Guitarist's Forum

[rizraklaru]

I'm not a sinistrist, but Seagull make a lovely guitar and do a lefty model.
http://www.1guitarsource.com/s6_left.htm

[Dan]

Well Maj - certainly a problem being a 'lefty' - me too, but I've always played right handed 'cos it's a right handed world!! Restringing a right handed guitar, I always thought didn't sound quite ''right'(or should that be left?) possibly due to the bracing of the guitar, but whatever, it's the excuse I have for not playing too great. 
'Auditorium' is is sort of 'jumbo' size, say possibly a bit smaller than 'Dreadnought', and with a more pronounced 'waist' and maybe a wider fingerboard.
'Concert' size is a bit smaller again, say more of a large 'classical' size.
Maybe sites like Martin or Taylor could explain sizes better.
'Nato' is a hardwood now commonly used for the backs/sides possibly necks of instruments as an alternative to the more expensive/exotic mahogany and rosewoods.
Most all of those you list should have something to suit, just might have to try quite a few and I would second the Seagull as a decent sounding guitar. Imho, though, be careful when looking at an 'electro acoustic' as some builds assume the instrument will be used through PA and in pure acoustic mode they often 'lack' that something.
What about second-hand?
Best idea, whatever, is to get someone who knows the sound you like and plays, to come with you and try as many(even of exactly the same) instruments as you can to compare.
'nother tip - if you try a guitar out in an 'acoustic corner' in a shop, try the same guitar out away from the acoustic room 'cos I've often wondered why the instrument I take home just never sounds as good as I remembered from being in the music shop.
... otoh ..I could be talking a lot of nonsense.. and sorry for the length of the post
good luck
Dan

[Al]

Hi Maj,

like Dan I am left handed but have always played right-handed too on right-handed guitars, never occurred to me to do otherwise  I think as 'lefties' we have an ability to cope anyway so personally I have always struggled to understand the logic behind a left-handed guitar  But, I would certainly say that if you are going to play "the other way round" then the only way to do this is on a guitar that was built that way, if not the bracing on the top as well as the saddle on the bridge is all wrong which has implications for the structural integrity of the guitar and its intonation. I didn't necessarily appreciate all this myself until I started making them though 

As for what size etc  its what feels comfortable that best suits, which also goes when considering guitars shapes, neck widths depths etc. Trying to latch onto constants like a particular body size or neck width, or particular woods never works because guitars simply aren't like that.

There's no substitute for sitting with them to learn how they feel, ie which body shapes feel comfortable for you, which neck feels comfortable and, if you don't feel very able as a player getting someone who can play to play a few for you so get to hear what they sound like. You will soon tire of a guitar that emphasizes one characteristic too much over another, ie the bass or the treble. The best guitars have a wonderful balance to them although their overall timbre will colour certain areas of the tonal spectrum eg Ralph's old J-45 has a glorious rich bass but you also realize that you can hear every other note just as well.

All the makes that have been mentioned by other folk are fine, and you will find good examples and bad examples of them all. At any price range there is a bewildering array of choice and the quality, given the price level, can be remarkably good these days. Its down to look and feel and what you bond with. My only specific advice would be to gravitate to the 'Small Jumbo', 'Concert', or 'OM' size body they are generally the most comfortable body size, bigger is too big and smaller can be hard to balance and also hard to find a good picking hand position. Also, bodies in this sort of middle range as it were always seem to me to have the sweeter tones.

Discount anything that is not solid wood for the top, preferably solid wood for the body as well ( laminates tend to be bright ). Discount anything flashy on the basis that the 'flash' has used up an uduly large amount of the budget. Plain selected woods look better than any amount of pearl anyway.

One thing you will come across is that most of these guitars, even the expensive ones, are hopelessly setup and will often be far harder to play than they should be.  If you take a player with you they should be able to spot when a guitar  could be better set up etc although in my limited experience of setting other people's guitars up I am usually astonished how ignorant of this a lot of players seem to be. For an hour of my time they are usually gob-smacked to discover how easy their guitars are to play. I say all this because you might come across a guitar that sounds and feels great but seems hard to play and it could be that a little setting up could change that for you - just something to consider 

Dan's remarks about electro's are well founded in my experience too, even at higher price bands. Also, they often seem to be targetted at people who are used to solely playing electrics so have necks on them that are too slim and do not lend themselves to the kind of fingerings you tend to use  when playing fingerstyle and also, as a consequence, the string spacing around the soundhole is too narrow making it unnecesarily tricky to pick accurately.

As with everything there's so many things to consider it can seem bewildering but basically its look and feel and a few practical considerations concerning whether if its not very playable then can it be made so. Looking can be fun especially if you don't put a time limit on it and put yourself under undue pressure to make a decision.

I think the single best piece of advice is to take a 'player' with you though.

[Dan]

Hey Al
there's something else in common - instrument making! After building a bazouki (self designed 'cos I had no idea or info on how one should look/sound) I had a go at making a couple of guitars. Didn't continue as I just could not get the sound I was looking for( - not to mention the better half complaining about the mess I was leaving the kitchen worktops in ) and kept altering the ones I did finish! It got to be an expensive business.
There is one guitar I would love to get my hands on to try out as I have read a lot about them  - the Blueridge series, Chinese made and imported into USA by SAGA ( no, the the crowd who keep sending me mail offers, being that sort of age!!!)
The guitars are solid spruce top and either mahogany back/sides or Indian rosewood back/sides.Downside is the perhaps over-elaborate decoration and iffy quality hardware. Reports from your Martin type players are very good and the upside is definately the low cost of these instruments - lots of bang for the buck as it were. Snag is getting one in the UK at the same sort of price. Anybody seen/tried one?
Ah well - anybody holidaying in the states any time soon???......

Dan

[Geoff]

a mate of mine has a Tanglewood, very similar to this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2385&item=3769161243&rd=1

and I love it (and keep trying to steal it...)

quite a few others on ebay ATM, including a Gibson L50 (sadly that's £500 though!)

HTH

Geoff

[Al]

Hey Al
there's something else in common - instrument making! After building a bazouki (self designed 'cos I had no idea or info on how one should look/sound) I had a go at making a couple of guitars. Didn't continue as I just could not get the sound I was looking for( - not to mention the better half complaining about the mess I was leaving the kitchen worktops in ) and kept altering the ones I did finish! It got to be an expensive business.
There is one guitar I would love to get my hands on to try out as I have read a lot about them - the Blueridge series, Chinese made and imported into USA by SAGA ( no, the the crowd who keep sending me mail offers, being that sort of age!!!)Ah well - anybody holidaying in the states any time soon???......

Hi Dan, yup, my wife used to complain about the mess in the kitchen too, not to mention the layer of sawdust on our dinner every night   I showed pics of my work in progress to work colleagues and they were incredulous that she tolerated such a mess, to which I replied that it was nothing compared to the mess she made when she made dinner - of course I did not say this in her company ever  

Those Blueridge guitars you mention are gaining a bit of a reputation - the good news for you is that the hobgoblin range of shops have them in stock (  http://www.hobgoblin.co.uk/  ) so maybe you could get to try one as there a few branches around. They do dreadnaught as well as OM shapes I believe

Further to guitar-making I am currently onto guitar #6 and also starting my first mandolin courtesy a kit I got from StewMac last Xmas   My last guitar was made for my brother - some pics enclosed - it turned out really nice   All of them have gone to friends and relatives and are getting well-used ( and abused ) .

I haven't got the sound I want yet but have been pleased with the results nevertheless, they still look a bit "home-brew" to me though but I'm working on it .


[attachment deleted by admin]

[david stevenson]

Hello All

A shamefully belated entry to this Forum for someone who bought his first Ralph album in 1969 and has been playing Ralph's songs since first picking up a guitar three years later.  I was looking for a guitar for my daughter a couple of months ago and checked out a couple of Tanglewoods in the £200 range.  She's a lefty too but none of the shops we visited had one to try out.  However, the one we both liked has a nice easy action and passed the test of being able to play a clean barre chord up to 10th fret.  If I see it on the website I'll give you the number.

My main gigging guitar is a top end Takamine - like Ralph I don't let my 50s J45 out of the house and just use it for recording.  I've always found lower end Takamines pretty rigid and physically tough to play but I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the latest models but don't know what they're like for lefties.

Noticed further up in this thread some talk of songbooks.  In addition to songs fro six strings I have the 70s book with Streets, Easy and Not Till Tomorrow and if I can find them some photocopied sheets from Ralph's very first book for the following: Genesis 1 v20, First and Last Man, Michael in the Garden, Mrs Adlam's Angels and Spiral Staircase.  If I can find them I'll see if I can scan them and post here.

Lots more to follow!

David

[MAJ]

Blimmin heck!  I don't know where to start....

Al, I think the photos of your guitar are super, thank you for sharing.  What a talent you are!  And thanks to both you and Dan in particular for your considered advice, on the definitions, materials, prices etc.  It really is very appreciated.  The trouble is I can see a few instruments that I quite like just the look of from websites but can't obviously try them out.  I have tried several shops in and around my area and none have lefties in stock and seem reluctant to get one in if I am not going to actually buy it.

So, what to do?  Apart from your good selves I also don't know anyone who plays that I could take with me to a shop if I could find one that had some lefties in it.

I am attaching a pic of the kind of thing I am looking for.  This is a Stagg which I have seen at both £167 and £202.  Views on this...?

As you say, at the moment my researches are turning up too much choice.....

Keep searching with me guys.  I need you....

MAJ

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Paul]

If you're looking for an electro-acoustic like that one, then the Yamaha APX ranger are good.

Paul

[MAJ]

How remiss of me, meant to also say above, a welcome to you David, and thank you for your comments.  

Re: the songbooks - these appear regularly on ebay and I try to post up details of potential purchases when I see them.  The original 1972 book, whilst being fairly hard to come by now, is getting snapped up when it appears and is going for some good prices at the moment.  (Al - get in there!). I think a few of us now have them so, can I suggest that if anyone wants specific copies they IM you David (or any of us for that matter) rather than have the pages on the board.  Many thanks for your kind offer, however.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Marianne

[MAJ]

If you're looking for an electro-acoustic like that one, then the Yamaha APX ranger are good.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Yes, I have been drooling over pics of the APX series (esp. the 5) but can't find a left handed one that I can afford yet.  As Ralph has a black one I at least have some idea of the sound one could produce.  Ahem....I say 'could' ....!   The cheapest one I have seen on line so far was £351 (excl VAT).  The prices for the Stagg above are inclusive of VAT.

Cheers,

MAJ

[Dan]

Al
That's a nice looking job on that guitar. Love the binding. I don't have any left here that are still in one piece so attached would attach pics (if I knew how) of the prototype Bazouki (more a bass - ooki) Must finish it off properly some time.

You're correct about Hobgoblin by the way and for the price they put the Blueridges out at they can be got in the USA and shipped direct to door for a whole bunch less. But it would be good to get to one of their places to try one out.

Well Maj, lots of good suggestions here, happy shopping...
Dan

ps How DO you attach pics by the way?

[Paul]

If you're looking for an electro-acoustic like that one, then the Yamaha APX ranger are good.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Yes, I have been drooling over pics of the APX series (esp. the 5) but can't find a left handed one that I can afford yet.  As Ralph has a black one I at least have some idea of the sound one could produce.  Ahem....I say 'could' ....!   The cheapest one I have seen on line so far was £351 (excl VAT).  The prices for the Stagg above are inclusive of VAT.

Cheers,

MAJ

I have had an APX 4A-12 for a long time now, and I'm very pleased with it. The 5s are nicer, and come in more colours, but the 4 is a good guitar. A bit quiet acoustic, but sounds very nice through an amp.

Paul

[Tullfanatic]

Ok guys, help me make a decision:

I'm thinking of getting a Baby Taylor, a lovely little parlour-sized acoustic by the fantasic Taylor guitar company.   Should I invest?

[Al]

I'm thinking of getting a Baby Taylor, a lovely little parlour-sized acoustic by the fantasic Taylor guitar company. Should I invest?

They are great little guitars but I wouldn't suggest one as a main guitar, strictly holiday use or whatever only I would say. 

[Dan]

Agreed. Only ever played a nephew's  'Big Baby' which, while nice, like most of the  budget or 'travel' versions  didn't have the parent's 'sound'.It may have been just that instrument but Imho don't be too swayed by the 'name' when looking at guitars in these ranges as a main  instrument.

by the way, another guitar that springs to mind that I recall sounded/played well was the Oscar Schmidt range, now made by Washburn. Some good solid top/, solid back sides for a good price but haven't seen one for a while - just a thought.

[Chris]

ps How DO you attach pics by the way?

I think you'll find instructions in the 'About This Board' section.....which ought to be read by all members in its entirety, IMHO.

[Dan]

Thank you Chris . Do recall reading that now you mention it - guess I'm not one of the good guys yet Just need to get the old post count up.

[Dan]

There you go - magic number, just like it says. I'm a good guy now Now where are those pics.......

[Tullfanatic]

Thanks for the advice on the Baby Taylor, Al and Dan!   I'm a very small person and need a smaller guitar.  My Yamaha has a fantastic sound but it's huge, really too big for me.  I might invest, it's only $249 USD so that's not so bad.   

Now if I can find an Andrew Manson parlour sized....