Anybody have any experience with Rhondo music? I would really like a Les Paul Silverburst but.... when your left-handed?
I just really like the looks of the Silverburst but I'de rather have a guitar that sounds good. I think I can get a Les Paul but not Silverburst... I think I can get Cherry burst. It $300 more than this guitar.
Any lefties please chime in on what electric you play. For acoustic I have a Taylor and love it!
Bob Jessie
I've seen Rondo offer lefties of various sorts. The Agile AS-820 and AL-2500 I have are very nice guitars.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Bob,
Do you want us (lefties) to chime in even if we don't play (or never have played) a Rondo? Or are you looking to poll just the Rondo lefties?
Peace
All lefties whether they play Rhondo's or not. Looking for recommendations on an Electric!
Bob Jessie
Okay, then...
My first electrics were (very) cheap righties that I restrung. You don't want to hear about these. Trust me... :wink:
My first real electric was an Ibanez Les Paul copy. It played well and I enjoyed it a lot. But at the time I was a keyboard player in the two / three bands I was in (way too many guitar players and I was determined to play in a band so being able to play a different instrument got me in), so I hardly ever gigged with it. But I did use it for practicing and jamming. Solid reliable guitar.
But it was stolen and I replaced it with a used Gibson Les Paul Special. The music store was closing and I got a good deal on it. Strangely, it didn't seem all that different from the Ibanez as far as playing and fretting. It sounded punchier, if that makes any sense. But it was heavier than anything and that was uncomfortable. More on that in a moment...
Next comes a Fender Strat. Plays smooth and a lot less weight to carry around. It became my "go-to" guitar as far as performing, although both guitars shared duties when it came to recording.
And then I discovered the Internet and eBay. All of a sudden I had access to more left handed guitars than I knew ever existed. I also met other lefties in my area and got to jam with them and try out their guitars. One of them, Tony, really loved my Les Paul and he, in turn, owned an Ibanez Artist, circa 1980, an SG-style guitar that was a left handed version of the one owned by my guitar hero (hi Greg! :wink: ) and Tony and I did a straight-up exchange. And up until last summer, the Ibanez was my "go-to" guitar. Wonderful sound and a lot of fun to play.
Currently on the electric side, in addition to the Fender Strat and the Ibanez Artist, I own and play:
two Epiphones - a Dot (semi-hollow body) and a Joe Pass Emperor II (hollow body). Both are factory seconds with occasional fretting and neck issues, but overall good sounds. The Emperor is especially good for jazz-style playing with its slightly wider fingerboard. Both have very clean tones.
a Raven electric twelve string - this was bought in a panic when my first Seagull twleve string suffered a broken neck and I needed a twelve for a gig. But even though it's cheap ($200 new back in 2003), it plays well. There are rough edges on some of the frets, and there were also some issues with burrs in the saddle, but after a good set-up it became very player-friendly. I used this at one of Wes' gigs when he called me up to play. I think he's got pictures of it somewhere on this site but I'll have to look for them as I've not seen that thread since NBRFT (Nick's Big Reorganization of Forum Topics).
a Fender Squire that's been refitted with a "Deep Six" baritone guitar neck. I really need to gig with this more. I love playing it and it adds a lot to any get together. Currently tuned to ADGCEA.
a Danelectro DC 10 bass with flatwound black nylon tape strings. Love the sound of this. Kind of a cross between an acoustic upright bass and something you'd hear in surf music...
and the latest one - a Fender Telecaster (butterscotch blonde) which I got last August and currently gets the lion's share of gigging assignments. I can't say enough about this guitar as far as its playability and versatility.
I have to qualify that I've been very lucky and fortunate with my guitars. Many of them are eBay purchases (and most of them were either factory seconds or used) and I didn't have the chance to try them out ahead of time. But whenever possible I did try out right handed versions of them at music stores in order to get a sense of how they might handle. Likewise with the two guitars I received as gifts. It may sound like I don't have a critical bone in my body but I do like each of these guitars a lot. They fill different needs in terms of my gigging and recording and they all get played, although I would certainly love to find more time to play them all even more.
I think that being left-handed, you have to make a point to try out every guitar you can, be it left handed or right handed. You never know when you might find something and you don't usually have the luxury of taking time to make decisions or to get something on back order.
Not sure if any of this helps and my apologies that it's so long winded. If you've any specific questions, I'll be more than happy to try to answer them and to do so with a lot fewer words! :wink:
Peace
I'm not a lefty but own an Agile AL2000 from Rondo as 2 "real" Les Pauls and the Agile is a very good copy.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Nice story, David. Would love to hear more of the lefty anecdotes !
Just tossing out some praise for Rondo music, I got one of their SX Custom Jazz Basses and think it's one of the best bass guitars I've played, bar none (ok, the Fender Jazz are better) but Rondo instruments definitely hold their own.
"How could you possibly be scared of being bad? Once you get past that, it's all beautiful." -Trey Anastasio
