Lesson 2 – Parts of the Guitar (Acoustic)
Before we play more chords and riffs, let’s get on the same page about the basic parts of your guitar. When I say “3rd fret” or “bridge,” you’ll know exactly where to look.
Acoustic Guitar Diagram
Below is a labeled acoustic guitar. Your guitar may look slightly different, but the core parts are the same. The numbers in the picture match the list underneath.
What Each Number Means
- Neck – The long wooden part that connects the headstock to the body. Your fretting hand wraps around this.
- Body – The large hollow part of the acoustic. This is where most of your sound is created and projected.
- Headstock – The top of the guitar that holds the tuners and the end of the strings.
- Strings – The six metal (or nylon) strings you actually play. From thickest to thinnest: E–A–D–G–B–E.
- Nut – The small strip (usually white) where the strings leave the headstock and enter the fretboard. It keeps string spacing and height consistent.
- Tuning Pegs – Also called machine heads or tuners. You turn these to tighten or loosen the strings when tuning.
- Bridge – The piece of wood on the body where the strings are anchored. It transfers the string vibration into the guitar’s top.
- Frets / Fret Spaces – The metal bars across the neck (frets) and the spaces between them (where your fingers go). When I say “3rd fret,” you press the string just behind the 3rd metal bar.
Electric vs Acoustic (Quick Note)
This diagram shows an acoustic guitar, but almost all of these names also apply to electric guitars. Electrics usually have pickups, volume and tone knobs, and sometimes a tremolo (whammy) bar, but the basics – headstock, tuners, nut, neck, frets, body, bridge and strings – all work the same way.
Quick Practice
With your real guitar in hand, try this:
- Point to the headstock, then slide your hand down to the bridge.
- Find the nut, then count up to the 3rd, 5th and 12th frets.
- Say out loud: “These are the strings. This is the neck. This is the body.”
You don’t need to memorize every term perfectly right now, but you should feel comfortable with the main ones. We’ll be using these names all the time in the rest of the course.
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