A guitar is a relatively simple musical instrument that became more complex as the years passed. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but some parts may require clarification. I made a list of every part of the guitar together with some explanations and interesting facts. At the end of this post, you’ll find a few guitar parts diagrams containing every part of the Acoustic, Classical, and Electric guitar that will help you understand where every part goes. Enjoy!
Here I go over all of the parts of a guitar. Some are exclusive to electrics, some to acoustics, and some to classical guitars. Most of them are used in all types of guitars (and guitar-style instruments). I did my best to sort them from the headstock all the way down to the body, but some of them are at the same height (such as the neck and fretboard), so bear that in mind. When in doubt, check the diagrams below.
The headstock is the top part of the guitar, where the tuning pegs are. They are divided into three main groups: Straight, Tilted back, and Scarf neck. Most of the time, the headtock and the neck are made of the same piece of wood, except for scarf necks, which is made of two pieces of wood glued together for additional strength. It may sound a bit odd, but the headstock significantly impacts the sound and sustain of a guitar. The tougher the headstock is, the less vibration it will absorb from the strings, resulting in longer sustain and richer harmonics.
Beginner Guitar Guides Parts Of A Guitar
The tuning keys are used to tune your guitar. A few different types of tuning pegs include Sealed tuning pegs (most common), Lock-in tuners, Closed / Open back vintage tuners, Side-mounted tuners, and staggered posts. Another thing to consider when looking at tuning pegs is their Aspect Ratio, which is responsible for tuning stability and accuracy. Upgrading your tuning pegs is probably one of the first guitar upgrades you’ll do. But bear in mind that each type of guitar has different tuners. Classical guitar tuners are different from acoustics, which are different from electrics.
String trees are the little metal pieces you can find on some headstocks and have two main jobs. One of them is to guide the strings into the nut slots (so they won’t have an angle when approaching the nut). And the other is to enhance the sustain when playing open strings. There are three main types of string trees: Butterfly (most common), Barrel/Roller, and Round/Disc.
The truss rod controls the curvature of the neck. It is used to strengthen the neck to compete with the string’s tension. There are three types of truss rods: Single-action truss rod, Dual action truss rod, and non-adjustable truss rod. A single-action truss rod counts on the string’s tension to create the desired curve. It’s working against it to create a balanced curve. A Dual action truss rod works both ways and can curve the neck in any direction, with or without the string tension. A Non-adjustable truss rod is pretty much exactly as it sounds. You can find it on very cheap entry-level guitars.
Guitar Anatomy: Understanding The Parts Of A Guitar
The guitar nut often gets a lot less credit than it deserves. Acting as the string’s last point of contact before they get over the fretboard. The nut is responsible for proper and even spacing between the strings.
There are many different types of guitar nuts, and some of them are Standard nut (most common), Compensated nut, Locking nut, Roller nut, and a Zero fret (that got a bad reputation for no good reason, but that’s a story for another day). The guitar nut can be made out of many different materials. Each of which has a different impact on the sound, sustain, and maintenance required during a guitar setup. Some examples of nut materials are Plastic, Bone, Graphite, Ebony, Metal, and Fossil Ivory. Upgrading the nut alone on an acoustic guitar has a massive effect on the tone. And it is one of the most cost-effective guitar upgrades.
The guitar neck (not to be confused with the fretboard) is a piece of wood located below the fretboard and between the guitar body and the headstock. A guitar neck can come in many shapes (usually called a “Neck profile”). Some of them are C shape (most common), V shape (vintage), U shape, D shape, and Asymmetrical. The guitar neck can be made out of many different types of tonewood. Here are some of the most common tonewood for guitar necks, sorted from the mellowest to the brightest: Rosewood, Mahogany, Basswood, Alder, Koa, Swamp Ash, Walnut Wenge, and Maple.
Different Parts Of An Acoustic Guitar
The fretboard is the part where the frets are (I bet you didn’t see that one coming, huh?), and is usually glued to the guitar neck. Sometimes, the neck and fretboard are the same piece of wood. Similar to the neck, the fretboard can also be made out of different wood species. Each has some unique tonal characteristics and appearance. Common wood types for fretboard include Ebony, Maple, and several types of Rosewood.
Frets are the metal “strips” on the fretboard. When a string is pressed, they control the note you’re playing. The frets come in different variations (sizes), and each design differs from the others by width and height. Common fret sizes are (sorted by width from narrow to wide): Vintage 6230, 6105, Vintage Jumbo 6150, Medium Jumbo 6130, and Jumbo 6100. Each fret size has different advantages and disadvantages regarding playability and intonation.
The Position Marker’s job is you help the player navigate on the fretboard. They are often inlaid on top of the fretboard (sometimes on the side, facing the player) and are used to mark the positions on the fretboard. They are usually found on the 3rd, 5th, 7th 12th, 15th, 17th, 19, 21st, and 24th frets. Although they serve the function of guiding the player on the neck, some manufacturers are taking an artistic view of their design. They are making the position markers from different materials and in different shapes. Materials include Plastic, Pearl, Bone, Wood, Gemstones, Stickers, Clay, and even a glow-in-the-dark material called Luminlay. Shapes include Dots, Rhombuses, Parallelograms, Isosceles Trapezoids, Shark fins, Rectangles, and PRS’ recognizable Birds.
Acoustic Vs. Electric Guitar
The strap buttons of a guitar are the places where you connect your guitar to the strap. There are usually two of them, one at the bottom of the body and another one on the other side of the body, either on the side or just behind the neck joint. Some Classical and Acoustic guitars come with just one strap button, on the bottom of the body (farthest away from the headstock). In that case, the other side of the strap is placed beneath the strings, between the nut and the tuning pegs.
The body of a guitar is the centerpiece that everything revolves around. In Acoustics and Classical guitars, this is the part responsible for the amplification. Whether in electrics, this is where the pickups, wiring, knobs, and switches are. In most cases, the body is the most recognizable part of a guitar. Some of the most well-known body shapes of electric guitars are the T-shape, S-shape, SG, 355, Les Paul, V, and Explorer. Well-known Classical / Acoustic guitar shapes are Dreadnought, Parlour, Jumbo, Auditorium, and Classical.
The pickguard is a protective piece of plastic that supposed to protect the body from aggressive picking. Although it’s a relatively simple part of the guitar, its placement made it one of the most modified parts of the guitar, with a lot of boutique artists making custom pickguard designs. It is one of the cheapest. and most effective ways to upgrade the looks of a guitar.
Overview Of The 9 Guitar Types
The soundhole is the acoustic version of the electric guitar’s output jack. This is where the sound is coming from after it was amplified inside the body. There are some different soundhole designs, and boutique luthiers are constantly coming up with even more of them. Some electric guitars (hollow and semi-hollow) also have a soundhole. In that case, it’s usually shaped like a violin’s soundhole, in the shape of an F, named: F hole. Some examples of creative soundhole designs are Ovation’s leaf holes, the Kasha Guitar with the soundhole often placed off the center of the body (close to the player), and some guitars even have it on the side of the body, favoring the player over the audience.
The rosette is a ring-shaped decoration around the soundhole, that also plays a role in reinforcing its structure. On cheaper acoustic or classical guitars, the rosette is purely decorative, and most likely painted or pasted before the finish is applied. On high-end and luthier-made guitars, a rosette is a place where the maker can show off their skill, as it’s considered one of the most complicated guitar parts to craft. It often contains different species of wood, pearls, and mother of pearl, assorted in complex patterns.
Most pickups are made of a metal wire wrapped around magnets and are used to amplify electric guitars. They act as a microphone, but instead of responding to a
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