Can an acoustic’s action be as low as an electric?

mistercharlie · May 2018

Can it? The only difference I see is that a typical acoustic has thicker strings, but otherwise a guitar’s a guitar, right? Or not?

Harborne_Blue · May 2018

Technically yes: pop out the bridge, file it down and fine tune the truss rod (if you have one). However, acoustic and electric guitars are very different things...

Matt_McG · May 2018

Depends how hard you are going to hit it, too, I'd guess.

I have a super cheap Chinese archtop with an action that's about the same as an average electric, but I hit it a lot harder, so I can make it buzz out slightly if I'm aggressive enough.

For classical, I'd definitely want the action somewhat higher than the average electric, because some of the right hand techniques displace the strings more vertically.

AlexC · May 2018

My two electro acoustics have very low action. Probably as low as my LP Standard.

mistercharlie · May 2018

I’m not really a strummer, more of a fingerpicker on the acoustic, with plucked chords. I figured I’d use it more if it was easier to play. Or not easier so much as more suited to how I play.

Only one way to find out I guess… just wanted to check I wasn’t making a fundamental error before I break out the files.

Phil_aka_Pip · May 2018

I think that to achieve adequate vibration transfer to the soundtable, the strings on an acoustic need to vibrate with greater amplitude than the strings on an electric guitar do in order to set up the appropriate signal from a magnetic pickup. If that is true then you need more clearance between the string and the frets underneath it on an acoustic, otherwise you will get fret buzz.

mistercharlie · May 2018

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I think that to achieve adequate vibration transfer to the soundtable, the strings on an acoustic need to vibrate with greater amplitude than the strings on an electric guitar do in order to set up the appropriate signal from a magnetic pickup. If that is true then you need more clearance between the string and the frets underneath it on an acoustic, otherwise you will get fret buzz.

But surely they’ll only vibrate more if you strike them harder? Maybe the extra power comes from the thicker strings typical on an acoustic (which, being tighter, might also vibrate less)?

ICBM · May 2018

mistercharlie said:

Can it? The only difference I see is that a typical acoustic has thicker strings, but otherwise a guitar’s a guitar, right? Or not?

No, not usually. The reason is that the bridge is also vibrating up and down - by a surprisingly large amount, if you haven't seen slow-motion film of one - so when it's at the lowest point of its travel the strings will be closer to the frets compared to on an electric with the same 'static' action and will hit them. So you need to have the bridge higher by at least half the amount that the top can vibrate by.

mistercharlie · May 2018

ICBM said:

mistercharlie said:

Can it? The only difference I see is that a typical acoustic has thicker strings, but otherwise a guitar’s a guitar, right? Or not?

No, not usually. The reason is that the bridge is also vibrating up and down - by a surprisingly large amount, if you haven't seen slow-motion film of one - so when it's at the lowest point of its travel the strings will be closer to the frets compared to on an electric with the same 'static' action and will hit them. So you need to have the bridge higher by at least half the amount that the top can vibrate by.

Fantastic answer. And now of course I shall waste my evening watching slo-mo acoustic guitar videos.

sweepy · May 2018

I would say that my Cats Eye acoustic has a lower action than many electrics with no buzz or annoying overtones although I am a very light player

Wolfetone · May 2018

Unless your saddle is comically high, I would concentrate on getting the action as good as possible at the nut. It's fairly rare to be playing beyond 7th/8th fret on an acoustic anyway.

I always get the neck straight and sort the nut out and that normally gives me an action that doesn't rattle.

richardhomer · May 2018

It’s interesting how little difference in measurements seems like ‘a lot’.

My electrics generally measure around 1.5mm at the octave on the low E - my acoustic is 2.5mm - but looks at least twice as high as the electrics.

Its certainly the case that volume is usually significantly compromised when the action is set too low on an acoustic.

ICBM · May 2018

richardhomer said:

Its certainly the case that volume is usually significantly compromised when the action is set too low on an acoustic.

And tone, in my experience. It's because the strings hitting the frets happens much earlier than is audible - it only has to be on the first cycle of the string vibration (where it's hidden by the pick attack, so you don't hear it) to really take a significant amount of energy out of the string.

mistercharlie · May 2018

I just got the guitar back after an extended “loan” from a friend, and the plastic saddle is all chewed up anyway. I’m going to have to replace it, so I’ll do a bit of nut work at the same time.

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Can an acoustic’s action be as low as an electric?

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