Playability

How comfortable an instrument is to actually play, which depends on far more than its specifications.

Action, relief, nut slot depth, fret condition, neck profile, string gauge, scale length and body shape all contribute, and they interact: a slim neck with a high action is harder work than a chunky one set up properly. Because the factors trade off, playability is not a quantity that can be maximised in the abstract, only matched to a player's hands, strength and style. Two identical instruments can differ substantially in how they feel.

Example: two guitars of the same model can play quite differently simply because one has been set up for a light touch and the other was left at the factory settings.

Playability

See also