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Post subject: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 4:39 pm
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I've spent most of the last three weeks in Los Angeles on business, mostly working from noon to midnight. As luck would have it, on Wednesday 4/2 we were only working from 2:00 pm to midnight. Seeing as 4/2 was my 60th birthday, I decided to give myself a treat and drive up to Tarzana to seen Norman's Rare Guitars.

http://www.normansrareguitars.com/

If you have never been there and have the opportunity to go, you must. The place is a vintage guitar fan's dream. The moment I walked in, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

The shop is located in a nondescript shopping center on Ventura Blvd in downtown Tarzana.

Image

When I arrived, the store was just opening up and a guy (who turned out to be Norm himself) invited me in. After I realized who he was, I asked if I could take his picture. He said "No, but I'll have one of the guy's take our picture together"! Norm is the younger looking guy on the left. :lol:

Image

Unlike the local GC, there were no 14 year old shredder wanna be's banging away on guitars. Everyone that came in while I was there was either a serious musician or looking to buy or sell a vintage guitar.

The star of the shop is a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard on sale for $325K! Unfortunately, due to a roof leak in the room where the really rare guitars were kept, they had all been taken back to Norm's home for safekeeping until the leak could be repaired. However, there were was a 1958 Strat hanging on the wall for only $21K. A bargain. Various years of Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standards (from $5K to $10K) were sitting on guitar stands on the floor just ripe for picking.

Image

The only things I could afford were a couple of t-shirts and a copy of Norm's book which Norm and all the guys in the store autographed for me.

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Everyone in the shop was extremely friendly and willing to talk about guitars or show you anything you wanted to see. No one hovered over you. The guitars that were especially rare or valuable were hanging on the wall with a rubber band holding them to the hook. If you wanted to play one of them, all you had to do was ask. Otherwise, everything else in the store was available to play as much as you wanted. It was truly a phenominal place to visit.

More photos can be found here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89312486@ ... 481784893/

I hope you enjoy them.

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:07 pm
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As is often the case, I drive by there a couple times a week and I've never stopped in. I hope you had a good time in L.A. I'm sorry that the weathers been so brutally cold. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:21 pm
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Well, it is on my list of places to check out if I ever make it down that way.

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:27 pm
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Drew365 wrote:
As is often the case, I drive by there a couple times a week and I've never stopped in. I hope you had a good time in L.A. I'm sorry that the weathers been so brutally cold. :lol:


Well, to tell the truth, we did have to wear coats in the computer lab. The underfloor cooling was quite chilly. :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:27 pm
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zontar wrote:
Well, it is on my list of places to check out if I ever make it down that way.


Make the time. It is worth it. 8)

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:37 pm
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Too bad it's a four-day drive each way, cause I'd love to visit that place.


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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:47 pm
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arth1 wrote:
Too bad it's a four-day drive each way, cause I'd love to visit that place.


Yeah. If I hadn't been spending the week in El Segundo, I never would have gotten there.

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:09 pm
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Norm and his store have a world wide reputation for having the absolute best of vintage gear,I have been on his emailing list for years but regrettably even though I have the desire to buy a lot of his stringed gems,I don't have the finances to do so.

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:04 pm
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Bill, sorry to hear your working so many hours, but sounds like the reward was more than worth it! Thanks for the cool post.

T2

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:03 pm
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T2Stratman wrote:
Bill, sorry to hear your working so many hours, but sounds like the reward was more than worth it! Thanks for the cool post.

T2


It pays the bills ....... and buys guitars! :D

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:38 pm
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Thanks for the tour, Bill......I could spend an entire day in such a Shangri-La!

It'd be hard for me to resist leaving with only a couple of T-shirts though.

:wink:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:41 pm
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I was looking thru the strats and came across this one, has it listed as a 1984, but I'm sure most of know that's not the case. It's probably an 1987-88.

http://www.normansrareguitars.com/produ ... =38&page=2

I love this guitar though
http://www.normansrareguitars.com/produ ... uctid=4325


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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:05 am
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JasonSD wrote:


+1000

That OTM '57 is gorgeous!

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:08 am
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Hi Bill,

I've also visited Norman's Rare Guitars and had pretty much the same experience as you. My parents are in their 80s and still live in Encino where I grew up (I live in San Diego now), and one day a couple of years ago whilst visiting the parental units I broke away and drove to Norman's Rare Guitars. I met the man himself and his staff, and they were so gracious to just let me walk around the store, drooling as I went. Fenders. Gibsons. Martins. Vintage Fender amps. You name it. I was in a candy store. Of course, I couldn't afford to buy anything (I'm just an amateur guitarist, BTW) but I love music and guitars more than anything and just had to visit his store. If I ever win the lottery, I'll be sure to go back and buy a vintage-something!

BTW, I also visited Gruhn's guitars in Nashville while visiting my brother (who is a professor at Vanderbilt and also an amateur musician) and although I was blown away by the selection, Gruhn's didn't have the same welcoming atmosphere as Norman's. Must be a California thing, eh?

Sandy


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Post subject: Re: Norman's Rare Guitars
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:36 am
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Cool story and photos Bill, thanks for posting! :D 8)

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