How to Convert a Right-Handed Guitar to a Left-Handed Guitar

Would you like to convert a right-handed guitar to a left-handed guitar? This is an easy conversion to do, but you'll need to do more than just change the strings. While I believe that it's better to just buy a quality left-handed guitar, maybe you've found a right-handed guitar that you really like. Perhaps you're a lefty just dabbling in guitar playing and not yet ready to make an investment in a left-handed guitar. Most left-handed guitar and bass players are faced with this dilemma.
When I was learning to play, I didn't have a lot of money to invest in a high-quality guitar, so I went to the flea market and purchased the cheapest guitar I could find, a twenty-dollar acoustic. Even with its standard setup, the action was terrible because the neck was warped. The strings wouldn't stay in tune. In short, the guitar sounded like a dying animal. But I converted it to a right-handed guitar by flipping the strings. I didn't bother to change the nut or the bridge, and this was part of my problem.
Eventually I swallowed my pride and visited a music store. Their luthier looked at it and shook his head. He said it would cost a couple hundred dollars to make it sound really good, but for about forty he could make it serviceable. I went with the latter option. In addition to doing the work, he explained what needed to be done to convert a right-handed guitar to a left-handed guitar.
This works for acoustics, electrics, and electric basses. The materials required to convert a guitar are new strings, a tuner, and wood glue. You may also need a blank nut, a screw driver, sandpaper, and a truss rod adjuster. A string winder is a handy tool to have as well.
First you need to remove the old strings. Once the strings are off, remove the nut (the little thing at the top of the neck). You may need to pry this out with a flat screwdriver. Once it's out, scrape out the crusty glue with a screwdriver or some sandpaper. Add a little bit of fresh glue to the nut and replace it with its direction reversed. The nut has a groove sized for each string, and if you don't change it around, there will be play in the little strings and the big strings won't seat properly.
If something happens in this step, for example the nut breaks or the angle causes the strings to sit too low to the fret board, you'll need to file your own nut. You can have a guitar shop do this, or you can purchase a file and do it yourself. Plenty of video tutorials are available.
For electric guitars, you might want to reverse the directions of the pickups. To do this, usually you just need to unscrew the pick guard or pickup frames. Be careful not to lose the springs that allow for height adjustment. Once your glue dries, go ahead and install your new strings. To keep your nut from flying away, don't tighten the strings to full tension until all six strings are on. Use your tuner to get close to the correct pitch. Stretch your strings a bit as you tighten them up.
After they're installed, play for a while and give them time to go to their length. Once this happens, it's time to set your intonation. Maybe you'll be lucky and you won't have to set it. To check intonation, you compare the pitch at the twelfth fret (octave) with the pitch of an open string. They should be the same.
On acoustic guitars, you may need to alter the bridge to ensure correct intonation. Sometimes this is just a matter of getting a blank and filing it down. If you are converting an expensive guitar (not recommended), take it to a luthier and let them do it.
For electric guitars and basses, this process is much easier. The string saddles are usually adjustable with a Phillips screwdriver. All you need to do is adjust them until the pitches of the twelfth fret and open string match. Always use a tuner for this process, and don't forget to re-check the open-string tuning every time you make an adjustment to the string saddle.
That covers about everything you need to know about converting a righty guitar to a left-handed guitar. For more information about left-handed guitars, check out the resource box below


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How To Properly String A Right-Handed Guitar For Left-Handed Playing

By Charlie Beers


For those who want to do it right, this is not a simple job. First, you'll have to cut a new nut, one that's intended for left-handed playing. The reason is that a low E string is not meant to rest in the nut slot for a high string. In most cases, it won't even fit, since the slot is simply too small. Conversely, the slot for the low E string is far too wide for the high E string, which will move around in the groove, thereby creating unstable tuning. The same scenario applies to the other four strings, so -bottom line-cut a new, left-handed nut.
Secondly, not all right-handed guitars can be string for left-handed playing. Some Gibson-style guitars have one-piece "wrap-around" intonation bridges or two-piece Tune-O-Matic bridges that are installed on a slant or angle. When the guitar is flipped upside down for left-handed playing, the intonation points on the bridge won't be the same as those for right-handed playing, and the saddle adjustments for each string won't compensate an equal amount for all six strings because of the slanted positioning of the bridge.
Fender guitars string lefty very well, because Strats, Teles, Jags, and other used music guitars, have bridges that sit straight across the guitar's body. When one of these guitars is flipped upside down, the inherent intonation points don't change at all, and the intonation can be fine-tuned by using six equally compensating adjustable intonation saddles. If the guitar is properly intonated for right-handed playing, the intonation saddles will look like a mirror image of them when set up for left-handed playing. The high E string saddle will now act as your low E string saddle and need to be adjusted back, away from the neck joint. Respectively, the low E string saddle will now act as the high E string saddle and to be adjusted forward, toward the neck joint. Ultimately all the intonation saddles will need to be repositioned for proper left-hand intonation, but the two E string saddles will require the most adjustment.
These same procedures apply if the guitar in question is a traditional acoustic. But since most acoustic don't have individual intonation saddles, a new intonation bridge will need to be installed to achieve the same compensation for the intonation points as described for electrics.
Active vs. Passive guitar pickups: is it worth the money to get Active?
Simply stated, active electronics employ tone circuit (which consists of capacitors and resistors) with a power source, such as a 9-volt battery, to help shape an instrument's sound and tonal capabilities. Passive electronics use a tone circuit without the aid of voltage.
Are active electronics worth the extra money? It depends on what you want to use them for. You have to know what active and passive circuits sound like and which on you prefer. For instance, active electronics can do a lot to shape the tone of a bass guitar. By the same token, active electronics on a guitar tend to sound sterile and cold (to some ears), whereas passive electronics convey a more organic tone.
Amps, too, can have active or passive tone circuits. I own a couple amps with active tone circuits, and the range of attenuation available from the tone controls is wide and impressive. Am I telling you that amps with active tone circuits are better than those with passive tone circuits? No-it's totally a matter of personal preference and what's right for you. If you feel active electronics help you express yourself better and make more of a personal statement, whether they're in a bass, a guitar or an amp, then they're worth the extra dough. On the other hand, if you've heard them and tried them, and you're not impressed, save your money.
Charlie is the owner of Gear-Vault.com. and Gear-Monkey.com. Both sites are geared toward the music community. Gear-Vault.com is a newly launched music gear auction. Gear-Monkey.com is a music talk forum. Both sites reflect his love for music.
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