[Greg Lorisco]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I never measure action. I play the bass and adjust it till it plays well. If the string height (action?) is too low, you wont be able to dig and and get sound from the bass. If you like paying speed tricks then I can see the need for guitar like action, hence, playing a bigger guitar. My concept of playing the bass is simple. Playing the BASS, not the Flute or Guitar or Piano.

I made my living playing bass for 20 years. Playing tricks or extra notes does not sit well with other musicians. They just want the bass part from a bass player.

Playing for fun and playing for a living is often two different types of playing!

Ken, I have not been playing as long as you and can appreciate and agree with what you are saying. However, a lot of the gigs I play have sets with fairly complex (fast and intricate) basslines that are not adding notes, they are actually part of the arrangement. Having a big spongy action does not work well for these kids of pieces. Sure, rock and other 16th note based music does not require fast changes across that neck, so high action would be fine. But some Jazz, R&B, and Gospel is an entirely different animal.

Also, the instrument, thanks to early pioneers, has been pushed way beyond basic simple grooves in a lot of venues. While playing more notes in the past may have been new and threatening to other musicians, today it is often expected. In fact, I have been asked more than once to do fast guitar-like runs (sometimes as a unison line with the lead guitar).

So I would have to say that overall, depending on the style you play, lower action will help most of the time for most players in most venues.