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| ANATOMY OF A GUITAR PART 2 |
| Fretboard On the front side of the neck is the fretboard, or fingerboard. These are commonly made of rosewood. On it will be a number of metal frets, usually 20 to 24. Strings are held down behind a fret to change the note a string will produce. The first fret is the one nearest the nut (see below), unless there is one immediately after the nut, which is called a "zero fret". Nut All strings pass through the nut at the end of the fretboard. It roughly divides the fretboard and headstock. Its function is to maintain proper string spacing and provide an endpoint for the string. On acoustic guitars, the nut and |
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| saddle are usually made of similar material. Electric guitars commonly use plastic, synthetics, and sometimes metal. As tremolo bars can cause tuning problems, guitars equipped with them usually have some manner of locking nut, where the strings are clamped down. Fender has recently introduced the roller nut, a nut incorporating a system of ball bearings similar to a locking nut, but easier on the strings. Headstock (Head) The headstock lies at the end of the guitar's neck. The major mechanical purpose of the headstock is to support the tuning machines (tuners) which terminate the strings of the instrument. A secondary purpose is identification; many guitar makers use a distinctive headstock shape, perhaps with logo or model information, or imitate that of a more well-known brand. Amplifier and effects The amplifier is not part of a guitar per se, but it is nevertheless absolutely necessary in playing the electric guitar (except for very simple practicing) and sometimes also used for accoustic guitar. The amplifier is often considered part of the guitar in the sense that different amplifiers will give the guitar a different sound. Many amplifiers have effects built in, especially distortion. The most common kind of distortion is called overdrive. If the amplifier has a "lead" channel, then turning up the pre-amplifier (or "pre-amp") will overdrive the amplifier's tubes or transistors, causing the amplification not to be linear, but adding a certain distortion to the sound. The higher it is, the more distortion there will be. Turning up the pre-amplifier will, by definition, increase the volume of the sound, so to compensate there is a "gain" knob, which can be turned down to reduce the volume after overdrive. Heavy amplification can result in dangerously loud sounds even on small 25-watt amplifiers, therefore, when adjusting an unfamiliar system, one should turn down the gain knob all the way, adjust the pre-amplification, and then pluck a string or chord on the guitar, while slowly and carefully turning up the gain until it is at the desired level, then plucking again to double-check. Distortion can also be provided by effects pedals, and other pedals can apply effects such as chorus, reverb, wah-wah, compression, or countless others. Sometimes these effects may be built directly into the amplifier. |
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