LeftyBassist.com

ZON still does all of their bodies on pin routers as well.

I found this video of the G&L factory from earlier this year - they do show CNC machines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-98zP5j_do

What I thought was interesting is they weigh each body blank - weight conscious I guess

Thanks Rod for your very illuminating description on lefty upcharges... as a carpenter, I learned long ago to tailor my estimates on "build hours", and not a pre-conceived formula that says a kitchen should cost x-amount of dollars to install based on square footage, and cabinet totals. I've found too many problems to correct once the demo is done, and additional problems to correct are exposed. At times, I've had to re-cut cabinet boxes etc., because the original designer mis-measured.

In the case of left hand guitars and basses, electronics and hardware can't be ordered (I imagine) in quantities that qualify into discounts from manufacturers. Combine that with, as Rod says, time to re-tool, and as he has said, there are real-world costs, that he incurs, but has decided to "eat". That's mighty nice of him, but you can see he could be justified in deciding to have an upcharge. In fact , Considering most of his builds verge on being "boutique" built, I could see him being also justified in charging by the build, and not by the model...

If I'm ordering a bass custom built to my specs, I would fully understand any and all charges associated with the build, and that would include the labor as well, and in that case, that could well mean a couple of labor-hours that requires the construction of a left hand body and neck, hardware etc. Educating yourself on the process behind the product, can justify whether your feel the product is worth the added investment or not, whether it be custom-building a house, ordering a car, or in this case, a bass.

I appreciate all the input on this thread, and there are lessons here to apply in all aspects of our daily transactions with people and businesses....

lots of video on the net for G&L factory tours, and several of the more recent ones do show their CNC tooling. one video from 2010 notes that the shop is about 90% CNC, that a couple models were still made the old way, and that most of the models built prior to CNC adoption still could be built the old way if need be.

I was able to snag a screenshot reference for the kind of CNC tooling I mentioned earlier. in this image it's clear that the vacuum tooling is specific to a neck design and configuration (i.e. a righty 5-string neck), and that a mirrored configuration would need its own unique tooling.



whether this tooling is changed out or installed in a dedicated machine would be interesting to learn - my guess is that the common tools are dedicated to a single machine, and that others are on a machine or two dedicated to changing what's made on it. it sure would be nice to have the capital to have such a set-up



I take mine a bit further and also weigh each body blank half as part of my matching process, with the aim of also matching the density across the body blank as closely as possible. Once the body blanks are glued up and given their final sizing, they get weighed and labeled.

all the best,

R

Alembic doesn't charge a cent more for a lefty.

Another reason i really admire them.

Ric is cool and all but I can't stand the $500+ up charge for lefties for a 4003.

When Alembic charges over $5k for a bass they necessarily have some leeway...

[quote="jersey bluesdude"] I buy 95% of my basses used ,so it's usually a non-issue. Not a lot of upcharge angst goin on here. There's plenty for sale on this forum alone. And it's normally a " no upcharge zone." I've purchased basses from forum members Matt R., Jim (Gravesbass), Bryan Dean (Dark Kent) and Bob Jones.( sorry if I've missed anyone) They've all been easy guys to deal with and the basses have always arrived trouble free and as advertised. Make your life easy and save your energy for playing bass. Life is short.

Smart companies understand that we minorities want to feel as appreciated and welcomed as the majority. For that reason they simply absorb the upcharge and spread it throughout all of the models they make, lefty OR righty. It becomes miniscule and a non issue at that point. Nobody would really care if righty Telecasters went up a 2 cents if it kept a steady, growing stream of lefty players feeling like somebody at the company gives a damn.

All of that aside. What really kills me is the lack of variety in the lefty offerings. A company like, say, Fender could cut only 4 different models of lefty necks along with some P, J and P-J bodies and by mixing and matching they could offer almost as much variety as they have in their right handed lines, they just refuse to do it. I mean how many lefty P basses in ash do you think they'd sell if offered it with P/J pickups and a Jazz neck with a maple fingerboard? It's just ridiculous.

Glenn in Texas

On the one hand, I agree with this, as a large company can at times price their products to absorb additional costs that a specialty product might require to build, based on volume sales, but I don't think a small boutique builder can afford to do that (as Rod so eloquently pointed out the reasons why it costs more to retool for lefty basses).

As in Rod's Regenerate Guitars, he and a handful of bass luthiers are willing to give lefties a price break, which is freakin' awesome! But, in the end, your decision should come down to perceived value, and to me, an up-charge for building a left hand bass falls into the same category as paying more for exotic woods, custom hardware etc... I would never boycott a builder simply because of the additional charge, but it would be a part of my decision as a total cost evaluation... and in the end, if I really wanted that particular bass, it wouldn't be a deal breaker.