Hi, I am a right hander who is thinking of converting a right handed acoustic guitar for my left handed brother. He is interested in learning, but doesn't have a lot of money.
I was thinking that if I reversed the nut and saddle, added a pick gaurd to the opposite side and restrung. I would have a lefty guitar. There must be some problem with this theory though given that many manufacturers charge more for a lefty.
Any thoughts?
Cheers,
Max
I think the main reason manufacturers charge more for lefties is simply because of the expense of tooling and they don't get as much return.
Doing what you said will make it functional and worse case some labels might be upside down.
You will however have to look close at the nut and saddle since the way then are cut may not work by just turning them around. For example the nut seats are cut at an angle towards the tuners and the seats on the saddle may be lined up for intonation purposes.
You will need a new nut and probably a new bridge. Are you going to remove the right-handed pick guard and install a left-handed one? For the cost of all these modifications you might be able to pick up an inexpensive lefty. They've come way down in price lately. Some of the larger manufacturers are no longer charging more for leftys.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
If you look on ebay and put in "left handed guitar" into the search, you will usually see a converter kit that includes all the bits you will need.
Note i am not recommending this, as I haven't used it, but i know its available and not expensive
Matt
Thanks for the advice guys. I did some research myself as well, and came up with most of the stuff you guys mentioned. The guitar I was going to modify is an entry level yamaha but I can probably get a cheap lefty for him instead. I might just watch ebay for a seagull thats been slightly abused.
Thanks a bunch
Cheers,
Max
My friend who is a lefty told me that he learned to play on a right-hand guitar because that way you can play on the majority of guitars that you run into in your life.
I'm actually right handed, and have been learning recently. I'm not convinced that handedness is that important when it comes to playing guitar (my friend plays pretty well, so it doesn't seem to have hindered him). I could be wrong, of course :)
Speaking as a lefty, I can't agree that last post.
It depends how lefthanded you feel. Imagine telling a right handed person that they would have to write all their life left handed - some would be able to without too much bother, some would never be able to do it fluently.
The degree of left handedness varies from one person to another. Personally, i couldn't imagine strumming with my right hand, it has little or no rhythm and would feel really mechanical. However it is quite dextrous and I haven't had any problem teaching it to form chord shapes.
Regards
Matt
Being a lefty myself I have to agree with you Matt. I have exactly the same rhythm problem with my righthand and yet it has no problem with my brain telling it to find chords.
I tried righthanded playing many, many years ago when affordable lefty guitars wern't available. It was totally hopeless and very demoralizing and I gave up after a few months.
Starting again with a lefthanded guitar two years ago I was amazed how quickly I was able to pick it up again and enjoy it this time.
I would go for a lefty guitar from the start. There are loads of low price entry level packages available on the internet and now in music shops too.
Happy strumming
Chris
The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)
Hiya Chris!
Never knew you were a lefty too mate.
Makes us both geniuses. Not.
I actually like playing lefthanded. Feel like i am in a little club that not many people are in. Was watching Glastonbury on the telly yesterday and on e of the lead guitarists in some band or other was a lefty - I was like "yeah, go on mate, show 'em what you can do!".
Its odd that we don't have any trouble fingering chords though isn't it, when rhythm is almost entirely lacking!
All the best
Matt
I agree with Matt also, all handedness is not equal. I can do very little with my right hand, but I have a friend who writes left-handed, but does everything else right-handed including play guitar. For me holding a guitar right-handed feels so unnatural I can't fathom playing like that. How many times have we had this discussion in the last couple of months? :wink:
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
Was watching Glastonbury on the telly yesterday and on e of the lead guitarists in some band or other was a lefty - I was like "yeah, go on mate, show 'em what you can do!".
I think the band was "The Doves" Matt I saw them playing on Friday night TV.
But, yes there seems to more of us getting out there these days. More power to us Southpaws!
Talking of lefty/righty my son found an old right-handed Kay Les Paul copy in his mate's loft while he was helping him move house. It's pretty dusty, needs re-stringing. I picked it up tonight and strangely I could find a few chord positions on the neck and it didn't feel that odd. The right hand couldn't do the rhythm though. I don't think I want to go down that road too far. I'm a committed lefty player now!
Maybe its because the guitar is electric and the novelty of it got to me. Me thinks I'll just get it restrung for my lad, take it to my brother Rodders house and see if it works through his amp and then give it back.
See Ya
Chris
The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)
Thanks for the advice guys. I did some research myself as well, and came up with most of the stuff you guys mentioned. The guitar I was going to modify is an entry level yamaha but I can probably get a cheap lefty for him instead. I might just watch ebay for a seagull thats been slightly abused.
Thanks a bunch
That's what I did a month ago. Best investment I ever made. I'm convinced I would have quit with a right-handed one and the Seagull sounds great.
I ran into the same problem in golf. All these right handed people telling me that since a RH swing was mostly controlled by the left side, I would play even better right-handed, to which I replied, "So why aren't you playing left handed?" :)
However, there are different degrees of "left handedness". Some people are closer to ambidextrous than others. I'll bet some could pick up playing right handed just as easy as most of us leftys can cut with a RH pair of scissors. There are more guitars out there and it's easier to read chord diagrams and find teachers. (Some people just don't deal with the mirror image thing well...)
However, some of us are very much left handed. It feels very unnatural to pick up a RH guitar without turning it upside down. What clinched it for me was I can wiggle my fingers and the right ones move faster and freer. I figured they would be able to find the chords quicker, so I went left handed. It was the right decision for me.
Find out how "left handed" your friend really is. That might make your decision easier.
Good luck....
John A.
They say only a pawnshop guitar can play the blues. An eBay one does it better. A guitar's bound to feel unloved if her owner plasters pictures of her over the internet for all to see and then sells her off to the highest anonymous bidder.
Yep, i'm in the sinister club as well and couldn't imagine playing a right-handed...agree wholeheartedly with mattguitar...and there are a lot more choices these days for lefty's, but let's be real - it's a poor, poor showing still...walk into Sam Ash or Guitar Center and look at the wall...230 right handed guitars...I have managed to find only two lefty electrics (a tele and a strat, so there goes your argument for choices) and maybe a fender and an Ibanez lefty acoustic...pathetic.
But I started on a converted Hondo, so you can see where I'm coming from...it treated me fine and i'll always love her for getting me where I'm at now.
Peace,
Juliuis
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
