Top Ten Left-Handed Guitars for 2023
Published on 18 May 2023
Left-handers account for ten percent of the population, so the statistic goes. How many of them are guitar players? Enough for us to make a concerted effort to stock as many lefty guitars as possible throughout our stores, that’s how many!
Left-handed customers have always been a significant consideration to us, and so today we figured we’d take a second to round up ten of our favourite lefty guitars that are (at time of writing) available to buy. From affordable do-everything guitars to highly niche masterpieces, we’ve got something for every southpaw, so why don’t we begin sorting through this treasure trove?
Top Ten Left-Handed Guitars for 2023
Our list below is in no particular order of cost or merit: we’ve just purely gone for a good mix of the traditional and the oblique; the trusty favourites and the outside odds. Oftentimes, left-handed guitars are more difficult to source than right handed equivalents, mainly due to far less quantities being produced. Therefore, if you see something on this list that you like and click through to find that it has sold out (it can happen quickly!), then please just get in touch with us. After all, it could well be that another shipment is imminent! And if not, we have more left-handed guitars than any other retailer, so we can talk you through other possible options!
Okay, enough of that: what did we pick?
Fender American Pro II Stratocaster
Fender’s flagship ‘standard’ is the American Pro II Strat, and it’s the one most of you will have considered in the past, we expect. Why? Well, Strats are inherently versatile, plus Fender are the biggest name out there, and in a world with precious few lefty choices, this model is relatively abundant. You can even select a finish of your choice, so you’re not just stuck with black or white! (Our choice is Miami Blue!)
Seriously though, the Am Pro II Strat brings loads of playable treats like a ‘Deep C’ neck (it’s lovely), 2nd generation V-Mod pickups and a push/pull feature that brings the neck pickup into selections 1 and 2 for some very useful tones.
The foundation of any serious guitar collection is a Fender Stratocaster, and this one is a very wise choice indeed.
PRS SE Custom 24
It’s pretty much a fact now that the PRS Custom 24 is a classic, and even more so in its more affordable SE form. Really, it’s hard to knock the potent combo on offer here: set neck mahogany goodness with an attractive flame maple top, specially voiced pickups (complete with coil tap) and a wide thin neck for easy reach of all 24 frets. It’s a legitimate design that bridges the divide between Fender and Gibson whilst adding its own chemical, and at this price point, it displays good value, too.
Oh, and yes, you get the bird inlays, too. Lefties, what are you waiting for?
Suhr Classic S
An HSS equipped S-type is one of the most versatile guitar designs out there. When you match that up with the quality and finesse that comes out of John Suhr’s Californian workshop, you’re buying a serious chunk of guitar indeed! This particular Classic S model shows up with a compound radius (9-12”) fingerboard for increasingly easy wailing potential, stainless steel frets that last for a gazillion years and some fine hardware choices. Locking tuners? Check! Top quality Gotoh 510 tremolo? Yup. Pure class.
Ibanez AZES40
Following the HSS idea but going in a markedly more affordable direction, Ibanez serve beginner lefty guitarists well with the AZES40.
The Ibanez AZ range is currently very trendy, but we’ve included this guitar on the list today due to its own intrinsic merits. Ibanez have always been generous with their quality-to-price ratio, and we’re glad to see that nothing has changed here! This AZ is comfortable, solid, responsive and easy to play.
Interestingly, the very measurements of this Ibanez differ from almost all other guitars out there! It’s subtle, but the 25” scale length and 9.8” radius offer a slinkier and flatter surface to play on, making those initial fretboard forays that much easier on the hands.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson ES335
Gibson’s sister brand Epiphone have recently redesigned their entire line in order to align more closely with their American-made counterparts. That’s good news for guitarists, and especially fans of the timeless classic ‘Electric Spanish’ 335, represented here by the Inspired by Gibson ES-335.
Epiphone’s take on this blues/jazz/britpop stalwart is highly impressive, and that includes the left-handed version for sure. It’s visually closer to the Gibson model than previous iterations, and the special Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers mean that the sound is nearer, too. Looking for a versatile, affordable guitar with some timeless class? We’d say you’ve found it!
Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard
Talking of Gibson, there are some extremely tasty lefties available from them right now, too! Our choice has to be the southpaw version of Slash’s Les Paul, complete and correct in its iconic Appetite Burst finish. Slash himself may not be left-handed but why should that stop GnR fans who play upside down from joining in the fun?
The Slash Les Paul is just a really nice example of the style: you get a AAA maple top, custom wound Burst Bucker pickups and some cool little Slash details like artwork on the back of the headstock. The artist associations are very subtle though: Gibbo fanatics won’t necessarily have to worship at the font of Slash in order to get on with this class act.
Ormsby Hype 6
And now for something completely different! Ormsby are a thoroughly modern brand whose main markets are the djent, tech metal and modern prog genres. Somewhat cheekily based on a niche modern classic guitar (the ‘Hype’ refers to the buzz that surrounds blackmachine guitars), Ormsby’s Hype 6 is a dazzling proposition of its own.
We’re talking multiscale, stainless steel frets, cutting edge design and crazy-cool finishes (the one you see here is Dragon Burst, obviously) here, and the accumulative effect makes this beast really stand out. This is a pretty serious precision instrument, for those who like to get right into the minutiae about pitch and intonation, not to mention fearsomely brutal sounds! Fortune favours the bold!
Gretsch G6136TG-LH White Falcon
Bold in a completely different way to the Ormsby is the mighty White Falcon from Gretsch. This guitar has stage presence for days, and the design works beautifully in reverse, so lefties can be fully appreciated when wearing this round their necks.
Nothing quite sounds like a Gretsch, and nothing quite looks like a White Falcon. You’re in legend territory here, so act accordingly!
Fender Custom Shop 68 Tele Thinline
We’re back in Fender land here, but this time we’ve decided to go for the ‘champagne’ option with a Custom Shop guitar. There’s something pretty defining about owning a Fender Custom Shop guitar. It’s a real moment in a guitar player’s life, and it’s one worth fully taking advantage of if you find yourself in such a position.
There are lots of wonderful options you can have when considering a Custom Shop guitar but, with waiting times now stretched out easily into the years (instead of mere months), it’s often an idea to select something that already exists. This is such a guitar and it is a beaut! The Fender Custom Shop 68 Tele Thinline sounds historically accurate thanks to a pair of hand wound ‘67 Tele single coils, but feels a little more ‘today’ due to a fingerboard with a compound radius of 7.25”-9.5”. A good idea, we think! We love the oval C neck and extra chime value brought by the f-holed semi hollow body. It’s a real winner.
Schecter Keith Merrow KM-7 MKIII LH
Lastly, we’ve opted for this particularly badass 7 string from Schecter. Youtube metalhead Keith Merrow knows his way around a ferocious tone, and this signature model helps deliver such tones with style and ease.
The KM-7 MKIII’s dark good looks come courtesy of a slice of burl on top of a swamp ash body, with a dark strip of ebony for the fingerboard. It has an extended scale (26.5”) with a compound radius fingerboard and top hardware. Central to the theme is a pair of cutting edge Fishman Fluence pickups, which offer switchable tonal options for added versatility.
If you are a technical player who wants a solid and yet inspiring instrument for travelling the darker musical paths, then this one is for you!
Just the Tip of the Left-handed Iceberg
Today’s selection was put together to offer a dynamic cross section of what’s available to our left-handed customers. Gone are the days of three dusty strats in a corner, with a choice of one finish! A better selection not only makes the choosing of a new guitar more fun, it makes the odds of you finding your next great instrument that much higher. That’s why we stock so many lefty guitars, because really, that’s what it’s all about.
Click to View our Selection of Left Handed Guitars
