Video Question: Guitar Action

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Date: April 28th, 2008 | Length: 2.22 | Instructor: David MacKenzie

Jdemail78 asks, "I hear a lot about guitar action but I'm not really sure what is good or bad. I had purchased an acoustic guitar that I believe had very low action (strings were very close to the neck of the guitar) and it was very easy to play but it ended up having some issues with fret buzz and other ringing sounds that I did not like and could not get corrected at the local guitar shop. I've since replaced it with a little bit better guitar and I no longer have any fret buzz nor do I have any ringing sounds but it seems like the action is higher (strings are much higher off the neck of the guitar) and therefore, for me as a beginner, it is harder to play. My question is when it comes to an experienced guitar player (which I am not...yet...) is it good to have a guitar with higher action or lower action? What would one typically prefer? Do really nice expensive guitars come with very low action making them easy to play but don't have any buzzing issues or is it a case where as you get better, higher action is ok because your better at fretting chords and notes? My curiosity with this comes from a hope that the guitar I have now, with it's strings higher off the fret board, will slowly become easier to play as I get better and I'll become ok with the higher action because it does sound better and cleaner than the one I had with the lower action. Also, please correct me if I have the "high action" "low action" descriptions backwards." Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

- August 5th, 2008 (4 minutes, 37 seconds)

Rwr_1play asks, "I would like to pose this question to Jim Deeming. First I have to say that your finger picking style is absoutley beautiful. I am a huge fan of Chet Atkins, and when I discovered you taught this style, I just had to try it out. O.K. first the three chords in lesson 7, G,C and D. I do fine with the C and D chords. It is the G chord that is giving my pinky a fit. Now I can grab the G OK using fore finger, middle and ring finger. They all are not perfect yet which brings me to the main question. When I fret a chord my fingers tips are soft and my finger nail hits the fret board causing some buzzing. Also I have small hands. For example, If you measure from tip of the finger to where it connects to the palm of your hand, my left hand fore finger is 2.5 inches long, middle finger is 3 inches, ring finger is 2 and 5/8 inches and pinky is 2 and 1/4 inches long. Will this be a problem in learning your style of picking. If I get a video response would It be asking to much for you to tell me the length of your left hand fingers. If I am in the ball park, sure would be a big incentive. Thanks Jim, really do appreciate you." View Response

barre chords - May 6th, 2008 (3 minutes, 32 seconds)

Crackspackelpop asks, "I've just recently started playing the guitar and find your site very helpful. However, I'm now at the point where I'm starting into barre chords. When I play these types of chords my hand fatigues rather quickly. My question is this: Are there any types of guitar playing exercises that I can do to build up hand strength? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the excellent work. Ron" View Response

Rhythm & Treble - May 26th, 2008 (3 minutes, 22 seconds)

Mingofalls asks, "I have been experimenting with my Les Paul Standard electric guitar, and I know not all guitars are set up the same way, however, I'm wanting to know more about my 3 way Rhythm & Treble switch. When do you use Rhythm, and when do you use Treble? I have 4 knobs, two that controls the front pick ups volume and tone, and the other two for the rear pick up volume and tone. I'm confused on how to set these up when playing, when to use which one, etc... Could you shed some light on this subject? Thanks." View Response

Clean Sound with Barre Chords - June 9th, 2008 (2 minutes, 19 seconds)

nepatsfansc asks, "I have gotten pretty good at playing barre chords and I can get a good clean sound while playing the chord. My problem is moving between chords, whenever I do, the strings make a loud screeching sound from my fingers rubbing along them. How to I fix this? Thanks, this site is awesome- Stephen" View Response

Pickup Replacement - February 5th, 2008 (2 minutes, 45 seconds)

Potownrob says, "I have a set of Mighty Mite single coil pickups I want to put in my Titan Strat Knockoff. I can't seem to find much that shows how to change them out; everything is either a black and white wiring diagram or instructions but no diagrams or photos. Could you please point me in the right direction? I'd prefer not to spend a lot of time and money leaving it with a music shop to change out, though I know this is usually the best thing to do. I have a soldering iron, solder and electrical tape. I have the typical sc/sc/sc setup. Thanks for any help you can give me!" View Response