Geni Swing Guitars

Pickguard Screw

Would you like to convert a right-handed guitar to a left-handed guitar? This is an easy conversion to do, but you'll need to do more than just change the strings. While I believe that it's better to just buy a quality left-handed guitar, maybe you've found a right-handed guitar that you really like. Perhaps you're a lefty just dabbling in guitar playing and not yet ready to make an investment in a left-handed guitar. Most left-handed guitar and bass players are faced with this dilemma.

When I was learning to play, I didn't have a lot of money to invest in a high-quality guitar, so I went to the flea market and purchased the cheapest guitar I could find, a twenty-dollar acoustic. Even with its standard setup, the action was terrible because the neck was warped. The strings wouldn't stay in tune. In short, the guitar sounded like a dying animal. But I converted it to a right-handed guitar by flipping the strings. I didn't bother to change the nut or the bridge, and this was part of my problem.

Eventually I swallowed my pride and visited a music store. Their luthier looked at it and shook his head. He said it would cost a couple hundred dollars to make it sound really good, but for about forty he could make it serviceable. I went with the latter option. In addition to doing the work, he explained what needed to be done to convert a right-handed guitar to a left-handed guitar.

This works for acoustics, electrics, and electric basses. The materials required to convert a guitar are new strings, a tuner, and wood glue. You may also need a blank nut, a screw driver, sandpaper, and a truss rod adjuster. A string winder is a handy tool to have as well.

First you need to remove the old strings. Once the strings are off, remove the nut (the little thing at the top of the neck). You may need to pry this out with a flat screwdriver. Once it's out, scrape out the crusty glue with a screwdriver or some sandpaper. Add a little bit of fresh glue to the nut and replace it with its direction reversed. The nut has a groove sized for each string, and if you don't change it around, there will be play in the little strings and the big strings won't seat properly.

If something happens in this step, for example the nut breaks or the angle causes the strings to sit too low to the fret board, you'll need to file your own nut. You can have a guitar shop do this, or you can purchase a file and do it yourself. Plenty of video tutorials are available.

For electric guitars, you might want to reverse the directions of the pickups. To do this, usually you just need to unscrew the pick guard or pickup frames. Be careful not to lose the springs that allow for height adjustment. Once your glue dries, go ahead and install your new strings. To keep your nut from flying away, don't tighten the strings to full tension until all six strings are on. Use your tuner to get close to the correct pitch. Stretch your strings a bit as you tighten them up.

After they're installed, play for a while and give them time to go to their length. Once this happens, it's time to set your intonation. Maybe you'll be lucky and you won't have to set it. To check intonation, you compare the pitch at the twelfth fret (octave) with the pitch of an open string. They should be the same.

On acoustic guitars, you may need to alter the bridge to ensure correct intonation. Sometimes this is just a matter of getting a blank and filing it down. If you are converting an expensive guitar (not recommended), take it to a luthier and let them do it.

For electric guitars and basses, this process is much easier. The string saddles are usually adjustable with a Phillips screwdriver. All you need to do is adjust them until the pitches of the twelfth fret and open string match. Always use a tuner for this process, and don't forget to re-check the open-string tuning every time you make an adjustment to the string saddle.

That covers about everything you need to know about converting a righty guitar to a left-handed guitar. For more information about left-handed guitars, check out the resource box below.

To learn more about left-handed acoustic, electric, and bass guitars., visit the Left Handed Guitar and Bass Guide.

Fender Guitar Pickguard Screw Gold $2.99 Fender Guitar Pickguard Screw Gold

Fender Jazz Bass 3-Ply Pickguard Black $34.99 The Fender Jazz Bass 3-Ply Pickguard is a 10-hole pickguard similar to the '62 J Bass minus the 4 extra holes for pickup cover, thumb rest, and the 11th mounting screw, above the rhythm pickup. Some pickguards are notched for heel mounted truss rod adjustments.Fits:'62 American Vintage, American Series, and American Standard Jazz Basses (USA)Standard and Deluxe Series Jazz Basses (Mexico)Will not fit 5-String Jazz Basses

Gibson Les Paul Pickguard Bracket Nickel $8.45 Assembly contains screw, nut, and lockwasher.

Gibson Les Paul Pickguard Bracket Chrome Prizmatic $8.45 Assembly contains screw, nut, and lockwasher.

Gibson Les Paul Pickguard Bracket Gold $9.57 Assembly contains screw, nut, and lockwasher.

Screw $10 Screw

Fender American Standard Jazz Bass 10 Hole Pickguard Black Pearl $39.99 4-ply, 10-hole pickguard for '62 American Vintage Jazz Bass, American Series Jazz Bass, American Standard Jazz Bass, Standard Jazz Bass, and Deluxe Series Jazz Bass. Will not fit 5-String Jazz Basses. Similar to the '62 Jazz Bass Pickguard minus the holes for the pickup cover and thumbrest, and the 11th mounting screw above the rhythm pickup. Some pickguards are notched for heel-mounted truss rod adjustments.

Fender Standard Jazz Bass Pickguard 10 Hole White Pearl $39.99 This white MOTO pearloid guard is similar to the '62 Jazz Bass pickguard minus the extra middle mounting screw, pickup cover, and thumb rest holes. For American, American Standard, '62 American Vintage, Standard and Deluxe (Mexico). Not for 5-string basses.

Fender 10-Hole Standard Jazz Bass Pickguard Black Glass Sparkle $39.99 This Black Glass Sparkle guard is similar to the '62 Jazz Bass pickguard minus the extra middle mounting screw, pickup cover, and thumb rest holes. For American, American Standard, '62 American Vintage, Standard and Deluxe (Mexico). Not for 5-string basses.

Fender 10-Hole Standard Jazz Bass Pickguard Aged White Pearl $39.99 This Aged White Pearl guard is similar to the '62 Jazz Bass pickguard minus the extra middle mounting screw, pickup cover, and thumb rest holes. For American, American Standard, '62 American Vintage, Standard and Deluxe (Mexico). Not for 5-string basses.

Fender 10-Hole Standard Jazz Bass Pickguard Aged Glass Sparkle $39.99 This Aged Glass Sparkle guard is similar to the '62 Jazz Bass pickguard minus the extra middle mounting screw, pickup cover, and thumb rest holes. For American, American Standard, '62 American Vintage, Standard and Deluxe (Mexico). Not for 5-string basses.

DiMarzio FG2108 Fast Track Prewired Pickguard Black $279.95 Drop this hum-cancelling DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a 3-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by 3 distinct DiMarzio "rails" guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: Pro Track DP188It's warm, it's friendly, and it sounds like a vintage PAF pickup and will drop right into your Strat. The Pro Track has enough power for any pickup position, and the twin black blades mean there won't be any problems with string-alignment or dropouts.Middle Pickup: Fast Track 1 DP181The Fast Track 1 has a bright, clean soundnot at all like a full-size humbucker. The dual-blade continuous magnetic field creates an even string balance with very little magnet-pull, eliminating those out-of-tune occurrences common to rod-magnet designs. The Fast Track 1 pickup's power is double the output of a standard single-coil.Bridge Pickup: Fast Track 2 DP182Though it's not any bigger than a single-coil guitar pickup, Fast Track 2 has 3 times the output of an average single-coil, with a huge mid-range and bass punch. This single-coil sized bridge pickup is particularly useful when you need a tightly focused jolt of power to crank your amplifier into rich overdrive.3-ply-thick pickguard3 prewired "rails" pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

DiMarzio True Velvet Vintage Prewired Pickguard Black $229.95 Drop this DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a three-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by three distinct DiMarzio True Velvet guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: True Velvet Neck DP175It's not difficult to make a vintage single-coil pickup that's clean and bright, but not so easy if you also want the high strings to sound sweet above the 12th fret. The True Velvet Neck model was designed to make this happen by tuning the coil to a frequency range that's bright but not thin. This pickup features a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The True Velvet Neck model comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.Middle Pickup: True Velvet Middle DP175SThe neck and middle pickups have the same specifications except for reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions.Bridge Pickup: True Velvet Bridge DP176The True Velvet Bridge is just a touch warmer and louder than the Neck and Middle, so the transition between pickup positions is smooth and natural.3-ply-thick pickguard3 pre-wired True Velvet pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

DiMarzio True Velvet Vintage Prewired Pickguard White $229.95 Drop this DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a three-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by three distinct DiMarzio True Velvet guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: True Velvet Neck DP175It's not difficult to make a vintage single-coil pickup that's clean and bright, but not so easy if you also want the high strings to sound sweet above the 12th fret. The True Velvet Neck model was designed to make this happen by tuning the coil to a frequency range that's bright but not thin. This pickup features a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The True Velvet Neck model comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.Middle Pickup: True Velvet Middle DP175SThe neck and middle pickups have the same specifications except for reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions.Bridge Pickup: True Velvet Bridge DP176The True Velvet Bridge is just a touch warmer and louder than the Neck and Middle, so the transition between pickup positions is smooth and natural.3-ply-thick pickguard3 pre-wired True Velvet pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

Dimarzio True Velvet Vintage Prewired Pickguard Black $229.95 Drop this DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a three-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by three distinct DiMarzio True Velvet guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: True Velvet Neck DP175It's not difficult to make a vintage single-coil pickup that's clean and bright, but not so easy if you also want the high strings to sound sweet above the 12th fret. The True Velvet Neck model was designed to make this happen by tuning the coil to a frequency range that's bright but not thin. This pickup features a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The True Velvet Neck model comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.Middle Pickup: True Velvet Middle DP175SThe neck and middle pickups have the same specifications except for reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions.Bridge Pickup: True Velvet Bridge DP176The True Velvet Bridge is just a touch warmer and louder than the Neck and Middle, so the transition between pickup positions is smooth and natural.3-ply-thick pickguard3 pre-wired True Velvet pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

Dimarzio True Velvet Vintage Prewired Pickguard White $229.95 Drop this DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a three-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by three distinct DiMarzio True Velvet guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: True Velvet Neck DP175It's not difficult to make a vintage single-coil pickup that's clean and bright, but not so easy if you also want the high strings to sound sweet above the 12th fret. The True Velvet Neck model was designed to make this happen by tuning the coil to a frequency range that's bright but not thin. This pickup features a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The True Velvet Neck model comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.Middle Pickup: True Velvet Middle DP175SThe neck and middle pickups have the same specifications except for reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions.Bridge Pickup: True Velvet Bridge DP176The True Velvet Bridge is just a touch warmer and louder than the Neck and Middle, so the transition between pickup positions is smooth and natural.3-ply-thick pickguard3 pre-wired True Velvet pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

Dimarzio Fg2108 Fast Track Prewired Pickguard Black $279.95 Drop this hum-cancelling DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a 3-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by 3 distinct DiMarzio "rails" guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: Pro Track DP188It's warm, it's friendly, and it sounds like a vintage PAF pickup and will drop right into your Strat. The Pro Track has enough power for any pickup position, and the twin black blades mean there won't be any problems with string-alignment or dropouts.Middle Pickup: Fast Track 1 DP181The Fast Track 1 has a bright, clean soundnot at all like a full-size humbucker. The dual-blade continuous magnetic field creates an even string balance with very little magnet-pull, eliminating those out-of-tune occurrences common to rod-magnet designs. The Fast Track 1 pickup's power is double the output of a standard single-coil.Bridge Pickup: Fast Track 2 DP182Though it's not any bigger than a single-coil guitar pickup, Fast Track 2 has 3 times the output of an average single-coil, with a huge mid-range and bass punch. This single-coil sized bridge pickup is particularly useful when you need a tightly focused jolt of power to crank your amplifier into rich overdrive.3-ply-thick pickguard3 prewired "rails" pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

Dimarzio Fg2108 Fast Track Prewired Pickguard White $279.95 Drop this hum-cancelling DiMarzio prewired pickguard into your Stratocaster to receive the benefits of a 3-ply-thick pickguard with a built-in volume knob, 2 separate tone knobs, a 5-way "blade" pickup selector, and the impeccable tone quality offered by 3 distinct DiMarzio "rails" guitar pickups.Neck Pickup: Pro Track DP188It's warm, it's friendly, and it sounds like a vintage PAF pickup and will drop right into your Strat. The Pro Track has enough power for any pickup position, and the twin black blades mean there won't be any problems with string-alignment or dropouts.Middle Pickup: Fast Track 1 DP181The Fast Track 1 has a bright, clean soundnot at all like a full-size humbucker. The dual-blade continuous magnetic field creates an even string balance with very little magnet-pull, eliminating those out-of-tune occurrences common to rod-magnet designs. The Fast Track 1 pickup's power is double the output of a standard single-coil.Bridge Pickup: Fast Track 2 DP182Though it's not any bigger than a single-coil guitar pickup, Fast Track 2 has 3 times the output of an average single-coil, with a huge mid-range and bass punch. This single-coil sized bridge pickup is particularly useful when you need a tightly focused jolt of power to crank your amplifier into rich overdrive.3-ply-thick pickguard3 prewired "rails" pickups250kOhms volume knob250kOhms neck tone knob250kOhms middle/bridge tone knobStandard 11-hole screw placement

Fender Fat Strat Pickguard $24.99 Fender Fat Strat Pickguard

Fender Telecaster Pickguard Shell $39.99 Fender Telecaster Pickguard Shell

Fender Gold Pickguard Screws $16.99 Fender Gold Pickguard Screws

Fender Pickguard Screws $4.49 Fender Pickguard Screws