Are there any disadvantages for having it too low? I've recently got my strat setup with very low action, although it's very comfortable, I feel that I tend to slip the strings from my fingers when I bend them, is the low action causing this? Do I just have to adjust my technique?

fretting out is the only thing I can think of. unless you have good frets.

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Fret buzz, potentially, and it is also not as easy to bend if it is ultra low ...

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Not only will you have fret buzz but it is difficult to bend strings if the action is too low. You need to be able to get a secure hold of the string with your fingerpad when grabbing and bending. If the strings are too low the strings will actually slip right underneath your finger and cause a crappy sound as they return to their starting positions.

fret buzz ...

How low are we talking here. 4/64 on the first four strings and 6/64 on the last two is the recommendation from Fender. Any lower than that and your frets are going to have to be perfect to play without buzz and fretting out like others have stated.

Edit: Measured at the top of the 17th fret to the bottom of the string.

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GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
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Low action..it sadly reminds me of a true story about myself..
In 74-75 i bought a Fender Stratocaster 1969,stunned by the look and rumours of it..
However, being a beginner,I felt it was deadly neccesary to have the action as low as possible,made it easier to play..sadly, I got fretbuzz,which was very annoying.I tried a Les Paul copy, and traded in my strat because the Les Paul copy was playable with the low action I felt I needed.
I really wish I hadn't done that.Cry with me,please.
Today,I prefer really high action,more tone and control.My rehearsalguitars (Malmsteenstrats) are set up extremely high,I believe this is good for developing technique.

Regards,Per



I'm the standing guy between these two sitting-down guys.
> www.myspace.com/bergsinferno

There are draw backs for everything .If your action is to low yes you are going to have bending problems and you will have buzzing.But if you play in a metal type style and use a lot of legato or sweep picking licks this is the action you want, and all you have to do is find a good tech who will get rid of the buzz and you will have to work on bending this low .On the other hand higher action is much better for blues or classic rock as it gives you more string under your finger but would also make the other techniques very difficult. Find a good tech tell him how you want your action and he should make everything comfortable.

the buzzing of the frets and the difficulty bending are the only ones I see,you can have your action as low as you like but make sure you dont have that annoying buzzing of the frets.but it four playing heavy metal music or any music that relies on distortion and fuzz,this is good for ya,and also if you are playing country

There is two that i can think of right of the bat Fret Buzz and slap back...

Slap back is caused when the action is set to low causing a pop over the top of the pickup..Kinda sounds like what a Bass sounds like.When someone is doing that pull the string up and release thing that some Bass men do..

I'm not sure whether it's my imagination, but it seems to me that a higher action produces better tone, particularly on acoustic instruments. I tend to put the action as low as I can get it with perhaps minimal fret buzz, and then hoist it up a bit -- maybe a full turn on the bridge saddle grub screws.

Works for me and sounds just fine. Some professional musicians I know insist that a high action -- and their guitars can only be played by people with hands the size of dinner plates -- sound better, and I'm inclined to take their word for it. I'm not as good at hearing a difference, but I think they're right.

My problem is not getting them low enough. My Highway One frets out. I would love to have a compound radius fretboard on mine then it would be perfect.

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Its not just your imagination with higher action having better tone. It has been proven that it does. The higher action allows for the strings to vibrate freely and allowing it to resonate fuller. Also, since the strings are vibrating fuller, it allows the wood resonate acoustically thus giving you much full bodied tone. Using heavier gauge strings would also give you better tone.

The only person that I can think of for lower action is stanley jordan. If you do lots of finger tapping and virtually no strumming at all a lower action may suite you.

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Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks for the technical explanation. I loathe actions that are too low. And I agree with your assessment of the heavier strings. I use .11s and have for quite some time; anything strung with .10s or, god forbid, .09s, feels very strange to my hands. On the other hand, I'm not prepared to sacrifice my hands at the altar of .13s. SRV may have made mincemeat of his paws, but I just can't do it!