"SCRUFFY EAGLE"
Guitar Care
"Lesson 1 (Part 2 of 2)"
Copyright (C) 2004 thru 2007, by: scruffyeagle.com
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-----  DEFINITIONS OF PARTS  -----


*) Headstock :
  All of the wood of the neck which is above the nut.
*) Tuning keys (also called Tuning Knobs) :
  The pieces you turn in order to tighten or loosen the strings. (This term includes both the tab you grab and the shaft the tab is on.)
*) Tuning gears :
  The mechanisms on the back side of the headstock, which the tuning keys go into.
*) Tuning pegs :
  The pieces sticking out from the front side of the Headstock, which the strings wrap onto.
*) The nut :
  The piece which divides the Headstock from the fretboard, on the front side of the neck. It's the piece which forms the top limit of how much of the string can vibrate, when hit.
*) Frets :
  The metal pieces inset into the front side of the neck.
*) Fretboard :
  The entire front surface of the neck between the body and the soundhole. The term also includes the frets which are on it, although a purist might say it's just the special wood on the front of the neck.
*) Neck :
  This term includes the entire portion of the guitar that attaches to the body. (Every definition I've mentioned so far, lumped together.)
*) Body :
  This term includes the entire box which the neck attaches to.
*) Face (also called Front) :
  The surface of the body which has soundhole, bridge, and pickguard on it.
*) Back :
  The surface of the body which is opposite the Face, against the player's body when in normal playing position.
*) Sides :
  The wood of the body which connects the face with the back.
*) Soundhole :
  The hole in the face of the body, that allows the sound to echo inside.
*) Pickguard :
  The flat plate next to the soundhole, which guards the body against being scratched by the guitar pick (when being played with a pick).
*) Bridge :
  The wooden piece which hold the saddle and has holes in it for the bridge pins to stick into.
*) Saddle :
  A piece of the guitar which holds the string away from the body's surface, and creates a bottom limit to how much of the string can vibrate when hit. On an electric guitar, you might find several saddles, one for each string - but on an acoustic guitar, there's usually only one saddle which services all of the strings. This is usually a long bar which is resting on edge in a slot in the bridge. You can think of this as that the strings "ride" on the saddle.
*) Bridge pins :
  The pegs which stick into holes in the bridge, "pinning" the ends of the strings in place.
*) Strings :
  Everyone knows this one, right? The long pieces of wire that vibrate when hit.
*) Head (also called Top End) :
  The end of the guitar where the Headstock is.
*) Foot (also called Bottom End) :
  The end of the guitar farthest away from the Head.



      It's very important, that you know the names of the parts of the guitar. If you don't have this fundamental knowledge, then you can't properly discuss how to work and maintain your instrument! So, I advise strongly that you be able to examine your guitar without this list at hand, and be able to tag a name for each of the parts you find on it.

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