LeFT Behind
A letter for consideration in the mag. As a long-time subscriber and before that long-time purchaser month by month of Guitarist, I clearly love the content. As well as being taught new ways of looking at music, having an insight into what motivates and drives the players we love and enjoying the views of more ‘ordinary’ players on the letters page, I have always enjoyed being excited and lifted by the reviews of the many varied and beautiful transformations of wood and steel into the instruments we share a passion for.
However, after reading such reviews, I am usually brought back to earth by those three words that you sadly print so often: ‘Left-handed: no.’ In issue 410 you brought me back to earth with such a bump, I am considering the future of my subscription. I got more excited as I progressed through the review of the new Fender Deluxe Strat and Tele. They sounded great. They are (relatively) affordable. They come in various lovely different colours. You ended the review with “These truly are guitars for everyone”. Yes, yes, yes! Stop wincing wallet. We’re going out. Then, I looked at the info panel. “Left-handed: No”. Back to earth. Wallet safely back in drawer. Excitement level firmly deflated beyond the usual zero and into negative territory. Maybe you need to check the dictionary and look up the exact meaning of the word ‘everyone’.
Seriously, I do understand that all companies need to make money to survive, and really at the end of the day, after all the marketing and fine words in advertisements, decisions, even in guitar company boardrooms, are probably steered by lines on the ‘maximum profit graph’ (although that doesn’t explain the 2015 Gibson ‘improvements’, I guess… unless they just got it spectacularly wrong!), but I do not understand why it is so difficult to provide a little more variety for us left-handed folk. Maybe an interview with the big manufacturers on this topic would be interesting. I think my money is probably just as good on the profit graph as my right-handed brothers and sisters. By the way, only joking about the future of my subscription! Ges McGarry, via email
Ges, we have to admit this is an entirely fair and sadly not unique complaint to which few major makers have a really satisfactory answer. In honour of not just your frustration, but that of other southpaws who’ve written in over the past few months, we’ll be putting together a feature review of the best options for lefties soon. In the meantime, though, console yourself with the thought that the boot can (occasionally) be on the other foot. Reportedly, David Gilmour was much chagrined when visiting his friend, the late Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy author Douglas Adams, because Adams was an avid collector of gorgeous vintage guitars – but also a leftie, which meant Mr Gilmour was thwarted in his efforts to play this enviable collection!