Originally Posted by: andrewlross87

For the past year I've been practicing on an off with my Strat and I always struggled with barre chords. This past year, my wife bought me a Martin and I can now finger barre chords with relative ease. Why is it so difficult on my Strat? Is the action too high?

That's absolutely possible. It could be the nut slots are not cut deep enough, or the bridge saddles are too high. The neck could also be a culprit if it has too much of a curve.

If you aren't comfortable with assessing or adjusting it yourself, then I encourage you to take your guitar to a local music store & ask them to have a look at it. Or just go to the store to compare for yourself how the action is on some of their Strat style guitars.

Hope this helps!