Left handed pickups onto a right handed guitar

JetBlack

Hi

I would like to know whether its possible to take pickups from a left handed guitar and put them into a right handed guitar. The guitar is an old Ibanez Roadstar with 3 single coil pickups. I love the sound of these pickups and want them in my spare guitar, which is a Mexican Stratocaster. I'm having it done but before I spend the money for the work I'd like to know whether it will work at all.

Thanks.

Belinda.

StephenG

many years ago, a young guitarist by the name of jimmi hendrix did that... and he turned out alright...

go for it.

MikeM

It'll change the eq a bit, but I'm sure you can flip em around anyway?

IceCreamMan

Should be no problem ....

I asked the same question as i am a lefty and buy pickups for righty guitars ,,no problem and tone wise no problem.

JetBlack

Sorry, I don't know the hendrix guy.

Someone told me that the pickups might sound a lot different because they will be upside down when mounted onto a right handed guitar. It looks like the magnet heights are slightly different from string to string and the one under the 4th string is a bit higher than the others. If I change the pickups around will the magnet under the 4th string not then be under the 3rd string? And will it not change the sound too much?

I'm sorry if I sound like a retard but these are just the things that I've been thinking about after looking at the guitar for hours.

[deleted]

It will be fine.. IMO

as long as you still do your pickup height adjustment right
check out an article from our resident sage, Alan Ratcliffe ?

http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/pickupheight.shtml

hope that helps a little...

[deleted]

StephenG wrote: many years ago, a young guitarist by the name of jimmi hendrix did that... and he turned out alright...

Sounds great to me!!! ? Even after all these years.. long before I was born..

JetBlack

Wow, that's fantastic! This is obviously very old, just by looking at the clothes. He can play though - wow!

I notice that he's playing a right handed guitar left handed. This means that the pickups are still the right way up.

Does he change his strings around so that the big E is at the top and the thin E is at the bottom? If this is so it would be similar to what I will have when I swap left handed pickups to a right handed guitar right! If he doesn't then the guitar is the same as before.

[deleted]

JetBlack wrote: Wow, that's fantastic! This is obviously very old, just by looking at the clothes. He can play though - wow!

I notice that he's playing a right handed guitar left handed. This means that the pickups are still the right way up.

Does he change his strings around so that the big E is at the top and the thin E is at the bottom? If this is so it would be similar to what I will have when I swap left handed pickups to a right handed guitar right! If he doesn't then the guitar is the same as before.

Yip 1969 to be exact

Well Rolling Stones Magazine says he is the greatest guitarist of all time... I say he is the most influential of all time... and sadly lost his life very young, but his legacy will forever be around, for me, the next generation, the next generation, and so on... ?

Jimi played a right handed guitar left handed.. yes

He does change the strings around, so its strung like a lefty ?

Try it... you have nothing to loose. Only your ears can be the judge if you like the sound or not! There is NO right and NO wrong..
Jimi Hendrix did most things against the rules... and was essentially the pioneer of modern rock and and and!

StephenG

people pay BIG money on amps and pedals and stuff to get the same sound as that hendrix dude... you can achieve it by using the pickups upside down...

ryanguit

hi Belinda.

most staggered sets of pickups are still the vintage stagger so made for a wound 3rd string... which very few people put on a strat anyway. if they are vintage stagger for the correct orientation then they probably arent balanced anyway left or right.

fact: you can buy reverse stagger sets to simulate the very 'problem you have' on purpose (to sound like jimi) so for some its desirable even tho on most sets of strings and rigs the diffenence is (i dare say) unnoticable.

it will be absolutely fine...

AlanRatcliffe

Not a major issue. With a staggered polepiece pickup, the string-string balance will be a bit out. You can minimise this by keeping the pickups adjusted fairly low (neck pickup just about flush with the pickguard, middle slightly higher and bridge higher again). You lose some volume overall but the string balance will be better.

raithza

JetBlack wrote: Sorry, I don't know the hendrix guy.

the mind boggles

Bob-Dubery

JetBlack wrote: Does he change his strings around so that the big E is at the top and the thin E is at the bottom? If this is so it would be similar to what I will have when I swap left handed pickups to a right handed guitar right! If he doesn't then the guitar is the same as before.

He did swop the strings so that they were correct for a left-hander IE thickest string closest to his chin and furtherst from the floor (unless he was playing with his teeth or one of those other stunts of his). When he first got to London he loved to pop into clubs and jam with whoever was around and often with a borrowed guitar, and there are tales of him getting up on stage with a guitar that wasn't his and wasn't strung for a left-handed person and playing about as well as he did with his own gear.

Renesongs

AFAIK there is no difference between left and right handed guitar pups unless they are staggered pole

Sorry, I don't know the hendrix guy.

You putting me on aren't you.

JetBlack

Sorry guys but I really don't know Jimi Hendrix, well not until today. I was only born in 1988 and are finding these things out as I go along, thanks in part to this forum. I'm the only musical person in our family and I'm sure my dad doesn't know who he is either.

I didn't ask anything about Jimi Hendrix in my question. I merely wanted to know whether I could take the pickups from a left handed Ibanez guitar and put them into my right handed Mexican Stratocaster. Only because I like the sound of the pickups in the Ibanez.

That's all I wanted to know and I think that the answer is "yes" after reading the responses here.

MikeM

No need to be upset :/ Hendrix is just an iconic example of how left handed players tweak their guitars.

Renesongs

@ Jetblack - To be an electric Guitarist and not know who Hendrix is is like being Catholic and not knowing who the pope is. Anyway welcome to the world of electric guitar if you want to find out some greatest guitarist you ought to listen to are go to this thread http://www.guitarforum.co.za/guitar-players/who-is-your-favourite-guitarist/

No need to be upset :/ Hendrix is just an iconic example ~~of how left handed players tweak their guitars.~~

fixed

JetBlack

Not upset at all! Now I know about Jimi Hendrix as well but for the time being I will just go with Orianthi.

JetBlack

The Ibanez pickups were installed into my Mexican Strat and they work perfectly. Thanks for the help. ?arty: :woohoo: :woohoo: