Before I go messing with this could I get some input as to how low can I can go with the action without string buzz or does it matter if the neck was set up properly? Thanks

How low you can go is different for every guitar.
Yes it does require the neck to be set up properly.

Personaly I say string em high. It sounds infintely better and is way more macho.

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No no and no

I tend to agree with Niki.

For years I was a staunch devotee of the preposterously low action: fret buzz did not dissuade me from having an easy go at the fretboard. Then one day I cranked it way up for no apparent reason. Yes, it sounds better. A lot better. And yes, it is more macho. I actually find playing a moderate-to-high action more comfortable now than a very low action; I can hit the strings harder, have a greater dynamic range, and keep the pickups further from the strings. Plus it's more macho.

I think a good rule of thumb insofar as action setting is concerned is to find a place where it becomes slightly difficult to play a tough lick you know rather well. Once it's high enough that you think about it, drop it down just a hair.

I just had my new MIM Strat set up by a luthier in my area. He tweaked the neck very slightly and set the action to 4/64" all the way across (at the 17th fret). It played and sounded great. However, I too have a fairly heavy pick stroke and was getting slight buzzing on all the frets, so after measuring everything, I raised the action to 5/64" all the way across (at the 17th fret) and that got rid of all the buzz. Intonation was not affected and I actually like the feel better now than when it was lower as I can get a better grip on the strings.

I also raised the three pickups to keep the same spacing as what the luthier set them too. I found his settings to be interesting. Instead of the same spacing for all three like Fender recommends, he set them as follows:

Neck: 5/64" (Bass) and 4/64" (Treble)
Middle: 6/64" (Bass) and 5/64" (Treble)
Bridge: 8/64" (Bass) and 7/64" (Treble)

To my ears, the pickups sound more even in output from pickup to pickup and from side to side. Also, the bridge pickup sounds less harsh. BTW, these are the stock MIM pickups which sound really great to me.

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Bill

I've never bothered to measure the distances on my instruments: I know what I like, and can feel if it is set properly. About pickups, there are plenty of people here who subscribe to the "as low as possible" theory -- with vintage-style units anyway; some of the newer ones need to be closer. I think it sounds better that way.

I'm an engineer. I must measure everything.

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Bill