Guitar Parts by Mark Starlin
A good workman knows his tools. Below are diagrams of the two most popular types of guitars: electric and steel string acoustic (classical or nylon string guitar parts are basically the same as steel string acoustic guitar parts.) Each type has numerous variations but the parts are basically the same. Some electrics may have two Humbucker pickups while others may have three Single Coil pickups, but they are all still pickups. On electric guitars the bridge can be part of a single unit with a “tremolo” (like a Stratocaster) or it can be a separate unit and include a Stop Tailpiece (like a Les Paul.)
Electric Guitar Parts
There are also various terms for the same items. For example: tuners, tuning machines, tuning keys, and tuning pegs are all the same thing. Tremolos, vibratos, and whammy bars are also the same thing. The Fretboard is the piece of wood on the top of the neck that contains the frets, although this is often referred to as “the neck.” Compare these diagrams with your guitar and you should be able to figure out the parts of your guitar.
Acoustic Guitar Parts
It is not necessary to memorize all these parts immediately, but you should refer back to this section from time to time until you do know them all.
The diagram is used on Better Guitar to represents the guitar fretboard. The left side represents the nut of the guitar and the vertical (up and down) lines represent the frets. The horizontal lines (side to side) represent the strings of the guitar with the one on the bottom being the low E (the fat wound string) and the top being the high E string. You would get the same view if you laid your guitar flat on the floor (with the headstock to your left and the body to your right) and looked down on the neck. Numbers below the fretboard are fret position numbers.