I often think I was born left-handed as well and like you came up at a time when being a leftie was a lot more than frowned upon as you have experienced. One thing I have learned over the decades of working righty is I have become quite ambidextrous and the only thing I can't do with any facility is to write long-hand with my left hand. Everything else I can do equally well either way (which also helps my drumming) although playing lefty is easier for me.Frodo wrote:Hey Bayswater:
It's a tough call. For a take off, all guitarists are different and have their own preferences for these instruments and how they should play. In addition, these instruments all have personalities of their own even if they are the same model from the same manufacturer.
Bu I do not envy having to buy a left-handed instrument. I was born left-handed, but back in the day when the abacus was all the rage, left-handedness was considered to be a sickness of some sort. I was swatted for writing left-handed, and swatted again when my right-handed work looked like a bad accident.
So, I am very sympathetic to Southpaws!
That said, I cannot imagine shopping for left-handed guitars. That inventory in any shop is not particularly abundant, and it's hard to tell if the left-handed instruments even begin to represent the best of what's available.
More directly to my point (being a spanked righty), it gets into the necessity of having a lot of custom work done unless someone you trust can give you the inside skinny on the better instruments and when/where they might be available.
Honestly, I would still rather play the bass left-handed. It's just easier in a lot of ways (for me). But we live in a right-handed world, and such conformity adds a layer of discomfort I've never been completely happy with.
Then again, I was encouraged to study the piano since my early days which gave equal time to both hands. I try not complain too much.
I got an American Standard Tele a couple-three years ago and have been very happy with it. But a Tele is a Tele and a Strat is Strat.
Me want Strat.
Not to be flippant but have you considered doing the Hendrix thing and flipping a righty Strat over and playing left-handed? Could also do the same thing with a Tele. But with a Les Paul or any of the other Gibson axes there's an issue because of the way the bridge is set; it's not square to the strings like on a Fender product and there's not enough travel on the bridge saddles to correct for intonation.
OT (sorta): do you use right-handed or left-handed scissors? Don't laugh as there are differences between the two. Has something to do with how the blades are formed.