why do some players play their basses upside down?

[JimmyM]

Why do they play their basses upside down? Because it's fun and looks cool:

 

[Bigbri]

I had a friend who was lefty, but played righty... ^That was pretty much his reasoning too.

I'm somewhat ambidextrous. I'm right-handed, but about the only things I do righty are playing guitar/bass and writing/drawing. I do everything else left-handed. I play hockey left-handed, I golf left-handed, I bat lefty, I even eat left-handed. I sometimes think it wouldn't take me long to learn to play bass left-handed. Like if I joined a Beatles tribute band and wanted that extra touch of authenticity. But I dunno... some of them basslines would be tough!

I have a complete mix of both. I write with my left hand and use the mouse but with the buttons for right hand. I just never bothered to keep resetting up the buttons and now it's completely natural. Trackpad on the laptop and just about everything else is righthanded. I've always been called a lefty but I couldn't play a guitar lefthanded or upside down if my life depended on it.

 

[Bigbri]

Stop the Hendrix and McCartney misinformation!
Paul and Jimi both normally played with the strings strung correctly for a lefty.
Most of us lefties who play this way have some degree of ability to play with the strings upside down, as in flipping a righty over. This is because its how we encounter most instruments. It's a nessisity thing, not a preference. Neither of them have the ability to play to the full extent this way, it's just something you have to learn being a lefty playing in true left, in a right world.

I think guitars are just about the only thing that has ever been made for lefties. I've heard that there were only 2 left handed 59 Les Pauls ever made. Talk about rare. Try playing your guitar/bass on your lap like Jeff Healy did, it's almost as hard as playing upside down.

 

[Cristofre]

I'm a right handed player, but being a practical joker, I learned years ago to play right handed instruments (guitar/bass)
upside down. Not great, but average open position guitar chords, barre chords, bass patterns,etc.

Sometimes I'll be playing with a band, and I'll flip my bass when no one is looking, we'll be playing a song, the singer will turn around and look at the band, but will get this confused look because something seems totally wrong that they can't quite put their finger on... then they will see it. So good for laughs.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

If you want an anomaly, take Andy McCluskey of OMD - he's right-handed and plays a right-handed bass strung left-handed (with the low E on the bottom). Apparently he learnt on a flipped-over left-handed bass!



One of my favourite players and a very good old friend of mine, Lee Pomeroy (It Bites, Headspace, Rick Wakeman and, er, Take That) is a leftie who plays with the strings reversed and he's amazing, even with slap - he's better at it than practically any right-handed bassist. He used to have a lot of trouble getting the basses he wanted in a left-handed model. Before Musicman ever made lefties, he bought a Musicman Sterling and got a custom shop to build him a left-handed body for it, which he then transplanted the neck and electronics onto, so he ended up with a rather funky reverse headstock leftie Sterling.

Here he is with Rick Wakeman (playing a leftie Jazz) - there's a great slap bit around 49:30:

 

[tzohn]

If you want an anomaly, take Andy McCluskey of OMD - he's right-handed and plays a right-handed bass strung left-handed (with the low E on the bottom). Apparently he learnt on a flipped-over left-handed bass!

Or he couldn't deal with the lower sounding strings being higher than high strings. I bet if there was a way, he would modify his bass so playing lower notes as moving closer to the neck pocket.

 

[swarfrat]

In the interest of fairness - after his initial protests, we had a couple days where we couldn't play drums. Jr has not said one word about his lefty setup since, and tonight I videoed us playing, me on guitar, him on drums. One thing I noticed immediately watching the video - BOTH hands are going full time, on snare and hats. Before, he would switch around more and not really play hats and snare at the same time. (He doesn't have a lot of independence yet, but dang, that's hard work, and he's not 3 yet, no lessons, just picking this stuff up out of love and immersion (and a razor sharp eye and eidetic memory).

 

[danomite64]

If you want an anomaly, take Andy McCluskey of OMD - he's right-handed and plays a right-handed bass strung left-handed (with the low E on the bottom). Apparently he learnt on a flipped-over left-handed bass!



One of my favourite players and a very good old friend of mine, Lee Pomeroy (It Bites, Headspace, Rick Wakeman and, er, Take That) is a leftie who plays with the strings reversed and he's amazing, even with slap - he's better at it than practically any right-handed bassist. He used to have a lot of trouble getting the basses he wanted in a left-handed model. Before Musicman ever made lefties, he bought a Musicman Sterling and got a custom shop to build him a left-handed body for it, which he then transplanted the neck and electronics onto, so he ended up with a rather funky reverse headstock leftie Sterling.

Here he is with Rick Wakeman (playing a leftie Jazz) - there's a great slap bit around 49:30:

Musicman made lefty Stingrays and Sabres way before there was a Sterling.

 

[Rib 13]

Not sure if this was mentioned but lefties that play right handed guitars have another advantage: they can walk in to any music store, pawn shop, etc and have a wide-variety of "hands-on" instruments to try out...southpaws that play lefty basses usually never have this option....I think I remember Jimmy Haslip saying this in an article

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

Musicman made lefty Stingrays and Sabres way before there was a Sterling.

Yes, but they didn't make a leftie Sterling until years after the rightie version came out!

 

[Bigbri]

Yes, but they didn't make a leftie Sterling until years after the rightie version came out!

Lefty 1959 LP. Lefties might be order only but they are always made.

 

[swarfrat]

Add one more to the list:

 

[BBox Bass]

If you're strange, then so am I. I'm left handed, but am right eye dominant. I golf, bat, and play guitar and bass right handed and kick with my right foot.

I am right hand person,but only in hand.I have left dominance eye(i am very good in target shooting with airgun but i suck with pistol)and i am left foot also.Strange?