I am long time cabinet maker. I have a really talented nephew who is off to Berklee Music school in the Fall for guitar. Hes self taught (at age 10) with an incredible ear for music. Hes a natural lefty who accidentally ( nobody knew) started playing a right handed guitar upside down (but not restrung) before I was able to snag it from him. He owns quite a few really fine guitars, but I would like to make him a really nice left handed cigar box guitar before he leaves for school. Hes a great blues player but hes like a sponge wanting to learn and play everything....... that being said, I want him to have the cigar box as a momento from me, but more importantly so he has a solid reminder of how the blues originated, and the great players who first played on cigar boxes and tin can guitars.
My question is if there are any plans for a really nice left handed build.......I was even thinking along the lines of a resonator type of guitar. .........sadly I am ignorant of guitar mechanics...I never played at all but I sure did listen.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am a newbie here.
Thanks....... Pops
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i doubt there are many specifically left handed plans, because its unnecessary. its just a mirror image.. I've only ever done a couple lefties.. its easy, except you need to constantly be reminding yourself its a leftie; last time i did side dots on both sides of the neck cos i did em on the 'normal' side first without thinking, just on autopilot
so its only really the side dots go on the other side of the neck, any pots or electronics will probably be on opposite side of body.. slots for strings in nut and bridge go in reverse.. cos its a regular guitar, upside down
thank you.i will keep this in mind.....I am slowly educatin myself here..........what a great site.
Be aware that the nut and bridge will have slots that are cut for the left handed way the guitar is strung. I generally built my left handed CBG's and string them up and then do fine detail work on the nut and bridge once the strings are in place and I'm satisfied with the overall build. Regarding the input jack and volume, tone pots .... make sure they are oriented for comfortable access for the lefty and don't forget the strap mounts are also left hand specific.
I've also built some with the above items placed in a neutral position so that the CBG can be played by either a left or right handed player with only restringing required for the appropriate "handedness".
thank you....... I will do my best......I really appreciate your help.
thank you so much for the video link..........yes my nephew at age 10 played the sax very well.......one day I took him to my friends antique store he has 5 dozen guitars on the wall as a collector...as he played for many years. Not knowing my nephew was a lefty he gave to him a right handed generic guitar. I thought nothing would come of it..you know how kids are. I stopped by the house one day a few weeks later and up in his room I heard some damn sweet sounds floating down the hallway. I walked in to see him playing a righty upside down and playing it well. I was shocked and amazed......after making a few calls..........I was told to take the guitar a way immediately and find him a lefty......which we did. The rest is history............10 years later hes earned a scholarship to Berklee and he plays in 3 different local bands.......all different types of music. The boy is so dedicated he will play his guitars all day..........I have clocked him on some 16 hours of straight playing.......he loves it....... and calls it his life. You should see what happens when he walks into a music store and asks to play one of their high end leftys........he usually has a crowd around him in under 15 minutes.... Hes a talented kid and I am really proud of how hard he works doing what he loves..................thanks for your input ! I can't wait to build this CBG for him.
I'm right handed but I play left handed due to an arm injury i received many years ago, i build left and right handed guitars and i can tell you there is absolutely no difference between them or how they're built or played, one is literally a mirror image of the other, i have many photos of left handed guitars on my home page, hope this helps! (-:
thanks for your input.......I happen to like a good Partagas cigar now and then.......makes me smile to see the box being used
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