if you're left handed, how do you interact with your pedalboard?

Jumbotron · #1 10-06-2008, 01:31 PM

This is really an idle question, since I'm a righty. But it occurred to me, thinking of my lefty brethren, that, hey, pedals are almost always wired right to left. So if you set up a pedalboard, the most natural signal path goes right to left as well. Which means that if you're a lefty, the output jack of your bass points in totally the wrong direction.

I bet that's annoying. How do you deal with it? Do you have your input cable do a weird S in front of the board? Or do you wrap it around the back? Is there anything I can do, as a righty, to make your life better?

stflbn · #2 10-06-2008, 01:37 PM

I don't see any meaningful difference.

WyrdoBass · #3 10-06-2008, 01:39 PM

I'm a righty and I set up pedals left to right... no prob.

dakpluto · #4 10-06-2008, 01:43 PM

You wanna make my left life better? Tell them to make a freaking decent high end ergonomic mouse for my computer that is lefty!!

crimson_basser · #5 10-06-2008, 01:54 PM

hahaha! i honestly never would have even thought of this...

And i have a left handed guitarist in my band, and ive never noticed or asked him about it before...

but you could easily set it up left to right, youll just need some longer patch cables.

Gashaponcito · #6 10-06-2008, 01:55 PM

ahm I'm left handed but I'm so cool that I even play bass righty =D

andvari7 · #7 10-06-2008, 01:57 PM

There is a workaround to this: a wireless unit.

Swift713 · #8 10-06-2008, 02:06 PM

As inconvenient right handed designs go...that's not one of them. I'm much more annoyed by dust shoots on power tools that shoot dust at me rather than off to the side. Of course, I play right handed otherwise I'd be griping about how there are still far fewer left handed instruments available. Your average guitar shop will have between 0 and 1 and it will most likely be a guitar and not a bass.

Lefty Geek · #9 10-06-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumbotron

I bet that's annoying.

It is very annoying!!!!!!!

I once tried to rewire all my pedals to be lefty, but some models couldn't be switched. You basically have the cable coming out of your bass crossing right in front of you in order to enter the right-most input.

dakpluto · #10 10-06-2008, 04:48 PM

I'm a lefty that plays bass right also. I for one have never understood why right handed play the way the do. Personally I want my dominant hand fretting, not picking.

Of course it could be that lefties are, on average, more intelligent than right handed people.

They needed us to show them the correct way.

Gashaponcito · #11 10-06-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakpluto

I'm a lefty that plays bass right also. I for one have never understood why right handed play the way the do. Personally I want my dominant hand fretting, not picking.

Of course it could be that lefties are, on average, more intelligent than right handed people.

They needed us to show them the correct way.

+1000

baalroo · #12 10-06-2008, 05:24 PM

My cable does an "S" in front of the pedal board.

crapusername · #13 10-06-2008, 05:28 PM

i have always played righty despite being a lefty.
i totally agree about the whole dominant hand thing. it's a definite advantage.

JanusZarate · #14 10-06-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gashaponcito

ahm I'm left handed but I'm so cool that I even play bass righty =D

I propose that your union joins mine. We outnumber you 167 to 1. And yes, we welcome weirdos like you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by andvari7

There is a workaround to this: a wireless unit.

+1 - it's what I do.

I do agree the industry-standard input/output direction can be annoying for us lefties. I once used the "patch bay box" approach, and later, I instead used longer cables and wrapped them around my board so I wouldn't trip over them.

But because I move around, a wireless unit is the perfect solution.

Sean S · #15 10-06-2008, 07:37 PM

I don't know why, but it annoys me that pedal inputs are on the right; outputs, left. I always picture it the other way around :S

Oreomeister365 · #16 10-06-2008, 07:53 PM

it's a nuisance, I'm stepping on the cables all the time, generally I have a fairly long cable so it goes behind me.

Gashaponcito · #17 10-06-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

I propose that your union joins mine. We outnumber you 167 to 1. And yes, we welcome weirdos like you.

ahm... its a one man union actually, but since you are such a friendly ghost I think I'll join yours xD

JanusZarate · #18 10-06-2008, 09:10 PM

Like I said, 167 to 1.

You can be #168, though.

Gashaponcito · #19 10-06-2008, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

Like I said, 167 to 1.

You can be #168, though.

Count me in but since I'm a freak I would like to be the 168.5 =D by the way check my other thread about the BBM vs LBM

Baker69 · #20 10-07-2008, 03:53 AM

Similarly the input sockets on amplifiers are always on the left hand side, which if you are right handed is fine as the lead to your bass always falls or lies to the correct side of you when you are playing.

If you are left handed however the lead always gets in the way and I always end up treading all over mine. The only way round this is to route the cable across the amp and feed it say through the handle or something so it is on the "correct" side for Left Hand usage!