Everything You Need to Know About Lefty Guitars From Gibson
It can be hard being a lefty who loves electric guitars. Fewer of these instruments are made for left-handed players than for their right-handed counterparts. Fortunately, Gibson makes many of their iconic instruments for all of the lefties out there, and you can find many of these guitars on eBay.
What iconic Gibson models are available in left-handed versions?The company makes most of their electric guitars for lefties. This includes their Les Paul line of instruments. The Standard, Classic, Custom, Historic, Traditional, Faded, Tribute and Studio Les Pauls all come in both left- and right-handed versions. Many of their vintage instruments were made for left-hand players too. Here is a brief list of some of their other models that are available for left-hand players.
- SG
- SG Faded
- Flying V
- Explorer
- Humingbird Acoustic-Electric
Gibson guitars are fine instruments that are known for keeping their value. It's often a good idea to just buy a left-handed Gibson guitar if you want to learn how to play the traditional way. You can alter an electric guitar for that purpose, but you will need to make a number of major changes to the instrument. Some famous players have done so, but they often ended up playing in completely different ways due to the customized nature of their altered guitars. You will have to re-cut the nut slots so they fit the new string gauges. The pickups may need to be flipped or changed out. The bridge will need to be set up and intonation set again. The string tensions will still be different than a standard guitar due to the length of the string to the tuning machines, which are set up for stringing in the traditional handed way.
What's the difference between a Classic and Traditional Les Paul?Both models are available in left-hand configurations. Both of these electric guitars are also meant to evoke some of Gibson's classic or vintage electric guitars. The Classic model has a slim-tapered neck and also features weight-relief to make it lighter. The traditional stays truer to some of the vintage specs with a solid body and fatter neck profile. Which one is right for you is simply a matter of taste and preference.