Where Do You Get A Left Handed Les Paul Style Guitar Now That Gibson Has Stopped Making Left Handed Guitars? 

The Les Paul model electric guitar is a legend. It is the second most popular and most recognizable shaped guitar in the world, second only to the Stratocaster shape by Fender.

The Les Paul guitar was designed by Ted McCarty, the President of Gibson Guitars in the early 1950's with contributions (depending on whose side of the story you hear) by Les Paul, a popular Jazz guitarist at that time.

The Les Paul guitar has continued to be made, pretty much unchanged from the original eversince. Now that is a winner of a design!

Les Paul guitars are also made by Gibson's "budget" brand Epiphone, which look the same but are made with cheaper materials, and mass produced in Gibson's Epiphone factory in Qingdao, China. Nothing wrong with Epiphone guitars, for the price, but they are not Gibsons, which are 100% made in USA.

In 2008, per information given to me, Gibson stopped making left handed guitars. Period. Citing "lack of demand" as the reason, it would appear, they simply canned that whole side of their operation, including Custom Shop option.

That was a good slap in the face for left handed guitarists around the world, and considering that there are still very many left handed players in the world today, admittedly nowhere near as many right handed guitarists, there is now a little bit of a "void" created for lefty guitarists who love the Les Paul style guitar.

Left handed guitarists tend to also keep the guitars they have, rather than sell them all over the place, like you see happening with right handed guitars all the time (More people give up learning than staying with it so there are always tons of guitars going cheap on ebay and elsewhere.) The point is this: the second hand market is not that lucrative for left handed guitarists and now that Gibson has stopped making left handed guitars, those with their trusty Les Pauls are probably going to keep hold of them, not sell them!

So what do you do if you want a new Les Paul style guitar these days?

Like Stratocasters and Telecasters, Les Pauls and SGs have been copied by many, many, many guitar brands. Some have become very famous for this, and some of them have become popular guitar brands in their own right for it.

Here is where you go if you want a left handed Les Paul today.

First, wave goodbye to Gibson, say "thanks for the memories. You lost me as a customer by YOUR own doing."

TOKAI. This is a Japanese brand that has been around since the 1960s. They started out making knock-offs of Fenders and Gibsons and over the years, gained such a great reputation for quality and affordability, that in the last few years, Gibson got wind (or finally took notice) of the fact that a lot of people were opting for the Tokai versions instead of their guitars. Apparently Gibson woke up to it, turned nasty and tried to take Tokai to court for "copyright infringement" and somewhere in all of that they went off and hurriedly got their headstock design re patented (patents only last 25 years) so they could have something to stick to Tokai! How's that for bad sportsmanship! Per what people have told me, Tokai's are not allowed to be sold in the USA any more (home of Gibson.)

Nevertheless, Tokai's "Love Rock" guitars are incredibly well made and incredible sounding Les Paul style guitars, easily available in Europe, Asia and New Zealand (but for some reason, not Australia! Perhaps not surprising considering how behind the times Australia is compared to Europe, Asia and New Zealand?)

I thoroughly recommend any left handed guitarist wanting a left handed Les Paul style guitar to consider Tokai as their first alternative option. And no, I am not in any way affiliated with or on the payroll of Tokai Guitars. Tokai Love Rock guitars are awesome to play and some say are better than Gibson Les Pauls originals!

GREG BENNETT. For a budget Les Paul that looks pretty damned cool, the "AVION" series guitars are a mighty fine looking Les Paul style guitar. Greg Bennet does one left handed model. Unfortunately boring old sunburst, but even in that colour, it's a damned sexy guitar, a little different from a Gibson (the cutaway is a bit more pointy) but still looking pretty Les Paul-ish! With the Avion you only need to swap out out the pickups for some Seymour Duncans, DiMarzio, or EMGs, or Wilkinsons (for the budget conscious) and maybe the replace the tuners, to get this guitar up to full pro level.

Stock standard, they are well under $500!

HAMER. Not cheap, but Hamer's "Monaco Elite" model is available in left hand and looks pretty similar to a Les Paul. Retailing for around USD 3500, it comes with Seymour Duncans stock standard. So you know that is going to be one sweet sounding guitar!  Seems to be only in sunburst, it would appear.

STAGG. Are actually a European company, from Belgium. They have since branched out into other instruments other than guitars, such as pianos, drums and wind instruments. Many people think of Stagg as a knock-off company since they are like most every other European or Asian guitar brand whose products are Gibson and Fender copies. Their Les Paul model (L320LH) is damned close to being a Les Paul clone. But oh no! They are another brand that makes a dreck sunburst colour! Fortunately they also make the LH ones in black too. Uber-boring. But at least they have something for lefties! They are pretty cheap too, around USD 300.

GORDON-SMITH GUITARS. This is a UK company that is supposedly to the UK "what Gibson is to USA." They have been going since 1979 and they don't charge extra for left handed guitars. Their "Gypsy" and "Graduate" series guitars resemble Les Paul guitars very closely and are around the USD 1000 – 1500 mark. I have heard that the waiting time can be a while. Not sure if that is true or not. Best to ask!

These are just a few major guitar companies that make single cut guitars like the famous Les Paul shape.

There are many, many other guitar brands that make this style of guitar and this article is not meant to lean towards any one brand over another. Using budget as a guideline opens the door to many many other possibilities too.

There are many excellent boutique luthiers in Australia, Europe and USA as well as many mass-producing factories in China, Korea, and more recently Indonesia and India. Although generally speaking the Asian factories are not equipped to make left handed guitars, there is always the possibility that some factory somewhere might make something like a Les Paul under an Asian brand name. And with technology and know-how the way it is today, they may even make them as good as if not better than other "known" brands available in the Western world. Today is not 10 , 5 or even 2 years ago! Wake up and arrive in the present if you still think "Made in China" means something bad.

In any case, here are some tips on finding that new and now elusive Les Paul style guitar today, since Gibson no longer makes left handed guitars for us.

Why support the mouth that bites the hand that feeds?

 ,

If you want a high quality affrodable left handed guitar that is NOT a Les Paul or a Stratocaster/Telecaster then you should get a GASKELL guitar. Gaskell is the only guitar brnad in the world that is 100% dedicated to production and custom left handed guitars only.

Check out www.gaskellguitars.com

Thanks to http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/where-do-you-get-a-left-handed-les-paul-style-guitar-now-that-gibson-has-stopped-making-left-handed-guitars-2173262.html

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed