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| Action and Fret height - Beginner Questions - Guitar - Guitar - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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nsprangers Approved
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I just got my first guitar for Christmas. It's a Art & Lutherie parlour guitar. I've read good things about it on this forum so I'm excited about it  A couple of questions though: What is a guitar's "action"? People talk about different guitars having good action but I have no idea what this means. Also, what are the advantages of high and low frets? The frets feel low on this guitar which means I have to put my fingers almost right on the fret to avoid buzzing. Is that normal? I'm a musician of 10 years and just now breaking into guitar, so I'm looking forward to the road ahead -Nate
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jerrypro Approved 
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Welcome to ezFolk Nate, I too am relatively new to stringed instruments but can tell you that "action" is the height of the strings from the fingerboard. If the action (strings) is too high you will have to press down harder on the strings to make them fret. If the action (strings) is too low it will generally result in buzzing. The action, either high or low, can result from several causes - nut being too high or low - saddle being too high or low - warping of the neck (or body) or the neck being installed incorrectly. In a new instrument, especially mass produced ones, it is not uncommon at all that that the action will need adjustment at the nut or saddle. As far as "low or high frets", I will leave it to someone else on this board for their comments as I have no experience with them. Best of luck with your new guitar, jerry 
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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I am assuming that your guitar has nylon strings, since you specify that it is a "parlour" guitar. So, the low frets should be standard. The high action, meaning you have to press the string a fair ways to get it down to the fretboard, would be something you should have looked at. Because of the angle the string assumes, you do have to finger very close to the fret to get the good contact needed to prevent buzzing. The fret heighth on my Goya classical is about 1/64" and the bottom of the 1st string at the 12 fret is about 11/64" above the fretboard (not the fret). I can place my fingers just about anyplace behind the fret without buzzing, usually. I would suggest that you have a luthier check it out for proper set-up, the bridge may be too high (also have the nut checked. Welcome to the fun and frustration of stringed instruments! And to ezFolk. Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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nsprangers Approved
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Thanks for the replies, they've been very helpful. The guitar is actually a steel stringed Art & Lutherie AMI: http://www.artandlutherieguitars.com/amicedarblack.html My parents went to a dealer and picked it out, but I still have the option of trading it in to the dealer for a different guitar. They chose this one based on how the dealer played it. I asked about this stuff because I want to know if I'm just being a wimp of if I should expect easier/more comfortable playability I will be going by the dealer soon, so I will stop in and play a couple others alongside mine for comparison.
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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Nate- If you're playing steel strings, it will take a while to develop the callus's on your fingers, but thats to be expected. The action does sound high, to me, but without seeing and playing the instrument, I couldn't really tell. I would suggest that you take the guitar into the dealer and talk to them about your concerns. A reputable dealer should be willing to help adjust the action to make it easiest for you to play, or help you see how to play it with less work. At any rate, I'd drop in and talk to them. Good luck, you've picked a nice instrument to make music on. Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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theBlackman Approved 
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banjo brad wrote: I am assuming that your guitar has nylon strings, since you specify that it is a "parlour" guitar. Leave it to me to be a pain the the posterier. A "PARLOUR" guitar is the common name from the 17 and 1800's for a 3/4 sized guitar. Small enough to keep in a corner of the "parlor" and be handy for guests and residents to use to entertain, or amuse themselves. Much like the purpose of the upright piano, or pianoforte. Neither took up the massive space needed by a Grand Piano. The "parlour guitar" was the pore folks substitute.
____________________ Let each day start as a blank page for life to write upon. http://ezfolk.com/audio/dusty http://cdbaby.com/all/theblackman |
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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OK, Dusty - But, in that time frame, most all stringed instruments would have been gut, modern-day equivilant of nylon.     Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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theBlackman Approved
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Absolutely correct Brad it was the "parlour" designation that I was alluding to. In this day and age, steel, nylon, silk and steel are all used. But the "parlour" is a size, not a string identification. Now we say (incorrectly most times) Child's guitar, and more commonly Three-quarter size, as the Parlor really has gone the way of the gut string.
____________________ Let each day start as a blank page for life to write upon. http://ezfolk.com/audio/dusty http://cdbaby.com/all/theblackman |
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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" Parlor really has gone the way of the gut string." Ain't it the truth! Although, real gut strings are still available for the banjo and fiddle, if you know where to look. I wouldn't be surprised if you could find them for the guitar, too. Parlors going away is a waste - remember tunes like "Sparking in the Parlor"? I guess now it would be called something like "Getting it on in the Back Seat."  Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Hudman Approved 
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I know I'm new here and I don't want to come off as a "know-it-all", but I thought I would chime in: Action is the distance between the bottom of the strings and the frets. I measure it at the 12th fret on the low E and high E strings. I like medium low action so I set my low E at 3/32" and my high E at 5/64". Any lower and I have fret buzz issues, any higher and it doesn't feel right. Everyone is different so you need to find out what fits your playing style. You can lower the 12 th fret action by sanding the bottom of your saddle. You can raise the 12th fret action by placing a shim under the saddle (cut a strip off an old credit card). I measure the action at the nut by placing a capo on the 2nd fret and checking the distance between the 1st fret and the strings. The strings should be as close as possible without actually touching the 1st fret. You can lower the action at the nut by filing the individual nut slots as needed. You can raise the action at the nut by building up the individual nut slots as needed. This can be done by placing a tiny drop of crazy glue and a pinch of baking powder in the nut slots. Repeat as needed until the nut slot is higher than you want. Allow it to harden for a couple hours and file it down to the proper depth. Many people confuse "neck relief" with action. Your guitar neck should have a bit of relief (slightly concaved). Not enough relief will cause a guitar to buzz on the lower frets (1 thru 4). Too much relief will cause a guitar to buzz on the higher frets (8 thru 12). Place a capo at the first fret and hold down the low E string at the 12th fret. Check the distance between the low E and the 6th and 7th frets. The distance should be apprx. equal to the thickness of a business card. Good luck! Last edited on Mon Jan 7th, 2008 11:03 pm by Hudman |
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| ezFolk Forums > Guitar > Beginner Questions - Guitar > Action and Fret height | |
