If you're a left-handed guitarist I’m pretty sure I already know two of your biggest complaints.

1. There aren't as many new left-handed guitars available 
2. You will pay an additional fee for the privilege of being left-handed.

Considering at least 10% of the population is left-handed, it seems like a pretty poor deal all round for the majority of left-handed guitarists.

It just ain’t right!

I’ve been a lefty myself now for well, pretty much my entire life :) and I know how frustrating it is when you can't even try your friends or bandmates guitars, or when you walk into a music store to browse new guitars and you're lucky to find one guitar you can actually play, let alone like the tone, feel and aesthetic of the guitar.

Sure, there are a couple of positives. 

On stage symmetry, if lefty and righty guitarists are on stage.

Far fewer people are likely to pick up your guitar, and most of the time you will be the only lefty in the band meaning you can achieve great on stage symmetry but when it comes to purchasing a new guitar the negatives far outweigh the positives it has to be said.

So what’s the budding left-handed guitarist to do if not prepared to choose from the relatively few options available? We’re really left with two choices.

1. Build your own lefty guitar
2. Learn to play right-handed

DIY Lefty Guitar Kits

Unfortunately, it can also feel pretty much a case of slim pickings when it comes to left-handed guitar kits, with similarly few options available. The majority of the time, those consist of ST and LP-style body shapes which are less difficult to find in fully assembled left-handed models anyway.

We offer more than 40 lefty guitar kits. Build your own guitar using our DIY Lefty Guitar Kits. Learn more about our in-stock left-handed guitar kits.

The few left-handed kits I had bought over the years previously only were available in basswood or came with a right-handed nut also. Which in itself isn't a huge problem, but removing the nut and ordering in a left-handed one (which are far more difficult to source than a right-handed version) is an extra complication most of us just don't need when getting underway with a new guitar build. 

Guitar Kit World, on the other hand, offers over 40 different custom unfinished left-handed guitar kits, and the good news is you won’t be charged more for a left-handed DIY guitar kit than a right-handed one and you won't need to wait any longer for delivery.

Hard to find left-handed guitar kits 

The other benefit with selecting from our range of over 40 models of left-handed guitar kits is the fact that some of the models we offer are difficult, if not downright impossible to buy brand new.

This is especially the case if ordering a custom model with options for the body, neck and fretboard timbers along with custom inlay and hardware.

Gibson®, for instance, has been known for only offering short runs of many of their more famous models in left-handed configuration and as recently as 2016 stopped producing SG®’s in left-handed models.

We offer more than 40 guitar kit body shapes with left-handed versions. You can choose your own wood type, hardware, inlays, headstock, binding options & more. Learn more about our Custom Shop kits.

Fender® even has an explanation on its website outlining the reasons they don’t offer a full range of left-handed guitars.

Should you learn to play right-handed?

Hell no. 

Apologies for being blunt but when I hear ‘prehistoric’ guitar teachers advise their left-handed students to learn guitar right-handed, I can only sigh and shake my head, and there’s a good reason for this.

The problem with learning right-handed if you are left-handed

It can actually be quite detrimental to your progress if you are left-handed and attempt to learn to play right-handed.

Early on, when learning to play guitar the fretting hand is the more important of the two. This makes sense, as you need to develop muscle memory in your fretting hand to learn chord positions and scales and this takes time. 

But over time the picking hand (for left-handers this is the dominant left hand) becomes far more important with regard to rhythm and accentuating dynamics in your playing and will hinder your development. 

As this is not apparent right from the beginning, many left-handed guitarists who learn right-handed will make steady progress up to a certain point but many will then hit a wall in their playing and stagnate, leading to frustration. The problem is most lefties aren’t aware of the problem until it’s too late to change over.

Be proud of your left-handed status. Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Albert King, and Otis Rush didn't give in to the right-handed world and neither should you.

Are lefties better musicians?

There’s also evidence to suggest that left-handers make better musicians. Would it surprise you to know that Mozart was left-handed?

Adding to the fact that left-handers are generally considered more creative, there’s an argument to be made that left-handed guitarists have a greater capacity for innovation, being true musical pioneers and breaking new ground in the way they approach the guitar.

Given some of the groundbreaking left-handed guitarists we’ve been fortunate enough to witness over the years e.g. 

• Hendrix - A true pioneer of the electric guitar
• McCartney - The pioneer of modern pop and rock
• Iommi - The godfather of metal guitar
• Cobain - The pioneer of grunge music

Summary

As you can see the range of electric guitars available for left-handers is just a fraction compared to right-handers, and considering many lefties have led the way with regard to the development of the electric guitar (Hendrix, Cobain, McCartney) it’s not ‘right’ that so many left-handed guitarists feel.....’left’ out.

Thankfully, guitarkitworld.com offers a full range of over 40 left-handed DIY guitar kit models, made with the attention to detail as our right-handed models and without any additional costs or delays in delivery. Why not check out the range today?

Meet the author

Paulo Leandro Molina

Paulo, a passionate guitar lover, motorcycle rider and the Builder Success Manager at Guitar Kit World, blends his in-depth technical expertise with his love for music to craft personalized solutions for builders...

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