How high is your action?

[astrozombie]

and what is "high" action anyway? I use like 2mm bass side and 1.5 treble, which is about 3/32 and 4/64.

some people say thats too much, but ive seen guys here post larger numbers!

 

[cakire82]

Re: How high is your action?

I have factory standard setup, 1.5mm on both sides on my Jacksons. It is very comfortable for me and as far as I know this is considered as low action.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: How high is your action?

1.5 is the standard for Jackson? jesus. then again i am playing a Tele, so I guess that kind of action is out of the question.

 

[John_L]

Re: How high is your action?

I have 2 mm on the nocaster and 1.5 mm on my Godin. that is more down to how the guitar will take the set up. I like the action a bit lower as that way I can get some nice percussive slaps and hits plus being a finger picker you can get away with a slightly low action (Fender recommend 2.5 mm for a strat or tele with 'vintage frets' and 2 mm for one with wide frets, I'm basically half a mil down on that) My duo sonic is at 3 mm but I do use this for slide. 3 mm is about standard for an acoustic.
Some people will go to higher action because of heavy strings, if you put on heavy strings and play hard you will need to raise the action, if you tune down as well then you need to raise it even more. Case in point SRV 13's tuned down half a step and had a 5 mm action. That said I don't know how much of that 5 mm was his personal taste.

 

[tc]

Re: How high is your action?

I use 2.5mm in the bass side, 2mm treble side on my Strats. It used to be around 3mm bass side, 2.5mm treble. I guess you could say I like medium high action. One has medium jumbos and the other has vintage frets, both have 9.5 inch radius boards.

It's a balancing act definitely. It's not just about how the guitar ends up feeling but the tone as well. Low action gets a brighter, thinner tone, and higher will get a rounder, warmer tone....too low and it sounds ratty, too high and it lacks snap. At least that has been my experience.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: How high is your action?

I get LOTS of action baby! :naughty:

Yeah, cheeseball I know.

My action is pretty high as I like using lots of the wide bends and vibratos. Heavy strings, wide bends, lots of singing.

It would be a lot harder to do that with low action. I've tried. I did not approve.

So I think it's 4/64 on the high E at 12, and 5/64 on the low E. I think. Not sure right now.

I'll have to look later.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: How high is your action?

I have no idea what the numbers are and they change from guitar to guitar...

To me, no 2 guitars are the same...I set each one until it feels right then it is right...

 

[Diego]

Re: How high is your action?

In my Ibanez, 3 mm. off both sides. 10-46 strings, a bit of relief on the neck.

In my Squier, 2 mm. in the bass side, a bit less on the treble side. 9-46 strings, neck straight as an arrow. That's my shredder axe.

In my Allparts, I think around 3.5 mm. off both sides. Trem set to float, 10-46 strings.
Strats only sound good with strings sky high I think!

 

[Travis H]

Re: How high is your action?

I set mine up to where the strings are on the frets then I move them up to where they just only start to buzz when you really dig in. best feeling set up ever

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How high is your action?

Alitte over 4 on both my Strat and Tele, about 3.7mm on the remaining superstrat...
Going from two 11-48's to the strat with 12-54...
I like that way...not that I hit them with lethal force either...just suits my playing...

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: How high is your action?

just low enough on each guitar that they don't buzz but they're easy to play. i constantly get complimented on the setup anytime someone tries my guitar.

 

[Pierre]

Re: How high is your action?

5mm with 10s or 11s on the Strat, both E strings.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: How high is your action?

High enough if she's cute and petite.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: How high is your action?

I don't know the measurements, but lower than fender factory action but still high enough to where i don't have to deal with buzz when i dig in

 

[blueman335]

Re: How high is your action?

just low enough on each guitar that they don't buzz but they're easy to play. i constantly get complimented on the setup anytime someone tries my guitar.

Yeah, but who's playing your guitars, blues benders or metal heads?

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: How high is your action?

Yeah, but who's playing your guitars, blues benders or metal heads?

my buddy's brother who plays shred, the manager at GC who plays pop punk, and this other dude who works there who played it the other day who plays country. that's just lately, as in within the last couple of months.

 

[Morior]

Re: How high is your action?

I like my guitar strings to feel stiff (semi-thick gauge), yet be easy to play (close to low-ish action) and be buzz free (carefully adjusted truss rod).

 

[FrankyBoy]

Re: How high is your action?

I don't even know where to take the measurements... I hate buzz so I tend to have my action pretty High I guess but seems like I will pretty much always get buzzes on the low E when I dig in just a little between the 7 and 15ish frets...

The best way to ajust your action is to get the neck near straight (very slightly bended) and you raise/lower the bridge right?

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: How high is your action?

Gibson LP: 5/64 (bass), 3/64 (Treble)

Kramer baretta: 4/64 (bass), 2/64 (treble)

 

[formula73]

Re: How high is your action?

I don't rightly know, but I have people tell me it's high all the time. I used to spend hours and hours getting everything just 'so' for ridiculously low action, but I finally just gave in to laziness and raised it up. I can go longer without a fret level, can screw off truss rod adjustments when the seasons change, I can hit the strings harder without buzz, and it's not like I'm a monster shredder and need the stupid low action for speed or something.