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I'm from England and I'm glad to have finally found a left-handed guitar community! In short - here are my guitars!
“Why are you playing the guitar the wrong way around?!” is a question I’ve always been asked. The simple answer is because I’m left handed, their response usually being “Oh left handed? Cool. That’s different!” Yeah… true but in many ways it’s a nightmare! Any guitar shop I go to I see gorgeous guitars everywhere yet I can’t play them – at least, not very well.
It’s probably easiest to compare it to being a cheese aficionado – the catch being you’re lactose intolerant yet you still go to cheese shops and struggle to try them…
The left handed guitars in most shops I’ve found seem to be akin to lepers of the guitar world – unloved, unwanted and generally a lot uglier than their “normal” counterparts. If I do see a guitar I love there’s no doubt that they’ve never made a left handed model – or if they have it’s probably quadruple the usual price tag.
It all started out me playing my mum’s nigh on 50 year old (now) battered Minnaco acoustic guitar on the floor. When my parents realized I might actually quite like guitars, they bought me this ¾ lightwood beauty (unknown make) for my birthday – of course; it was right handed… Luckily they had the foresight to switch the bridge and replace the nut to accommodate my lefty tendencies in a local guitar shop.
Classical guitar was fun and I stuck with it for a few years before getting my first electric guitar – this Jim Deacon JDST62, the worst guitar I’ve ever had the misfortune to play. Everything about it was awful – even some fret inlays have fallen out! Obviously being a teenager some “cool” Guitar Hero stickers had to be put on it…
Then came the Admira Almeria – again the bridge and nut switched to accommodate being left-handed. Despite being pretty cheap, it is an outstanding guitar for its value. I still play it regularly to this day.
After came the Hudson HF-STX-E MKII, a steel stringed electro acoustic used for some classical performances. The pickups and sound are actually really nice and to this day it still holds its tune with strings that are a few years old!
I then bought the Vintage Les Paul – all round decent guitar, its Wilkinson humbucker pickups are probably its main letdown but it’s a reliable guitar with a decent sound.
Like many I got into metal and started learning how to shred – the Vintage wouldn’t quite cut it so along came the Ibanez SA260. An all around great guitar – my only issue would be staying in tune particularly with its tremolo bridge and hard bends – possibly has some intonation issues too that I should look into. Because of this I removed the tremolo bar but have now managed to lose it… doh!
Finally my pride and joy; I’ve set up a basic recording studio and with it comes a need for a new guitar – my Gretsch Electromatic G5622T. It arrived today and I couldn’t be happier! Being left handed has been a difficult run - and tracking this guitar was certainly no piece of cake, it’s one of 60 in Europe (compared to the thousands of right handed versions). I should probably replace the nut and it’s come with some fret buzz so I’ll need to adjust the bridge too – but aside from that it sounds lovely!
As for effects I use a BOSS GT-10, evidently not as cool or nice as your single BOSS pedals but it’s effective and can emulate four normal pedals at once. It’s better used for a home recording environment than live performance. If you’re cash strapped but want diverse effects I’d recommend it highly.
Amp-wise I still have my first – a Marshall MG15DFX (which cost more than the Jim Deacon guitar it came with!). I previously had a Blackstar HT-5C but sold it while at university to afford…. other things…
Honestly being left handed is somewhat of a curse – aside from the Hudson I haven’t been able to try a single guitar that I’ve bought in a shop; which is obviously not ideal… And if I do find a guitar I love it’s extremely unlikely a left handed version has ever been produced. Had I been right-handed I would have potentially bought an Eastman over a Gretsch Electromatic (but I still love the Gretsch). The worst part is if I do manage to find a left handed production guitar you can be damn sure they’ve stuck some serious £££ onto the price tag - as if lack choice wasn’t bad enough they slap you with an extortionate markup…
Regardless, I think I’ve managed to collect a decent family – particularly considering the uphill battle I’ve had it’s a collection I’m pretty proud of. Most need a little bit of work doing on them that I’ve been neglecting – partially because I’m pretty heavy handed and partially because it’s been so long I’ve forgotten how to do most maintenance – any tips would be appreciated (particularly along the lines of intonation and fret buzz).
- Devin addict ! - 
), JEFF2 (who told me he thought about removing the B7 
), you and me.
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