Wondering which Kiesel left handed guitars and basses you can get your grubby southpaw hands on? Let’s take a look!
Kiesel is a California-based manufacturer of custom guitars and basses, with roots stretching back to 1946, making them the same age as Fender! Their unique selling point is that their factory direct business model enables them to offer boutique guitars and basses without the boutique price tag.
2021 marks the 75th anniversary of the brand – Happy Birthday!
Does Kiesel Make Left Handed Guitars?
Yes! At the time of writing, the vast majority of Kiesel guitars and basses are available to order left handed. In addition, there is no ‘lefty tax’, i.e. a left handed Kiesel will cost exactly the same as a right handed model.
The images in this guide show merely a glimpse of the number of guitars available, so make sure to check out the Kiesel website to see the entire range!
Kiesel is one of the most lefty-friendly brands around, and is widely respected amongst the southpaw musicians of the world. When people are asking online for lefty guitar recommendations it’s a fairly common sight for half of the replies to be ‘how about a Kiesel?’.
Kiesel Left Handed Guitars & Basses
The Kiesel range is very well rounded, with nearly every style of guitar or bass that you could need present and accounted for. This includes carved top guitars, multiscale fanned fret guitars & basses, MIDI synth access guitars, headless guitars & basses, extended-scale baritone guitars, acoustic/electric guitars, and more.
The models which are not currently available left-handed are listed below.
- Lightspeed headless guitar
- Type X headless guitar
- Type V headless guitar
- Lee McKinney Signature Headless guitar (but the Osiris is, a very similar model, and one that Lee’s signature is mostly based on)
- Jonny Hiland Signature guitar (but the Solo model is available left-handed, the model that Johnny’s signature is based on)
- DD4 Dustin Davidson Signature bass (but the Thanos bass is available left-handed, the model that Dustin’s signature is based on)
Furthermore, it is also not possible to order a lefty headless multi-scale bass, as a suitable bridge is not currently available from Hipshot.
In addition, they have many notable artists on their roster, with signature models from Jason Becker, Allan Holdsworth, Andy James, and Frank Gambale to name a few. A large number of these signature guitars are available left-handed.
Kiesel has a slightly different business model when compared to most other brands, as you cannot simply walk into a guitar store and grab one from the wall. Nothing new there for us lefties then!
Instead, a left handed Kiesel guitar or bass is custom ordered by you, directly through Kiesel, and to your specifications. Kiesel will then build your instrument, and ship it straight to you.
The big advantage here is that you are able to enjoy factory-direct prices by avoiding the extra costs that distributors and retailers would usually tack on. You may be surprised at the low cost of a Kiesel, especially when considering that these are USA-made, high-quality, custom guitars.
Of course, a downside to this model is that you cannot try before you buy (unless you can travel to their factory of course!). However, Kiesel does offer a 10-day money-back guarantee if you are not completely happy with your instrument. Note that they do not offer the 10 day trial on left handed multiscale guitars.
Every left handed Kiesel guitar and bass is made in the USA and comes complete with a 5-year warranty.
Ordering Your Custom Lefty Kiesel
The Kiesel website allows you to pick from hundreds of different options in order to design the guitar that is ideal for your needs and tastes. As a result, almost every guitar that leaves the Kiesel factory ends up being completely unique to the customer!
Update November 2021: The brand has just launched an amazing new virtual guitar builder tool which will let you spec out your dream guitar and see what it will look like as you go. And it even has a left handed view – 10 points to Kiesel!
Their guitar builder tool allows you to choose body and neck woods, finish colors, headstock shape, fretboard woods, style of inlays, fret-wire materials, pickups, types of bridge, and a ton of additional customizations.
I was able to design this pretty spiffy neck-through Aries in just a few minutes!
Once complete, simply add your creation to the basket and pay for your custom guitar either in full or with a 20% deposit. Or if you’d rather not order online, Kiesel also encourages customers to give them a call to dial in your specs.
Kiesel Guitars Website & Social Media
So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Kiesel website (link below) and see what tickles your fancy.
In addition, you will find links to all of Kiesel’s popular social media channels on the top right of their website. The brand is great at posting juicy images of their latest custom builds for your viewing pleasure.
If you need to get in touch with Kiesel, their customer service is also absolutely top-notch. They really went above and beyond to help me out with creating this guide. Give them a call, or drop them an email for a quick and friendly response.
For More Information:
Kiesel Guitars Website
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did Carvin Change To Kiesel?
The company was originally named Kiesel, but was renamed to Carvin in 1949 after the company founder’s two eldest sons, Carson and Gavin. In 2015 the Kiesel brand separated from Carvin, taking the guitar and bass portion of the company, while Carvin remained to offer amplifiers and pro-audio equipment.
For the resurrection of the brand, the original Kiesel name and logo was chosen to honor founder Lowell Kiesel.
Who Plays Kiesel Guitars?
Notable artists with signature Kiesel guitars include Jason Becker, Andy James, Frank Gambale, Chris Letchford, Johnny Hiland, Greg Howe, Lee McKinney, and Neil Zaza.
Carvin was actually one of the first guitar brands that I really became aware of as a kid. I learned to play using the course over at MetalMethod, and the instructor, Doug Marks, was a Carvin player. I always thought his white Carvin was the coolest thing out.
Later on, I did a ton of DVD courses from Andy James over at Lick Library. So it’s awesome to see that Andy is now an endorsee of this awesome brand, and is rocking his very own signature models.
Why not finish off this article by kicking back and enjoying this absolute masterpiece of an instrumental track?
