Parts of a Guitar

Binding 1 ornamentation applied to electric acoustics, and high-end solid bodies is binding; a plastic or wood strip around body, neck, headstock and f-hole edges. Can be plain, chequered, or in any number of striped layers.

Body The Guitar ♥ body is typically made of wood, often 1 piece, but sometimes several pieces glued together. It may be solid, hollow, or semi-hollow. Woods used include ash, alder, maple, mahogany and spruce, and many other tropical species. Guitar ♥ bodies are usually finished with nitro-cellulose or polyester paint finishes.



Bridge A Guitar ♥ bridge can be attached to the body, or free-floating; just held in place by the downward force of the Stringss. It usually consists of a base of some kind, with fixed, or preferably moveable saddles. This is 1 end of the Stringss vibration, and should be twice the distance of the nut to the 12th fret. Intonation is set by the precise positioning of the bridge saddles.

Frets The frets are the metal wire strips which cross the width of the Guitar ♥ neck. When a note is played, the fret becomes the endpoint of Strings vibration.

Fingerboard The fingerboard, or fret board is the part of the Guitar ♥ on which notes and chords are fretted. Typically they are made from more durable hardwoods, like rosewood, maple or ebony. Some Guitar ♥s, especially basses can have a fretless fingerboard, but most have somewhere between 18 and 24 frets

Headstock The headstock is at the far end of a Guitar ♥, and holds the machine heads.

Headstock Inlay Headstock inlays usually include a manufacturers logo, and on high-end Guitar ♥s other ornamentation. They are typically mother of pearl, but also abal1, or plastics. Less expensive Guitar ♥s often have decals that replicate the inlay.

Machine Heads Also known as tuning keys, or just tuners. Machine heads are used to tune the open Stringss on a Guitar ♥ to the required pitch.

Input Jack In most cases, the input jack of a Guitar ♥ will be 1/4" and mono. The jack, when plugged in, connects the Guitar ♥ to the amplifier, and allows the signal from the pickups to be amplified to produce sound.

Neck Guitar ♥ necks are usually wood, often maple or mahogany. In most cases a separate fretboard is glued onto the neck, with a metal strengthening bar, the truss rod, sandwiched between the two.

Neck Inlays These can come in many shapes, cheaper Guitar ♥s usually are fitted with simple dots. Other Guitar ♥s may have blocks, trapezoids, or even ornate letters or pictures. Mother of pearl is the most widely used material, though entry level Guitar ♥s usually have plastic dots. These inlays typically mark the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 19th frets.

Nut The nut is the far end of the Stringss vibration (when an open Strings is played). Nut materials include plastics, b1, and brass.

Polepieces Polepieces are adjustable screws on a Guitar ♥ pickup, usually situated under each Strings. Raising or lowering these screws will adjust the signal strength, important on an instrument that has uneven Strings volumes - a higher polepice increases Strings volume, lower reduces it.

Pickup Selector Switch Pickup selector switches usually chose between different combinations of pickups. On a two pickup Guitar ♥ the choices are usually bridge pickup only, neck pickup only, or both pickups simultaneously. Guitar ♥s with three or mre pickups often have more complicated switch arrangements.

Pickup - Bridge The pickup nearest to the Guitar ♥s bridge is called the bridge pickup. This gives a brighter sound than the neck, and is sometimes called the lead pickup. Ideal for piercing solos and chimey chord playing.

Pickup - Neck The pickup nearest to the Guitar ♥s neck is called the neck, or rhythm pickup. This is darker sounding pickup, perfect for jazzy soloing and rhythm work.

Strap Button Strap buttons are usually situated on the bass of the Guitar ♥ body, and on the top horn, or the back near the neck joint. These are used too attach a strap to a Guitar ♥ in order to play it whilst standing.

Tailpiece The tailpiece holds the Guitar ♥ Stringss, and in some cases is combined with the bridge. Solid body Guitar ♥s have the tailpiece screwed into the front of the body, or mounted on posts that themselves screw into the body. Mounting on hollow-body Guitar ♥s is usually at the tail end, with a tailpiece that extends round to the front.

Tailpiece The tailpiece holds the Guitar ♥ Stringss, and in some cases is combined with the bridge. Solid body Guitar ♥s have the tailpiece screwed into the front of the body, or mounted on posts that themselves screw into the body. Mounting on hollow-body Guitar ♥s is usually at the tail end, with a tailpiece that extends round to the front.

Volume / T1 Controls The volume and t1 controls vary from Guitar ♥ to Guitar ♥. Some have master controls, whilst some have separate controls for each pickup.