Imagine you can only find the bass of your dreams in the lefty version. Would you buy it?

[BELA]

Hello:

 

Let´s pretend you have this special bass that you have been drooling over since the mid 80´s.

It is almost impossible to get a second hand one and although they are still being produced new, it is just not the same bass...you know.

Then you find an used one. Good condition and very good price but...it is a lefty.

 

Would you buy it?

It would be played (not as a main bass) and admired.

Would you?

 

 

[LeftyJ]

Yes 

 

 

 

On a more serious note: I would never play a reversed righty. If I really wanted something (and could afford it) I would keep searching and make sure I'm ready (financially) when one pops up. I don't like playing a bass upside-down, there's just too many drawbacks and ergonomic quirks that I couldn't get over:

- the knobs getting in the way;

- the jack being on the wrong side and the cable getting in the way; 

- not having side dots facing the correct way;

- not (or barely) being able to use it on a strap;

- having the deep cutaway on the wrong side of the bass;

- not being able to properly rehearse and gig with it;

- having to modify a bass to accommodate reverse stringing, and then later having to mod it back again before being able to sell it.

 

I wouldn't want (and can't afford) to spend serious gigging bass money on a bass I won't actually gig with. 

I know you're referring to the Warwick Thumb NT5 you posted a thread about earlier. Since it has a Just-a-nut 1 and a bridge with saddles you can easily change the order of, you wouldn't be modifying it. The other factors would still stand though.

 

You know what I really hate? Coming across your dream bass for a decent price, and finding out some righty put a drill to the lower horn to add a strap button . I would never want to be that guy 

Edited October 19, 2021 by LeftyJ

[BELA]

1 minute ago, LeftyJ said:

Yes 

i knew you would say that

[nilebodgers]

No, that would be nuts.  Basses are for playing.

[Doctor J]

No. Unless you dream of playing a lefty bass, it's not the bass of your dreams. If you're only going to hang it on a wall and look at it in a mirror, even then it's a bad idea. If you plan on actually playing it, buying it would be an utterly terrible idea.

[BELA]

17 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

Yes 

 

 

 

On a more serious note: I would never play a reversed righty. If I really wanted something (and could afford it) I would keep searching and make sure I'm ready (financially) when one pops up. I don't like playing a bass upside-down, there's just too many drawbacks and ergonomic quirks that I couldn't get over:

- the knobs getting in the way;

- the jack being on the wrong side and the cable getting in the way; 

- not having side dots facing the correct way;

- not (or barely) being able to use it on a strap;

- having the deep cutaway on the wrong side of the bass;

- not being able to properly rehearse and gig with it;

- having to modify a bass to accommodate reverse stringing, and then later having to mod it back again before being able to sell it.

 

I wouldn't want (and can't afford) to spend serious gigging bass money on a bass I won't actually gig with. 

I know you're referring to the Warwick Thumb NT5 you posted a thread about earlier. Since it has a Just-a-nut 1 and a bridge with saddles you can easily change the order of, you wouldn't be modifying it. The other factors would still stand though.

 

You know what I really hate? Coming across your dream bass for a decent price, and finding out some righty put a drill to the lower horn to add a strap button . I would never want to be that guy 

Yes, it is the Thumb.

Regarding your last phrase, being a lefty who plays since 1985 and having had a lot of trouble finding lefty basses in the past, I just cannot understand why some rightys play left handed instruments just fot the sake of it. I cannot even understand reverse headstocks. It shows that they haven´t suffered the way we lefties have.

[TheGreek]

If you're buying it as an instrument to be played then "No".

 

If you're buying it as a piece of Art then "maybe" - if I had the money to waste.

[jd56hawk]

Are you a left-handed bassist?

Did you just find your dream bass but it's a right-handed bass?

Due to the scarcity of "special" left-handed basses, are you considering settling for one regardless of logistics?

Edited October 19, 2021 by jd56hawk

[fretmeister]

No.

[Lozz196]

Don’t think so, but Connie Bloom of Hanoi Rocks played left handed guitars right handed so it has been done.

[Reggaebass]

I’ve seen people play left and right handed, which I think is very clever ,but I’m not one of those people, so no I wouldn’t buy it 

[Paulhauser]

No. I'm righty and a lefty bass can't be my dream bass per definition (as I can't use it)

 

The thing about the Thumb though is you can buy it, try how that works and flip it afterwards for no loss. 

[BELA]

It seems that the general consensus here is "no".

I have posted the same topic but the other way around in the lefties forum, because the real question is if a lefty bassist would buy the bass of his dreams in a righty version.

Nobody has answered yet, but I would love to read some repplies in there, for maybe we lefties are more "used" to playing right handed basses than right handed bassist are "used" to playing lefties (if any)...if you knon what I mean.

Some decades ago it was our only choice.

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by BELA
adding content

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[BELA]

2 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Sounds like desperation, if I'm honest. Finding what you actually want may not be easy, but much better than settling, surely?

It's no help to anyone who already plays lefty, but I have a guitarist friend who teaches everyone right handed. His reasoning is that we all start from nothing and use both hands, so can learn either way- and why set yourself up for limitations down the road?

When I discovered (not too long ago) that Mark King was left handed, it blew my mind!

 

[yorks5stringer]

Here's the reverse, a lefty playing an upside-down righty and hiding the upside-down tuners with a sock.....

 

 

[Ricky 4000]

2 hours ago, BELA said:

I cannot even understand reverse headstocks.

 

Oooof, reverse headstocks are cool... probably not reverse Warwick headstocks mind, because they'd be the same, yes? ... No?

[BELA]

Just now, Ricky 4000 said:

 

Oooof, reverse headstocks are cool... probably not reverse Warwick headstocks mind, because they'd be the same, yes? ... No?

cool?...maybe. Convenient? I do not think so. Specially Fender style or 4/5 in a row tuners.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I wouldn't and I don't really understand why anyone would who isn't a lefty. Bonkers!

[binky_bass]

4 hours ago, BELA said:

It shows that they haven´t suffered the way we lefties have.

I'm left handed for everything in life EXCEPT playing bass and guitar. I don't know why, but some kind of hyper-logic activated in my brain when I first started playing bass 20 years ago, I was 2 months into playing as a lefty then made the decision to change to righty as 95% of basses are righty. VERY glad the younger me had some kind of sense (a rare thing when I was a teenager!)

 

So, find a DeLorean, go back in time and switch to righty, your future self will thank you! 😁

[fretmeister]

Very odd thread.

 

If I found the girl of my dreams and it turned out she was gay would I still marry her?

 

No.

 

If I found the film of my dreams and it was only available on Betamax and I couldn't get a player... would I buy it.

 

No.

 

 

There are some things that just aren't going to work and probably cause more pain / annoyance / frustration at the same time.

[binky_bass]

To second that, surely literally all of the aspects of this dream bass would only be valid if it was the right orientation for you? The ergonomics, the visual look etc. All of that would be moot if it played into why this is your dream bass as when you play it both the ergonomics and the visual style of the bass will be exactly the opposite of intended. 

 

If it is your dream bass purely by way of sound only, then maybe it's worthwhile, though I suspect that stringing a righty as a lefty will make the bass sound slightly different than intended too depending on how the pickups are wound and placed. 

 

All in, your only option is a DeLorean. 

[Mokl]

No, not a chance! 

[uk_lefty]

Warwick are one of the few brands who look after lefties quite well, though. I'm sure you could find a decent, used or new Warwick Thumb quite easily. A few months ago one went on eBay for £700, Bass Gallery had a nice one that recently sold and I think Bass Direct has one at the moment unless it's sold in the last week. If you search Reverb, keep viewing eBay and wait a bit you'll probably find one within a year or so. If it's a dream bass getting one within a year would be a good result, surely?

[Lfalex v1.1]

As a righty, I once toyed with buying a lefty to improve my plucking (right) hand dexterity.

Then I ended up with a Chapman Stick.

 

Would learning to play right-handed work?

I can't see how it would be detrimental apart from the frustration that you couldn't immediately perform to the same standard that you're used to.

 

Just a thought,  and I'm not for a moment suggesting that anyone should change the way they play unless they want to.