Best left-handed guitars

Top pick: Fender CD-60S Left-Handed — the safest first left-handed acoustic. Dreadnought body, spruce top and a 25.3-inch scale make it comfortable for strumming and chords, and it's the best-reviewed of the bunch, so you're not gambling on an unknown build.

Who the others suit:

• Yamaha FG820L — the step up: solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides give more warmth and volume as you improve.
• Squier Sonic Stratocaster Left-Handed — if you want electric: classic Strat feel, easy neck, great for rock and blues.
• Ortega R122SN-L — nylon strings and a cedar top, gentler on fingers; good for classical and fingerstyle.
• Oliver / Morgan Live (Orangewood) — solid-mahogany small bodies, lovely for singer-songwriter playing.
• Donner DAG-1CL or Ashthorpe kits — full starter packages if you need everything in one box.
• Squier Mini Strat — short scale for smaller hands or kids.
• Fender American Vintage II '57 Strat — the serious investment for a lifelong lefty player.

One caution: the LyxPro kit is listed as right-handed, so skip it.