BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Finding the right guitar can be a challenge for left-handed musicians, who sometimes have fewer instruments to choose from. For local musician Jim Schaffer, that challenge inspired him to start building his own.
Schaffer, the founder of Southpaw Soundwaves, has turned a lifelong love of music into a craft focused on creating handcrafted guitars for left-handed players.
“When I was about 12, I started wanting to get a guitar. My sister had one, and I’m just going, ‘Man, I want to do that,’” Schaffer said.
But as a left-handed guitarist, he says finding the right instrument wasn't always easy.
“Left-handers are left out. Guitars… there is some left-handers that decide, ‘You know what, it’s not worth it, and I’m going to play right-handed,’” he said.
Schaffer wasn't willing to make that switch. After years of looking for guitars that met his expectations, he decided to learn how to build his own instruments.
“And so I built a ukulele kit, and it sounded horrible, and I built another one, and that sounded just as bad,” Schaffer said.
He started with ukuleles, learning through trial and error before seeking guidance from a master instrument maker in Hawaii.
Schaffer's interest in instrument-making eventually found its way into his teaching career. About 15 years ago, while teaching Exploring Technology at Earl Warren Junior High School, he began having students build their own ukuleles.
The project gave students an opportunity to learn practical skills while creating instruments they could actually play.
“And we’d have a concert at the end of the school year, and they were actually really good,” Schaffer said.
The experience helped inspire his next step: building guitars. After retiring from teaching, Schaffer began turning his designs into handcrafted instruments, eventually establishing Southpaw Soundwaves.
Each guitar takes him around 150 hours to build, with careful attention to the wood, design and sound.
“I love building, and I love finding the right tone for each guitar, the best tone for each piece of wood,” he said.
For Schaffer, crafting a guitar involves more than its appearance or sound. He says the instrument needs to feel comfortable and natural to the person playing it.
“When I play a guitar, it has to feel right in my hands, it has to feel right on my leg, on my shoulder, and it becomes a part of you,” he said.
Through Southpaw Soundwaves, he hopes to give left-handed musicians more opportunities to find an instrument that fits their needs without feeling they have to settle for something less.
Despite the time and care that go into each guitar, Schaffer says his motivation comes back to what music has always given him.
“When I play… all I think about is my playing, and I just am at peace,” he said.
Schaffer hopes to continue building high-quality guitars for left-handed players, helping others experience the same connection to music that has inspired him throughout his life.
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