Description
Review of the Vangoa Left Handed Full Size Cutaway Acoustic Guitar Kit
The Vangoa left handed acoustic is a full size 41 inch cutaway steel string built specifically for left handed players, with a spruce top, sapele back, a C shaped neck, a bone nut and saddle, 18:1 enclosed nickel plated tuners and an adjustable truss rod, finished in black. It ships with a padded gig bag, a tuner, a capo, picks, a strap, a spare set of strings, a pickguard, a hex wrench and a user manual.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely left handed construction. This is not a right handed guitar restrung backwards. The bracing, the saddle compensation and the nut slots are cut for a left handed string order, which is what makes a left handed instrument play in tune.
- Bone nut and saddle. Bone is denser and harder than the moulded plastic used on most guitars at this level, and it transfers string vibration into the body more efficiently. It is a specification usually found further up the market.
- 18:1 fully enclosed nickel plated tuners. The ratio determines how finely the tuning can be set, and eighteen to one is a step above the fifteen to one commonly fitted.
- Adjustable truss rod with the hex wrench included, so neck relief can be corrected without a further purchase.
- Cutaway body, giving the fretting hand access to frets a plain dreadnought blocks.
- Substantial gig bag. The listing specifies shock absorbing padding, non slip rubber pads on the base, an internal neck rest and 600D Oxford fabric, which is more than the token bag most bundles supply.
Cons
- The specification table gives a scale length of 41 inches. That is the overall length of the guitar, not the scale. No six string guitar has a 41 inch scale, so the actual scale length is not published anywhere in the listing.
- The body material is listed as spruce and the back as sapele, so “body” here refers to the top only. The sides are not specified separately at all.
- The fretboard is listed as mahogany, while the description never names the fretboard wood. Mahogany is softer than the rosewood normally used for fingerboards, so it would be expected to show fret wear sooner.
- The description calls the top “handmade AAA spruce” without stating whether it is solid or laminated. AAA is a grading term for appearance and grain, not a statement of construction.
- The string material is recorded simply as “metal”, which does not identify whether they are bronze, phosphor bronze or plain steel.
- A 41 inch cutaway is a large instrument, which is worth noting because the left handed market has fewer smaller options to fall back on.
Detailed Product Description
The top is spruce, described as handmade and graded AAA. On any acoustic guitar the top does nearly all the acoustic work, turning string vibration into moving air, and spruce is the traditional soundboard timber because its stiffness for its weight lets a thin panel move freely. Whether this one is solid or laminated is the question the listing leaves open, and the difference is set out in the guide to solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars.
The back is sapele, a West African hardwood closely related in appearance and behaviour to mahogany and widely used as a substitute for it. It gives a drier, more focused sound than rosewood would.
The nut and saddle are bone. This matters more than it sounds. The nut and saddle are the two points where the string terminates, and a soft plastic component absorbs vibration that a dense one passes on to the body. Bone also holds a cut slot shape better, which is why plastic nuts are often the cause of tuning that jumps rather than moves smoothly. On a left handed guitar this is doubly relevant, because the nut slots must be cut for the reversed string order.
The neck has a C profile with fret position markings and an adjustable truss rod. The C profile is the common modern shape and fits the widest range of hands. The truss rod is a steel rod inside the neck that counteracts string tension, and being able to adjust it is what lets the action be brought down without shaving the saddle. Anyone new to playing left handed should read the guide to left handed guitars for beginners.
What Comes with the Product
- The 41 inch left handed cutaway acoustic guitar in black
- A padded gig bag with shock absorbing filler, a neck rest and non slip base pads
- A tuner
- A capo
- Picks
- A strap
- An extra set of strings
- A self adhesive pickguard
- A hexagon wrench for the truss rod
- A user manual
No stand, string winder, hard case or instructional material beyond the manual is listed, and the tuner’s battery is not mentioned either way.
Who It Suits
This suits a left handed adult beginner or an improving player who wants a full size cutaway acoustic built properly for their hand rather than a right handed guitar strung the wrong way round. The bone nut and saddle and the adjustable truss rod are the specifications that make it worth choosing over the cheapest left handed options.
It suits less well a child or a smaller player, since 41 inches is a large body and this listing offers no reduced size version, and it suits less well anyone who needs to plug in, because no electronics are fitted. Worth comparing are the WINZZ three quarter left handed acoustic, the Ashthorpe left handed dreadnought acoustic electric and the Fender CD-60S left handed acoustic bundle. The wider selection sits in the left handed guitars section.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after every session. The listing does not state the string alloy, but every steel cored acoustic string reacts to skin oils and dulls without wiping.
Keep the guitar in the padded bag, away from radiators, sunny windows and unheated garages. Acoustic bodies react to humidity far more than solid body electrics because the top is a thin panel under constant tension. Storage guidance is covered in the guide to how to store a guitar.
Use the hex wrench sparingly. The truss rod controls neck relief and a quarter turn is a real adjustment, so make small changes and leave the neck overnight to settle before making another.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy replacement strings in a left handed friendly order or simply reverse a standard set. Acoustic string sets are not handed, but the order in which they are fitted is, so the packet needs reading rather than following muscle memory.
Fit the self adhesive pickguard before playing rather than after. It exists to stop pick strokes marking the top, and applying it once the finish is already marked achieves nothing.
Have the nut slots checked if tuning jumps rather than moves smoothly. Bone holds its slot shape well, but on any new guitar the slots may be cut slightly tight, and on a left handed instrument there are fewer technicians who have cut many of them. The wider setup question is covered in the guide to guitar action and setup.
Product FAQ
Is this a true left handed guitar?
Yes. The listing describes an instrument designed for left handed players rather than a right handed guitar restrung.
What is the scale length?
Not published. The table gives 41 inches, but that is the overall length of the guitar rather than the scale.
Is the top solid or laminated?
Not stated. The listing calls it handmade AAA spruce, which describes grade rather than construction.
Can the neck be adjusted?
Yes. A truss rod is fitted and the hexagon wrench to adjust it is included in the kit.
