Best Acoustic Guitars With Low Action

As you have probably known, the action height can have a huge impact on the playability, tonality, and sound production of a guitar.

That being so, it is essential that the action measurement is properly adjusted, especially with beginners’ guitars.

Indeed, a false start can gradually kill off the passion one has for guitar playing while it is supposed to be an enjoyable learning experience.

Therefore, we are here today to offer our best acoustic guitar with low action review, with the intention of recommending to you the best guitars to start off your journey in the right way!

Are you in a hurry? Quick look at our list below:

• Fender CD-60 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
• Fender Malibu Player Acoustic Guitar
• Fender CD-60S Beginner Dreadnought Pack
• Washburn Apprentice G-Mini 5
• Yamaha JR2TBS 3/4 Scale Guitar Tobacco Sunburst
• Oscar Schmidt OG2SM Spalted Maple Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
• Orangewood 6 String Acoustic Guitar
  

What Is A Low Action On Acoustic Guitars?

The guitar action is simply the distance between the strings and the fretboards.

The further the distance between the strings and the frets becomes, the higher the action will be.

With that said, low actions on acoustic guitars refer to the gap between the strings and the neck, which is considerably narrow.

It can solve the existing problems of high action guitars, which is the excessive pressure it requires from our hands to create a decent sound.

Nevertheless, guitar with low action is not one hundred percent beneficial or completely superior to high action, for the player's levels and experience dictate its necessity.

For instance, if you are a complete beginner and pressing down chords is already difficult, then a low action will help tremendously.

Without putting a lot of pressure on the fingers, you still can produce the sound you want to a certain extent.

However, a low action is not recommended for intermediate players and above, for it strips the sound down to the most simple form and takes away the dynamic range of the tone.

A Thin and Comfortable Neck Is The Key

Although the neck shape doesn’t affect the instrument’s sounds, it still plays an important role in making sure the hands are in comfortable positions.

To make playing guitar as effortlessly as possible, you should prioritize the one with a thin and comfortable neck.

It might seem like a trivial thing to consider, but spending two hours straight in a bad hand posture can be extremely painful for someone who wants to learn guitar seriously.

The most common shape that you might come across must be the C-shape neck.

This shape is the most recommended for starters, for its elliptic curve is the most accurate simulation of the palm’s natural curvature, and the neck is super thin and easy to hold. 

Aside from that, if you are into a more unique-looking neck that can also serve an aesthetic purpose, a V-shape one will work perfectly for you. The neck is thin, and the shape is still comfortable enough for beginners to play it without any problems at all.

Are There Any Disadvantages To Low Action? 

Despite its helpfulness to beginning players, a guitar with low action comes with some certain disadvantages that you should take into account.

The main problem that people might have with a low action is the annoying fret buzzing.

Basically, the guitar makes a sound by vibrating the strings back and forward on the soundboard.

If the strings stay too close to the neck, the vibrating movements will be lessened, therefore leaving a buzzing sound to the note you’re playing.

Besides that, a low action can increase the rate of mistakenly pressing on the adjacent strings.

Therefore, even though the sound is easier to come out with  low action, making a clean and proper sound can take a lot of practice.

How To Lower The Action On Acoustic Guitars? (Guides)

Adjust the truss rod

Before lowering the guitar action, some guitars require you to adjust the truss rod first.

To know whether your guitar needs truss rod’s modification or not, you have to examine the straightness of the neck.

To do so, just simply lay the guitar on an even surface, hold it at your eye level and check if it’s straight or not.

If your guitar neck is not fully straight yet, you have to adjust the truss rod first.

This part is located on the inside of the neck and can be adjusted through a nut at the headstock.

Adjust the string action to low

After that step, you are ready to adjust the string action.

You can choose a screwing tool to unscrew the truss rod cover to fix the strings.

In the process, make sure not to loosen the strings, because it can affect the pitch quality and messes with the final results.

Rescrew the truss rod back to its original place

If you have done every step right, now your guitar strings are already lowered, and it’s time you reattached the truss rod back to its original place.

To make this step less laborious, it would be best to apply some lubrication on the truss rod nut’s surface, especially if your guitar is already old.

Tune your guitar

Screwing the truss rod back, and you finally finish the lower action process.

Don't forget to tune your guitar again after the adjustment to make sure there is no unnecessary tension or loose strings left.

Best Acoustic Guitars With Low Action - Top 7 Review

Fender CD-60 Acoustic

If you have dabbled in the guitar world, the name Fender must ring a bell for you.

It is one of the most top-notched guitar brands, providing a wide range of guitar options for different player’s types.

This Fender CD-60 acoustic specifically gears towards beginning guitar players who are just learning chord shapes or strumming patterns.

The first trait that makes this guitar beginner-friendly has to do with its dreadnought design.

Because of the considerably large size, these guitar types produce a much louder, clearer sound than the concert types.

Therefore, starters whose fingers are too weak to press the strings firmly will still be able to make clear sounds.

On top of that, this guitar has a low action of about 2.0mm on the high E string, 2.8mm on the low E string, making bar chords a piece of cake for you.

The only concern of this product is none but its bridge and saddle material.

They are made from plastic and can be easily scratched.

Therefore, you should minimize the exposure to these areas of the guitar if not necessary.

Fender Malibu Player

This Malibu Player is one of the creations from the Fender’s California Series of acoustic guitars and has been well-loved for its electric guitar-inspired look and features.

This buddy is the most apparent proof for the creative expression, manufacturing experience, and focus on the detail of this brand.

Let us elaborate more on some of this guitar’s distinguishing features compared to the classic acoustic design.

The very first difference you might notice is a headstock area, for a usual acoustic headstock holds three pegs on each side.

However, this guitar's peghead replicates an electric Stratocaster look, which contains all six pegs in one line of the head and shares the same color with the soundboard.

Along with that, the unique slim-taper C-shaped profile of the neck accentuates the rock-and-roll spirit while reducing the finger stretching’s pain, which usually happens on acoustic guitar.

Last but not least, we must talk about the preamp and tuner of this guitar.

The pickup system contains various onboard controls, which you can flexibly modify depending on your taste.

It works in cooperation with a built-in tuner to produce pure, resonant tones even when the amplification is in use.

On the downside, the price of this guitar is considerably steep for someone who just started out.

Therefore, you should consider thoroughly before making the final decision.

Fender CD-60S

As the name might suggest, this CD-60S acoustic from Fender is an upgraded version of the original CD-60 model.

With the combination of simplicity, beautiful tone, and affordability, this guitar is another priority if you are in the lookout for something within the budget for starting out.

In terms of similarity, the CD-60s version still provides surety for including every key strength that the previous one possesses.

The most recognizable sharing traits are the dreadnought design and a low action fretboard, which will maximize the string's contact to produce cleaner sound without much pressure on your fingertips.

Not everything shares the same price as it can offer such a thing!

Be it as it may, the CD-60s has taken the game to the next level with the improvement of the essence.

To be more specific, the soundboard, as well as the neck back and sides, have now been upgraded to laminated mahogany.

This material is essential in polishing up the tone, making the sound flowing into your ears become much richer and warmer.

That, together with a rigid spruce top and scalloped "X"-bracing, gives room for the stronger projection, which will tremendously amplify your guitar sound without too much finger force.

Nevertheless, since the guitar’s inner surface has no finishing coat but a bare wood panel, the inferior area can be easily scuffed up and affects the sound production of the strings.

Washburn G-Mini 5

Spending some time on guitar forums, we have stumbled upon many people whose comments complaining about how their small-sized hands have prevented them from fully enjoying the guitar.

If that’s your case, then this small-scaled G-Mini 5 acoustic from Washburn will free you from this mildly infuriating issue.

How come this guitar works perfectly for people with small hands, you may ask.

The answer firstly comes from the size reduction and a low action fretboard.

This 7/8th sized instrument with a low action will put your fingers on a more comfortable and less stretching position.

Also, since the neck width and fretboard distance are considerably narrowed down, it will make a perfect guitar if you want to play some complicated jazzy hand positions without fret buzzing.

Another worth-mentioning trait of this instrument is its grand auditorium shape.

The shape has a lot in common with the typical all-round dreadnought one; however, it is narrower in the waist curve.

This specific design gives the guitar a brighter tone while keeping the sound resonant in any playing style such as fingerpicking, strumming, palm muting, sweeping, or licking.

The main concern users have with this guitar is related to its size.

Due to the modest measurement, it is not recommended for performing in a large chamber and concert halls.

Yamaha JR2

The JR2 acoustic is the second one in the JR collection from Yamaha.

In comparison to the first version, Yamaha has taken steps forward to enhance the playability and intonation of the instrument.

For that reason alone, this guitar deserves a shoutout from us in this review list.

Now let’s take a closer look at the sound production of this buddy, for this is the key improvement of the newer model.

Particularly, the JR2 has a thinner finish and the mahogany-covered back and sides, leaving room for more vibration to go through the soundboard.

Therefore, this guitar will satisfy the training ear with the more upscale, resonant, and fuller sounds.

Plus, like every other guitar in our list, this buddy also has a low action.

So if you are looking for a nice guitar to practice basic finger positions, picking patterns to perform your favorite songs, then definitely give this product from Yamaha a shot.

What’s more, the construction of this guitar’s neck is extremely reliable and sturdy, especially for a beginner guitar at the price that the JR2 offers.

To be more particular, the neck is made from nato wood, which is much more affordable than mahogany while still embodying its basic properties.

However, some people might be put off if an aesthetically pleasing guitar is what they are after, for this guitar’s neck has a less appealing look compared to the mahogany one.

Oscar Schmidt OG2SM

As you could probably see, with such a unique finishing coat, the OG2SM acoustic from Oscar Schmidt has been a source of fascination for many customers.

Believe it or not, some purchasers have admitted that their initial motives for purchasing this guitar were mere because of its appealing spalted maple coat.

To add to the effect, the OG2SM also has a distinctive headstock bride shape and pickguard designs, giving the instrument an original look that sets it apart from the other contenders in the market.

In addition to that, the brand gives you two fretboard options to choose from based on your reference: maple fretboard or rosewood fretboard.

Technically, these two materials share many similarities, for they are both masterful at creating mesmerizing sounds and prolonging the lifespan of acoustic guitar.

Be it as it may, whether people purchase this buddy for its look or not, they must acknowledge the playability, tonal quality and the comfortable feel that the OG2SM brings about.

Allow us to go into more detail. In terms of sound quality, this guitar features an ebony top for the clean, bright sound effect without any buzzing fret.

The secret lies in the porous quality of ebony, for this material has lots of tiny pores that allow air to pass through to create more full-bodied sounds.

On the negative side, the order of this guitar has no containing bag or protective hard case included.

Therefore, if you often travel with your instrument, consider purchasing them separately.

Orangewood Acoustic Guitar

The last acoustic guitar with low action we put on our recommended list today is the one from Orangewood.

The main reason for that is because of the soundboard shapes’ variety the brand offers.

To be more specific, Orangewood includes three common guitar shapes, which is cutaway, dreadnought, and grand concert.

You might have heard about the dreadnought type a lot, but there's a high probability you don’t know much about the cutaway and grand concert type.

To make it clearer for you, a cutaway guitar has an indented curve on the upper side, mainly to make access to the upper frets easier.

If you tend to use upper frets more often or are into bright  treble sounds, then the Orangewood cutaway is perfect for you.

On the other hand, concert guitar still has an all-round shape as a dreadnought, and the main difference is the guitar body.

Specifically, concert guitars have smaller bodies and less low ends. An Orangewood concert guitar will be an ideal companion for someone who loves fingerstyle or solo playing.

Furthermore, the brand also provides a full set of gig bags and essential accessories.

If you are a complete beginner who hasn't had any guitar-related gears, buying them with the guitar will save you a lot of time and money.

The only drawback of this product is none but its lack of left-handed version.

That being so, any left handed people who are into this cutaway shape might have to look into other brands instead of Orangewood.

FAQs 

How do you fix low action on an acoustic guitar?

The action on acoustic guitars can be lowered by adjusting your truss rod nut.

This process is quite straightforward, and you can try it at home if necessary, as long as you have a reliable source of instruction.

How do you get the lowest action on a guitar?

Instead of finding the way to get the lowest action on a guitar, you should find out how low it is enough for your action.

Typically, a functioning low-action will be 0.3mm on the low E string and 0.15mm on the high E string compared to 0.76mm and 0.4mm of normal action.

How do you get low action without fret buzz?

If you experience string buzzings in a low action setup, there’s a high chance your guitar neck is back bowed.

To fix this issue, you just need to loosen the truss rod to reduce the tension the strings create.

How do you lower the action on an acoustic guitar without a truss rod?

Unfortunately, the action of a guitar without a truss rod can’t be manually lowered.

For the alternative measures , you can change the strings to the lighter gauge for tension relief of the string.

The Bottom Line

Our best acoustic guitars with low action review has finally drawn to an end.

We hope you have equipped yourself with enough information to make a smart choice when purchasing an acoustic guitar with a low action with our guidance.

In the decision-making process, it would be best to dig further into each recommended product and form your own opinion on which product is the most suitable for you.

All things considered, we wish you luck and hope to see you again on our next review!

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Ibanez Acoustic Guitars Review

Further reading:

https://www.wikihow.com/Lower-the-Action-on-an-Acoustic-Guitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_guitar

https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/guitar.htm

https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/acoustic_guitar/mechanism/