This is kind of interesting....converting an RG2228 to left-handed for one of our customers, quite likely the first one ever done, I think. After discussing the details of the project, and on my advice we concluded that:
- any modifications done be completely reversible back to stock condition in the future should he decide to part with it for whatever reason - that means NO holes of any kind drilled into the guitar.
- that unfortunately the existing volume knob was directly intrusive where his picking hand rests for palm muting, etc. Well, we'll see about that.
Unfortunately, some of the pics are a bit shoddy, but for information purposes, you get the jist.
Lock nut before removal, scene of the most work
For the nut we're using a large (their biggest) ,Graphtech tremnut flat blank, which is an excellent material to work with. Oh, and it's black.
The necessary tools for doing proper nutwork: razor saws, slot files, shaping files and a spacing guage.
After removing the existing lock nut, then carefully taking measurements, we spend time shaping the basic nut blank with small disc and belt sanders, then shaping files, which we're left with this:
Then using the spacing ruler, we mark the string slots:
After marking the slots, we glue the nut in place, wait 1/2 hr to harden, then using razor saws to start the slots (and feeler gauges to judge the slot depth) before shifting to the slot files of the appropriate gauges to finish off.
Which we're left with this:
Before restringing (w/ 10-60+70), we must switch the saddles back the "other" (sorry Scott) way, and to help speed things up, I took measurements with calipers of the original locations to give us a close intonation base to work from without being too far out of whack.
Before stringing it up, I oil the board and wool the frets...guys, it just kills me to see some of you still going through the time-wasting hassle of taping up the whole fingerboard to clean your frets. DO YOURSELVES THE FAVOR AND GET THIS - A FRETMASK!! Cheap as dirt from Stewmac.com.
After stringing it up and tweaking, I attached a small piece of black leather over the exposed rosewood that was under the old locknut - looks way better than leaving it open. This is the end result - voila! Left handed!
So what about the electronics and strap pin? I removed the tone control, moved the volume up to the tone spot, plugged the open hole, sawed down the shaft on the volume pot, sawed a strat knob in half to have a less obtrusive, low-profile), and painted it flat black like so:
Removed the strap pin, put a pan head hex screw in the open hole:
and moved it to one of the neck bolts. Clean and neat - no extra holes drilled.
And, well, that's all she wrote gang. Now lefties do not have to despair - you can have it done to one of the RG2228's, very simple. about 2 1/2 hours work.
As I look at this, I now can't help but wonder:
What wildness would Hendrix have done with one of these?.....
