Guitar anatomy: most important parts of a guitar

Picking up a new instrument can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to the different parts of the guitar. These core parts are usually the same across electric and acoustic guitars, although some parts are found only in electric or semi-acoustic guitars.

The most important parts for both acoustic and electric guitars are the body, neck, headstock, tuning pegs, machine head, nuts, bridge, sound hole, frets, and strings. Additionally, if you have an electric guitar, your instrument is likely to have some other parts as well, such as a pickup selector switch, output jack, pickups, whammy bar, as well as volume and tone knobs.

If you find videos more helpful, follow your voice teacher Sonja as she shows us all the different parts of an acoustic guitar. Otherwise, check out the diagrams below!

Parts of an acoustic guitar

Next, we’ll look at the different parts of an acoustic guitar in more detail and see what each part does. We’ve also included some handy illustrations to help you locate and recognize all these parts. Although the pictures below are of an acoustic guitar, remember that these parts can also be found on electric guitars, except the sound hole.

Body

The biggest single part of a guitar is the body. Acoustic guitars usually come in a familiar pear-like shape, although there can be some small variations between different models. With electric guitars, there’s a bit more to choose from. Some iconic electric guitars include the Stratocaster, Les Paul, Flying V, and Explorer, just to name a few.

Whether you choose an acoustic or electric guitar, make sure it feels comfortable to play.

If you use an acoustic guitar, you’ll notice that the strings travel over a hole in the middle of the body. This is called the sound hole. Thanks to the sound hole, the guitar can produce a loud and pleasing sound without amplifiers or microphones. Because an electric guitar has pickups where the sound hole would be, it can have a solid body without a sound hole.

If you follow the strings all the way to the bottom, you’ll find the bridge. This is where the strings attach to the body.

That’s all you need to know about the body for now. Let’s proceed to the next part of the guitar: the neck.

Neck

The long part protruding from the body is the neck of the guitar. The guitar strings (usually six) travel across the neck, starting from the bridge and ending at the headstock (we’ll return to that one later). The neck of a guitar is the part you hold with your left hand if you’re right-handed, or with your right hand if you’re a leftie.

You might notice that the guitar neck is divided into small sections. These are called frets, and they help you navigate the guitar strings and play different notes across the guitar fretboard. If you’ve ever tried playing a fretless instrument, such as an upright bass or a violin, you’ll notice how the frets make playing much easier, especially when playing chords.

The frets are numbered. For example, the uppermost fret and the space above it is the 1st fret. Below that is the 2nd fret, and so forth. Depending on your guitar, the instrument can have around 20 frets in total, sometimes more. The guitar neck often has tiny dots as well. The dots help you locate specific frets, so memorize where they’re located on your instrument. This will make playing your guitar much easier.

One important part of the guitar many don’t even know exists is the truss rod. The truss rod stops the guitar neck from bending by stabilizing it against the tension of the strings. You may not have heard of this guitar part, because the truss rod is hidden inside the neck.

Headstock

You’ll find the guitar headstock at the end of the neck. This is where you tune your guitar using the tuning pegs attached to the headstock. If you’re using a six-stringed guitar (which you most likely are), there are six tuning pegs — one for each string.

The part that the guitar strings are attached to is called the machine head. At the point where the guitar neck attaches to the headstock, you’ll also find a small part with grooves that align the strings. This is called the nut.

With acoustic guitars, there are usually three tuning pegs on each side of the headstock — three facing down and three up when holding the guitar on your lap. With electric guitars, the tuning pegs can all be on the same side of the headstock. Check your own instrument and see how the tuning mechanism is laid out. Trust us, you’ll need it quite often when learning to play.

Parts of an electric guitar

Many of the guitar parts we’ve looked at so far can be found both on acoustic and electric guitars. However, some parts are only found on electric guitars.

There are also semi-acoustic guitars (also known as electro-acoustic guitars) that have some electronic parts. These guitar parts allow you to plug the instrument into an amp. Semi-acoustic guitars can be played without an amplifier, just like a regular acoustic guitar.

Read more about acoustic guitars and some great recommended models for beginners in our acoustic guitar-buying guide.

Pickups

An electric guitar needs one or several pickups to amplify the sound without a sound hole. As its name suggests, this part of the guitar picks up the guitar string vibrations, which can then be played through an amplifier. 

A pickup is made of coils wrapped around a magnetic pole. There is a pole for each guitar string. There are different types of pickups, most commonly single-coil and humbucker pickups. As opposed to single-coil pickups, humbucker pickups have two coils to remove unwanted hum.

Pickup selector switch

If your guitar has more than one pickup, a pickup selector switch allows you to swap between the different pickups. The guitar’s sound and tone are influenced by the location of the pickup, so switching between them or trying different combinations gives you control over the sound. Using pickups closer to the guitar neck will produce a bassy tone, whereas the bridge pickups create a brighter sound.

Output jack

An electric or electro-acoustic guitar needs an output jack to attach the cable used to connect your amp or effects pedal. Plug one end of the cable into the guitar’s output jack and the other end into the amp. The output jack is generally a 1/4″ mono plug that is compatible with most guitar cables.

Volume and tone knobs

The guitar body can have a bunch of different knobs and controls to adjust the volume and tone of the guitar. This allows you to make adjustments using the knobs instead of fiddling with the amp to change the volume or control the tone. Most often, an electric guitar has one or two tone knobs and one knob for the volume.

The tone knobs are connected to the guitar’s electronics. If there are multiple knobs and pickups, the player has more control over the tone of each individual pickup. There can also be a master tone knob to control all pickups simultaneously.

Whammy bar

Your electric guitar may have a whammy bar, also known as the vibrato or tremolo bar, attached to the bridge. By pressing down on the whammy bar, you can change the pitch of the strings. This allows the player to manipulate the sound and create some cool effects as the pitch of the strings changes.

Guitar parts diagram

• Body: This is the largest part of the guitar, giving it shape and structure. An acoustic guitar’s sound hole is located in the center of the body, whereas the pickups on an electric guitar are attached to the body.
• Neck: This is the long part extending from the guitar body. The neck is where you find the fretboard and individual frets. 
• Headstock: The headstock is the top part of the guitar, attached to the neck. It holds the tuning pegs to adjust the string tension, i.e. tuning the guitar.
• Tuning pegs: Located on the headstock, adjusting the tuning pegs allows you to tune the strings.
• Machine head: This is the mechanism on the headstock to which the strings are attached. The machine heads allow you to tune the guitar.
• Nut: The nut is a small grooved part of the guitar, and it is located where the neck meets the headstock. Its purpose is to guide the guitar strings.
• Bridge: Found on the body, the bridge anchors the strings to the guitar and transmits the string vibrations to the body.
• Sound hole: Only acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars have a sound hole, which amplifies the sound produced by the strings.
• Frets: These are metal strips on the fretboard that divide it into fixed segments. The frets of a guitar help you locate and play different notes.
• Strings: A typical guitar has six strings that run from the headstock to the bridge. When plucked or strummed, the strings produce sound. Guitar strings are often made of steel or nylon.
• Truss rod: A truss rod is a hidden rod inside the neck that prevents it from bending under the tension of the strings.
• Pickups: These devices are found only on electric guitars. They pick up string vibrations and convert them into electrical signals for amplification.
• Pickup selector switch: This switch selects which pickup(s) to use in electric guitars with multiple pickups.
• Output jack: This is a connector on electric and semi-acoustic guitars for plugging into an amplifier or effects pedal.
• Volume and tone knobs: These knobs on the guitar body are used to adjust volume and tone. This is another part found only on electric guitars.
• Whammy bar: The vibrato or tremolo bar is found on some electric guitars. It alters the pitch of the strings when pressed.

Get familiar with the parts of acoustic and electric guitars

We’ve just gone through basic guitar anatomy, and you now know the different parts of the guitar a bit better. As you play and practice, you’ll get more and more familiar with your instrument and its different parts.

If you found this guide helpful, make sure to check out the entire guitar tutorial video.  Sonja will walk you through the first steps of learning to play the guitar, including how to hold the guitar and fret the strings.

To learn more and improve your guitar-playing skills, try Yousician’s interactive online guitar lessons and learn to play your favorite songs. You can try Yousician for free and get started on your guitar-playing journey!