California Trippin' Part 6 : Norman's Rare Guitars

Norman's Rare Guitars store front

Our California Road Trip was one of the highlights of the year. If you live in, or ever visit California I encourage you to set aside a few days to visit the Carvin, Taylor & Fender factories. The final stop on our trip was to visit Norman's Rare Guitars, in Tarzana. I first learned of Norman's through the 1984 documentary-- rather, rockumentary of England's loudest rock & roll band, Spinal Tap; guitarist, Nigel Tufnel wore the shirt that quickly became a classic. Since then, Norman's has continued to grow a reputation as the place in Southern California to find rare & vintage guitars. 

Classic Norman's T-Shirt

Walking into this large shop, the initial impression is that they could use even more room! Not only is each wall covered with guitars hanging from their headstocks, even the floor space is covered with guitars. Walking through Norman's is much like observing farmland from above; large squared crops of vintage & used Fenders comprise one large section neighbored by an equally impressive crop of Gibsons. Rows of amplifiers separate the electrics from the acoustics... 

Joe Bonamassa & Joe Walsh visit

Despite its comparable size, Norman's is nothing like a chain store such as Guitar Center. Here the sales people know what they have in stock, and the guitars are in tune. You wont find text-distracted simpletons manning the store, or skinny-jeans wearing 

teens playing out of tune licks through cranked amplifiers. Instead, chances are more likely you'll run into musicians such as Joe Bonamassa, or Joe Walsh, and employees who routinely play and service the finest in vintage guitars and amplifiers. 

Norman's is a guitar shop where it's even possible for a guys wife can find a guitar that she wants to adopt. Our visit to Norman's happened within a week of our visit to Carvin where we got a preview of Kat's custom made blue sparkle single cutaway guitar. It was also within a few days of our visit to the Fender factory, where we got to see each step of the build process. So it should come as no surprise that when my wife set eyes on a blue sparkle Telecaster Deluxe, she would have to take it for a spin. 

My wife's blue sparkle, limited run Telecaster Deluxe

After walking through the entire selection of Norman's collection of classic guitars, we took our time and compared the Tele to classic Gibsons, new and vintage Fenders alike. This Tele had something very special. Even with old factory strings this guitar resonated like crazy with each chord strummed. It was one of those rare times where you know this is the one to go out of your way to bring home. Which we were lucky enough to do. The folks at Norman's treated us like we were celebrities, even though we were buying one of their far less expensive guitars. They obviously understand that for a guitar to be special, it doesn't necessarily need to be built in the 1960s, or built by an old reclusive luthier who wrote the Manual Of Tone. 

The Tele was waiting to the left of the Rickenbacker collection

The 1400 mile return trip to Washington was much more fun having the Tele with us. It gave me a chance to work out song ideas during longer roadside breaks, and in hotel rooms. The guitars gig bag-- which was from the lower end of the breed-- did a great job protecting the guitar, and provided a much more convenient way of carrying it around during our trip than a hardshell case would have been. 

While California has many wonderful independent guitar shops, Norman's is one that should be at the top of anyones must-do list. After seeing first hand the different approaches used by Carvin, Taylor, and Fender to building guitars-- including the pride each take in building their instruments-- it was fitting that we should also follow the newly built guitars to the retailer and ultimately to the customer-- us! We also placed a custom order through Carvin, but thats a story for another time...

Stay tuned, and in-tune!

California Trippin' Part 5; Fender Factory Tour

2009 American Standard Stratocaster & custom Champ Amp

Fender Guitars has a long, rich history in music. They are responsible for some of the most popular instruments made. Many musicians have become associated with their Fenders--

-- Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix are known to favor Stratocasters.

--Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen are known for playing Telecasters.

--Geddy Lee and Jaco Pastorius are well known Jazz bass fans

--Steve Harris and John Entwistle favor the Precision bass.

One of my favorite, all-time guitars is a daphne blue Strat, so having the opportunity to tour their factory is a real treat.

Sanding a Stratocaster body

     Our tour began while we waited for the factory tour group to assemble in the lobby of their Visitor Center. The factory tour began with our guide showing us the machines which stamp out all the metal parts used on their American Series guitars and basses. Right around the corner is the wood shop where mostly alder, ash, maple and rosewood. High above the stacks of wood are computer controlled misters which maintain humidity levels best suited for the various woods.

New fret-pressing machine

     CNC machines cut the wood blanks into necks and bodies. The necks and bodies then move to sanding, where a team of people shape the necks, and sand the bodies go through several steps in the sanding process. Fret wire has been pressed into the fingerboards by hand since Fender began making guitars in the 1950s. Changes are being implemented that will make the process more consistent, as Fender has installed the first pneumatic press with others to be installed soon. 

Guitars drying above the factory floor

     After the guitars are prepped and painted, they are dried in a very unique way; each guitar body is suspended from a conveyor track that runs above the workers below. Those below are working in teams performing final assembly-- everything from matching necks & bodies, to wiring the electronics. After final inspection, the guitars head to shipping where they begin their journey to a various guitar shops around the world.

Fenders famous Custom Shop

                                                           Located within the Fender factory is their Custom Shop. In this small section of the factory, that builds very limited versions of Fender guitars. There are only a few dozen workers who make new guitars appear 30-years old, or apply special paint schemes, and unique electronics not usually found on Fenders regular production line.

Our tour-guide describing why
  the CS guitars special

 

     We spent most of the day at Fender's Visitor Center and factory tour, and we still didn't get to take in all the sights. It was obvious those who work in the factory take a great deal of pride in their work, and their guitars. As we made our way through the factory, everyone we met enthusiastically explained what they were doing.


Pride in workmanship, and the instruments was a common thread between each of the three builders we visited. Of course, the real proof is in the pudding, as they say-- and these guitars did not dissapoint; all played and sounded great!

The neck department is proud of their work-- and rightly so

     After the guitars leave their factories, they can often be found at shops such as Norman's Rare Guitars on Ventura Blvd in Tarzana California. We visited Norman's a few days after the Fender factory tour-- which I will write about next week~

Stay tuned, and in-tune!

Pick Up Your Guitar; "All Carvin Guitar Epic" Video

Me and my trusty Carvin DC127C

"Don't pick up your guitar aimlessly. Act with a sense of purpose. Be of the mind that you're going to DO something-- even if you don't know what that is yet. Prepare yourself to play... Remember, the guitar is an instrument-- a thing by means of which something is done. Keep this in mind every time you reach for it. When you pick it up, pick it up." ~Philip Sudo, Zen Guitar.

We all get stuck in ruts, or hang out too long in our comfort zone. This is where I've been in my playing lately; happily grooving away playing rhythm guitar with the occasional fills and riffs. 

That is until a friend on my favorite guitar forum put a call out for participants in a new group project he was crafting. Since he made it a point to invite players of all skills and styles, I decided to jump in. Each player was to submit two or three solos that would later be combined into a song-- and in this particular project, the song would be part of a superhero themed video. 

My recording studio; Zoom G3, Sequel LE, MacBook,
Carvin guitars & Carvin powered 12" monitor

All of the players in this project were well practiced in writing blistering solos... all except me, that is. Time to break out of my comfort zone, and push my skills. Armed with my guitar, laptop, Zoom G3 effects & amp simulator as my USB audio interface, and the Sequel LE DAW included with the G3, I spent the next week picking up my guitar with a purpose-- to write & record original solos. 

Our leader, "X-Mann," reflected on the project after it was completed; "The team is what makes this song SO great too... It's funny that I've never met or played with any of these Carvin players, we were NEVER in the same room together & ALL come from different locations, backgrounds & playing styles... yet... we sound like we all got to gether one after the other & laid these tracks down with our cool Carvin guitars... but we didn't!" 


Working on this project was challenging, rewarding, and a lot of fun! Using the recording software to practice, and craft these solos was very helpful, and a major reason I enjoyed the process. Just as major league baseball players watch film to improve their skills, using the recording software allowed me to listen to what I was playing and identify what was sounding good... and what wasn't. 

I encourage you to participate in your own "on-line jam" as they are becoming more common with the affordability and ease of use of basic recording software. Of course, nothing beats playing in a live situation, but these on-line projects will help you grow as a player, and learn new skills.

"It doesn't matter what style you play in at all... recording yourself & your own tunes can really develop your guitar playing in a great & musical way." ~X-Mann

Check out the video, keep an eye out for Randy-- a.k.a. Rip Curl, and share the video with your friends, and...

Stay tuned, and in-tune!

California Trippin’ Part 4; Fender Visitor Center

Our road trip to visit California guitar builders will be a long to be remembered one. First stopping at Carvin Guitars in San Diego, followed by Taylor Guitars, then finally completing the stringed trilogy with a stop at the Fender Guitars factory in Corona. Each of these manufacturers of fine musical instruments operate within industrial parks— after all, their focus is not entertaining guests, rather building tools for musicians to express themselves.

Touring Fender Guitars begins at their new Visitor Center which opened in Sept of 2011. It is an impressive facility featuring displays from the companies history-- many of which can be picked up and played by visitors. It also includes an amp room where visitors can choose from several walls of Fender guitars, then plug into any of the amplifiers from Fenders catalog. 

Hanging out & Jammin' in the amp room

Another reason to stop at the Visitor Center is to see the special exhibits they host; we were lucky enough to see the Jimi Hendrix exhibit which ran from March to May. Many of the items on display were from Seattle's Experience Music Project; event posters from Woodstock, a guitar & strap used at the concert, various clothing, letters, and a huge wall plastered with photos of Jimi chronicling his musical career. 

Jimi Hendrix Wall of Fame

                                

The center also acts as a museum for Fender's history; displays containing key artwork and guitars of that era fill at least half of the floorspace. Some displays included not only a specific period in time, but also specific artists and their favored Fender guitar.

Dick Dale a.k.a "King of Surf Guitar"

What visitor center would be complete without a gift shop? Fender has that covered-- and in a big way! Guests can purchase everything from guitar picks, strings, books, t-shirts, ball caps... even place an order for a guitar-- right there at their Visitor Center. There is an enclosed room adjacent to the amp room where guests can talk with a Fender technician and choose the guitar they want built by selecting various sample parts hanging on the wall. 

There is a lot to take in here, and we haven't even started the factory tour yet! I'll save that for the next post...

Stay tuned, and in tune!