High Action

waylay00 · #1 07-15-2007, 05:43 PM

I recently raised the action on my RG, after all these months of wanting the lowest action possible. Let me tell you, it was like lifting a blanket off my sound! All my notes are now much "fuller", and they sustain a lot longer. At first, it was a little difficult getting used to, but after a week, I'm back up to my normal speed. I know this might seem obvious, but then again, I see some guys (like me a few months ago) running around trying to get 1mm action. If Vinnie Moore, Yngwie, Steve Morse, and Eric Johnson use higher action, I guess I can too. Just wonder if anybody has any thoughts about this.

satchbooger · #2 07-15-2007, 06:01 PM

IMHO, raising the action some gives the guitar better tone.

projectjem · #3 07-15-2007, 06:11 PM

at the end of the day i think a lot of it is what your used to and just trying everything out. with guitar theres always two sides. either high action and good tone or low action and easier to play. its just a balancing act

satchbooger · #4 07-15-2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by projectjem

at the end of the day i think a lot of it is what your used to and just trying everything out. with guitar theres always two sides. either high action and good tone or low action and easier to play. its just a balancing act

+1

I always had my action a little high. I was always a heavy picker which doesn't
work well with really low action. Its only recent that I have lowered it some and
have been working on having a really light touch.

dickieboy · #5 07-15-2007, 07:01 PM

its a good cure for fret buzz

shogun · #6 07-16-2007, 09:35 AM

it definitely changes the compression of your note... makes it overall sound better.. and yes, you can get used to it, but you CANNOT pull off some of the same stuff that you could do with hair low action... Tapping is especially hard with a higher action..

waylay00 · #7 07-16-2007, 01:00 PM

Yeah, it's definitely harder. I think it cane be done with some practice. This guy here plays with SRV's setup, and he sure can play:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4nl20j9wY...elated&search=

Gusfmm · #8 07-16-2007, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dickieboy

its a good cure for fret buzz

Holly words here!

Only way to obtain a great tone, w/ sustain, and w/o fret buzz is to raise your action. It's something that if you've always played w/ low action, may take some time to get used to, but as Waylay00 has just discovered, it'll make a tremendous difference to your tone.

I don't think tapping is easier or more difficult one way or the other. Again, it's just a matter of getting used to playing with the new action. Notes will, for sure, sound better and sustain more w/ higher action.

Now, don't think you need to raise the strings 4 or 5 mm to get good higher action. All my guitars are set-up at a hair over 2mm, w/ no fret buzz at all and great playing feel. Caution though: Setting up your guitar to achieve such result is not trivial. Combination of neck straightness (trust rod adjustment), frets in perfect shape, tremolo well aligned and its height correctly adjusted.

Gus.

waylay00 · #9 07-16-2007, 02:47 PM

Yep, that's about where my action is at now (2mm). It's still "medium" by most standards, but I definitely like the tone much more. I seem to get more definition on single note runs.

OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S · #10 07-16-2007, 03:25 PM

All that stuff about raising your action to obtain better tone is just a myth!

all my guitars are set up extra low and have great sustain and tone!!!

TheJazzTerminator · #11 07-16-2007, 03:28 PM

It depends on your style. I play EXTREMELY lightly and don't dig in much. Therefore, I find higher action to be frustrating. I find the most difficult thing about high action to be legato stuff (hammer ons & pull offs). If your frets are level and your neck is adjusted correctly, you can get a pretty damn good tone out of a guitar with low action.

**jaxadam** · #12 07-16-2007, 03:45 PM

I've always preffered slightly higher action, and I've never really noticed a lot of difference in tone between low action and high action, unless it is so low it's choking in the first place.

waylay00 · #13 07-16-2007, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S

All that stuff about raising your action to obtain better tone is just a myth!

all my guitars are set up extra low and have great sustain and tone!!!

It's definitely not a myth, but it does depend on several factors:

string gauge
what you consider to be "low" action (several books say 2.0mm and 1.5mm at the 12th is low; to me, that's medium)
how hard you pick
how much gain/distortion you use
how much bending you use

There is a point though when it's just simple physics. The more room the string has to oscillate, the longer it will sustain. With higher action, you also add more dynamics to your time. Your guitars are probably just set up really well though.

Salamander In The Sun · #14 07-16-2007, 05:50 PM

Yeah, high action does sound better, and it makes bending easier for me. When the action is low on one of my guitars, it tends to fret out pretty easily. But when the action is higher, it's heavenly.

OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S · #15 07-16-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salamander In The Sun

Yeah, high action does sound better, and it makes bending easier for me. When the action is low on one of my guitars, it tends to fret out pretty easily. But when the action is higher, it's heavenly.

If you fret out during bends with low action is either because your guitar is not set properly or because the frets need to be leveled, no rocket science here folks!!!