Stadium Standard Guitar Repairs in South London and Kent Workshops in Rotherhithe and Whitstable
Glossary
Click on a term to read the definition
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ACTIVE
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.
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ARCHTOP
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.
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BAKELITE
Type of plastic used in some guitars from 30’s-50’s.
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BIGSBY
A simple non recessed vibrato developed by Paul Bigsby.
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BINDING
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.
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BLOCK MARKERS
Square or rectangular inlays marking fingerboard positions up the neck.
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BODY
The main section of the guitar which the bridge, pickups and knobs are mounted.
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BRIDGE
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.
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BRIDGE PINS
These anchor the strings onto the bridge, usually on acoustic guitars.
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BRIDGE PICKUP
In electric guitars this is the pick up placed closest to the bridge.
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CENTER BLOCK
A solid wood block running through the body of a semi-acoustic guitar body joining the whole instrument together.
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CHECKING
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.
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CUTAWAY
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.
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DOG EAR
Common term for P-90 style pickup with mounting ears.
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DOT NECK
Guitar with simple dot inlays in the neck position markers (see BLOCK MARKERS).
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DREADNOUGHT
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.
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ELECTRO ACOUSTIC
An acoustic guitar with a built in pickup, often a piezo electric pickup mounted under the bridge.
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END BLOCK
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.
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F-HOLE
Term used for an ‘F’ shaped sound hole on some hollowbody and semi-acoustic guitars.
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FRETBOARD
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.
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FINISH
This refers to the protective coating covering the guitar, often laquer or paint.
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FIXED BRIDGE
Refers to non-vibrate bridges usually on solid body guitars.
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FLAT TOP
Refers to an acoustic guitar with a flat non-arched top. Many Gibson and also Martin guitars are considered flat top acoustic guitars.
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FRET
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.
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HARD TAIL
Phrase used to describe an electric guitar built without a vibrato bridge, often used to describe Fender guitars.
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HEADSTOCK
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.
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HEEL
Section of neck where the neck curves or is reduced to join the body.
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HOLLOWBODY
An electric guitar body style with a thin body similar to an acoustic guitar.
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HUMBUCKER
A noise cancelling twin coil pick up.
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INLAY
Decorative material that is cut and embedded into the body, neck or headstock of a guitar.
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JACKPLATE
Refers to the guitars ability to play in tune at various positions along the neck. Often adjusted by adjusting the bridge saddle.
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LAMINATED
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.
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LOCKING NUT
Fittings that lock the strings in place at the nut.
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LOGO
The manufacturers brand name or trademark usually on the headstock.
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MACHINE HEADS
Also known as tuners or tuning machines.
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NECK BLOCK
The neck block is found inside the body at the base of the neck. The neck block provides the strongest point to mount the neck to the body.
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NECK PLATE
A metal plate used in bolt on designs. It is screwed to the neck and body, fastening the neck to the guitar body.
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NECK PICKUP
Refers to the pickup mounted closest to the neck.
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NECK RESET
A neck reset is performed to restore the correct angle between the fingerprint bridge which provides the correct action needed to play the guitar.
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NUT
Located at the end of the fingerboard before the headstock. Used to provide proper string height and spacing before the strings enter the tuners.
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P-90
An early Gibson single coil pickup.
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PAF
A sticker on Gibson pickups.
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PASSIVE
Usually describes a guitar that does not use pickups which require power (active pickups).
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PICKGUARD
Also called a scratchplate. A thin covering screwed or glued to the top of a guitar to protect the guitar from picks and fingernails. Comes in a variety of colours and shapes.
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POT
A Potentiometer mounted to the body of an electric guitar commonly used for controlling volume and tone. The tone pot will sometimes have a capacitor soldered in circuit.
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ROUT
A hole or cavity cut into a guitar often in the body. Many times a pickup cavity is routed to enable a different pickup to be installed.
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ROSETTE
The decorative inlay usually found around the soundhole on an acoustic guitar.
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SADDLE
The part of the bridge where the strings make contact thus transferring the string vibration to the bridge and body of the guitar.
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SCALE LENGTH
Length of vibrating string from nut to saddle also twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret.
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SET NECK
A neck that is glued into he body and uses no bolts for attachment. This is normally associated with electric guitars.
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SETUP
Guitar repair term to reset intonation and action to correct points (a common requirement).
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SINGLE COIL PICKUP
Early design with a single coil of wire wrapped round a single magnet.
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SOAP BAR
Nickname for a P-90 syle pickup that has no mounting ears.
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SOLID BODY
Term for an electric guitar with a solid (non-hollow) body such as many Fender and Gibson guitars.
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SUSTAIN
Length of time a string vibrates for.
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STOP TAILPIECE
Sometimes called a stud tailpiece. Fixed to the top of the guitar and anchors the strings to the top. Holes in the tailpiece allow strings to pass thru the stop tailpiece and over the bridge.
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T-FRETS
Refers to the shape of the metal fret. T-frets are usually used in most refrets.
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TAILPIECE
On instruments without bridge pins the strings are commonly anchored to a tailpiece. This normally mounts to the end block and pulls the strings down towards the top after passing across the bridge.
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THINLINE
Term used to describe hollow body electric guitars, first used with the Gibson Byrdland guitar and also used by Fender and others.
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THROUGH NECK
A thru neck design uses a neck that actually runs right thru the center of the body.
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RAPEZE TAILPIECE
This tailpiece desing uses a neck that actually runs right thru the center of the body.
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TREMOLO
Term used for Vibrato or Tremolo arm.
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TRUSS ROD
A rod which runs through the center of a guitar’s neck below the fingerboard. The truss rod helps to stiffen the neck and prevent bowing due to the tension caused by the strings. Can be adjusted (in most guitars) to change the relief of the neck.
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TRUSS ROD COVER
A decorative cover that covers us the access point for adjusting the truss rod.
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THUMBWHEEL
A small wheel used on adjustable bridges (those usually found on archtop guitars or mandolins) to adjust the height of the bridge. The top portion of an adjustable bridge rests upon these flat wheels and as they are screwed upward on their post, the top portion of the bridge is raised.
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TUNE-O-MATIC
This bridge is commonly found on Les Paul style electric guitars. It sits on two thumbwheels and has six saddles which allow individual intonation adjustment for each string.
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TUNING MACHINES
Mechanical devices used to increase or decrease string tension. Located on the guitar head stock. These can be inline (Fender style), all individual or in two groups (Gibson style).
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VENEERS
Refers to thin wood or plastic laminate used in the construction of some guitars.
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VIBRATO
Bridge and or tailpiece which can alter the pitch of strings when the vibrato arm is moved. Also known as a whammy bar.
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VOLUTE
A piece of wood installed just behind the peghead which strengthens the neck where the headstock begins.
South London Workshop
Suite 3
Calder Court
Pageant Steps
253 Rotherhithe Street
London SE16 5FX
Whitstable Workshop
PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL FOR DETAILS