Guitar Parts
While they can be used to build instruments from scratch, guitar parts are most often used to modify or repair damaged acoustic, electric and bass guitars.
Benefits of Guitar Parts
- Cost - Ordering parts for repairing a damaged guitar can be much cheaper than taking the whole instrument to a repair shop or, of course, buying a new one
- Choice - The range of brands offering component parts of varying designs will suit different needs and budgets. Parts are less limiting than a whole ready-made guitar
- All-purpose - Whether it’s repair work, customising or just improving your instrument – adding a pick-up or replacing an output jack, for example – it’s likely to be more cost effective and to address your specific needs if you buy parts rather than whole guitars
Types of Parts
- Pickguards – also known as a scratchplate, these protect the guitar’s finish from being scratched by the musician’s pick, and are often made of plastic or laminate
- Bodies – the widest part of the guitar and the source of its sound, bodies are the hollow bases above which the strings are plucked, and whose designs shape the sound produced
- Necks – the long, thinner part of the instrument – usually fretted – that are pressured to change notes
- Pick-ups – technically called “transducers”, these sensors pick up sound vibrations and convert them into electrical signals that are then amplified to produce sound in electric guitars and other stringed instruments
- Other Guitar Parts – everything from strings and knobs to guitar strap pin buttons
Types of Guitar
- Acoustic – Often the beginner’s instrument of choice, acoustic guitars rely on their wooden bodies for the sound produced rather than effects. Sub-types include classical, flamenco and arch-top guitars
- Electric – Reliant on amplifiers (amps), electric guitars don’t need the large bodies of acoustic guitars and are thinner and shaped with style in mind. Dials on the body can change the volume and tone of electric guitars, and their thinner strings are sometimes played with the help of whammy bars to control vibrato for the signature rock and roll “scream”
- Bass – Normally four-stringed and electric, bass guitars are lower and with a lower pitch than other guitars. They’re important for linking harmony and rhythm as well as time-keeping, and can be fretted or fretless