Gibson Guitar Parts

Posted by The Guide in Gibson Electric Guitars

Gibson guitar parts are critical: while the beauty of the guitar is mostly in the finish, craftsmanship, and tone,you gotta have the right components.

Cracked pick guards, pickup holders, missing volume knobs, and broken tuning keys can all wreak havoc on your practice session (or worse) your gig.

TIP: One of the best tricks for saving money on your guitar is to buy an Epiphone and then replace the pickups and tuning pegs with genuine Gibson parts. These are the “weakest links” on the Epiphones and you can really improve the quality by replacing these two components!

You can also use aftermarket parts as a way to give your guitar extra functionality. A word of caution though: this may lower the long-term value of your guitar!

Refitting older guitars with new Gibson guitar parts is a great way to invigorate an instrument that otherwise might have been “past it’s prime.”

One of the good things about old guitars (especially Gibsons) is that, like a fine wine, it’s value will likely increase with age.

A Few Notable Gibson Guitar Parts & Terms

Alnico – An abbreviation of the alloys ALminum, NIckel, and CObalt. A type of magnet that’s used very commonly in Gibson pickups, and is a big factor in the tone and character of the guitar.

Bridge – The piece that all 6 (or 12) strings lay on top of at the “bottom” of the guitar. Having a solid bridge will help the guitar sustain or “sing” better.

Fret – The pieces of nickel that are embedded into the neck of the guitar. After a lot of play, this metal will get worn down and will need to be “dressed” (evened out) or replaced altogether. A professional repair shop is highly recommended for this type of work.

Humbucker – A type of pickup developed by Seth Lover to “buck” or eliminate the hum of the guitar’s pickups. These are one of the most critical Gibson guitar parts.

Intonation – Having a guitar completely “in tune” no matter what chords you play, or where you play on the neck. A guitar with poor intonation will sound “in tune” on some chords and “out of tune” on other chords.

Mahogany – A type of wood used for a guitar’s body, results in smooth, rich, and deep tone. A pure-mahogany guitar will sound a little dull, so often a maple top is added to the guitar for “brighter” tone.

Nut – A small piece of bone or plastic glued between the neck and headstock that all the strings run through. The strings vibrate between the nut and the bridge.

Pickups – “Pick up” the resonance of the strings and are made of tightly wound wire around a magnet or magnets. The characteristics of the pickup greatly influence the tone of the guitar.

Stopbar Tailpiece – The “end of the line” for the guitar string, this is where the “ball” of the string is stopped and held secure.

Strap Buttons – Two small buttons inserted into the guitar body that the guitar strap is attached to. Straplocks are highly recommended at all times!

Toggle Switch – The selector switch that determines which pickup or combination of pickups the guitar is using. A cool toggle switch trick is turn on pickup off and toggle quickly back and forth between the on and off pickup. Think Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” guitar solo.

Truss rod – A steel rod that runs throughout the neck of the guitar to keep it solid and stable. This can be adjusted if need be.

Truss rod cover – A small piece of plastic screwed to the neck that covers the opening to the truss rod. On a Gibson Les Paul the cover will say “Les Paul.” Carefully examining the trussrod cover is a good way to Spot a Fake.