The Steel Guitar Forum

Tab Tabscott wrote:I didn't read every single post, but it really didn't hurt Hendrix any to just play it like he found it...

Yes of course, the obligatory Hendrix lefty, play it like it's set up right now comment - thank you Tab. So Michael, maybe it's time to plow ahead and tackle that lefty Sierra!

It's too far back to remember - like 50 years - but my first foray into music was taking about thee years of lap/non-pedal steel lessons beginning at age nine in 1964.

For all I know, I might have tried to lay that first Supro across my lap pointing the opposite direction with the bar in my right and and the teacher might have said "no, you need to turn it around, and hold the bar in your left hand." Regardless, that's the way it's always been for me.

On another note, I started out in Catholic school in first grade, had two older brothers at that same school. My teacher, Sister Florence, tried to get me to write with my right hand, since being a lefty was apparently a sign of the devil. This is like 1961 so these things were not rare and unusual. The righty thing with the pencil was not working for me of course. After a couple days of this I told my parents and the old man stormed down to the church and talked to the Pastor in charge. He told him that if Sister Florence didn't knock this crap off that all three of the boys would be pulled out of that school. Several years later when Jimi started becoming popular, playing guitar left-handed, if Sister saw him play along with burning guitars on stage she might have had an epiphany, or maybe a stroke - this guy had to be the devil incarnate!

My somewhat-experienced opinion:

Put it up for sale first and see if you get any bites within, say, a month or two. There might be a lefty out there that was discouraged and simply has been waiting for such a guitar. And I agree with Chris that the guitar is worth at least as much as a right-handed guitar, if not more... to the correct purchaser, of course. IOW, you won't EVER sell that guitar to a right handed player, but a lefty WAITING for such a guitar might consider paying a premium for a top-grade instrument like yours.

Converting a lefty to a righty is a fool's errand IMHO, unless you're familiar with cabinet making and steel guitar assembly, and from your original post I don't believe that's the case.

Converting to a lefty would require milling out the aluminum body and deck on the right end for the changer, plus filling iin and covering the current changer rout which may interfere w/ keyhead reinstallation

E-mail sent with Sierra Information

Hal Stackhouse
Muldrow, OK

Maybe Obama would be interested in a good used steel!!!

There's a lefty Sho-Bud on eBay with a bid on it -- that makes at least one lefty in the market for one.

http://bit.ly/1dsEtF5

Michael, I have a couple of suggestions that might help you out. First you might want to use the search feature here on the forum and use the search terms left handed guitar and left handed player. I just did that and came up with several left handed players and a discussion similar to this one. Secondly, you probably don't live more than 200 miles from Phoenix and next month on the 16th, 17, and 18th the Southwestern Steel Guitar Association is holding its annual steel guitar show at the Sheraton Hotel at I-17 and Dunlap. if you woud come down to the show you would be able to talk to builders like Fred Justice, Chuck Back and Frank Carterl. Who knows what kind of a trade you could work out?? I also suspect that there will be a left handed player or two in attendance that would be interested in your guitar. BTW I am a left hand person that plays righty. When I started I never knew there was such a thing as a left handed guitar. I am glad because I don't think I could play left handed. I happen to believe that there are lefties and righties and then there are those that are a combination, not necessarily ambidextrous. I do everything with my left hand except pick guitar and put nuts on screws. After playing guitar since I was about 11 years old, I have discovered that I have more dexterity in my right fingers than in my left fingers. I don't know if I was always that way or I developed the dexterity from using my right hand to pick. If your guitar plays as good as it looks, I think you have a decent investment and it has to be worth every bit as much as a right hand model. Good Luck!!

Hi, I think you will be pleasantly surprised how many left handed players (or potential)players will be interested to purchase this. Try the classifieds. While shipping is a hassle I think you will be surprised at the interest. All the best to you.

Michael. i'm a lefty up in Canada coming down to Yuma to visit over christmas. I would be interested in buying your left handed steel if you want to sell it. Let me know ASAP I could probably arrange to pick it up when I'm down their depending where you live. Use the money to buy a right handed steel. My first steel I converted from a right to a lefty. That was the first and last time I would do that.

I don't want to mess up Mr. Wiebe here - I wish I'd snuck in ahead! The reason being, if that was a rightie, $1000 would be desperation fire sale/hellhounds on my trail. IF it was right-handed, I'd put it at $1200 minimum, or $1400 if you can afford to let it sit awhile. It's going to cost that much to replace it with another clean Sierra, MSA, Carter etc. if it's as unplayed as I could see from the pictures.

There are a lot of smaller builders making great guitars, Rittenberry, Zum, I don't think Mullen is huge? And again, Fred Justice - in-state, at the very least that could come in handy for modifications or repairs. But going used & theoretically budget-minded, getting parts or work done on steels that sold in the thousands is just going to be easier. Shobuds too, but there are particular models made with pot-metal parts (fo' real) and you'd better hit the forum first before you drop the cash.

(I should add, I bought a 1990 Mercury Sable used, but in 1990 the Taurus/Sable had been the best-selling car in America, and the parts market held true for that. Ditto it's replacement, in 2000 Toyota Camrys were the best-selling car in America. I try to be a cheapskate with automobiles, so I can own way too many guitars! )

That Arizona Steel Association sounds like a great idea, and I'd still call most of the vendors on b0b's list (AFTER New Year's Day!), because trading it for another steel, fair worth or a little $$$ adjustment, solves everything in one step.

I want to weigh in and say first that Richard Sinkler is probably right. “The owner should probably refund your money. But I also doubt that he knew it was a left handed steel guitar. He probably never saw a PSG before.” I've met more than one guitar store owner who knew absolutely nothing about the PSG.

Second, I agree that the best thing to do is sell it and buy a right handed steel. Somebody is going to want this, the way it is, but if you attempt to convert it, you’ll be stuck with a botched instrument that will be impossible to sell.

Besides the forum classifieds, I suggest you try E-bay and Craig’s list. I sold 2 steels on E-bay, after not getting any response to my posting them in the classified ads there. Interestingly, both sales occurred after the auction expired, and both steels went to Europe.

I'm a lefty, but I play steel right handed. Since I also play piano, I have some dexterity (Latin for right, btw) with my right hand. My first real stringed instrument was the 5 string banjo, and I couldn't afford a custom left handed one. It took me almost 2 years to get flat picking down on the guitar, but I did. My recommendation is to learn to play a right handed steel. - Jack

Is this guitar still available? Looking for a left handed steel. Thanks!