Guitar Anatomy

Know your instrument. Understanding the parts, string names, and fretboard layout is the foundation of everything that follows.

Parts of the Guitar

This labeled diagram shows the main parts of a typical acoustic guitar. Most of these parts exist on electric guitars as well (with a few differences noted below).

Labeled diagram of the parts of an acoustic guitar including headstock, nut, frets, neck, body, bridge, saddle, and sound hole
Clear labeled view of the main parts of an acoustic guitar.

Headstock & Tuning Machines

Holds the tuning keys (also called machine heads or tuners). Turning them raises or lowers the pitch of each string.

Nut

The small strip (usually bone, plastic, or graphite) at the top of the neck that guides the strings and sets the open-string height.

Neck & Fretboard

The long piece you fret notes on. Frets are the metal strips; the spaces between them are called frets (1st fret, 2nd fret, etc.).

Body

Acoustic: hollow with a sound hole that projects sound. Electric: usually solid wood with pickups that convert string vibration into an electrical signal.

Bridge & Saddle

Anchors the strings at the body end. The saddle is the thin piece the strings rest on; its height and position affect action and intonation.

Pickups (Electric only)

Magnetic devices under the strings that capture vibration. Single-coils and humbuckers produce different tones.

Acoustic vs Electric – Side by Side

Many parts are shared. The biggest differences are the solid body + pickups on electrics and the hollow body + sound hole on acoustics.

Side-by-side comparison of acoustic and electric guitar parts
Common parts appear on both. Acoustic-specific and electric-specific parts are called out separately.

String Names & Numbers

Strings are numbered from thinnest to thickest (1 = high E, 6 = low E). Standard tuning from low to high is E – A – D – G – B – E.

1st string
E
High E · thinnest
2nd string
B
B
3rd string
G
G
4th string
D
D
5th string
A
A
6th string
E
Low E · thickest
Guitar body close-up with string numbers and names labeled from 1st high E to 6th low E
String numbering runs from the thinnest string (1st / high E) closest to the floor when the guitar is held in playing position to the thickest (6th / low E).
Illustrated guitar showing standard string names and order E A D G B E
Another clear view of the standard string order. Memory aids: “Eat All Day Get Big Easy” or “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie”.
Memory aids for standard tuning (low to high):
• Eat All Day Get Big Easy
• Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
• Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears

Fret Numbering

Frets are numbered starting from the nut:

Most electric guitars have 21–24 frets; acoustics often have 18–20. Position markers (dots or inlays) commonly appear at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, and 17 to help you orient yourself quickly.

Practice tip: Spend a few minutes every session saying the note names out loud as you play open strings and fretted notes. Combining muscle memory with note awareness accelerates everything that comes later.
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