# Bow and String Height of Famous Guitar Players



## GtrEnthusiast

I always wanted to know the amount of bow and string height(individually for treble and bass side if possible) of famous lead and rhythm guitar players for reference. I usually look up to rock and metal guitarists. So I'd prefer a catalog of people like James Hetfield, John Petrucci, Jimmy Page,etc..
Please share your knowledge on this particular topic.
Thanks!


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## thesnowdog

There is an extensive list floating around somewhere. Have you put your Google fu to the test?

Here's something to get you started: http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/String_action_and_setup/a-famoussetups.html


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## spilla

Was just coming here to post that link but looks like ive been ninja'd! I would like to see that other list though... will give google a try.


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## pushpull7

Set-up

Man, that's LOW!


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## whatupitsjoe

I've seen that petrucci's setup it's neck straight as possible, with 1mm string height, depending on the night. Sometimes more relief is added for a looser feel, bring the height up fractionally.


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## whatupitsjoe

those ibanez factory spec look lower than I feel any company would recommend.


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## mr_rainmaker

I`ve held paul gilberts back in the early 90`s and it was really low,I dare say back then it was under 1.5mm back then.
from what I rememeber jason becker`s action was silly low,buzzing on every string,but he had such a light touch.
google search just about every famous player`s action is discussed.


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## pushpull7

I don't feel so bad now. Mine are about 1.2/1.5 (even my drop C#) with minimal buzz on the low 6 (not really noticeable amped) I'd like to go lower, I have the worlds smallest hands/fingers.


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## whatupitsjoe

chrisharbin said:


> I don't feel so bad now. Mine are about 1.2/1.5 (even my drop C#) with minimal buzz on the low 6 (not really noticeable amped) I'd like to go lower, I have the worlds smallest hands/fingers.



What gauges you using? I feel that contributes to how low u can go also


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## pushpull7

I was using 9-46 but I'm thinking about going back to standard 9's.


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## GtrEnthusiast

whatupitsjoe said:


> I've seen that petrucci's setup it's neck straight as possible, with 1mm string height, depending on the night. Sometimes more relief is added for a looser feel, bring the height up fractionally.



1mm is to damn low! I've got 1.5mm on low E, and there is a small amount of buzz. I was thinking about lifting it up a little, so the strings can have a nice room to vibrate.
I'm using .11-.54 on Drop C. LTD M-401. I guess it's probably because of the guitar. Maybe a standard hand made guitar would have allowed a lower action with practically no fret buzz(obviously when I'm hitting the strings with a considerable force).


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## GtrEnthusiast

chrisharbin said:


> Set-up
> 
> Man, that's LOW!



LOL
I didn't even know it was possible to play with string height of .01mm. wtf I mean...


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## espshredder

lol


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## MIL8

I got to play Vai's EVO for a little bit when I did the EVO experience. I would call the action "Low" but it wasn't as low as it could be. The neck had a slight relief, of course I could measure but I'd say the action was 2-3mm at the 12th fret, it seemed perfectly even across the strings, no buzz anywhere on any string.


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## TRENCHLORD

I always end up around 2.0mm or barely above for the low, and 1.5mm or just above for the high at the 14th fret.
Relief stays close to .5mm depending on the gauges/tuning/guitar, although the action and relief always end up right near these numbers even though I adjust by feel.

Never have liked the nut set as low as the 2nd fret clearance when fretting at the first, close maybe but just a sliver more clearance for the open-string always sounds and feels better to me.
On most production run guitars the nut is sitting way too high IMO.


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## groverj3

Maybe I'm weird, but I just set it by feel. It depends on the guitar, string gauge, and tuning.


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## Given To Fly

groverj3 said:


> Maybe I'm weird, but I just set it by feel. It depends on the guitar, string gauge, and tuning.



I'm a pretty objective person when it comes to anything that should be properly measured, but not with guitars. I've learned that a really good guitar tech can tell what a guitar is capable of and what it isn't based off "feel." Its almost like magic. ..


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## Hollowway

MIL8 said:


> I got to play Vai's EVO for a little bit when I did the EVO experience. I would call the action "Low" but it wasn't as low as it could be. The neck had a slight relief, of course I could measure but I'd say the action was 2-3mm at the 12th fret, it seemed perfectly even across the strings, no buzz anywhere on any string.



That cannot be possible. 2-3mm at the 12th? That's crazy high. You mean for the low E or high E? 3mm would be unplayable for me.


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## groverj3

Given To Fly said:


> I'm a pretty objective person when it comes to anything that should be properly measured, but not with guitars. I've learned that a really good guitar tech can tell what a guitar is capable of and what it isn't based off "feel." Its almost like magic. ..



Oh, I would hope that a good tech would measure. I just don't when I work on my own stuff. I suppose if I noticed that something was really really bad feeling after fiddling with it for a long time I would measure such things.

I'm pretty decent at setting up my own guitars, but I'm definitely not "guitar tech to the stars" here


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## MIL8

Hollowway said:


> That cannot be possible. 2-3mm at the 12th? That's crazy high. You mean for the low E or high E? 3mm would be unplayable for me.




Low E. I do setup by feel as well so I'm not good at guessing what the height was in mm, I may well be way off. I can say however that the action on EVO was certainly not the lowest action I've ever played on a guitar.


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## GtrEnthusiast

MIL8 said:


> I got to play Vai's EVO for a little bit when I did the EVO experience. I would call the action "Low" but it wasn't as low as it could be. The neck had a slight relief, of course I could measure but I'd say the action was 2-3mm at the 12th fret, it seemed perfectly even across the strings, no buzz anywhere on any string.



There's a lot of difference between 2mm and 3mm. 2mm can still be managed. 3mm means your fingers will be punished.


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## Malkav

I remember reading lots of interviews where Mattias Eklundh claims to have pretty high action, when I got to try out his actual Caparison at a clinic he came and did what he said was high was like 2mm or 2.5mm on the low string with .009s which I don't think is particularly high.

Also got to try out that brown Music Man that Alex Hutchings owns and it also had about a 2mm action on the low E, and he strings with .008 gauge so it just felt silly slippery to play 

That's pretty much all the first hand experience I have with popular guitar players' actual guitars, but I imagine when you have a dedicated tech who can fret dress your action request can easily be met regardless of how insane they are


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## jedimindfrak82

I set all of my guitars the same way... Get the neck arrow straight and then give it just a little bit of relief then set all the strings 2/32" off the 12th fret.... Guitars sound better with slightly higher string height, MANLIER.


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