How many left handed steelers out there?

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 5:43 am

Only one that I can remember seeing.

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 4 Nov 2010 6:06 am

There's Buddy Williams up around South Bend.
http://sites.google.com/site/ronalddailey1/home

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 4 Nov 2010 6:14 am

Sounds like I'm playing left-handed most of the time...

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 4 Nov 2010 6:53 am

We are talking about two different situations.
I am left handed but play a right handed guitar.
Then there are left handed players who also play left handed.
My guitar instructor of years ago told me that the secret to guitar playing was in the left hand so if you were left handed, you have an advantage.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 7:47 am

Erv Niehaus wrote:We are talking about two different situations.
I am left handed but play a right handed guitar.
Then there are left handed players who also play left handed.
My guitar instructor of years ago told me that the secret to guitar playing was in the left hand so if you were left handed, you have an advantage.

Good point Erv but my question really is how many Left handed Players are out there? I wonder if they customized a standard to their own playing or if they had one made by a builder? I have only seen and heard one portside player, trying remember the make of guitar I believe it was a Sho-Bud..

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 4 Nov 2010 7:53 am

Joe,
Just to clarify the question, the question isn't about "left-handed players", we're talking about "left-handed guitars".

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 8:31 am

Erv I truly asked "how many left handed steelers are out there"? I thank Cal for his response identifying one he knew of.. To a sense you are one however you state you play a right handed guitar..

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 4 Nov 2010 8:50 am

It would seem you are asking how many left-handed steelers who play left-handed guitars are out there.

Dana Stewart · Post by **Dana Stewart** » 4 Nov 2010 9:00 am

My son, Austin Stewart, is left handed, but he plays right handed. I believe Jerry Roller is also a lefty who plays right handed. Austin tried to hold the bar in the wrong hand when he was small, and Jerry told us to just keep switching hands and he would learn to play right handed, because he himself did. He was right, and I am glad we had his good advice, because getting a left handed steel guitar is not easy.

Dana

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 9:16 am

oops double post sorry.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 9:16 am

Brint your right on exactly ..But it is interesting how many lefties play right handed instruments..

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 4 Nov 2010 9:32 am

Joe, I understood your question perfectly.

Monte Goode....played pedal steel with John Michael Montgomery. Charlie Stepp built his left handed Derby and maybe another one or two.

There are quite a few left handed steel players around.

Stephen Gregory · Post by **Stephen Gregory** » 4 Nov 2010 9:49 am

It takes both hands to play, it doesn't matter. How many left handed keyboard instruments do you see?

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 4 Nov 2010 10:26 am

Joe, I'm a lefty. I do play all instruments right handed though.
Hook

Dan Burnham · Post by **Dan Burnham** » 4 Nov 2010 12:18 pm

Vern Mandrell who works for BMI is a "Lefty",

Dan

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 4 Nov 2010 12:30 pm

Stephen Gregory wrote:It takes both hands to play, it doesn't matter. How many left handed keyboard instruments do you see?

Non I hope on a steel guitar forum.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 4 Nov 2010 1:53 pm

Hi Joe, I understood your question to mean Lefty steel guitars.
Left handed people who play steel the "normal" way is quite common. I am left handed in everything I do except guitar. Lloyd Green & Curley Chalker: both lefties who played right handed guitars.

Our old buddy Greg Dwinelle plays a lefty steel. I've met about five lefty steel players in my travels. The oddest situation was a guy who played lefty steel with the strings reversed! ...not only was his "guitar reversed", but the thin strings were closest to him and the thick strings were out where strings 1, 2, 3 normally are.

Joe Smith · Post by **Joe Smith** » 5 Nov 2010 1:00 pm

I'm also a lefty that plays right handed.

Robert Cook · Post by **Robert Cook** » 5 Nov 2010 2:00 pm

Am lefty and play lefty steel...lefty.

The sight alone freaks out band members and is a tribute to Roy Thomas who painstakingly put my steel together.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 5 Nov 2010 2:14 pm

Doug I actually started this thread because Greg was the only one I had ever seen play a left handed steel..I'm sure he did a lot of the work on it and probably converted it himself..I'll have to ask him..

Larry Rafferty · Post by **Larry Rafferty** » 5 Nov 2010 6:08 pm

Larry Edwards from Broadalbin (in upstate NY) is one of the top steelers any where to be found. He plays a D-10 left handed, built for him by Roy Thomas of Maurice, LA.
When I bought my first pedal steel several people in my area said to contact the "Master" Larry Edwards. I did and he has been helping for the last few years. I soon learned why he is called the "Master." Besides the PSG he plays the telecaster left handed (upside down and backwards to us right handers)...and also plays the 5 string banjo, dobro, mandolin, violin, and bass...ALL Left handed... and he is truly the master of all of them.

I found him to be the best PSG teacher any student could ever want. For a couple of years he would come to my house each week for 4-6 hour sessions. He would set his steel in front of mine and it's like looking into a mirror, as our hands, knees, and feet are going in the same direction.

Larry was the opening act for Gene Watson's band last nite in Greenfield, NY. He has his own country western band, and currently works on a regular basis with 2 other bands, as well as plays with a blue-grass group.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 6 Nov 2010 5:45 am

Another reason I started this thread is I have been to 5 St. Louis shows and each time I have never seen a lefty player..Nor anyone having a steel on display..I can Imagine these all have to be custom made and might present a problem for a builder..Having to machine a lot of parts opposite to what their Jigs are set up for...I am amazed at how many leftys adapted to playing righty..

Fred Justice · Post by **Fred Justice** » 6 Nov 2010 6:20 am

My friend Matt Prouty here in Arizona is a true left handed player.

Larry Rafferty · Post by **Larry Rafferty** » 6 Nov 2010 7:17 am

Joe,
It's been about 6 months since I last talked with Steeler/Builder Roy Thomas, but he told me at that time that he was backlogged with at least a dozen left handed orders. Roy is 87 years young and is still building Pedalmaster guitars. Roy said there is no more work involved and he charges the same for right or lefthand.
I also had some badly worn parts on the Dekley, and we took parts off a right handed Dekley so my brother could machine all new parts for the lefty.
Put it all together and it works fine.
Shown in the left pic below is a nice SD10 Roy built for Larry Edwards. In the center is a D10 Dekley I bought for Larry so he doesn't have to cart one to my house...and the last pic is me on a black right handed Pedalmaster and Larry Edwards on the green left handed D-10 Pedalmaster.

Larry Edwards · Post by **Larry Edwards** » 6 Nov 2010 10:53 am

[quote="Robert Cook"] i am left handed and i play left handed . roy thomas has made me 3 great lefty steels.