Welcome back to our guitar maintenance series. This is a two part blog on the action of a guitar. In this first post we will define action and inform you how to measure it. Part 2 of this post will teach you how to set the action.

 

The action of a guitar is defined as its playability. Basically it determines how much pressure you have to apply to the strings to press them down onto the frets.

 

The strings on any guitar are closer to the frets towards the headstock of the guitar and further from the frets the closer you get to the body of the guitar. A guitar with a good action is when you only have to exert only slightly more pressure on the strings as you play up the fretboard. In other words the distance of the strings from the frets is fairly consistent. If a guitar has a bad action it becomes very difficult to play as you move up the fretboard.

 

When purchasing a guitar you should be mindful of the action of the guitar. Whilst action can be set or adjusted, it is very difficult to achieve good action on a poorly constructed guitar, particularly if the instrument has a fault in the neck. See our article on how to buy a guitar.

 

Guitarists talk about high and low action. A high action is one where the strings are further from the frets and a low action is one where the strings are closer to the frets. A high or low action does not determine the quality of the action (whether it is good or bad) but is merely a player’s preference.

 

Many jazz, blues and flamenco guitarists prefer a higher action. Jazz and blues guitarists choose a higher action as it allows them to play with more feel because it gives them more purchase on the strings. Stevie Ray Vaughn was known to use a very high action.

 

Rock and metal guitarists usually prefer a low action as it allows them to use less pressure on the strings and thus augments the speed of guitar solos. Guitars with lower actions are easier to play than guitars with higher actions.

 

Guitars with a high actions can be problematic for beginners as the strings are harder to fret (push down on the frets). This can lead the beginner into forming bad playing habits like tensing the left hand and heavy fretting. However, if the action is too low you may incur fret buzz and impair the quality of the tone of the guitar.

 

Measuring the Action

It is possible to measure the action of a guitar using a feeler gauge or even standard rule, however, the adjustments are so small that most guitarists defer to feel rather than precise measurements.  So usually setting the action is more trial and error.

 

You measure the action at the first fret and the body fret of the guitar. Keep in mind that the action will be slightly higher at the body fret of the guitar as guitar necks are designed to have a slight dip in the middle. The action must be a little higher at the body fret to allow for the loop of the string as it vibrates when fretted low or played open.

 

Also the action will be a little higher for the lower strings than the higher strings as the lower strings have a wider loop when played.

 

See the table below for setting a medium action.

 

 

If you are going to measure the action with a feeler gauge you should do so with the strings tuned to concert pitch (A 440 Hz). The strings should be loosened whilst adjustments are made to the action but more about that in the next blog.

 

- Axel