• 16 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Mandolin

An F-style mandolin from the front, then its head and its body enlarged.

Parts of a Mandolin

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Headstock (peghead)
  2. Fingerboard
  3. Strings (four pairs)
  4. Scroll
  5. Soundboard (top)
  6. Tuning machines
  7. Nut
  8. Neck
  9. Frets
  10. Position markers
  11. F-holes
  12. Bridge
  13. Saddle
  14. Tailpiece
  15. Pickguard (finger rest)
  16. Binding

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain curves. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 16 parts on the diagram

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Head and neck 7

  1. Headstock (peghead) It carries the eight tuning machines. On an F-style mandolin a scroll is usually carved into it.
  2. Fingerboard The player presses the strings against it to change the note. It is also called the fretboard.
  3. Tuning machines Turning a button winds its string tighter or looser to tune it. Also called machine heads or tuners.
  4. Nut Its grooves space the strings. It marks one end of their vibrating length.
  5. Neck The fingerboard is fixed along its front. So from the front only its edges show.
  6. Frets Pressing a string down behind one shortens the part that vibrates. That raises the note.
  7. Position markers They mark certain frets. The player can then find a place on the fingerboard at a glance.

Body 9

  1. Strings (four pairs) Each pair, called a course, is tuned to one note. The four courses are tuned like a violin's strings: G, D, A and E.
  2. Scroll A decoration of the F-style mandolin. The plainer A-style is pear-shaped.
  3. Soundboard (top) The strings' movement on the bridge makes it vibrate. That makes the sound.
  4. F-holes Sound holes shaped like the letter f, as on a violin. Some mandolins have one oval sound hole instead.
  5. Bridge It is not glued on. The pressure of the strings holds it against the soundboard.
  6. Saddle A separate piece on this kind of bridge. It can be raised or lowered.
  7. Tailpiece It anchors the end of every string.
  8. Pickguard (finger rest) It keeps the pick and the nails off the top. On this kind of mandolin it is raised clear of the soundboard.
  9. Binding It covers and protects the edge of the top.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it for this part. (1) Gibson, the maker's own catalogs, full text on archive.org: 1923 catalog, https://archive.org/details/gibson-1923-guitar-catalog (machine heads, nut, neck, finger-board, frets, position dots, sounding-board, adjustable bridge with saddle, tail-piece, guard-plate or finger-rest, binding); 1934 catalog, https://archive.org/details/gibson-1934-guitar-catalog (peghead, "f" sound holes, fingerrest, position marks); 1903 catalog, https://archive.org/details/gibson-1903-guitar-catalog (scroll, guard plate, top). (2) Wikipedia, text only: Mandolin (headstock, neck, fingerboard, frets, tuning machines, strings in four courses, scroll, soundboard or top, f-holes, floating bridge, tailpiece), Bridge (instrument) (base and separate saddle on a mandolin), Fingerboard (position markers, nut), Pickguard (floating pickguard on mandolins), Guitar (nut, binding). (3) For the nut, frets and tailpiece also the U.S. School of Music correspondence course for mandolin, 1928, https://archive.org/details/usschoolofmusicmandolin_202601. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain curves; no maker's instrument, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

An F-style mandolin from the front, lying as it is held, then its head and its body enlarged. Eight strings in four pairs run from the tuning machines to the tailpiece.

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Follow the strings

Numbers 1 to 5 are the whole instrument: the headstock, the fingerboard, the strings, the scroll and the soundboard. Numbers 6 to 10 are the head enlarged: each string winds onto a tuning machine, crosses the nut and runs along the neck over the frets and the position markers. Numbers 11 to 16 are the body: the strings rest on the saddle of the bridge, which sets the soundboard vibrating, and end at the tailpiece. The two f-holes are the sound holes, the pickguard sits beside the strings and the binding runs round the edge.

  • The bridge is not glued down: the pressure of the strings holds it against the soundboard.
  • The F-style has a scroll and two points on its body; the plainer A-style is pear-shaped.

Questions and answers

How many strings does a mandolin have?

Eight, in four pairs called courses. The two strings of a pair are tuned to the same note, and the four courses are tuned like a violin's strings: G, D, A and E.

What is the difference between an F-style and an A-style mandolin?

The F-style, drawn here, has a decorative scroll near the neck, two points on the body and usually a scroll carved into the headstock. The A-style is pear-shaped, with no points and usually a simpler headstock.

What does the bridge do on a mandolin?

It holds the strings up over the soundboard. The strings press it onto the top, and their movement on the bridge makes the soundboard vibrate, which makes the sound. The saddle is the strip on top that the strings rest on.

What are the dots on a mandolin fingerboard for?

They are position markers. They mark certain frets so the player can find a place on the fingerboard at a glance, and some instruments repeat them along the edge.

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