bass guitar

Guitar whose tonal range is lower than that of the electric guitar; it usually has four strings.

treble tone control

Button that adjusts the frequency of the electric signals produced by the treble microphone.

bass tone control

Button that adjusts the frequency of the electric signals produced by the bass microphone.

volume control

Button that controls the loudness of the instrument.

balancer

Button that lets the player choose between one or both microphones.

body

Hollow nonresonant part of the instrument where the guitar’s electrical components are housed.

bridge

Piece over which the lower ends of the strings stretch; it also attaches them to the body.

tuning peg

Device that adjusts the tension of the strings.

neck

Part of the guitar separated into sections by frets and along which the strings are stretched.

head

The upper end of the neck where the tuning pegs are attached.

fret

Metal piece that acts as a reference point along the string, dividing the neck into sections separated by a semitone.

position marker

Piece of mother-of-pearl, wood or plastic imbedded into the center of certain sections of the neck.

fingerboard

Board on which the player’s fingers are placed to control the length of the vibrating string to determine the pitch of a note.

nut

Small piece glued to the top of the neck; its function is to separate the strings and raise them between the head and the bridge.

pickups

Device that converts the vibrations of the strings into electric signals.

strap system