palmazou Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I'd like to discuss with lefties who are using Gibson guitars.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm not a lefty, but I am interested to see if you get a reply. This silence helps explain why Gibson builds so few left-handed guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I honestly didn't expect it to be THIS quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm a lefty but back in the 60's when I started to learn guitar, I started playing right handed cause the lefties were just not to be found. It looks like things haven't improved over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Currently, almost the entire regular production line-up for Gibson USA is available left-handed...all finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angellus Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 apologies for coming in late on the topic im a lefty player, only like gibsons too I have an SG, 335 and a Les Paul all custom wiring pickups tuners to my preference what you want to talk about? Gibson Keep the lefties coming!!! dont stop!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C. Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I am a lefty, but play right handed. When I started learning I did not even know there were left handed guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintc Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I'm also a lefty playing right handed. As far as I'm concerned, guitar isn't quite a "handed" instrument, since both hands are completely involved. What I have noticed is that the general approach seems to vary. I play hundreds and hundreds of different chords and voicings, and just use my picking hand to kind of vibrate the strings. Not much single-note picking so much as lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs. Sometimes fairly long periods when I don't use my right hand at all. Conversely, if the dominant hand is used to do the picking and the weak hand to do the chording, I see really fancy crosspicking and complex fingerstyle work over fewer and simpler chords. I notice keyboard improvisers do something analogous, one hand comping while the other leads. So I guess it's a matter of what orientation you have, what you want to sound like, what feels more comfortable to you. And of course, there are a LOT more right-handed guitars to choose from anywhere, not to mention right-handed instructors. Gradually over the years my flat picking improves in speed, accuracy, and complexity. Still can't fingerpick worth squat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I'm also a lefty playing right handed. As far as I'm concerned, guitar isn't quite a "handed" instrument, since both hands are completely involved. What I have noticed is that the general approach seems to vary. I play hundreds and hundreds of different chords and voicings, and just use my picking hand to kind of vibrate the strings. Not much single-note picking so much as lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs. Sometimes fairly long periods when I don't use my right hand at all. Conversely, if the dominant hand is used to do the picking and the weak hand to do the chording, I see really fancy crosspicking and complex fingerstyle work over fewer and simpler chords. I notice keyboard improvisers do something analogous, one hand comping while the other leads. So I guess it's a matter of what orientation you have, what you want to sound like, what feels more comfortable to you. And of course, there are a LOT more right-handed guitars to choose from anywhere, not to mention right-handed instructors. Gradually over the years my flat picking improves in speed, accuracy, and complexity. Still can't fingerpick worth squat. Agreed. And I too am a lefty who plays righty. But righty seemed natural to me since, as you say, the left hand seems to be doing most of the intricate work. I never understood why righties play "righty". Ha! At one time in my life, however, I was quite proficient at finger rolls with my right hand. It wasn't easy to learn, but I conquered it sufficiently. I should've stuck with it and contiued on as a solo artist instead of joining bands. The bands ruined me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintc Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 My wife is my main critic. And when I'm learning new material (mostly jazz chord solos, working out which inversions, altered tones, or substitutions will put the melody on top), she keeps complaining that it's "sloppy" because my right hand is missing the strings I need, or hitting strings it shouldn't, and sometimes playing too hard (and loud) other times too soft, etc. Yeah, she realizes that I work first on the chords and the melody and the changes and progressions, and only concentrate on turning this into music when I have that down. BUT if I were picking everything smooth and clean, wrong notes wouldn't really matter, right? It would sound like I did it on purpose. Ah well, once I have it worked out it sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generoso Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'm a real lefy and play guitar as lefty. I have a Gibson L48, my luthier have build a new nut and I'm ready to play L48 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I'd like to discuss with lefties who are using Gibson guitars.... I'm left handed, well... ambidextrous by force in Parochial school. Anyway, I'm not a big guy at 5'5" and when I was 10 or so my Dad wanted to discuss my "handicap" with me. Well I'm NOT handicapped but I listened to him explain: "Look, you're left handed, and not a big guy, so you're going to have to learn to use tools of larger right handed guys to get on in the world" So I learned to shoot rifles, and handguns right handed as well as bat a baseball either way. When I picked up the ("right handed") guitar for the first time I stopped to think... So if I like this guitar and train for 20 years, and I'm in a horrible accident and lose my right arm I can STILL play music (with a claw on the right stump if needed) so what "right handed" people called a right handed guitar, I figured if the music is in the left, and all more important the training is in the left, then the right handed people were actually playing LEFT handed! Don't believe me? You right handed guys should try playing the guitar with your right hand on the neck and tell me where the music is :-) Pick schnick, the other hand does and knows far less than the left. It's "involved" but the music is in my hand, and that's the left. Try to get them to see it as fact? No way :-) Fun aside, Anyway, Baseball gloves, guitars, rifles and even scissors are made for the opposite hand but not enough. I'd like to pick up an opposite hand guitar someday and see what I can make of it using my right hand to learn the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishtar Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I am a lefty and I have used a couple Gibsons. My first was a CS-336. Lovely guitar, wonderful player. Another one of those instruments I've had that has regrettably been sold. I currently have a Memphis ES-335. Just not as pleasing to me as the 336 was. Fresh setup would make a big difference. I think the one-piece sides/back o the 336 just made it feel more like wholly integrated instrument. Something more immediate and responsive. But, being a lefty, my sample size is minuscule and generalizations from my experience aren't much use, I figure... I'm grateful that lefties are getting more and more selection of quality instruments from Gibson and most of the manufacturers. gnappi- I had 12 years of parochial education. It's amazing we're functional at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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