The Steel Guitar Forum

Gentlemen.. I figure it's about time we organize !! Who knows.. there might just be a brother lefty within drivers distance.. When was the last time you sat behind a steel other then your own custom built one? I know I never have and id sure like to try one someday ..How about sale or trade? It's a small market out there..
Anyway.. I figure it's time for a head count..


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Bob Grado, Williams D10 (lefty), Peavey 1000,
Profex ll.

I guess i'll go first..

Bob Grado
Holmdel, NJ.
Williams D10
Emmons S10 push pull.



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Bob Grado, Williams D10 (lefty), Peavey 1000,
Profex ll.

I am as lefty as can be; writing, kicking, but play all my instruments the conventional way. I've always to see the connection between being left-handed and having to use it as an excuse to change the world around. I started my music education doing piano at primary school. They had no lefthanded piano, so I just had to hang in there.

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<B><I><font face="arial" size=1>1970 Rosewood P/P Emmons D10 Fatback 8x4
1980 Basket Weave P/P Emmons SD10 3x5
Peavey Session 500 unmodfied
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I am also left handed but play the normal right handed guitars. I have sit in on many many others guitars and could not have if I played a lefty setup.
Hook

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www.HookMoore.com

Okay...
Gordon Black
Burns, Oregon
Fessenden D-10
Melobar Super Steel D-8 non pedal
Beard Flinthill Dobro
Melobro
Fender Strat
Various 4&5 string basses
King MoreTone upright bass
Various lap steels
Fender mandolin

Alas, I'm a lefty who plays conventional right-handed steel. It sure does come in handy when sitting in with other bands. I would like to see a left-handed steel some time.
As with my guitar playing, the left hand is faster than the right, which makes the bar action faster and more precise than the pickin' hand. Any other left-handed players have better left than right-hand control when playing, or is it not noticable?

I'm also a left-handed picker. I play an MSA Super Short D/10 model that I converted to left handed. Its a sweet little guitar. I can also play right handed so its not much of a problem for me to sit behind someone else's guitar that is right handed. I can play much, much faster left handed but I have a better tone and bar control playing slow songs when I play right handed for some reason or another. I learned right handed and played that way for about seven years before deciding to go to lefthanded.

Pedalmaster Steel keeps lefthanded steels in stock in case anyone is in the market for a new one. He charges about $3250.00 for them. The same price as a right handed one. He has pictures of them posted on his website. Nice looking guitars and I understand that they are a well built guitar also.

Winston Street
Laurel, Mississippi

As has been well documented here before, I'm a new player, left-handed all the way. I have a 1976 factory left handed ShoBud LDG that continues to confound me as much astrying to teach me to play confounds John McClung...

I'm a left-handed person playing guitar and steel right-handed. I've never thought of it as a burden for six-string, because my stronger hand is on the neck. I've played so much slide guitar it would feel bizarre to play a left-handed steel. There are a few lefties playing right, like Paul Simon and Steve Morse. The latter's picking skill makes it clear that practice can overcome any percieved deficiencies. I've fooled around enough with playing true leftie, on my lap a la Thumbs Carlisle or Jeff Healey etc. to think that the music is primarily in your head, not your fingers.

I'm also left handed but play a "normal" PSG. I've often wondered what advantages the two alternatives gives (lefty playing left, or lefty playing "right"), but at the end it seems as the most important issue is how much I practice ... - and that's never enough... ha ha.
About being able to sit down behind another persons instrument, I mostly find myself inconvenient and seldom do a performance anyway without my own Zum-Steel, even though I could do it, as I don't require a left-handed model.
Roar.

By the strictest definition, I am a lefty; however, there are a number of things that I do with either hand such as swing a hammer, use various handtools, sweep, etc. A couple of things I do right handed. Playing musical instruments being one.

When first starting out, I made the conscious decision to play guitar right handed. I knew two lefties at the time; one played a lefty, and the other flipped his guitar over. Neither made sense to me. I wanted to do it the way everyone else was doing it.

The comment about the piano nails it on the head. With practice, you can train either hand to do whatever you want. There was a young man (twelve?)around these parts who took up the Cajun accordion. He was a lefty, and was unknowingly encouraged to purchase a lefty accordion. For those of you who don't know, a Cajun accordion doesn't have a piano keyboard. It has ten buttons which make a different note depending on whether you a pushing or pulling. In addition, the scale pattern is not uniform from top to bottom and bottom to top. Anyway,he soon experienced the feeling of attending jam sessions without his instrument and being unable to play others'. In a very short time, he managed to master both the lefty and the righty accordions. Not only did he master both accordions, but he could also turn over a righty and play it as a lefty and turn over a lefty and play it as a righty. Just goes to show you that we adults often impose limitations on ourselves.

I've been listening to the argument that lefties should convert to righty for years..
The bottom line is there are a number of us who made the decision to play left handed..
That decision puts us in a unique group..
I started this thread as an effort to list those players and there location and
gear. Hopefully, if all the lefty players reply, we can refer to that list for possible future sales or trades..Or hopefully get a chance to see another brother lefty play.. I'd love to have another player sit behind my steel while I walk out front to hear how the steel through the mains!
I know there will always be room for debate
here.. And even though I didn't start this thread for that reason feel free to do so..
It's another way to bump this thread to the top. LOL

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Bob Grado, Williams D10 (lefty), Peavey 1000,
Profex ll.

im also a lefty but play a normal steel. but then again you need both hands, feet, knees,and a little jack daniels helps. donny.

I'm a lefty; always was, but since I never had trouble with right handed stuff, it seems writing is the only thing left (pun intended).

It comes to this: I tried using a mouse with my left hand once, and with that, I wouldn't even try to think about playing left-handed steel. My right-handed LDG is more than enough (All the best, Paul P.!).

Hi Bob,
I truly am a lefty. I have learned to play guitar and bass upside down and backwards.We all know you can't do that with a steel because of the pedals.I had wanted to play steel for years, but i knew that i would never be able to switch to a right handed guitar after 40 years of playing left handed.Thanks to the internet, about 4 years ago i went searching for a left hand steel.After a lot of rejection from some of the big companies i contacted,which i won't name,I run across a web site for Cougar Guitars.It was owned by a great gentleman Freeman Cowgar.We had quite a few phone conversations,and he was more than happy to build a leftie for me. And after all that, i had my guitar in just under 6 weeks. and he didn't charge extra. I really had to laugh, because when he called me to tell me it was shipped, he said he had no idea what it sounds like ,because hiself or no one else could play it. He joked to me that he had to stand on his head to build it.I know a Cougar was not on the top of everybodies list,but it has been a fine instrument.It plays and stays in tune well.Sadly we lost Freeman a couple of years ago.But he made my dream come true to play steel.I'm sure he touched many others players lives in the steel guitar world.
After having gone to a few shows over the past 3 years,I have found that there are other companies that will build a lefty.Such as Pedal Master, Jerry Fesseden,and i beleive Fulwaka.But a great idea Bob to see how many true left hand pedal steels are out there.Maybe someday day we could have our own exclusive show.We could call it Southpaws of Steel!!!! Ha Ha!Keep pickin Bob .If you wanna talk shop sometime drop me an e-mail or call.By the way guys,I'm in the market for a new left hand Bass.So if you have anything laying around feel free to contact me. (GOD BLESS YOU FREEMAN)
Gary Schuldt
Left handed Cougar SD-10
Left Hand Nashville 400
Left hand BJS Bar
Left hand Beard Gold Tone Dobro
I could go on forever ha ha ha!!!
Keep Steelin Guys & Gals any way you can. The steel guitar brotherhood is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm left handed but play right handed too.

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Gaylon's Homepage
www.gaylonmathews.com

Gretchen Wilson
www.gretchenwilson.com

GFI Ultra D-10, Fender Steel King, GHS Strings, SteelSeat.com

Gary - Like you, I also learned (if you can call it that...) to play guitar upside down and backwards. My dad played right handed, and when I picked up one of his guitars left handed, no one corrected me. So I've spent my guitar playing life playing this way. But when I decided to take up pedal steel, the only way that made sense was to find a lefty and learn to play correctly. I was incredibly lucky to find that lefty LDG. In the meantime, I keep buying left handed electrics and having them all re-strung as righties. Yikes!

'68 Re-issue lefty Strat, '63 Re-issue lefty Tele Custom, Lefty Yamaha SBG500, Lefty Aslin 335 copy, Lefty Squire P-Bass Special, and salivating for an Eastwood Delta 6 Thinline Electric Resonator...no end in sight...

Hey Paul!
That's about the same way i learned.My Dad played in a country band when i was young. I'm 53 now.I would pick up his guitar and play around with a few chords,and like you ,no one corrected me. So as you can see i've been playing guitar as a lefty for many years.Like i said ,i'm looking to buy a new lefty bass, and i will also have to have it strung righty.
Gary Schuldt

<SMALL>I learned right handed and played that way for about seven years before deciding to go to lefthanded. </SMALL>

Wow! Winston.. I'll take bets that you
are the only ambidextrous steel player in the world !
One would think that after seven years of playing righty you would feel comfortable that way.. I'm curious as to what made you decide to go back to playing lefty. Did you simply feel that you never would be able to speed pick as fast with your right hand ?



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Bob Grado, Williams D10 (lefty), Peavey 1000,
Profex ll.

I write left-handed, but most of us lefties HAVE to do a lot of things the "wrong" way. Ever tried using a butter knife left-handed?
I've tried the left-handed mouse, didn't work for me, either, and I play all my instruments righty, bat, throw, swing a golf club, turn wrenches, and butter toast( ) right-handed. Isn't it cool when a drunk lefty starts playing air guitar upside down???

I am a true lefty player. I started on guitar when I was about 10. My Dad played right handed and everytime I would pick up the guitar, I would hold it upside down, left-handed. It just didn't feel right trying to play it right handed. When I fell in love with the pedal steel sound at about 14, I knew that was what I wanted to play. It was not until I got out of the service at the of age 21 when I got Maurice and Jerry Anderson at MSA to build me a D-10 Classic, left handed. Actually, Bud Carter built it, I believe. I still play it today almost 32 years later and it sounds great. I have been in Austin now for one year and have been gigging aroung town. Played with Redd Volkaert, Dale Watson, Cornel Hurd, Billy Dee, and a few others. I have never seen another lefty steel, ever. It would be nice to sit down and play someone elses steel. Bob G, if you ever come to Austin, look me up. I would love to let you play an old MSA.
Roy

Bob, your exactly right. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable on a right handed steel, I just knew that I wasn't ever going to be a fast player playing right handed. It took me 3 months playing from 6 in the evening until 3 a.m. to learn to play my first song all the way through right handed. [You Just Destroyed the World I'm Living In]. My right hand would cramp up in a knot, I would go and run cold water over it until it straightened back out and go back at it again.

I thought that I would burn the world up if I could play left handed which was natural since I had been playing bars since I was 13 years old on a left handed lead guitar.. WRONG!!!!!! I had to almost learn all over again.. I would be taking a ride and all of a sudden my mind would convert to right handed... BOY what a mess..

You may be right, I don't know of anyone else that can play pedal steel right handed and left handed. Right now I am building a new steel and I am thinking seriously about putting a pickup on each end so I can play either way on the same guitar. It takes me a few minutes to get adapted back to right handed when I sit behind a right handed guitar. This way I could keep from loosing the ability to play either way and also use it as kind of a novelty type thing.

I'm also screwed up as I can only play a right handed bass upside down..

Personally I would think that a person playing with his natural hand would play better playing that way whether it is right handed or left handed, but that may not be the case as Curly Chalker was left handed and he didn't seem to have any problem with a right handed steel.. In fact he was fantastic... I think there are also some more of the big name steelers that are naturally left handed and has made a good living playing right handed.

So I guess it all boils down to what someone prefers... You can do anything you set your mind to..
Winston

Lefty born and committed to playing that way until I'm called to the left side of the throne. As previously mentioned in other posts, my left handed Pedalmaster is a real joy to play and from others I understand it sounds and looks great. I have 15 left-handed guitars, mandolins, etc and can't imagine playing the "right" way. From my Les Pauls to Strats and Teles all the way to the big jazz box, they're all made lefty. One of my real joys is the '74 Ibanez Les Paul copy (yeah, the one Gibson sued over). Somebody did their homework on that one. I thought left-handed steel might be a problem, but I seem to be picking up things reasonably well. I just returned yesterday from Ecuador where there are lots of lefties playing lefty guitars. I was right in there with them and we had a blast. Keep pickin Southpaws!

As the name indicates, I too am a lefty.
I do write right handed, do to being erged too by teachers. Most things I do left handed (shooting, etc. can eat with either hand!)
All of my guitars, Banjo, Dobro, Lap steels, and pedal steels are left handed.
My first pedal steel, a left handed Sho-Bud LDG (Natural Finish) I still own. My second, a Dekley D-10 I bought from Greg Dwinell up in Ohio. I love the Dekley, and I am working on C-6th after playing strickly E-9th for years.
Lefty
Dekley D-10
Sho-Bud Ldg
Deering Intermediate Banjo
Gretsch Country Gentleman

Lefty - Duane Marrs told me that to the best of his recollection, they built 4 or 5 left handed LDGs. I wonder where the other ones are? Anyone?

By the way, I write, eat and do most things right-handed, but I shoot pool and sight a rifle left-handed. Kinda strange, but I've learned to live with it...