Yes, Jimi Hendrix played a right-handed guitar strung in reverse

Jimi Hendrix did play an upside-down guitar, but not in the way most people imagine. He didn't flip a standard right-handed guitar and play it that way. Instead, he took right-handed guitars and restrung them so the strings ran in the opposite order—what's called a left-handed setup. This meant the thickest string was on top and the thinnest on the bottom, the reverse of how a right-handed player holds the instrument.

Hendrix was naturally left-handed, and this setup let him play comfortably without buying expensive left-handed guitars, which were rare and hard to find in the 1960s. He would straightforward buy affordable right-handed Fender Stratocasters and have them restrung by a technician or do it himself. The result looked unusual to right-handed players watching him perform, because his fretting hand (left) was doing what their picking hand (right) normally does.

Key Takeaways

  • Hendrix restrung right-handed guitars to play left-handed, not by flipping them upside down.
  • He chose this method because left-handed guitars were expensive and difficult to find in the 1960s.
  • The reversed string order meant the thick low E string sat on top instead of the bottom.
  • His unconventional setup contributed to his unique tone and playing style, though his talent was the real difference.
  • Modern left-handed guitars exist because of players like Hendrix, but restringing remains a common choice today.

Why Hendrix chose restringing over buying left-handed guitars

In the early 1960s, left-handed guitars were a specialty item. Fender and Gibson made them, but in tiny quantities compared to right-handed models. They cost significantly more, and music stores often didn't stock them. A young Hendrix, playing in Nashville and then moving to New York, didn't have the money or access to buy a proper left-handed instrument.

Restringing was the practical solution. A technician would remove all six strings, flip the nut and bridge (the pieces that hold the strings in place), and reinstall the strings in reverse order. The guitar's body and neck didn't change—only the string arrangement. This cost a fraction of what a new left-handed guitar would, and Hendrix could walk into any music shop and buy a Stratocaster off the rack.

As Hendrix became famous and could afford anything, he stuck with the restrung approach because he was used to it. His hands and ears had adapted to that setup, and changing would have meant relearning muscle memory he'd built over years of playing.

How the reversed strings affected his sound and technique

The restrung setup didn't just change how Hendrix held the guitar—it shaped how he played it. With the thick E string on top, his fretting hand naturally approached bends and vibrato differently than a right-handed player would. His picking hand (right) had to work the strings in the opposite direction, which changed the angle and pressure he applied.

This unconventional approach contributed to Hendrix's signature tone, though it's important to separate cause from talent. The restrung guitar gave him a different physical relationship with the instrument, but his genius was in what he did with that relationship. He developed techniques like playing behind the nut, using his thumb to fret notes on the low E string, and bending strings in ways that sounded fresh because they came from a left-handed player's natural movements.

Right-handed players watching Hendrix perform saw something that looked impossible—his fretting hand doing the work they expected from a picking hand. That visual strangeness, combined with his actual skill, made his playing seem almost magical to audiences in the 1960s.

The physical setup: what restringing actually involved

A restrung Hendrix guitar looked normal at first glance, but the details were reversed. The nut—the grooved piece at the headstock where strings sit—had to be flipped or replaced so the string slots matched the new order. The bridge at the body end also had to be reversed or replaced. The tuning pegs on the headstock stayed in their original positions, but Hendrix would tune them to produce strings in the opposite order.

The pickguard—the plastic sheet under the strings that protects the body from pick scratches—was also reversed or removed entirely on some of Hendrix's guitars. This happened partly because of the restringing, but also because Hendrix played with such intensity and used his fingers as much as a pick that the pickguard became less relevant.

Modern left-handed guitars have all these elements built in from the factory, with the nut, bridge, and pickguard designed for left-handed play from the start. But in Hendrix's era, modification was the only option for a left-handed player without money.

Why people think he played "upside down"

The phrase "upside down" stuck because of how it looked to right-handed observers. When Hendrix held the guitar, his body position and hand placement appeared inverted compared to what audiences expected. His left hand was at the headstock (fretting), and his right hand was at the body (picking)—the opposite of a right-handed player.

The confusion also comes from the fact that some left-handed players actually do play right-handed guitars held upside down without restringing. This is rare and awkward, but it's possible—the player just reverses their hand positions and plays the strings in their original order. Hendrix never did this. His method was cleaner: restring the guitar so the instrument itself was set up for left-handed play.

How Hendrix's approach influenced guitar manufacturing

Hendrix's fame brought attention to left-handed players and their needs. By the 1970s and 1980s, guitar manufacturers began producing left-handed models more regularly, though still in smaller quantities than right-handed guitars. Fender, Gibson, and other makers recognized there was a market, partly because Hendrix had shown the world that left-handed players could be virtuosos.

Today, left-handed guitars are standard offerings from most major manufacturers, though they typically cost the same or slightly more than right-handed versions because they're produced in lower volume. Some left-handed players still choose to restring right-handed guitars, either for cost reasons or because they prefer the feel of a particular model that isn't available in a left-handed version.

Hendrix proved that the hand you're born with doesn't limit what you can achieve on an instrument—but it does shape how you approach it. His restrung Stratocaster became as iconic as the man playing it, a symbol of making do with what you have and turning a limitation into something revolutionary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Hendrix ever play right-handed guitars?

Rarely, and usually only when he had to. Early in his career, before he had access to restrung guitars, he may have played right-handed instruments out of necessity. But once he established his restrung setup, he stuck with it. There are no famous recordings of him playing a standard right-handed guitar.

Could a right-handed player play a Hendrix-style restrung guitar?

Technically yes, but it would feel completely wrong. A right-handed player's muscle memory and hand strength are built for standard string order. Picking up a restrung guitar would be like trying to write with your non-dominant hand—physically possible but deeply uncomfortable and inefficient.

Did restringing damage the guitar or affect its durability?

No. Restringing doesn't harm the instrument's structure or lifespan. The nut and bridge are designed to be replaceable parts, and flipping them is a normal modification. Hendrix's guitars held up fine to the restringing process and to his intense playing style.

Why didn't Hendrix just learn to play right-handed?

By the time he had the resources to learn differently, he'd already spent years developing his left-handed technique. Retraining would have meant starting over as an adult, losing years of muscle memory and skill. It made far more sense to stick with what worked.

Are there other famous left-handed guitarists who restrung their guitars?

Yes. Paul McCartney of The Beatles played a restrung right-handed Epiphone Casino for much of his career. Like Hendrix, he found it practical and stuck with it even after he could afford left-handed instruments. The approach was common among left-handed players of that era.