Restringing left-handed guitar

[OddGodHMK]

Hey;

I play guitar right-handed, as I always have, and last week I found a guitar I really liked but could only get left-handed. So I bought it, figuring I'd restring it, and that was that.

Problem is, the tuning pegs for what were the high strings are higher than the ones that were for the low strings, by about a centimetre, and after restringing it and tuning it today, I snapped one of the strings. I've noticed that they get incredibly tight - I managed to get the low E string tuned but it got really difficult.

I'm wondering what to do. I've thought that if I slowly tune the strings up, over a few days, the stress won't increase by so much and I could hopefully get them up to the right notes and play without snapping them. Anyone know whether this is a good idea or not? It's either that or ruin the head by shifting all the tuning pegs down, or string it left-handed again and spend ages getting up to the same skill left-handed as I am right-handed.

[JonR]

I don't understand what you mean. The position of the tuners should make no difference to how the strings are tuned. A low E is a low E, and should be the same tension however it's fixed.
Can you post a pic of the guitar? or a link to one?

As for your last question - it would totally crazy to relearn guitar left-handed simply because you like this particular LH guitar! (There HAS to be a RH guitar out there that's good enough... ;) )

[OddGodHMK]

It's a Daisy Rock Heartbreaker. I broke 3 strings in all last night, all of them before they were tuned up to standard tuning. I've since e-mailed the company I bought it from but no reply yet. I'm absolutely clueless as to what's wrong. :confused:

[JonR]

OK, well, firstly these guitars are available in right-hand versions! And (judging from pics) the LH version is not substantially different from the RH - other than having the strings the other way, and the control knobs on the other side. (The tuners are 3-per-side, so I can't what difference it would make fitting a low E on the other side.)

Secondly, I think you must be doing something wrong. You may be reading your tuner wrong - eg attempting to tune a low E an octave too high.
I can't see what could be wrong with the guitar to break strings when not even up to standard tuning.
It's just possible there's some kind of sharp burr on the bridge saddle - where the string passes over.

Difficult to say without knowing exactly how you are fitting the strings and tuning up.