What’s wrong with this picture?  Something’s off.

Oh wait, it’s backwards. It’s for the lefties.

You’re looking at the Classic.  It’s one of quite a few models available from Gaskell Guitars, an Australian company that only make left-handed guitars.  That’s right (ha!), only guitars for the sinister guitarists.  All of us norms can take a hike.

And quite right too.  For far too often lefties have been forgotten about by major manufacturers.  Many guitar makers either don’t make left-handed models or add an additional charge for them.  They’re penalising people for being left-handed.  Next they’ll be decrying them as witches and burning them at stakes carved only right-handed.  It’s possible I’m taking that a bit far but Kevin Gaskell, founder and leftie, felt strongly enough about the southpaw issue to actually begin producing his own left-handed guitars.

Many of Gaskell guitars will seem familiar to you.  Kevin readily admits that some Gaskell models are inspired by other, existing designs but insists that they are not ‘clones’ of other guitars.  He says that they have been redesigned in Australia from a fresh perspective and have subtle or obvious variations from any they may look similar to.

The Classic for instance, may resemble a Gibson Explorer, but its design has been modified to give a smaller body with an altered centre of gravity to improve comfort.  Gaskell also point out that you can’t actually buy a new, left-handed, Explorer, even from the Custom Shop. The Classic has a glue-in neck, a single master volume and two tone controls and is powered by Wilkinson’s high-gain, ceramic pickups which should provide for a strong, modern sound.

But it’s not just metal-mayhem that Gaskell cater for (although pointy things abound).  You can also have a superstrat, a semi-acoustic, a number of basses, as well as other instruments that ‘are inspired by’ things you may be familiar with.

Their guitars are made, mostly, in China and receive some additional work on arrival in the US or Australia before being shipped.  Currently Gaskell operate three production runs per year which may potentially delay an order (depending on whether you’re ordering direct or getting through a distributor).

Gaskell have distribution in Australia, US and Europe.

See the range and get more info at the Gaskell site.  If you’re a southpaw looking for something that’s been hard to find, it may be worth a visit.