Your First Instrument - Left or Right?

[mcarp555]

When you first took up bass or guitar, was that instrument left- or right-handed? I would imagine most people flipped a righty and learned that way, with the knobs and cord poking them. But I know some did start off with the properly oriented instrument from the get-go. Howzabout you?

My first guitar was a RH no-name electric given to me by a girl who lived down the street from me. No amp. I found out many many years later the guitar was a Kawai. Eventually my Mum took the guitar to a shop and had a new nut put on.

My first bass was a Kingston copy of a Hofner, also RH. I bought it new in 1976 from a catalog.

I still have both instruments.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Here is where having started after I hit 40 helped Lots of lefty instruments around now, from eye-wateringly expensive to dirt-cheap, and mine was a 24-fret, lefty Crafter bass bought in a combo with a practice amp. I got along with it very well, until the electronics began to misbehave, so I got a Warwick RB Corvette 4, and discovered that the Crafter's neck was waay chunkier that the Corvettes. Never looked back since, I absolutely love Warwicks. I still have the Crafter.

[krysh]

I tried both ways with an old acoustic guitar and also changed strings. but as a lefty I chose to play righthanded because it felt more comfortable and did make more sens to me.

[DorsetBlue]

My vote is a little different, as I am right handed. Can do hardly anything left handed (except archery for some reason). My first guitar was an Encore/Ensign (can't remember which, was from Janet Frazer I think around 1987) Strat copy. Couldn't play it for toffee. In those days my only tuition source was Bert Weedon's 'Play in a Day', couldn't play nothing in six months - mind you, being a metal head, if it had covered power chords better who knows. In the end, it went to a student that my dad was at college with (he was re-educating as a mechanic at the time). Didn't touch a guitar again until my kids started learning. Picked up their acoustics, still felt all wrong - flipped it over DING! Light bulb moment.

[PaulWarning]

my first bass was a right handed Hondo professional II, which fortunately was very symmetrical I got fed up up with catching the volume and tone knobs with my arm and bypassed them then took them off altogether in the end, I've still got it as back up to my cack handed MIA P, I've never needed it yet but it's always there

[Mark Dyer]

My first bass guitar was a RH Shergold Marathon, horrible plank of mushy sounding wood and zero punch, got me through school and early college before I sold it for £60, good riddance too!

[LeftyJ]

This:



A Condor Jazz Bass copy, made in Japan, with a plywood body and actually a pretty nice neck. Was a decent bass but I sold it immediately after I bought my first 'proper' bass, a Yamaha TRB5II that I loved. Years later I bought another Condor, looking to recapture that magic of my first ever bass, but it was awful. I sold it again within a week and never looked back. No sentiments whatsoever. My first real instrument was a guitar, and that one [i]does[/i] have great emotional value and will never be sold . It's a Squier Affinity Strat (made in China) that I modded the hell out of. Levinson pickups, graphite nut, Gotoh tuners, custom switching (Tele-style 3-way with a second 3-way to add the middle pickup to any combination in either series or parallel).

[mcarp555]

I've never seen a thumbrest mounted that far back. I see it's using an existing screwhole from the bridge cover, and then just resting on top of the pickup.

[LeftyJ]

Yes, I always thought that was odd too! And useless too, I never liked putting my thumb there. The perfect position for a thumb rest to me is between the pickups, aligned with the top of the pickups.

[mcarp555]

Yeah, I'm a "top of the strings" guy with thumbrests. Why they put them below the pups is beyond me. Certainly beyond my thumb!

[Dad3353]

[quote name='mcarp555' timestamp='1397229054' post='2422040']
Yeah, I'm a "top of the strings" guy with thumbrests. Why they put them below the pups is beyond me. Certainly beyond my thumb!
[/quote]

When this stuff was invented, it was meant as a finger rest, and the thumb was used for plucking, à la Wes Montgomery. It's only later that folks worked out about finger-style and picks an' all.

[timmo]

My first bass was a right hand Warwick Fortress. I am naturally right handed, but because of my little finger being bent out of shape through arthiritis, i changed to left. Took me a while to learn to play left. My worst problem was putting my fingers on the top of the fret, instead of putting it on the bottom. It took my a while to get out of that. The only other thiung i do left handed, and always have done, is to shoot a rifle.(it`s ok, i am not a nut job, i was in the army cadets as a kid). Maybe that is why it wasn1t a massive job to learn to play left.

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1397229408' post='2422048']
My first bass was a right hand Warwick Fortress. I am naturally right handed, but because of my little finger being bent out of shape through arthiritis, i changed to left. Took me a while to learn to play left. My worst problem was putting my fingers on the top of the fret, instead of putting it on the bottom. It took my a while to get out of that. The only other thiung i do left handed, and always have done, is to shoot a rifle.(it`s ok, i am not a nut job, i was in the army cadets as a kid). Maybe that is why it wasn1t a massive job to learn to play left.
[/quote]
as has been said before most people are ambidextrous to some extent, I play golf right handed and only just realised I unsrew bottle tops with my right hand WTF is that all about?

[Spike Vincent]

First bass was a Kay Gibson copy,flipped over and restrung.As it was such poor quality wood it was fairly easy to move the controls and jack socket out of the way. It was such a terrible instrument I'm surprised I bothered carrying on.

[sblueplanet]

First ever bass of my own was a Vantage, right-handed but all my basses were right-handed ones flipped upside down (by choice, mostly) for the first 12 years playing.
Eventually, with the internet making finding gear easier, i started buying proper lefties.

Edited April 12, 2014 by sblueplanet

[rocker19]

I am RH man not able playing as RH so I have to play as lefty. My very first bass was beautiful PEAVEY T-40 , of course RH/no LH have been made/ which I played flipped.Then I sold it to one of BCH members /he was very happy / - and STILL regret.Fantastic bass.
My second bass was Rickenbacker 4003 2011 RH/played flipped /you can find video on Tube/.
Then I FINALLY was able to buy Rickenbacker 2004 LH from a nice guy from UK.
I still have Jolana D bass, Rick copy /you can see it on my profile pic/ now equipped with genuine Rickenbacker bridge HiGain 4003 pup, and sometimes play it flipped/.

Edited March 10, 2016 by rocker19

[Bobthedog]

I am left handed but naturally play golf, cricket and baseball right handed. Accordingly I went for a right handed bass and. Have stuck to them since.

There are odd moments, however, when I play air bass and I find myself "playing" left handed without thinking. I sometimes wonder whether I should have bought a lefty, especially when I get annoyed my right hand will not play as quickly as my left hand can. I play tennis and othe racket sports left handed!

[leftyyorky]

Im left handed but play 2 handed sports (cricket, golf) right handed. I never wanted to be a guitarist and at 16 I bought a cheapo Avon EB0 copy and flipped it, including filing the nut to flip the strings.I had tried holding a guitar right handed but it just felt so unnatural.2 years later I upgraded to a lefty Ibanez Ric copy,couldnt afford the real thing (£520 in 1976 with a right handed neck and upside down head!)

Edited May 10, 2017 by leftyyorky

[Muppet]

I'm a lefty, and was taught using a right handed guitar with the strings reversed. Proved too difficult for my teacher at the time so I gave up. I returned to it at 15 and retaught myself right handed due to the lack of lefty guitars at the time.

[uk_lefty]

I write and play guitars lefty, but all sports am right handed/ footed in the extreme. My first bass was a lefty tanglewood p copy in 1999. I originally wanted a righty as I thought the deep strings should be at the bottom! Then I actually learned to play and realised I'm ok with things the conventional way! Only ever had lefty instruments, but v tempted to buy a right handed bass and reverse it a la Hendrix... Or just be disgustingly 80s and have a righty neck on a lefty body

Edited May 14, 2017 by uk_lefty

[DGBass]

my first bass was a s/h lefty Ibanez law suit Jazz Bass. Three colour sunburst with maple neck and black block inlays. Loved it!

[kevham]

I'm another of these right handed lefties!
My dad had a left handed Les Paul copy and I just picked that up. By the time I realised it was a mistake it was too late!
My first bass was a lefty Washburn B10a which was traded after a year for a Lefty Washburn Status 1000 which I still have.

[EdwardMarlowe]

My first guitar was a left handed Kay Acoustic. Dreadnought shape, with those batwing / flowery, hippy scratchplates like a Gibson on it. Long gone now - was given to a charity shop in the end. My first electric guitar was a Marlin, pre-Hohner, which I *think* was called a Loner - HSS, Fender-type trem, Jackson style pointy headstock. Like a Jackson Soloist. It's still at my parents' house - trying to figure out if it's got any collectible value (some of those early Marlins seem surprisingly sought after). Right handed.   My first bass was a lefty Squier P-Bass Special, the year they were launched. 2001, iirc. Probably going to part it out on eBay (sadly, they don't fetch much whole) next year so I can justify buying one of the Fender Player P basses in Tidepool. Current bass, which I'm for keeping, is a mint Brandoni P-Bass which, under the plate, is basically a 62 spec Fender. Picked it up on eBay for a song, lovely instrument.

 

Always played lefty, only ever owned one righty-conversion (the Marlin). One day I'll buy a rh CIJ Fender 68 Strat and make Jimi turn in his grave....

[thodrik]

I am left handed but just learned to play bass right handed. 

I am fairly ambidextrous in that my hand writing is equally illegible with either hand and that I am crap at golf irrespective of trying to play left handed or right handed. 

One of my absolute favourite players, Scott Reeder, plays left handed but with right handed bass turned upside down. I suppose this approach makes it easier for him to shop for basses. 

 

 

 

[EdwardMarlowe]

Easier to be able to sit in on a jam when you don't have your own instrument too. I can manage a bit on a r/h bass just held my way round; less so on guitar, at least beyond root 6th barres....