Left handed guitars, for the 10% of all of us not righty!

Left handed guitars are unique instruments considering that there are no "left hand" pianos or violins or drums or tubas. Approximately 90-93 percent of the population is right handed.

Southpaws get no respect from the manufacturing community. I remember a Simpson's episode where neighbor Ned Flanders opens a store at the local mall entirely stocked with left handed appliances and tools. He got no respect either. Therefore it's easier for right handed guitarist since the bulk of production is for them.

Many guitar manufacturers make lefty guitars but some major companies have ceased production on them notably Paul Reed Smith and Rickenbacker. Some brands impose a 10-20 percent surcharge due to the small production runs left handed guitars entail.

Notice Albert King's upside down Flying V
with the strings reversed!

Some guitarists just turn a right handed instrument their way! Jimi Hendrix and Albert King used upside down guitars (after the bridge and nut were reversed). Grunge great Kurt Cobain and surf legend Dick Dale turned over righty guitars and played them as is. Meaning the low E string on the bottom and the high E string on top! Evidently that's the way they learned in the first place, which was no big deal to them.

I had a friend who was a lefty guitarist. He had a gorgeous black beauty Gibson Les Paul Custom which was a true left handed guitar.

It was weird to hold the guitar right handed since the cut-out was on the top as were the controls. Since it was strung left handed there was no way I could play anything!

It was like I was learning for the first time. It was easier to play along with him as he would provide a mirror image of myself (and vise-versa).

A guitarist like Jimi Hendrix, for example, would have to deal with...

• The body cutout on the Stratocaster not fitting his contours of his body.
• The horn cutout would be reversed and create difficulty reaching the higher frets since it would be in the way (it didn't really matter to Hendrix since he had huge hands!).
• The controls would be on the top of the body instead on the bottom and the tuning keys are on the bottom of the head stock.
• The whammy bar is on the top of the bridge which would create strumming issues (maybe).

But this was his unique style and probably contributed to his unusual tone since the strings were reversed over the pick ups.

As I noted earlier, some manufacturers still make left handed guitars, but only a small number and at a premium price.

The only guitar maker I am aware of that only makes left hand guitars is Gaskell Guitars in Australia (they have a distributor in San Diego, CA).

Prior to the internet it must have been difficult, if not impossible, to find a left handed guitar. But thanks to auction sites like eBay you can find them at reasonable prices.

I would still love to get a lefty guitar like a sunburst Strat with a rosewood neck. Can you "Hear my Train a Comin'" Yeah!

Another great lefty guitarist, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath

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