Whats the lowest action that works on your Les Paul ?

[cherryles]

I have a 2010 Epiphone Les Paul Standard and recently i went to go lowereing my string action to 1/16th between botton of all strings and 12th fret , apparently the same as Slash sets his http://www.slashsworld.com/equipment...s-87-les-paul/
I figured if it works for him then il give it a go but i then realised that the guitar is already set to 1/16th from the factory or 4/64ths as stated in the manual and 6/64ths on the bass side so i checked with feeler gauges and it was bang on so i just did a small adjustment and set both sides to the same height 4/64ths, adjusted trus rod while i was at it and tweaked intonation slightly, the guitar sounds good and no string buzz, so im just wondering can i go lower still without loosing any tone, i dont have the high Dunlop frets that Slash has so this might lead to problems ? Whats the lowest action ye guys have tried and did the guitar tone / playability suffer in any way? I guess what im looking for here is a ball park figure, i realise no 2 guitars are identical, i just want some info. on string height vs tone, playability etc. Mostly Slash old school i play so do a lot of string bending, thanks

[River]

You gotta just try it.

I never measure mine, just feel it. If I can't go low enough without buzzes and rattles, I fix the problem.

I do a lot of bending, and for that I generally want the action appreciably higher than the lowest it could go.

[Phildog]

Yes, no two guitars are the same, but more importantly, no two guitar PLAYERS are the same. What works for Slash is just that. And he has techs that setup his guitars. If you're satisfied with the action, then don't bother with it. But if you're determined to lower the action further, go by feel and start lowering the bridge in small increments. Also, keep in mind that you may need a new, lower-cut nut if you want the action even further. But if it ain't broke...then don't fix it!

When I setup my axes, I lower the action until there's the very slightest buzz, then raise it until the buzz stops. I got very comfortable playing them this way, so that's my "par" setup. I could go further, but there's no need. The way I have it now, I can play soft....even with my fingertips, or I can really come down hard, and still no buzz.

The bottom line here, and this is just my humble opinion, is that we all have our mentors, idols, influences, etc., but we have to adjust our gear for how WE play...not someone else.

[lifele55]

I've never measure mine either. I love love love low action guitars and I just do it by feel, no buzz as low as possible is how I've set them.

If its still not low enough and it's started buzzing, I'll look at ways to get it to my preferred action.

[TKOjams]

I don't like really low action. The other strings get in the way when bending.

[cherryles]

Thanks for the info. guys, looks like il be lowering to buzz point and gradually raising until clean, sorted

[Pinkie]

L.P's I like fairly low teles I like on the high side.
I never measure either just go by feel.Thats the most accurate measurement I know

[capt_goodvibes]

Always set my Guitars to these settings, might not be right for you but it suits me perfectly

Nut heights in thousands of an inch
E - 7
A - 6
D - 5
G - 4
B - 3
E - 3


Neck relief
0.004 thousands of an inch


Action
Low E - 4/64 to High E - 3/64


Pickup heights
5/64 - 4/64 low to high


Bridge flat to body.

[Phildog]

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[wwit]

Originally Posted by sarah000

YES! Great piece, beautiful girls
keep up the terrific work. HD WALLPAPERS
This is the type of information that should gainonline auctions
recognition for it’s craft. More writers shouldlearn from you. This is right on the money. great site
i must say.newspaper articles...very enjoyable stuff
is placed here ORACLE Training
in a very appropriate way..Jobs in Uk
.thanks for publish this sitefree legal help
…thanks for publish it.Web Design Pakistan
.its a good all newspaper ads

reported for SPAM...6 posts all like this.

[drpietrzak]

I set all of mine to 5/64" as it works better for bending for me. Any lower and it is not as easy/comfortable for me.

[Mr.Draned]

I usually call Slash and have him walk me through it. Its the only way to get SlashTone

[IndianScout]

I set mine by sound and feel

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by drpietrzak

I set all of mine to 5/64" as it works better for bending for me. Any lower and it is not as easy/comfortable for me.

Seriously? And someone else said that "other strings get in the way."

Seems to me that with any bend that goes far enough, there's going to be another string (or the side of the fretboard) in the way. Back in the late '80's, Carvin was advertising string action "as low as 1/16th" at the 24th fret with no buzzing." That takes some seriously level frets and minimal relief. I don't need much in the way of height in order to do a bend, but I'm generally doing it with very smooth frets, fairly light strings (nothing bigger than 10's on an LP scale) and strong fingers. I would guess that gritty frets and heavy strings would require your fingers to get hunkered down to get more directly involved <G>.

[Malikon]

this is how I set my action.

Make sure the neck is straight, and lower the strings until they hold the nickel balanced on the 12th fret.

Couldn't be simpler, no need for rulers. I've done it this way my whole life.

[Shagnwagon]

Originally Posted by Malikon

this is how I set my action.

Make sure the neck is straight, and lower the strings until they hold the nickel balanced on the 12th fret.

Couldn't be simpler, no need for rulers. I've done it this way my whole life.

Thats a cool way to do it..thanks for that Malikon!

Yeah you need to feel it out for yourself. Whatever is better for you will make playing easier and more enjoyable. My guitars get set to factory suggested specs, and then I feel it out from there.

[Malikon]

Glad to help Shagn.

[Stage Fright]

I like mine pretty low and do a lot of bending. I lower it until it buzzes, then bring it back a hair or two to whatever is comfortable.

[cherryles]

Thanks for all of your comments they really helped i actually used the coin method for when i was setting up my pickup heights i find it a really accurate way of doing it, ended up with 2 glued coins together for my slash alnico pro bridge pup and 3 coins for the neck pup, got those settings from the link i posted and they seem to work well, on a different matter, does anyone know if there really is any differences between guitar strings made from different materials such as steel, nickel, nickel plated etc.tone wise like?

[Malikon]

Originally Posted by cherryles

does anyone know if there really is any differences between guitar strings made from different materials such as steel, nickel, nickel plated etc.tone wise like?

yes there very much is a difference.

Steel is harsher but a stronger sound
Nickel is softer sounding and warmer
'regular' strings are somewhere in between, which is why they're what most people use


Steel strings destroy frets btw.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by Malikon

this is how I set my action.

Make sure the neck is straight, and lower the strings until they hold the nickel balanced on the 12th fret.

Couldn't be simpler, no need for rulers. I've done it this way my whole life.

I have some good measuring tools, and I like my action even lower than yours, but a dime does the trick for me in a pinch.



It's not exactly rocket surgery, is it?

[Malikon]

a dime?

wow that's low!

my guitars can't hold the nickel standing up like that. I guess my action isn't very low.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by Malikon

a dime?

wow that's low!

my guitars can't hold the nickel standing up like that. I guess my action isn't very low.

Someone else mentioned that they thought it was really low in another thread. I dunno. Doesn't buzz at all the way I set mine up, but it does take a few days of adjusting the truss rod, action, and intonation to get everything into the sweet spot.

That said, I'll prolly setup my Strat with something more like how you do.

[cherryles]

What about the differences between pure nickel and nickel plated? Ive seen cobalt mentioned on here too somewhere but not much feedback given

[Malikon]

The cobalt strings are new I believe, by Ernie Ball right?

There was some discussion. Mostly of the fact that the cobalt will be harder then the nickel frets, and would also wear down frets similar to steel strings.

If you're really that curious about the different string types I'd suggest just trying them.

[mudfinger]

Originally Posted by Malikon

The cobalt strings are new I believe, by Ernie Ball right?

There was some discussion. Mostly of the fact that the cobalt will be harder then the nickel frets, and would also wear down frets similar to steel strings.

If you're really that curious about the different string types I'd suggest just trying them.

Really the only way to see how a given alloy will work for one's particular sound.

I'm too happy with EB and GHS strings to mess with anything exotic. Was there a problem that I wasn't aware of with nickel and steel strings?

[drpietrzak]

Originally Posted by dspelman

Seriously? And someone else said that "other strings get in the way."

Seems to me that with any bend that goes far enough, there's going to be another string (or the side of the fretboard) in the way. Back in the late '80's, Carvin was advertising string action "as low as 1/16th" at the 24th fret with no buzzing." That takes some seriously level frets and minimal relief. I don't need much in the way of height in order to do a bend, but I'm generally doing it with very smooth frets, fairly light strings (nothing bigger than 10's on an LP scale) andg fingers. I would guess that gritty frets and heavy strings would require your fingers to get hunkered down to get more directly involved <G>.

It is a personal thing I would guess. SRV is said to play with higher actions. Many of those who play blues do. One just mutes the other strings you encounter (assuming you are not doing mult-string bends). I like the string to hit a pretty specific part on my finger. I play only 9s these days though I started on acoustics with 13s and did the SRV heavier thing as well.

[Dolebludger]

I don't measure my action. Don't even have the proper tools to do it. I lower my nut as low as she will go without buzz on any open string, after I have set the neck almost straight. That's usually about the height above fret 1 as is above fret 2 when I fret on fret 1. Then I lower my bridge until buzz happens someplace on the neck, then raise the bridge just enough to get rid of the buzz. If that don't float my boat, I need a fret level and polish. I'm a low action guy on everything.

[Rock Johnson]

Truly low action is a function of the fret job more than anything else.

If the frets are dead level, then you can get away with much lower action, because you don't have to use the string height to compensate for that one fret that's worn differently than those around it.

How hard you hit the strings is also a big deal. I have a fairly light touch, so I can get away with 3.5-4/64ths (or just a hair under 1/16, if you will) at the 12th fret. People with a heavier touch need to raise the action somewhat.

Oh, and that dime on the 24th fret is CRAZY. I've honestly never seen action that low that didn't buzz like a can of bees -- not saying yours does, Mudfinger, just sayin' I've never seen action that low before. If you can play every string on every fret without any buzz with the action set that low, you have the most god-like fretwork I've ever seen.

[Stevie 202]

Originally Posted by Dolebludger

I don't measure my action. Don't even have the proper tools to do it. I lower my nut as low as she will go without buzz on any open string, after I have set the neck almost straight. That's usually about the height above fret 1 as is above fret 2 when I fret on fret 1. Then I lower my bridge until buzz happens someplace on the neck, then raise the bridge just enough to get rid of the buzz. If that don't float my boat, I need a fret level and polish. I'm a low action guy on everything.

Ditto.
It don't get much simpler.

D'addario 9.5s (to approx. feel of my Strat strung w/9's)
Action @ 12th = 3/64ths
Relief = .003

Dat's the way I roll.