The piece the strings cross over at the peghead end of the instrument. The nut holds the strings in position, and usually defines the end of the vibrating length of the strings at the end opposite the bridge.

The slotted node at the headstock that the strings break over.

the point at which the strings are supported as the run from the fingerboard to the headstock.

The piece of plastic, bone, ivory, or graphite across which the strings must pass when they move from the neck to the headstock.

A curved strip of wood or metal fastened to the wrestplank. The strings rest on it and are maintained in positions by nut pins.

Piece of plastic or metal between the headstock and fretboard. Guides the strings from the headstock and tuners over the fretboard

a part on the neck that the strings ride through.

slotted piece near the head for spacing the strings.

Section where the strings are held tightly near the headstock

a strip at the end of the fretboard which keeps the strings the correct distance apart.

Found at the end of the fingerboard near the tuners. Usually formed from bone, ivory, plastic, ebony or graphite, the nut determines string spacing and string height by small grooves cut into it's surface.

The nut (who knows why it's called that?) is a piece of bone, plastic, or metal that is at the end of the fingerboard, right where the neck and head meet. It has tiny slots or rollers that guide the strings so that they're spaced a uniform distance apart. Only the section of string between the nut and the bridge is important to making a sound.

the strip of bone, metal, or synthetic material that acts as a spacing guide for the strings where the neck joins the headstock; like the saddle, the nut also affects tone, in this case by conducting the strings' vibrations into the neck.

The name given to the bridge that is on the wrestplank. The strings pass over it to determine one end of the sounding part of the string.

The groovy piece at the head of the guitar which holds and aligns the strings.

Located at the end of the fingerboard before the headstock, used to provide proper string height and spacing before the strings enter the tuners.

The plate at the top end of the guitar finger-board usually made from plastic or brass, over which the strings pass before being inserted into the machine heads.

Cylindrical latch usually made of ivory or antler.

The nut of a string instrument is a small strip or block of hard material forming a transition between the strings' playing length and the tuning machines on the headstock, or the tuning pegs in the pegbox at the upper end of the fingerboard. Along with the bridge, the nut defines the vibrating lengths of the open strings.