It is also used to describe the general feel and playability of a guitar. You need to measure the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the guitar string. then use medum strings. As long as you didn’t drop you guitar or do something to damage the neck or nut, the action adjustment should be fairly simple. In the above photo, you can see that an action gauge makes it pretty easy to measure action thanks to the separate blocks. An action gauge like one of the above versions is handy to have if you have multiple guitars. Now pick each string individually. Low action will probably suit the guitarist as it will make the guitar feel easier to play. — .060″ between the first fret and the string? Adjusting the action on an electric guitar depends on what type of bridge it has. A typical action on an acoustic guitar is at around 5/64″ (2.0mm) on the high E string and 7/64″ (2.8mm) on the low E string. Report an Issue | The lower the action height on your guitar, the higher the chances your strings will buzz. I’m sure you have heard people comment on guitars with “high action.” This just means that the strings are too high off the fretboard. The action you set on an acoustic guitar also depends on whether you use a capo often. Electric guitars can achieve lower action than acoustic guitars. If the action is too low, you will hear string buzzing. So even if your guitar has high action, you may not notice it if you always use a capo and play mainly open chords. Which burst is your fav? #electricguitar #el, Laid back Gibsunday. This is why acoustic guitars usually have higher action than electric guitars. You need to explain to your spouse and your bank manager that this is the reason why you need to own a number of high quality guitars. If you picked up an expensive guitar in a music store and found that it was uncomfortable to play, it could be that the action is not properly set. If the string is higher than .060 inches, you will need to file down the nut. You are free to setup your guitar any way you want, but this is a proven way to do it right the first time. So, my question is, how does one really determine how low the action can go on a guitar? Lesson learned; make sure you know how the person plays BEFORE you loan them a guitar. It gives me a view of how heavy handed they may or may not be and helps me decide how much to take the action back up once I determine where the guitar starts to buzz. After you have adjusted the truss rod and your neck is straight, you can check the string height again with your ruler. If your guitar’s bridge doesn’t allow you to adjust the height for each string, you only need to measure the action on the high and low E strings. The slight increase in action height gives an acoustic guitar’s strings more room to vibrate. You can hammer the strings harder and not buss. In order to set your action accurately, you’ll need to adjust the bridge, nut, and neck. The point is that it's not necessary to have a lot of very expensive guitars to get what you want IF you are careful about what you get and are willing to understand that it fill a role that is narrower than a "generic" player. The feel of this guitar has nothing to do with the price or even the quality of the guitar; it is probably just not setup correctly. Some of these things have everything to do with the player's style and other things are a function of the neck, fret dress condition, relief as mentioned, and even string gauge. You have to match your string radius with the fretboard to keep them all evenly above the frets. A typical action on an acoustic guitar is at around 5/64″ (2.0mm) on the high E string and 7/64″ (2.8mm) on the low E string. Bridges with individual saddles give you the most control over action height, but require the most work to set up properly. Don’t try to file your saddle down in one go: there’s nothing worse than filing too much off of your saddle and having to buy a new one or shim it. File off a small amount, replace the saddle in the bridge, tune-up the strings and measure the action again. Lower action allows guitarists to play faster and more comfortably without compromising the volume. Most guitarists tend to prefer lower action compared to a higher action. Arthur, you said it yourself right there. Guitar Gear Finder is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.de, What Should the Action be on an Electric Guitar, What Should the Action be on an Acoustic Guitar, How to Adjust Action on an Electric Guitar, How to Adjust Action on an Acoustic Guitar, Find out about intonation and how to adjust it in this guide, Read through this guide to learn about Truss Rods, Learn more about intonation in this guide, Find out more about Floyd Rose bridges in my ultimate guide here, Find out more about string gauges and tension in this guide, How to Connect Guitar To PC/Laptop: Gear, Software, Tips, 5 Essential Pedals for Acoustic Guitar (Advice and Pedalboard Examples), Tune your guitar.