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Post subject: newbie guitarist-has questions
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:11 am
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i got a starcaster electric for xmas. its a right handed model. can i have the strings reversed and play it as a lefty. plus i'm disppointed there are no instructions about the volume control or the lever on the front-what does that do. any info would be much appreciated.


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:23 am
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you could take the guitar to a shop and have them set it up to be played lefty. I think the lever your talking about is the whammy bar. If you push on it, it changes the pitch of the strings. Hope i could help.


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Post subject: ty
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:27 am
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i have new strings and a electronic tuner so couldn't i just reverse them myself and then tune it? i'm not a fan of the wammie bar - so i won't screw it in. i appreciate the info.
what i don't know is -is below the volume and tone controls is a lever - is that a pick up choice switch?


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:49 am
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Can`t you exchange the guitar for a left handed one ? I would try that first. If the lever your asking about is a little 5 position switch, then thats the pick up selector.
Position 1 - All the way down would be the bridge pick up
Position 2 - One step up is bridge and middle pick up
Position 3 - Is the middle pick up by itself
Position 4 - Is the middle and neck pick up
Position 5 - Is the neck pick up
Good Luck and welcome to the forum

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Post subject: Re: ty
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:50 am
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beamer1225 wrote:
i have new strings and a electronic tuner so couldn't i just reverse them myself and then tune it? i'm not a fan of the wammie bar - so i won't screw it in. i appreciate the info.
what i don't know is -is below the volume and tone controls is a lever - is that a pick up choice switch?


you could do that I guess, but it's usually better to bring it to a prof.

yep, that last lever you were talking about is indeed the pick up choice switch. you should try and experiment with that thing in combination with your tone controls, so you can find a particular sound that you like.


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:52 am
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Welcome to the forum!

I am a lefty myself and learned to play righty. I urgently recommend that you learn to play guitar righty also.

As we both know, most things in life are geared towards righties. Granted, even though there are enough left handed guitars and guitarists out there, you will be limiting yourself to selection and availability of guitars down the road, not to mention the oftentimes increased pricing you'll face due to the fact that it is a left handed and probably limited run, instrument. This is of course, if a left handed version is available at all. Your post in fact, reinforces my point as you are immediately being challenged by a readily available right handed instrument whose model does not come in a left handed version. Of note too, by design, even if you set up your guitar for left handed, it will not be the same as if it were a true, left handed instrument dynamically, ergonomically or otherwise.

A real plus that I found learning righty is the fact that because our natural dexterity is obviously in our left hand, this expedites learning how to finger and fret the neck properly and effectively.

And yes, I am a true lefty as the only thing I do right handedly is play the guitar.

As to the controls of your guitar, look up the function of a standard Stratocaster as they are identical.

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Post subject: ty for telling me the pick up positions
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:32 am
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can't really exchange it. cuz he bought it in calif. no store here .


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:34 am
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I read the other posts in this topic quickly. I hope I'm not double posting. You can't just change the string order from right to left. The nut (the plastic piece at the end of the neck near the tuners) is slotted so that the largest string is on top. If you tried to reverse the order it wouldn't work without cutting the nut or something. Plus the smallest string would have to much space , I may be wrong though. Good Luck!!!

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Post subject: Re: ty
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:47 am
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beamer1225 wrote:
i have new strings and a electronic tuner so couldn't i just reverse them myself and then tune it? i'm not a fan of the wammie bar - so i won't screw it in. i appreciate the info.
what i don't know is -is below the volume and tone controls is a lever - is that a pick up choice switch?


No You have to readjust the bridge now. Don't just wsitch the strings and tune it. I'm no expert but I know that the brudge has to be asjusted so that it can hold the tesnsion of the strings. Since you'll be putting the wrong strings in each part of the bridge, the strings could very well snap in your face.

I heard it's better to learn righty than lefty even if your lefty. That's just what I heard.


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:23 am
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Didn't Hendrix play his strat upside down?


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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 12:05 pm
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Not to belabor the issue, but you can clearly see even with just this handful of responses (so far) why it would truly behoove you to learn righty.

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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 12:09 pm
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adamkrz wrote:
Didn't Hendrix play his strat upside down?


Yes, but he reversed the strings. And with the extreme volumes (with effects) he played at (brilliantly, I might add), coupled by the fact that he usually never had the same Stratocaster for very long, a lot of the usual lefty/righty problems did not have a chance to come into focus. Of note is the fact that he did have the same, outright lefty Gibson Flying V for years.

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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:16 am
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Welcome aboard Bro. It looks like your questions already got answered.

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:49 am
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Beamer trade that puppy in for a lefty, you'll be smarter for it down the road.

sparky


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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:49 pm
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i know exactly how you feel, my first electric was a pain to re-string because you can't just re-string you have to fix a bunch of stuff on it, so what i did was re-string it and switch over the plastic bar between the neck & the head and it worked well for me, then i got my standard strat so i traded my righty for a lefty acoustic

Lifes good :wink:

and Hendrix kept his strat upside down because he the position the knobs on the guitar were AND he learned to play the guitar without re-stringing it

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