About a month ago, I decided to learn to play the bass, mostly to give myself a hobby that enriched me more than say... sitting around and watching TV. I hadn't seriously played an instrument in over 10 years (and that was a wind instrument), so I decided to keep my investment in my new hobby to a minimum if it turned out I was a complete disaster as a musician. I managed to get a cheap (lefty) bass and a practice amp for less than $200.
In the past few weeks, I've discovered I really love playing bass!! I've been giving some thought into actually getting some serious equipment in the next few months, and I'm beginning to realize that the hardest part will be finding an instrument (amps don't care which hand you fret with :D). I'm hopelessly left-handed (and rather proud of it), so I'd rather not have to switch to playing righty. I've visited some guitar stores in my area (Pittsburgh), but the selection of left-handed basses (and stores) is less than inspiring. In January, I'll probably be visiting some family in Los Angeles. Does anyone know of stores that specialize in left-handed instruments in the Los Angeles area?
Other than looking strange, are there other major disadvantages to stringing a right-handed instrument upside-down?
Having somewhat short arms and not particularly large hands, I think a short-scale instrument might be more comfortable for me to play. Is finding a nice left-handed, short-scale bass a realistic idea?
My instrument budget is probably $500-$1500 US. (But I'd have to be pretty impressed to want to go into the higher end of that.)
P.S. I noticed David Hodge posts in this forum. If you're reading this, I think your book is great!
Hey, welcome to the boards, and to the Low End of things!
I used to flip basses over and restring them, but as you said, they look a bit odd sometimes. The basses I did flip over were a Sears Beatle bass back in the 70s. It's well, viol shaped so it's symetrical. The other was a Dan Armstrong Lucite bass, which was, again, symetrical. And come to think of it, they were both short scale basses.
Gibson or Epiphone EB-0 basses can't be found lefty, so you could flip those over. Short scale too. But like with all righty conversions, the controls will be right up under your left forearm which may or may not be comfortable. I did get used to it, but...I prefer a completely lefty bass.
My favorite now is a Jay Turser Beatle bass which is short scale and lefty at the same time. I've got an SX (rondomusic.com) 5-string lefty, and a Squier P-Bass special which is also lefty; those last two are 34" scale--which is 'long' or 'standard' depending on who you talk to.
Rondo also has short scale lefty basses which are take-offs on P-basses and J-basses, and they're pretty resonable in price. Good quality though.
I know about the dirth of lefty instruments though. There's a ton more than back when I started, but I walked into a Guitar Center the other weekend and there was ONE lefty Strat. That was all. Other times they have a few more guitars and basses, but...you know how it is.
As far as Los Angeles, since there's more stores here probably because of its size you'll probably find more lefty instruments, but I haven't head of a strictly lefty one. Just have to take your chances.
I'm thinking maybe check out the online places and see what you can get. musiciansfriend.com, music123.com, zzounds.com, rondomusic.com - if for nothing else than to see what's out there on the market. Then you can maybe special order one from your local store.
Maybe try:
Amp Shop-Bass Exchange -
13701 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA
(818) 817-9566
...but I don't know if they have lefties.
Hope this helps.
You may not even have to go that far. While there aren't many places that specialize strictly in left handed gear (there are some and most of them have websites and ship around the country. Do a google search for them...), there are more and more stores that are specializing in bass guitars. There's one in Philadelphia that just opened up. I'll try to hunt down the specifics if you're interested. I can't help but think that there's probably one (at least) in LA. Again, I'd be more than happy to check for you.
In the budget range you've mentioned, you should be able to find something special. Do yourself a favor and try to be patient and find exactly what you're looking for. It's really worth it in the long run.
And thanks for the kudos on the book. I appreciate knowing there are folks out there using it!
Peace
Another bassist who didn't start on guitar? Congratulations, you hit it right on.
Thanks for all the feedback! Based on David's suggestions, I took some initiative and tried to find some stores that specialized in bass guitars near where I would be. The store he mentioned in Philadelphia is called Bass Specialties and their website is http://bassspecialties.com/ . I e-mailed them, and unfortunately they are still quite new and do not have a lefty selection at this time. The owner was kind enough to refer me to atlantabassgallery.com, which is a bass store in Atlanta, GA, which seems to have a few left-handed instruments. I actually do have some family out in Georgia, but I don't really plan on visiting there anytime soon. I e-mailed AmpShop-BassExchange in Los Angeles, and they don't have any left-handed instruments at this time, either.
I did find a very large selection of left-handed instruments at southpawguitars.com, which is the website for a store based in Houston, TX. I really have no reason to travel out there, so I guess my dream of walking into a showroom filled with left-handed instruments will have to wait. They ship instruments, though.
It looks like my current plan is going to be to try out some right-handed instruments at local stores, and then try to find a deal on a similar instrument online (or maybe see if the store can have the instrument special ordered for me). When I'm in Los Angeles, I might spend a day or two calling on different stores to see if they've got anything in stock. I definitely plan on taking David's advice and try to find an instrument that is special. It seems like it's going to be some work, but I plan on finding a baby I really love.
DemoEtc: Those Jay Turser Beatle Basses are kinda cool and the prices I found seem very affordable! I saw a black one (not sure if black comes in lefty), and I'm kind of fascinated by it. I know it's a semi-accoustic. How does it sound without an amp? I have a friend who only plays accoustic who has tried to play along with my newbness. Do semi-accoustic basses accompany accoustic guitars well?
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who replied!
Well it is hollow body, but it doesn't have F-holes, or any kind of holes for that matter. It's...not quite like the acoustic basses you see nowadays--the round-hole spanish "regular" guitar shapes. It's...really pretty quiet acoustically, but just a tad louder (a small 'tad') than a regular solid-body bass. In other words if we were sitting in a living room and I was playing it on the couch with no amp, a few feet away you'd only hear the occasional thwaks of the the strings hitting the frets and soft notes that I'm playing. It sounds great through an amp or on recording though.
For all acoustic, probably you'd need a small amp or one of those acoustic/electrics as described above, though I have to say, the Turser Beatle bass through a clean amp fits nicely with acoustic instruments. Through the amp it sounds pretty mellow and woody, almost like an upright string bass.
--Which is another thing I want to try some day, though that's another story completely :)
fell,
I sent you a PM, I might be able to help you!
BTW, Welcome!
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.
How did it go, fell?
