Why does your fretted instrument need an Action Setup ? Bill Langsdorf, professional lutherie since 1994, is a firm believer in making Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins and other fretted instruments as easy to play as possible.  This means having the strings as close as possible to the neck – low action.  A low action makes for less strain on your fingers, reduces the intonation change when fretting a note, and makes playing up the neck less difficult.  This benefits not only experienced players but is even more important for beginners since many instruments even when new are not set up for optimum playability.  Many new players are held back or even give up playing because their guitars are so hard to play. Older instruments may change over the years; wood moves and swells and shrinks with humidity and age.  The metal frets on the neck wear with playing and become grooved.  So if your instrument is hard to play, has string buzzes, or goes out of pitch noticeably as you play higher on the neck, an action set can make it play like new or even better.  Many experienced players are amazed at the difference a good action setup makes. 

A complete action setup includes: 

1. Level the frets so they are all exactly the same height with no grooves. 
2. Recrown the fret tops so they are rounded not flat. 
3. Polish the frets so they are smooth and shiny as new. 
4. Adjust the truss rod (if installed), the height of the bridge saddle, and    the height of the slots in the nut for optimum playability with no buzzing. 

This does not include any replacement parts such as frets which are too worn to level without reducing their height below the minimum, or a new nut or saddle which may be necessary if their heights are incorrect.The instrument will be completely inspected for any other problems which may exist.  It is assumed the instrument does not need any major repairs which would need to be done before an action setup would be of any benefit, such as a neck reset, guitar bridge reglue, or internal structural repairs.