Desopolis Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Being a left handed player has tought me that when you show up to a party, you wont allways pick up guitar made for you, so you had better learn that A chord upside down.. Most right handed players argue with me, but there is a deffinate difference in between the feal of the two (right and left) almost like a slope in the fretboard. Now for a while I thought it was just the fact that the strings were in a different order, and instead of Increasing in size from bottom to top, it decreases.. giving a sloped feal.. BUT recently looking over the millions of parts out there, I saw a company selling "lefty" fretboards.. I havent seen anyone say anything about a difference when cutting, or in cutting weird angles in the back of the neck. is there a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 CAN somebody come up with a scheme to have a lefty board? Probably. Do they? No. A fretboard should be entirely symmetrical according to common convention. I've never seen or even heard of a lefty board. There's always room in this world to dream, and maybe someone has dreamed one up, but the basic answer to your question without getting into the hypothetical: there is no difference. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 There's always room in this world to dream, and maybe someone has dreamed one up, but the basic answer to your question without getting into the hypothetical: there is no difference. Maybe they dreamed of having the side dots on the correct side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 What a silly oversight on my part-- of course the inlays (non-dot, mind you. ) would be left- or right- oriented. (ie. Sharktooth inlay) The actual fretboard isn't shaped or sloped differently for righties or lefties, though. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I didnt even think of the side markers.. good call.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 A lefty neck could feel different from a righty neck, if the neck itself is asymmetrical.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 But it's the fretboard being discussed, not the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I'm quite aware of that, but as previously noted there should be no difference in a left/right fretboard when it comes to feel. There could, however, be a difference in the neck itself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 what would that be? like a difference in the shape compared to a standard curve or v? is it like that in right handed ones? not in the ones im used to.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 what would that be? like a difference in the shape compared to a standard curve or v? is it like that in right handed ones? not in the ones im used to.. Check out the asymmetric back shapes here. I wouldn't want to play a right-handed SRV carve left-handed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 what about those 'multi radius' boards they sell ? are those done ,say like an upright bass, with different levels on the treble and bass side? ive never seen one, only by legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 The "multi-radius" fingerboards (aka compound radius) have a different radius on the first fret compared to the last fret. Think of it as being "cone shaped"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Compound radius boards are symmetrical across the centerline, change as you go up. Just like every other bog-standard-ish fingerboard in production, only exceptions I've seen are things like crazy patented 'twisted neck' setups and the like. Some classical boards (and steel string, and electric) boards also have more or less relief planed into them on the bass side than the treble side, but this is something I've only seen confined to handbuilt instruments, no factory or even custom shop stuff I've ever seen. Guitar strings may also pull more relief into one side of a neck than the other (go look at a few of your guitars, f'r instance, might find one or two), and that's also not necessarily a problem. But basically, no, no difference between a lefty and a righty neck in terms of fingerboard geometry. Backs of necks, well, that's a different story, although there are very few production instruments with asymmetrical neck carves. There are a handful, but not many. I do one on all of mine, though, so you can't just re-string it, play it upside-down and expect it to sound decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I do one on all of mine, though, so you can't just re-string it, play it upside-down and expect it to sound decent. Do you mean 'play' or 'feel', or do you think the asymetric carve actually effects the sound of the respective strings enough that reversing them would sound bad (assuming for the sake of arguement that you could properly intonate the bridge and adjust the action and pickup height etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I do one on all of mine, though, so you can't just re-string it, play it upside-down and expect it to sound decent. Do you mean 'play' or 'feel', or do you think the asymetric carve actually effects the sound of the respective strings enough that reversing them would sound bad (assuming for the sake of arguement that you could properly intonate the bridge and adjust the action and pickup height etc)? Uh, feel. Not sound. Sorry 'bout that. note to self: proofread your posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted August 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Well you can definatly feel a difference. especially in older guitars that have had a few more hours on them. personally, I wouldnt want to just flip the strings, it steal feels off.. go to a store and grab the only lefty they have, (either a fender, squire, or ibanez) and flip it. youll see what im talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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