Guitar Anatomy – Understanding The Acoustic Guitar Piece By Piece (Part 1 of 5)

By: Aaron Schulman

Guitar Anatomy Part 2

Guitar Anatomy Part 3

Anatomy of the Guitar

In this mini-series of articles, we will take a deeper look at the acoustic guitar anatomy and all of its simplicity and wonder. Additionally, we will delve into some of the universal components of the acoustic guitar to gain a better appreciation. Regardless of your skill level and experience, anyone can appreciate the simplicity and complexity of the acoustic guitar. In this 5-part series, we will cover the acoustic guitar in all of its glory, including

• The Gross (yet cool) Anatomy

• The head stock – a place of form and function

• The neck – where historic players have left their marks

• The body – more than just a sound box

• The lingo – talking about your axe in conversation

Whether you are an advanced player, or a newbie looking to be the best beginning acoustic guitar aficianado you can be, learning about the acoustic guitar’s history, form and function will take you to a deeper level of appreciation, regardless of your experience. Let’s take a look at the modern acoustic guitar and become acquainted with its simplicity and beauty while expanding our appreciation for this member of the chordophone family.

Being a member of the chordophone family, the acoustic guitar is among the instruments which create sound (music for some of us), by vibrating a string suspended between two points (Wikipedia definition here). Along with the harp, piano, banjo, lute, and many others, the guitar is an instrument which has frustrated many, and helped springboard many others to fame and fortune.

The acoustic guitar is both a simple and beautifully complex instrument, divided into 3 major regions.

• Head

• Neck

• Body

It all starts at the head (or headstock).

The head, otherwise known as the headstock, is usually contiguous, or crafted from a single piece of wood with the neck of the acoustic guitar. The main purpose of the headstock is to provide one end of the suspended strings of the chordophone in order to maintain consistent tension on the strings, enabling the player to properly tune the guitar.
The other function is for aesthetics. How many times have you wandered into a guitar or music shop and noticed the array of different guitar designs and inlays that you find on the heads of guitars? Perhaps that would depend on whether you knew what “headstock” or guitar “heads” were. Regardless, it is beneficial to know that the headstock of the acoustic or electric guitar serves two main purposes – aesthetics and tuning.

The neck – a work of simplicity and complexity

The neck of the acoustic or electric guitar is a very simple, yet amazingly complex creation of form and artistry. The neck of the guitar, being mathematical and simple in nature, is perhaps where many guitar greats have left their marks in history. Finger skills, mastery, and creativity have lifted many great guitar players, such as Phil Keaggy and Andres Segovia, out of the pack through their potentially divine abilities to work the neck (or better – the fretboard) of the guitar. While the guitar neck is composed of a simple arrangement of frets, strings and fret wires that represent a complex and virtually endless combination of mathematical possibilities, it is magically distinct to the guitar and its history nonetheless. The neck is composed of a fingerboard, frets, and fret bars that are arranged in such a scale as to shorten strings to create musically appropriate notes in accordance with chromatic scaling, thereby enabling the guitarist to play virtually any notes within the physical capabilities of the guitar.

The body, also known as the sound box

The acoustic guitar body has been commonly referred to as the sound box by luthiers (guitar makers) and historians alike. Like the other components of the guitar, the acoustic guitar body is both profoundly simple and complex. Understanding the anatomy is not much of a chore. However, learning how the body, with its complexities of tonewoods, shapes, models, sizes, and bracing patterns is another matter. Perhaps this distinction, with a little bit of skill, distinguishes the world-class luthiers from the others.

The body of the acoustic guitar is comprised of a top, sides, and back and makes up one of the most important parts of the acoustic guitar when it comes to imparting the sound quality, projection, and personality of the acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar body can be made from many different tonewoods, which give it characteristics of different tones and overtones evident of the particular woods used. In other words, each tonewood has its own personality and flavor. Luthiers make guitars out of different tonewoods because they have a different desired end in mind.

The main purpose of the acoustic guitar body, besides aesthetics, is to impart certain tones and overtones on the string vibrations, while amplifying and projecting the sound. Whether a player is searching for the deep and balanced sound of wood and steel from a Rosewood guitar, or the light and crisp projection from a maple acoustic body, the sound personality or profile one can attain from an acoustic guitar is as diverse (or more) as the woods that can be found to build it.

Aaron Schulman is a guitar player, teacher and writer offering some of his best acoustic guitar reviews at Strumviews.com. Whether you are looking to review a Taylor 110e acoustic guitar or another intermediate guitar model, Aaron recommends learning how to review a guitar for craftsmanship and tonewoods before you make a purchase.