What is the Average Cost to Lower the Action on a Guitar?

Are you confused about the action on your guitar? Along with the pricing, Here I have some great insights for you related to your questions like why, when, and most importantly how much?

So, How Much Does it Cost to Lower the Action on a Guitar? If your guitar is in good condition then On average, A Technician could charge you around $40 to $60 dollars to lower your guitar action. whereas if you have a low-quality guitar or your guitar’s neck is out of whack then you may need to spend even more.

Is this a fair price? Can you adjust your guitar’s action on your own? Let discuss:

How do You Know if your Guitar Action is too High?

Guitar action depends on the type of guitar you have and what kind of strings you put on the. Generally, classical guitars have relatively higher action due to the nylon strings whereas, acoustic and electric guitar’s string action vary significantly from different brands and models.

Here’s the simple thing you can do:

Go to your local store or to the place where you can access a bunch of guitars. Just try playing with the different guitar models, while keeping your playability and comfort in mind.

But, there’s one downside here:

If you’re an entry-level guitar player and don’t have much experience, it’s going to be uncomfortable for you to press the strings, irrespective of the guitar.

So, here I am giving you some measurements about what we usually consider as a low, medium, or high action, but remember, this is not a hard-n-fast rule.

All you need to do is, hold the guitar in the playing position and measure the hight of the upper string on 12th fret. You can use any scale at your home or simply buy a string action gauge for couple of bucks.

Note: All the measurement here are taken on 12th fret of Low E (Thick) String and are in milimeter.

Guitar / Action	Low Action	Medium Action	High Action
Acoustic Guitar	2.0 mm	2.5 mm	3.8 mm
Electric Guitar	1.6 mm	2.5 mm	3.5 mm
Classical Guitar	3.2 mm	3.9 mm	4.7 mm

Does Lowering Guitar Action Affect Sound?

Changing the guitar action does affect the tone and overall sound of the guitar. Generally, low string action makes your guitar sound brighter whereas higher string hight provide you better resonance and sustain in the sound, while making it more mellow and open.

Is Lower Guitar Action Easier to Play?

Most guitar players prefer lower guitar action due to the comfort and ease in playability. Low action allow you to press the strings easily, which is great for reducing finger soreness. Also, different styles like hammer-ons and slides are easier to play on a lower guitar action.

Note: Is is also possible that your fret will start buzzing due to super-low string hight. As a guitarist, you need to find the balance between no-buzz and lowest possible guitar action.

If you’re just starting out in the guitar world, I would recommend you to get an action as low as possible, because it can significantly change your learning curve.

Why Lowering Action on Guitar Cost this much?

If you search for, you can get so many tutorial to lower your guitar action at your home by yourself. But personally, I recommend you to outsource this job to a technician who knows what he is doing.

Now, there are many factors that come with lowering guitar action. If you’re having an electric guitar, then its bridge type can affect this price. If you’re talking about acoustic guitar, then saddle and truss rod comes into play.

Depending on the condition of your guitar, the technician will do the work and charge you money accordingly.

Also, this price range depends on your locality. In America, even if you go for a complete guitar setup, it won’t cost you more than $80 to $90, which is definitely not a bad price, as it increases the overall life of your instrument.

But:

If you think, this is a lot of money, or if you want to try this on your own, here’s a quick guide for you.

How Can You Lower the Guitar Action on your Own?

Here’s steps to lower your guitar action height:

1. Measure your Action Height
2. Check if you’re guitar’s neck is straight
3. Check if you need to Adjust your Truss rod
4. Adjust saddle height, if your guitar’s bridge allows you to do that.
5. You can also try filling your saddle.
6. . . .

Here’s the step-by-step video that walks you through the complete process. Check that out before you start adjusting anything else.

Final Words on Costs to Lower your Guitar Action

Whether you have decided to do it on your own or you’re going to visit your near by guitar repair shop, now you know, how much money you can possibly spend.

Again, I recommend you to visit the nearby repair shop and if possible make the complete set up of your guitar. This not only increases your guitar life in the long term but you’re also going to enjoyed playing when you come back to your home.

If you have any kind of doubts related to this topic, feel free to put it down in the comment section. I will definitely get back to you, as soon as possible. Also, share how much does it cost to lower the action in your city in the comments. this will definitely help other people.

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• How to Make Your Guitar Sound Warmer?
• How Many Strings Does a Bass Guitar Have?
• Different Types of Basses