The Stories Behind 5 Amazing Vintage Guitars at Norman's Rare Guitars | Reverb

[@best9988]

Several years ago I went to Norm's store to window shop for awhile. Even though I was a nobody, Norm was incredibly gracious and showed me a lot of beautiful guitars and memorabilia from his storeroom, including the top hat given to him by Tom Petty. He is the kind of guy that is rarer than even his rarest guitars.

[@anmolatwal]

The person playing the guitars is a monster player!!

[@joeynice123]

Lemmo right?

[@wilkowilkins363]

The one and only Michael Lemmo

[@diegolopezlira3267]

Don't forget about Todd, he is the one playing all the acoustic guitars. Lemmo plays the electrics. They are both great players.

[@GuitarosaurusRex]

Yes! Excellent player!

[@jakeneuman8122]

Diego Lópezlira that’s not Mark?

[@vf7vico]

nice to catch that rare glimpse of Jenn shooting the videos with Lemmo and Todd!

[@TheElectricBallroom]

Right? She's a curvy dark-haired girl, totally 180° from what I expected

[@stevehornshaw4478]

Norm. This is such a privilege to see you talking about the people who are movers and shakers. To see your guitars and to hear how they sound is just breathtaking. Your books show me what taste you have. Your archive of books and videos will be an everlasting archive. Thanks a million Norm. I'm hooked.

[@Powertuber1000]

I'll bet Norm is sorry he sold the Back to the Future guitar so cheap.

[@GuyLeeguitar]

Whoever is demoing these guitars is doing a fine job

[@mh-oh8kf]

Guy Lee sounds like Michael Lemmo

[@MrTicTics]

The shots showing a ring on the strumming hand are him if I'm not mistaken

[@collinsanderson4561]

Lemmo on electrics and Todd on acoustics

[@luismendo]

This part is unmistakably Lemmo: 1:59

[@wesleyalan9179]

@@luismendo ...Sho'nuff that's Lemmo! ....(if ya watch everyday it's unmistakably Lemmow) Luis, I would put $ down that you watch everyday,am I right? Lol!

[@songsfromspringcreekave821]

When Norm was talking about Tom Petty, it got me a little choked up. My God, the world misses Tom Petty!

[@joefox9765]

Amen brother. Words can not articulate. I felt the same way. Such sentimental value and provenance

[@gfgranja]

Gone too soon...

[@ryanfulldark2775]

That’s a fact. I regret never seeing him play life.

[@jesussaves7722]

Norm's Rare Guitars has become a tourist destination in LA.

[@powertuber4.068]

Kind of like Pawn Stars in Las Vegas.

[@MuscleDad420]

It has been for quite a while.

[@TheNicoDavis]

That '58 strat looks and sounds gorgeous. Beautiful clean tone

[@charlespatrick8650]

Davis Films hasn't seen much daylight with so much red still on it

[@TheMadLicksBand]

Wish they had this great sounding recordings on Norman's KZbin channel...

[@g.koch.]

Dont get it either :/

[@revelry1969]

I concur. Norm needs to pony up for a better recording system for jenn

[@daniva]

i hear too bassy mix

[@TheMadLicksBand]

Anything's better than the phone mic

[@wesleyalan9179]

Yeah,they really need too...they are just too good not to,ya know?!

[@jimjim1598]

No one: Norm: "-a buddy of mine"

[@whiteman2371]

😂

[@zennomad258]

Norman’s rare guitars is the holy grail of guitar shops

[@freddybuiatti]

Lemmo needs a raise man

[@rudypeutl8259]

Visiting Norman's Rare Guitar store is definitely on my bucket list.

[@willwade8050]

Bless you Norm, you're doing a huge service to musicians everywhere by having a huge collection to buy, research and enjoy of all these wonderful instruments. Kids these days don't even know, 25yrs playing and slowly but surely all my main go to guitars are 30+ yrs old...can't beat that quality and feeling the story of the instrument when you play it. Nothing like it✌🤘👊👍😀

[@ResidentRob]

Norm comes to visit Guitar Maniacs in Tacoma fairly often (they also sell a lot of great vintage gear), I standing next to him and was completely nerding out that I'd met him.

[@wesleyalan9179]

Lol...I don't blame ya,I would be nerding out too! Awesome story man✌

[@robbiepelonero2193]

man that Tom Petty guitar/hat was amazing! beyond cool

[@allen6924]

That 58 strat is amazing sounding...OMG all these guitars are just the cream of the crop. The blonde es 330 is worth everything I own.

[@jimsteele2072]

Norm is a legend. Fantastic! Glad you guys are on the internet now, I cant afford any of these guitars,... But it warms my heart to see them and hear them. Thanks. 👍

[@luisvillarreal5262]

I notice the pre-J200 Larson jumbo Euphenon acoustic guitar has the mustache/open book headstock. Very interesting. Yea, I think Norm's got a bit of a vintage guitar addiction to say the least. But it's so sweeeeet though. LOL

[@MrGixxer1300r]

Thank you or posting this Norm. Please do more of this

[@joebaby555]

God Bless Norman ! Love his passion and knowledge of these beautiful instruments and the history behind them. Next time I’m in California I’m going to come shopping...can’t wait🙏

[@jairosanchez07]

Norm is such a chill guy! I’d love to have a drink with him and the gang!

[@paulofreire7520]

You’re a legend, Norm 🙏🏻

[@stevehansen4755]

I love guitars so much that I could watch a 2 hour version of this video

[@stephenhenion8304]

Great 🎵 Stuff Norm!!! This is why I love the guitar!!

[@ja7941]

Finally we got to see Jenn love you norm one day I'll make it out there one day

[@stevevaughn2040]

Saw Tom Petty when he toured with Dylan... I miss Tom Petty... showing that guitar was very cool

[@joeynice123]

If you haven't been down to see Norm and you swing an axe....make sure you get there. It is a sonic museum. Oh and reverb sound guy. I hereby knight thee. Bravo on having a proper mic in front of the cabinet.

[@mineralt]

Norm is so cool....he has done a lot for the industry

[@PixieintheMainframe]

Tom Petty was something else - So unique. Thank you for your awesome vids.

[@ScottParker235]

His playing is so beautiful

[@MrBrooxy]

Please make more of these videos about rare guitars you guys have

[@carlibostic487]

I love Norm and the crew

[@brentjones9961]

Good on ya Norm, enjoy your shop and the good work your crew does👍

The Kid, Michael Lemmo!!

[@KlausJWeyerhaeuser]

I follow Normans Rare Guitars along wit Jay Boone's Emerald City Guitars on YT for quite a while now. In this video they really nailed the sound! I love it! Why can't we hear that on "Guitar Of The Day" ... like every day?

[@charlespatrick8650]

Klaus J. Weyerhaeuser Norm's is for player grade, ECG is collector grade for rich big tech dudes

[@pranavamin5755]

What's the song at 9:45?

[@ianson3]

I was in the store about three weeks ago. It's like a shrine. I even got to shake hands with Norman, who was very patient and good-natured about it. Could have sworn I saw Tommy Emmanuel just sitting on that couch Norman is on, but I now think it was just an old guy with gray hair. I'll kick myself if it somehow turns out that was Tommy after all. This place is well worth a visit if you're anywhere near Tarzana. Parking is good, BTW.

[@jaredreed1249]

Love Norm and his stories

[@joefox9765]

Really neet guitars Norm thanks for sharing. Hundreds of thousands of dollars. Quite a beautiful occupation. please share some more

[@djwarren5081]

What a great down to earth guy.

[@stevesmith3990]

More like this please, I love to listen to Norm.

[@yokomalight2393]

Looks like great Guitars norm!👊🎸

[@JamesMc2]

That is some of the coolest guitar playing I’ve ever heard .!

[@RobCabreraCh]

That ES-330 looks insanely clean! It looks newer than the VOS stuff from the Custom Shop.

[@ryanern18]

The riff played on the ES330 was fantastic.

[@emrules2001]

Lenmo is a beast

[@anthonyc1883]

Agreed. The guitar, and that music on it....tremendous.

[@donstriano8256]

Just perfect He courts all those guitars like soul mates

[@hurstod533]

Hey guys can someone tell me what is being played on the 58 Strat around 0:35?

[@dad2137]

H OD it sounds like “I can’t make you love me” except it sounds like a cover version

[@eloisecorlett8613]

H OD did anyone find out the song?

[@hurstod533]

@@eloisecorlett8613 "George Michael - I can't make you love me" is what I was told. The original is piano. The guitar sounds 100 times better in my opinion! I wish I could get a full length to transcribe!

[@jon.wilson]

Michael Lemmo plays the electrics, Todd Wisenbaker plays the acoustics. Amp is usually a 66 Pro Reverb. Subscribe to the Normans Rare Guitars channel and download the All Guitar Network app for more.

[@brucechavez9535]

That Tom Petty's red SG is really gorgeous and well taken care of by the old owner himself (RIP, Tom). For sure it costs a lot of "bread". But for us ordinary guitar players and hobbyist, it's only in our dreams we can have a guitar like that...:)

[@Vichedges]

Nah, it was just a production mass produced SG. People put too much stock in "vintage" or think that great players (writers in Tom's case) instruments are "special". All those old Gibson and Fenders, Rickenbackers etc were just guitars.....they were in some guitar store just like guitars today. I mean if you gave a guy like Eric Clapton a 300 Squier Strat and let his guitar tech do his thing to it, when Clapton played it it would sound just as good as a 1958 Strat but if you gave me a 1958 Strat it wouldn't sound any better than me playing a modern Squier....because I'm not that good. I just get tired of the reverence people have for vintage guitars. Almost everything else.....newer is better, functionality wise. New TVs are better than ones from the 50s, cars today are better than cars from the 50s, phones today are better than phones from the 50s but for some reason people still think guitars made decades ago are better than ones made today and I just don't get it.

[@tigerwalker30]

I hope you guys make a television show

[@barrysoetoro1543]

One of these days I will have a really nice Larson Brothers Acoustic!

[@boss123400]

No you won't, dumbass....

[@telecasterbear]

I see the guitar, hanging on the wall behind Norm, that I purchased today, on Reverb.com. Very quick response through Reverb messaging. Thanks for adding a very personal touch to my transaction. Best wishes.

[@elonmust7470]

Cool story

[@michaelledford4751]

The SwitchMaster was Frank Zappas main guitar before he went to the SG for his main guitar while touring,i got to see Frank play his SwitchMaster with the Mothers.

[@stephanegagnon5430]

Love you Norm !

[@michaelloomisiii3475]

Literally could have watched hours of Norman tell stories.

[@spookster5325]

What amp was the 1958 strat being played through? Sounds amazing!

[@OzziePete1]

I'm guessing a Fender Deluxe Reverb, all EQ settings on noon, just a touch of reverb... you gotta watch their channel to get that joke. ;-)

[@robertjohnson1681]

@@OzziePete1 nice Mark Agnesi reference!

[@jongauthier9289]

"Back to the Future"...."this was back in the 70's" I'm pretty sure BTTF was made in the 80's lol

[@mitchkentftw]

If the Norman says BTTF was the 70's, then it's the 70's

[@jongauthier9289]

@@mitchkentftw so Norman can rewrite history, can he?

[@mitchkentftw]

@@jongauthier9289 He can do what he wants, what Norm says goes.

[@jongauthier9289]

@@mitchkentftw ok...sure. I hope Norm eventually uses his time warping abilities for the betterment of mankind and not just changing when movies were made.

[@mitchkentftw]

@@jongauthier9289 you must be a really fun person to be around

[@javiperez5172]

Great video! Love seeing Norm’s on Reverb

[@GreenmanXIV]

Norm, keep buying & selling. Great video.

[@redrock1963]

A visit to Norman's Rare Guitars is on my bucket list.

[@huskvarsm]

redrock1963 mine too

[@donsmith5385]

Man I feel bad for you guys, I live 2 blocks away.

[@MuscleDad420]

@@donsmith5385Same here. I stopped going years ago -- Agnesi was a jerkoff. I should pop in now that he's gone.

[@donsmith5385]

MuscleDad420 yup he was a tone snob

[@ryansutter4291]

When Tom Petty gives you his guitar, he likes you; you may even be his friend. But when Tom Petty gives you his Top Hat AND his Guitar that he used on touring with Dylan than you MUST be someone pretty special to him. Great story. Tom Petty must've had a great deal of Love & Respect for ol' Norman....

[@professorhamamoto]

Wonderful stories. One request: Could you bring your wife on the show to talk about your profession? I used sneak guitars I bought into the house and never played new acquisitions while my wife was home. Finally, I had to get rid of the wife. I'd like to get your wife's perspective on how to maintain the domestic tranquility while having an interest in quality instruments.

[@Aisharockdiva]

Find a wife who is a musician, problem solved.

[@Mark70609]

I could have bought a 58 three colour burst with a V neck. The shop was asking $2700 at the time. It was neck heavy and I was too much of a tight arse to buy it.

[@greghenderson4582]

That 58 Strat is one of the finest sounding strats I have ever heard ...my dream guitar !

[@niguel4438]

There’s no one like Norm talking vintage guitars. Guitar of the day has lost its appeal for me since Mark left. More of Norm please. And where is Nick his segments are great, real and authentic. Nice one Norm.

[@davidg-oo1ox]

Awesome video

[@timdedecker7894]

is it just me or is 'guitarded' a pretty risky name for a business lmao

[@leetaylorchristian]

thumbs up if confused about what channel you're on

[@wesleyalan9179]

Lol!

[@luismendo]

I was thinking "who is playing the guitar?" ... until I got to 1:59 and I immediately recognized Michael Lemmo's playing

[@BeardedBluesDude]

I just happened to make it in the store the day they were filming this. Thats me at 5:14 :) Got to meet Norman shake his hand and got him to sign a copy of his book. Nice guy! Sure wish I could have walked away with a guitar but it was not in a position to do that while on this vacation. I told Norm I'd be back to buy a guitar from him. He said "I'll forgive you for it" I know Norm makes his living doing this, but thats a comment coming from a guy who really loves the instruments he sells. Can't wait to go back again with the intent to buy!

[@luisvillarreal5262]

@10:44 this a perfect instrument if you want to sit on the couch and watch T.V., play and noodle while you're watching the show. Easy for Norm to say. How much do I pay for this guitar if I want to do that? Jeez. It's a helluva beautiful guitar though.

[@ddactar]

2nd Jen sighting.

[@joemasse4568]

Norms a good guy,treats people the right way , my wife and kids visited the store few years ago and they enjoyed their time, Norms got some good stories in his book,I especially loved the George Harrison Les Paul story !

[@charlespatrick8650]

Joe Masse always wondered if Norm ever did any kind of deal with EC, think he has a place in Venice

[@ScottMcdonaldMusic]

Love Norm’s!

[@shawnhuff6024]

58 strat buddy holly richie valen's

[@Another70sBand]

Valens'

[@robertkibbler1564]

Would sell my soul to visit norm's but it's a long way from the UK......! LOL.

[@Vichedges]

It's just a guitar store and it's not like if you're some regular guy he's going to let you sit there and sample all the vintage guitars. Also go look at some of the reviews of the store, the staff seems pretty full of themselves and Norm definitely is a star fucker. If I were in the market for an expensive vintage guitar I'd definitely go there but there are plenty of places online to see and hear vintage guitars.

[@idngafaa]

dumb question, but what's the tune norm's playing at the start?

[@slickcross]

I was gonna ask the same thing. Sounds like a John Mayer song.

[@jon.wilson]

That's Michael Lemmo playing and it's one of his original songs

[@idngafaa]

@@jon.wilson hell yeah! thanks alot :)

[@paulk.5767]

IMichael Lemmo is the one playing here and the song is called Stratosphere

[@eeshsinger]

YEAH NORM'S HERE

[@EnvyOw]

What what he playing in the intro?

[@craigcoburn5051]

Your a cool dude Norm love your videos

[@RavnerRavner]

that strat sounded like northern california ocean waves

[@enigma1247]

Should of included today's price for each guitar. Very interested to know that aswell :/

[@TheHeavyJetsBand]

I know those fingers!! Go on Nathanial lad

[@raytorvalds3699]

What a lot of people also don't know is that The Larson Bros guitars had the open book headstock before Gibson did.

[@stevelindstedt8858]

Guitars in movies.....In "The Buddy Holly Story" , Gary Busey is seen playing a 'CBS' Fender Stratocaster......(hmmmm.)

[@Les537]

That blond 330 is like looking into the face of God.

[@seanhershey3390]

A great spokesperson .. nicely done...& some great playing..(I'm looking at you Lemmo!)..:)

[@rollastoney]

Cool stories but how can you say no to Tom. You know you’re going to sell it to him anyway, why delay a guitar from going to a master legend like Tom Petty.

[@creaturefromtheblacklagoon9723]

First song played on the 58’ strat?

[@joshbundrenkayakingaustral545]

Id also like to know Absolutely awesome

[@joshpeyton3779]

What song is the first riff he played from on the first guitar? It sounds familiar I just can’t think of it.

[@griffhenshaw5631]

Great how he illustrated the increase in price of older guitars its gone through the roof. Social media and places like Reverb have created a market for old guitars. Also the information as to the uniqueness of various instruments is much more easily available now. To me the prices are insane... my 1st electric a 67 SG I got for 80 $ in 1979. It has kept up w inflation easily. Sad though it makes vintage unacceptable to most younger players.

[@thepiris5]

Does anyone know what lemmo is playing on that first strat ?

[@funnelcakes]

Same!

[@moritzprivat7325]

When u just know it's Lemmo😁 And the Todstar😉

[@jobckts682]

P90 Blonde Dot is a gem. $13,500?

[@dhand34]

I believe Herald Bradley had a Stromburg like that one

[@halletscove6529]

Finally -- a Jen sighting!

[@matthewmcclure3181]

Love that Larson Bros guitar! I've got a Prairie State 425, a H.J. Flower Mayflower, and a Maurer Mandolin... would never part with any of my Larson Bros instruments. Every bit as good as Pre-War Martins.

[@MrMads9201]

Anybody got an idea of what Lemmo played on the 330?

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

There are maybe a half dozen music shops that are "tourist level" attractions, and I plan my vacations around. Norm's is one, The Chicago Music Exchange, Fretted Americana and Rumble Seat are a few others. Ed Roman's in Las Vegas was a great place, but Ed was kind of a dick and didn't treat people very good, he just wanted your money. He went "by appointment only" and that took him off my list.