restringing upside down

TheGoop · Unread post by **TheGoop** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 11:46 pm

My brother is interested in playing the guitar, but he's a lefty and I'm righty. I have an old Yamaha that I was thinking of restringing upside down to accomodate him. Is this bad to do to the guitar if its been strung righty for about 3 years now? I didnt know if the heavier tension on the different strings would ruin it. Thanks

The Man of The Hour · Unread post by **The Man of The Hour** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 11:50 pm

Not sure about the string tension, and I imagine it is not recommended, but I know for sure you could crack the nut on the guitar. The nuts are made specifically for a certain diameter string, and reversing the strings would totally ruin it. I would definitely wait for more insight from people, but I have a suspicion it would not be a good idea.

grock · Unread post by **grock** » Fri Apr 18, 2003 8:04 am

don't do it. especially if it is an accoustic. Jimi Hendrix was able to get away with it on an electric cuz of the adjustable intonation but on an accoustic it will never sound in tune. even with an electric it needs a bit of distortion and style to make sound right. and chords just won't sound right. it is not a good way to learn. go out and buy a cheapy lefty guitar for this kid's birthday or something. like only 100$. it'd be much easier and better.

Pickles · Unread post by **Pickles** » Fri Apr 18, 2003 8:33 am

im pretty sure hendrix just flipped a guitar over so the low strings were on the bottom and the high strings were on the top. he didnt restring it a different way.

snoopdoug1 · Unread post by **snoopdoug1** » Fri Apr 18, 2003 9:22 am

shane wrote:im pretty sure hendrix just flipped a guitar over so the low strings were on the bottom and the high strings were on the top. he didnt restring it a different way.

Thats what I thought too

TheGoop · Unread post by **TheGoop** » Fri Apr 18, 2003 10:03 am

yeah, it is an acoustic.....thanks for the advice

grock · Unread post by **grock** » Fri Apr 18, 2003 1:55 pm

Perhaps the biggest influence Jimi Hendrix would make in the world of rock guitar was not via the guitarist's choice of notes or licks, but in his sound, one which many post-Hendrix guitarists strive to achieve. The Guitar Geek website offers visitors insight into Jimi's gear set-up, and choice of effects. Simply matching Hendrix's set-up won't necessarily give you that classic Jimi Hendrix sound you're looking for, however. Much speculation has been made about the singularity of Hendrix's sound being due to his decision to restring right-handed guitars upside down to facilitate his left handedness. Douglas Noble examines this concept in his article "Lefty Matters." For those interested in trying to replicate Hendrix's guitar sound, Fender has issued the Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Stratocaster, made for right-handed guitarists, with a reverse headstock, reverse staggered pickups and reverse angled bridge pickups.

i found this on some website and of course i guess we are both right cuz i found this too

Although few people are totally left-handed or totally right-handed, many children are pushed into using their right hand when they would normally use their left, either at home by their parents or at school by their teachers. Jimi Hendrix's younger brother Leon recalled: "When Jimi would play left-handed my dad would holler at him and tell him only devils and what-not would [play like that]. So when my dad would arrive home Jimi would turn the guitar over - that was how he learnt to play... Jimi would turn the guitar over and keep playing, then when dad left the room he'd turn it back over this way... [2]."

Although Jimi played guitar left-handed, he would do a number of other things right-handed, possibly because he was forced to either by his father or by his teachers. Jimi would write lyrics or sign autographs with his right hand and would also hold a desert spoon with his right hand [as can be seen in the Moebius print "Food For Thought", based on Jean Noel Coghe's print entitled "Food"]. When greeting someone with a handshake he would use his right hand (Robert Fripp claimed that Jimi once told him at a party in London, "Shake my left hand man, it's closest to my heart") and when speaking on the phone he would hold the receiver in his right hand. However, Jimi would use his left hand for pitching the ball when playing baseball, for combing his hair and for holding a cigarette.

Some left-handed guitarists play right-handed guitars without restring so the bottom string is nearest the ground such as deceased blueswoman Elizabeth Cotten and up-and-coming blues rocker Eric Gales. Gales picked up this way of playing from his brother, guitarist Manuel Gales (aka Little Jimmy King), a former member of Albert King's band and now a solo artist. Eric Gales other brother Eugene, who plays bass in the Eric Gales Band, also plays a right handed bass left-handed and without restringing. Session guitarist Guy Isidore's favourite guitar is a right-handed Strat which he plays left-handed - his credits include Marc Bolan, Phil Lynott, Peter Green, and more recently Seal.

Jimi was similarly able to play a right-handed guitar without restringing the instrument. In his formative years Jimi would often jam with bands, Leon Hendrix recalling one such instance when the only guitar available to Jimi was a right-handed one. "At the place ["Birdland"] where Jimi used to gig sometimes, well, he got his guitar stolen. He needed a guitar so the group that was playing that night, he asked to, like, borrow one and so they were gonna let him play on the last number. And the guy says, 'I'm not gonna let him play my guitar' cause he's left-handed. Jimi says, 'OK, I'll play it right-handed.' The guy says 'Okay.' So Jimi gets up on the stand, the band start pushing him, doing a slow blues. There's Jimi playing away, note-for-note, upside-down [for him], plucking away...[9].'

Much to the chagrin and surprise of the band's guitarist, Jimi was able to play fluently with his left hand on the fretboard whilst plucking with his right hand.

Although this obviously wasn't Jimi's preferred way of playing, former Free guitarist the late Paul Kossoff recalled a similar incident. Kossoff was working in a British music shop when Jimi entered the shop with Chas Chandler. Kossoff: "There weren't any guitars strung left-handed, so he took this right-handed Strat and turned it over so that the low E was on the bottom. He started playing some chord stuff like in "Little Wing" and the salesmen looked at him and couldn't believe it [10]."

so it looks like he definately restrung it most of the time when he could but he was just that good that he could play right handed and also play a guitar that was backwards too. wow he was incredible

here are the two quick sources i found.
http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa022299.htm
http://www.djnoble.demon.co.uk/ints/LeftyMatters.html

ryopan · Unread post by **ryopan** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 9:22 am

my first guitar was restrung to a lefty but the guy doing it for me didnt change the nut so the action on the low strings (EAD) were TERRIBLE! it really gave me fits but that guy just gave me this guitar so its cool. gave me some practive strengthening my hand but it was rough. i do not know anything real technical about it but get your brother into guitar one way or another. guitar is so sweet. 8)
ryan.

Der-ak · Unread post by **Der-ak** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 6:36 pm

Hey there goop,

Take that guitar of yours down to your local guitar shop and have them flip the nut and the saddle around for you. Once those changes are made there will be no harm to your guitar whatsoever. It'll simply be re-born as a lefty. I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself simply because it's really easy to break the nut or saddle as you're trying to remove them. Any good guitar repair-guy should be able to do this for you. The absolute worst that could happen is that you'll have to buy a new nut and saddle and have them put in instead of using the old ones. Make a few calls to shops in your area and see what they have to say and what they'll charge you for it,... it really shouldn't be rediculously expensive.

Good luck,

D*

bugman96 · Unread post by **bugman96** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 6:49 pm

Der-ak wrote:Hey there goop,

Take that guitar of yours down to your local guitar shop and have them flip the nut and the saddle around for you. Once those changes are made there will be no harm to your guitar whatsoever. It'll simply be re-born as a lefty. I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself simply because it's really easy to break the nut or saddle as you're trying to remove them. Any good guitar repair-guy should be able to do this for you. The absolute worst that could happen is that you'll have to buy a new nut and saddle and have them put in instead of using the old ones. Make a few calls to shops in your area and see what they have to say and what they'll charge you for it,... it really shouldn't be rediculously expensive.

Good luck,

D*

With an upside-down pick-guard, which makes it even cooler.

Der-ak · Unread post by **Der-ak** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 7:05 pm

[quote="bugman96]

With an upside-down pick-guard, which makes it even cooler.[/quote]

Damn straight! Or you could be even COOLER and add a second pickguard and have a little dual-pickguardiosity goin' on!
Heh!

D*

pfft,... that didn't exactly work,...now did it?

Lying In My Grave · Unread post by **Lying In My Grave** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 9:47 pm

im glad this thread was made. i was thinking of doing that to my old guitar, just for the heck of it. i'll reconsider now.
thanks again.

TheGoop · Unread post by **TheGoop** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 11:06 pm

Thanks a lot D, I'll look into that

DMBTaylorPlayer · Unread post by **DMBTaylorPlayer** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 2:16 pm

Well, before you go flipping the saddle around, make sure that the saddle isn't a compensated saddle. If the saddle is one straight piece all the way across, you're fine. But if the saddle has a litle notch at the B string that sets it off from the rest, you'll have to get a new saddle, because the intonation on the B string won't be right.

grock · Unread post by **grock** » Wed May 07, 2003 2:05 pm

hey Goop, How'd this all turn out. is the little bro wailing away on his upside-down ax?? did anything any of us had to say help in the least??

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restringing upside down

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