Lefty Dealers

[reynoldbot]

Hi I'm new here, so I don't know if this topic has been brought up, but:

What are some reputable lefty bass dealers out there in the world? I know of southpaw guitars in Houston (all of my basses came from there). I figured this thread could be a handy tool for those searching for their next bass.

[danomite64]

I'd teach myself to play right-handed before dealing with southpaw.....

[AustinLeftyBass]

I've bought two basses and one guitar from Southpaw, no problems.

[reynoldbot]

Yeah I've never had any problems with southpaw (granted, I bought all of my instruments there in person, so I don't know what it's like to have one shipped). Over email they have always been quick and courteous.

guitarshogun.com sells some lefty basses, mostly in the fender category.

[AustinLeftyBass]

Yeah I've never had any problems with southpaw (granted, I bought all of my instruments there in person, so I don't know what it's like to have one shipped). Over email they have always been quick and courteous.

My first from them I bought at their booth at a guitar show here in 1991('80 Ric 4003FG for $800), the second at their shop in Bellaire in 92(brand new Ric 4001CS for $1000), and the third by phone in '03(brand new Ric 340FG for $1200).

[bhunt1]

Drum City Guitarland in Colorado - I have bought from them and they were good. The are a dealer for Musicman, Modulus, Schecter, and others. Decent selection of lefty basses. Their site:

http://www.drumcityguitarland.com/drumc ... index.aspx

[pjmuck]

adirondackguitar.com has the best in-stock lefty collection I've seen to date. basscentral.com also specializes in Musicman basses and has several lefties in stock.

[Agent00Soul]

I got my first ever electric guitar from Southpaw as a gift - a 1968 sparkle green Jazzmaster - in 1983!!! I was 15 years old!!

(sorry for the non bass pic, but it's relevant to the thread)

[reynoldbot]

whew! that's one purty geetar! I'll be heading back to Houston for x-mas to see my folks, and I'm gonna make sure to go down to southpaw and check out what they've got.

[rcubed]

adirondackguitar.com has the best in-stock lefty collection I've seen to date. basscentral.com also specializes in Musicman basses and has several lefties in stock.

I bought an ABG from adirondack and would recommend them as well.

[leftybassatl]

I WOULD AVOID BASS CENTRAL AT ALL COSTS. I have a story on them that would enrage you at best- not sure if this is the forum for the story or not....

Besides, they seldom have anything that you can't find elsewhere even cheaper. They used to have some used lefties in stock now and again, but they don't even have that with any regularity anymore....

[pjmuck]

Well, even though I did mention Bass Central as an option, I have to concur I had a similar unpleasant experience with them. I ordered my lefty Bongo from them and they basically told me I'd have it within 3 weeks. Well 3 weeks turned into 5 months!

[reynoldbot]

I WOULD AVOID BASS CENTRAL AT ALL COSTS. I have a story on them that would enrage you at best- not sure if this is the forum for the story or not....

Besides, they seldom have anything that you can't find elsewhere even cheaper. They used to have some used lefties in stock now and again, but they don't even have that with any regularity anymore....

Spill it! This thread is about lefty dealers, so if you have a testimonial concerning a dealer then posting it would be prudent.

[Matt R.]

I WOULD AVOID BASS CENTRAL AT ALL COSTS. I have a story on them that would enrage you at best- not sure if this is the forum for the story or not....

Besides, they seldom have anything that you can't find elsewhere even cheaper. They used to have some used lefties in stock now and again, but they don't even have that with any regularity anymore....

Spill it! This thread is about lefty dealers, so if you have a testimonial concerning a dealer then posting it would be prudent.

I agree. I have had good experiences with them, but if there's shady shit going on, it'd be cool to know

[andrew]

I WOULD AVOID BASS CENTRAL AT ALL COSTS. I have a story on them that would enrage you at best- not sure if this is the forum for the story or not....

Besides, they seldom have anything that you can't find elsewhere even cheaper. They used to have some used lefties in stock now and again, but they don't even have that with any regularity anymore....

Spill it! This thread is about lefty dealers, so if you have a testimonial concerning a dealer then posting it would be prudent.

I agree. I have had good experiences with them, but if there's shady shit going on, it'd be cool to know

Yes, I think as long as everyone stays objective, it would be good to hear both good and bad reviews of dealers.

[AzWhoFan]

Maybe we should have a sticky post somewhere listing lefty dealers?

[leftybassatl]

I once posted this story on Talkbass, but a quick search revealed nothing, so I'll do my best to restate here. I think you lefties will appreciate this story more than the righties over at TB!

A few years back, maybe 2003, I was on the hunt for my first EUB- really I wanted something small that gave me an upright sound (aren't we all?). I had read good things about the NS Designs EUB, and Les Claypool played one , so I started the painful search process we all must endure when we want something other than a black MIM Fender! I had called Bass Central and Bass NW, b/c I was most familiar with their websites, so I thought I'd give a shout.

Both confirmed that there was ONE, yes, ONE lonely lefty NSD bass at the factory in Maine(?). SCORE! Now I just needed to get the price...if I'm getting literally the exact same bass, just through different dealers, I'd naturally go with the cheapest dealer, right?

Called Bass NW first to get the price, then BC, and Bass NW undercut Bass Central by about $100. SCORE ANOTHER ONE FOR ME! I'm getting excited. I called Bass NW back to place the order, and they called back an hour later saying that another dealer had bought the bass from NSD. If I still wanted the bass, they'd honor the price they quoted, but I'd have to wait months for my bass to be built.

Soooo, I call NSD. Turns out, the dealer who bought the bass was none other than Bass Central! SHOCKER.

I called BC, and they told me that, and I quote, "if I wanted the bass, I'd have to buy it from them". They were literally holding my bass for hostage! BC told me that they had a lock tight return policy, and that I had nothing to lose- if I don't like the bass, they'll take it back, no questions asked. Desperate, as we lefties usually are, I pulled the trigger.

5 days later, and $100 over priced, the bass arrived from the NSD factory in Maine. I played it for 2 days, then decided that it sounded too 'fretless' and not enough 'upright', so I called BC to return within the 3 day window they specified for returns.

BC said that I was causing them an inordinate amount of trouble, and that they usually don't take returns on special orders .Remember, they ordered the bass before they had the order from me, so I'm not sure what was even 'special' about this order. Additionally, they used their return policy as part of the justification for my paying them $100 more than Bass NW was charging. Unbelievable! THEN, they tried to tell me they usually charge a restocking fee, especially on "special order", but they would "let me slide" this time.

Furious, belittled, broke, and still upright bassless, I returned the NSD bass. 10-12 days later, I got a credit back to my card. Unbelievable, yet again- being greedy assholes wasn't enough, they had to also hold my money for hostage (AFTER holding my bass for hostage) so I couldn't get anything else in the meantime!

Needless to say, they (Bass Central) no longer get my biz, which is okay because they don't really have anything I can't get elsewhere (cheaper).

On the other hand, Bass NW has gotten my business several times since then. I also have ordered from Drum City Guitar Land and been thrilled with them. I now use my local store (Atlanta Bass Gallery) for special orders.

[AzWhoFan]

I once posted this story on Talkbass, but a quick search revealed nothing, so I'll do my best to restate here. I think you lefties will appreciate this story more than the righties over at TB!

A few years back, maybe 2003, I was on the hunt for my first EUB- really I wanted something small that gave me an upright sound (aren't we all?). I had read good things about the NS Designs EUB, and Les Claypool played one , so I started the painful search process we all must endure when we want something other than a black MIM Fender! I had called Bass Central and Bass NW, b/c I was most familiar with their websites, so I thought I'd give a shout.

Both confirmed that there was ONE, yes, ONE lonely lefty NSD bass at the factory in Maine(?). SCORE! Now I just needed to get the price...if I'm getting literally the exact same bass, just through different dealers, I'd naturally go with the cheapest dealer, right?

Called Bass NW first to get the price, then BC, and Bass NW undercut Bass Central by about $100. SCORE ANOTHER ONE FOR ME! I'm getting excited. I called Bass NW back to place the order, and they called back an hour later saying that another dealer had bought the bass from NSD. If I still wanted the bass, they'd honor the price they quoted, but I'd have to wait months for my bass to be built.

Soooo, I call NSD. Turns out, the dealer who bought the bass was none other than Bass Central! SHOCKER.

I called BC, and they told me that, and I quote, "if I wanted the bass, I'd have to buy it from them". They were literally holding my bass for hostage! BC told me that they had a lock tight return policy, and that I had nothing to lose- if I don't like the bass, they'll take it back, no questions asked. Desperate, as we lefties usually are, I pulled the trigger.

5 days later, and $100 over priced, the bass arrived from the NSD factory in Maine. I played it for 2 days, then decided that it sounded too 'fretless' and not enough 'upright', so I called BC to return within the 3 day window they specified for returns.

BC said that I was causing them an inordinate amount of trouble, and that they usually don't take returns on special orders .Remember, they ordered the bass before they had the order from me, so I'm not sure what was even 'special' about this order. Additionally, they used their return policy as part of the justification for my paying them $100 more than Bass NW was charging. Unbelievable! THEN, they tried to tell me they usually charge a restocking fee, especially on "special order", but they would "let me slide" this time.

Furious, belittled, broke, and still upright bassless, I returned the NSD bass. 10-12 days later, I got a credit back to my card. Unbelievable, yet again- being greedy assholes wasn't enough, they had to also hold my money for hostage (AFTER holding my bass for hostage) so I couldn't get anything else in the meantime!

Needless to say, they (Bass Central) no longer get my biz, which is okay because they don't really have anything I can't get elsewhere (cheaper).

On the other hand, Bass NW has gotten my business several times since then. I also have ordered from Drum City Guitar Land and been thrilled with them. I now use my local store (Atlanta Bass Gallery) for special orders.

ah yes, I remember this story from TB!

I wouldn't get overly upset over the amount of time your refund took to show up. Even large retailers - like Dillard's, Nordstrom et. al. - take a few days for returns to get processed. Refunds are usually batch processed, unlike a sale which is real-time processed. Part of the reason for that is your original transaction has to pass thru the bank and then the clearinghouse on the way to the retailer before they actually get their money ( even tho the bank scarfs it up right away). That usually only takes one business day now, but as little as two years ago it could take up to 5 business days for a merchant to get their $$$. So not-so-obviously a merchant won't issue a refund for your money until they have received it and run it through the accounting system. And when they do return it, as I said above, it's usually done via some kind of overnight batch-processing job, which then again has to go thru the clearinghouse before it gets to your bank. Retailers have gotten better at streamlining the batch-process part of things as mainframe technology has caught up to the demands of a modern world, but it still takes time to process all those requests. Batch jobs fail (you should see how many fail on a regular basis at my workplace!) all the time, causing delays in processing, leading to delays in us peeps getting our $$$ back in a timely manner.

Thanks for letting me rant on about the joys of mainframe processing!!

And while your at it, remind me not to do my shopping at B.C.

[reynoldbot]

That sounds pretty frustrating. The timing of their order of that bass is definitely suspicious, but sometimes that's just the way competition works. It was definitely a crafty move on their part. They knew there was only one left, they knew you were serious about buying it, and they probably knew that you would try to shop around for the best price, so they bought it up before they could get undercut. Risky and definitely a bit sleazy, but not too bad.

But promising you a no-questions-asked return on the bass and then laying on the guilt trip when you actually try to return it, now that's low. I'm glad you were able to get a full refund out of them with no restocking fees or anything. I'll definitely keep your testimonial in mind when shopping for my next bass. Thanks!

[leftybassman392]

Excuse me, but surely we have an excellent dealer right here on this very forum - makes them all himself too.... I have one already, and am soon to have another. I'd rate them as highly as anything I've ever seen in anything like their price bracket.

p.s. Rodent, please just send the money to the usual address...

Seriously though, surely Rodent's products deserve a plug in this thread? Or am I out of line?