# Whats the action of your 7-string guitars?



## ilias (Apr 17, 2014)

Hello, i got my first 7string a week ago, its a Hellraiser 7C, it was 2nd hand, a guy was selling it and it was a big opportunity to get my first 7 string which i wanted for so long. it was 3 months old so i hit it  
when i got it on my hands i was impressed, it the best guitar i ever owned..after a couple of hours i tried to play on the 12th+ frets on the 7th string, and the only thing i could hear was a disturbing buzzing...i contacted the guy i got it and he told me that he made a setup on the guitar by himself with a low action(actually it couldn't get lower) before he gave it to me. So i started to turn the 2 screws on the bridge(the bridge is a TonePros TOM) until the buzz was gone..the height on of the strings is 1,7mm of the 7th string and 1,5 on the 1st string, both measured on the 12th fret.
The big question is, what is the height of your strings? why did you choose that action? for buzzing reasons or just to make it feel more comfortable?
thanks anyway!


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## ThrustTony (Apr 18, 2014)

I have my action as low as possible without any fret buzz.

I lower the action till I get buzz then raise it to loose the buzz so I'm left with the lowest action possible.

Purely cause I like the feel of low action but there are positives to having higher action, better clarity/sustain etc.


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## wat (Apr 18, 2014)

I have no idea.

I like a little bit of space between the frets and strings. I like to really dig in with the pick and I think it makes the sound more lively. I've never measured it- I get it as low as I can without buzz, then go a tad higher.


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 18, 2014)

ThrustTony said:


> I have my action as low as possible without any fret buzz.
> 
> I lower the action till I get buzz then raise it to loose the buzz so I'm left with the lowest action possible.



This... It freaks some ppl out... "The note played before I even got a chance to pluck it!"


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## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 18, 2014)

To me, your action sounds plenty low. I really like to be able to hit the notes hard without buzzing so 2.0mm on the low strings is good for me


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## lettmusic (Apr 19, 2014)

good question, because on a 7-string, I think you can afford a little higher action, due to the wider fretboard, the feel is usually flatter as far as the radius feel is concerned.
I used to like my action very low, but I found out that your picking will suffer. You can't grind and dig in as hard, because the strings will crap out sooner.
Now I like something of a medium low, a happy compromise.


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## ilias (Apr 19, 2014)

i think im gonna try to change it to 2mm on the 7th string just to see how it feels..i just checked my other guitar (6 string) and the action on the 12 fret is 2.5mm!! i never changed it, and it felt awesome all along! so i think it will feel even better if i give it more action on the 7 string  the problem is that i need to go buy a new allen wrench and because of the easter holidays all the stores are closed for 3 days (the other one wasn't mine and i gave it back..)
anyway, do you think that different guitar scales need different action? someone told me that the bigger the scale, the higher the action needs to be to avoid buzzing...


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## Der JD (Apr 21, 2014)

ilias said:


> anyway, do you think that different guitar scales need different action? someone told me that the bigger the scale, the higher the action needs to be to avoid buzzing...


 
I'm no expert but I can't think of any reason why that would be true and definitely has not been my experience. 

In the past, I have had to keep slightly higher action on guitars that I've owned that have a smaller fretboard radius. The extra curvature in the neck makes it more prone to buzzing on bends if the action is too low. 

Are you sure the relief is set right on your guitar? Generally, I find it best to get the relief perfect before I start screwing around with action. Often, fret buzz only on high frets = too much relief (forward bow). Buzz only on lower frets = too little relief. Buzz all over the place = action too low. 

I keep my action as low as possible without buzz. If I get just a little buzz when I really pick hard I'm fine with that. I'm a wannabe shredder and I find that lower action helps me play faster and with less effort. If I was a better guitarist, I'd guess that it probably wouldn't make as much difference.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Apr 22, 2014)

I like a medium action on the lower strings, and a med-low action on the high register. I don't do much shredding or soloing in general since I'm mostly a rhythm player, so I can dig in really hard without worrying about buzz from my attack. 

It does vary from guitar to guitar, though, depending on the number of strings, the gauges I use and what tuning they're in. My drop C 6 string (11-60) has a lower action overall then my Ab 7 string (11-74)


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## Alikingravi (Apr 24, 2014)

Finding this balance is really important as it affects your playing and achieving a good sound. I also keep my action as low as possible (this does not mean that my strings are squashed flat over the fretboard). It means that a right balance has been achieved. Its just like when you are tuning a string and even if the tuning arrow is inside the tuning box, you will always try to hit that DEAD CENTER SPOT! Likewise, spend ample time finding the right action for yourself and it will reward your guitar playing experience on a day-today basis. If you feel that the top string is buzzing at any point in your practice routine, then dont hesitate to raise the bridge bit by bit.


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## teddy_baca (Apr 24, 2014)

It's really hard on a 7 string to find that sweet spot. I usually raise the low 7th string's action up so I can dig into it and so it sounds tight and not flabby, but the rest of the strings I like to get pretty low.


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## Given To Fly (Apr 24, 2014)

I have really low action on my JPX7, in fact, its probably a hair too low. Technically I can play every fret and not get any buzzing but its an exercise in itself and not very practical. But it helps me play lighter which is something I've needed to work on for awhile. 

On one of my 7 string classical guitars I have 3 different bridge saddles made for different action heights. I had been using the lowest action saddle for awhile but decided to switch to the high action saddle this last string changing. I had forgotten how full and deep the basses on this guitar can be. Its a tad harder to play but the sound makes you want to play it!  

I suppose all my guitars are a little bit different but something I can say with absolute surety is my RG2228 wins the buzz free, low action contest amongst my guitars. My best advice to younger players is once you find a great guitar tech, hold on to them because they are rare. At the same time, its good to learn how to setup your guitars instead of paying someone to do it, but until you can do that, a great guitar tech is priceless...though sometimes they charge quite a bit.


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## wheresthefbomb (Apr 24, 2014)

medium action, I guess. I like it lowish for high strings and weedly wee action, but I play a lot of heavy, low, and slow and I like to hit my guitar hard.


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## ilias (Apr 26, 2014)

yesterday i did a setup to get rid of the little buzz that i could hear on the 7string from 1till 8 fret, but i dont know why i still can hear it... i also checked the neck and its just perfect not completely straigh, with a very little bow, so im sure its not the neck..the previous owner of the guitar told me that the strings he putted on were 9 to 56...could the problem be the stirng? the buzzing is only on that damn stirng, and i raised the action too high and i can still hear it...would a 64 string fix the problem?


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 27, 2014)

1mm Action for my 6 strings on both ends, 1.2mm if I'm in a drop tuning or it buzzes.

1mm Action for my 7's on the high end, 1.2-1.5mm depending on tuning/gauge/buzzing. I love my action very low, the playability supersedes any other problems like buzzing that I used to be so bothered by. If it buzzes a little, I just turn up the volume a bit.

The higher strings feel a little more slack with low action as well, so since I play 10's in E Standard it really does feel nice playing solos. Low string doesn't suffer from too little tension though which is great as well.


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## Veritech Zero (Apr 27, 2014)

Konfyouzd said:


> This... It freaks some ppl out... "The note played before I even got a chance to pluck it!"




This all the way. I try to set up my strings as low as possible, most of them are about .5mm on the treble side and .9mm on the bass side (from 17th fret). And if they can't go that low without buzz I sit down with the guitar and some sand paper until they can go that low without buzz. I also have to adjust the truss rod every couple of weeks to keep it perfect as well, because that will also drastically affect action and buzz.


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## Bilbone Shaggins (Apr 27, 2014)

Related question: what sort of "slope" do you prefer? I.e., what sort of height difference in the 24th vs. 12th fret string height do you tend to favour?


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## smfcbow (Apr 28, 2014)

I kept the action on my 7421 low enough to hold a penny at the 12th fret. It had a little buzz from 5-1 frets but I like that on my guitars I chug with  I find the buzz gives it a nice sound and more attack. In the end it's all up to you.


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## 9Lives (Apr 28, 2014)

2mm / 1.6 mm 
.009" relief 7th fret 
Drop Ab
26.5" 
Bridge emg 57 2mm/ 1mm
Neck emg 66 2mm/ 1.5 mm
18 v
There's my entire setup

No need to get all rocket science on it. Don't get to carried away. If your super picky about the way the guitAr feels like I am make sure you go by autozone and get some feeler guages and adjust relief when tampering with action. There's a site on "ibanezrules" for guitar setups. I LOVE THAT SITE!!! Good info for all guitars


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