LeftyBassist.com

Just stumbled across this site. Very helpful. Thought I was alone all these years, living a strange backwards life.

* Along with my original '77 left-handed P-Bass, I have a '79 custom left-handed bass by luthier Peter Max Baranet (before he gained prominence) -- not because of an over-inflated ego-driven need to have a custom bass, but because it was nearly impossible back then to find left-handed options. CF Martin made a nice $900 bass back then, but when I contacted them to see about a left-handed version, they said they'd have to completely retool their factory floor and thus, it would cost me $3,000. Thanks but no thanks. With special favors like that, who needs malevolence?!?!?

* Years ago, one of my bass teachers felt the need to set up a huge full-length mirror to watch me.

* So far, I've been in only one band that had both a left-handed bassist and left-handed guitarist.

Anyway, thanks for creating and maintaining this community. I look forward to doing a deeper dive and learning from others.

Hi all! Just popping in to say hello as I've just found this forum. I'm a lefty bassist from Southern California, stage name Nikki (real name a secret), big Beatles fan (go figure), been playing bass for about 15 years, guitar for about 18, a bit of piano, and I'll fumble around with just about anything else if I get the chance. My first and main bass is a mid '90s MIJ lefty Fender Jazz, white with red pick guard, which my dad got a wicked deal on when I was 16 (there's my age figured out for you) because it has an ugly but inconsequential ding in the back of the neck around the third fret. It was my only bass for many years until I went a little crazy a few years ago and picked up a Squire 70's Vintage Modified (I always had a thing for maple fretboards and anything-but-dot inlays because they're so darn hard to find in lefty!), a Hofner Icon Series (obvious reasons!), and a Dean acoustic I call The Beast. One of these days if I trip over a pile of money, my dream bass is a Ricky 4001 or 4003 in blue. Nearly every time I've thought to myself "that is an exceptionally amazing sounding bass", it has turned out to be a Ricky.

I'm currently teaching myself to assemble and set up basses and guitars, with an aim to build completely from scratch one day, perhaps even professionally. My first project was a fretless Frankenfender Precision from parts I found on eBay. Next up was a Frankenfender P-bass (with frets!) in blue sunburst, which played beautifully and looked amazing until the topcoat didn't agree with the rest of the paint and I had to strip it down and start the paint job from scratch. It's still in pieces, which feels like a crime against music itself, but I haven't had time (or money) to paint it again. I WILL, soon, I promise! I'm also working on converting a righty Epiphone EB-0 to lefty (we're talking moving the knobs over and everything), but again, life has gotten a bit too busy lately and it's half finished in pieces in the closet. A couple of years ago I got a proper black Fender Jazz body and a Mighty Mite P-bass neck for it and threw a 5th string on there, and it actually works surprisingly well, so I do finish projects eventually, I swear.

I was in a band for a few years through and just after high school, but it fizzled, as they do... next was backing up one of my dad's friends, along with a lefty lead guitarist! Only time in my life I've been able to swap guitars with someone - something very special that those righties take for granted. These days I'm mostly sitting in with my dad's band for a few songs now and then at their quasi-regular restaurant gig, and I've just recently joined a local band that... well, we'll see where it goes. I'd kind of prefer a mixed group to an all-girl band, but I'm just happy to be playing. Either there's not much of a live music scene around here or I'm just lousy at finding it. I suspect both. I've also just recently picked up my old band's concept album project again, and I'm determined to finish it this time. Pretty much playing everything myself (programming the drums in Logic).

I love many artists and styles of music but some of my biggest inspirations on my own playing and writing have been:

The Beatles/McCartney/Wings/etc.
XTC
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Radiohead
Elvis Costello and the Attractions

And many, many more, but those are the ones my very tired brain is finding at the moment.

Don't know how much I'll participate, but I was so excited to find this forum that I just had to jump in. I can share pictures of my basses later if anyone's interested. Hope to find some friendly folks and talk some lefty bass!

Welcome man! We are a small group on this forum but many good peeps here

Welcome to bpa11 and earthimmigrant! You've just found a little slice of lefty heaven here.... enjoy, and chime in any time you feel the need.....

Hello, just signed up. I'm an American who now lives in the UK. I've been a bassist since 1976. Over time I've developed a militant stance with regards to guitar companies that whine about how they can't make LH instruments. I call "BS" on that and feel we should all pester whatever brands we like until they stop discriminating against us. My companion for the past 30+ years has been a '78 Natural Precision which I bought used in Orlando, Florida back in 1981 for $400. I've got a few more which I'll probably post photos of. I've given up gigging and now record at home, both originals, and covers with Internet friends. I'm also a rabid Beatlemaniac. So there.

Welcome to the board mcarp.... what kind of bass is that in your avatar?

That is a Hofner 187 "Shorty", from 1984 or so. I'm told that only six of these were made left-handed. It's a 28" scale with Mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard. Hofner recently re-released the Shorty bass in a 30" scale size. They're telling me that LH models should be available around late Summer or Autumn.

Thanks, I remember seeing a recent article somewhere (maybe in the forums here)... very cool bass. Going to read up on it.

Hi,
Just wanted to say hello to introduce myself. My name is Ken, born 1964, and I live near Utrecht in The Netherlands.
I accidentally bumped into this forum and am very happy to find a place specially for lefties like myself!
I have put together quite a few basses, parts of which I gathered from all over the world. Placed my first post here yesterday
I have been playing guitar for almost my entire life, and play bass since 2009, which became my new passion.
Current gear: Fender Jazz with CS'60 pickups, Gotoh bridge // Warwick Corvette Fretless (German made).
I have GAS for a 50's Precision / Tele, with slab body, full maple neck and Tele headstock. Very difficult to find lefty parts for it.. anyone..??
Well, that's about it for the moment...
CU!

Welcome! I've seen you on basgitaarforum.nl too (I'm called LeftyJ there).
When I read "LeftyClover" the first thing I thought of was the German bass brand Clover. Coincidence?

Thanks Jeroen! Yes, we've met on the BGF
Never heard of the Clover bass you mentioned, must be a top brand haha!!

Welcome to the boards leftyclover!

Jeroen, if I had a bigger gas budget, I would have bought that exact Clover Gold-Sparkle 5-string a long time ago!

Hi guys, this is my first post. First I gotta come clean..... I'm right handed!-but let me explain. When I was a teenager I had a major motocyclectomy and almost tore my left arm off. so I thought that my guitar days were over. thirty years later and my daughter won't practice her drums because she doesn't like being on her own. So being a good dad I offered to take up bass so that she sould have someone to play with. I found out right away that I couldn't play right handed and so I became a left handed bass player. It wasn't that big a deal. when I'm taking my lessons i sit opposite my teacher and it's like I'm looking in the mirror(just the bass part, I'm much better looking). I've learned to read music and it doesn't matter if you are left or right handed. I still play air guitar right handed. Anyway I'm having a blast. Life is good.

Glad to hear it was so easy for you to switch from right to left... I've tried a few times just for fun to play right handed, and it just doesn't compute! I've always felt that we have a slight advantage with the mirror-image thing, it just seems natural to watch other bass players, or guitar players onstage when it comes to learning on-the-fly....

Hello all!

Lefty girl bassist from West London. Heard of this site on Basschat and thought I might as well join

I'm not in a band at the moment, and just play along to records for my own enjoyment. I usually play my Rockbass Corvette 5-string fretless and my new NS Design NXT 5-string upright.

The rest of my gear comprises a Rockbass Fortress 5-string and a Rockbass Corvette 4-string, plus a Harley Benton electric upright 500 which I turned from righty to lefty by myself.

---

Out of curiosity - and I don't know if it's been asked before - why is the bass guitar image at the top of the page a lefty with righty stringing? Looks so weird!

Ah, I had that question too. In searching the forum, I found this:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=49

Welcome aboard! Please feel free to post pics of the uprights. Sounds cool!

Welcome to the forum! I don't think you'll find a bette place to keep up-to-date on the latest in lefty bass info, whether it be bass guitars, amps, cabs, or the latest players etc.... what I like too is unlike Talkbass.com, you don't have to wade through hundreds of threads trying to find Anything related to lefty instruments! Feel free to ask questions, or chime in whenever you want.... I'm from the balmy shores of Hawaii, so Aloha to you!... and enjoy....

Thank you Mike and Fivebass! I'll certainly do my best to be as active on here as I am on Basschat, while still trying to stop short of becoming addicted

Mike, I have no photos of the Harley Benton on hand (will dig them out and upload them asap). The new NS is in an album on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluejay_my_photos/7110508003/in/set-72157629892313087/

This is the first photo (there are 12 of them)



It definitely is a beauty...

Welcome to the forum, bluejay. Nice to have another woman around here.

Beautiful NS. I didn't know lefties were available in a 5 string. And those Warwick fretless Corvette Rockbasses are excellent for the money. Tried a lefty one at NAMM a couple of years ago and was really impressed.

Yes, the NS is nice. Lovely subtle flaming on the body. It's always nice to see any upright with the fingerboard cambered for LH play.