Build question for Luthiers

[Kmaz]

When you agree to build a Left Hand guitar for a customer, do you have any special concerns about the process? For example, are you thinking about the guitar's playability since you may not be able to give it a good play test yourself?

 

[patrickstefanski]

When you agree to build a Left Hand guitar for a customer, do you have any special concerns about the process? For example, are you thinking about the guitar's playability since you may not be able to give it a good play test yourself?

just play in front of a mirror.

 

[Terry McInturff]

It is a good question! The answer for me is...not a problem at all. I can play a lefty well enough to completely check it out. I am not adept at it of course! At times I call upon a friend who is left handed and is an excellent guitarist.

 

[dougk]

One of my best customers is both local and left handed. I get calls from him wondering if there's any new lefties I'm working on for him to come "test for me" He almost always comes down and gives them the proper work out.

I can play it lefty, I just play my scales backwards LOL

 

[K-Line]

I have a left handed guy who runs it through. All the lefties that showed up to the customer were great in their eyes so I trust him and his judgement. I can kill a cat left handed....

 

[Jim S]

What do you guys do for players like me you have two left hands and are all thumbs?

.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I can kill a cat left handed....

You can go to hell left handed........

 

[baimun]

It's interesting to me that although I'm left handed, I play guitar right handed because my first guitar was a Les Paul copy.

I played left handed for the first few months... and even flip flopped the guitar both ways... but the lack of a cutaway made the eventual shift to right handed natural.

If I had started with a Strat copy, I don't think I would have ever switched to right handed.... especially looking at pictures of Hendrix.

 

[K-Line]

You can go to hell left handed........

Huh?

 

[Rob Sharer]

Must be a Southern thing.



Rob

 

[otterhound]

So , tell me . What would you do differently for a lefty other than what you would for a righty , just in reverse ? Geometry has no hands .

 

[dougk]

You can go to hell left handed........

Someone went to catholic school.

So seems to me, the best person to be is a left handed player living in the same town as prominent builders!

 

[JCHarperLuthier]

Someone went to catholic school.

So seems to me, the best person to be is a left handed player living in the same town as prominent builders!

I don't think it was any reference to religion or otherwise. I do believe it was in reference to killing a cat with your left hand. Which is actually kind of a lame analogy.

 

[K-Line]

I don't think it was any reference to religion or otherwise. I do believe it was in reference to killing a cat with your left hand. Which is actually kind of a lame analogy.

I was referring to the sounds that come out of the guitar when I play left handed, not actually killing a cat. Alright, bad use of words, I admit it.

 

[otterhound]

I am a lefty and I was hoping to get an answer . I guess the lack of a reply means that the answer is nothing .

 

[dougk]

I don't think it was any reference to religion or otherwise. I do believe it was in reference to killing a cat with your left hand. Which is actually kind of a lame analogy.

Ahhh. Well, being lefty was satanic according to the nuns that taught my dad. Thoughts thats where we were going with this.

 

[otterhound]

Apparently , I am wrong . The answer must be nun . Thanks .

 

[Kmaz]

I was thinking mainly about the issues in playability. Does it play nicely all over the fretboard? Is there any slippage on the E strings? Are the strings spaced comfortably? A builder may not know if he can't thoroughly test the instrument.

Thank you for the replies!

 

[Jim Soloway]

I was thinking mainly about the issues in playability. Does it play nicely all over the fretboard? Is there any slippage on the E strings? Are the strings spaced comfortably? A builder may not know if he can't thoroughly test the instrument.

Thank you for the replies!

We've only done a couple and it drove me crazy not being able to give it a thorough test drive. I haven't had a request for a lefty in a long time, but not be able to play it properly bothered me enough that I really don't know if I'd be willing to accept an order for another one.

 

[Kmaz]

Seems to me that more builders are willing to take on a lefty request these days. This is good for us.