Parts Flashcards
(18 cards)
This is one of the 3 main sections of the guitar. Most parts are in this area. This is where you pick the strings, plug in the amp, and change the volume and tone. The sound quality and ease of playing depends on what it’s made of. It’s usually made of wood, specifically alder, ash, and mahogany.
The body of the guitar
This attaches the strings to the end of the body, it holds one end of the strings. The distance between the nut and this determines the vibration length of each string.
The bridge
A thin piece of wood glued to the front of the neck that’s beneath the strings. Depending on the type of wood it’s made out of, it’ll sound different. This is usually made out of rosewood, maple, and ebony. Frets are embedded in this.
The fretboard/fingerboard
These are usually dots on specific frets to help the player to recognize frets quickly and realize what note they’re playing. They’re usually found on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 21st, and the 24th fret. The 12th and 24th fret usually has 2 of these to indicate the octave.
Fret markers
The metal pieces that divide the fretboard up into sections. When you press a string down whichever one you press the string on determines the note that’s played. A bass will usually have between 19 and 24 of these.
Frets
This is another main section of the bass guitar. This is where you tune your guitar using the tuning pegs. Some people actually consider this as part of the neck, but either way it’s still an important part.
The headstock/head
This is one of the main parts of the bass. It’s in between the headstock and body. This is not the fretboard, the fretboard is on top of this. When playing the bass your thumb will up and down this while your hand presses down on the different frets. They’re usually made from maple or mahogany.
The neck
This is a small piece of wood, plastic, or metal that’s in between the head and neck. It keeps the strings in place with tiny indents.
The nut
This is where you plug in your bass cable to connect to your effects or amplifier/amp. It’s right below the volume and tone knobs.
The output jack
These transfer the vibrations from the strings to the sounds that come out of the amp. These play huge part in determining what tone is produced from the instrument. There are usually two of these, the one closest to the neck and the one that’s closest to the bridge. There are two designs for them. there is a single coil one that covers all the strings , they’re usually on jazz bass and there are 2 of them. And then there is split coil one where there are two and each one covers 2 strings. These are usually on a precision bass.
Pickups
This is at the top of the body, it protects the guitar finish from being damaged while you play it.
Scratch plate
This is located on the headstock, the two highest strings hook underneath it. It keeps those two strings from popping up from the nut. This will also make the notes played ring out for longer.
Spring tree
This is a small piece of metal on the body that you attach the strap that’s used when you stand up and play the bass. There’s also a end pin on the bottom that you connect the other end of the strap to.
Strap button
They technically aren’t a part of a bass cause you remove and replace routinely. They’re connected to the tuning pegs and the bridge of the bass. Their vibrations make the sounds produced.
The strings
These are on the headstock, the end of the strings connect to them. Depending on how you twist them the strings tension will change making the pitch higher or lower.
The tuning pegs
These are used to adjust the volume and tone of the bass, they’re on the end of the body.
The volume and tone knobs
This is not a part of the bass guitar but you connect the bass to it with a cord. Turning specific knobs change how the guitar sounds. They take the electrical signal from the pickups, “shapes” the tone, then amplifying it and driving it towards your chosen speaker. Usually under the knobs there will be what part of the sound it controls.
Amplifier
This the cable that connects the guitar to the amplifier. It doesn’t do anything to the sound, it transfers the electricity from the guitar to the amplifier.
Guitar amp cord
