- Learn the different parts of electric guitar anatomy and how they work together
- Discover the different electric guitar parts manufacturers build into electric guitars
- Find out which design is best for your style
Electric guitars were first invented in the late 1930s. That makes this seemingly modern instrument almost 100 years old! There are a lot of different types of guitars on the market, but they all follow the same general design principles.
They’re made up of several individual parts that all serve a specific purpose in the overall functionality of the instrument.
The anatomy of a guitar is comprised of the following physical parts:
- Headstock
- Tuning keys
- Nut
- Neck
- Truss rod
- Bridge
- Fretboard
- Frets
- Strings
- Strap Button
- Cutaway
- Whammy bar
- Pickguard
- Tuning keys/machine heads
Meanwhile, electronic guitar components include:
- Pickups
- Pickup selector switch
- Volume & tone knobs
- Jack input
The Anatomy of an Electric Guitar
In this article, we dissect the anatomy, the parts used to make them, how they work, and what determines the different sounds they can make.
We’ll split the list into two categories, physical and electronic components.
Physical Components
Headstock
The headstock is located at the top of the neck. It is where the tuning pegs are attached, allowing the player to adjust the tension of the strings and tune the guitar to the desired pitch. The headstock also typically features the guitar’s brand logo and provides a point of attachment for the strings, which are stretched over the nut and down the length of the neck.
Tuning Keys
The tuning keys, also referred to as tuning pegs or machine heads, are located on the headstock of the guitar. They are used to adjust the tension of the strings, allowing the player to tune the guitar to the correct pitch. By turning the tuning keys, the player can tighten or loosen the strings, altering their pitch and ensuring that the guitar is in tune for playing.
Nut
The nut is a small piece, usually made of bone or synthetic materials, located at the top of the guitar’s neck, near the headstock. It has narrow grooves where the strings rest, helping to keep them evenly spaced and at the correct height above the fingerboard. The nut plays a crucial role in maintaining proper string alignment and tension, which is essential for producing clear and accurate notes when playing the guitar.
Neck
The guitar neck is one of the most important parts of the guitar. It works in tandem with the body to help the strings’ vibration resonate.
There are three different methods manufacturers use to connect the guitar neck to the body – bolt-on, set neck, and neck-through. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Necks also come in different “profiles,” which is the radius of the curve of the back. Different players like different profiles.
The best for you mostly depends on your style, as this is one of the biggest factors in navigating up and down the neck easily.
On the neck, between the first fret and the headstock, is the guitar nut that we discussed above.
Truss Rod
This is a metal bar in the center of the neck that lets you adjust the relief or pitch angle of the neck.
The truss rod is your first option for adjusting the action and works with the bridge to get the relief of the neck and action of the strings to where you want it.
The fretboard is a separate (but attached) part of the neck.
Bridge
The bridge is the second point of contact (after the nut) for the strings.
On an electric guitar, it’s also where you set the intonation and the radius of the strings. Fender-style bridges are single pieces, while Les Paul-style bridges have a tailpiece called a stop bar.
Electric guitar bridges come in two different types – hardtail and tremolo. Hardtail and tremolo have advantages and disadvantages, which you can read about here.
Fretboard
The fretboard is technically part of the neck, but it’s its own component. It’s often made of a different tonewood than the neck.
For example, the neck might be maple, but the fretboard is rosewood. But it’s not uncommon for the fretboard and neck to be made of the same type of wood, like a maple neck and maple fretboard.
Manufacturers choose fretboard woods that complement the others used in the guitar.
It’s often a very deliberate choice. Some of the most popular woods used in fretboards are rosewood, maple, ebony, and pau ferro, but these are not the only ones.
Frets
Frets are the small metal strips embedded along the length of the guitar’s neck. They divide the fingerboard into different segments, each representing a specific musical note when pressed down by the player’s fingers.
By pressing the strings against the frets, the player can change the length of the vibrating string, producing different pitches and enabling the creation of various musical notes and chords.
Frets play a fundamental role in defining the pitch and intonation of the guitar, allowing for precise and consistent playing across the instrument’s range.
Strings
Strings are the essential components of a guitar that produce sound when plucked, strummed, or picked. Typically made of metal, they are stretched over the body and neck of the guitar, from the bridge to the headstock.
Each string is tuned to a specific pitch, and when played, it vibrates to create musical notes. The thickness and tension of the strings contribute to the guitar’s tone and playability, making them a critical element in defining the instrument’s sound and feel.
Read our guide to the best electric guitar strings here.
Strap button
The strap button is a small metal or plastic piece typically located at the bottom of the guitar body and sometimes on the heel of the neck. It serves as an attachment point for securing a guitar strap, allowing the player to comfortably wear the guitar while standing. The strap button provides stability and support, enabling the player to move freely and play the instrument without the need to constantly hold it in place.
Body
The body is crucial when it comes to tone. Like the neck and fretboard, they are made of different tone woods.
The most popular are mahogany and maple, but they are far from the only options.
Bodies come in various shapes, with the two most popular being single (think Les Paul) and double (think Stratocaster) cutaway.
Electronics are also housed in the electric guitar body. It’s where the pickups and electronics reside as well as hardware like the bridge.
Cutaway
While not specifically a “part” per-se, the cutaway is a design feature found on some acoustic and electric guitars, where a portion of the body is “cut away” to allow easier access to the higher frets on the neck.
This design modification enables the player to reach and play notes in the upper register more comfortably, making it particularly beneficial for soloing and intricate fingerstyle playing.
The cutaway design adds versatility to the guitar, expanding the range of playable notes and providing a more ergonomic playing experience for the musician.
Whammy Bar
The whammy bar, also known as a tremolo arm or vibrato arm, is a lever attached to the bridge of the guitar that allows the player to manipulate the pitch of the notes by altering the tension of the strings.
By pushing or pulling the whammy bar, the player can create subtle or dramatic changes in pitch, adding expressive vibrato, dive bombs, or other pitch modulation effects to their playing.
Pickguard
The pickguard is a protective plate, often made of plastic or other materials, that is positioned on the body of the guitar, near the soundhole or pickups.
Its primary function is to shield the guitar’s body from scratches, dents, and other damage that may result from the player’s strumming or picking motions.
Additionally, the pickguard can contribute to the aesthetic appeal of the guitar, serving as a canvas for decorative designs or adding a contrasting visual element to the instrument.
Tuning Pegs
Tuning pegs sit on the headstock, and allow you to adjust the tension and pitch of the guitar strings.
These come in two main variations – “3-and-3” and “6-in-line”. 3-and-3 refers to when there are three on either side of the headstock.
6-in-line is when they are all on the top of the headstock or much less commonly, all on the bottom.
The quality of the tuning machines can greatly affect the guitar’s ability to hold tuning, as low-quality tuners.
Electronic Components
Pickups
Pickups are one of the most critical elements of the electric guitar.
The pickups convert the string vibration into an electrical current that flows into the volume and tone knobs, through the output jack, and through the cable (or wireless unit) into an amp, mixer, interface, or whatever is on the receiving end.
The pickups have a critical impact on guitar tone. It’s why so many players swap them out, and why it’s so fun to experiment with different types.
Not all pickups work with all guitars. It depends on how the body is routed and various other factors.
But for the most part, no matter what type of guitar you play, you’ll have a lot of wiggle room regarding what types of pickups you can put in your guitar.
Pickups come in various forms and configurations, which you can read about here.
Pickup Selector Switch
The pickup selector switch is a control found on electric guitars that allows the player to choose between different pickups or combinations of pickups.
By toggling the switch, the player can select the specific pickup or combination of pickups that will capture the vibrations of the strings and transmit them to the amplifier.
This feature enables the player to access a variety of tones and timbres, offering a versatile range of sound options to suit different playing styles and musical genres.
Volume and Tone Knobs
Potentiometers, pots, knobs all refer to the same thing, and provide control over the volume and tone of the pickups.
Not every wiring design will have tone knobs, but everyone will have at least one volume control.
They’re attached to the electric guitar body toward the end, near the output jack for easy access.
Jack
The jack on a guitar is the socket where the cable is plugged in to connect the instrument to an amplifier or other audio equipment. It serves as the point of electrical contact, allowing the signal from the guitar’s pickups to be transmitted to the external device for amplification and processing.
Wrapping Up
Overwhelmed yet? Hopefully not, but it does go to show the amount of craftmanship that goes into manufacturing each and every guitar. The engineering side goes even deeper, especially when nerding out about concepts like wiring configurations.
