Dave Wirth
This is tip #4 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun:
Guitarists tend to prefer guitars that have lower “action.” The action of a guitar doesn't refer to the amount of play (ahem) they get after the show as a result of being on stage. Rather, it is distance between the strings and the fretboard. The higher the action, the harder it is for the fingers to press down the strings and play music. The harder it is to play music, the harder it is to have fun. The harder it is to have fun, the less someone gets laid. It's a downward spiral.
What you'll need to do is find the lowest action on a guitar without annoying buzzing sounds. If you buy an electric guitar, you'll want to find the lowest action without buzzes, and if you buy an acoustic guitar you'll want to find slightly higher action without buzzes as well. There are reasons for this. Low action on an electric guitar tends to make playing lead guitar easier, and higher action on an acoustic guitar tends to make strumming sound better.
On my Fender Telecaster for example, the action is as low as it can be because I like to play lead guitar on it. I need lower action because I want to play fast. On my acoustic guitar, a Garrison from early 2000's, the action is quite a bit higher because I use it primarily for strumming. Higher action gives the string adequate room to vibrate.
The lowest action without string buzz is the ideal match. Remember less is more? I meant it! I'll cover how to find a guitar with low action next.
If you had the entire book, you could find out how to find a well-playing guitar that has low action and little-to-no fret buzz. Want to check it out?
