Ran : Left Handed Guitars

Ran Guitars is a Polish guitar company who specialise in custom and semi-custom instruments for those who like music of the heavier persuasion. If you’re after a personalised, heavy-rocking beast of a guitar then this could very well be the company for you.

Ran has a small selection of their own guitar designs, all of which are of course available left handed.The guitars are available to purchase in their standard configurations, but if you would like to change a few elements then they are more than happy to hook you up.There is a comprehensive custom order form on the website which should give you a good idea of how creative you can get with these guitars.

Let’s take a look at the standard models available from this Polish brand…

Ran Invader Left Handed Guitar

Ran Invader Left Handed Guitar Lefty

  • construction »neck thru body
  • scale length »25.5″
  • body material »alder
  • finish »satin black
  • neck material »3P maple
  • fingerboard material »ebony
  • number of frets »24
  • inlays »none
  • nut »locking
  • bridge system »Schaller Floyd Rose tremolo
  • tuning machines »Schaller M6
  • pickups »EMG 81
  • controls »1 x volume

Ran Crusher Lefty Guitar

Ran Crusher Left Handed Guitar - 6,7 or 8 String Lefty

Lakewood : Left Handed Acoustic Guitars

Lakewood Guitars is a German guitar company founded in 1986 by owner Martin Seeliger.  The company specialises in producing beautfiful hand-crafted acoustic guitars for musicians all over the world.

As with many other brands who concentrate on acoustic instruments, Lakewood are another fantastic company who produce all of their guitars in a left handed version.  When I got in touch with Lakewood they did have a few left handed guitars in stock, but expect to special order if you decide to take the plunge.

There are far too many guitars to display in a single article so I have given a brief overview of the main ranges from Lakewood below.  I counted 44 different guitars in total and that doesn’t even include country specific options.  There is a sample image for each series but keep in mind that you will find far more guitars and options on the Lakewood website!  Let’s take a look…

Lakewood Natural Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars

Lakewood Natural Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars Lefty

Precious woods, pure and untreated, display their natural beauty in the most direct path from the material to the eye of the beholder, reduced to the absolute basics. No more, but no less either, since every guitar in the Natural Series is built to the same high standards of guitar artistry shared by all Lakewood instruments. The language of form allows the materials to speak for themselves. Each instrument is made up of finely tuned elements – a series where less is definitely more.

Lakewood Deluxe Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars

Lakewood Deluxe Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars Lefty

Tanglewood : Left Handed Electric Guitars and Basses

Tanglewood Guitars is a British guitar brand, founded in 1990 in England by owner Dirk Kommer.  Until recently this brand was almost exclusively sold within the UK, however after winning several industry awards the company has expanded and is now distributed in over 35 countries worldwide.

Although primarily known for their fantastic and affordable acoustic guitars, Tanglewood do produce a range of beginner lefty electric guitars and basses of which 5 are currently available left handed.  Hopefully we’ll see this range expand as the company grows!

Let’s take a look at what’s on offer from this British company…

Tanglewood TSB 58 CSB LH Left Handed Guitar

Tanglewood TSB 58 CSB Left Handed Guitar Lefty

BODY Solid Mahogany
TOP Flame Maple Veneer
NECK (MATERIAL) Mahogany
NECK (BUILD) Set Neck
FINGERBOARD Rosewood
PICKGUARD Cream
BINDING Cream ABS Front
NUT (WIDTH) Cream ABS (43mm)
SCALE LENGTH 630mm
MACHINE HEADS Kluson Style with Tulip Buttons
HARDWARE Nickel
FINISH Cherry Sunburst Gloss
PICKUPS 2 x Entwistle Alnico HV58

Tanglewood DBT 6 BK LH Lefty Guitar

Tanglewood DBT 6 BK Left Handed Guitar Lefty

Framus : Left Handed Guitars

Framus is a German guitar and amplifier brand which was founded in 1946 by Fred Wilfer.  Unfortunately, due to the rapidly changing market at the time, the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1975.  However the Framus name was revived in 1995 after being bought by German bass guitar brand Warwick.  The company now successfully produces a wide range of high-end guitars and tube amplifiers.

Framus are one of the few bigger name companies out there who are truly ‘lefty friendly’ as they produce nearly all of their guitars in a left handed format at no extra charge.  The only guitars which are not available left handed are the Vintage Series and the Earl Slick signature series.  Great work from Framus indeed!

There are far too many guitars to fit in a single article so I have broken the choices down into their ‘families’.  Descriptions will be brief as the guitars in each family each differ from one another in various ways, so be sure to check out the Framus website for detailed specs.  Besides, you just come here for the pretty pictures right? ;)

Framus Panthera Series Left Handed Guitars

The gorgeous singlecut Panthera range from Framus is available in a wide variety of different finishes, wood configurations, bridges, pickup choices, and even has a 7-string model on offer.  Check out the Framus website to obtain detailed specs for each different model.

Framus Panthera Series Left Handed Guitars Lefty

Framus Diablo Series Lefty Guitars

The stunning Diablo range from Framus is available in a wide variety of different finishes, wood configurations, bridges, pickup choices, and even has a 7-string model on offer.  Check out the Framus website for the skinny on each different model.

Framus Diablo Series Left Handed Guitars Lefty

G&L : Left Handed Guitars & Basses

G&L Guitars was founded in California, USA in 1979 by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Dale Hyat.  The company name is formed from the initials of George and Leo.  G&L instruments are similar to the classic Fenders, but with a few modern innovations which makes them highly regarded by many musicians and collectors.

As a left handed guitar player it may be difficult getting your hands on a G&L as there are only 3 lefty models on offer from this USA brand.  Also take into account that G&L are not very widely distributed so owning one of these could be a rare privilege indeed.

Let’s take a look…

G&L Legacy Left Handed Guitar

G&L Legacy Left Handed Guitar Lefty

  • PICKUPS 3 Fullerton-made G&L vintage style Alnico V single coil pickups
  • BODY WOOD Swamp Ash
  • NECK WOOD Hard Rock Maple with Rosewood fingerboard
  • NECK RADIUS 9″ (228.6mm)
  • NECK WIDTH AT  NUT 1 5/8″ (41.3mm)
  • TUNING KEYS 18:1 ratio, sealed-back
  • BRIDGE G&L Dual Fulcrum vibrato with nickel plated die-cast saddles
  • CONTROLS 5 position pickup selector, volume, PTB system
  • FINISH 3-Tone Sunburst with Tortoise Shell pickguard
  • OTHER G&L Deluxe Gig Bag included in USA

 

G&L ASAT Classic Lefty Guitar

G&L ASAT Classic Left Handed Guitar Lefty

Mensinger : Left Handed Guitars Part2

Mensinger are a custom guitar and bass company based in Poland who produce some absolutely stunning handcrafted instruments.  Every guitar they produce is available left handed and each one is fully customizable within reason at a price that will blow you away…

If you already missed it, go and check out the Left Handed Mensinger Guitars Part 1 article to see some of the more traditional models.  This article will take a look at some of the more crazy designs to emerge from the Mensinger workshop.  Ever fancied a guitar which is also a bass?  Or perhaps a model which satisfies both your 6 and 7-string needs?  Mensinger probably have you covered… ;)

Again, the Mensinger website is only available in Polish so I have tried my best to translate a few basic details about each guitar.  To learn more I would recommend contacting Adrian at Public Peace (link below) for a speedy reply.

Mensinger Beast Left Handed Guitar

Mensinger Beast Left Handed Guitar Lefty

The Beast is one of the latest models from Mensinger which offers the combination of both guitar and bass to unlock a variety of different sonic possibilities.  The instrument is constructed in such a way that the guitar and bass have independent electronic circuits and input jacks which gives the possibility of separating the signals into two different amps.

Mensinger Columbia Lefty Guitar

Mensinger Columbia Left Handed Guitar Lefty

Fret King Left Handed Guitars

Find out which Fret King left handed guitars are currently available. Check this brand out if you’re after a retro-styled mid-range guitar.

Larrivée : Left Handed Guitars

Larrivee Guitars offer their ENTIRE product range left handed at no additional cost – take your pick!