I do feel it's fair to point out that the average person viewing your video's, probably doesn't play a guitar with Ibanez Prestige-levels of fret treatment, where action can be set to 3 molecules above frets without buzzing all over the place. An average beginner/intermediate guitar would have quite some action/travel left when lowering strings to just above the point of buzz/deadnote, especially given the lack of delicate strumming/fretting by not having practiced for decade(s) yet :)
And if you don't completely you know feel like you got any value I'll give you your money back not you BERNTH. This is f***** up on some serious level brother. I'll probably have to deal with the scraps you leave behind for me though. He's using your IP. Go check it out for yourself. Looks like it's your course it's your face your voice all of it dude. I'm going after this guy balls out I'm going to I'm going to take every time he's got Johnathan Boyd Guitar Breakthrough Bullshit
Do all hammer-ons, no pull-offs when playing with the super low action. My buddy and i had been setting up and modding guitar for years when he got to play Holdsworth's guitar. He said "I couldn't see air under those strings!" For everyone on this guitar technique journey, try to minimize and even eliminate all pull off motion.
Your action settings (at least for the low E string) are right in the normal range or medium action range (assuming that Ibanez gauge you are showing is in millimeters). I call it "low action" when you are down in the 1.5 mm range at the 12th fret and 0.3 to 0.5 mm at the 1st fret. I do a lot of setups for people and I have had players tell me to set the action so low that it is buzzing at the first 2-3 frets, which I think is crazy, but to each their own. For my own guitars, I find I am typically setting it a bit lower than you, but not much. It also depends on the guitar - some guitars you can get the action super low and others just won't get there. I tend to not put a lot of relief in the neck, so I can't go super low or I risk dead notes up near the nut. Great information...thanks. It is a reminder to always think about guitar setups within the context of how you play.
I don’t understand? You say it’s medium action and that low is below 1.5mm, but the picture at 12th fret looks like about 1.25-1.5mm? So wouldn’t you count this action as low?
@@martynm You are right for the 12th fret...I misread the gauge as I was watching the video on my phone. The 1st fret picture is harder to tell - it could be what I consider "low" as well. Overall, I think this is pretty low action or on the low side of normal. I am not sure how you could get much lower without buzzing or dead notes.
@@martynm Bernth action is low yes! Most players have too high. I run mine at 1.5mm@12th and 1mm at the 24th. I always setup 1st just over the frets 0.5mm
I agree with you, his running low action mine is almost exact same. Most players are too high action. I run 1.5mm. Notice Bernth didn't show 24th fret? That's one of the most important ones.
Intonation and it staying in tune is more important to me, back in the 80's I had a guitar setup for widdling with really low action, but now most of my guitars are moderate, because I play many different styles. Horses for courses. Too high and it can cause tuning issues playing open chords.
Having the trussrod so tight there's zero relief in the center is also terrible. This is one of the most common things I hear novices say. "Oh, I keep ALL my guitar fretboards perfectly flat". Why? It's just choking all your strings out! Dumb! I prefer to have the nut slots very low. So having the rest of the set up dialed in is important. Including adequate neck relief, to give the strings enough space to rotate. You can always tell when a guitar is set up right, if the strings are radiased for the fretboard.The thicker strings need more space to oscillate. So the heights should gradually increase. Every guitar needs a custom set up to function optimally, and a change of strings is all it takes to make a guitar play completely differently.
You can tell the people who aren't in a band. Different places , towns, bars, etc... have Different humidity and temp. You can't set super low bc you would have buzz a lot
I’ve had my guitar for over 20 years and never thought about string height. The funny thing is when I measured my string height at the same fret locations you showed in your video, it was identical 😀
Basically at the first string you want to go as low as possible without too much fret buzz. The harder you like to hit the strings, the higher you need to go here. Low action at the nut makes the guitar easier to play and improves the intonation. String height at the dusty end of fretboard is a matter of your preferences and the engineering of the guitar in question. Some prefer high action, some like it low and I like it somewhere there at the middle ground. How the fret/fretboard is done is a factor. The less wear and quality problems there are, the lower you can go. Big fretboard radiuses and compound rdiuses allow you to go lower. You might not want to go too low, because high action allows you to bend and dampen the strings better.
I think you need to talk about intonation as well as a lot of guitar players probably aren't aware of how easy it is to set your intonation with the saddles and may not even be aware if their instrument is not properly intonated. You might also want to talk about how to play with proper intonation.
The main issue here is string height and intonation are related. When you're fretting the string, you're bending it and too high of an action can put it out of tune even with correct intonation.
Great vid. Other things for people to look at if you're unhappy with parts of your fretboard, the string height at them: if you feel some strings are hard with open chords, or just low fret playing, the nut is likely contributing. If you're action doesn't feel right between high and low fret numbers, checking the truss rod by pressing down the first fret and then using two fingers on your right hand to press down the string at the other end (high end) and then touch the string down in the middle: if you get a tiny bit of movement and you can hear a quiet clink, it's fine. If you hear nothing, you probably need to loosen your truss rod. If you get a large gap, tightening the truss rod helps.
String height also depends on what You're playing. Tosin Abasi said in the past that he plays as low action as he can get even with a little buzzing (my guess is that it's easier on hands for tapping) On the other hand Scott from Scott's bass lessons said he likes high action for zero buzz Personally i to like to have a little higher action than minimum above buzzing, because i find it easier to mute from the fretting hand as with low scale i often put too much pressure and made accidental strings ring Edit: also i don't know how common that is but i usually set up low strings with higher action, but i don't know if it has any pros or cons
String buzz isn't a good measure, because your frets might not be properly leveled. My personal action is about 0.25 mm higher than the one shown in the video, and I adjust the guitar to match the action i want, not the other way around. i've had to level frets on several to achieve it without buzz.
As a relative beginner I have 2 guitars. One is straight out the box, the other has been setup by a professional. The one set up is easier to play! So if I can tell the difference then a good player will too!
Bernth never would've made it back in my day when all guitars had the one finger beneath the string at the 12th fret rule and nuts were cut with steel guitar players in mind. We also walked six miles to school in the snow, barefoot, uphill both ways just to give our fingers a break from pressing those telephone wire guitar strings that only came in one size - BIG!
@@tuberocker69 Yeah, those were the days ... I remember how tough it was when all we had was piano wire and when I couldn't make enough money as a paper boy to afford it, I had to steal tow cables from my uncle just so I could continue learning those Albert King licks!
Hmm, I have pretty low action, but my scalloped fretboard is rly helphing with pull-offs. Basically, by raising the action it gives you more space to get the finger kinda underneath the string to make a nice pull-off, so by scalloping the fretboard you are giving your fingers more space in a different direction. Also high frets should make the same effect. Absolutely suggest you to try scalloped fretboard, it's so much easier to play bends and overall
I have a strat and got another guitar and 12" Radius 305 Modern C Shape (Light Satin) unfinished Maple Neck. 18-1 Tease Guitars Exclusive Locking Tuners 10-46 Strings 8 lbs Factory Set Up puts the Action at 1.75 @ 12th Fret This new 🎸 has a good neck for sliding but I have a problem doing barre cords, I feel it in my thumb. I am thinking if the strings are too low.
if you have pain in your thumb from doing barre chords, then your strings are too thick. Try downtuning to D standard, that will give you string tension of 9-42
Check your right hand technique, maybe you're picking the strings too hard low action will result in buzz when right hand is hitting too hard on the strings regardless of the quality of the setup, it's just how it is
@@yurifarias5305 nope, that's not the problem. If there's any buzz it won't come from the picking hand. It's always: Wrong bridge height Wrong truss rod adjustment Unleveled frets Nut cutted improperly
@@peppesgabello You are correct, i'm just stating that once he goes through all this checklist, and the setup is perfect, still, on low actions, a heavy right hand will cause buzzing, simply because the strings will vibrate with more intensity, so even with aligned frets, it will hit the fret. That's why you see some famous rythm guitar players going for higher gauges and action, because then strong strums won't buzz
@@yurifarias5305 honestly I can be wrong and you're right, I have really soft touch with the pick because I'm used to fast runs and sweeps but I've never had a problem of buzz even with super low action when I pick hard in order to give that emphasis to the note
reducing acting makes it feel like artificially lowered the string tension the key is the tension of the strings, not the height the ideal for me is to do what malmsteen does, use a lower gauge string and lift the actiong just a bit, enough to make the sustain sound very clean
I tried out the lowest I could get the strings to go and still hit all the notes on the fretboard, and it would seem like it makes it easier to play, because I have a couple hand injuries, but it doesn't it make it harder for me to play. A higher action takes less pressure to fret notes I read somewhere, and that was my experience also.
Provided all of the other setup aspects are ideal; the ideal string action for me is high enough to not hear string buzz when I pick or strum hard, but no higher.
That can mean a lot of different string heights on different guitars. With a high quality instrument like Bernth's ibanez prestige, frets will be perfectly leveled from factory and this will allow much lower action before buzzing than on a more entry-level guitar. Many guitars actually have quite high action just above point of buzz. But still plays like high action.
5-12 stretch just killed me. If I were able to stretch to a straight angle, that would have been exactly 5-12. Even 5-11 is tough for me, it took decades of practice. I'm absolutely sure now 45 mm is a short finger😢
The action is one of the problem. The hight of the fret is also very important. Very short frets, like fretlesswonder and a very low action is very hard to play. Almost no room for hammer, pull off of bending.
I find the exact reverse. Short/low/thin/narrow frets I can hammer on/pull off/bend with more accuracy and a light touch. With Jumbo frets, I struggle to press the string down with enough pressure to even fret a note cleanly, let alone think about adding some hammer on/pull off/bending.
Are those 32th or 64ths? Or Millimeters? In any case, Petrucci has a very low action of .04" while Steve Vai has a rather high of .07" or .08" (both for the first string), in the end I guess it's a matter of preference? I too, am in the middle at .05" Cheers
Haha! Same guitar (TFF colour though) and absolutely dead on same string height, measured with the excact same tool. So. Yeah. Got you. :D Amazing guitar, right? :) Grüße aus Deutschland in die Schweiz! Markus
1.5mm is not high, my ibanez can't even get lower than this because of the physical size of the saddles + bridge, this is where you are physically limited as you can't make the saddle "sink" more. There is always the option of shimming the neck to get it slightly higher and thus the neck 0.2-0.3mm closer to the string but why do that instead of just working on technique.
Become my guitar student and get access to over 20 full online courses here: www.patreon.com/bernth
I do feel it's fair to point out that the average person viewing your video's, probably doesn't play a guitar with Ibanez Prestige-levels of fret treatment, where action can be set to 3 molecules above frets without buzzing all over the place.
An average beginner/intermediate guitar would have quite some action/travel left when lowering strings to just above the point of buzz/deadnote, especially given the lack of delicate strumming/fretting by not having practiced for decade(s) yet :)
And if you don't completely you know feel like you got any value I'll give you your money back not you BERNTH. This is f***** up on some serious level brother. I'll probably have to deal with the scraps you leave behind for me though. He's using your IP. Go check it out for yourself. Looks like it's your course it's your face your voice all of it dude. I'm going after this guy balls out I'm going to I'm going to take every time he's got
Johnathan Boyd Guitar Breakthrough
Bullshit
Man, I really like how you take the discussions from the students and turn it into a weekly lesson.
Oh yes I always knew it was my guitar holding me back and not my lack of skills. You gave us your secret, prepare to be dethroned.
😂 legend have a blessed day Mr. Comment of the Day
bro dropped a full legato workout for string height
Do all hammer-ons, no pull-offs when playing with the super low action. My buddy and i had been setting up and modding guitar for years when he got to play Holdsworth's guitar. He said "I couldn't see air under those strings!"
For everyone on this guitar technique journey, try to minimize and even eliminate all pull off motion.
Your action settings (at least for the low E string) are right in the normal range or medium action range (assuming that Ibanez gauge you are showing is in millimeters). I call it "low action" when you are down in the 1.5 mm range at the 12th fret and 0.3 to 0.5 mm at the 1st fret. I do a lot of setups for people and I have had players tell me to set the action so low that it is buzzing at the first 2-3 frets, which I think is crazy, but to each their own. For my own guitars, I find I am typically setting it a bit lower than you, but not much. It also depends on the guitar - some guitars you can get the action super low and others just won't get there. I tend to not put a lot of relief in the neck, so I can't go super low or I risk dead notes up near the nut. Great information...thanks. It is a reminder to always think about guitar setups within the context of how you play.
I don’t understand? You say it’s medium action and that low is below 1.5mm, but the picture at 12th fret looks like about 1.25-1.5mm? So wouldn’t you count this action as low?
@@martynm You are right for the 12th fret...I misread the gauge as I was watching the video on my phone. The 1st fret picture is harder to tell - it could be what I consider "low" as well. Overall, I think this is pretty low action or on the low side of normal. I am not sure how you could get much lower without buzzing or dead notes.
@@martynm Bernth action is low yes! Most players have too high. I run mine at 1.5mm@12th and 1mm at the 24th. I always setup 1st just over the frets 0.5mm
I agree with you, his running low action mine is almost exact same. Most players are too high action. I run 1.5mm. Notice Bernth didn't show 24th fret? That's one of the most important ones.
Intonation and it staying in tune is more important to me, back in the 80's I had a guitar setup for widdling with really low action, but now most of my guitars are moderate, because I play many different styles. Horses for courses. Too high and it can cause tuning issues playing open chords.
Having the trussrod so tight there's zero relief in the center is also terrible. This is one of the most common things I hear novices say. "Oh, I keep ALL my guitar fretboards perfectly flat". Why? It's just choking all your strings out! Dumb!
I prefer to have the nut slots very low. So having the rest of the set up dialed in is important. Including adequate neck relief, to give the strings enough space to rotate.
You can always tell when a guitar is set up right, if the strings are radiased for the fretboard.The thicker strings need more space to oscillate. So the heights should gradually increase. Every guitar needs a custom set up to function optimally, and a change of strings is all it takes to make a guitar play completely differently.
You can tell the people who aren't in a band. Different places , towns, bars, etc... have Different humidity and temp. You can't set super low bc you would have buzz a lot
I’ve had my guitar for over 20 years and never thought about string height. The funny thing is when I measured my string height at the same fret locations you showed in your video, it was identical 😀
Basically at the first string you want to go as low as possible without too much fret buzz. The harder you like to hit the strings, the higher you need to go here. Low action at the nut makes the guitar easier to play and improves the intonation.
String height at the dusty end of fretboard is a matter of your preferences and the engineering of the guitar in question. Some prefer high action, some like it low and I like it somewhere there at the middle ground. How the fret/fretboard is done is a factor. The less wear and quality problems there are, the lower you can go. Big fretboard radiuses and compound rdiuses allow you to go lower. You might not want to go too low, because high action allows you to bend and dampen the strings better.
This is exactly what I wanted thanks Bernth!
I think you need to talk about intonation as well as a lot of guitar players probably aren't aware of how easy it is to set your intonation with the saddles and may not even be aware if their instrument is not properly intonated. You might also want to talk about how to play with proper intonation.
The main issue here is string height and intonation are related. When you're fretting the string, you're bending it and too high of an action can put it out of tune even with correct intonation.
Great vid. Other things for people to look at if you're unhappy with parts of your fretboard, the string height at them: if you feel some strings are hard with open chords, or just low fret playing, the nut is likely contributing. If you're action doesn't feel right between high and low fret numbers, checking the truss rod by pressing down the first fret and then using two fingers on your right hand to press down the string at the other end (high end) and then touch the string down in the middle: if you get a tiny bit of movement and you can hear a quiet clink, it's fine. If you hear nothing, you probably need to loosen your truss rod. If you get a large gap, tightening the truss rod helps.
I think you are the best online guitar teacher for shredding and guitar technique in general, I learn something every time I find you on RUclips
Great video. I think most people truly think the lower the strings the better.
1.5mm is essentially a hair under 4/64", which is typically the recommended height on a lot of guitars (Fender, PRS, etc....).
Around 1.8 mm on 12th fret low E works fine for me. I was using 1mm and 0,7 pics together which was 1.8 according to my calipper.
String height also depends on what You're playing. Tosin Abasi said in the past that he plays as low action as he can get even with a little buzzing (my guess is that it's easier on hands for tapping)
On the other hand Scott from Scott's bass lessons said he likes high action for zero buzz
Personally i to like to have a little higher action than minimum above buzzing, because i find it easier to mute from the fretting hand as with low scale i often put too much pressure and made accidental strings ring
Edit: also i don't know how common that is but i usually set up low strings with higher action, but i don't know if it has any pros or cons
String buzz isn't a good measure, because your frets might not be properly leveled. My personal action is about 0.25 mm higher than the one shown in the video, and I adjust the guitar to match the action i want, not the other way around. i've had to level frets on several to achieve it without buzz.
@@kirksneckchop7873 yeah, what i said is in a scenario where frets are well leveled
If frets arent well leveled then that's the bigger issue
Next up: "You're probably using the wrong instrument".
As a relative beginner I have 2 guitars. One is straight out the box, the other has been setup by a professional. The one set up is easier to play! So if I can tell the difference then a good player will too!
Good to know i was already thinking about sending my gibson on settup at the guitar shop
Dude, that's pretty much as low as you could possibly go😂
Bernth never would've made it back in my day when all guitars had the one finger beneath the string at the 12th fret rule and nuts were cut with steel guitar players in mind.
We also walked six miles to school in the snow, barefoot, uphill both ways just to give our fingers a break from pressing those telephone wire guitar strings that only came in one size - BIG!
@@tuberocker69 Yeah, those were the days ... I remember how tough it was when all we had was piano wire and when I couldn't make enough money as a paper boy to afford it, I had to steal tow cables from my uncle just so I could continue learning those Albert King licks!
@@honigdachs.
Did we just become best friends?
Bahahahaha 🤘
Hmm, I have pretty low action, but my scalloped fretboard is rly helphing with pull-offs. Basically, by raising the action it gives you more space to get the finger kinda underneath the string to make a nice pull-off, so by scalloping the fretboard you are giving your fingers more space in a different direction. Also high frets should make the same effect. Absolutely suggest you to try scalloped fretboard, it's so much easier to play bends and overall
Dude, I needed this
Great video, great info, great presentation, thank you, brother✊
Nevet thought about string height either 😂😭 thanks for this 👍🏻
I have a strat and got another guitar and 12" Radius 305 Modern C Shape (Light Satin) unfinished Maple Neck. 18-1 Tease Guitars Exclusive Locking Tuners 10-46 Strings
8 lbs
Factory Set Up puts the Action at 1.75 @ 12th Fret
This new 🎸 has a good neck for sliding but I have a problem doing barre cords, I feel it in my thumb. I am thinking if the strings are too low.
if you have pain in your thumb from doing barre chords, then your strings are too thick. Try downtuning to D standard, that will give you string tension of 9-42
@@dio1304a pain in your thumb doing barre chord’s doesn’t mean your strings are to thick,and tuning down a step to make it easier?? Lmao
@@tommilitello198 what it means then
When I lower the action, the buzzing start to appear... and drive me nuts.... so, rise again... and slow me again... is a back and forward issue....
Might be the truss rod at this point.
Also you need to take in consideration the frets, string gauge, bridge and radius
Check your right hand technique, maybe you're picking the strings too hard
low action will result in buzz when right hand is hitting too hard on the strings regardless of the quality of the setup, it's just how it is
@@yurifarias5305 nope, that's not the problem. If there's any buzz it won't come from the picking hand.
It's always:
Wrong bridge height
Wrong truss rod adjustment
Unleveled frets
Nut cutted improperly
@@peppesgabello You are correct, i'm just stating that once he goes through all this checklist, and the setup is perfect, still, on low actions, a heavy right hand will cause buzzing, simply because the strings will vibrate with more intensity, so even with aligned frets, it will hit the fret.
That's why you see some famous rythm guitar players going for higher gauges and action, because then strong strums won't buzz
@@yurifarias5305 honestly I can be wrong and you're right, I have really soft touch with the pick because I'm used to fast runs and sweeps but I've never had a problem of buzz even with super low action when I pick hard in order to give that emphasis to the note
reducing acting makes it feel like artificially lowered the string tension
the key is the tension of the strings, not the height
the ideal for me is to do what malmsteen does, use a lower gauge string and lift the actiong just a bit, enough to make the sustain sound very clean
I tried out the lowest I could get the strings to go and still hit all the notes on the fretboard, and it would seem like it makes it easier to play, because I have a couple hand injuries, but it doesn't it make it harder for me to play. A higher action takes less pressure to fret notes I read somewhere, and that was my experience also.
Man this is super helpful thank you
Provided all of the other setup aspects are ideal; the ideal string action for me is high enough to not hear string buzz when I pick or strum hard, but no higher.
That can mean a lot of different string heights on different guitars. With a high quality instrument like Bernth's ibanez prestige, frets will be perfectly leveled from factory and this will allow much lower action before buzzing than on a more entry-level guitar. Many guitars actually have quite high action just above point of buzz. But still plays like high action.
Thank you, @@FrankyFeedler , I think you explained the preface part of my sentence quite well. (no sarcasm)
I can't afford a guitar that supports
5-12 stretch just killed me. If I were able to stretch to a straight angle, that would have been exactly 5-12. Even 5-11 is tough for me, it took decades of practice. I'm absolutely sure now 45 mm is a short finger😢
Hi, easy "works for pretty much everyone" setup (from Chris Letchfords Setup-Guide)
E-/B-String (thick boi):
7th-Fret: 3/64th
~17th-Fret (neck meets body): 4/64th
All other round wound strings:
~17th-Fret (neck meets body): 4/64th
All non-wound strings:
~17th-Fret (neck meets body): 3/64th
You're welcome.
Great video, sorry but I do not have that Ibanez tool, what is Bernth string height/action in mm? it is 1.5 mm?
The action is one of the problem. The hight of the fret is also very important. Very short frets, like fretlesswonder and a very low action is very hard to play. Almost no room for hammer, pull off of bending.
I find the exact reverse. Short/low/thin/narrow frets I can hammer on/pull off/bend with more accuracy and a light touch. With Jumbo frets, I struggle to press the string down with enough pressure to even fret a note cleanly, let alone think about adding some hammer on/pull off/bending.
That’s still really low. Anything below 1.5mm is just too low for me.
I always used a nickel for height.
I’m impressed.
Are those 32th or 64ths? Or Millimeters? In any case, Petrucci has a very low action of .04" while Steve Vai has a rather high of .07" or .08" (both for the first string), in the end I guess it's a matter of preference? I too, am in the middle at .05" Cheers
Haha! Same guitar (TFF colour though) and absolutely dead on same string height, measured with the excact same tool. So. Yeah. Got you. :D Amazing guitar, right? :)
Grüße aus Deutschland in die Schweiz! Markus
1.5mm is not high, my ibanez can't even get lower than this because of the physical size of the saddles + bridge, this is where you are physically limited as you can't make the saddle "sink" more. There is always the option of shimming the neck to get it slightly higher and thus the neck 0.2-0.3mm closer to the string but why do that instead of just working on technique.
Its height is 2.5mm at the twelfth fret.
1.5mm
Fantastic!
what about other strings? do we set them high to low or just follow the radius?
Image not having your action set to 3/64 of an inch
2.5/64th or heresy
mm or inch? I would like to know how high it is on the 12th fret in mm.
So... am i seeing your measure right... 2.0 M @12f, 2.5M @7f and 1 M @ 1f. ??????
What pick thickness do you use?
Is there a lesson on trills out there?
Sky guitar (trill)
🤘🔥🖤
🤘🏽🤘🏽
Brilliant playing and lesson,, but without a good guitar, amp and the fingers its Literally Bloody 😫😫😤😡 Hopeless. But again great playing.... 🥵