Guitar acronyms and nicknames

There's several forums out there that list guitar acronyms. This is my list. I try desperately not to use these in blog posts, but every once in a while I'll slip and one will come through.

PUP or Pup - "Pickup"

SSS - Single/Single/Single; a Strat with the traditional 3-pickup configuration

HSS - A Humbucker/Single/Single pickup configuration

HH - Humbucker/Humbucker; a guitar with two humbuckers in it

SC - Single Coil pickup

HB - Humbucker pickup

VM - Reference to the Vintage Modified series model of Squier guitars

GAS - I don't use this one personally; it means Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, as in a person who collects (or wants to collect) a lot of guitars impulsively.

Bullet - Reference to the Squier Bullet Strat

Surf Strat - Reference to the Squier Vintage Modified Surf Stratocaster

NOS - New Old Stock. For example, if you have a 1990 Squier II Stratocaster and found an original set of tuners for it that were still in the box and never used from 1990, that's NOS. It's old in age, but new since it was never used.

VOS - Vintage Original Specification; this is the Gibson name for a "reissue" guitar

RI - Reissue. Sometimes used as VRI (Vintage Reissue).

CAR - Candy Apple Red

LPB - Lake Placid Blue

2TSB, 3TSB - Two-Tone Sunburst, Three-Tone Sunburst. Given that I'm not into Sunburst finish guitars, it's rare you'll see me use this.

MIA, MIM, MIC, MIK, MIJ, MII - The MI is "Made In" and the last letter represents the country. A is America, M is Mexico, C is china, K is Korea, J is Japan, I is Indonesia. Sometimes the beginning letter M is C for "Crafted" (like CIC).

Lipstick - A reference to a type of single coil pickup that looks like a tube, like a lipstick casing. The Squier Surf Strat has these type of pickups, as do many Danelectro guitars.

LP - Les Paul

Strat - Stratocaster

Published 2012 Apr 9