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Guitar Parts and Functions

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'''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.'''

== Body ==

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The <u>Body</u> contains the ~~<u>~~[[#Tailpiece or Bridge|Tailpiece or Bridge]]~~</u>~~, ~~<u>~~[[#Pickups|Pickups]]~~</u>~~, ~~<u>~~[[#Pickup-Selector Switch|Toggle Switch]]~~</u>~~, ~~<u>~~[[#Knobs/Controls|Knobs]]~~</u>~~, ~~<u>~~[[#Cutaways and Horns|Cutaways and Horns]]~~</u>~~, ~~<u>~~[[#Neck Heel/Joint|Neck Heel]]~~</u>~~, and ~~<u>~~[[#Strap Pins|Strap Pins]]~~</u>~~.

=== Tailpiece or Bridge ===

There are numerous types. The Stratocaster's tremolo bridge is one of the more famous. It features individual adjustable saddles and a whammy bar. Some bridges are coupled directly to the guitar body, which claim to increase tone and sustain. Some are only attached to a few points, allowing the bridge to "float".

=== Pickups ===

Additionally, there are piezo pickups that detect vibration without using magnetism, useful to get an acoustic-like sound. And there are hexaphonic pickups that analyze each string and are typically used to convert the strings' motion into MIDI data. These are typically built into or reside very close to the bridge.

=== Pickup-Selector Switch ===

The switch does not ''have'' to be a toggle switch, although it ''usually'' is. It can also be a knob-switch, push-pull switch, or a set of buttons. Also, there can be multiple toggle switches on the guitar face, to allow complex selections between magnetic, piezo, and/or hexaphonic pickups, as well as the phase, serial/parallel, or coil tap wiring of magnetic pickups. In cases of ambiguity, you'll have to refer to the switch by its function; ie ''pickup-selector''-switch. If there's only one toggle switch, it's assumed that it is used to select the active pickup(s).

=== Knobs/Controls ===

A guitar may additionally include mini-switches, push-pull switches (often built into pots), buttons, or other electronic controls, which can be used for a variety of purposes, often to change the phase or serial/parallel operation of pickups, or different types of pickups when it has more than just magnetic pickups. However, it could also control some form of specialized electronics in the guitar, such as sustainer devices.

=== Electronics Cavity ===

There is typically a large hollowed-out section of the body between the pickups and the output jack called the <u>Electronics Cavity</u> that houses electronics, such as the potentiometers for the knobs, the pickup selector switch, connecting wires, and if necessary a battery. Sometimes it also encompasses the pickups and output jack. The cavity may be accessible from the face of the guitar if it has a large pickguard that covers it, like a '''Fender''' '''''Stratocaster'''''. Otherwise, it is accessible from the rear and covered by a piece of plastic screwed into the body.

=== Cutaways and Horns ===

Depending on the body shape, this may leave <u>Horns</u> - parts of the body that extend away from the body and towards the neck that resemble horns on animals.

=== Neck Heel/Joint ===

The <u>Neck Heel</u> or <u>Neck Joint</u> is simply the "pocket" cut into the body designed for the neck to fit into, where it is then usually bolted on. Some guitars are made mostly from a single piece of wood, where the neck runs through the body (''neck-through'' design). In this case, there is technically no neck heel, although it may still be used to refer to the place where the neck and body meet. A few different types of neck joints exist, designed differently to allow more comfort when reaching the highest frets.

=== Strap Pins ===

Some strap pins feature ''strap-locking'' technology to prevent the strap from slipping off the strap pin. Alternatively, there are other items, such as plastic disks that attempt the same effect using normal strap pins.

== Neck ==

The ''neck'' has the <u>[[#Headstock|headstock]]</u>, <u>[[#Tuners|tuners]]</u>, <u>[[#Nut|nut]]</u>, [[#Fretboard, Frets, and Fret Markets|<u>fretboard</u> and <u>fret markers</u>]].

=== Headstock ===

The <u>Headstock</u> is the part of the neck beyond the nut where the strings attach to the tuners. Some are angled, seeking to have the strings make sturdy contact against the nut. Many use string trees to attain the same effect. Manufacturers often have a signature shape/design for their headstock for aesthetic purposes.

=== Tuners ===

Some tuners are ''locking tuners'' - they feature an additional screw or other means to clamp the string inside the tuning peg. This makes initially tuning a new string easier and prevents strings from slipping or rewinding differently after a whammy bar dive.

=== Nut ===

Some nuts are ''locking nuts'', using hex bolts to clamp the strings inside the nut, so that tension between the tuners and nut remains firm even during a whammy bar dive. Without the locking nut on some guitars, a strong whammy bar dive can cause the strings to slack to the point where they become unwound around the tuning pegs. When the whammy bar is released, the string may wind differently or not at all around the tuning peg, causing the tuning to be off.

=== Fretboard, Frets, and Fret Markers ===

The ''fret markers'' are usually on the top side of the neck and often on the front of the fretboard as well. They indicate the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st frets. Fretboards are often made of a different type of wood than the neck of the guitar, making them easier to identify. It is glued to the front of the neck.

=== Strings ===

Electric guitar strings are typically made from nickel-plated steel. A typical set of electric strings has 6 strings - 3 wound and 3 unwound. Wound strings have a straight "core" string with another string wound/wrapped around it - this adds mass and lowers the string's resonant pitch while maintaining higher elasticity than simply using a single thicker solid string. Strings typically have one end with a metal or plastic "ball" ending with the other side being simply cut. The ball ending is used to hold the string in place in the guitar's tailpiece/bridge, while the cut end is placed through the tuner and wound tight.

<div class="going-top">[[#top|TOP]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>== Non-~~Guitar~~ guitar Parts ==

This covers common parts that, while not absolutely essential to learning or playing guitar, are used very often.

=== Pick or Plectrum ===

The ''pick'' or ''plectrum'' is a small, flat, usually triangular piece of plastic (or other materials) used to excite the strings. They generally have a ''tip'' used to make contact with the strings. There are a large variety of picks; I recommend you follow the instructions in the [[Choosing a Pick]] section to determine what you are most comfortable with.

=== Tuner ===

'''I like electrical best''', but this only works if you have an electric or acoustic-electric guitar. For more info, see [[Tuning and Harmonics]].

=== Cables ===

* '''MIDI''' - a 5 or 7 pin connector used to communicate [[MIDI]] information.

=== Amplifier ===

Since amplifiers have become synonomous with particular tones, some products may be marketed as amplifiers without being able to actually drive a speaker. They simply transform the tone of the signal but must be routed into an additional power amp to deliver performance level volume.

=== Speaker Cabinet ===

Cabinets can have open or closed backs, which affects their audible frequency response and resonance, as well as loudness.

=== Pedals/Effects ===

* Volume control

===Capo===

A ''capo'' is a device that uses a spring or screw to clamp the strings against the fretboard at any particular fret desired, effectively acting like the nut. This simply raises the pitch of the strings when played without being fretted. It's useful to play in different keys, using the open position chord fingerings but with the root notes that fit the desired key. For example, if you know a song in C and want to play it in D, you would either have to learn how to play it using different chord fingerings or voicings, tune each guitar string up a whole step which takes time and may make the strings too tense to play, or simply put the capo on the 2nd fret.

== Advanced Parts ==

Let's quickly discuss more advanced stuff. This will help you identify these parts, but we save adjusting them for a more advanced lesson.

=== Truss Rod===

The neck has a ''truss rod'' under the fretboard or embedded through the length of the neck, connected to the headstock and end of the neck by the neck heel. It is a metal bar, with adjustible tension used to straighten or allow it to bend. This is used to put tension on the neck to counter the tension of the strings, preventing the neck from becoming concave. The ideal neck is somewhere between perfectly flat and slightly concave, which allows each fret to sound with minimal as well as near-equal fret buzz across the entire fretboard.

=== String Tree ===

Some headstocks have one or more ''string trees'', which reside between the nut and tuners. These route the strings at a sharper downward angle on the nut, for cleaner tone and better sustain on open notes.

=== Tremelo System - Whammy Bar and Bear Claws ===

Tremelo systems also usually include or require a ''locking nut'' or ''locking tuners''. These prevent the strings from unwinding and rewinding differently during a heavy whammy bar dive, which would change the strings' tuning in the bridge's neutral position.

=== Bridge Saddles ===

All bridges have ''bridge saddles'' where there strings first touch the bridge - kind of like the nut. Most of the time these saddles are adjustable in some way. They can be raised or lowered to change the "action" of the guitar (which makes it more or less difficult to play at the expense of less or greater fret buzz). They can also be moved forward/backward to shorten/lengthen the string, which allows the instrument to be intonated (meaning it is in-tune across the entire fretboard). The tension/distance/mass relationship's effect on pitch is not as perfect as a simplistic model may assume - it is common for the thickest strings to require greater length than thinner strings, which is why it is favorable for the instrument to have a bridge with individual adjustable saddles.

== Miscellaneous ==

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===Polepieces===

''Polepieces'' are the visible metal cylinders inside the pickups. Some pickups have covers that hide these, while others don't have individual pole pieces for each string but a single "rail" that spans all the strings. Some pickups feature adjustable height on the polepieces, or come preset with various heighths. I haven't found adjusting them has much effect on the tone, other than getting them close enough to acheive "pole pull" which is undesirable.

===Pickguard===

The ''pickguard'' is the plastic area on the face of the body that prevents you from scratching the finish on the body. These aren't that expensive and can find various designs/colors for most of the common guitar body shapes. The pickguard or "pickup rings" are usually how the pickups connect to the guitar body, and features screws to adjust pickup height. In some guitars, there is no pickguard or pickup rings and the pickups are screwed directly into the guitar body - they may or may not have springs underneath and be adjustible in this case.

== Homework ==

Study your guitar and try to identify every single piece of it.

== Q/A ==

== Related Lessons ==

* [[Choosing a Guitar]]

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