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Restringing right- to left-handed

Ciacchi

Ciacchi

Mar 14, 2017
30
27
Paraíba
soundcloud.com
#1
I have a left handed student who owns a right handed bass, next week I'm supposed to reverse the string order for him to practice. Anything special I should look out for? Reversing the nut, adjusting the bridge... any ideas for the strap button being in the wrong side of the body?

Here's the bass I'll be reversing:
bass.jpg
 
#2
It's a bit of work.
  1. Recut or
  2. Replace and cut the nut.
  3. Restring.
  4. Do a complete set up, including adjusting the pickups.
  5. Remove and replace the strap button to the upper (short) horn.
  6. Or leave existing strap button and add a new one.
 
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#3
202dy said:
It's a bit of work.
  1. Recut or
  2. Replace and cut the nut.
  3. Restring.
  4. Do a complete set up, including adjusting the pickups.
  5. Remove and replace the strap button to the upper (short) horn.
  6. Or leave existing strap button and add a new one.
Click to expand...

1. and 2. maybe stupid question, but if I just turn the nut upside down wouldn't it have the same effect?
4. Exactly what pickup adjustment are you referring to?
5. and 6. I'm guessing this would be accomplished with a drill straight through the horn?

Excuse a setup newbie here :)
 
#4
Reversing the nut: The floor of the slots angle toward the headstock. Reversing the nut will reverse the floor. Not good. So the choices are to recut the existing nut and have some slots that are too wide (which may be acceptable) or to replace the nut and cut for proper fit.

Pickups are adjusted to compensate for the differences in string mass from bass to treble so that string volume is even. More string mass means stronger signal.

Strap button: New hole bored, strap button installed with a screw.

This isn't a job for a person who is new to set up. Please have your student take this instrument to a pro.

Submitted with respect.
 
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#5
No offense taken :)
I really thought it would be an easier job, I'll have him take it to a professional. I didn't know about the nut angle, thanks for pointing that out.

I'll keep asking for the sake of learning:
So the pickup adjustment would be to screw them the other way around?
 
#6
Good.

Pickups: More mass = more signal. Pickup closer to lighter strings to balance output.

Discussed here this week.

By the way, anyone can learn to do setups and repair work. Go to the sticky at the top of the page entitled All Setup Questions... and start reading. Buy some junk and twist the screws for practice to see what happens. It won't take long to figure it out.
 
#8
Went through some of the other thread.

New to the world of instruments. I have rode bmx for the past 30 some years. Weird as im only 29 but hey. So with bmx, skating etc there is a concept called oppo, Short for opposite, if you naturally spin to right, you learn to spin to the left.

Now im right handed, and much prefer playing left handed. I also make sure i put in practice time as a righty too. Forget all the left hand and right hand nonsense. Nothing creates progression in anyting quite as good as putting yourself out of your comfort zones. Practice and effort is what gets you there. Plus I read Jimi could play righty or lefty and either guitar regular and flipped. And, as always, just my two cents.
 

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