Jehle Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Even though I am left handed, I play right handed. I build right handed guitars. I was trying to explain to someone how a volume knob worked the other day and it occured to me that I didn't know which way you turn a volume or tone knob on a lefty guitar. On a righty, turning the pots all the way clockwise is all the way on. Turning them all the way counter-clockwise is all the way off. Is it the same way on a lefty guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I think lefty pots are traditionally wired backwards, but I can't say that with absolute certainty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I think lefty pots are traditionally wired backwards, but I can't say that with absolute certainty. I thought that at first too, but what about the plastic knobs on top? Wouldn't they need lefty numbers going around them too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Very valid point; I can't say I've ever seen a lefty knob. Although I did see someone trying to sell lefty pots the other day, that was good for a laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoughtless 7 Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Very valid point; I can't say I've ever seen a lefty knob. Although I did see someone trying to sell lefty pots the other day, that was good for a laugh. XD! I'm actually laughing at the lefty pots thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 So the jury is still out on this then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Turning a control clockwise to increase whatever being controlled is a convention that doesn't depend on the "handedness" of a person. If it wasn't, we'd have to have left handed amps as well!! You can get pots with a reverse audio taper... but it wouldn't be correct to call these "lefty". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I don't know, considering the way most people do volume swells, it seems like turning a volume clockwise on a lefty would be a real inconvenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Turning a control clockwise to increase whatever being controlled is a convention that doesn't depend on the "handedness" of a person. If it wasn't, we'd have to have left handed amps as well!! You can get pots with a reverse audio taper... but it wouldn't be correct to call these "lefty". All the more reason I wonder why left handed guitars were ever made in the first place. I'm not aware of any other instrument that is right or left handed. A left handed piano would be cool though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Well, I got half my answer. For most lefty guitars, the volume and tone pots are anti-clockwise for full on. Not what I expected. Now I'm trying to figure out if there are left handed knobs to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Albert King and Hendrix never had a problem turning a right handed guitar upside down. When you walk into your "home" and it is dark... which way do you flip the light switch to turn on the light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Unless lefty guitars are wired with expensive, hard to find reverse-taper pots, it's going to be a lot more inconvenient doing volume swells counterclockwise, since over 50% of the volume change is going to be in the bottom 10% of the pot's rotation. Frankly, since ovens, radios, heaters, dimmers and most other items in daily use all feature knobs that increase in a clockwise direction, it would seem completely counterintuitive to have guitar knobs become the exception to the rule, southpaw or not. But that's just me - does the reverse-body/headstock Fender Hendrix Strat have back'ards knobs on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Albert King and Hendrix never had a problem turning a right handed guitar upside down. When you walk into your "home" and it is dark... which way do you flip the light switch to turn on the light? It depends on if your home is in the States or Europe. Up is on in the States. Down is on "over there". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 So if Doyle Bramhall II had backwards knobs on his lefty-strung-righty-played-lefty Strat, would the universe implode? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 We should give the poor lefties their lefty pots and knobs. You know, they already have to deal with the shorter life expectancy of a lefty living in a righty's world. Don't we owe them at least this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 I can't believe that no lefty guitar players have chimed in to say how it really is, or at least how their guitars are set up. I'm going to stop by a shop on the way home and look for myself. I had no clue that this was going to be such a hard to answer question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Don't we owe them at least this? Evidently not - if we did, I wouldn't have to hunt all over Christendom and beyond every time I need a reverse-log taper pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 As a south paw, I feel the pain of things that are not made for me all the time. The strangest has to be when I'm at a restaurant and the food is presented on the plate right handed. All the food is angled the wrong way for me to poke it with the fork and slice it with the knife. I know that sounds strange, but I've heard from several other lefties in my family that the notice the same thing. By far the worst has to be the right handed scissors. Trying to work those wrong handed is just downright painful. Anyone that makes those or designs those today without a lefthanded version needs to be poked with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Dang it Jehle... I thought for sure this was going to be your results of stopping by that shop on the way home. As a south paw, I feel the pain of things that are not made for me all the time. The strangest has to be when I'm at a restaurant and the food is presented on the plate right handed. All the food is angled the wrong way for me to poke it with the fork and slice it with the knife. I know that sounds strange, but I've heard from several other lefties in my family that the notice the same thing. By far the worst has to be the right handed scissors. Trying to work those wrong handed is just downright painful. Anyone that makes those or designs those today without a lefthanded version needs to be poked with them. I'm going to call BS. I don't know what you mean by food being presented "right handed". I'm a "rightie" but even I have to turn the plate 180 degrees so that I can stick the fork in my left hand into that still mooing piece of meat to cut it with the knife in my right hand. And then I switch the fork over to my right hand to stick it into my mouth before it has a chance to move off the fork. I am thinking you have some other agenda here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrasher! Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Not sure about volume/tone controls, but I wondered about tuning pegs. I noticed you can get left/right handed tuning pegs. As my soon to be started first build is to have an upside down headstock, does it make any difference which way the peg turns??? My feeble brain cannot compute this silly conundrum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Okay... Here's the volume and tone pot answer from my chum over in England (thanks Adrian!) On a right handed guitar, turning the volume pot all the way clockwise turns it all the way up. Is it the same on a left handed guitar, or is it anti-clockwise for full on? It's usually the opposite on lefty guitars... anti-clockwise is full on. There are some exceptions, though, such as Gibson. I've been thinking of reversing the connections on my 335, but... it's a 335 :roll: I'm too scared to start pulling out pots through the f-holes and pickup cavities! cheers, Adrian What about the numbers on the knobs? Do they have left handed knobs on those guitars too or do they just put the righty knobs on the guitars? I've never seen a left handed numbered knob on a Strat or a Gibson. I just had to go and check to be sure :roll: It's the same old knobs, but they work in reverse. On a Strat, for example, I use the bridge pickup's screw as an indicator, and full volume would be "1", whereas minimum volume would be "10". I never really think of the numbers, though... it's either "full on" or "quieter" cheers, Adrian So there you have it! The answer is sometimes they are backwards, and there are no lefty numbered knobs. The tuners question is another matter at the other end of the guitar strings... I wondered about tuning pegs. I noticed you can get left/right handed tuning pegs. As my soon to be started first build is to have an upside down headstock, does it make any difference which way the peg turns??? My feeble brain cannot compute this silly conundrum In short, yes, they turn different directions. It's the same issue with the 3x3 configuration. The 3 top side turn in the opposite direction to the 3 bottom side tuners. For your upside down headstock, you want 6 of the bottom side tuners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 there has been backwards or left handed knobs made by speciality companys I would doubt that there were many though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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