[Full of legendary guitarists!?] Left-handed guitarists roundup [2026]
When playing guitar, the basic approach is to strum with your right hand and fret chords with your left, right?
However, there are guitarists out there who play the other way around—left-handed!
Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain are the most famous examples of left-handed guitarists.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of left-handed guitarists from both Japan and abroad, in addition to those two.
Even among left-handed guitarists, styles vary: some use left-handed guitars, some restring right-handed guitars for left-handed playing, and others even play a standard right-handed guitar flipped as-is.
Each guitarist has their own approach.
Let’s take a look at some awesome guitarists while paying attention to their individual styles!
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[Full of great guitarists!?] Left-handed guitarists roundup [2026] (31–40)
Live Los AngelesOmar Alfredo Rodriguez-Lopez
He is a Puerto Rican multi-instrumentalist, and the composer, guitarist, and producer for the rock band The Mars Volta.
His work is often described as experimental, avant-garde, and progressive, and he is a left-handed guitarist who actively engages with new genres.
Backstreet SymphonyLuke Morley
The guitarist of Thunder, a UK rock band that has enjoyed long-lasting popularity thanks to the members’ high-level musicianship and beautiful, hard rock–styled vocal harmonies.
Beyond writing lyrics and composing, he handles most of the arrangements, and his outstanding production chops have earned him the nickname “Great”—a testament to his boundless talent.
In Thunder’s early days, his look of slinging a white left-handed Les Paul low is the kind of cool that rock fans can’t resist.
From catchy riffs to emotional guitar solos, he embodies the kind of swagger and style expected of a rock guitarist.
MisirlouDick Dale
He is a left-handed guitarist born in 1937 from Boston.
Could the slightly exotic flavor of his music come from his roots—his father being Lebanese and his mother Polish? The song in this video, which he made a hit in 1962, was later used in the films Pulp Fiction and the TAXi series, leading to a revival hit.
Let’s GoElliot Easton
Debuting in the late 1970s and rapidly gaining popularity, The Cars are a new wave band from Boston, USA.
Their lead guitarist, Elliot Easton, is also a renowned left-handed player.
While the two frontmen are the central figures, his playing is outstanding as well, so he’s definitely someone to pay attention to.
Get The Funk Out Ma FaceGeorge Johnson
Forming The Brothers Johnson with his younger brother Louis Johnson, he was active in the 1970s and ’80s.
During Quincy Jones’s 1975 concert in Japan, he was introduced on stage and delivered guitar and bass solos that overwhelmed the audience and became a major talking point.
Though his brother has since passed away, the image of the two of them standing side by side, holding their instruments symmetrically, remains unforgettable.
Full of legendary players!? A roundup of left-handed guitarists [2026] (41–50)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With YouRobin Campbell
Robin Campbell, the guitarist of UB40, the British reggae-pop band, is also a left-handed player.
He covered this famous Elvis Presley song, which became a big hit.
He is an indispensable guitarist who helped shape UB40’s sound and create a new form of reggae.
EchoesSimon Taylor-Davis
He, the vocalist and guitarist of Klaxons—the rock band formed in New Cross, England in 2005—is also a left-handed guitarist.
Their sound is characterized by vocals that make extensive use of falsetto and a dance-rock style that incorporates dance beats into a rock framework, and they are often classified under genres such as nu-rave and dance-punk.