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#248105 - 20/01/09 06:35 PM
Problems with buying guitars
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dpolwarth
Be Nice (I'm New!)
Registered: 20/01/09
Posts: 4
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I once bought a left-handed Yamaha guitar from Anderton's. It was a nice acoustic, and because it was the only one of its type I could find for sale in the UK at that time on the internet I had to go through them.
They told me on the phone it was ex-demo, but was in good condition, and that it would take months to get another in new so I had to buy the display one. But they wanted full price for it. They swore it was in good condition, too. In the end I paid full price, but I got a good guitar case for it at half-price and some strings thrown in, having bargained a bit.
In the end, the guitar arrived and it was far from pristine. The varnish finish was scratched heavily at the back because some cretin had been playing it in the shop with a zipper on their jacket.
They did throw in a few sets of strings and batteries, but I had to chase them up over the manual.
This is one of the problems with buying left-handed guitars - you have to go online unless you live close to a big guitar shop, and you have to settle for second best. To be fair, I can live with the varnish marks, and I did get a good price for it when you consider the free stuff thrown in. But then you have to pay over the odds for left-handed guitars in the first place, so it's all very frustrating.
I'm glad to see Guitars.co.uk has started to stock some more left-handed gear. Looks like I may be using them in future.
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As the administrator of this forum I (Richard) also run a specialist guitar store offering advice & guidance to guitarists of all standards. Beginners are warmly welcomed. Please call me if you need a helping hand or visit my website richardsguitars.co.uk where I run "live help" throughout the day. |
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#249314 - 03/02/09 01:50 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: dpolwarth]
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martinjamesdaley
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 18/01/05
Posts: 908
Loc: Lichfield
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Welcome to the unfair world of the left hander!!
If it's any consolation i've been going through this for years!!!
It's really hard work, and quite often the only way to get the guitar you want is to buy blind, or travel hundreds of miles to collect/try.
Richard's done a grand job for lefties (i read your other post, and agreed and disagreed with elements of it), and you have to commend what he's done - even if you dont like his selections.
Anyway - getting back on track, I really don't think there's any solution to the lefty problem. I've been playing for 20 years, and when I first started it was MUCH worse than now (the internet was still quite young, and many manufacturers weren't offering LH in any great volume). It's a little better now, but not a great deal. I'm not bitter though - it's just economics isn't it? If 90% of the people want RH guitars, then I'd expect to see that reflected in what's available.
For me, I've come to the conclusion that buying from a few select manufacturers who offer LH on practically all models (and where quality is never an issue) is the way to go.
Enter Tom Anderson.....
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#249316 - 03/02/09 02:02 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: martinjamesdaley]
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Dragondreams
Dragondreams
Unregistered
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I know I may well get flamed for this... but I've been asking the question for years 
Why do people who are left-handed and who want to play the guitar have a problem with "standard" guitars? Note I didn't use the words "right-handed"...
I've always thought that left-handed people would have a huge advantage with playing a guitar. It's the left-hand that has to do most of the complicated stuff. Us poor under-privileged right-handers have to learn a whole new set of neural pathways in order to become halfway good on the guitar.
I may be wrong, but I don't see the same complaints about lack of left-handed pianos, saxophones, etc.
I'm genuinely interested.
For the record, one of the best guitarists I ever worked with played his guitar "standardly", but was naturally left-handed in everything else that he did. His reasoning was pretty much as I've outlined above. And he also used to say "well, you don't see any left-handed pianos".
Paul.
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#249319 - 03/02/09 02:35 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: ]
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martinjamesdaley
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 18/01/05
Posts: 908
Loc: Lichfield
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Hi Paul,
I'm not sure I understand what you mean!?! And that's not being precious - I just don't understand!!!
Do you mean other instruments are more biased to LH's, but you never hear RH's complain? If so - it's a fair point to be honest!!
I guess the elec guitar's slightly different, as they have controls, cutaways, and are generally "balanced" to be played a certain way?
Oh and - I definitely don't get the "I've always thought that left-handed people would have a huge advantage with playing a guitar. It's the left-hand that has to do most of the complicated stuff. Us poor under-privileged right-handers have to learn a whole new set of neural pathways in order to become halfway good on the guitar."??
My left hand picks/strum the strings, which I would say is less complicated than having to fret?
Edited by martinjamesdaley (03/02/09 02:36 PM)
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#249321 - 03/02/09 02:44 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: martinjamesdaley]
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Dragondreams
Dragondreams
Unregistered
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I think you have missed my point a little 
What I was saying is that a right-handed guitarist, playing a "right-handed" guitar, is having to use their LEFT hand far more than their right.
As a left-hander, you yourself have already said that your dominant hand is doing less work on a left-handed guitar. In the same way that my dominant right hand is doing less work on a standard guitar.
Also, guitars with cut-aways are not the only style of guitar. Guitars with symmetrical bodies have been around an awful lot longer
And you've completely reversed what I was saying about saxes and pianos. What I said was that I don't hear left-handed people complain about there not being any left-handed pianos.
Any musical instrument forces us to adopt techniques that are "alien" to us, whether we be right or left-handed. My point was really to question why guitarists seem to make such a big deal out of having "handed" instruments - instead of learning to play them the way they were originally made...
Paul.
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#249324 - 03/02/09 02:49 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: thetenthplace]
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Dragondreams
Dragondreams
Unregistered
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Are you angling for a slap young man?
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#249326 - 03/02/09 02:55 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: ]
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martinjamesdaley
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 18/01/05
Posts: 908
Loc: Lichfield
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Well, I do know that until recently (and I mean last 40 years or so), children were discouraged from being left handed in schools. My mum tells a great story about her sister (who was left handed), being made to learn to write right handed, and this was quite a common practice in those days (it was seen as "defective".......the cheek!). Of course now, it's all different which is why you possibly see a rise is LH's, and thus the quest for LH guitars? Those timings would also tie in nicely with the rise of cutaway quitars. So - I guess a combination of the two things?
For me, it's purely comfort with regard to strats and LP's.....I'm not too bothered about acoustics (unless they're cutaways).
So - the reason why you don't hear LH complain about Piano's is because the design is suitable for RH and LH, which can't be said for (for example) a Les Paul?
Does that make sense?
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#249327 - 03/02/09 02:55 PM
Re: Problems with buying guitars
[Re: ]
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thetenthplace
Old Timer
Registered: 15/09/08
Posts: 1324
Loc: Surrey, England
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well you know what i mean, bass is more a background instrument (although its coming forward as a main instrument in some areas)
no offence meant paul, please dont do a bass solo for us 
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