Left Handed Guitar Facts

While most of the guitar world performs on right-handed instruments, even if they are left handed, guitar builders do design guitars specifically for left-handed people. These guitars are exactly the same in every way to right-handed guitars, though everything is reversed so that the pick end is played with the left hand, and the fretting end is played with the right hand. Many famous players have used left-handed guitars including Jimi Hendrix and Albert King.

Design

Left-handed guitars are designed for left-handed people who do not want to play right-handed guitars, as some people do.

Difference

The main difference between right and left-handed guitars is that they are "mirrored" images of each other. When a left-handed player plays, the neck is pointed to the right of their body, while a right-handed player has the neck pointed to the left side, with the guitar being similar otherwise.

Albert King

Left-handed guitarists, such as Albert King, have played a "upside-down" right handed guitar with their left hands. This would result in the normal low E string being the highest string, and the high E string being the lowest string.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix played guitar left-handed in a similar fashion to Albert King, though instead of reversing the strings, he simply took a right handed guitar and restrung it to be played left-handed.

Left-Handed Bass Guitar

Paul McCartney, who is left-handed, has played both basses and guitars that were designed to be played by left-handed people.

Resources

• Modern Guitars Magazine