Left Handed Acoustic Guitar
A Brief History of Left Handed Acoustic Guitars
Just as the guitar movement has expanded in the last 20 years, so has the demand also burgeoned for high-quality instruments that match the ever-increasing abilities of the players. But while most players can find something well suited to their needs from the extensive product lines of large companies, there are some guitarists who want special instruments – those unlike any others. There’s a small cadre of people, called luthiers, dedicated to making these instruments. It is interesting to examine some of the different approaches they take and the problems they face in pursuing their craft, such as meeting customers’ individual needs, maintaining a business, and obtaining materials.
Lutherie is an unusual occupation in today’s production-line oriented society, harking back to a tradition of individual craftsmanship hundreds of years old. And although lutherie has been around since man first decided to make devices with musical qualities, the last 10 to 15 years have seen one of the greatest increases in the number of people actively involved with building their own instruments.
Several luthiers cite the social upheaval of the ‘60s as a factor that made it possible for them to get started in what most people would perceive as an alternative lifestyle. Indeed, those dedicated to the art of guitar building usually see themselves as having different values than those who work nine-to-five jobs. These values are not always compatible with those necessary for survival in the business world, and the conflict between the demands of art and business, and how to resolve that conflict, spawns myriad approaches and solutions.
There are broad differences among builders regarding
methods of construction, training, marketing strategies, business practices,
and even the definition of a luthier or a hand-built guitar. Therefore,
the following article makes no attempt to endorse or promote any one approach;
what works for one person may be totally wrong for another.
Defining Lutherie
What distinguishes a luthier from a manufacturer? Every luthier has his own definition, but many feel that the work could be loosely considered manufacturing when one instrument is like another. And because so many of the builders create on a custom-order basis, they generally feel that their pursuit would amount to little more than assemble line production if it didn’t make any difference who was going to be playing the instrument.
Naturally, there are varying degrees of individuality, because there’s an incredibly broad range of choice in the design, materials, and ornamentation of a guitar. Some builders are best equipped to handle certain types of requests, depending on their own inclinations and abilities, their shop facilities, and the availability of materials. Whereas builder A may let the customer specify everything from the shape of the peghead to the type of wood used in the back and sides, builder B may only be willing to work with a certain type of wood, although he will let the buyer dictate other features, such as the scale length or neck shape. Often an important factor is the builder’s own preference for certain designs or materials. For example, one very well-known luthier thinks rosewood is completely unsuitable for guitars, whereas Lane Moller believes Brazilian rosewood to the ultimate tone wood, and uses it extensively in his acoustics.
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