Action

The space between the strings and the fingerboard. "Low" and "high" action are relative terms, but generally low action means the strings are closer to the fingerboard, requiring less pressure to make contact with the frets. Higher action means the strings are further away from the fingerboard, requiring greater pressure to make contact with the frets. Low action makes a guitar easier to play, but can create unwanted sounds if the strings are too close to the frets. High action is preferred if you want to play slide (bottleneck) guitar. Action is affected in large degrees by the thickness of the bridge and height of the saddle, although the angle of the neck will also affect action. By adjusting the truss rod, you can make small corrections to action. Larger corrections require modifications to the bridge, saddle and/or nut, are best left to professionals.

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