low action blows... bending problems and more

[Endrik]

most of you porbably know I like to use high action (about 4-5mm on 12th fret)

lately I had to play with many guitars wich didn't belong to me and well I hated playing with them. Same thing when I got to the guitar store.

The biggest problem is how the heck you can do 4 fret bends with low action???
The strings are just flatting out or you don't have room to do the bends at all and the next string in wich direction you are bending attaches to the string wich you are bending so you are doing a two string bend.
I had problems even with 2 string bends.

Another problem, I have tremendous picking attack and a very strong fretting hand, so the strings just buzz when I pick.

The third problem is that the tone is just horrible, it's thin and lifeless and it isn't very clear.

[MikeStrat]

Sooo..... you prefer higher action? He he. I'm with ya. Although I like to have a happy medium. I don't want to work too hard getting the strings to the frets but I do like to bend and hit those nasty ear peircing harmonics.

[drockilles]

I'm with you. Lots of other guys' guitars I've played have action so low you could fart on them and sound a chord. I like to feel those strings digging into my fingers. With that wicked low action, the string tends to pop out from under my fingers when I bend which is annoying as shit. And I agree you get a better tone with the action slightly higher.

[jackson1]

I hear ya'. You just described the downsides to low action. One thing though, which sounds a bit excessive - having 5mm at the 12th fret I would run into intonation problems, due to the long distance from string to fret (when you fret it goes sharp). Maybe not an issue for you.

[Endrik]

I sometimes have minor intonation problems, maybe it's because I use 11' string set with that action, but it's not a big deal.

[jackson1]

I usually raise the treble side of the bridge a bit, if bending seems difficult. That makes it easier to grab and bends are just softer - easier.

[jwoods986]

Sooo..... you prefer higher action? He he. I'm with ya. Although I like to have a happy medium. I don't want to work too hard getting the strings to the frets but I do like to bend and hit those nasty ear peircing harmonics.

+1 here. I like it low enough to not feel like an acoustic guitar but but high enough so that I don't have to worry about catching the next string every time I do a bend. Low-action Les Pauls are a good example, you do an upper-fret 1st string bend and you have to work NOT to catch the 2nd string. I used to always want the lowest action possible to help with shredding but it sucks for bends.

[Grandturk]

I like to go as low as possible. I don't bend more than a whole step or a step and a half, so I lower my action to the point between massive buzzing and where the string will fret out on a bend larger than a whole step. Depending on the guitar, this could mean the action is really low - maybe 1mm or so, or moderate 2-3mm.

To my ears, I don't hear the difference as long as the string is not buzzing on the fret. Also, you can go lower with heavier strings because the vibration pattern is smaller so my SG with 11's is lower than my Fusion with 10's. But really, as long as the action isn't insanely high, you can get used to anything.

[quiksilver]

Low action for me.

[axeman81]

what do you mean by 4 fret bends? like, 2 full-notes worth of bending?

[Newc]

So you guys are saying you WANT your fingers to slide under the other strings when you bend? Ick. Not me. They always drag against my nails and sound off when I release the bend.

It's easier for me to simply mute the adjacent strings with the tip of my bending-finger, or my picking hand if I'm not trem-picking the bend.

I tried high action for better tone but didn't like the hand-cramps, nail-dragging, and callous-snagging

And I do not like cutting grooves into my fingertips. It in no way makes me feel more manly

[skorb]

The strings are just flatting out or you don't have room to do the bends at all and the next string in wich direction you are bending attaches to the string wich you are bending so you are doing a two string bend.
I had problems even with 2 string bends.

The third problem is that the tone is just horrible, it's thin and lifeless and it isn't very clear.

I know we all have our own preferences, and it's all good, but I don't agree with any of the above complaints about low action.

I prefer low action, all 3 of my electrics are set up that way, and I have no trouble at all with string bending. and I do a lot of it.

I just thought those comments were odd, as that has not been my experience at all, either with the bending problems or the tone problems.

[Endrik]

what do you mean by 4 fret bends? like, 2 full-notes worth of bending?

yes, 4 steps up or even 5 occasionally. So it's like from D to F# or G etc.

[jjw]

should be ble to do that with low or high action mate,my strat is high and my parker is so low its silly!both guitars are two extremes and both can over bend

[Endrik]

I didn't say it is impossible to do overbends with low action, but the other strings get in the way and you have to deal with muting them and other shit like that. With high action if you do a overbend, the strings ring a lot better.