what does it mean when they say the action isnt right on a guitar?

Question

I've been lokking at a gibson sg menace, but all the reviews say something like action needs to be lowered a bit before playing it. or it could have probably been better with the action adjusted. what the heck do they mean by action?

Answer 1

Action is the distance between the fretboard and the strings which would cause buzzing if it is not right. If the action is too high, it causes you to not be able to play as fast. If it is too low, you can play really fast, but it buzzes like crazy. You can change the action by tightening and loosening the screws at the bridge where the strings come out by the pickups. At least that is how you do it on my 84' American Strat.

Answer 2

While you seem to be on the right track, I have seen many guitars ruined by poor truss rod adjustments. Tommy does a good job at describing the proper procedure, but if you do not have any actual experience in properly setting up an acoustic guitar than you should let a qualified local technician do the work for you. Better to pay a little extra to have it done right than run the risk of doing it yourself and messing it up. String height is adjusted by lowering the saddle height and or the nut height, NOT by the truss rod. The truss rod adjusts the amount of "relief" in the neck. A guitar must have a bit of relief to insure that all of the frets play and do not buzz. You are correct in only adjusting it a quarter turn and then let the guitar sit for at least 24 hours so the wood can "catch up". However, the relief may have been fine and the saddle and or nut needed to be filed to the proper height. This is one of the problems with ordering a guitar online that you do not get to play first. Find a good local music store that does this kind of work on a regular basis. It is a good idea to cultivate a relationship with your local music stores so that you have a reliable source for any work that you may need done.

Answer 3

Action is basically the height of the strings above the fretboard. The higher they are set, the less noise (buzz) created by the frets. However, it makes the strings harder to press down completely which makes the guitar harder to play. Several factors contribute to this - primarily being how the strings are set on the bridge, but also if there is any warp in the neck, etc.

Answer 4

The "action" you refer to is the height that the strings are off the fretboard. If they are too high, the guitar will be difficult to play...the strings will be too high off the board and difficult to depress. By tightening the truss rod inside the neck you actually bend the neck back thus bringing the strings closer to the fretboard (lowering the action) and making the guitar easier to play. But you have to find a happy medium as if you lower the action too much the stings will buzz and sound terrible.

Answer 5

Action is the height of the strings above the frets. The lower they are, the better the action. But going too low can cause fret noise, so action is usually set by a guitar tech.

Answer 6

i see it as how the strings sound when struck on the fretboard. there should be no buzzing anywhere.