“I didn’t think anybody would believe I got it from George Harrison. I figured they’d call me a liar”: Vintage guitar guru Norman Harris names the 5 most memorable guitars that have come through Norman's Rare Guitars

With the Netflix documentary on Norman’s Rare Guitars now streaming on Netflix, Guitar World caught up with its owner, Norman Harris, the affable guru of all things vintage guitar, to talk about his story and how his Tarzana, CA gear emporium became one of the world’s most-loved guitar stores.

You can read all about that and the rise of the vintage guitar market here. But we could not let Harris go without asking him for a short-list of the most memorable instruments he has ever owned, and these are his famous five.

1. 1959 Gibson J-200 “Phil Everly”

Nelson Twins "Hello Mary Lou" - 1957 Gibson J-200 & Phil Everly's Original 1959 Gibson J-200 - YouTube

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“I have one guitar that means an awful lot, which is a Phil Everly J-200 that was used on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dick Clark Show. It’s one of the most photographed guitars the Everly Brothers used in their prime – and this was before the Phil Everly model.

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“It’s what I call ‘Exorcist Green,’ which is like a white-green, like pea soup, though it photographed like a blonde guitar on black-and-white TV, sort of like Gibson’s TV Yellow. I got it from a guy who played with the Everly Brothers. It’s one of the most important pieces of memorabilia I’ve ever seen.”

2. 1958 Fender Rosewood Neck Stratocaster

“I had one Strat, a ’58, but it was Desert Sand with a gold pickguard and an all-rosewood neck. It was like a predecessor to the all-rosewood Telecaster and a one-of-a-kind.

“The guy who owned it actually had a TV show in L.A., and he was friends with Leo Fender and said he wanted something that would look good on black-and-white TV.

“Leo made it with a rosewood neck – which showed up really dark – and the Desert Sand finish with the gold guard, which showed up kind of blondish.”

3. George Harrison’s Gretsch Country Gentleman

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“I got this one Country Gentleman, the one he’s probably most famous for – but I didn’t think anybody would believe I actually got it from George. This was way back before I was known by anybody; I figured I’d be almost embarrassed to tell somebody because they’d call me a liar.

“I should have just said, ‘Well, I’ll take a picture,’ you know? I remember I kept looking at George; I had to do a double take. I was amazed I was sitting right next to him. The Beatles were a different category of everything. They’re the highest… you could put all the celebrities in the world together; nothing is equal to a Beatle.”

4. Pre-War Martin D-45s

Rare Martin 1941 D-45 here at Norman's Rare Guitars - YouTube

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“I had some of these in storage, and I sold one to Marty Stuart years ago. For guitars, it’s kind of like a hotel here. They come in, stay and go. I’ve got to be practical about it and be a businessman, you know?

“There were so many things I should have kept, but having to pay rent and having a payroll… you’ve got to think in terms of how you’re going to pay your bills. You kind of attach yourself to this stuff – and I did for many years – but my wife is usually the one to slap me into consciousness about that stuff.”

5. John Fogerty’s 1969 Rickenbacker 325

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“This guitar was actually a centerfold for GW many years ago. It just so happened that John’s road manager, roadie or whatever you want to call it, had given the guitar to this guy, and it was the GW centerfold, and the guy was going to sell the guitar.

“So my friend with GW called me and said, ‘Hey, you might want to buy this guitar.’ I ended up buying it, and it was one of the more important guitars.

“It was used on The Ed Sullivan Show, like a John Lennon model, but it was Fireglo, and [Fogerty] had put a humbucking pickup in it and taken the Rickenbacker nameplate off the headstock.

Norman Harris on John Fogerty's Famous Guitar - YouTube

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“I ended up buying the guitar, and years later, I decided I was going to sell it. I was asking a certain price, I think about $90,000, and John came in with his wife and was interested.

“He was interested in doing something but said, ‘You know what? I gave the guitar away. I feel stupid buying it.’ I said, ‘Well, you can have it for 40 [thousand],’ and he just said, ‘I don’t feel good about buying it and spending all this money.’ So he didn’t buy it from me.

“I sold it to Gary’s Classic Guitars, and he paid 90 [thousand], I think, for it. And then, John’s wife decided she wanted to buy it for him. I’m not sure what she paid Gary, but I’m sure it was more than 90!”

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
• The unlikely rise of Norman’s Rare Guitars and the birth of the vintage guitar market