Opinions on Raising/Lowering action

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by Vanceman

I used to like really low action, and just accepted the occasional clack, but when I tried a friend's bass that was just professionally set up, I was suprised how high the action was. Turns out, I like the springy feel and clean sound of higher action, plus better dynamics. As long as I keep my endurance up, 4-5 hours of playing is easy now.

I agree. When I first started out, I wanted really low action so I could play "faster." After playing a while, my finger strength has increased and I now sound cleaner with higher action without losing speed.

[MikeVQ]

I like mine set pretty low and like a few others here I don't mind a little buzz. I changed strings about a week ago and with the new strings the action was considerably higher. I was suprised at just how uncomfortable it was for me. No real issues either way for me as far as how hard I pick, but most of the patterns I use to warm were beyond difficult to play with a higher action.

[Grinky]

I've always wondered why a lot of people like putting their action so low. The buzzing bugs me like a mosquito buzzing around your ear! What I've read so far is that higher action = more effort (especially on really fast licks), but thats ok. Nothing good and worth doing has ever been easy. =p Again, its all up to preference. I say high, without buzzing. The best incentive - wider range of dynamics.

Also. Its good training if you want to pick up the double bass sometime in the future.
Don't worry, you're probably not too old to start. I really, really don't think there is a mini-version of a double bass meant for children. You start when you're big enough! That'll mean what. 13, 14, 15? You're not far behind. =p