Acoustic Guitar Left Hand Position

How hard is it to re-string a guitar?

When my father-in-law passed away a couple of years ago, my wife inherited one of his acoustic guitars. I’ve been meaning for some time to learn how to play it, but I know I first need to have the positions of all the strings reversed (I’m left-handed).

Is this something a novice with very little musical experience can do, or do I need to take it to a music shop and have a professional do it? Are there any special tools I need? It’s a very nice guitar that dates back to the 1950′s, so I don’t want to take a chance and accidentally wreck it…

Also, how reasonable an expectation would it be to teach myself the basics through books or instructional DVD’s? Any recommendations, or should I try to find myself a music teacher?

You might get by with just reversing the strings, but to make it play properly, the bridge and nut should also be reversed. Lower pitched strings are larger in diameter. The bridge is made to keep the strings at the correct height. If you just reverse the strings, then the larger strings will be on the side of the bridge meant for thinner strings. It might work ok, but your best bet would be to take it in and have someone do it right.

Guitar Left Hand