Parts of the Guitar

Before learning anything related to instrumental technique, it is only common sense to learn about the different parts of the guitar itself in order to gain a better understanding of how the instrument works. Body The body of the guitar makes up the larger end of the instrument, and is responsible for the resonance of the guitar based on its particular construction (the construction of the body can vary between different guitars, even of the same type or manufacturer). Strings They vibrate when struck and produce sound. Each string is tuned to a specific pitch, or note. These pitches are, from the thinnest string to the thickest, E B G D A E.

Neck The neck is the long, skinny part that looks like, you guessed it, a neck. This part needs to be especially strong because it is responsible for keeping the strings at their required tensions which amounts to quite an immense amount of pressure. To assist in keeping the strength of the neck, there is usually a metal rod running along its length inside the wood called a truss rod. This also helps keep the wood of the neck from warping under all that pressure.

Headstock At the end of the neck oppositie the side of the body is the headstock. This piece holds the tuning machines which tighten or slacken the strings to their required tension when tuning the guitar.

Fretboard This is the flat piece of wood that sits on top of the neck and holds the frets in place.

Frets The frets are the metal wires that are laid perpendicular to the neck. Their purpose is to stop the string at specific points in order to produce different pitches along the length of the strings.

Nut The skinny thing between the fretboard and the headstock is the nut. It keeps the strings equally spaced along the neack and body of the guitar. Bridge The bridge is located on the body of the guitar and acts as an anchor to the strings. Saddle The Saddle is a component of the bridge which the string passes over and provides the point at which the vibrating section of the string begins. This is also the point along the string from which the scale length of the string is measured from. Soundhole Located between the base of the neck and the bridge on an acoustic guitar, the soundhole is where the sound passes through from the body. Pickguard This is an optional component attached to the body just under the soundhole that is responsible for protecting the finish from being scratched by a plectrum (a pick). Pickup The pickup is located where the soundhole would be on an electric guitar. It is a magnetic device that picks up the frequencies of the vibrating strings and amplifies them through an amplifier.