Agreed.  The time for ranting is over.  Either it happens or it doesn't.  Glad to see people are at least giving this route a shot.

Very true. The time for ranting is over. Line6 are not going to give us our toy just because we have a temper tantrum, and just because every kid on the block has got what they want from their rich parents and Line6 can't afford to provide for their own children...no matter how honest and needy our demands might be! I'm pleased to see a re-awakening on this thread, and if I might make a suggestion? Search engines on the www will pick up on specific words, so the more often that the words Left Hand James Tyler Variax Guitar appears in our messages (and not lefty, southpaw, etc) the more likely that the left handed guitar playing community (if such a thing exists!) will get to see what is going on here.

Hope to hear more from you all soon!

Thanks for your vision, shiriru, I personally have given up on Line6. I've written too often on this thread, spent too much time trying to convince this negatively thinking, right hand biased company of the error of their ways. My guitar playing skills have not improved enough over the last two years to justify spending any more money on Line6 products. Shame, because my insurance policy paid out last December, and I was prepared to let Line6 have at least SOME of the 27,000 if they had only met me half way on this. As it is, I'm better off financially and have also become the meanest anti-Line6 opponent there ever was!

Like gordii, I've moved on.  We may be 10-15% of the population, but it's not like we're being refused service at the soda fountain counter.  They've made an unwise business decision and that's up to them.  I railed and railed before but life is short.  The irony is I bought a DT-25 combo because for my needs it truly was the best amp for me, and I already had an HD500, also, in my opinion the best multi-effects board out there.  Then yesterday I get an email from Line6 promoting the "Dream Rig".  Yup, in my dreams!

i can think of quite a few reasons why the decision making process is severly flawed and why Line6 could make an impact in the lefty guitar market, lets see if any of these bullets are read by a non-zombie:

1. differentiation... if most companies 'dont' make lefties, then you SHOULD

2. profit margin... you can certainly put your RnD and MfG costs into the resale price of the units, left handed players are used to paying more

3. good-will... you can upsell other products by adding more exposure of your product

4. newness... most left-handed players do not want a used guitar, or at least want to 'play it first' if you place a pilot product in stores you'll get more touches than the riffraff

5. marketing... you can say publicly that you support alternative professionals and practicing musicians, its something you can use to sell the mainstream products

6. make-to-order... you certainly could just build them to order vs stocking them in stores (other than demos)... whereby you can create demand before being exposed to loss

7. LH sells LH... the reason why most left-handed players purchase fender or gibson isnt becuase of preference its supply side, its whats available in the store

i own or have owned, fender, gibson, yamaha LH guitars. I am not interested in a RH guitar where the body is shaped wrong and controls are in the wrong place, im way past restringing and not going back to being a novice. im willing to pay prime dollars for a guitar, and willing to pre-pay and wait 6mos for the unit... your RH clients would never do that, and they are probably disloyal, have dozens of other guitars at their disposal... you can create a real following if you just had the vision to do so and the will to take risks. from what i can see on the functionality of the website and market share in RH guitars, you need to do 'something' so why not? build 10units and see what happens i cant believe a market study gives you better results than trial-and-error, i dont believe it.

I agree completely.  I bought a lefty Variax 500 the day it was available to order from Guitar Center.  I still own and play it daily.  Yes of all my guitars, it is played the most.  I love choosing a model based on my mood and rocking out.  I find the models do inspire me to play in styles of music that typically are used by a particular model.  ie country licks on a tele. 

I would just love a jtv59, but I would get whichever one they sold.  I bought the 500 but I wanted the 700.  I would even buy one the american ones as a special order if it was the only way to get one.  They don't think like a guitar company.  they think like an effects/amp company.   The lefty 500 might not have done well as an off the shelf guitar, but it could have been a special order through the dealer.  and so could the JTV.

leftywantsline6 wrote:

 

i can think of quite a few reasons why the decision making process is severly flawed and why Line6 could make an impact in the lefty guitar market, lets see if any of these bullets are read by a non-zombie:

 

1. differentiation... if most companies 'dont' make lefties, then you SHOULD

2. profit margin... you can certainly put your RnD and MfG costs into the resale price of the units, left handed players are used to paying more

3. good-will... you can upsell other products by adding more exposure of your product

4. newness... most left-handed players do not want a used guitar, or at least want to 'play it first' if you place a pilot product in stores you'll get more touches than the riffraff

5. marketing... you can say publicly that you support alternative professionals and practicing musicians, its something you can use to sell the mainstream products

6. make-to-order... you certainly could just build them to order vs stocking them in stores (other than demos)... whereby you can create demand before being exposed to loss

7. LH sells LH... the reason why most left-handed players purchase fender or gibson isnt becuase of preference its supply side, its whats available in the store

I'm not a lefty, but I sympathize with you folks and agree with all the points so clearly outlined by leftywantsline6. Well thought out and presented!

A couple of minor responses...

leftywantsline6 wrote:

 

im willing to pay prime dollars for a guitar, and willing to pre-pay and wait 6mos for the unit... your RH clients would never do that, and they are probably disloyal, have dozens of other guitars at their disposal...

I put down a deposit for a JTV and waited 6 months before cancelling my order. It wasn't because I was disloyal. It was because I felt Line 6 was disloyal in continuing to prioritize US distribution channels and continually delaying the promised deliveries to Canada. So yes... I did spend my money on other guitars and decided to question my loyalties to Line 6. In fact, I decided I didn't have any at all.

leftywantsline6 wrote:

 

...you can create a real following if you just had the vision to do so and the will to take risks. from what i can see on the functionality of the website and market share in RH guitars, you need to do 'something' so why not? build 10units and see what happens i cant believe a market study gives you better results than trial-and-error, i dont believe it.

But you should probably also keep in mind that Line 6 *did* make a left-handed Variax, so they have gone down that road before and have obviously drawn some conclusions about whether or not it is worth it to them. So this is not trial-and-error, here. This is an executive decision, even though it is most probably not the smartest move for Line 6 to retain a good following. I think they have burned a lot of bridges over the past 3 years.

You're totally right though... they *should* be making the LH version of at least one model of JTV and making it available for special order, even if you have to wait half a year for it. It makes NO SENSE not to hire some employees and some guitar shop to make that happen. As long as they price it the way they need to price it, they will still get profits and all of you lefties will have access to a JTV.

It's pretty surprising that they have not gone there already. But their response to customers over the past 3 years has been thoroughly surprising and disappointing... not only to lefties.

I still want a JTV when I am ready for another guitar purchase. But at this point I am also prepared to skip it altogether if another option presents itself.