When pickup’s are said to be active they incorporate a pre-amp which requires additional power. The result is a boost for the pick up, usually powered by a 9v battery.

A guitar with an arched top which has been carved or pressed with a moveable bridge and tailpiece. Generally associated with jazz guitarists, Gretsch and Gibson ES series are good representations.

Type of plastic used in some guitars from 30’s-50’s.

A simple non recessed vibrato developed by Paul Bigsby.

A protective and sometimes decorative strip made of wood or plastic that is placed along the outer edges of the top, back, neck and fingerboard. This is a method used to seal and protect joints.

Square or rectangular inlays marking fingerboard positions up the neck.

The main section of the guitar which the bridge, pickups and knobs are mounted.

On a solid body electric guitar they generally fix and hold the saddle that makes contact with the strings. On archtop guitars the bridge is usually held in place only by the tension of the strings and can be easily moved. This is known as a ‘floating’ bridge. Many bridges are adjustable by thumbwheels incorporated into the bridge.

These anchor the strings onto the bridge, usually on acoustic guitars.

In electric guitars this is the pick up placed closest to the bridge.

A solid wood block running through the body of a semi-acoustic guitar body joining the whole instrument together.

Used to describe cracking found in lacquer finished guitars. Vintage guitars often have checking in their lacquer finishes. Checking is caused by the guitar’s wood expanding and contracting with changes in temperature and humidity.

A guitar which has been cut away to allow easy access to the frets while reaching over the body. A double cut away guitar has both sides cut away.

Common term for P-90 style pickup with mounting ears.

Guitar with simple dot inlays in the neck position markers (see BLOCK MARKERS).

A shape generally associated with CF Martin and their biggest and loudest acoustic guitar but also now used by many other brands on their larger acoustic models.

An acoustic guitar with a built in pickup, often a piezo electric pickup mounted under the bridge.

Acoustic guitars normally have an end block and a neck block at opposite ends of the body. The end block is usually glued to the top, back and sides at the bottom end of the guitar. Often strap buttons are anchored into this block as it provides enough support to mount a strap hook.

Term used for an ‘F’ shaped sound hole on some hollowbody and semi-acoustic guitars.

Also called a fingerboard. This is the surface of the neck that contains the frets. (There are some guitars that are ‘fretless’ but the fingerboard is still used without frets) The fingerboard is generally a separate piece of wood glued to the neck. It’s often made of a hard durable wood as the frets must be securely anchored into the fretboard. Vintage guitars usually use Brazilian Rosewood and Ebony for the fingerboard material.

This refers to the protective coating covering the guitar, often laquer or paint.

Refers to non-vibrate bridges usually on solid body guitars.

Refers to an acoustic guitar with a flat non-arched top. Many Gibson and also Martin guitars are considered flat top acoustic guitars.

Metal wire inlayed at intervals along the fingerboard. The guitar player presses down on the string forcing the string to touch the fret changing the sting length and creating different notes. There are a variety of fret wire profiles used for frets.

Phrase used to describe an electric guitar built without a vibrato bridge, often used to describe Fender guitars.

Describes the part of the guitar where the strings attach to the tuners. Fender uses 6 in-line tuners on the headstock and Gibson prefers three on each side of the headstock usually.

Section of neck where the neck curves or is reduced to join the body.

An electric guitar body style with a thin body similar to an acoustic guitar.

A noise cancelling twin coil pick up.

Decorative material that is cut and embedded into the body, neck or headstock of a guitar.

Refers to the guitars ability to play in tune at various positions along the neck. Often adjusted by adjusting the bridge saddle.

The back, sides and tops of some instruments can be made from several pieces of wood which have been laminated to form one piece, usually to the detriment of it’s sound particulary if it’s the top that is laminated.

Fittings that lock the strings in place at the nut.

The manufacturers brand name or trademark usually on the headstock.

Also known as tuners or tuning machines.