Left handed double bass

[andrei]

Hi,

I did search through basschat but couldn't find anything about this.

I know left handed double basses are quite hard to get your hands on. I know about the
thomann ones but I was wondering if I could convert a regular one.
The same question applies for electric ones as well.

Cheers,
andrei

[PaulKing]

[quote name='andrei' post='966855' date='Sep 24 2010, 04:05 PM']Hi,

I did search through basschat but couldn't find anything about this.

I know left handed double basses are quite hard to get your hands on. I know about the
thomann ones but I was wondering if I could convert a regular one.
The same question applies for electric ones as well.

Cheers,
andrei[/quote]

It's easy to switch the strings around so a righty plays lefty. You'd find the bridge is cut wrong though, and likely the fingerboard arched wrongly too.
You could still play it, but not ideal, and to adjust the bridge and f/board quite expensive.
Even more significantly, the bass bar and soundpost are positioned like they are for a reason. The tone from your bass will not be at its best with the G string over the bass bar and the E string over the soundpost.
It'd be a phenomenally expensive job to open up the bass and modify the post and bass bar inside.

That said, if it's a cheap bass and you're playing amplified you'll probably get away with just switching the strings around .. it's been done before.
But for a carved bass, playing acoustically ... buy one built as a lefty.

Watch out for cheap new 'left-handed' basses. Sometimes they are just rightys strung as leftys.

[macclad]

I got my lefty from thomann ,a 2L which as a beginner was a bit of a gamble ,i took it it to a local luthier for the set up and he was very impressed with the quality of A the bass itself and B the fact it was a bona fide left hand built Bass ,i would also say that the said luthier does work for a few of the top jazz bassists in scotland so i presume he knows a decent bass,so get a decent lefty mate its the way forward!!!