How To Restring a Guitar Left Handed [SUPER EASY]
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 21. 07. 2024
- Here's how to re-string a guitar to be left handed.
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Learn how to restring a guitar for lefties in 5 easy steps with our super simple tutorial! If you're a left-handed player who can't afford a dedicated left-handed guitar, don't worry - you can easily convert a right-handed guitar to a lefty with just a few basic tools. In this video, we'll show you exactly how to do it, from flipping the strings to adjusting the bridge and tuning your new left-handed guitar. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, our step-by-step guide will make restringing your guitar a breeze. So grab your right-handed guitar and get ready to rock - watch now and discover how to restring a guitar left-handed today!
---------------------------------------------------------------- - Hudba
I'm 30yrs old and I have cried over having to quit because I couldn't learn righty like my teacher made me- I just CANT form the right fingers, there's no dexterity. Even my right handed brother is self taught and you made me feel like I can actually play like I always wanted.
I have been told many times" just learn to play right handed it will be much easier" by people who have no idea what it is like trying to learn when you physically cannot use your right to pick, I'm glad I am not alone with that!
you cried over that...tf is wrong with you
Paul McCartney did it too. He flipped a guitar and turned it into a lefty. Also you can also take the strap button off all together and just tie the strap.
You are correct on both accounts!
Paul did it mainly because there weren't to many lefthanded guitars in the 60's. And the ones that were around were of bad quality
@@rens9247 When you reverse the strings you will have a new chords? (Playing Lefty).
@@matthewarnesto3181 not to my knowledge, but it could be true
@@matthewarnesto3181 No you won't. That's the whole point of reversing the strings. If you'd just turn a right-handed guitar upside down, you'd need different grip for the chords, because then e.g. the high E string would be on top instread of on the bottom. By reversing the strings and turning the guitar upside down, you end up with the same string order then you'd have on any other guitar. i.e. low E on the top etc.
I am a right handed person who plays the left handed guitar. When I first picked up the instrument, ofc I started with right one as was "supposed" to fit my nature but after a while I realized that never was feeling comfort in my fretting hand and it was constantly in tension to the point I damaged my finger joints. I couldn't realize what the issue was as I was thinking that my techniques were wrong even tho I was applying them properly. So, the only solution left was flipping the guitar the other way round (I was on a limited budget so couldn't afford a new one) and trying to play like that and voila my 1.5 year torture with fairly little improvement just boosted up significantly in 5 months. Incredible how comfortable I am feeling with the left hand guitar.
Me too Iâm ambidextrous but I still write with my right hand I just cannot play regular right handed as well as I can left handed.
Me too, but like I still can play sometimes Right handed but it's just gone it just feels like I'm Paul McCartney or Jimi Hendrix when I play lh bass and guitar.@@JM00237
You also have to set the innotation because it's going to be all out of whack.
As a guitarist that had to do this due to necessity when first starting out, if you have the money or could afford to save up for a lefthanded i suggest doing so. The downside of this method is you lose intonation around the fifth fret due to the bridge and neckboards orientation. The neck will also warp a bit on lower end guitars with no truss rod causing higher action, so extra light guage strings is a must. I found tuning a step down with a capo on the first fret helped. So you'd be stuck on cowboy chords and muddy intonation the higher you go.
This method works best if you're a beginner with little or no money. But these days its so much easier to find a good proper lefthanded guitar. As another option, some guitalele's have a straight bridge and neck if you don't mind losing the first five frets with a standard tuning of AECGDA.
Hope my years of guitar struggle helps give some of you beginners insight.
It's much better for lefties now, when I started this was basically the only option or spend a bunch of extra money on a lefty. Still, if it's the only option, it's better than no guitar!
The last part aecgda can you explain that I dunno what you mean
my dad passed away a couple weeks ago and left me his fender stratocaster and some other stuff like amps. iâm a lefty but iâve been playing is guitar right handed. kinda 2 scared to fuck up the guitar and flip the strings
think iâm gonna just buy a left handed guitar. i have no problem with playing right or left handed
My condolences! That's definitely a tough decision to make, I can absolutely see why you'd want to hold onto the guitar the way it is in the memory of your father. My heart goes out to you.
@@anndynegative thank you bro. nice video !
I'm sorry for your loss.
I know this is a year old, but my condolences to the loss of your father. I would definitely NOT switch it to lefty. Save up and buy a lefty guitar. Put the Strat up on the wall in memory of your father.
This is super helpful, thank you! I am left handed , i only really play ukelele since guitars were tough for me to learn growing up. My uncle died when i was 8, and having moved in with my grandmother and living in what was once his room i let his electric guitar stay in there with me, it hasnt really been touched since he died. Im 21 now and i clean it and take care of it but i do not play it. I wasnt sure if i could restring it left handed since the head isnt an even shape compared to most ukeleles and acoustic guitars. But now i know, so maybe i can pick up it up and put it to use instead of sitting in the corner for another year
I'm left handed and my wife bought me a right handed guitar for Christmas,so thanks for the info. I wasn't sure if I had to turn the pickups around or not.
Nope, pickups are ambidextrous!
worse wife ever
Great easy instruction, straight to the point.
ThanX đđžđ
Great video and super easy to follow along! Thank you for the advice!!
Perfect! Glad it helped!
Canât stop think about type O from the name & the green...love it !
I'm left handed and I'be just started learning guitar, so ty for the tutorial!
My pleasure! I also have a video that covers some basics on my channel đ€
Okay I'll check that out! I just got a new guitar yesterday and I tried this tutorial to make it left handed!
This approach has several
Problems, one your string action will likely be wrong, the intonation will definitely be way off, and if you switch around the nut your string angle will likely be wrong as well, I am not saying this can't be done but if you do you need to learn how to properly set up your guitar or have it done by a luthier that does, it will make a world of difference in the way your guitar plays and sounds, us lefties are at a disadvantage to start with don't make it harder than it needs to be
@@williampeer9564 of course this isn't a perfect situation, but for someone who isn't able to afford a left handed guitar it could at least get them started. Ideally we'd all be able to get lefty guitars, but we gotta start somewhere!
7 months later any progress?
thanks so much for this video, have had my guitar for a while and been discouraged from playing cuz playing with my right feels wrong. i had tuned my ukulele backwards when i was younger so i could play it leftie haha
Glad I could help! Have fun!
Thank you keep postingđ€
You got it đ€
Thank you Anndy
My pleasure!
Thanks man
Cool. Subscribed.
Nice. Welcome
The first electric guitar I bought over here is a righty so I switched it over. Now I get them all lefty custom built here. The one thing I might add is the intonance. You want that flipped baby to stay in tune and play in tune. Cheers.
I feel many of us lefties start out this way. I did for sure! You're close to the source so I know getting custom built guitars is a lot cheaper. Still not super affordable over here in winterland haha!
@@anndynegative If you're ever in the market give me a shout. Happy to hook you up with my guy. Quality of Chinese guitars is much improved. My last L.P. is a joy and was dirt cheap. Around 300 Can. I posted my whole collection on twitter if you care to have a look. @johnbovie2
@@johnbovie9203 Read your comment, can I see if they have a website or somth? Would mean the world right now cause I'm looking for a leftie bass, thanks in advance!
@@eubertesquivel4269 Absolutely. You can also check out my CZcams channel although my bass video is my most despised. LOL. I have his e-mail. clmusicguitars@yeah.net. Tell him I sent you. Actually trying to hook up a famous friend with a Tele right now.
@@johnbovie9203 I'll check it out, thanks man
hey, when i first heard of trying this was when i started and i'm finally trying it! although most people i've asked say you need to change things on the bridge of my guitar to keep it in tune. whats your thoughts on this?
You shouldn't need to change anything with the exception of widening the nut space for the two lowest strings (as I showed in the video) I've done this many times and never had any real issues with tuning. Good luck!
Yes you need to innotate the guitar or the notes wont progress properly. It might sound ok alone but with someone else playing along you will be out of tune the higher up you play.
Great video. Step 1, now I need a guitar! ;o)
You're also not left handed!
Thanks, cool guy
My pleasure :)
hello :) I loved this tutorial but when you redo the strap holders is there any way to fill in that other hole at the end? Sorry im really picky and I love things even
Glad it helps! You can dip a toothpick in wood glue and stick it in the hole then break off the top and sand it down a bit. It's not perfect but it will fill the hole!
Thanks for the help man really appreciate it đ
Please help, thinking of buying a vintage strat (right handed) from the 70s and flipping it to play left handed (despite being right handed) lol. Will the only problem I face be the volume knobs? Can I switch them to the bottom ?
You can switch the knobs, but it will require you to re-route new holes in the body of the guitar. It's also going to effect the playability of the guitar a bit. I'm hesitant to suggest doing it in this case as it's a vintage instrument, usually I suggest this kind of thing for cheap guitars like squiers and Yamaha's. Kind of for people who can't afford a decent lefty. However, it's your money so I guess do whatever you feel like!
Iâm doing this on an SG, is there anything I have to do on the bridge? Or would doing this and a full guitar set up be just fine?
Actually a bit easier on the SG cause you can just spin the whole saddle section around. Otherwise yea
Loved your video man!
Thanks a bunch :)
@Anndy Negative just bought one of those pink rare hello kitty strats. I'm about to make it lefty. đ€
@@gavinfullmer amazing! Good luck!!!
@@anndynegative thanks bro! What's your next video gonna be about?
Loved your new song đ” đ„
I was wondering wether anyone has done this with a les paul, since I really want les paul, however I don't know if it would work the same when compared to a strat
You can absolutely do this with a Les Paul
I have a strat type same job but I'm always getting trouble with the g string because I notice when restrung left the g ends up under the tuck in pieces of metal the b and high e are usually under is this why my g sounds off all the time when its in tune or is it my bridge intonation?
Hmm, it could be because of the string tree. Maybe try removing it and see if that eliminates the problem or makes it worse
@@anndynegative true haha
Question.. does this have any cons..like will it be hard learning? And will it work on yamaha pacifica 012?
It works on any guitar
I'm right handed and been playing for 11 years.. I miss learning how to play.. switching to my left now :)
Good luck!!!
i need help! please idc how old this video is lol, i flipped a squier strat and i cant figure out how to make this fret buzz go away, im thinking maybe its bc im learning how to play and im not putting enough pressure but i know its not just me
You might need to raise the strings at the bridge and adjust the neck slightly. Those things can help with fret buzz. I have a video about guitar setups on the channel!
Hi Andy!!!
Hi again, getting a strat online for cheap $200. How would I setup the intonation for the bridge and all, and to fix the bridge/fret buzz? Do you have any vjds on this? Thanks!
I've got a video covering that on my channel! Good luck!!!
@@anndynegative you got the link? too lazy to search it up xd
@@sniff790 czcams.com/video/dvBIsmHoqSQ/video.html
Woah, a Yamaha Pacifica. That was my first guitar (still have her) and she was of a southpaw design. Brought a smile to my face seeing the headstock đ€
Tips for the re positioning of the strap button (general maintenance)?
If you mess up, just put a tooth pick with some wood glue in the hole, wait 24hours then try installing it again!
So how does the whammy bar work? Would you have to get a left handed bridge or is it fine?
It will just be under your arm more, but it still works the same
You can replace your bridge with a lefthanded one though, then your tremolo bar would be where it supposed to be.
What about adjusting the bridge for intonation?
Yea, you'll have to do that with any setup
So question, for the filing, what is the part i need to file specifically?
The groove in the nut where the string sits
@@anndynegative so If i flip it it will sit fine i dont need to file the other side to be flat? mine has a slight curve down towards the top of the neck, so just file until the string fits correctly, any type of file in particular to make the process easier?
Eric Gales does this - his magneto guitar is right handed, he's right handed, but learned to play lefty from his left handed older brothers. I've seen him play his lefty way, hand the guitar to Andy Timmons who played it righty... then back to Eric who played it lefty. It's so cool.
Eric Gales does not do this. Yes, he has flipped a right handed guitar over.. but he never switched the strings to make it a left handed strung guitar. He literally plays upside down/backwards.
@@Jacen13 I've seen Eric live twice so far and we're on the same page about how he gets down.
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ĐĐŸĐŒĐ”ĐœŃŃŃ ŃŃŃŃĐœŃ, ĐĐ°ŃŃŃĐŸĐžŃŃ ĐŒĐ”ĐœĐ·ŃŃŃ.
Question, could you just use the same strings and flip them around?
Yuuuup
That's the same thing I was wondering.
@@raypurdue it would depend on the tuner configuration on the headstock; les Paul yes, strat no .
why am i watching this, i am right handed
Deep down you wish you were a lefty đ€Ł
@@anndynegative well I play bass right handed with the strings upside down. I originally learned how to play guitar on a left handed model
@@humanchannel7825 nothing wrong with that, I started out the same way!
A fender jazzmaster is the best âright handedâ guitar for a lefty who wants to play without actually buying one. Since left handed JMâs are abit tougher to find.
I subscribed soley for the digimon shirt
A person of discerning taste I see!
How does this work with acoustics?
Pretty much the same
Would this also work for a telecaster??!! Pls help đ
Yup
How do I know if itâs left or right handed guitar? I was given one from a friend
It will be the mirror image of a right handed guitar. If you hold the guitar with the neck in your right hand and the body on your left, the biggest string will be on the bottoms as opposed to the top (if it's a right handed guitar)
i play right handed but my 4 year old is dying to play but holds it opposite, cause hes a leftie! i have strings i just wanna make sure im doing it right :)
He's gonna love it! I'm super excited for him!!!
I'm left handed on guitar. Saving up for a electric
What are you gunna get?
Does it affect tone?
Nope, will sound the same
If u do this will the tone change? Pls reply
No
if i buy a brand new right hand guitar do i need to cut the new string or just replace it to make it reverse string
@@JedManalo42 best to just put on a new pair of strings
i am doing with a lefty guitar i asked for my brithday and i play right handed but i am left handed
Thanks >.
Happy to help
Doing this for a Les Paul Junior.
(Itâs a backup, donât worry... itâs fine)
Good luck!!!
It reminds me of the Hendrix Guitar
Iâm left handed, and Iâve been playing right for years. Iâve wanted to make the switch to lefty for a long time, but I donât know howâŠ. Any tips?
Honestly bro, even if youâre just decent doing it right handed, just keep at it. Iâm a lefty and started with a righty that was flipped. Itâs not any cooler playing left handed. If anything it sort of makes you the oddball out having to bring your own equipment or sit out the sesh. I tried learning to play right handed for convenience but my left hand couldnât make the chords nearly as strong as my right. Plus youâd only be setting yourself back investing into more instruments just to reteach yourself. I mean if youâre dead set on it tho homie Iâd recommend doing like ^ he said and flip the strings on what you currently have. Relearn what you know and grow from there. Music is an art you should be comfortable with if musically inclined. Forcing yourself into a new way of action for little to no reason would just be hindering your potential. I hope I was able to help. This video wasnât what I was looking for but I found my way here.
@@thatguy9111 I've been playing right for almost 8 years lol
@@FakemakerJoey shitttt, my bad bro lmao, I read a couple years, I wasnât thinking youâd hit me with the 8 đ but that does make me curious, whatâs got you wanting to flip? I was about 6 years in myself when I started practicing right, but like I said for me it was short lived. Everyoneâs different tho, Iâm sure if you put the effort into it itâd work out!
@@thatguy9111 lol sorry haha! I've always felt alittle uncomfortable playing right handed! But I've kinda grown used to it lol
I haven't read all remarks on this , but you won't have to do anything to the bridge at all ? I'm a lefty player using only left handed built guitars . I was wanting to take a right hand strat and Jimi Hendricks it . Thank you .
This is a great question. The only thing you need to do (other than what I covered in the video) is to do a quick set up on your guitar (which I covered in another video) then you can rock out Hendrix style no problemo!
@@anndynegative Thank you !! I truly appreciate and love your channels !
It would have been nice if you would have tested the guitar as well in the video to see how it sounds after the restring :)
That's fair! This guitar has been in "lefty mode" for a long time so I just didn't think about it
@@anndynegative Im trying to get started and i wanted to see how does it sound restringed even tho it might sound the same , i dont know whether to buy a left handed or buy a right handed and restring the cords (i tried holding the guitar on both sides and it feels natural on the left side) , thank you for you answer , subscribed :)
@@SoulxTiger it will sound the same no matter which direction the strings are. You will probably have to do a quick set up (adjusting the bridge and neck) but I have a video on my channel covering that!
@@anndynegative tyvm !
Should I try to make a Tom delonge replica strat
Yea, it's pretty fun. I made a video about making one and I love it!
What about the bridge? Many guitars have a slanted bridge.
Like a Tune-o-matic bridge on a Les Paul? Shouldn't really give you any issues
Is it just the exact same for acoustic guitars as well?
Absotutely!
If no more guitars were made, i'm fairly sure, there would be enough around, to keep the world in guitars for some time?.. that neck join, on a strat is tricky up past the 12th, (yamaha strats have a bigger cutaway than squiers..it gets important when you start playing up the dusty end)..
There are a lot of them, yea...
this is to simple i feel kind of stupid but im glad i watched it because flipping the nut didnt even cross my mind lmao
No need to feel bad, this took me many years of trial and error to figure out, in glad to pass on the knowledge đ€
@@anndynegative oh yeah i did have a question that i dont think you mentioned in the video. If the guitar has staggered height tuners, would this effect anything when converting it for left handed playing?
@@hunterwheeler96 good question. I don't think it should cause any extra issues. Let me know what happens if you try!
Hmmmmm... Now i can play in 7 and 8 string guitars, niceeee....
If it ain't broke...flip it and play it lefty!
Newbie question, why can't you reuse the strings?
In this example the strings wouldn't have been long enough because of the shape of the head. If you had a headstock like a Gibson style it could work. That said, never hurts to throw a fresh pair on there!
i'm leftie, & thanks a lot
Pleasure is all mine
@@anndynegative thanks again. Actually i bought cheapo strat just cost me ~75usd, just wanna revisited my old hobby during this pandemic. With ur short vids, probably i might have an idea buying another rightie guitar and flip the string upside down especially gibson-like firefly guitar or SG. Cheers âđœ
Well you somewhat went over the important issue with the nut a bit quick and without much explanation. Reversing the nut will obviously be a problem because it is not symetrical, and filing the slots isn't that easy a task either. Maybe (did not try myself) one could buy a new 'left-handed' nut. Shouldn't cost too much.
Also there will be intonation issues when you do not adjust the bridge to the reversed strings.
As I said in the video, you can just file out the nut you already have so it fits the larger strings, which is the simplest approach. You can always buy a new nut too, there are options
I would do that, but I don't do it because of the knobs. I know it's not a great deal but I don't really like to play upside down, just my idea
Yea, I totally get that. That's why I evolved to actual lefty guitars. Tho, it's good for someone who's just starting out or maybe can't get a lefty guitar rn!
@@anndynegative If someone's used to it, it's totally fine,doesn't bother me at all. But I can't do that. My standards are too high for that đ
I bought a bunch of left handed picks, but I think they are broken
I think you got swindled!
Does this exist? Oh....
wouldn't this set it out of tune most of the time?
Not really, you'll probably have to do a bit of a setup but it should be alright
I've swapped quite a few and it's ok most of the time. I restrung a Les Paul this easy way and had to do a quick retune every time after shows. Wasn't ever too far off tho.
@@anndynegative thank y'all!
So I'm right handed, but due to some injuries I've experienced younger, I want to play on a left handed guitar because it's extremely uncomfortable to fret with my left hand
It's rad that you're making it work!
I'm just glad that there are so many people willing to talk about their unique guitar playing experiences. I'm not taking lessons yet. Just checking out stuff on CZcams, but there's like a whole world of left handed videos and players I can watch, really cool
@@TranceCore3 I never took lessons, I just learned from watching other guitar players and stuff. There is value in finding a teacher to build you a curriculum if you can, but there's also a wealth of info on the internet.
I have the same problem! Messed up my wrist as a kid and now can't turn it properly
Cant you screw your fretboard up trying to take out the nut yourself? And I would think where the Low E string used to be is now where the High E string is wouldnt that high E be moving around or popping out the nut for being too big? I never thought it was that easy....the first time i finally decided to switch my first guitar from right to left handed i paid like 80 to 90bucks for a local guitar shop to replace it for me because I didnt know the 1st thing about it. But i got lied to and thought i was buying a left handed guitar but once it arrived it was a right handed and its an Ibanez Gio GS-120 and i like the fretboard/neck feel and the strings are nice and easy to bend compared to my cheaper knockoff strats....so basically Ive had a guitar sitting here for years that alls I can pretty much play on it is Led Zepps Black Dog that I can still remember when I used to play the strings right handed lol im really wanting to do this but i dont want to screw it up!
You always run the risk of damaging it for sure. Usually I just adjust the size of the nut string space and it's been fine. Not that I've done this to a guitar in a very long time tho. It's so much easier to find lefty guitars these days
I'm a fellow lefty and I play guitar left handed. however I started on a right handed guitar so now what I do is get a left handed guitar and then string it right handed.
Hello fellow weirdos.
That's super backwards, but I love it!
That works too.
My friend gave me a guitar for watching her cats for a week.đ
Amazing! You're gonna have so much fun!!!
2:29 I used the string as a file
Yea, that's a great idea!
im not a weirdo
its this guy what
Yup!
HAH i need to do the reverse cu i got a second hand guitar that was left handed while im right handed
I feel your pain
Intonation?????.......
Yes, you should intonate your guitar after you do this
@@anndynegative yes .