Neck angle/saddle height question

[lmacmil]

I've got 4 acoustics, two are decent North American made and two are Chinese made, essentially beginner/low end guitars (solid top/laminated back/sides). Of the four, only 1 (one of the NA made) has lots of saddle material visible and it also has the lowest action. It's also the only one whose strings are 1/2" above the top at the bridge. The others all have 1/8" visible saddle or less and string heights above the top of .410 to .440". Both of the Chinese guitars have 12th fret action in the 7-8/32" range which may be high but since I don't play up the neck much, not really a problem for me.

I guess my question is, is the (relatively low) saddle height and high action the result of normal, neck angle variability or are the neck angles off by design or manufacture? One of the Chinese guitars has a set neck and the other has a bolt-on neck (which presumably could be shimmed to improve the neck angle, right?)

[charles Tauber]

In a factory setting with even a modicum of quality control, there should be very little variation from one instrument to the next of the same design. That leaves it to either being by design or by movement of the instrument over time (creep).

[pfox14]

I don't think it's likely that you would find any decent consistency with Chinese made guitars. Hopefully, there is a way to shim the neck if it's a bolt-on, so ou can get the angle you desire. It's usually not worth the cost to have the work done by a repairman, as it would wind up costing as much as the guitar is worth.