Can you reverse strings?

[TBone-Idle]

This might be of help to you:

https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com/Sa...-LEFT-CONV-KIT

[Tony Burns]

Sell the righty and buy a lefty -
The bracing is wrong and honestly it will be a waste of your time -
We get this same post 1-3 times a year since i cant remember when-
good luck !

[Paraclete]

Originally Posted by sherpa

Being a Lefty, I learned to play upside down and I'm comfortable with that. I've always had problems playing electric guitars because the knobs are in the way. On acoustic that have an electric package the controls end up on the bottom on my knee and are useless. Plus, I have always wanted a Left Hand cut-away acoustic.
Here's my question; Can I buy a Left Hand guitar and string it Right Handed without effecting the intonation? Do most guitars have a slanted 'compensating' saddle? I think Hendrix played a Right Hand guitar restrung Left handed.

A friend of mine plays right handed guitars upside down. Years ago, he got a custom guitar from the Larrivée guitar company that is a lefty strung right but intonated to play left and all electronics and pick guard for playing left handed. It’s a very cool guitar.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by Tony Burns

Sell the righty and buy a lefty -
The bracing is wrong and honestly it will be a waste of your time -
We get this same post 1-3 times a year since i cant remember when-
good luck !

He wants a lefty body with the strings strung right because he plays the strings "upside down."

I bought a Saddleboy conversion kit a while back. You could try something like that - it might be all you need.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by sherpa

Being a Lefty, I learned to play upside down and I'm comfortable with that. I've always had problems playing electric guitars because the knobs are in the way. On acoustic that have an electric package the controls end up on the bottom on my knee and are useless. Plus, I have always wanted a Left Hand cut-away acoustic.
Here's my question; (1)Can I buy a Left Hand guitar and string it Right Handed without effecting the intonation? (2)Do most guitars have a slanted 'compensating' saddle? (3)I think Hendrix played a Right Hand guitar restrung Left handed.

(I numbered the questions)

(1) - That would probably work with a guitar like this http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gretsch-...tric-Guitar.gc
that is, a dedicated electric hollowbody with an intonatable straight bridge (not an acoustic with electronics added, because (2) Acoustic ones do, yes.)
(3) Here's an interview with Roger Mayer, who recorded Hendrix & knows a lot about his guitars.
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/...ew-roger-mayer

[John Arnold]

otherwise it looks like a custom made guitar.

Reversing the strings is a whole lot cheaper than any custom made guitar. A new nut and filling and recutting a saddle should cost no more than $150.
A steel string guitar with a straight saddle will never intonate correctly.

[mjudd]

Seems like the easiest solution would be to just take a right handed guitar and install the electronics to be played as a lefty.

This would be a much less expensive solution than trying to fill and re-route the bridge/saddle for proper intonation. By the way, you'd also need to replace the nut since it's "grooved" for the strings set up the opposite way.

Edit: Just saw that you also want a cut-away. My proffered solution would only work with a non-cutaway.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by mjudd

Edit: Just saw that you also want a cut-away. My proffered solution would only work with a non-cutaway.

Why should he have to do that? From what I can discern from the OP’s posts, his problem isn’t that he lacks for guitars, he would simply like to have a guitar with a left-handed cutaway so he can gain access to those upper Frets. Quite honestly, buying a left-handed cutaway guitar and having its saddle slot filled and re-routed for right-handed playing is going to be his most cost-effective solution. Getting the cutaway is kind of the entire POINT for the OP....

Hope that makes more sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[John Arnold]

Getting the cutaway is kind of the entire POINT for the OP....

Exactly. The OP plays right-handed guitars, but they have the cutaway on the wrong side when you play them upside down.

[Wade Hampton]

mjudd, I just realized that you were making much the same point as I was. Sorry to have misread your post and then reacted to what I’d thought you were saying, as opposed to what you were actually saying.


whm

[Quickstep192]

I think the solution is that you buy a lefty cutaway without electronics.

Then - Take it to a luthier and have them reverse the saddle and add the electronics of your choice, putting the controls wherever you want them.

[slowesthand]

If you've ever seen Doyle Bramhall II play , he uses a lefty Strat strung upside down. interesting to see him play. But thats a Strat, and has nothing to do with this post, just thought I'd throw that out, Thank You and good night !

[sherpa]

Doesn't solve the cut away issue.

[sherpa]

Originally Posted by sherpa

erhino41, Doesn't solve the cut away issue.

One of my favorite guitarist was called rhino. Captain Beyond, Iron Butterfly.