From ultra-rare 1950s Broadcasters to Vernon Reid’s greatest-ever guitar find, Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California has long since been home to some incredible vintage guitars.
And yet, the best-sounding Stratocaster in the store right now isn't a rare vintage model; it’s a midpriced Fender from 2018, one of the less-glamorous electric guitars in stock.
So says the store's Secret Stash Instagram page, where Norm's spotlights its more unusual wares.
“OK, I know what you’re thinking, and I will agree with you 2000%: it’s ugly as shit,” the post states. “But if you want probably the best-sounding Stratocaster in the house, then you might wanna get over the look.”
The model — a Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster — was part of a limited-edition run of guitars in Ultraviolet finish that paid homage to the late guitar great. True to form, it features an alder body, a maple neck and fretboard, and a trio of vintage single-coil Strat pickups. It even has a reverse headstock, alluding to the fact that lefty Hendrix played right-handed guitars.
The guitar sold for the low price $1,080, but it has blown away Norman Harris, his team, and every customer who’s heard it.
“Ask anyone in the store, and they will tell you,” the post continues. “The other day, [L.A.–based guitarist Michael] Lemmo played it and everyone in the shop agreed this guitar holds up to any Strat we have, even the vintage ones.
“It’s just special. It has that thing and sounds ridiculous. I guarantee whoever gets this one will be thanking us.”
Unlike most sought-after Fenders, the Strat wasn’t made in its Corona, California factory but south of the border, in Mexico. Today, the company's Player, Player Plus and the retro-inspired Vintera series all come out of Ensenada.
Fender set up a manufacturing facility in Ensenada in 1987, just five years after it struck a deal to build its first guitars overseas, in Japan. Since then, Mexican Strats have built a reputation for sounds that belie their price tags. And the folks at Norman’s Rare Guitars can see why.
Meanwhile, Norman Harris has revealed he had the chance to buy George Harrison’s famed Gretsch Country Gentlemen, but saw it become the one that got away after he turned down the trade for one specific reason.
Over the years, the store has become an authority on vintage guitars and was responsible for putting a Cherry Red ES-345 in Marty McFly’s hands in the movie Back to the Future. However, the props team didn’t heed Harris’s advice when picking an instrument for the scene, and, as a result, they got some key details wrong.
The guitar hasn’t been seen since filming wrapped 40 years ago, leading Gibson to launch a worldwide search for an electric guitar that has inspired thousands to play.
Fender, meanwhile, has continued to roll out Hendrix-inspired Strats, complete with their Authentic Hendrix neck plates. But that love-it-or-hate-it Ultraviolet finish has been consigned to the history books.
