The Parts of a Guitar
Guitar Diagrams

The parts of a guitar. It seems like most people look at a guitar and would say "Gee whiz a guitar."

That's really all they need to know.

The serious guitar student needs to know more about guitars because it will be their tool that they will use to make music.

Knowing the parts and their function will help you make sure you are getting the best possible sound that you get.

When you know how to get the best possible sound out of your guitar, it will open up the possibilities that you have pictured for yourself as a guitarist.

The Parts of a guitar - Acoustic and Electric Guitar.
What do they have in common?

1. Strings - Yes all working guitars have strings.

The number of strings they have can vary. The more strings the more sonic possibilities.

Most guitars have 6 strings. Some have more. We will stick with 6 for right now.

2.Bodies - The body holds everything together.

Each part is somehow attached to the body of the guitar.

Electric or acoustic, the vibration and resonance of the wood structure of the body affects the sound of the guitar.

Better wood and craftsmanship makes a tremendous difference in sound quality.

3. Necks - The neck of the guitar is where the action happens.

The neck not only holds the strings but the tuners, nut, frets and fretboard.

The neck is where all the notes played are fingered, tapped and sounded in various ways.

The design and material of the neck also has a dramatic effect on sound and the play-ability of the whole guitar.

4. Head -The head holds the tuners. The design of the head determines the placement and design of the tuners also.

5. The nut - The nut of the guitar holds the strings in place on the neck.

The material the nut is made of affects the sound of the guitar and it can be made of a variety of materials from fossilized mammoth bone to plastic. (Bone is better.)

6. Some way to make the sound louder - The acoustic has a resonance chamber and the electric has pickups.

7. The Bridge - The Bridge is where the strings are attached to the body at the other end.

The way that the bridge is attached affects the sustain (How long the notes sound.) and sound quality of the guitar.

Now let's find out what each type of guitar has for parts.

Click on the Graphics below to see a diagram
of the parts of a guitar
for each type of guitar

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