Topic: Set up & action

Just learning and don't know the lingo.
I have read several posts that mention setting up your guitar properly. And others that mention the action. Can someone clarify the meaning of these two terms?

Re: Set up & action

Action is how high the strings are.  The distance is measured between the strings and the fret board.  Set up refers to a lot of things, but mostly to getting the action set to a comfortable level while still keeping in tune as you play all the way up the fret board.  There are a lot of videos on Youtube to tell you how to do it, but you're probably better off getting a professional to do it to your guitar if you aren't familiar with guitar tech kinds of stuff. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Set up & action

agreed that you need to let a pro do this for you, especially the first time you have it done to a given guitar.  a set up should include a new set of strings.  a good luthier will ask you what tone you are looking for on your guitar, assuming it is an acoustic.  warm and deep mellow sounds or brighter with more high end.  this allows him/her to choose the correct strings.  once set up you can change your own strings pretty easily.  youtube videos can help here.  a luthier will give a guiter a mechanical once-over as well as a cleaning with the set up so after this you should be good to go.  don't fall in love with a set of strings because you "just had them put on".  if you don't like the sound of a particular set of strings, change them to something else.  strings are cheap and take 15 mins to change.  save the wrapper in your case so you know which strings are on the guitar too.  i bought new strings once and them discovered that they were the same ones i was taking off because they sounded lousy.  save the old wrappers and write on the back whether they were good or what not for future reference.  good luck