Guitar Vocabulary or How To Speak Guitar

To understand guitar it's good to know the names of some parts and what they are. Some guitar vocabulary makes total sense, some is just downright strange. We'll take the guitar from the top and work our way down.

HEADSTOCK: The top where the tuners are.

TUNERS: Also called "machine heads" winds the string sharp; unwinds flat.

CAPSTAN: The post where the string goes through and around.

NUT: Usually white, sometimes black. Used to be made out of nut. Then bone, now different plastics. Holds strings up and in notches on their way to tuners and across frets to bridge.

NECK: Area between headstock and body. This is where you play your chords and notes.

FRETS: Metal wire placed on the fretboard. Put your fingers behind one and strike a note. How did they come up with that name?

BODY: Pretty obvious huh?

PICKUP: Magnetically "picks up" the string vibrations, sends signal down the wires.

SINGLE COIL: Type of pickup with one row of magnets.

HUMBUCKER: Type of pickup invented by Seth Lover for Gibson. Two rows of magnets. Basically two single coils put together to " buck the hum" created by single coils. Ingenious!

PICKUP SELECTOR: Does just that.

SOUND HOLE: String vibrations travel through to project sound. Sometimes shaped like an 'f' on some guitars.

BRIDGE: Strings cross over them towards the bottom. This word actually makes sense. Usually adjustable on electric guitars.

OUTPUT JACK: To plug the chord into. On some acoustic electric guitars you put the cord in the strap button at the bottom. Tricky.

TAILPIECE or STOP BAR: Where the string are held after crossing the bridge. Classical and acoustic guitars don't have these as the strings go over the bridge into the body and are held by PINS.

VOLUME and TONE KNOBS: Do what they say. Change volume or tone.

GAUGE: The measured thickness of a string. If sold in sets strings will be called extra light, light, regular, heavy etc. Each string will have a number such as .10 or .52.

Now that you know some guitar vocabulary go show off. Call someone a "guitar nut" or "machine head".

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