Welcome
The Pancho’s Leftys Photo gallery is now a reality.
Stop in and check out some of the sweetest Leftys on the net.
There are currently over 70 guitars on display
Panchos Lefty Guitar Gallery
Welcome to Pancho’s Leftys. This site is dedicated to the left handed musicians whom for so long in the past, and still to a lesser degree today, haven’t been afforded the same opportunities to appreciate and enjoy similar broad selections of instruments that our right handed counterparts take for granted. The collection you’ll see at this site is welcome proof that many of the finest guitars from the best manufacturers and luthiers are available in lefty mode as well. It’s just that they have been somewhat more challenging to locate. Southpaw guitarists have been subject to one of the most bizarre discriminations of modern times.
Even though left handed people make up close to 10% of the world’s population the left handed string players have been for the most part been ‘left out’ when it comes to the showroom floor and walls of the typical music store. When a left handed model is available it’s all too common to have a 10-20% surcharge for the privilege of choosing from an extremely limited selection and then waiting to take delivery for as long as a year. Today a few high end manufacturers like PRS have stopped offering production lefties altogether. To this I say, their loss!
Oddly enough, the guitar sales explosion that rocked the ‘60’s to the present following the British Invasion and the psychedelic era can be directly traced to two iconic lefty players – Paul McCartney with his lefty Hofner violin bass and Jimi Hendrix with a right handed Fender Stratocaster strung backwards as a conversion lefty.
Of course the right handed players were also influential but today’s manufacturers enjoy ongoing strong sales of all models of guitars and basses due in no small part to these two pioneers of rock ‘n roll. The debt of gratitude owed Sir Paul and Jimi by the likes of the major manufacturers such as Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Martin etc. is enormous and in my humble opinion still outstanding. How many guitars and basses have been sold because of The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix?
I started this site as a simple photo gallery to show off my growing collection of lefty guitars. As the collection grew and I continued to get on in years it has become a matter of course to offer choice instruments for sale. I truly wish I could ‘take them with me’ but if I did it would require a huge casket!
From 1968 to abut 2003 I would occasionally stumble across a nice southpaw axe and would most times buy it as long as it wasn’t another black Strat or sunburst Epiphone Les Paul. Then I discovered eBay and contracted what seems to be a terminal case of GAS – guitar (or gear) acquisition syndrome. For the first time in my life there were numerous lefty electric and acoustic axes available for sale in one location at excellent prices. Talk about a kid in a candy store! Before eBay, to my knowledge, there was only one shop in the world that specialized exclusively in left handed instruments.
Today, with the power of the Internet the situation for the lefty players is dramatically improved and only getting better. The primary reason given by manufacturers for the very limited selection of left handed instruments is the economics of the production line. It is simply too risky economically, for both wholesaler and retailer, to build lefty instruments ‘on spec’ that may hang on dealers walls for too long to be profitable.
The Internet has become a touchstone for lefty players to finally stand up and be counted as a most viable demographic that can and will encourage the manufacturers to include a great many more of their models in full scale lefty production runs.
So, come on in, click ‘Gallery’ and prepare to be dazzled! If you’re in the market for a fine new, NOS(new old stock), or used left handed axe click Leftys For Sale. If you have a lefty guitar, bass or mandolin for sale or trade click I Want Your Lefty.
Please consider patronizing the music related businesses that Pancho’s has Affiliate Programs with. I hope you enjoy what’s offered here as much as I am in bringing it to you. Have fun!
Peace,
Pancho
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…and all the Federales say