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The guitar can be divided into two main parts: '''Body''' and '''Neck'''.  The terms ''front/back/side/etc'' can get a little confusing.  Typically the part that faces the audience and has the strings, pickups, bridge, and controls is the '''front''' or '''face''' (but sometimes also called the '''top'''); and the part that faces your body is the '''back'''.  All other parts of the body are called the '''side'''.  All ''directionality'' is usually along the ''neck-body'', or more commonly ''neck-bridge'', axis.  For example, a pickup is often called the neck pickup or the bridge pickup, based on whether it is the one closer to the neck or to the bridge.

[[#Fretboard.2C_Frets.2C_and_Fret_Markers|Frets]] are numbered starting ''furthest'' from the body.  Thus, "lower" and "higher" in relation to one's position on the neck refer to the numbers associated with the frets.  For example, the further your left hand is from the guitar's body, the lower you are on the fretboard.

Higher and lower can also be applied to strings, and this gets confusing.  When looking at the fretboard from a playing position, the thicker strings will be closer to the player and appear below the thinner strings.  Thus, ''visually'' they are lower.  Also, they are lower in ''pitch''.  Thus, typically the "low" strings are the thickest and high strings the thinnest, which is consistent with the visual layout of the fretboard and tablature.  However, strings are numbered from thinnest to thickest, so numerically, the thinnest strings are the "lowest".  '''Typically, low/high refers to the visual layout and pitches of the fretboard, not string number.'''