Guitar action – the height of the strings above the fretboard – is an area of personal taste. Some players like very low action to facilitate fast fingerstyle playing even at the expense of some buzzing when the strings are strummed hard, while others prefer a higher action specifically to support more vigorous playing. In researching recommendations available on the web, I found the ranges varied widely. The following table gives recommended action – height of the string above the 12th fret – for acoustic guitars from a number of online sources. Note that the action for the high E string is generally lower than that for the low E string, since the lower tension on the low E makes its vibrational amplitude larger. The action for the other strings is generally between that for the high E and low E.

Printable pdf version: Guitar_Action.pdf

Guitar Actions: Acoustic

Height of the string above the 12th fret