Now this is some high action

S

stratguy23

New member
It is the mighty Freddie Green doing Freddie Green-style comping, but, still, this looks unplayable.

The song starting at 9:24 is illustrative; 11:19 has a spectacular close-up view:

 
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Re: Now this is some high action

Lol thanks for sharing. I always thought high action meant action higher than normal, like a bad setup, I never pictured this. This is borderline comical.

0b30ecca906afdb5d77936467223f18e.jpg
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Bow and Arrow action.

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Re: Now this is some high action

Maybe it's like scalloping without the scalloping. Or something.

I'm genuinely baffled. He can probably fit all his fingers *under* the strings. Did he not ever think, "There's got to be an easier way than this"?
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Is it me or Freddie Green is playing significantly late after the beat in that video?

And that action looks like it was purposely set that high by his dad, as punishment for him being naughty... man, it seems being set for about a whole inch at the 12th fret!

Why would he set himself up for such suffering? No plausible explanation other than he got the guitar like that and he didn't know better.

/Peter
 
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Re: Now this is some high action

I think one of his other fingers must be pushing against the 6th while he's playing the 5th.
Looks to me like the string is arcing-up where it's at it's highest. I think this is just playing tricks on the eyes. No way he has it set like that. IMO
 
Re: Now this is some high action

I saw a documentary on SRV a while back and he had very high action too.
Not as high as in the above pic, but way to high for me.
 
Re: Now this is some high action

stratguy23 said:
Maybe it's like scalloping without the scalloping. Or something.

I'm genuinely baffled. He can probably fit all his fingers *under* the strings. Did he not ever think, "There's got to be an easier way than this"?
Click to expand...

Nothing like scalloping i don't even know how you could come to linking the two?
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Some info on Freddie Greens guitars and action. Truth or internet fodder, you be the judge ...

http://www.freddiegreen.org/instruments/setup.html

"Action Height:
Action is the distance from the strings to the frets. Set the action as high as your left hand strength will allow. The higher the action, the harder you can strike the strings without fret buzz. This will produce more volume and let the guitar cut through the band. Typical "high" action will allow three stacked U.S. one cent coins (pennies) to be placed between the 12th fret and the low E string. This is about 5 millimeters or 3/16"."

"Note: As the years passed, Freddie Green kept raising the action on his guitar and eventually it was at least 10 millimeters at the 12th fret! Can't believe it? Look at some of the photos at www.freddiegreen.org that show Freddie playing."
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Darg1911 said:
Some info on Freddie Greens guitars and action. Truth or internet fodder, you be the judge ...

http://www.freddiegreen.org/instruments/setup.html

"Action Height:
Action is the distance from the strings to the frets. Set the action as high as your left hand strength will allow. The higher the action, the harder you can strike the strings without fret buzz. This will produce more volume and let the guitar cut through the band. Typical "high" action will allow three stacked U.S. one cent coins (pennies) to be placed between the 12th fret and the low E string. This is about 5 millimeters or 3/16"."

"Note: As the years passed, Freddie Green kept raising the action on his guitar and eventually it was at least 10 millimeters at the 12th fret! Can't believe it? Look at some of the photos at www.freddiegreen.org that show Freddie playing."
Click to expand...

14-60 strings and over 1 cm action at 12th...

So is the Freddie Green style the ultimate challenge in guitar :scratchch
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Gtrjunior said:
I saw a documentary on SRV a while back and he had very high action too.
Not as high as in the above pic, but way to high for me.
Click to expand...

He played with .013s and beat the $hit out of his strings. So That's the reason for the high action. This action though... jus WOW. I think I'd choose to do something physically less punishing... like walk on hot coals, cross the Sahara on foot, climb Everest in cowboy boots, etc....
 
Re: Now this is some high action

Im from the "low action = one red gel Dunlop pick" and "high action = 1 Grolsch lock" school of thought
 
Re: Now this is some high action

I once did a gig with my Ibanez SZ set to something like 4-5 milimeters of action both sides, just to see what that was about and to keep myself from doing fast runs.

It was awful.
 
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