An inexpensive hollow body for a lefty?

[Djinn1973]

Right now I am using my older Schecter 006 ( two humbuckers, mahogany body, rosewood over mahogany set neck) strung with with relatively light flatwounds. And while I like the tone I am getting, I want my notes to have the kind of "bloom" that only a hollow or semi hollow body can give me.
I am looking to spend some where between $600-$900 U.S. and most likely will be ordering the guitar online. I would like your advice on where to start, and what to look for.

Also, I have come across some companies that sell chambered and semi hollow replacement bodies, would a (telecaster style) thinline or L5 style after market body give me the kind of openness I am looking for?
Thanks.

[derek]

For the $ you are talking about, there are quite a number of makers who produce hollow and semi hollow guitars. Just to list a few, Ibanez, Yamaha, Washburn, Hagstrom, Stromberg, Heritage (used), and Eastman (used).

Yes, you can get a good jazz tone out of a solid body tele (see Ed Bickert, Mike Stern, Ted Greene, Bill Frissell), so a semihollow should be great. Mr. Beaumont recently bought a thinline tele, so maybe he will chime in.

G&L makes the Bluesboy, which is a thinline with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucker in the neck. For $1300 new, it is a wonderful guitar and very versatile. I almost bought one before I bought my Bill Nash tele, which is set up the same way.

The key to me is to play dozens of guitars in that range, and let your hands and ears tell you which to buy. Happy hunting.

[fingerpicker]

At the risk of getting off topic, why did you go with a left-handed guitar? I ask because I am a lefty who learned on a right-handed guitar many years ago (I am self taught so I didn't know any better.) I find this has been a benefit because my left hand has always been stronger and more agile, which seems to help with roaming the fretboard.

[bfloyd]

I just aquired my first hollow body. I went with the Ibanez Artcore AF75 which I really love alot. The Ibanez Artcore line has many to choose from and IMO are a very good guitar for the $$$. They will fit well in your price range.

[Djinn1973]

At the risk of getting off topic, why did you go with a left-handed guitar? I ask because I am a lefty who learned on a right-handed guitar many years ago (I am self taught so I didn't know any better.) I find this has been a benefit because my left hand has always been stronger and more agile, which seems to help with roaming the fretboard.

I got my first guitar at the age of 14 or 15, and I would "switch" playing the guitar right handed for a few weeks, then playing the guitar "upside down" for a few weeks. At some point I settled on holding the guitar left handed.
Either my sister, my mom or one of my other family members; (every one on my mothers side sings and can play at least two instruments, and at one point in time a different person as taken credit for "realizing" I was a lefty and for having) set the guitar up correctly.
After braking the cheap tremolo bar by hitting it with my forearm my mom suggested that I buy a left handed guitar and the rest as they say...
One other thing, am I the only Lefty on the forum?

[Djinn1973]

The key to me is to play dozens of guitars in that range, and let your hands and ears tell you which to buy. Happy hunting.

Thats fantastic advice, and when I was looking for a second Stratocaster thats exactly what I did.But in this case it may not an option. For the most part stores, even large mega-chain stores only stock a few (usually 2 or 3) left handed guitars, both strats most of the time, or a strat and a tele if the guy in charge purchasing is adventurous.
And while I do have some pull with the owners of a couple of local shops I am not sure how comfortable I would be with getting them to order some thing as obscure as a left handed semi hollow or hollow body, just to see if I like it.
Can you think of a place in the internets that would stock left handed "Jazz Boxes" in my price range with a decent return policy?
Thanks.

[bfloyd]

You can always do the Jimi thing . . .

[fingerpicker]

How about this place?
Left Handed Tiger Jazz Guitar

[derek]

Here are a couple that specialize in lefties. Good luck

DHR Music - Vintage Guitars, Used Guitars, New Guitars

Left handed guitars - left handed guitar, left hand guitars, lefty guitars, left handed guitars, adirondack spruce tops,left hand guitar dealer, lefty guitars, left handed tender, Left handed acoustic, left handed gibson, left handed jay turser, left

[bfloyd]

How about this place?
Left Handed Tiger Jazz Guitar

Wow, good price.

[Djinn1973]

thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!!

[Tiny]

One other thing, am I the only Lefty on the forum?

No, Djinn, I'm a lefty too, playing lefty guitars. And I found a good guitar in my Ibanez Artcore AF 86 semihollow. It's made in China, but it's very well done. I'm very much surprised about the quality. Might be you'll exchange the PU's sooner or later. But the rest of the guitar is good enough and it costs only some hundret $. Check it out before you buy it, maybe not every guitar of that production might be good. I refused to take the first one that was offered to me, but the second was just great.

[Tiny]

Hi Djinn
I know this thread is quite old, some months now, but I would like to know which guitar you bought and how you like that one. I followed that link to the "tiger" too and on that photo it looked quite nice. Did you buy it?
Regards, Tiny

[Djinn1973]

Hi Djinn
I know this thread is quite old, some months now, but I would like to know which guitar you bought and how you like that one. I followed that link to the "tiger" too and on that photo it looked quite nice. Did you buy it?
Regards, Tiny

Things have kind of stalled, real life has gotten in my way...
I promise I will let you all know what I decide on, and how it turns out. I did come across this youbube video for a Stagg A350, it looks interesting.

Also I just came across this really nice demo of a Hagstrom Viking as well as a place that sells left handed ones.

[softrick]

I think that epiphone also fits in the list of good price/quality jazz guitars mentioned above. I'm considering this one
Epiphone Musical Instruments
or this on
Epiphone Musical Instruments

Mario

[jpaul00]

I am a lefty jazz player. Back in 1999, the only new, affordable lefty jazz guitar I could find was the Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II (about $725.00 with case back then). I ordered one, and after a short while, I replaced the neck pickup with a Kent Armstrong-made Benedetto, and I put a home made free floating ebony tailpiece on it.

I'm not even sure that Epiphone makes this model in lefty anymore, but I have seen lots of them on Ebay over the past few years, and they go for as little as $400.00, which would leave you enough to do some upgrading, if you didn't like the sound.

To get an idea of what they sound like, go on youtube. I don't know if the ones on youtube have been modified, but they sound great. I love the sound of mine now.

The Ibanez jazz models also sound pretty good, but I would try different ones if at all possible, or at least try to hear other people play them on youtube.

I would recommend a second hand Joe Pass, though, if you can get one for $400.00, sight unseen.

If you haven't tried it, you can enter guitar names and models as search terms on youtube, and you usually get results. In my experience, the lefty and righty versions of the same instrument sound about the same.

Also, most of the new, inexpensive jazz guitars are probably from the same factory. My Epiphone is from Samick in Korea.

[Tiny]

Hi,
well, I thought this was about LEFTY's... the Zephyre Regent from Epi aren't, afaik.

jpaul, thanks for the hint about that Joe Pass Emperor from Epi, sounds good. Unfortunately, Epi does not make it anymore nowadays for leftys. But it could be worth to look for it at ebay or second-hand shops.

Yes, Samick are the better Epis. Now they make the most in China, they are not bad, but Samick was better, I hear everywhere.

[Tiny]

Well, some more time has passed. Anyway, for all you Lefty's out there: I just got me a Sheraton from Epi and I must say: it is a very good guitar. Good material, good pick-ups, good price (now only 498,- euro) and fine made... hmm, I sold my Ibanez Semiacoustic and maybe I'll sell my Epi Les Paul Custom too, cause this Sheraton seems to fit all my desires, except some, for that I'll keep my Fender Strat.

The Sheraton has a deep bass, clear high's, for clean sound it's very good. If you want to play metal overdrive, chose another type.

[swordfishtrombon]

i am also a lefty too

[newton]

I am left handed as well and I too find myself looking for a left handed electric hollow body.

I've an epi dot (1 of a dozen left handed guitars in my music room) but would like to move up a rung or two along the purpose designed jazz ladder into the 800 to 1200 range. There seems to be a hole at this price point. I'm finding either entry level or moving into high end gear with very little in between.

[leftfield]

For those in the UK:

Not all of these dealers carry good jazz lefty guitars all the time but they do surface on occasion

Stringsdirect - Online Guitar Strings and Accessories

Wunjo Guitars London

Left Handed Electric Guitars - GUITARGUITAR

GuitarLefty Home

Left Handed Electric Guitars (GAK) The index number on this changes from time to time

Lastly, if you are in the States or are prepared to buy without playing there is the ever dependable gbase - plenty of lefty GAS here!

Gbase - Gear List

[Lefty]

Hi this is my first post on this worldclass forum...

For my despair (sometimes) I'm also lefty and of course it's a nightmare to find decent jazz guitars (and above all, to hear regular guitarists speak about wonderful instruments you won't never able to play with !!)

so here's a few references I'm checking regularly :
Europe
www.leftyguitars.be/ (shop Belgium)
Guitare gaucher - Achat guitare electrique gaucher sur Euroguitar. (brick and mortar shop in Paris)
Guitare Village - guitares gauchers rock jazz manouche (brick and mortar shop near Paris)
Guitares pour Gaucher (e-commerce)


US
Left handed guitars - left handed guitar, left hand guitars, lefty guitars, left-handed guitars, left handed guitar store, left hand guitar shop, adirondack spruce tops, left handguitar dealer, lefty guitars, left handed guitar store, Left hand Acous (Texas)
Adirondack Guitar Left-Handed Menu (NY)
http://guitarsnjazz.com (NY)
Jerry's Lefty Guitars sells the best left-handed guitars worldwide for the left-handed guitar player. (Florida)
http://www.wolfeguitars.com (Florida)
www.dhrmusic.com/ (Ohio)
Product Categories (Colorado, only solid bodies)


Of course, I'd be happy to know some new shops/sites.

And of course I'm always interested in buying or trading good jazz box (specialy Heritage or Eastman).

By now my main guitar is a Schecter Jazz elite, very playable but with a not so rich sound (I should change the originals PU may be).


Bye Bye from Paris.

[Callmetaz]

I happen to own the Stagg A350-n in left hand and absolutely love it. I own a few guitars one being a Gibson Les Paul and I play the Stagg as my primary.