OBJECTIVES:
- Learn the parts of the guitar and their functions.
- Learn common brands that are respected.
- Learn the differences between the acoustic, electric
and acoustic/electric guitars.
The Acoustic Guitar
THE
NECK OF THE GUITAR
The neck is your left hand's playground. It
is usually made of a hardwood. It can be glued or bolted
into the body. Or it can extend from the body as one piece.It
also contains a "truss-rod"
which can be accessed through the sound hole (J) and adjusted
if you find it's out of line. It's usually best to leave
any adjusting to a professional, though, you could do harm
to the guitar if you haven't much experience with working
on guitars. These are it's parts:
A. Headstock: the headstock is the part
of the guitar that holds the tuning pegs. It comes in all
shapes and sizes.
B. Nut: this is the piece on which the
string pass over to attach to the tuning pegs.
C. Fretboard or Fingerboard: This is the
part where the magic is made. It consists of usually from
20 to 24 frets (see H). The fretboard is made of hardwood
usually and it is a separate piece laid on the neck. It also
usually contains pearl "inlays"
that reference the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th,
etc. frets. We'll get into "why" later.
G. Tuning Pegs / Machines: When you are
looking for a guitar, make sure that these turn smoothly
and evenly. If they don't, they probably are not of very
good quality. Grover tuners are a respected brand you can't
go wrong with, but a bit pricey. All in all, if you buy a
decent guitar, the tuners that come with it will be good.
H. Frets: The metal strips that lay across
the fingerboard are your frets. These are what determine
your tones. When you press the string to the fingerboard
down between these frets and pluck or strum it, you get a
tone. Where you press on the fingerboard determines your
note.
THE BODY OF THE GUITAR
D. Upper Bout: This part is the front circle
of the guitar. It's primary purpose is for resting the guitar
on your leg. Generally it doesn't affect the tone of the
guitar much. It is also where the neck attached to the body.
E. Bridge Pins: these pin the strings into
bridge to keep tension on them.
J. Sound Hole: All of your sound comes
out here. On acoustic / electric guitars, pickups may be
placed inside here to pick up the vibrations of the strings
and electrify the guitar.
K. Bridge: This is where the pins hold
the strings in place on the body of the guitar.
The Electric Guitar
THE NECK OF THE GUITAR
Essentially the electric guitar has the same
parts as an acoustic but some variations are there.
A. The headstock is pretty much the same but
many times you will see all 6 tuning machines on the top
of the headstock.
B. The nut on some electric guitars are "locking."
This means you can use a whammy bar or your fingers to bend
and pull the strings without it going out of tune because
there are bolts at the nut that lock the strings in place.
C. The neck on an electric generally is thinner
and narrower than an acoustic neck.
D. Strap pegs are common on both guitars so
you can stand and play. It's a good idea to get locks so
Strings
There are many differnet types of strings
out there. But you have to buy electric guitar string for
electric guitars and acoustic guitar strings for acoustic
guitars. If you have a classical, or nylon string guitar,
you have to buy nylon strings, otherwise go with steel strings
or nickel wound strings.
A good way to extend the life of your strings
is to wipe them down with a clean rag after each use.
Some respected brands are:
- Elixir: probably the longest lasting strings, they have
a coating that extends the life.
- D'Addario
- GHS Boomers
- Martin
- C.F. Martin
- Dean Markley
- Ernie Ball
- Everly
- DR
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