prefer a pretty straight fretboard, too, so my set-ups have to be pretty intensive from the "nut" end of the board to the "bridge" end.] With all this stuff taken care of, the tone will always be a little more full with a slightly higher action but doesn't improve past a certain point. You can get great tone with 9's if the guitar is properly fretted and set up.......just depends on what you want your fingers to feel [and, if you want to lighten-up on your pick attack]!
Brian
www.ottosguitars.com

 

[Rich_T]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I hit my guitars hard, so i need the action to be pretty high, or i get fret buzz no matter what. The 13 strings and C standard tuning don't help much either.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Low action for me...Playability before a minor change in tone, IMO.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

for me, the best playability is with high action, and the best tone is at high action. Unless you use the low action to match your style, IE fast rock soloing or metal, it's not a bad thing to get accustomed to a slightly higher action. You gain finger strength, bending is much easier and more pleasing, and the notes ring out nicely.

 

[Marinblues]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I'd rather sacrifice some action than some tone. I'd say 70/30 in favour of tone vs. action.

I mean, with practice you can play well even with high action, but you can't liven up that string which is dead due to low action. I guess that if you play with tons of gain, this counts less.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I have a thing with neck angles, that is where I get my sound.
Low action just means less banging with the pick or fingers, higher means more attack, either way I just play, I use the instrument the way it likes it best, I have only only one guitar left that has a vintage radius, the rest are pretty flat, so no real trouble there.

 

[Jimbojsr]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Putting the action up and using bigger strings is horrible to play with - for a while. Eventually, your hand bcome much stronger, and you're a better player, IMO.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Better player??
How?
I would say that control of your hands is better than stupid high action, your fingers won't last for ever, and the bigger strings myth is just as crummy, it is all about control and knowing your instrument, combing all over that same thing is just not going to work!

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

I'd rather sacrifice some action than some tone. I'd say 70/30 in favour of tone vs. action.

I mean, with practice you can play well even with high action, but you can't liven up that string which is dead due to low action. I guess that if you play with tons of gain, this counts less.

Ya, he has a Jackson...
And Jacksons are supposed to be action masters...

When you raise action on a Jackson, you're defeating the purpose of having a Jackson, IMO.

I'd go to a guitar tech, and consult him about what you can do, to eliminate buzz with low action. Maybe a fret level/polish, proper setup, and 10s instead of 9s will help?

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Also, I'm pretty much a tone fan.

If my guitar is not getting the right tone due to strings muting out, I just raise it right up. My strat has high action - and gets great tone, but if I lower it, it suffers. If only my strat was capable of better action, I would be ALL OVER the darn thing day and night!!!

My tele has medium action and great tone - so I like that even more.

My Les Paul has low action and great tone - I'm one happy camper - so does my Lado.

 

[Mincer]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

i use very low action, 9s and i pick very lightly & rarely bend strings..I don't feel like my setups and style of playing are in any way a compromise. There are too many exceptions to the rule that heavy strings + higher action = better tone..I don't buy it. Tone is in the hands, period.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Low action for me...Playability before a minor change in tone, IMO.

Same here. I recently dropped down to 10-52 or 9-46, set as low as they'll go (w/o buzz) and love it (my left hand quit hurting, too). I've also decided that the idea of playing an instrument I have to fight to get a good tone from does not appeal to me in the least.

Regarding the SRV thing, his strings were NOT that heavy... it was an 11 set with heavy (13 & 58) E strings.

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

well i like high action

i just always have, i like to bend and play hard on the strings, and if i have low action, it just doesn't sound all that good.

i try to have 10's on my trem equipped guitars(except my strat) and 11's on my other guitars

 

[APB_4]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Well if the strings weren't buzzing or anything then maybe you could try dropping the strings back down and lowering your pups.

 

[brianwenz]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Hello Hello--
Just to add something on.......Stevie Vaughn used a regular set of 11's quite a bit in the last few years of his life [ I knew him since '82 and would play with him off-and-on casually...] and he always tuned down 1/2 step.
The sustain of bent notes [or, ANY notes..] is retained by eliminating any fret buzz. This can be done by raising the string until all buzz is gone or by dressing the frets properly. The tone can be altered a bit by changing the tension of the string, but that's a different deal [actually, different brands of strings with the same guages will sound different because some have more "stiffness" to them then others.]
Brian.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: How Do You Personally Compromise Action and Tone?

Excellent to hear from all of you and your findings. Anyone else?