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lefty guitars

The Lefty Era

February 16, 2009

Well, so much for starting out the new year by keeping my resolution to writing a weekly blog. The Winter of ’09 has been real, to say the least.

In the meantime, we’ve bid good riddance(I hope!) to the nightmare that was Bushco. No matter what your political leanings, our new Commander in Chief could very well be the champion for the cause of lefties everywhere!

Did you happen to see it? When President Obama signed his very first piece of legislation on national TV, he signed it with his LEFT hand while remarking, “I’m a lefty, get used it.”

KA-CHING! Talk about resonating with me. “Why am I not surprised?” was my first impression considering the intelligence, ability, eloquence, and leadership that Obama exudes. Humility is obviously not a defining trait of lefties when discussing other great lefties.

It struck a barre chord even more deeply for me as this event happened right at the time I was(and still am) immersed in daily readings of the bible for lefty guitarists ‘Uncommon Sound’ by John Engel. Each day, after reading about more guitarists that were actually true lefties but either played straight righty or ‘upside down’ I was seeing a pattern forming that was built on the pioneers and true prodigies of guitar. Pioneers like Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney. Prodigies like Danny Gatton and Michael Angelo Batio.

It makes for an impassioned drunken argument that the greatest percentage of either the most capable or the most creative and daring(or both) guitarists for all time are naturally left handed. I know it’s a bold statement but it’s enlightening indeed to read Engel’s magnum opus and discover for yourself the similar backgrounds, thought processes, and tales of overcoming adversity in a right handed world that these players share. I’ll be reviewing ‘Uncommon Sound’ at length in the days to come.

New at Pancho’s

I’ve created a new feature called ‘Pancho’s Gear Porn’. This section is devoted to hot new axes arriving soon that have eye candy status. I will showcase guitars of special interest for lefty shoppers as well as museum grade pieces that won’t necessarily be for sale at the time.

Pancho’s is working to become a retailer for new handmade acoustics and custom order electrics from several different builders. Watch for the announcement of these retail agreements and be prepared to get GAS all over again.

Pancho’s is producing an instructional video that will show the viewer how to take a blank Tele body and neck and outfit it themselves with personally chosen pickups, pots and wiring, truss rod, tuners, and finishing. Soon come.

Thanks very much to everyone that has purchased a guitar from Pancho’s these past few months. I’m really happy that you all love them. Thank you also for the kind words of praise for the website and enthusiastic support. I’ve promised a lot so that means I’d better get crackin’!

The situation for left handed string players is getting better every day and I’m very happy to be a part of it. Pancho’s Leftys is here for the long haul. I appreciate your patience as it goes through its growing pains.

Peace.
Phil

First Rant - A Time For Lefty Change

January 19, 2009

PANCHO’S RANT (per the poisonous pen of Pancho the Polish plectrum player)

I’d like to inaugurate this new blog at Pancho’s Leftys by extending a warm welcome to everyone stopping by and checking out a new web home for lefty guitar fans. This website began as a simple photo gallery for my personal left handed guitar collection. It quickly morphed into a small enterprise as I began to sell a few after receiving unsolicited offers. Being a typically frustrated lefty guitar buyer over the years, it was all too obvious that there is a definite need for another source for buying lefty guitars, whether online or in an actual shop.

My decision to expand the commercial aspect of Pancho’s Leftys was not based solely on the desire to have a home based online business however. Building community is and has been a focal point for me to value and develop within the context of my working life and I saw no reason to change that behavior with the start up of something more than just a photo gallery. For instance, I’ve made numerous friends and amassed invaluable connections by buying and selling at ebay and elsewhere that today act as a solid cornerstone for me to build a larger community foundation on.

Lefties have a lot in common and not necessarily just the side they choose to sling from. There is a perspective we tend to share and point of view we see things from. There is also the common desire to buy specialized gear from someone that treats that desire as a mainstay of business and not a mere afterthought. No token lefties for sale here!

The decision to go from an HTML site to a more dynamic blog format was based on a commitment on my part to be as current and as interesting as possible with my limited web design skills. Here in January 2009 I have dedicated my energies to bring fresh content at least weekly to start. I’m not going the route of having diverse forums as is common for many dedicated sites. Think of it perhaps as more of an entertaining, educational, and commercial site that you’ll be able to interact with in certain areas in real time. For 2009 look here for many more lefty guitars for sale, interviews with industry insiders and luthiers, plenty of gear porn, gear and book reviews, and hopefully video presentations of home built guitar assembly.

Amplifiers will not be left out of the picture either. D’ya hear that righties? I really do hope that I can make Pancho’s Leftys be as bookmarkable for righties too. There may be a ‘slight’ bias toward us southpaws but you lefty challenged fold will just have to make do!

I’ve rambled enough for this week. Time to put my nose to the grindstone and make this happen. Please bear with me as I finish with guitar descriptions and photographing more guitar pix for the gallery. Check here at Pancho’s Rants for weekly columns that I hope you find worthwhile. I’ll try to only make promises that I can keep . . . and that’s a promise. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2009.

Peace, Praise, and Thanks

Phil (aka Pancho)

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