Distance between fretboard and strings

[badsector]

Hi,
Just got a new acoustic guitar from some respectable merchant in my neighbourhood. Payed good money and was promised a high mid-range guitar.
I've recently read that good guitars must have an even distance between the strings and the fretboard all along the neck. Mine starts with difference of about 2mm at the nut and ends with 5mm. Was I fooled? Can the guitar still produce good results with this configuration? How about ease of playing (as I'm still a beginner) thanks.

[Jeff M]

NO no no. The heigth of the strings above the fretboard (aka the "action") gets smaller (closer to the fretboard) as you go towards the nut (the headstock end of the guitar). Most folks measure the action at the 12th fret, and everybody has their own personal favorite action. Bluegrass pick users tend to like higher actions (maybe, 7 tyo 9/64") vs fingerstyle players who like closer actions (maybe 3 to 5/64's of an inch from the bottom of the string to the top of the 12th fret.)

Here is a link to Frank Ford's Frets.com site and his discusion of "action". His site has a wealth of info for guitar owners-highly recommend you bookmmark it.;

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musi...raction01.html

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musi...nutaction.html

[Jeff M]

Oh, by the way, I suspect what you are referring to about the strings being an even distance from the fretboard all along the neck may have to to with the distance of the outer edges of the fretboard to the first and 6th strings as they travel up the neck. The outer strings generally parallel the edges of the FB.