[gmku]

I've always had trouble with barre chords on my acoustic too--and I have one with very good "action," a Taylor, which is considered very "playable" in that regard. I've devised ways to play around that--I've made up weird fingerings and alternate tunings and so on, just to avoid playing barre chords. Keith Richards said once that guitar players are nothing if not lazy; I've taken that as my inspiration and always look for the easy way out of a chord problem.