Why Can't Charvel make a Production Left Hand?

[The_Tonemonster]

I am also happy to be a lefty that plays righty.

[Musician78]

Not to be a dick, but learn to play right. As was said they don't make left handed pianos. I'm sure there are many left handed pianists.

I imagine for a lefty to learn to play guitar right handed would be similar to a right hander learning how to write with their left hand.

Comparing a left handed piano with a left handed guitar is like apples and oranges for obvious reasons. Seriously. It is a funny statement though.

Anyhow, I am ambi, so I don't have to worry about right or left handed things, muahahahahahaha.

[Grandturk]

I imagine for a lefty to learn to play guitar right handed would be similar to a right hander learning how to write with their left hand.

Comparing a left handed piano with a left handed guitar is like apples and oranges for obvious reasons. Seriously. It is a funny statement though.

That's not true at all. Someone who writes right-handed has difficulty writing left-handed because their muscle-memory has been trained to write right-handed and their brain doesn't know how to write left-handed.

Can right handed people drive a manual transmission in the UK? Or is that only for lefties?

If you take someone who has never played guitar and give them a right-handed guitar, regardless of their "handedness," they will be able to learn how to play.

I learned how to play golf left handed because my father was left handed and he had left handed clubs.

[Musician78]

All I know is this.... (not literally)...

I tried to teach a left hander how to play guitar with one of mine.... which are right handed guitars... and he simply couldn't do it... No problems with the piano, so he did have some musical ability to begin with.... just the guitar... I told him to play air guitar for me and he instinctively did it left handed.

I concluded that he was not capable of learning on a right handed instrument.

I'm willing to bet that some people are just not capable of adapting.

[Grandturk]

I'm willing to bet that some people are just not capable of adapting.

Well, then you know what Darwin says: "No ProMod for you!"

[Newc]

All I know is this.... (not literally)...

I tried to teach a left hander how to play guitar with one of mine.... which are right handed guitars... and he simply couldn't do it... No problems with the piano, so he did have some musical ability to begin with.... just the guitar... I told him to play air guitar for me and he instinctively did it left handed.

I concluded that he was not capable of learning on a right handed instrument.

I'm willing to bet that some people are just not capable of adapting.

It's not that he did it "instinctively", it's what he'd been practicing. Granted he could do a "right-handed piano", and if you had asked him to "air piano", his left hand would have done rhythm, simply because that's what he's used to. Had it been a case of instinct, then he would have been doing scalar runs with his left and rhythm/chords with his right.

He simply accepted the notion that since he writes with his left hand, he should play guitar left-handed. Once you break down that mental barrier and get his hands moving on the guitar, he'll have it.

[alanhindle]

I think the reason lefties instinctively want to flip the guitar 180 is because the only thing you can do when you first learn to play is 'strum'. The instinct is therefore to strum with your favoured hand.

On the car thing: I'm from the UK and operating the gear lever with my left hand feels as natural to me as fretting notes with my left hand. This raises an interesting question: As a righty, should I be playing a lefty guitar in order that I can fret notes better?

[Musician78]

When I first started to learn, I tried doing it lefty for the same logic; thinking I would fret notes better. It felt awkward as hell to me.

[leftybob]

I agree. I am not a left handed player, but you are right. It is unfair. Maybe they could offer a left handed model in 1 color each run. That would at least be a start and give you lefties something to go for.

It's most likely that they just don't need our business to succeed. Oh yea amimbari has the white 2B in left hand so there were "special orders" in the day

[rjohnstone]

It's all about demand vs. costs.
There simply isn't enough demand to offset the costs of building and maintaining an inventory of guitars that may or may not sell.
I do think they should have it as an option though. Not CS prices, but a small up charge for making what is essentially a one off of a production guitar.
I'm pretty sure a CNC machine would have no difficulty in essentially reversing a pattern.

[skintaster]

I'm left handed, but had no problem learning to play a right handed guitar. It might be because when I was a 11 years old, and first learning, there just weren't many left handed guitars available... At least not to me (This was in 1981, and I lived in a small town). I just learned on a right handed guitar, and never looked back.

It might be that I'm an odd case. I write left handed, but favor my right hand for other tasks such as throwing a ball.

Again, there is probably just not enough demand for a production lefty model, but it sounds like a person could buy a Pro-Mod, and then slap a left handed trem in it. Could probably sell or trade the original FR to offset cost a little.

[leftybob]

I bat, golf, and shoot a hockey puck right handed. I also cut scissors w/ my right hand, so we are adaptable ! Jerkin' still better w/ the left though ... :ROTF:

[85 San Dimas]

It's all about demand vs. costs.
There simply isn't enough demand to offset the costs of building and maintaining an inventory of guitars that may or may not sell.
I do think they should have it as an option though. Not CS prices, but a small up charge for making what is essentially a one off of a production guitar.
I'm pretty sure a CNC machine would have no difficulty in essentially reversing a pattern.

I agree with this post all the way. Hey, they'd have to charge more but it can be done.

I do agree that the numbers don't bear out much of a run, but its a shame some are left out. Maybe a left body option instead? The lefty guitars just end up w/reverse headstocks...That might be really, really cool as the lefty gets a special "look".

You'd need some of the trems with lefty baseplates ordered (say a dozen at a time) but when labor is 32 cents an hour to produce the baseplates.......

[Grandturk]

You'd need some of the trems with lefty baseplates ordered (say a dozen at a time) but when labor is 32 cents an hour to produce the baseplates.......

Again - economy of scale - You order 10,000 righty Floyds and you get them for, I'm making this up - $20 a piece. Now, you order 200 lefty Floyds, and all of a sudden the manufacturer wants $40 each. If the market isn't there, the company is wasting money.

I guess you lefties could pray for a reverse headstock, hardtail - that would probably be more feasible. Shit - then you'd need lefty nuts, too - because no way you're hand slotting nuts on a production line.

[85 San Dimas]

Again - economy of scale - You order 10,000 righty Floyds and you get them for, I'm making this up - $20 a piece. Now, you order 200 lefty Floyds, and all of a sudden the manufacturer wants $40 each. If the market isn't there, the company is wasting money.

I guess you lefties could pray for a reverse headstock, hardtail - that would probably be more feasible. Shit - then you'd need lefty nuts, too - because no way you're hand slotting nuts on a production line.

Yeah, you guys are screwed. They can't get lefty nuts cheap enough.
Sorry. Just not enough market I guess.

Hey Newc, Elliott Easton had some cool lefty stuff, but nothing looks weirder than a lefty Les Paul. It's just WRONG.