Building a leftie

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21st February 2011, 03:07 PM
TK1

Building a leftie

Hi,

I've been wanting to build an instrument for a while (and pop in here occasionally all full of enthusiasm :rolleyes:) but the time has, I think, finally come to begin.

However, I am one of those "special" people who is left-handed. I know I could eventually learn to play right-handed, and lots of people recommend this, but every time I play right-handed it doesn't feel right. Strumming or picking with the left hand just works.

So, my question is essentially: can I just buy plans and reverse/mirror them to get left-hand templates? E.g. instead of a plan being traced as the outside view of the body top, I trace and cut it but that becomes the "inside view" and I just flip the blank over? Same for necks and head pieces - just flip or modify them to suit the left-handedness of the instrument?

Is it really that simple, or am I about to get into all sorts of trouble? Will I run into any hardware issues (acoustic builds initially, so not worried about upside-down pickups, just tuners, bridges, etc).

Thanks in advance, hope this isn't a stupid question!

Regards,
Darren
Melbourne
22nd February 2011, 02:09 AM
Andrew_B

you can indeed simply flip everything.

the only things that need to be taken care of for a lefty acoustic really is just the nut, the angle of your saddle and your side dots.

stupid questions are the ones not asked
24th February 2011, 11:18 PM
kiwigeo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

you can indeed simply flip everything.

the only things that need to be taken care of for a lefty acoustic really is just the nut, the angle of your saddle and your side dots.

stupid questions are the ones not asked

Bracing needs to be modified too......esp things like position of tone bars across the lower bout. I usually vary thickness of my tops so if I build a lefty that gets reversed as well.
26th February 2011, 07:57 PM
Andrew_B

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Bracing needs to be modified too......esp things like position of tone bars across the lower bout. I usually vary thickness of my tops so if I build a lefty that gets reversed as well.

didnt even think about bracing, good info :2tsup: