Left Hand Basses
If you need a left hand bass, we can help you out. There are several ways to approach it:
1) the easiest way-if you are completely new to the bass and don’t already play lefty electric or guitar, consider learning right handed. Don’t get us wrong: we’re not prejudiced against lefties but with a good teacher and perseverance you will get just as comfortable playing right handed. The benefit is obvious: finding a bass won’t be such a hassle, ever, and you will have infinitely more instruments to choose from throughout your career. You won’t have to drag your instrument everywhere if you are in a situation where it would be nice to use the instruments on hand (school, jam sessions, tours, etc.) Also, if you plan to pursue orchestral playing, sitting “the other way” in a section will be awkward. If you already play left handed and are too far along to switch or you don’t think learning right-hand will work for you there are two options:
2) the less complicated way-we just reverse the nut, bridge and strings. The bass bar and soundpost stay right handed. The benefit is that it’s easy and non invasive to do and it’s easy to switch back to right hand if you wish to sell the bass at some point down the road. And, it doesn’t cost you any extra to have me set it up a new bass left-handed. On most basses, especially laminates, doing it this way doesn’t have an adverse effect on the sound or structure of the instrument. I’ve done this for a number of clients with excellent results.
3) the complicated way entails reversing the bass bar and soundpost. We can have any of the models we sell made officially left handed at the workshops but you must prepay in full, wait some months, pay a little more and it cannot be returned unless a major defect shows up in the instrument (this is at our discretion). Unfortunately we have to do it this way so we don’t end up with a left hand bass that may take forever to sell. We actually have a fair number of left hand clients and we’d be happy to discuss this with you.
Please refrain from telling left handed people to not use their dominant hand. It was a mere fifty years ago that lefties were actually punished for having the GALL to use their left hands, and if you CBA to make your wares for 10% of the population, just admit that you’re too lazy to rather than telling them to adapt to your laziness.
John’s reaction is harsh and unfair. The reasons given for a left hander to play right handed are clear and sensible, and DBW is more accommodating than most shops on this topic. Using your dominant hand to finger, rather than bow or pluck, could even be advantageous in some ways.
I am a lefty, and a happy client of the Double Bass Workshop. Yes, I was too far along to again try a right handed approach. DBWS has converted one plywood bass, found a flat backed carved instrument for me later, and done great service work since. Not bad for a Left brained shop. I give them 5 stars out of 5.
I have been playing bass for 25 years and I wish someone had forced me early on to play right-handed. The world of left-handed instruments is scarce at best, not to mention common bass fingering diagrams and notation is oriented for right-handed instruments. With that said I am a lefty and I play left-handed and there is no turning back after 25 years. I am looking for a left-handed EUB, but I have been searching a long time and I am having trouble finding a true left-handed EUB. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I’m left handed and also a beginner to the bass. I’ve tried right handed but it doesn’t feel right nor comfortable. The description you gave on advice to be right handed is fair and I also will agree with you. If only it was simple. So John get a grip. These guys are here to help.
NS Designs has a number of left-handed EUB choices.
If that was the case, then right handers should play what we know as left handed instruments. But we all know that isn’t happening, so I’m not sure why that point is ever brought up.
I know it sounds like we’re all angry, but after playing for over a quarter of a century and constantly being told “NO” when shopping for instruments – even though my money is just as green – it gets to be a tad frustrating. I’ve been told I should “just learn to play rightie”.
Especially frustrating when it comes to guitars. Guitar companies wouldn’t be in business had it not been for Hendrix, Cobain, McCartney, and Iommi…
Hi guys, I am a right handed person by nature but play a left hand Bass. I started out on the standard righty but it did not feel right nor comfortable so I switched and have never looked back.
At the end of the day we all play for fun and must be enjoyable. Do what you feel is right for your situation and you will never go far wrong.
Another lefty lifer here. I have been playing electric for 30 years and have been trying to get a DB lefty for a long time. I had a righty flip student model for a while with sub optimal results. I don’t mind paying a little more for a custom true lefty – but to be honest, all the bs about having a lefty model made and sitting around sounds like a crock of shit to me. I’d buy one today if some jackass backed out of the build if it was on reverb – even if it was marked up for the extra jig work to make it a true left handed instrument.
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