Right Hand Guitar > Left Hand Guitar

MetzgerMeister

Hi all,

A friend is thinking about buying a BC Rich Mocking Bird from another friend for cheap. Problem is friend who's buying is left handed and friend who's selling is right handed.

Would it be possible to change it to left handed by turning the top bridge i.e. black plastic string guide around or is it trickier than that?

Banjo

The controls will be awkward to access, unless he's doublejointed he loses the cut-away so the body kicks in at the 17th fret instead of the 19th, you'd need to replace the nut rather than turn it around 'cause only one edge sits flush with the end of the neck, the other is bevelled, I think. And that's going to take some gluing anyway you do it. For correct intonation you may need to reverse the bridge too, which would involve new holes being drilled. It'd look wierd too (although it's actually quite nice looking upside down unlike most guitars).

All in all, unless he's getting it for significantly under 300 euros, I wouldn't bother, just buy the Lefty mockingbird special off Thomann.

BSOM

It could be done but there will be intonation problems, on top of that all the switches are all in the incorrect place. Wouldnt recommend it but someone here may know a way to do it.

domrush

He's not gettin it for cheaper than this surely?
http://www.thomann.de/ie/bc_rich_mockingbird_special_black_lh.htm?sid=701d015faf5d3e9e6d286584eface9ee

MetzgerMeister

I don't know exactly how much he'll be getting it for but my guess is around €100 (mates rates).

I think he's better off to get a cheap one (i.e. €90 delivered) from music store. He's only starting to learn like.

Malice

If he's only starting to learn couldn't he just learn to play right-handed? I'm left-handed for virtually everything (computer mouse, pen, golf club, snooker cue) and I learned to play the guitar right-handed. I didn't even know guitars came in left-handed versions until someone pointed it out to me .

If your friend does learn right-handed then obviously he's got a lot more choice available.

MetzgerMeister

Malice_ wrote: »

If he's only starting to learn couldn't he just learn to play right-handed? I'm left-handed for virtually everything (computer mouse, pen, golf club, snooker cue) and I learned to play the guitar right-handed. I didn't even know guitars came in left-handed versions until someone pointed it out to me .

If your friend does learn right-handed then obviously he's got a lot more choice available.

Yeah this is true. He has tried to play my own guitar which is right handed but he can't really do it.

Malice

einheisserschre wrote: »

Yeah this is true. He has tried to play my own guitar which is right handed but he can't really do it.

Of course he can't - he's only starting .

MetzgerMeister

Malice_ wrote: »

Of course he can't - he's only starting .

I meant that he can't hold his fingers down on the fretboard properly at all ya cheeky bas*ard

Banjo

I'd tell him to give playing righty a week before he gives up - it won't feel natural for a couple of days but it's like on the left hand side or eating with a knife in your left hand - you get used to it very quickly if you spend enough time doing it, and before you know it doing it any other way feels odd.

MetzgerMeister

Banjo wrote: »

I'd tell him to give playing righty a week before he gives up - it won't feel natural for a couple of days but it's like on the left hand side or eating with a knife in your left hand - you get used to it very quickly if you spend enough time doing it, and before you know it doing it any other way feels odd.

True. I'm right handed and I've always had the knife in my left hand as long as I can remember. I'll tell him that.

Malice - einheisserschre banned for a week??

-=al=-

im right handed and play left... just do whats natural regardless of which way it is, thats all i can say really, i don't think i'd be as good if i played right handed, i cant even hold it right that way

ive played lots of right handed guitars and even tried the right handed way but it just doesnt appen

nialldabass

Duane Allman, leftie played right handed, and what a player he was. Sometimes wish I had learned using my stronger hand for fretting
Thats were most of the magic happens anyway

Malice

einheisserschre wrote:

Malice - einheisserschre banned for a week??

Do you want to be banned? I'm not banning you for your last post. You'd only accuse me of power-tripping or something .

nialldabass wrote: »

Sometimes wish I had learned using my stronger hand for fretting

That was something I left out of my post. Given that a person's dominant hand is generally stronger, he may find fretting easier if he's trying to hold down strings with his left hand.

Dublin Guitar

In my experience, due to the left hand being dominant for most everything through a lefty's life, they find it quite difficult to perform any kind of complex rhythm or strumming pattern, though it comes quite naturally with practice to the dominant hand.

I never agree with teachers who suggest that a lefty should learn the instrument right handed as "this would be easier". We always hand a guitar straight to a lefty and the way they hold it tends to be the way they will find it more comfortable. Simple but effective.

My two cents

MetzgerMeister

Malice_ wrote: »

Do you want to be banned? I'm not banning you for your last post. You'd only accuse me of power-tripping or something .

Hah no! Was just curious whether or not you'd start power tripping

Anyway, back on topic. Will I just tell him to get a left hand guitar and learn that way as he finds it easier to play left handed? He has tried both and as he's only starting to learn, now is the time to make this choice.

-=al=-

just get him to sit down and hand him a guitar and see which way he goes to play it first, whatever way that is is the way he should go

BostonB

einheisserschre wrote: »

Hi all,

A friend is thinking about buying a BC Rich Mocking Bird from another friend for cheap. Problem is friend who's buying is left handed and friend who's selling is right handed.

Would it be possible to change it to left handed by turning the top bridge i.e. black plastic string guide around or is it trickier than that?

It would be cheaper to buy a lefthanded guitar in the first place.