FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where is the head office of Gaskell Guitars located? Sydney, Australia. 

What guitars do you make? We have a Custom Shop in Sydney where we make custom made left handed guitars. We do not make right handed guitars. Gaskell Custom Shop guitars and basses start from $3500 and are the very best left handed guitars in the world. In addition to Custom Shop we have a production range of guitars which are designed in Australia and are factory made. These perfect suitable for learners, intermediate, and semi professional guitarists. The costs to make left handed guitars in a factory are up to five times more than to make right handed guitars, hence the quality of Gaskell production models is higher than other brand guitars in the same price range. We make mostly guitars that are not available in left hand option by other manufacturers. The playability of our factory made guitars are better than anything on the market in the same or even higher price range. 

I live in Australia ... How do I get myself a Gaskell? Our main Retailer in Australia is PK'S MUSIC in Perth. PK's has been selling Gaskell guitars and basses for 5 years. PK's carries the full product range. If you live in Sydney, you would go to RIVER MUSIC who keep good stock of Gaskell guitars and basses. Other authorized retailers listed may not keep stock but can order in any product for you, see our DEALERS page. Just contact the store closest to you to see what they have in stock first. For Custom Shop products you always deal with Gaskell Guitars direct. 

I live in the United Kingdom ... How do I get myself a Gaskell? From November, 2011 you can deal with and order through our UK distributor in England. Products are imported from Australia (bear in mind there are additional charges) and you can even see and try a Gaskell before you buy. Previous to this time, all UK and European lefties have always had to buy sight unseen. To contact our UK distributor see our DEALERS page.  

I live in Europe... How do I get myself a Gaskell? You have 3 choices: deal with our UK distributor, deal direct with Gaskell's head office in Sydney, or go through PK'S MUSIC in Western Australia. One advantage for you is that the 10% Australian Sales Tax (GST) is not due on international purchases so you automatically save 10% off the price. For Custom Shop products you always deal with Gaskell Guitars direct. Please make sure you read our Warranty and Terms documents on our DOWNLOADS page. 

I live in the United States ... How do I get myself a Gaskell? Deal direct with Gaskell's North American distributor in San Diego. Our USA office keeps stock of Gaskell guitars and basses which are imported from Australia. Instead of paying a further $250-300 in delivery charges from Australia to USA you only pay local delivery charges, $30-50 in most cases. Save hundreds of dollars!  

I live in South America ... How do I get myself a Gaskell? In 2010 we started a South American distributor and you can deal with our distributor who is located in Sau Paulo, Brazil. Languages spoken are Portuguese, Spanish and English. (Please make sure you read our Warranty and Terms documents on our DOWNLOADS page.) 

If a guitar is out of stock, what is the waiting time to get one? We do one to two production runs per year. Pre-orders must be done in any one of these runs. Depending on when you order, turnaround time is an average of 6 months. Turnaround time for Custom Shop guitars, made in Australia, is usually 4 months.  

Can I get other colours other than those on your Colour Chart? Yes. Our Colour Chart only shows the most popular colours only. Contact us directly about this and we can organize any colour you like. Custom colours can be done in our Custom Shop in Sydney, Australia. (See our PRO SERIES information.) 

What level of player are Gaskell guitars suitable for? Gaskell production guitars and basses are designed for learners, intermediate and semi professionals. Professionals are suited to our production models too, but may want to upgrade or change some of the electronics and hardware to meet larger gig requirements. All Gaskell production guitars are designed to be easily customizable. There is nothing to stop anyone from replacing the the pickups, or changing switches, controls, tuners, etc if they want to upgrade electronics or hardware. It costs 5 x more to make a Gaskell than a comparable factory-made right handed guitar, so the quality of Gaskell guitars is much higher than anything else in the same price range. On the other hand, our Custom Shop guitars are focused on the needs of the fully professional guitarist and are made to order, using the best materials and engineering in the world. Custom Shop guitars are 100% made in Australia.  

Are Gaskell guitars sold "out of the box"? "Sold out of the box" means a guitar that has been made at a factory, sent off in a box without being set up and then sold to you in that condition. Generally speaking any guitar priced under $500 is usually one of these. All Gaskell guitars and basses are professionally set up in every instance before arriving in the hands of the customer. Gaskell instruments are NEVER sold "out of the box" even if you request it. It won't be done. This is strict Gaskell Guitars policy.  

What is the Gaskell PLATINUM SETUP SERVICE? Am I able to get it? How? A key difference between a $500 guitar and a $5000 guitar is how well it plays. How well a guitar plays, assuming it has been built properly, is determined by the set up. When we say a guitar is "set up" the guitar has been set up to be 100% playable and to a level that corresponds with the the price point of that guitar. All our sub-$1000 guitars are fully set up to be as perfect as possible for the intermediate to semi-pro guitarist. No guitar whether made in a factory or by hand has perfect playability. This does not matter whether it is a new $500 guitar or a new $5000 guitar or a new $50,000 guitar. Our premier solution is the Gaskell PLATINUM SETUP SERVICE. The Platinum Setup Service takes the playability of the guitar up to the playability you would expect on properly built and set up guitar in the +$5000 range. This is available from Gaskell Guitars direct only. The Platinum Setup Service is done in-house, and is charged out at $250 per guitar. The Platinum Setup Service results in perfect frets, perfect low action, and 100% playability. If you are a professional player purchasing a Gaskell guitar direct we would highly recommend you take the Platinum Setup Service. This is open to everyone, not just professionals. This in no way negates the standard setup done on every Gaskell production guitar. The Platinum Setup Service is an add-on, not a replacement for a standard setup. The Platinum Service comes included in the price of all PRO Series and Australian Custom Shop guitars.

Are Gaskell guitars "clones" or knock-offs of other guitars? No. Although some of the Gaskell products are inspired by other guitar designs, no Gaskell guitar is a clone of another guitar. Each Gaskell guitar has been redesigned in Australia from a fresh perspective and have subtle or obvious variations from those they may look similar to. We don't do "copies" unless you request it through Custom Shop. More obvious is the fact that Gaskell Guitars only makes left handed versions of guitars that aren't otherwise available left handed elsewhere. You can't clone something that doesn't exist!

Is Gaskell Guitars breaking any Laws by making guitars that appear to look similar to some other right handed guitars? Can you copyright a car? If you could, there would be only one car manufacturer in the world that could make vehicles. The simple answer is: no. Fender® and Gibson® do have patents on their headstock designs and no Gaskell guitar has a headstock that violates any patent or Copyright. Patents only last for 25 years. Eastwood Guitars and Italia Guitars are two examples of present-day guitar manufacturers whose products are reproductions of 1950's, 60's and 70's vintage guitars that are no longer available today and for which any patent has long expired. The very famous Les Paul shape, a Gibson original, is also made by many other renowned guitar brands, such as ESP, Tokai, Dean, Schecter, etc.

Where are Gaskell guitars made? Gaskell's production guitars and basses are designed and engineered in Australia and then under OEM arrangment, built to Gaskell's specifications by a third party factory in China. Raw materials and hardware/components are sourced from Korea (electronics, hardware), China, (labour, timbers, electronics, hardware), USA (electronics), India (timber), Indonesia (timber) and Australia (hardware, accessories). All guitars are finished off and professionally set up in either Australia or USA, depending on where they are destined after they leave the factory. All design specifications, construction, technical, and quality control are controlled and monitored under the direct supervision and instructions from Gaskell Guitars in Australia. Gaskell's Custom Shop guitars are fully made in Australia. 

What pickups do Gaskell guitars come with? Most of our production guitars are fitted with Wilkinson pickups, a well-known UK brand that is made in Asia. These are excellent pickups for the price point of the guitars and help to keep our factory models in the sub-$1000 price range. Other pickups used in Gaskell guitars are OEM products made specifically for Gaskell designs. We also utilize Belcat for our basses and Artec and Mings for some of our products too. Our PRO and Custom Shop guitars can be fitted with any pickups, including EMG, DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan.

What options do I have for guitar cases? For every guitar we make that is not made in left hand by anyone else, we try to provide a hard shell case. Our Classic series and Firestarter models are not available by other guitar brands in left hand, and thus these models come with hard shell cases standard and included in the price. For the majority of our other guitars we offer gig bag or hard shell case options where possible. We prefer the Australian brand XTREME Bags Australia gig bags which are extremely well padded and secure. These bags will make a trip to Europe or elsewhere with no concerns. Models like our Jazz or Rockitt can fit generic hard shell cases available any good music store. We can also provide these hard shell cases available in shops for these models. 

Where can I see the discontinued Gaskell models and can any of them be made again? CLICK HERE to see all previous discontinued models. It is possible to make some of these models again as a custom order, as they have already been designed and templated. Some models will not be made again. Ask us. 

Where do you get your woods from? Are they from sources that are renewable? Most of the tone woods used in Gaskell guitars come from the same places that every guitar manufacturer in the world gets their tone woods from today: Asia. Many traditional timbers used in making guitars have either become commercially extinct or are on the verge of becoming banned due to overlogging and abuses in their native locations. American mahogany, for example, is no longer legally obtainable from it's native locations in the Americas. All new American mahogany today is grown and harvested in controlled plantations in Asia, notably India, Indonesia and Bangladesh, where the abuses that occurred in their native locations will not be repeated. These plantation sources are renewable and have been in place since the late 20th Century when sourcing from America was banned. We now have some private stock of some very expensive exotic woods, including genuine mahogany from South America which are reserved for Custom Shop guitars. 

Why use a third party for manufacturing? We use factory manufacturing for our production models. We make custom guitars too and these are fully made in Australia. However, the point of using a third party for production manufacturing is convenience, cost and quantity, as well as results. All guitars are designed, templated, and engineered in Australia by Kevin Gaskell and any capable factory, whether it be located in the United States, Vietnam, or Timbuktu would have to follow the same processes in order to build a Gaskell guitar. The technology to bend a piece of metal is the same no matter what country that takes place in. However, the best place to have guitars made these days is China. China has the most advanced technology, resources and cost effectiveness of any country in the world. Nevertheless, our manufacturing costs are FIVE TIMES HIGHER than what it costs to make a comparable right handed guitar in these same factories.  

Are Gaskell guitars made on CNC machines? CNC = Computer Numerically Controlled. Partly, yes, wherever possible, but mostly no. Unlike right handed, mass-produced guitars, left handed guitars can only be CNC'd to a point. Factories that make instruments, whether they be in USA, Korea, Japan, or China, aren't particularly equipped to make left handed guitars. Right handed guitars can be almost entirely CNC'd. That's why in some cases right handed guitars can be made so cheaply and sell for unbelievably low prices. We have to use PEOPLE to make our guitars where machines would be used for right handed guitars, and for that reason the "human element" is always apparent in the construction of our guitars. If you want a mass-produced, computer-made POS guitar, then you won't get that from us. And if you do want that, then what are you - a guitarist or an "art collector" ? 

Do you have a grudge against guitar companies that don't make or have stopped making left handed guitars? Absolutely not. We LOVE every guitar brand that stops making left handed guitars. For one thing, it tells you where they are at as far as their conviction for their products and service goes. Who wants to deal with a company that "bites the hand that feeds?" Better to know who they are so you don't get put into the situation of being totally let down. At Gaskell Guitars we are keeping the torch burning for all left handed guitarists! Those guitar brands that no longer make left handed guitars have kicked you in the teeth. Why do you want to support that anyway? We are 100% dedicated to you. You need to support us too! Support those who support you. 

Why don’t you make a $200-300 guitar? We don’t make toys. A donkey is not a horse. We'd be laughing if it cost us $300 to make a Gaskell. If you want a toy guitar get a cheap "Chinese guitar" made by the blind leading the blind in some clueless Chinese factory. They are out there! Not here, though. We do not cater to cheapskates and misers! Come on, take it seriously! This is ART!

My guitar has had the Platiunum Setup Service and the action is very low. I get a bit of rattle when I play. Is there something wrong with the setup? No. Unfortunately many guitarists, left or right handed, have never experienced the pleasure of playing a properly set up guitar. This is because a properly set up guitar is usually not found for under $3000 and most people do not spend that sort of money on a guitar. Due to the poor to mediocre quality of set ups on store-bought guitars, a lot of guitarists get used to having a bad set up. And then they never know how else it could be! When they get a guitar for the first time that has been set up to a full professional standard with perfect frets and perfect playability, the first lesson to learn (or un-learn) is to play less hard. On a professionally set up electric guitar or bass one does not need to use so much effort or force in playing. For the first time a guitarist can be accurate and fast without having to overcompensate. A well set up guitar makes you play better with less effort, and less force. If a player treats a perfectly set up guitar like a badly set up guitar he will get plenty of string rattle because he hasn't made the transition yet. You are now riding a horse, not a bucking bronco anymore! So, if you are getting rattle, stop playing it like a badly setup guitar! Ease off. That's all. That's how the pros do it.  NOTE: It is normal to have some acoustic "rattle" on a low action. This does not come though the amp. Listen to what is coming out of the amp. That is what your audience are hearing. An electric guitar is not an acoustic guitar.

What is a "coil split" (as on the Hybrid and Hybrid Deluxe products) From Wikipedia: "Some guitars which have humbucking pickups feature "coil splits", which allow the pickups to act as "pseudo-single" coils by either short-circuiting or bypassing one coil. The electrical circuit of the pickup is reduced to that of a true single coil while the magnetic circuit retains its original closed loop configuration. Usually, this feature is activated using a miniature toggle switch or a DPDT push-pull switch mounted on a potentiometer. Some guitars (e.g. the Peavey T-60 and the Fender Classic Player Jaguar HH) make use of a variable coil split circuit that allows the guitarist to dial a variable amount of signal from the second coil, from pure single-coil to full humbucker and everything in-between."  ... "Coil splits are often wrongly referred to as a "coil tap". Coil taps are more commonly found on single coil pickups, and involve an extra hook-up wire being included during the manufacture of the pickup so the guitarist can choose to have all the windings of the pickup included in the circuit, for a fatter, higher output sound; or switch the output to "Tap" into the windings at a point that is less than the full coil for a brighter, lower output, cleaner sound. For example a full pickup coil may be 10,000 turns of wire and the "Tap" may be at 8000 turns." 

Why did you go from set necks to replaceable bolt on necks on the Classic series? Actually, we never did that in the end. All our Classic series are set neck guitars. They are not bolt necks. 

Who is Kevin Gaskell? Born in New Zealand in 1968, and living in Australia since 1992, Kevin is a left handed guitarist and the designer of all Gaskell guitars. He built his first left handed electric guitar in 1992. All designs come from Kevin. Before any guitar is made it has to go through a process of templating, prototyping, testing and approval before ever being manufactured by a third party manufacturer.