How to Build Your Own Left Handed Electric Guitar
Jimi Hendrix, Curt Kobain, and Eric Gales are three famous left-handed guitarist's. Unlike Hendrix and Gales, many left-handed guitarist's cannot simply turn a right handed electric guitar upside down and start playing. For the average player, it is probably best to pay the extra premium to buy a left-handed electric guitar. If this is you, you may find that you enjoy the experience of building an electric guitar for a left-handed player rather than purchasing one.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Left-handed electric guitar body Control knobs Neck headstock Electric guitar strings Other required electric guitar hardware Drill Electric band saw Sander Soldering iron Sash clamp
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1
Buy the parts and tools that are needed for the project. Depending on the design of the guitar you choose to make, there may be additional requirements needed before constructing the guitar.
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2
Contour the body of the guitar with a spoke shave. Based on the design of the guitar, mark the body of the guitar where the parts will be installed as well as where the bridge and control knobs will be placed. Base this off of the guitar design template you are using.
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3
Cut the guitar body for the areas previously annotated for the pickups then remove the wood. Use a 1/4-inch straight cut double fluted router bit to route the cavities of the guitar. The areas will be marked based off of the guitar design template you have chosen to use.
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4
Route the guitar body for the hardware wires and pickup. The depth of routing will be based off of the guitar design template being used. The fret slots should be routed 0.6mm wide and 3 mm deep.
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5
Lightly drill the holes for the control knobs, stick, and bridge. The control knobs should be two 1 1/4-inch circles and a 1-inch circle for the switch.
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6
Paint the guitar body. Once dry, sand until smooth. Repaint as desired until the guitar has the desired look and feel.
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7
Add a clear coat or sealer if desired.
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8
Install the wiring for the guitar hardware and install. Once complete, install the guitar neck to the body. Remember, a standard neck pocket depth is 5/8" (16mm). If your design template requires the neck to be glued, viced, or bolted to the guitar body, use Titebond II glue.
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9
Install your guitar strings in the order required for a left handed player (reverse from a right handed guitar).
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10
After allowing the string tension to settle (6 to 8 hours), test the guitar. If the guitar does not function properly recheck previous steps to ensure you did not miss a step.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If using a set-in guitar neck check with your local guitar shop to see if you need to use special paint to glue the guitar neck to the guitar body.
When cutting the guitar body for the pickups ensure you do not cut too deep. Routing the guitar body for the hardware wires and pickup can be the most challenging part of building the guitar. Ask for help before you ruin the body of the guitar! Failure to add a clear coat or sealer to the guitar paint can result in repainting the guitar within a few years depending on the amount of use.
