Official Luthiers Forum!

What is considered good action for a classical guitar?
I was told 4mm low e, 3mm high e. What do you think?

The right action is something that depends on the player. Concertists, who generally play quite loud, will want higher action to avoid buzzing (which is prohibited in the classical guitar world!). Living room players will be more comfortable with a lower action and won't suffer from buzzing since they don't play as loud as concertists. And on top, they tend to not be so fussy with buzzes.

(Bye the way, when I say concertists, I mean concertitsts 'style'. Which means pretty much anyone who has a college degree in classical guitar, or is trying to obtain one.)

Most concertists I dealth with needed an action of 4(ish) mm on the 6th string, while I went down to 3 mm for living room players (although that is pretty low).

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I use the same measurements as Alain.
Measured from the bottom of the string to the top of the 12th fret.
But height at the nut is important to take into consideration when setting
the final saddle height.
When setting up a new guitar I leave the action a bit high for a day or two
because the neck may pull forward a bit & the top will rise some.
Then I make the final adjustments.

Mike

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Mike Collins

I strive for an initial height of 3.5mm on the low e string and 3mm on the high e measured at the 12th fret. This is generic. I am very prepared to make a new nut and saddle depending on the needs of the player. Most players are happy with these measurements.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

Thanks....