Bracing change from Right to Left handed

[Psklpt]

Hi everyone,

I am a cursed lefty and i bought a righty '74 Guild D25 a couple of years ago. But after moding the nut & bridge to lefty i felt like the sound of the guitar was not realy the same....like low string are too stiff sounding & highs are too round and scooped sounding.
After talking to a lefty store seller he told me the bracing in lefty guitars was different in Martins, gibson etc... and that from his experience just modding the nut & saddle from a righty damaged the sound of the guitar....

So i thought about changing the 2 lower braces of the guitar top that differ from Righty to Lefty, by removing the back (i am new to this so i prefer damaging the back than the top) and reversing the braces (and reinforcement plate under the bridge) of the top.

So i would really need your advice on how to remove the binding, the back, the 2 lower braces and reinforcement plate, and how to reinstall them.

I hope you wisemen can help me recover the original sound of the guitar.

[Neil K Walk]

I'm not sure how it is with Guild guitars, but if they're in any way similar to Martin with regatds to bracing, then the ends of the lower face braces may be inset into the kerfing so the top might have to come up after all.

The whole thing is best left to a pro IMO.

[Ned Milburn]

John Arnold has stated in the past that there is very little, if any, sound difference when "leftifying" a righty guitar. However, the saddle slot angle must be reversed, either by changing the bridge or by filling/re-routing the saddle slot. Has this been done??

If you don't reverse the saddle slot angle, you WILL have a guitar that plays out of tune. Basses will probably be sharp, and trebles flat.

Removing and re-gluing a back is a serious undertaking requiring re-binding. It is not an insignificant job and requires refinishing.

Better to find a lefty guitar that you like and buy it, rather than to modify your present guitar. Unless you want to have fun modifying it as a project.

[jeff crisp]

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=326509

And if Ned didn't scare you off with the work load this might help back up his original comment.

[Psklpt]

Thanks guys for all your replies.

Indeed i got a bit scared by Ned's comment but also by the fact that the braces might be inset under kerfing....... and the little or no change in sound....
I guess i will leave that to a pro in a couple of years when i get another acoustic (if i ever find a nice priced lefty one....) so that i don't stay without an acoustic under the hands

Thanks again guys !

[John Arnold]

I would not remove the back to do this. I would work through the soundhole, planing the tone bars to about 1/8" tall before using a spatula to peel them from the top. The tone bars are not usually tucked into the kerfing.....but even if they are, they can be trimmed flush and replaced with braces that aren't tucked.
However, in the end I doubt that it would be worth the effort.
If the guitars needs a fuller bass, I would just scallop or taper the existing braces.