Fretted Instrument Accessories & Parts

About Fretted Instrument Accessories & Parts

An instrument is the tool of a musician's trade, and like any other tool, most users will look to customize it to meet their personal needs and preferences. For the guitar, bass and other fretted instruments, there is a wide variety of accessories and parts available to do just that. Pickups, for instance, are replaceable on virtually all electric guitars and basses, and it's common for players to swap pickups to achieve a different sound. Even acoustic instruments can benefit from add-on pickups which allow them to be plugged in for recording and amplification. Another example of an installed part would be a tremolo bridge, allowing guitarists to add the vibrato effect popularized by artists like Jimi Hendrix.

Not all fretted instrument accessories are built-in. Most players will own a guitar strap to support their instrument while they're standing, as well as guitar picks to pluck the strings. And even for something as simple as a pick, there are options: some players prefer to use finger picks, which fit over the fingertips not unlike thimbles, combining the benefits of picks with the natural feel of finger-picking. Other frequently-used accessories include the capo , which shortens the strings to shift the guitar's pitch scale, and humidifiers, placed inside the cases of acoustic guitars to preserve proper humidity, ensuring their tonewoods remain in good condition.