My friend is left-handed. Couldn't he just string an acoustic up backwards? I told him that it wouldn't make much difference. Am I wrong?
Yes and no.
If he's just starting out, that approach will certainly work. It's a time honored tradition, in fact...
But there can be problems. You'll be changing the strings, but not the nut or the saddle or bridge. You can end up with the high E string (the thinnest one) being in a slot in the nut that's way too big for it and causes all sorts of fingering frustrations. Likewise your thickest string may not sit well in the thinnest slot of the nut.
On the other end at the saddle, the compensation which usually helps keep the guitar in reasonable intonation may become slightly off and you could end up having a guitar that doesn't stay in tune with itself as you move up the neck.
If your friend is serious about guitar, and if he wants to play left handed, eventually he'll want a decent left handed guitar. Good news is that they are a lot easier to come by nowadays than they used to be.
Hope this helps.
Peace
