22 Essential Guitar Parts: Guide with Names, Functions & Diagram

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player’s body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand while simultaneously pressing selected strings against frets with the fingers of the opposite hand. Today, there is a craze for learning guitar. So many young generations are in love with this musical instrument. These young generations are getting influenced by great singers. But, before learning, you need to know the guitar parts. So you can replace them if it gets damaged. There are two types, acoustic and electric. Acoustic guitar parts and electric guitar parts have various common parts. These parts of a guitar are assembled to make a proper musical instrument. In this article, we will see all those parts with their names & diagram.

Guitar Parts Diagram

Parts of a Guitar (Common)

Body

Out of all parts of the guitar, the body is the primary part. Generally, the body material is wood, but modern guitar uses carbon fiber or synthetic materials.

Tonewood such as maple or rosewood is the first choice for acoustic guitar. It helps to give quality to the sound.

The wood and finish of the body improve the look of the guitar. As per the type of guitar, the body can be hollow, semi-hollow, or solid. It helps to reduce weight.

The body divides into the upper bout, waist, and lower bout.

Headstock

It sits on the top of the neck and holds a tuning machine, truss rod, and nut. The headstock is straight or angle, and its design and shape differ as per the manufacturer and model. It anchors the guitar strings on the top side.

Neck

It is a long and thin wooden piece between the body and headstock. While performing, a right-hand person grabs the neck with the left hand, and a lefty person grabs the neck with the right hand.

The neck carries fretboard, frets, and truss rods and connects to the guitar body by bolting or glue. It has a U, V, or C shape per the manufacturer’s design.

Tuning Machines

These are the metallic devices on the headstock. It consists of a tuner & tuning post, pinion gear, worm drive, borehole, fixtures, and bush.

We wound the strings on the tuning machine to fix the strings from the top. As per our need, we can adjust the tension on strings through a tuning machine.

Nut

It is a piece of bone or plastic having notches. It connects the headstock to the neck.

When the string passes through the headstock, the nut keeps the strings align and allow them to pass through the fretboard to the bridge.

Fretboard

It is a separate piece of wood attached to the top of the neck. It is made from tonewood like maple or rosewood. This type of wood prevents dents on it. On the fretboard, we press the strings to make a cord.

Fret

These are the metal strips running throughout the fretboard and perpendicular to the strings. When we press the string between the fret, it reduces the length of the string, which gives a different note.

Strings

Strings are the wires that produce the vibrations to create the tone in the guitar. Six strings are present and have a gradually decreasing gauge or diameter. Its material is nickel, bronze, or steel.

Truss Rod

It is a metal piece inside the neck and runs throughout the neck. Its function is to withstand the pressure when strings are tensioned, and it is pressed while performing.

It is required to adjust truss rods properly for better tone quality.

Position Maker

Position makers are the dots on the fretboard that help the performer make a tone during the performance. They are available on a few types of guitars only.

Upper Bout

It is the upper portion of the body that is near the neck. Its width is small as compared to the lower bout.

Lower Bout

It is a lower portion of the body. Its width is greater than the upper bout.

Waist

It is an in-between part of the upper & lower bout. It is a curve shape.

Cutaway

A Cutaway is a cut in the body that allows the operator to reach the highest fret on the fretboard or neck. It also improves the look of the guitar’s body.

Pickguard

A pickguard is a protective cover of the guitar. It protects the guitar from scratches, wear, and dings from hard pick, even the most aggressive strummer.

It is available in various colors and designs and is easy to upgrade as per our requirements.

Output Jack

One end of the cable connects to the output jack, and the other is to the amplifier. It helps to transfer the guitar sound to the amplifier to increase the intensity of the sound.

Saddle

The function of the saddle is to give support to the strings and lift the strings to a specific height. It helps to transfer vibrations to the soundboard. It is placed at some angle to improve intonation.

Strap Buttons

Strap buttons are on the lower and upper bout of the guitar. It helps to connect the strap to the guitar. So a person can wear it during the performance.

Bridge

The bridge is an essential part of the guitar. Its placement on the guitar body defines the tone, feel, and music. The lower end of the string is connected to the bridge, and the upper end is to the headstock.

The function of the bridge is to give support to the strings and transfer vibrations to the soundboard. The material of the strings is wood, plastic, or bone.

Parts of an Electric Guitar

Control Knobs

There are two control knobs to adjust volume and tone. The function of the tone knob is to alter the frequency and brightness of the guitar, whereas the volume knob adjusts the overall output.

Pickups

In the acoustic guitar, pickups are under the bridge, whereas in the electric guitar, three pickups are present.

As per the location of the pickups, there is a difference in the sound. Pickups closer to the bridge give a bright sound, and pickups near the neck give a bassier & warmer sound.

Pickup Selector

If the guitar has multiple pickups, the pickup selector selects pickups as per the tone quality. It engages one or multiple pickups at a time to get a wide range of sounds and tones.

In the electric guitar, there are multiple pickups.

Parts of an Acoustic Guitar

Capstan

These are the cylindrical posts on the headstock. Through the capstan, we can insert the strings.

Sound Hole

The sound hole is responsible for creating tone. It is only available on acoustic guitar. When we vibrate the strings, bass frequencies produce and pass through the soundhole to enhance frequencies to construct the tone.

Rosette

It is a decorative circular outer edge of the soundhole. Its design improves the look of the guitar. As per the manufacturer, you will find the different structures of the rosette.

Bridge Pins

These are the pins that connect strings to the bridge. The material of the pins affects the sound quality. So, its material is wood, plastic, or bone.

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