Hi folks.

PC, from NYC, if you see this, hello! I am trying to do my research!

Would like to hear experiences from anyone who has pursued left handed playing, and found, and bought their first instrument.

I am shopping in real time, and Cyber Monday is upon us.

I won't discuss price, out of respect to sellers I've contacted, that may view this. My search is for opinions between instruments, as we know that it is so difficult to try first hand, an actual left handed guitar.

My choices are: Alhambra 3F, and Cordoba F7, both of which are not in stock anywhere on the web, and reportedly will require 3-4 months of waiting on special order.

I am always told by dealers to buy and convert a RH guitar.

My conversion choices, based on price and availability (as of this post): Alhambra 1C (as a beginner classical/flamenco), and a Cordoba 45FP (the one with pegs). Any first hand experience on how a conversion went? Problems or successes? I have heard and read that a left handed guitar would be braced accordingly (at least a classical one would). So would it be a waste of money to get a better RH guitar, if it might not compare? Or can a skilled shop really make a conversion as good as the actual product? Enough for the instrument to hold value as a conversion? Not in a huge hurry, but have almost finished my first series of lessons, and love it, and would like to get a guitar that will carry me through these next few years of learning.

Appreciate righty's and lefty's thoughts about this!

Happy holidays!

gshlaven10 wrote:Hi folks.

PC, from NYC, if you see this, hello! I am trying to do my research!

Hello –

Yes, I see it, and you are doing the right thing to do your research. I encourage that.

One clarification. You cannot convert a right handed genuine flamenco guitar that has been built as such, for example the Alhambra 3F, Cordoba F7 and 45FP, because the golpeadores are not symmetrical. That is – the part below the first string is usually larger than the part that extends above the sixth string. Therefore if you convert, the golpeador below will be too small a surface to allow for full protection when doing golpes. You might get away with it, but I wouldn't recommend it.

It is not true that the bracing for a left handed guitar would be different than that of a right handed guitar. That might frequently be the case with a luthier guitar, but on lesser priced factory guitars the bracing will be symmetrical.

As far as a skilled shop making a conversion, in truth, with a factory guitar the only conversion necessary is replacing the nut. The saddle is simply reversed, and strung left handed. There is nothing else to be done. In fact, if you did that to a spruce top classical guitar, and then had permanent golpeadores installed, you would have almost a perfect left handed flamenco "negra."

Ramon

PC; (off topic)

I hope you got your backup drive sorted out.

byron

byron wrote:PC; (off topic)

I hope you got your backup drive sorted out.

byron

Thanks! What I finally did was drag all files and folders on my desktop into a new folder in "My Documents," then copied that folder onto a CD. Seems to have worked. That folder is now on the CD. So I should be able to somehow (how?) get that folder back onto my desktop following a calamity, and then open it up and redistribute all the files and folders inside it back onto my desktop. Right? Say yes, and I'll write you two brand new old school falsetas in the palo of your choice.

Ramon

Hah!! Yeah, totally right. That will work in the old school backup way.

Should the need arise, I'll give you step-by-step directions for a cheapo hard drive backup anytime you want to move from hard burns to scheduled backup.

Send me your favorites. I'll be pleased and they'll be backed up to my wifi drive and you can call for them at any time. We should help each other to protect our palos.

byron

Have done alot of recon about guitars in left handed, and have heard alot of opinions in the tired argument of which hand to play.

I am getting the point from all the posts I've seen from leftys and rightys alike, that a player has do determine what will feel most natural at the beginning, period. I have always picked up a guitar instinctively to fret with my right hand, and, I would be enduring alot of unnecessary hardship in trying to change, for the purpose of having ten guitars at the guitar store to try out.

That purpose is all fine and well, but, what about playing a song? You don't need 10 guitars to do that. Granted, it's unfortunate that as a left hander gets more adept at playing, the more difficult it would theoretically be to make tangible comparisons between performance instruments.

But so what. Get me to the part where I can release and play the music that interests me. Like golf. I'll take a 270 yard drive down the fairway from a persimmon wood, a costco driver, whatever you have.

Thinking seriously now about the 7F, as my first real quotes for the 3F (or reportedly now called the 5F) are in the $900 range...

Any first hand comparisons of the lefty flamencos, as far as impressions of feel and sound? Would love to hear....

I am strongly right-handed and therefore haven't had to deal with the issues you have raised. However, I have some related thoughts.

1) Similar central-nervous-system/finger communication and finger dexterity is needed with both hands to play guitar, especially traditional flamenco guitar where strings are played with all fingers and the thumb. Someone might conclude from watching a right-handed player play flamenco that their right-hand fingers have the most difficult tasks, but I often find left-hand finger placement to be more challenging than right-hand string playing. That may be in part because I am right-handed, but I think it is primarily due to the frequent need for long left-hand finger reaches and awkward finger positions. Because the fingers of both hands have challenging tasks, both left- and right-handed players may be able to learn to play similarly-well either way around. It doesn't seem so after someone has already learned to play one way or the other. I can't imagine trying to reverse hands after playing for 65 years, but I can't say with certainty that I wouldn't be able to play just as well, or even better, the other way around if I had started that way as a young boy.

2) Though it wouldn't be possible to feel the action listening to someone else play guitars you want to select between, I would enlist the help of a player who plays reasonably well to play each of them for you, so you can hear the differences. An experienced player could give you reliable advice about what they are each like to play. Of course, where you will be changing the saddle of the guitar you buy anyway (assuming you decide on a left-handed guitar), it would be easy to adjust string heights while you are doing that to make the action of the guitar you select ideally suited to your likes and abilities.

-Bob

Happy holidays, all!

Just an update. A week ago, inspired by GC's guitarathon, I pressed in my search for a lefty guitar.

I checked again with my local sellers, went to GC, and even found a platinum rep willing to place an order at the sale price, but still could'nt find a left hander in stock.

By chance, I changed browsers (from safari to firefox) and did a reflex search, and an ebay listing came up for a Cordoba 45 FCE, from a seller in LA. Clicked on it- the auction had ended a week or so prior- and to my surprise, the listing stated "we have both right handed and left handed in stock".

After 2 calls, and a required callback to the shop's Ebay guy, I got ahold of Gayl, who confirmed the lefty was still there. And he had the price of the same guitar out of a store in NY beat by a mile!

I took it, after hesitating a bit on the idea of having a cutaway with electronics (and quickly coming to my senses after thinking back on how long it has taken in finding a better lefty for less than $1K without a wait). It arrived yesterday, and it is in fantastic shape!

Gotta thank Ramon for his support and advice- (PM forthcoming). I am very happy I committed to not buying a conversion!

This model was the version from 2007 (according to the card inside), and, granted I have a novice ear, it definitely sounds better than many of the guitars I test drove over the last few weeks. I am very satisfied with the stock action- my lesson pieces are way easier to play than my other guitar. And no obvious craftsmanship issues, like I've read about. I believe this model was assembled in Spain, rather than China. Overall, best sounding guitar I've had in hand!

So my latest input to this thread for all the southpaws that see this- HOLD OUT! Totally worth it!

Happy holidays, folks!