Action (high vs. low)

[jwalsh]

hey all- just lowered my action and of course i noticed that my mando sounded different. obviously, there was less volume. the thing i'm not sure about is whether the tone has changed, or whether its the same tone, just quieter. any thoughts joe

[mandonewbie]

I'm a beginner concentrating on bluegrass initially. I lowered mine so that it's easier to practice the chop chords. I noticed a significant difference in the sound volume, but the tone seems to have stayed the same.

[jim_n_virginia]

I play fast (flatpick guitar and mandoin) and I like the action low, low, low BUT not so low that the strings buzz. i play pretty hard so I just start high and bring it down until I hear strings buzz then I raise it JUST a tad. Usually I have the high E string side a touch lower than the G side to make up for string size.

I just got a new (er) mandolin and I have been adjusting the action for two days now. I just about got it perfect. My new mandolin came with a Brekke bridge so you can adjust action under full tension, of course you have to retune after you adjust. It is a COOL inovation!

I don't think action affects tone much, maybe a tiny bit. To my ears the tone has everything to do with what kind of wood the mandolin is made of, whether it was tap tuned or not, how much it has opened up over time, and humidity and what kind of strings you are using.

I just lowered my action drastically and it pretty much still sounds the same to me, only I don't have to press as hard on the strings.

[Michael Lewis]

There will always be exceptions to any rule, but in general as the strings get close to the frets (before any buzzing or rattling)you lose tone and volume. Obviously higher action causes a taller bridge and greater string break angle, which causes greater down pressure on the top which drives the top a bit more briskly. This is only part of what goes on between high and low action on the same instrument. The rest of the process is in the dynamics of the strings and the structure of the instrument. Some mandolins are more sensitive than others in this regard but in general the idea holds true. Chris Thile plays with a very low action while David Grisman uses a fairly high action. When playing through a microphone you can't hear too much difference in volume but in an acoustic jam you will not have any trouble hearing David.