zeggs Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 Hi Everyone, I am starting my very first guitar building project, and it doesn't really help that im left handed, as i have many questions surrounding this very thing. I am building a left handed strat-like guitar with Texas special pickups. Last night i installed the pickups onto my lefty pickguard and realized something. I noticed the pickup rods on the pickups. On a right handed guitar, the lowest rods in height would be under the high E and B strings. On a lefty guitar those same rods (which are suppose to be under the high E and B strings) are under my Low E and A strings. is it possible that i can just rotate the pickups 180 degrees (still keeping them in the appropriate neck middle and bridge positions), so that my lowest pickup rods would be under the high E and B strings. I know the body itself is routed to let pickups sit in a certain way, but i think there is room to rotate them so that they face in the other direction. Does this matter at all (should i worry about it), or would it greatly effect the sound? I would greatly appreciate any kind of input, response, comment. Thanks for reading. -Zeggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHowell Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 Your pickup response is definitely going to be different in the left handed version if you leave your pickups like they are. The magnet height is adjusted so that the field is slightly different for each string, the B-string magnet is usually lower than the rest. I have some Hofner pickups that have a bar which is curved, lower at bottom E and higher at top E with a notch cut under the B to flatten the response. Stringing the guitar for a lefty would definitely mess things up. Can you not perhaps swop the pickups for left handed versions? Who is the manufacturer? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeggs Posted March 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 Thanks for the reposnse, what about rotating each of them so they match up with the correct string? would that work? they are fender custom shop texas special pickups. -Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeggs Posted March 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 Does Fender make a lefty version of those pickups? if so, where can i get them. thinking about just rotating them so the shorter rods are lined up with the high E and B. -Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezerboy Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 if you just turn them round, then the wires may/will not fit in the cavity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratDudeDan Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 some interesting routing may accomodate for that, though. heck, just a small drill bit would if you wanna go ghetto with it. that's a huge pickgaurd to cover stuff up with, after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saber Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 is it possible that i can just rotate the pickups 180 degrees (still keeping them in the appropriate neck middle and bridge positions), so that my lowest pickup rods would be under the high E and B strings. I know the body itself is routed to let pickups sit in a certain way, but i think there is room to rotate them so that they face in the other direction. If you can physically rotate all three of them, it should be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeggs Posted March 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 Thanks for the replies everyone. I rotated each pickup and luckily, the pickguard/pickups just fit back into the body, no extra routing necessary. they are now in the right orientation. Thanks again. zeggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryOldJAZZStudent Posted December 24, 2022 Report Share Posted December 24, 2022 i am left handed also and have the same dilema or question for installing floating pickups on archtops. how do you avoid poles being under the wrong strings. are there high end adjustable ploating pickups? JerryOldJazzStudent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted December 24, 2022 Report Share Posted December 24, 2022 Quite a necro bump... Anyhow, if the pole pieces are staggered to suit different string thicknesses, installing right handed pickups upside down will have some effect - will it be audible is another question. Unstaggered or adjustable pole pieces are usually symmetrical and every pole piece is identical to the others. There's very few pickups with different type of magnets for half of the strings. Speaking about floating pickups, right handed ones can be a bit tricky to install on a lefty. Attaching is not a biggie but hiding the wires can be tricky as the wires come out at the treble end. Adjustable high end floating pickups do exist, Rautia is one I know but he has retired. Using righty humbuckers on a lefty guitar can put the adjustable pieces on the "wrong" side but again, that's most likely just cosmetic, not audible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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