Some visits to a guitar shop are quick. Others turn into a day out, a story you tell for years, or a guitar you keep coming back to.
In November 2024, a question on r/Leftyguitarists: “How many have been to Southpaw Guitars in Houston?”- brought left-handed players together to share what visiting the store was like. The thread, now part of the community’s archive, drew 35 comments. It became more than a headcount. Players described the rooms, the instruments they found, and the people they met along the way.
Here’s a walk through the shop, guided by the stories they shared.
Start with the walls of electrics
A first visit can be a lot to take in. Redditor u/OhDatsStanky described the layout: “An entire wall of Fenders, and entire wall of Gibsons, basses and some used stuff.”
That’s a picture many lefties don’t often get to see. In a typical guitar store, finding one or two left-handed models can take some searching. Here, the focus is on left-handed guitars, so players can look across a range of instruments instead of treating a single lefty option as the whole selection.
Houston local u/TheLeftHandofArtness pointed out that the shop carries custom-shop and one-off high-end Fenders and Gibsons that may be hard to find at big chains. For visitors, that means the chance to see unusual instruments in person and compare what feels right in their own hands.
Then there are the basses and used instruments. The thread doesn’t try to catalogue every guitar in the store. It gives a better sense of why people come: to explore, ask questions, and try instruments they might not otherwise get to play.
u/texasguitarguy, who started the conversation, remembered his first visit. He told his girlfriend he was “just going to check it out.” He walked out with a Fender Custom Shop.
Beyond the electric room
The store tour doesn’t end with the electric walls. According to u/OhDatsStanky, visitors can head into another room full of acoustics, then find “a room full of hollow bodies, and a room for classical and 12 strings.”
For players who have spent time shopping online or scanning the small left-handed section at a general music store, that variety is a different kind of experience. You can move from one type of guitar to another and hear the differences for yourself.
The acoustics are a highlight for the original poster, too. u/texasguitarguy joked that the classical guitar room “is where they hide the really good stuff.” He spotted a Martin D-41 there and says he bought a Martin HD-28/12.
The room-by-room description is one reason the thread makes such a good snapshot of the store. It’s not just a wall of instruments. It’s a place where visitors can follow their curiosity from electrics to acoustics, hollow bodies, classical guitars, and 12-strings.
The visits that became stories
Some visitors planned their trip around the shop. Others found a way to stop by between other parts of life.
u/jbgoalieman61 is a truck driver who dropped his trailer and parked on a side street to make the visit. He bought an Alpine White Gibson Studio and spent three hours playing models he hadn’t had the chance to try before. It’s a good reminder that a visit can be worthwhile even if you arrive with no fixed shopping list.
Another commenter, u/noble_twat, visited once and stayed “roughly 7 hours. It was marvelous.” If you’ve ever lost track of time while comparing guitars, you understand the appeal.
Then there are the trips that stick with you long after the flight home. u/bluewind76 booked a late flight after a work trip so he could visit. He played his first ES 335 at the shop, an experience that helped prompt him to buy one years later. He also recalled buying a T-shirt and being given a free one as a joke.
And the shop’s relationships can last far beyond a single afternoon. u/Alarmed-Wish4953 said they had been dealing with Southpaw since 1988. They later summed up the relationship this way: “I've dealt with Jimmy and crew for 35 years. Always decent. Always grateful. Always fair.”
That kind of loyalty is built visit by visit. It’s also reflected in u/PencilTucky’s story of finally meeting in person the people they had dealt with by phone for years, and seeing “the wall of Taylors.”
A shop people travel to, and plan to revisit
The thread includes visitors from well beyond Houston. u/Chronicus_pr1me drove from the Dallas–Fort Worth area and was already talking about going back for a TV Yellow Les Paul P90. u/ClassifiedGrowl, writing from New England, added the shop to a list of places to visit in Texas. And u/rcmp77’s short reply, “👀”, speaks for anyone who has just discovered the place.
For some players, the store’s setting is part of the surprise. u/xocmnaes called it “the most amazing place in the seemingly least likely of strip plazas.”
That line captures something of the fun in a left-handed guitar shop: you might arrive expecting a quick browse and find a room, an instrument, or a conversation you didn’t know you were looking for.
A welcoming shop, with options online too
The Reddit stories are about in-person visits, but you don’t have to travel to Houston to shop Southpaw. The store is at 5813 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77081. Check the location page for directions and current hours before making the trip.
If you’re further away, you can browse the Lefty Guitars Only collection, including left-handed electric guitars, acoustics, bass guitars, and vintage left-handed guitars. Southpaw ships left-handed guitars nationwide, so you can shop online from wherever you play.
The thread also notes that trade-ins and trade-ups are part of the conversation. u/TheLeftHandofArtness mentioned the shop’s trade-in/trade-up policy. If you have an instrument you’re considering trading, contact the team to talk through the details.
Come see what you find
The Reddit question was simple: how many people had been to Southpaw Guitars? The answers showed how many different ways a visit can matter. It might be a truck driver’s three-hour detour, a seven-hour stay, a first chance to play an ES 335, or the start of decades of trust.
To everyone who shared a story: thank you. And if you haven’t visited yet, you’re welcome to come explore. Stop by the Houston showroom, or browse left-handed guitars online.
