The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to guitars:
Guitar – plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Some modern guitars are made of polycarbonate materials. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers. There are two primary families of guitars: acoustic and electric.
A guitar can be described as all of the following:
Musical instrumentChordophoneComposite chordophoneStandard guitar variations
Acoustic guitarAcoustic-electric guitarArchtop guitarClassical guitarElectric guitarFlamenco guitarFlat top guitarFretless guitarHybrid guitarParlor guitarResonator guitarSelmer guitar (Maccaferri)Semi-acoustic guitarSilent guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarTailed bridge guitarAlto guitarBaritone guitarBass guitarsAcoustic bass guitarBass guitarNiibori guitarsOctave guitarRequintoSoprano guitarTenor guitarTerz guitarLap steel guitar (aka Hawaiian guitar)Pedal steel guitarSingle courseDouble course (e.g., 12-string guitar)Triple course (e.g. Tiple Colombiano)Four or more strings per course (e.g. Guitarron Chileno)Seven-string guitar - The Russian Guitar and Electric guitarEight-string guitarNine-string guitar10-string guitar11-string guitarTwelve string guitar13-string guitarExtended-range bass - Covers bass guitars with 5 or more strings.Three-string guitarFour-string guitarFive-string guitarHarp guitarGittler guitarGlock-GuitarLyre-guitarNano guitarPortuguese guitarPrepared guitarVintage guitarCF Martin & Company DreadnoughtGibson J-45Ovation RoundbackGibson ES-335Rickenbacker 360 (Both 12-string and 6-string models)Gretsch White FalconSolid body electric models
Fender StratocasterFender TelecasterGibson Les PaulGibson SGGibson Flying VSuperstratSteinbergerFender Jazz BassFender Precision BassViolin BassAlembic BassBody: The solid body of an electric and the sounding box of an acousticBridgeFretboard (fingerboard)FretsWiring and electronicsHeadstock (peghead, head)InlayMachine heads (tuners)NeckNeck joint: see Set-in neck, Bolt-on neck and Neck-thruNutPickguardPickup (Electric – Single coil (including P-90), Humbucker) (Acoustic – Piezoelectric)Sound board (Acoustic)StringsTruss rodCapoGuitar pickNeck-thru-bodySlideVibrato systems for guitar ("Tremolo arm")Electronic tunerCable (Electric, some Acoustics)Distortion (guitar)Power attenuator (guitar)PreamplifierStack: A guitar amplification setup consisting of one or more speaker cabinets and a "head" (amplifier), rather than a self-contained unit.(also known as "Stomp Box")
Compression (electric guitar)Chorus effectDelay (audio effect)Fuzz (electric guitar)Flange (electric guitar)Phaser (electric guitar)Reverb (Reverberation)SustainInfinite guitarEbowOverdrive/distortion termsBrown soundCrunchGainDistortion (guitar)Overdrive (music)Clean/DirtyWah-wah pedalAmplitube (guitar software)Guitar ProG7 (guitar software)Power TabRiffWorks Guitar recording and online collaboration software. Free version.TuxGuitar Guitar free software.GamesGuitar Freaks An arcade game featuring playing guitarsGuitar Hero Like Guitar Freaks, except for home useFrets on Fire A cross-platform Guitar Hero clone licensed under GNU GPL.RiffWorks – Guitar Recording Software, Online Collaboration, and PodcastingRockband A muilti-platform game for PlayStation 2, 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii which includes a guitar element similar to that of Guitar Hero/Freaks along with a Karaoke-like vocal element and a drum element.Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and OrchestraClassical guitar musicInstrumental guitarTablature notation ("Tab")See Guitar tunings and List of guitar tunings.
Standard tuningAlternate tuningsDrop tuningsOpen tuningNew standard tuningRegular tuningMajor thirds tuningAll fourths tuningAll fifths tuningRepetitive tuningEnglish guitarRussian guitarThe difference between guitar playing styles and guitar techniques (below) is that a style is a collection of techniques
3rd bridgeClassical guitar techniquesDownstrokes pickingExtended techniqueFlamencoGuitar soloGuitar showmanshipJazz guitarLead guitarPrepared guitarRhythm guitarShred guitarSlack-key guitarSlide guitarMain Category: Category:Guitar performance techniques
Fretting hand technique
DampeningHammer-onPull-offGuitar chordBarre chordFive-fret stretchString skippingBridge (Right) hand techniques
See also the following from List of musical terminology: sul porticello (plucking/strumming near the bridge), sul tasto (plucking/strumming above the fingerboard)
TappingPalm mute (known as pizzicato in Classical guitar terminology)Strumming
RasgueadoStrumFlat picking (single picking, plectrum picking)
Guitar pickingAlternate pickingSweep pickingEconomy pickingGypsy pickingHybrid pickingCrosspickingDownpickingFlatpickingPick slidePick tappingFinger picking (multiple picking)
Apoyando: rest strokeChicken pickingFingerstyle guitar & fingerpicking (including Travis picking)Pattern pickingPicadosTirando: free strokePercussive techniques
Golpe: finger tapping (flamenco)Tambour: string strikingSlapping: A variety of techniquesHead (Left) hand techniques
Double stopFinger vibrato (includes string-bending, and bending behind the nut)Left-hand mutingSlide guitarLap slide guitarHammer-onLegato technique (includes rolls and trills)Pull-offTappingHarmonic techniques
Artificial harmonicPinch harmonicTap harmonicPrepared guitarHistory of the classical guitarLuthier (Guitar maker)Bailey, JohnB.C. Rich GuitarsBourgeois GuitarsCaparison GuitarsCarvin A&ICollings GuitarsCort GuitarsDean GuitarsEpiphone GuitarsESP GuitarsFender Musical Instruments CorporationFernandes GuitarsFlipper's GuitarGibson Guitar CorporationGodin guitarsGretschHeritage GuitarsHagstromIbanezJackson GuitarsJames Tyler GuitarsJohn BaileyKramer GuitarsKilometerLinda ManzerMaton GuitarsMartin GuitarsMusicManOvation Guitar CompanyPeavey GuitarsPensa Custom GuitarsPRS GuitarsRickenbacker GuitarsSchecter Guitar ResearchTakamine GuitarsTaylor GuitarsValley Arts GuitarWarwick (bass guitar)Washburn guitarsYamahaZon guitarsAcousticAcoustic GuitarClassical GuitarFretboard JournalGuitar AficianadoGuitar PlayerGuitar WorldGuitaristPremier GuitarSoundboardTotal GuitarVintage GuitarYoung Guitar MagazineList of compositions for guitarCrossroads Guitar FestivalDarwin International Guitar FestivalOutput festivalGolden Guitar Attraction in AustraliaGuitaristList of guitaristsList of jazz guitaristsList of classical guitaristsGuitar Craft