Action Plan

This month Alex Bishop gets forensic on lowering action, and explains how to get the best playability from your guitar

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A good guitar setup is often looked upon as somewhat of a dark art. Much like taking your car to a trustworthy mechanic, it sometimes feels like only an experienced luthier should be allowed under the bonnet to probe around looking for something to fix. However, as I often teach my students, guitar setups are easy if you know how.

Besides acquiring a few simple tools and clearing the kitchen table, there is nothing to stop the casual guitarist from getting into basic guitar maintenance, and the benefits can be game-changing. I'm not suggesting you fire up your espresso machine's milk frother to steam off a Martin neck, nor am I advocating ripping out frets from your custom shop Tele. But I do think that with a little knowledge and some basic kit, a well-set-up guitar can shave years off the practice schedule. Sometimes the struggle is not the less than nimble fingers, rather a guitar that is fighting back instead of giving back.