What Should the Action Be on an Acoustic Guitar?

If your fingers feel like they're doing a heavy-duty workout just to hold down a simple C chord, you're probably wondering what should the action be on an acoustic guitar to make it actually feel playable. There's nothing that kills the vibe of a practice session faster than a guitar that fights you every step of the way. If the strings are sitting a mile off the fretboard, your hands are going to get tired, your intonation will be off, and you'll likely just end up putting the instrument back in its case. ...

May 21, 2026 · 7 min · Reed Nordin