Gibson - anti-Left Handed? - UPDATED - True and Confirmed

...Anyway, I digress, I think Gibson should embrace the growing left handed market and offer lower end lefties to beginning guitarists....
Jim

I don't know if it's actually growing; maybe someone has some numbers, but a company like Gibson, with the kind of overhead they must have can't really do the low-end market. They already have sorta, with Epiphone. But people think 'Gibson' and the image is high-end, high-quality and sadly, 'simply a dream to the masses'; something to wish for but never have.

Like the whole lottery thing; keep the masses hopeful. ;)

So for Gibson to go into the affordable realm - I just don't believe they can, really. Not with their name on the line, though that's been getting a little tarnished recently.

So you buy used (oops, sorry, 'vintage'), and that's a whole other high priced bag 'o worms. My Les Paul? It was described as 'second-hand' and 'used' at the time I got it.

OT for a second - Les Paul truss-rod nut - 5/16" nut? I'm trying to find a wrench to tweak the neck a bit.

Back on topic though:
......if i'd known when i first picked up the guitar the cons of playing lefty as opposed to righty i'd have played right handed....

Same here really, except my dad, whatever good intensions he had, when I showed interest in guitar, immediately took his old Kay and switched the strings around, figuring I was a lefty and would be more comfortable with everything reversed.

I think back about that, that one moment, or half hour or day or whatever, and the thing is, I might be playing righty now if that hadn't happened. It was one of those 'turning points' you hear tell about. On the other hand I might've lost interest because of not being able to strum with my left hand, or I might've played left handed but with the string normal like Albert - who really knows?

Fact still remains for me that I'd buy a lefty Epiphone LP if I wanted another LP type guitar, or an Epiphone SG if I wanted another SG - I had a noname knockoff righty in the 70s that I switched the strings on. Easier to do that with a double-cut. The name 'Gibson' on the headstock simply isn't worth all that extra money to me. Maybe to someone else, but not to me. In fact if I ever start playing out again, I'm going to put electrical tape over the brand names and logos of my gear; none of them sponsored me so I owe them absolutely nothing as far as brand recognition, visibility and placement is concerned.

'sides, I still get a kick out of trying to make a cheap instrument sound great :)

I agree that it's wacked for a major company with ample resources to not make lefty guitars.

However, in the initial post, and his subsequent post MrJonesey refers to a "growing left handed market". Is this market growing as a function of population growth in general (i.e. are more people buying guitars overall and thus there are more lefties buying guitars) or are there actually more lefties, proportionally, than there were a couple decades ago?

Just playing the devil's advocate here, mind you. So where are all these new lefties coming from? Immigration? Lefty friendly activist schoolmarms? Conversion after dillusionment with radical righties? Is there really a growing lefty market or is this just a case of the existing lefties raising their left fists in the air and shouting "We will be heard!"?

:wink: :wink: :lol:

LOL!

I love it! The "growing lefty market" is based more on perception and analytical hyposthesis than any concrete numbers. I'll get my staff to work on the demographic/ market analysis of lefy players by region and music genre. I'll post the arts and charts after they finish their indepth study. :wink:

Here is the way I see it. My grandfather was a south paw. When he was a kid (early 20th century) left-handers were considered somehow inferior to righties (as remains the case in some parts of the world). (we studied this in an anthropology class in college some years ago - there was a pretty interesting book called something like the Reverse Polarity of the Left Hand - or something like that). Anyway, Grandpa was forced to learn how to WRITE using his right hand, because it was more socially acceptible.

This societal prejudice extends through the next few decades as guitars become more popular, but lefty models are basically not existant. It will be many years before you are actually able to buy a left handed guitar. And people who grew up in that generation will likely insist that it was somehow an advantage for them to learn to play righty, or that they were perfectly happy learning to adapt by playing Jimi or Albert style. Who knows, they may be right. Bt given the choice, I think most people will have more interest, enjoyment and thus achieve sustained development by playing in a manner which is most comfortable to them. How many potential lety palyers decided to puruse other interests in the 50's, 60's and 70's because they didn't have access to a lefty guitar?

Also, the population is of course growing as a whole. Combine this with the relative acceptance of left-handedness and it is logical to asume that the number of left handed people is also growing. And because of the social acceptance, it is also likely, in my opinion, that the number of left handed people is likely growing exponentially at a higher rate than right handed people. I'm not saying that we will someday rule the world, but who knows? :twisted:

And when you combine all of these factors with the increase availabilty of low-end and starter guitars in left-handed models, it is also a logical conclusion that there is indeed a growth in the left-handed market. But, just like everything else, the industry is slow in answering the demand.

I talked to a local guitar instructor recently who says he currently has five left-handed students (he enjoys teaching them because he said it's like a looing into a mirror when they face each other, making it easy to demonstrate).

Anyway, that's my basic logic for assuming that there is a growing left handed market.

Cool post MrJonesy.

Now if we can start getting the media, when they're touting the latest dark, demonic, blood-filled movie, to stop using the term 'sinister.'

It's funny, every time I hear that in an ad ("...make their sinister intentions toward the unsuspecting earthlings known...") I always laugh and say (aloud to my wife), "See the aliens are all left-handed! Where do they get their guitars from?"

And we, you know, laugh and stuff and then it's on to something else. :)

I'd still get an Epiphone though.

Maybe an Agile.

I guess I'd better buy the lefty Epiphones now before they too get discontinued.

A lefty V; a lefty Explorer, a Paul and an SG.

Oh and that Epi 1275 - but wait, they're not offered lefty!

Maybe the Agile Valkyrie?

Just speaking from my own perception at the time,
i had no idea there were left handed guitars available on the retail market at all. the only players i knew of at that time that played left handed were Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney. the former elected to play a right handed guitar with reversed strings and the latter i assumed was so rich he could afford to have one made any way he wanted.

So I never really thought of the guitar as being a "Handed" instrument one way or the other. I'm not sure from my perspective whether this would have disuaded anyone at the time from learning guitar. (i know i never gave it a thought)

Correction : Paul McCartney was not rich when he *started* playing.

He tried righty but it felt so awkward to him. Then, when he saw a picture of Slim Whitman (who is a left-handed country guitarist) playing the guitar, it suddenly struck in his mind, that he should play the guitar with strings reversed. This is the story I have read here. (Scroll down a bit to find out)

Same was with me. I had a Yamaha steel string for almost 9 months and couldn't play it. I knew there was something wrong until one day I was seeing the Discovery Channel's program 'Travellers'. In that the main guy was playing guitar in Nashville. (It was a Nashville, TN special episode) That was the first time a person's playing position struck me.

Then I visited the good 'ol internet and found out that what I need was a left handed guitar. I also came to know that Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney and Kurt Cobain are left-handed - arguably 3 of the best entertainers ever present on earth. Less known ones are Toni Iommi etc. Then I came to know after 6 months of surfing GN, that Mr. David Hodge is left-handed. So I knew I was in good company. :wink:

How I got my guitar is another story...

LEFTIES UNITE.

Correction : Paul McCartney was not rich when he *started* playing.

:wink: :roll: thanx soooo much for clearing that up Capt. Obvious :roll: :wink:

By the time He hit my radar he was rich, trust me, i was there.

Here is the response from Gibson US and Gibson Europe. I still haven't seen a reply from Gibson China.

Anyway, following is my letter the them and below is each response. It doesn't look good for lefty Gibson fans.
Dear Gibson,

As a left-handed guitar player, who owns and publicly plays a Gibson LP Standard (l/h), I was extremely disturbed to hear from a local Gibson dealer that Gibson plans to discontinue production of their left-handed models at the end of this year. I have also seen this mentioned on a very popular guitar player forum.

Before I mount an international protest and boycott (or worse yet, dust off my old American Standard Strat as my primary gig guitar), please tell me there is no truth to this rumor. Please set my mind at ease and tell me that not only is your company not planning to discontinue production of lefties, but they are moving to embrace the growing left-handed market and make Gibson south-paw models more available to the public. I would also like to see you encourage Gibson dealers to at least have a representative left-handed Gibson available to try-out in their showrooms. To play on an actual Gibson is the best way to fall in love with one and sway an otherwise difficult purchasing decision when buying a higher-end guitar.

I await your response so I can relax and continue my life as a devout Gibson fan and vocal promoter of your products.

Thank you and regards,

Jim Jones

First the answer from US:
Hi Jim,

Thanks for the email. Unfortunately, left handed models in the Gibson USA line have been discontinued. However, there are many left handed models available at http://www.southpawguitars.com . Also, our Gibson Custom Shop and Epiphone guitars still offer left handed models in their production. Thanks again.

Best regards,
Jon Sutherland
Gibson Customer Service
1-800-4GIBSON
service@gibson.com

And from Europe:
Dear Mr Jones,

Thank you for your interest in Gibson guitars.

Please do not be unsettled by the things you heard. In too many cases rumors get spread without any real facts to back them up.

However, we are not in the position to make an official or statement about the production and distribution range of Gibson in times to come. Decisions of this nature lie ultimately with our management. They might even be taken at short notice, and there is a little sense in spreading rumors about that.

In general we try to offer as many models for the lefty market as we can. It is a very good idea that every dealer should have at least one lefty in his shop at all times to give left handed players the chance to fell and experience the great sound and playability of a Gibson. However, it is the up to our dealers which guitars they order from us and we cannot force them to display certain models in their shops.

Please understand that we cannot state future developments here, as they cannot be foreseen by us. We certainly hope to keep you as a Gibson fan and as a happy player in times to come.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us again or refer to our webpage at http://www.gibsoneurope.com

Kind regards,

Boris Franz
Customer Service
Gibson Europe
FREE NUMBER
00800-4GIBSON1
00800-44427661
http://www.gibsoneurope.com

So, the rumor is true and confirmed....

That is a sad day for us lefties. But it may prove to be a blessing in disguise - it will push us to try new brands like Ibanez, PRS etc.

So are you starting your campaign, Jim ? Maybe all of us lefties can make Gibson mad by sending our letters of enquiries, just to make them a little mad.

By the way, you letter of enquiry was really hard hitting. ''(or worse yet, dust off my old American Standard Strat as my primary gig guitar)''. Wonder how Gibson would have felt by that comment. :lol:

Rahul - Thank you for your support and cooperation. I'm not sure about an organized movement, but I really think Gibson feels that this change will go largely unnoticed. I think that if you are a left hander and ever had a dream to own a new Gibson LP (or other model) then you should let your disapointment be known. Why not send a letter expressing your disapproval?

I certainly am not planning to burn my LP in protest, but I do plan to go home tonight and put a fresh set of Ernie Balls on my Strat. I'm going to dust her off and seriously consider using her for the birthday party I'm playing next Saturday.

Please let me know if you decide to write a letter.

Regards,

Jim

Whoa Jonesey, that is one BIG avatar. :lol: Thanks for sharing your emails with us. I am a righty but I still think the decision is a poor one. I am sure they have done study groups and financially it will probably be fine for them, but I still would rather see them produce lefties for people like you.

Jim

I'm sorry. Does it show the whole guitar for you? It only shows the headstock on my computer. I'll see if I can find a smaller, less obnoxious avator.

No problem Jonesey. It was showing the whole guitar. In a horizontal fashion. Took up about 3/4 of the left side of the screen on my computer. XP Pro, IE 6 I think.

Jim

Again, playing devil's advocate, here, and hoping to find a way of reading this that doesn't come down to Gibson having lost their collective mind....

I wonder what the unsold, on-shelf inventory of l/h Gibson's happens to be at the moment.

Say they had a large number of l/h guitars in stock, unsold. Might they not discontinue production of l/h guitars for a season or two in order to give this inventory time to sell? Granted, this doesn't do anything for lefties looking for the latest cool guitar, but it might make some business sense. Then, a couple years down the road they look at the situation and decide when to go back into production of l/h guitars.

Plausible, maybe....

Then again, we keep hearing rumors that Gibson is setting dealer rules that edge out small dealers in favor of mass market G/C type stores, and this suggests the other side of the coin possibility - that they've truly lost their minds and are going for the fat center of the mass market, blowing off the fringes. That would be sad.

I heard this from a very reliable source over the weekend.

The bottom line with Gibson is they are in bed with GC. They have set unreasonable goals for existing dealers to meet purchasing requirements for Gibson products. Hence, most dealers no longer carry Gibson and won't. Their collective marketing department is killing them, IMHO.

Give me PRS and EPI any day. :D

Jim - I am a born lefty and hence play guitar, write and do the more important things left handed only.

However, I don't own any product by Gibson or Epiphone, so I wonder if they will really consider my letter. Moreover, no Gibson guitar currently is under my purchasing power, since they are so deliriously expensive. :oops:

But the important thing is that I love LPs and the LP Junior. I also like ES-335 and SJ-200 and think that there should be a left-handed option in all these famous models just like Martin Guitar has. (and Martin guitars aren't cheap - almost right there with Gibson and much more in prices)

Your Lefty strat avatar is very nice. Keep it.

My letter of disapproval will be ready soon.

Rahul