Music Glossary: instruments

String height above frets; impacts feel, buzz, intonation, and technique. more

Diatonic harmonica used in blues styles; common cross-harp (2nd position) playing. more

Amp insert point (send/return) placing time-based effects after preamp for clarity. more

Locking tremolo system enabling extreme pitch bends while maintaining tuning stability. more

Metal bars setting semitone positions; wear, size, and material influence feel and intonation. more

Full-Range, Flat-Response speakers used with amp modelers for consistent, mic’d-cab-style tone. more

Preamp/power amp and speaker system shaping electric guitar tone (tube, solid-state, modeler). more

Anchors strings to body; affects sustain, intonation, and feel (fixed, tremolo, TOM, etc.). more

Foot-operated effects (drive, modulation, delay, reverb, etc.) shaping tone before/after the amp. more

Standard unbalanced audio connector for guitars and many line-level devices. (¼") more

Protocol for musical performance/control data between devices and software. more

Digital units emulating amps, cabs, and effects with presets, IRs, and MIDI control. more

Sound reinforcement system for live venues: mixers, amps, speakers, processing, and monitoring. more

Portable board mounting multiple pedals with power and patching for live use. more

Magnetic or piezo transducers converting string vibration to electrical signal (single-coil, humbucker, etc.). more

Distance from nut to bridge on a guitar; affects tension, feel, tone (e.g., 24.75", 25.5"). more

Iconic double-cutaway guitar design; bright single-coil tones and versatile switching. more

Gears that adjust string tension; locking variants speed string changes and improve stability. more

Analog physical format prized for tangibility, artwork, and certain tonal characteristics. more

Virtual Studio Technology plugin format for instruments and effects. more

Arm attached to trem bridges to vary pitch; colloquially “tremolo” though effect is vibrato. more