Converting Trinity College OM to lefty?

[Trubadur]

I am a beginner looking for an entry-level OM and need to play left-handed. If I had any sense I would just buy an Eastman lefty OM off the shelf, but I prefer the richer sound and shorter scale of the Trinity College model.

I have been over the basics of lefty conversions in general with some shop owners, but am wondering about the Trinity specifically as a conversion candidate, especially the bracing, bridge and tailpiece.

Any thoughts?

[pheffernan]

I’d be more inclined to buy something that is already set up for a lefty:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/147243#147243

However, if you’re leaning toward the Trinity College, you might want to consider this one:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/147021#147021

The seller makes world class mandolin family instruments and might be willing to perform the conversion for you.

[MikeEdgerton]

Any A style mandolin family instrument can be converted to left handed. The bracing isn't an issue. You'll need a new nut and a new bridge. You can't just turn the bridge around as the intonation will be wrong. The tailpiece isn't an issue, the tuners aren't an issue. The only thing that becomes an issue is the dots on the side of the fingerboard. They will be on the wrong side, they will be facing down. Any decent luthier should be able to do this conversion. They could also add dots to the right side of the neck.

Lefty's are at a disadvantage when it comes to buying new and used mandolins. Forget F style instruments unless you want to pay for a specific left handed build. With the large number of A style instruments available I say do the conversion. Over the years this has been discussed quite often.