Hello all.

Just a quick question.
Is the "Grand Stick" available in a left handed version?
If it is not, then this will, in all probability, be my fist and last post.

I do hope it is made for us left handers, as it is the most beautiful instrument I think I have ever heard and I want one.

Thanks,
Chris.

P.S. I have tried e-mailing the company, but have not had a response.

i do not own a stick, please excuse me if this is information is incorrect.

i do not think you will have an advantage with a ''lefty'' stick. you will use and need both hands to play, just like on a piano. reversing the stick (headstock on the right instead of the left) does not make it easier or harder, for the playing method stays the same. you can flip the bass and melody strings, if this gives you an advantage.

Thanks for the reply.

Without being able to try one it is very difficult to "get a feel" for it.

Being left handed I would need the headstock on my right shoulder and the bass strings on the left of the neck, and the melody strings on the right. Would not just swapping the strings around cause problems with intonation and also be problematic regarding the pickup, as this is off-set with regard to the controls?

Chris.

Hi Chris,

Since the beginning, Emmett has made left-handed Sticks, set up for having the instrument over the right shoulder. This is a good answer for someone who is a left-handed guitarist or bassist, who is used to having their instrument in that position.

It's not a great answer if you are left-handed and are not used to playing a stringed instrument in that position. Lefties (like me) who come from a different background, find themselves very comfortable with the instrument in the "normal" orientation, which corresponds nicely to the left hand=low / right hand=high orientation of keyboards and other broad-ranged instruments (marimba, hammer dulcimer, etc)

Andre Mueller uses a different tuning, but wears his like that:

http://www.stick.com/artists/playersgallery/

If you have any other question, please let me know.

Thanks for that Greg.

I am a left handed guitarist so a left handed "Stick" will be the way to go for me.
Also, thanks for the offer of future help...on that you can rely.

All the best,

Chris.

I'm also a left-handed Stick player who plays Sticks with the more common tuning and over my left shoulder. Frankly, I consider this the left-handed way! I started on Keyboard which has the left hand playing the lower notes in a more supportive role to the right hand which plays melody most of the time. When I switched to guitar in college my left hand was stronger from being left-handed and playing keyboard. So, I decided to play guitar holding the neck with my left hand and using my right for finger-picking. This also seemed like the left-handed way to me!

Since you play guitar with the right hand holding the neck you would probably find the Stick more natural over your right shoulder. There is one disadvantage with this that I can think of. When you meet other Stick players you can't try out their Sticks. This was how I got to play a 12-string the first time and then order one since it was so great.

I'm still a newbie at the 2 year point and have found this forum to be the most friendly and informative on the net. Please feel free to ask lots of questions. We like that!

-Eric

You are all Gentlemen; thank you very much for your help so far.

Chris.

Add me to the list of left-handers who play the Stick in the standard configuration.

Jim

I wish I could desert to the "Dark Side" and play right handed; but after playing guitar as a lefty for the past 35 years there is no hope for me.

P.S. I have just received this reply from Stick Enterprises Inc with regard to my enquiry about the availability of left handed models:

"Hello Chris:

Thank you for your enquiry.

Yes, all Stick models (8, 10 and 12-string models) are available as
left handed models, and there is no extra charge for this
modification on new instruments. The NS/Stick, however, is not
available as a left handed version at this time.

If we can assist further, please call or write anytime.

Regards,

Yuta Chapman"

No extra charge!!!
If only Gibson & Fender cared that much about us poor old lefties, instead of charging us a premium for being the chosen 10%...

Another good reason to choose Chapman, isn't it?

It would be interesting to know if the "modifications" are reversible... I mean, the shape of the wood should be the same in both versions, because of its symmetry, but the pickup slot is not symmetrical... it's not a great deal, maybe if you reverse the instrument you can have some little changes in the pickup/strings positions

I don't know if the belt hook would be the same, probably not but it would be really easy to change..

All this questions can be useful in the case you buy a left-handed model and you decide that the standard version would be better, or on the contrary you want to sell it.