How high is your action?

[Jack]

Hello folks, having some issues getting the action on my Fender P as low as I'd like. Wondering wether I actually have a ways to go or if it's about the right height.

With nothing fretted, the string is just under 2mm from the 12th fret. Fretted at one and 20 it's around 0.5mm.

Now that I've actually measured, that seems alright? Just seems like the strings are physically quite hard to fret around 10-15.

[MrTaff]

I set mine 2mm at the 12th & 0.3mm relief, which I'd consider medium action but I can't go any lower without shimming the neck. I don't find 10-15 any harder to fret than anywhere else but I'm using fairly low tension strings which help.

[gary mac]

Just checked mine at the 12th fret, £1 coin slides under just touching the string slightly as it goes.

[3below]

2mm is pretty good, I personally like high action on basses, but I play them hard. One thing to watch for in the quest for supe low action - loss of tone.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1336931974' post='1652919']
Just checked mine at the 12th fret, £1 coin slides under just touching the string slightly as it goes.
[/quote]

Same here, £1 coin, and thickness of a fag packet relief. Can be a bit klanky though, especially with new strings.

[EssentialTension]

I'd call 2mm at 12th fret a low action, I prefer a bit higher, 3 to 4mm and about 5mm on my fretless acoustic bodied.

I agree with the comment about better tone with higher action - couldn't prove it though.

Edited May 13, 2012 by EssentialTension

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336936038' post='1653002']
I'd call 2mm at 12th fret a low action, I prefer a bit higher, 3 to 4mm and about 5mm on my fretless acoustic bodied.

I agree with the comment about better tone with higher action - couldn't prove it though.
[/quote]

Is it better tone cos of the string height, or just that you pull the strings harder I wonder. I doubt if I could even play a bass with 2mm. thats for widdly widdly guitar players.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1336936551' post='1653009']
Is it better tone cos of the string height, or just that you pull the strings harder I wonder. I doubt if I could even play a bass with 2mm. thats for widdly widdly guitar players.
[/quote]
I don't know but I think it's noticeable most on acoustic bodied instrument where the top has more ability to flex and a higher action allows more room for the string to do the same - I'd quite happily accept that this is b****cks though because I don't believe in tonewoods nor through body-stringing nor bridges that aren't a BBOT and a whole load of other, IMHO, not perceivable differences.

Agreed that 2mm is generally too low - I wouldnt even like that on a guitar.

[Al Heeley]

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1336936028' post='1653001']
Same here, £1 coin, and thickness of a fag packet relief. [/quote]
I'm hoping you mean fag paper there.
I have my EBMM down just under 2mm at the 12th fret, maybe 1.75, its a beautiful neck and I love to play it with a really low action, i get a lot of percussive bling off the frets when i play hard, that some may frown at, but its a great neck to play.
My Geddy Jazz is at 2mm on f12

Edited May 13, 2012 by Al Heeley

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Al Heeley' timestamp='1336939785' post='1653070']
I'm hoping you mean fag paper there ...
[/quote]
I hope he means business card ... or credit card.

Edited May 13, 2012 by EssentialTension

[chrismuzz]

I always worried mine was too low, but it's actually spmewhere between 5 and 8 mm at the 12th fret! Relief is about 0.5mm. It is hard to play accurately above the 15th fret...

[neepheid]

I screw the saddles down until I get fret buzz/rattle then I raise them until it stops. I've never measured it.

[MrTaff]

I've never considered 2mm that low, it's only .4mm lower than Fender recommends, I couldn't imagine playing with 8mm, I don't think my left hand could handle playing fast lines with the action that high.

2mm is lower enough that I can play softly and get a clean tone or dig in and get the clankly tone you hear in metal.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336941213' post='1653089']
I hope he means business card ... or credit card.
[/quote]

No, a torn off bit of one like this.

[attachment=107868:imagesCASY72R5.jpg]

Edited May 13, 2012 by BRANCINI

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1336945429' post='1653166']
No, a torn off bit of one like this.

[attachment=107868:imagesCASY72R5.jpg]
[/quote]
No 6 Plain - haven't seen those since 1971 I think.

Edited May 13, 2012 by EssentialTension

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1336942322' post='1653105']
... It is hard to play accurately above the 15th fret...
[/quote]
Let the guitaist play those bits, I always do.

[JTUK]

I doubt I could get any coin under mine at the 12th..maybe a 5p.. but I like low as I use a very light touch

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336949828' post='1653228']
No 6 Plain - haven't seen those since 1971 I think.
[/quote]

Yeah, well. Couldnt find a blue packet. you get my point though. Works with Marlboro packets as well....

[Al Heeley]

Lights or full strength?

[deepbass5]

On my P bass, cant get a pound coin under the 12th but can just get a £2 coin under the E but not the G. the relief is about 0.5mm would prefer lower but get buzz arround the 20, 21st

[mikeh]

I can just about get a 50p under my strings @ the 12th fret. It has a pretty low action, but not as low as the Status King Bass I used to have, that was stupidly low.

[Muzz]

I work on 2mm being about right, maybe a bit less on the D/G, on all my basses. The Fortress is even lower, but that does have the most sublime neck...

[enricogaletta]

I guess you ask this because noisy issues (buzz and more) I have low action on almost all my basses including a '62 reissue jazz bass but all the Fenders I tried, including some deluxe versions, aren't the right basses to have a super low action, because a lot of them don't have an accurate work (common problem in different big companies) on the fretboard or on the first frets so with a low action it's easier have issues somewhere, with too much buzzing, more than usual for a good instrument with low setup, or some problem with frets on the second octave.
So unless you don't fix the issue with a good re-frets and bridge change, or you get used to this issues or don't use too low action on these basses.
Off course there is always the exception, indeed I tried sometimes fenders that were perfect with low action because great fretboard work from the begin and the funny is that I'm talking just about a regular/not expensive models, mistery of the big Fender production :-)
Cheers. Enrico

[brensabre79]

Yep about 2mm for me all round, most will go a bit lower. When Bernie Goodfellow refretted my 70s neck he set the bass up with an incredibly low action, no buzzing etc. But I found because I'm a heavier player I just couldn't play like that, so I had to ask him to increase it. He tweaked at it a few times until I was happy, but as he said, at least it's there if you need it...

[chris_b]

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1336930893' post='1652896']
....having some issues getting the action on my Fender P as low as I'd like....
[/quote]

You have to get the neck relief right (truss rod), the height of the frets right (stoning), the bridge, pickups and nut adjusted and have strings of the right tension for the set up.

If you're seeing problems with this work, I'd get a professional set up.