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Righty To Lefty Guitar Conversion...


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So...I'm gonna pick up a BC Rich Virgo guitar and convert it to a lefty. I know about routing the body for the controls and swapping the nut and flipping the pickups (I'm swapping them out anyhow...)...but I'm lost as far as the bridge goes.

The bridge is at an angle - so will I be able to set the intonation w/ the bridge angled for a righty? If not, this means I have to pull the bridge, plug the holes, and redrill the mounting holes for the bridge?

Please help!! I'm hoping not to have to fill and redrill the bridge mounting holes....

Thanx!!!!

:D

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You're not likely going to be able to set the intonation properly, though the Virgo is less angled than many other TOM-equipped guitars.

I have a more important question, though:

You're already going to rout the whole thing in order to place the controls lefty, and you're already considering redrilling the holes, etc... which means you're not "against" a certain amount of work. Since the routing would ruin the finish anyhow and you'd have to refinish, why not just use the body as a routing template and make a new body?

Or, if you're set on using the existing body, for the amount of work that you're going to be putting in, pluggin the holes and drilling new ones is going to be one of the smallest parts of the job, so it's worth doing it right.

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the routing and refinishing isn't big deal, nor is filling the holes, etc... I'm just paranoid about measuring the bridge correctly to make sure that I put it back in correctly...knowing me, there's a good chance I'll have to redo it a few times....and, since I'm a lazy bastard, I'd prefer not to have to...

thanx for the replies!

:D

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also being a lefty ive mulled over the same idea, and realized (IMO) its a waste of time and money,

why butcher a perfectly good body?

the conversion is almost as much labor as a built from scratch body and you destroy resale value in the process

(2nd hand lefty's are in my experience very cheap because of lack of demand).

why not build a new body and keep the righty body for when you want to sell it? (i said when because every bc rich owner ive meet, including myself soon grow out of them :D )

but either way you will still have the logo on the headstock upside down, unless you refinish that too.....

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Yeah, it's a tough call...but, for the $225 I've got into the guitar, I can live w/ losing the resale value. Plus, if I do it the way I'm thinking, I plan on keeping a control cavity on both sides so that eventually I can reconvert it to right and give it to one of my nephews. Unless, hopefully, one turns out to be a lefty....

Of course, I've also gotta figure out how to shave down the neck joint w/o making it too weak, but allowing for better upper fret acces....kinda like on newer guitars and some of the '80s Aria models....

Routing's easy, carving I'm a novice at...

Plus, if I really like the result, I'll probably add a Kahler at some point down the road.

Oh yeah - I'm gonna refinish the headstock too - gonna 'personalize' it a bit....

Thanx for the replies!

also being a lefty ive mulled over the same idea, and realized (IMO) its a waste of time and money,

why butcher a perfectly good body?

the conversion is almost as much labor as a built from scratch body and you destroy resale value in the process

(2nd hand lefty's are in my experience very cheap because of lack of demand).

why not build a new body and keep the righty body for when you want to sell it? (i said when because every bc rich owner ive meet, including myself soon grow out of them :D )

but either way you will still have the logo on the headstock upside down, unless you refinish that too.....

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