I have a 2010 American Deluxe Strat with the compound radious fret board. I'm a pretty heavy handed strummer because I've always played acoustic guitar before I discovered the wonderfull clean sound of a Strat. I don't wanna change my style, I just wanna do it on a Strat...

Anyway, if I set the action to spec's, I get buzzing when I hit the strings hard, so my question is this...

If I set the action an extra 1/32nd higher (3/32nd's), would that be considered too high?

I know I will have to adjust the pickup height's and check the intonation, and I can do my own complete setups.

I would also like to know what other people set their action at, and what their playing style is as well.

It would be a big help to me.

Thank you in advance.

if your a heavy player you have two choices here. one, settle it down a bit as less is needed to get the same effect as you did on your acoustic.
now heres the deal, what action i like you might not care for as much. mine might be to low as to where you like your action a bit higher for whatever reason.
there is a guide that can be found at the top of this website in the drop downs.
its a setup guide for strats, but its a guide only and not a hard rule. hope this helps.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I feel there are two kinds of action, nut action and bridge/saddle action. I also am agressive with string attack. Hence, I have been lowering my nut action and rasing my saddle action for years with electric guitars. My saddle action is higher than factory, and the intonation, sound across the fretboard and playability is fine for how I play.

Everyone should have a different solution to what suits their style.

Like you, I've recently switched from acoustic to electric. To make matters worse, I'm a bluegrass rhythm and lead player for the past 30 years. By definition, that style is heavy handed on the string attack.

I have my strats now set up at about around 4/64 - 5/64" and it works for me. I did find I get better tone and less buzzing on the electrics with a lighter pick. The lighter pick seems to compensate for my heavey handed strumming and picking approach.

Old dogs like me are hard to teach new tricks. Slightly higher setup and lighter gauge picks did it for me. I did have to learn new techniques with my right hand though. After years of playing Martin acoustics with medium gauge strings, I was consistently pulling sharp especially when using bar chords. The touch on an electric is much lighter. It took some getting used to and now, after about 4 or 5 months, I can swithch back and forth with little trouble.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

My numbers will not help you as I really never measure and guitars can vary too. I vary my attack a lot, learned that damn dynamics .

Anyhow, when I do the setup I usually keep raising the action until it is not significantly buzzing when I strum/pick hard. I like to keep proper radius with a nifty radius cutout. If you get to the point that is too high for you and not playable I would look into other stuff such a adjusting truss rod, tilt, etc... At the end when you are happy 100% with how it plays than check and adjust intonation.

Hope that helps

Ummmm, have you checked/adjusted the neck relief?

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Bill

Only you can decide when the action is too high. I for one think 3/32 action is perfectly fine, as I too am a little heavy handed. It's almost impossible for me to play cleanly on any guitar set up much lower. I like the feel when you really dig in to those strings!

I really bash the strings when I strum and have my action very low yet I have no problems with string buzz etc.I have adapted my strum to not digging my pick as deep as I would for an acoustic when playing electric.It takes some concious practice but after a while becomes second nature.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1.

I suppose there is a height at which a guitar will become unplayable, but it is only the individual player who can say whether their action is too high. Mine is 5/32, and it's right for me - I hate string buzz and like Steve I really dig into my strings, even more so when gigging (adrenaline I guess). I have no idea whether 5/32 is high, although based on the posts here it would appear to be, but for me it is not 'high' but 'just right'.

I've found Fender's nut slot heights to be too high these last few years. It sounds really nice and clean, but requires a really light touch with the left hand to keep the guitar intoned. All whilst allowing for a harder right hand action.

On saddle height I don't even bother measuring any more. When it's right, it's right. Different guitars for different styles. Different styles necessitating different setups.

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No no and no

5/32" is 10/64" which is over twice the Fender recommended action starting point of 4/64" (measured at the 17th fret). I run 5/64" (measured at the 17th fret) and have no problems with string buzz. Proper neck relief is just as important as action height when it comes to a rattle free action.

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Bill

I think you're all placing far too much importance on Fender's recommendation for string height. It's a starting point, not a finish line.

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No no and no

+1

Fender's setup guide is just that, a guide, a starting point. Each guitar is going to be a little different as well as each player is a little different in what the perfect setup is.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

+1

I like my action pretty high on my Strat style guitars. I have friends that hate playing my guitars for that reason, but I don't set em up for them.

I like my action on Gibson style, and Floyd rose style lower. Not sure why, but the Strat gets set up a lot differently.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

If you are directing your comment at me, please reread my post and note that I clearly said that 4/64" was Fender's recommended starting point. I run 5/64". Steve-oh-no runs 6/64" which is high but reasonable. However, I can't imagine trying to play an action set at 10/64" except for slide playing.

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Bill