A Humbucker, also known as the “Double Coil” Pickup, is a series of magnets that reside in the body of an electric guitar which measures the vibration of the guitar’s strings. When the guitar strings are strummed or plucked, an electro-magnetic field is created by the magnets in the guitar, which is “picked and communicated to the amplifier which converts the recieved signal into sound. Unlike single coil pickups, the humbucker uses two sets of magnets (A.K.A. coils). These multiple coils are connected in a series, therefore create a bigger beefier sound than the single coil pickup.

First patented by the Gibson company, there are several types of humbuckers. The rail humbucker is a smaller type that divides a single coil size lengthwise in half. The Stacked humbucker is designed to fit in a single coil space and has the coils stacked as opposed to side by side. Coil Splits are humbuckers that allow the guitarist to choose to use one or both coils through a switch on the guitar.

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The Neck (n??k) of a guitar is the piece of wood that extends from the guitar body and ends with the headstock. Most necks have small dots on the fretboard to signify the fret number. On custom guitars the fret markers will often be pictures or different shapes depending on the theme. Some necks are bolted on to the main body of the guitar, while others are part of the body itself. The neck is where the frets and fretboard are glued to the guitar. Attached to the headstock are the tuning machines and truss rod. The frets are the small ridges down the neck against which the strings are pushed to form notes.

The Neck Joint (n??k ???ynt) is where the neck is either bolted or glued onto the body of the guitar. There are several different types of neck joints that are used in the construction of guitars. The Spanish Heel type of neck joint is a headblock and neck that is carved from a single piece of wood. Mortise and Tenon neck joints are types that have a peg on the end of the neck that is fastened into a cavity on the body. Dovetail neck joints use a triangular shaped peg that is inserted into a recess of the same shape. Bolt On neck joints are just what the name implies, the neck is held onto the body by a bolt.

Also, not all guitars have a neck joint. Some guitars are constructed from a single, solid piece of wood where the neck and body do not need to be joined by other means.

The Nut (n??t) is the area at the joint of a guitar between the headstock and fretboard that holds the strings firmly in place. The nut, which come as either standard or locking, can be made from a variety of materials, such as bone, brass, graphite, nylon, and/or plastic. Standard nuts are preferred if attempting a more traditional guitar sound, while locking nuts, which hold the strings firmly in place, are usually used with rock-style guitars. Since the tension of the strings is dependent upon the nut, the tone that a guitar produces can be adversely affected if a nut is not properly cut and placed.

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The Pickguard (pickguard) is a heavily customizable piece of protective material that is placed beneath the strings of a guitar. It helps prevent a guitarist from damaging the body of his guitar with the pick. The pickguard is generally shaped much like the guitar itself, but many companies manufacture specialized pickguards that come in shapes ranging from circles to diamonds.

The pickguard also comes in a variety of patterns and colors and can be used to give a guitar a very unique appearance. Many guitarists switch pick guards periodically, in order to give their instruments a fresh and more trendy appearance.

The Pickup (p??k??p) is a device that magnetically amplifies the vibrations created when the strings are plucked or strummed. An electric current flows through the metal receivers of the pickups to accurately relay the vibrating movements to the guitar’s amplifier. While pickups are a mandatory feature for all electric guitars, some acoustic guitars have pickups as well. Acoustic guitars with pickups are usually called acoustic-electric guitars.

There are various styles of pickups, but the main styles are humbuckers, single coil and double coils. Different pickup styles have different sounds. For example, the humbucker style of pickup is often used by rock guitarists because of its full tone. The double coils have a biting sound to them, and they are often used by blues and jazz guitarists. Some guitar players customize their guitar to incorporate both humbucker pickups and double or single coil pickups. This allows for great versatility in guitar playing. The different pickups can be toggled by the switch that is usually located close to the volume knob.