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I know for certain that a lower action on a guitar makes playing easier, but does having a high action makes you more skilled by overcoming the extra difficulty or is it just an inconvenience?

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The benefits of higher action go to lack of buzz. You can pick harder, which is nice for certain musics. I think it helps harmonics a little. I suppose there's some "You gotta want it, Rocky!" aspects, but really, yeah, high action is mostly something that'll keep beginners from moving forward.

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I think it also depends on where on the fretboard you're playing. The lower down (like metal) it is, I think higher action becomes less of a problem. (lets you pick hard, reduces buzz for the open chords, etc) – segiddins Oct 16 '12 at 20:54
I agree with your "depends" point, but I think high action is easier in the top five frets, where the strings get closer to the fretboard because you're near the nut, so thick-string high-action dreadnoughts are the standard heavy-strumming bluegrass style. Or, am I restating your point while thinking I disagree? – VarLogRant Oct 17 '12 at 4:37
Abnormally high action can make playing difficult. But, within certain parameters, action up to individual player preference. On acoustic, I find higher action translates into slightly deeper tone. Lower action also makes the guitar slightly easier to play (although not as much as switching to lighter strings). – neilfein Oct 17 '12 at 4:53
I do remember my first guitar, which had such a bad bend in the body that the strings were nearly an inch off the fretboard by the 17th fret. Got my finger strength up a lot - so much so that I found it really easy to barre chords when I got my first electric :-) – Dr Mayhem♦ Oct 17 '12 at 9:56
@VarLogRant, I think we're agreeing – segiddins Oct 17 '12 at 10:59
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