Lead time on left handed acoustics?

[Joosterman]

I recently put in an order with my locals dealer for a left handed southern jumbo, they quoted a 1-1.5 year wait which is fine, but obviously that is quite a while. Does anyone have a sense of how long the wait is? Does the over a year estimate seem accurate in others experience?

No matter how long it takes I can’t wait to play it 🙂

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Joosterman

[Dave F]

I’ve ordered three customs over the past two years since COVID.  First one took about 5 months. Second one I just got a few weeks ago took about 10 months. Third one I just ordered. 

[Leonard McCoy]

The quote you got seems about right. Current supply is so disturbed that I wish I had bought up the lefties that swamped the market a few months ago. Oh well, even getting a decent nylon-string acoustic these days is a real challenge for lefties. Here's a tip: watch the secondary market closely, something is bound to turn up there from time to time. Of course, an SJ is a rare beast even for a righty...

Edited April 3, 2022 by Leonard McCoy

[RBSinTo]

Joosterman,

I know how you feel.

Regardless of supply chain issues, buying virtually any left-handed version of any right-handed product is often and usually a waiting game.

I am primarily a left-handed person, although I do some things ( golf and guitar-playing for example) right-handed. But trying to buy a new full-right goaltender's catching glove (to be worn on my right hand) became an exercise in futility. Luckily I found an almost new one on ebay, and grabbed it. Otherwise, I'd still be waiting. 

I suppose the only satisfaction you might get from the wait, is that you'll appreciate the guitar that much more when it finally arrives.   

RBSinTo

[kidblast]

a year and a half?  I'd forget I'd ordered it!  be nice surprise, I guess!

"Your new guitar is here for pickup!!!"

"What guitar???"

LOL!

[fortyearspickn]

On 4/5/2022 at 8:53 AM, kidblast said:

a year and a half?  I'd forget I'd ordered it!  be nice surprise, I guess!

"Your new guitar is here for pickup!!!"

"What guitar???"

LOL!

Eighteen Months...    I wonder if you could learn to play righty in that timeframe?  

[Leonard McCoy]

4 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Eighteen Months...    I wonder if you could learn to play righty in that timeframe?  

The answer is no.

[RBSinTo]

7 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Eighteen Months...    I wonder if you could learn to play righty in that timeframe?  

fyp.,

Why would he want to? 

If told, just for the hell of it, to select an activity or significant function you perform in one of the handedness modes, and then take 18 months to re- learn how to do it in the opposite mode, would you do it?

Neither would he.

RBSinTo

[fortyearspickn]

So much for light-hearted banter.   

[dhanners623]

That does seem quite the wait.

A radical thought: Buy a righty and take it forthwith to your trusty local repair shop. Have them convert it to a lefty (fill the saddle slot and re-rout it for a lefty), cut a new saddle, install a lefty nut, remove the pickguard and replace it with a lefty. You’d have a full-blown proper lefty in a fraction of the time.

Were it me (which, granted, it isn’t) the extra expense would be worth the time saved.  Then again, patience is a virtue.

[Leonard McCoy]

On 4/10/2022 at 11:28 PM, dhanners623 said:

That does seem quite the wait.

A radical thought: Buy a righty and take it forthwith to your trusty local repair shop. Have them convert it to a lefty (fill the saddle slot and re-rout it for a lefty), cut a new saddle, install a lefty nut, remove the pickguard and replace it with a lefty. You’d have a full-blown proper lefty in a fraction of the time.

Were it me (which, granted, it isn’t) the extra expense would be worth the time saved.  Then again, patience is a virtue.

Having been there and done that to my regret, I cannot advise doing a total lefty conversion under any circumstance but especially not with expensive guitars. You never know what you are going to get in terms of feel, sound and looks after all is done and after you spent a long money. It also completely blows up the guitar's resale value. But most important, guitars — and especially Gibson guitars — aren't symmetrical in all aspects of their build (e.g., bracing, Gibson's bridge design, neck profile, etc), which is only further concerning and introducing unexpected issues.

As a lefty you will have to be patient until the model you desire turns up one way or the other. Rest assured, it will eventually turn up.

Edited May 8, 2022 by Leonard McCoy

[dhanners623]

5 hours ago, Leonard McCoy said:

Having been there and done that to my regret, I cannot advise doing a total lefty conversion under any circumstance but especially not with expensive guitars. You never know what you are going to get in terms of feel, sound and looks after all is done and after you spent a long money. It also completely blows up the guitar's resale value. But most important, guitars — and especially Gibson guitars — aren't symmetrical in all aspects of their build (e.g., bracing, Gibson's bridge design, neck profile, etc), which is only further concerning and introducing unexpected issues.

As a lefty you will have to be patient until the model you desire turns up one way or the other. Rest assured, it will eventually turn up.

Granted, Gibson bridges are asymmetrical in height so, yeah, that might be an issue. As far as bracing goes, I’m not sure that would present any structural issues if the strings were switched around. If there is any sonic difference, I’d posit that only a small number of guitarists would notice it.

I was merely presenting a possibility. If the OP (or others) don’t mind waiting 18 months for a guitar, then more power to him. There are very few guitars (ok, NONE) I’d wait a year and a half for. Maybe that attitude stems from my advanced age.

[Larsongs]

I waited 18 months for my Royal Tan Right Handed Epiphone USA Casino.. It was a pain but it was worth it….

[fortyearspickn]

20 hours ago, dhanners623 said:

Granted, Gibson bridges are asymmetrical in height so, yeah, that might be an issue. As far as bracing goes, I’m not sure that would present any structural issues if the strings were switched around. If there is any sonic difference, I’d posit that only a small number of guitarists would notice it.

I was merely presenting a possibility. If the OP (or others) don’t mind waiting 18 months for a guitar, then more power to him. There are very few guitars (ok, NONE) I’d wait a year and a half for. Maybe that attitude stems from my advanced age.

That's where I was coming from - advanced age!   18 months is a looong time to wait for a high end guitar.  I would not.    The very definition of a First World Problem.   Jury rigging one, or waiting until a used on 'eventually shows up'    ?      OP  wants one thing and one thing only -  a brand spanking new Gibson Custom SJ and was hoping someone would tell him it will take less than a year and a half.   No Joy !   I'm guessing Bozeman, like the rest of us, is dealing with the long term effects of  The New Normal. 

[RobertJ]

Hi guys, 

I ordered my lefthanded J-45 Studio in May 2021 and I'm still waiting for it. I wanted to cancel my order so many times, but every time I say that I will wait for a while 🙂 

But for sure I'm not waiting more than 2 years. 

Regards,

Robert

[j45nick]

RobertJ, I would contact them at this point, rather than passively waiting.

[RobertJ]

Hi j45nick, I forgot to mention that almost every month I check with the dealer and every time they (their supplier) push back the delivery date by a month. In the meantime the price went up 40% and that's also one reason why I'm still waiting. I hope it arrives safely to Europe 🙂 

[Sgt. Pepper]

40 minutes ago, RobertJ said:

Hi j45nick, I forgot to mention that almost every month I check with the dealer and every time they (their supplier) push back the delivery date by a month. In the meantime the price went up 40% and that's also one reason why I'm still waiting. I hope it arrives safely to Europe 🙂 

That is just asinine, How about they hire some more qualified workers if the demand is so high. Your paying enough for the guitar in the first place. The whole CV-19 has been an excuse for far to long now. 

[fortyearspickn]

1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

That is just asinine, How about they hire some more qualified workers if the demand is so high. Your paying enough for the guitar in the first place. The whole CV-19 has been an excuse for far to long now. 

Yep.  Same people who use to use the excuse  “My dog ate my homework. “. 

 

1 hour ago, RobertJ said:

Hi j45nick, I forgot to mention that almost every month I check with the dealer and every time they (their supplier) push back the delivery date by a month. In the meantime the price went up 40% and that's also one reason why I'm still waiting. I hope it arrives safely to Europe 🙂 

Are they thinking of charging you more than what the price was when you put in your order ?   Sounds like extortion!   

[RobertJ]

9 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Are they thinking of charging you more than what the price was when you put in your order ?   Sounds like extortion!   

I fully prepaid when I placed my order, so the price won't change.