LeftyBassist.com

Yowza. Never seen one of these....
http://bassemporium.com/blog/?p=721

nice find!

funny - I have played this Bass when he was on the Musik-Messe in 2010 if I remember correctly...

it's a nice Bass

I found that a couple of months ago... It's not there anymore.

Killer bass though.

That IS rare, and by that I mean finding ANY lefty bass at BE. I've known John for about 15 years now, just can't talk him into stocking lefties.

Really? Why is that? Does he think they won't sell, or does he have some odd dislike of people who are different from himself?

The former. I'm a lefty and he doesn't dislike me! LOL

Anyone know the asking price?

Saw it, touched it , played it... It was an ok bass. I talked to Rob about it a little but even an artist deal was too much. It was a NAMM bass and went all over the place following NAMM then to the Germany show, etc. then back to NAMM. Top was nothing special compared to some of his other work.

When I was on tour 2 years back, I stopped in Bass Emporium and checked out the shop. When they found out I was lefty, the interest changed very fast. No sale..... :/ I purchased 2 basses from them in the past (FBass and Roscoe) but guess that really didn't matter. There was 1 Spector Performer 5 on the wall there.

Sounds like yet another store with attitude to me. Ironic then, that the owner's profile contains this line, which I'm sure we've all experienced before:

check out this shop here in germany - this is the biggest high end shop maybe in europe

http://www.station-music.de/

when you go there you hate it to be lefty

I know that guys for over 12 years (I have bought some basses through them) and they are nice people and I also can understand why the don't have lefty high end basses in stock because people just don't buy them and if they would buy them they would play the stock bass and order a personal one for themselves...

But it's still a shame what's going on in the shops worldwide

I bought a Warwick Thumb 5 bolt on a few years ago from them and they were very cool. I saw it on line called and worked it all out and they were super helpfull checked out the truss rod and answered questions. I'm different I guess too in stores in that if I'm not asking a question then I want to be left alone. I don't want to talk to you and I hate it when sales people are all over me I will just leave. But if I ask for help then I should get it when it's my turn.

I think that's a statement worthy of examination, either here or in a separate thread;

If stores don't want to stock LH basses (and guitars) because they don't sell, where are we all buying them from? The site we're on now has revealed an amazing collection of left-handed basses. They must have come from somewhere.

I can agree that LH instruments will not sell with the speed and volume of RH instruments, just because of the sheer numbers. But you can go into any guitar store in the world and find odd items that don't blow out the door - maybe it's uke felt picks, or banjo strings, or ugly guitar straps. But they still carry them. The logic seems to be: "I'll carry a gross of zither strings on the off chance I sell one pack every four or five years. But I won't carry two decent LH basses that I stand a much better chance of selling out of within a year".

It really strikes me a as a self-perpetuating stereotype - "I had a Fender Mexican Jazz bass last year, and nobody wanted it. So I don't bother stocking LH instruments because they don't sell". I can't square that with the fact that on this very forum we saw a '78 LH Fender Mustang sold on eBay last week within 24 hours, for four times the real value. I'll bet that music store would love to have a boxcar full of Mustangs.

I'm with you... 100%.

I've gone into four Guitar Centers over the last year or so, and the only lefty in stock has been an Ibanez GSR300 bass. The conversation is always the same.

Me: Is this the only lefty you guys have?
GC: Yeah... that's it.
Me: You should really stock a few more.
GC: Well, maybe we would if they sold... that one has been sitting here for 2 years.
Me: Well, maybe because it's a piece of shit and nobody wants it.
GC: Um... er... well... uh...
Me: Have a nice day.

In the last 10 or so years I have ordered several high end basses BRAND NEW and have suffered through wait-times as high as 14 months. Had I found similar basses on the rack somewhere else, I would have bought them immediately rather than having to wait.

All you have to do is look in the history of dealers like Drum City/Guitar Land, Adirondack Guitars, Bass Central, Atlanta Bass Gallery, and the Low End... higher end left-handed basses sell. But in order to sell them, you have to stock them... and most people simply can't be bothered to do it.

Only because I can understand it in some ways (I was thinking of puting lefty Alembic Series 1 & 2 , lefty Foderas, etc....in the shop) doesn't mean that I do like that... I HATE it and like Addison is saying - it's a doom loop - shops do only invest in the "standart" lefty programm - like the Fender Am. , a Squire, a Rockbass Warwick and an Ibanez Soundgear .... and if those instruments don't sell because leftys are fed up with those they say "there's ne request"

If I would have a shop I would at least put the some CS Fenders, different Music Man's, Sadowskys, etc. into the collection....

Planet bass has had a high end Fodera for a Looooong time and then the nice Ken Smith at that place around DC been there a Looooooong time. I don't mean to point any fingers but most lefty basses that sell around here and there are middle to low end stuff with miles on them. Stocking a high end lefty bass is a bad investment for a business man period. Yes it sucks but I understand losing money and watching a bass depreciate on your wall is painful as it gets.

I am lefty so I understand our frustrations believe me but I am also practice. Would you rather stick your money in an even crappy account making 1% or 2% interest or watch it lose 10% to 20% on your wall? Small business owners get smashed with taxes and theft and all kinds of crap. Guys buying stuff and returning it all the time. Must be a freaking nightmare.

And you know why that happens? Because left-handed players don't come into those shops after awhile since there's never going to be anything for them. I'm not interested in the woes of a small business owner. Theft and returns will happen no matter how many LH instruments they may or may not stock.

Granted, a small store in a small area may not have a large enough population of LH players close at hand. Just like you can't carry every brand in a small (or medium, or large!) store. But if a Fodera gathers dust on your wall, get some decent Fenders in any colour other than black. Get one or two Hofner CTs. Start a left-hand-only email list. Put that Fodera right in the middle of the store on display, instead of along the back wall. Make the rightys drool for a change.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I think a large part of it is laziness, and an inability to understand the situation for left-handed people. We're just swept under the rug with little or no consideration. If they're moving enough RH instruments to keep a store afloat in these turbulent times, great. Trying to cater to a potential 7-10% extra just gets forgotten. But somebody is selling LH basses, and making the money other stores are leaving on the table.

I certainly can respect anyone’s opinion as well as apologize for de railing a thread as we are all entitled to it and have our reasons for them. This should be a place of unity in a world where we are few so please hear me I wasn’t trying to stir anything up or start an argument just merely trying to present the view point of that small business owner who you might not care of what he is up against.

I almost always buy my basses from mom and pop shops and stay away from Guitar Center except for a quick set of strings or cables etc... But I have owned small businesses and came really close to buying a reputable music store in West Chester PA. A good friend and longtime supplier of many bass’s amps and cabs just sold it to his manager but man when I sat down for a few minutes talking to Scott and saw what he took home in a year and what the profits were I couldn’t believe it. West Chester Music is right next to West Chester University and been there since I was a kid. They aren’t huge but a ton of new and used gear goes in and out those doors. The owner took home less than 40K and that was with using the “two sets of books” method like most small business owners do. Also what a guy has to do to be a dealer for the big companies like Fender or Gibson is so unreasonable. You say maybe you don’t care so much of his woes but then at least try and understand why he isn’t doing what you think he should. Fender for example as of last year won’t allow you to be a dealer unless you spent $250,000 in inventory in the beginning of the year. That’s an insane amount of capital to tie up for a smaller guy. They just don’t do it. Most will buy through re distributers just a small amount so they have some options but stay away from the main company because it’s ridiculous. Gibson wants you to carry their high end stuff and Epiphone and a bunch of acoustics even the stuff they know doesn’t sell. Plus Fender doesn’t offer too many option for lefties anyway. It’s just not a simple as get a few in unless you are a huge retailer like Guitar Center or Sam Ash blah blah. Just for me I understand why things are the way they are I don’t like it but I understand. There are places like Southpaw Guitars who cater to us and a few more like Jerry’s in Florida and Adirondack does a pretty nice job too. There is way more options today than there was 15 years ago for sure.
Planet bass has that Fodera right on their website it’s not in a corner it’s as forward as any other bass on the internet. The main point of contention with music stores is why they don’t stock high end lefty basses. Most anyone lefty or righty who is going to lay down say 5K and up is going to want to pick the woods, top, electronics, string spacing, color etc. They would rightfully so want a custom instrument built for them so it’s also a bad idea even in righty form for high end stuff. So a guy buys a Sadowsky or Fodera or Ken Smith and then has to hear how you would have bought it if it had this or that and maybe you would take that one but you want it for 20 or 30 percent off because there are some blemishes from it being right out in front for you and guys have been playing it and banging it into stuff. I personally don’t consider Fender high end stuff unless it’s a master built or custom shop and then you have to order it anyway. I have ordered some high end basses and I have adjusted to the fact I have to play a right handed one usually then order what I want and that was going to happen even if it was a left handed because at those high prices I want it new and I want the personal relationship with the builder as it’s being constructed for my style and taste.

Only thing I can do is what I have done for guys who have bought a few basses from me. I offer to guys I know and trust the option sometimes of me shipping them a bass and them having a few days to decide whether or not they want it. I do that because I understand the frustration of ordering sight unseen and being greatly disappointed and out a bunch of money. SO I try and do my part as a lefty and also have done a little research to understand why things are the way they are. Thanks I’m done here good luck all.

That's what I'm talking about - and as thumbslam has mentioned the lefty Fodera sits in this shop for a loooong time ... and it seems to be a fact - people want to order their own "custom" Bass when spending this much money.... so the expensive lefty Bass stays in the shop in the end.

As long as we're clarifying, I want to state that I'm not trying to point a finger at anyone here; we're all on the same side (or same hand, as it were). I also apologize if anyone feels this thread has been hijacked. I'm happy to move these thoughts to a separate thread (or have Admin do it).

What I would like to change however, is the passive attitude many LH people have developed over the years. Simply saying "oh well, that's how it is" should no longer be a viable option. Maybe most of us don't see this situation in terms of a civil rights issue, but I do. That's why it says "Militant" down there. Once there were water coolers for "Whites" and "Colored". Once the idea of a woman astronaut or candidate for President was laughable. But these seemingly intractable ideas were changed. So I'm not taking it any more, whether it's Fender or Gibson or any guitar store.

If Fender requires a mom & pop shop to carry 250K in equipment, making it hard to carry LH guitars, then complain to Fender on behalf of your local store. Any practice that creates discrimination for people like us should be addressed. Because whether you know it or not, we are being discriminated against. And we let them do it to us. And that makes me mad.

So I apologize again if any of you think my ire is directed at you; I'd much rather that my passion inflames you as well, and causes you to take action towards improving things for all of us.

:: End Soapbox ::