Taking guitar lessons as a youngster in 1964 I was one month away from graduating to electric after completing one year on acoustic in a small northwestern Illinois town. A strat exactly like that (could it be that one? IDK) was on the highest shelf in the shop, I drooled over that guitar in all its Fendery, colorful goodness. Unfortunately, not the one my parents opted for. I’ve never forgotten that guitar & I vowed to own one some day but have yet to run across one that fits the bill. Until now of course but this one is clearly spoken for. We’ll see what the future holds...
Just watched a clip of James hunter Norm, so amazing. Literally brought tears to my eyes because I’ve never heard him before. So outstanding, thank you for mentioning him...
Matthew Scott YOU'VE GOTTA GET ONE THE OVERTONE SERIES AND UPPER PARTIALS REACT DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU TEASE IT IN FRONT OF A GOOD TUBE AMPLIFIER YOU'VE GOTTA GET ONE CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042
@@GuitarlosCarlos hes got a 58 strat body thats hes paring with either a 1964 or 65 neck (if im not wrong) hes putting together and he also has a mary kay and many more vintage guitars and gear like a 59 bassman ang 65 and 64 super reverb and his main guitar with is a 59 sunburst strat
Simone Di Marzio they being Norm’s had a hard tail special color red custom shop Robert Cray strat for sale. But when you ask them online about it they don’t bother answering. Typical. Either you just blindly buy it from 3,000 miles away or you get ignored. Unless your Joe of course.
I'm a recent convert to all things HT. The intonation comes across crystal clear. There's no,"it's- kinda-outta-tune-even-when-it-is-freshly -tuned" sort of thing I find consistently on whichever Trem-Strat I play. Ht Strat's - and you can hear it loud & clear in this video - each and every note is strong, clearly intonated and in tune, and they all just riiing wonderfully clean! If I could have a HT Strat, I would choose it over a trem- strat anyday of the year! That's what makes Teles so great. Even Jazzmasters, I'm all about a stoptail & tun-o-matic instead of the stock, flawed, tremolo- bridge system. I've got my eyes on one now, as it happens. However, I've always thought if I get a stock Jazzmaster, I'll mod it thusly, anyway.
I love Joes guitar work and wish him well with that Strat but I thought Mike absolutely slayed it with his playing of that same guitar for his 200th GOTD episode.
What are you talking about? JB plays most of his vintage guitars live, every night! His vintage guitars are front and center in every show and every album.
So many Les Paul's and Fender Twin amps to last three lifetimes!!! And using them as scratch posts?! That is so awesome! I've been playing 20 years and still can't afford alas Paul or Fender Twin amp. I would love to take one off your hands! I promise I will cherish it and put it on my dining room table forever!!!🤤
If I had powerball coin, I would spend every weekend there buying cool gear. What a treasure store. I get to go to Killer Vintage in St. Louis and it’s nice, but this is a whole new level.
This explains why I went straight on the Norman’s site right after guitar of the day 🎸 and it wasn’t there :(. I’m wanting one and finally have the means.
I was trying to put Joe’s guitar collection into perspective. Behind them on the left are hanging (roughly) 75 electric guitars. 25 guitars in a row x 3 levels. Picture 5 walls with that many guitars and you’re close to the same number in Joe’s collection. Not jealous at all!
What a guitar. Won’t get enough playing with Joe I’m guessing, since he has so many. Kind of a shame, better with him though than some collector who just puts it up on a wall, or in a vault
My Squier Bullet Stratocaster Hardtail cost $150 new. In stock form it sounds and plays at least 30% as good as the Strat in this video. So I think I got a really good deal.
that guitar sounds great, it has real warmth and a lovely quack the rosewood neck helps with the warmth i guess, it might have something to do with the player as well :-)
After seeing how much stuff Walter Becker left for auction after he died, I sobered up and decided to avoid GAS at all costs. I don't envy other guitars like I used to anymore.
"Red Robin" is also a DC Comics character, one of the extended Batman family. Red Robin was actually Tim Drake, Robin #4 (later Tim Wayne). Guitars are not my sole nerdiness.
Actually, I'm fairly certain Billy Gibbons is way ahead of him. He has/had an actual warehouse. Before he sold them off, Clapton had an ungodly amount. Jimmy Page also has a warehouse like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
lol this makes me think of band rehearsals where the band is discussing stuff and i’m straight noodling through the conversation .. untill i get shushed
I don’t have any issue with my standard Strat tremolo or my Floyd rose. They always stay in tune even with crazy dives. I only have 3 springs on them and the stock blocks….. My bigsby on the other hand I can never get it to return to pitch. I’ve tried everything and upgraded all the hardware and still nothing. I can get by , by lifting up on the bar until it returned to pitch. It’s rather annoying though. I tried a stiffer spring and a lighter one, also all shorts of gauge strings. Always have the issue
There is a solution that gives you both the benefits of the tremolo and the tone/stability of a hard-tail. It's called the Blade Runner by Super Vee. It's the best Strat upgrade EVER conceived and built. I am not going into detail here, just Google it to see how it works, but the difference it will make to your tone is stunning. You get 100% vibration transfer from the strings into the body 100% of the time and it always comes back to true zero. No modifications needed and it comes in two styles. It will fit the two post modern trem and one for the neanderthal six bolt rocking POS that Fender should be ashamed about. They're only about $170 and you will be amazed. Really amazed.
Buddy Guy , Clapton , Robert Cray are biggest names on plays Stratocaster wihout the tremolo bar and right now Blackmore because he said : “ I don’t plays with the tremolo bar anymore because I’m not on tune “ And the other guy is Mark Knopfler on the early years of Dire Straits he played with the tremolo bar and through the years he don’t use because never plays a dive bomb but I’m not sure on the video of Calling Elvis on the last dire straits record from 1991 he makes a standard tremolo sound . And the last guitar player Neal Schon ( Journey)maybe sometimes plays tremolo specially Floyd rose but only on his PRS and les Paul but he left the bar tremolo and plays blues improvisation and later songs like : Lights / Still they ride , I’ll be alright wihout you , loving touching squeezing sometimes but definitely he don’t plays with tremolo like on the early 80’s with the Eddie Van Halen influences and Hendrix but 2 guys still rocking with all the equipment ( standard tremolo bar ) Yngwie Malmsteen and Jeff Beck !
Did he just say over 400 guitars and counting, yikes. If I was a professional musician similar to Mr. J. B. I would of have done the same thing myself.🎸🎸🎸🎸++ Thanks Joe and keep on rocking.
I’ve never played a hardtail Stratocaster but have always liked the sounds people get out of them. Do Fender actually build a production hardtail Stratocaster?
Paul Davids got lucky to try it out before he took it
Tomas Martinez I was just thinking the same thing!
I was just about to note that Paul played this during NAMM week.
Joe adds another one to his museum
Norm had 38K on it when Paul tried it. Wonder what kind of 'deal' Joe Bonamassa got.
Hell yes! Here because of that guy!
what nice guys. I could listen to them for hours. I love hardtail strats.
"Who knows why people like what they like?" Joe Bonamassa the wise old man of music.
When I saw Paul Davids play this last week I KNEW Joe would try to snag it.
Skyler Felix I was going to say the same thing!
Right? Right?...damn right.
norm baited joe in. classic
I also think about that! Paul loved, Joe bought....
@BIMSY 657 Not fair - Norm took Paul out back and let him handle the stuff at least and he [Norm] took care of Joe long before he was a star.
I love how joe always in mid convo just rips a lick that us normal people try our entire life’s to get lol.
Love it when you get the guest talking, Joe sounds like a nice guy and not stuck up! Thanks Norm, Joe and Michael and camera girl/woman!
Taking guitar lessons as a youngster in 1964 I was one month away from graduating to electric after completing one year on acoustic in a small northwestern Illinois town. A strat exactly like that (could it be that one? IDK) was on the highest shelf in the shop, I drooled over that guitar in all its Fendery, colorful goodness. Unfortunately, not the one my parents opted for. I’ve never forgotten that guitar & I vowed to own one some day but have yet to run across one that fits the bill. Until now of course but this one is clearly spoken for. We’ll see what the future holds...
That’s a really good sounding strat. Period
A bad strat is the worst guitar, a good strat is the best guitar
@@Nit2315 you're a genius
I wish Joe would do a full album with just that kind of tone and playing.
It is always a treat to see Joe
That's a sweet guitar. It's always great to see Joe at Norman's!
Holy crap, those ending licks were outrageous 🤯
Always love it when Joe stops by. He's an inspiration. Greetings from Utica guys.
Yea; another shout out from the Mohawk Valley!!! Go Joe !!!!!!!
I just got this guitar yesterday (American original series) and now this vid came out... wonderful
Just watched a clip of James hunter Norm, so amazing. Literally brought tears to my eyes because I’ve never heard him before. So outstanding, thank you for mentioning him...
Of course he's taking it.
I love a hardtail strat.
✌
Hardtail Strat's sound like sitting beside a fire place with rain coming down outside. They're just so cozy.
When you're talking with guitarists, you're always competing with the noodling!
Why did Fender stop making hardtails? They need to bring back a Mexico and an American Strat with hardtails...and put reverb on the 007.
I have the 2015 limited edition Longboard Strat and it is a hardtail.
@William Harvey reverb.com/item/31717219-fender-longboard-stratocaster-2015-natural
Mark Kerns tom delong and jim root signatures are hard tail. I gave up my search for a hardtail strat and bought a tele
@@garyhoffman1 I have the 70's hardtail from the series.
@@garyhoffman1 Just got a lmtd Troposphere myself Love it
I hope Bonamassa has a good home security system.
I hope his display/storage has a great fire prevention system to keep his treasures safe!
Hopefully an armed guard.
The bad part is he basically advertises what he's got on his video
: Welcome To Nerdville: Inside Joe Bonamassa's Museum and Vintage Guitar Collection
@@1000mg. Hopefully they're better than Jeffrey Epstein's armed guards.
he better have everything insured.
I know he's Gibson sponsored, but I prefer him playing a strat
Might be converted to hardtails myself!
Matthew Scott
YOU'VE GOTTA GET ONE
THE OVERTONE SERIES AND UPPER PARTIALS REACT DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU TEASE IT IN FRONT OF A GOOD TUBE AMPLIFIER
YOU'VE GOTTA GET ONE
CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042
Thought I might find you in this comment section. Looking for to seeing yours done!
@@GuitarlosCarlos "UPPER PARTIALS"? LOL!! Bro, we ain't talking about replacement teeth here hahahaha
You’ve been blessed with a Carlos ALL CAPS comment. Excited to see how your strat project turns out!
@@GuitarlosCarlos hes got a 58 strat body thats hes paring with either a 1964 or 65 neck (if im not wrong) hes putting together and he also has a mary kay and many more vintage guitars and gear like a 59 bassman ang 65 and 64 super reverb and his main guitar with is a 59 sunburst strat
Robert Cray would love this guitar
so would i.
I would love it more.
Simone Di Marzio they being Norm’s had a hard tail special color red custom shop Robert Cray strat for sale. But when you ask them online about it they don’t bother answering. Typical. Either you just blindly buy it from 3,000 miles away or you get ignored. Unless your Joe of course.
But maybe Jeff Beck wouldn't :)
@@sickb2200 Ha! AMEN!
I wish my left hand could move like that... Fun to watch, thanks!
I'm a recent convert to all things HT. The intonation comes across crystal clear. There's no,"it's- kinda-outta-tune-even-when-it-is-freshly -tuned" sort of thing I find consistently on whichever Trem-Strat I play.
Ht Strat's - and you can hear it loud & clear in this video - each and every note is strong, clearly intonated and in tune, and they all just riiing wonderfully clean! If I could have a HT Strat, I would choose it over a trem- strat anyday of the year!
That's what makes Teles so great. Even Jazzmasters, I'm all about a stoptail & tun-o-matic instead of the stock, flawed, tremolo- bridge system. I've got my eyes on one now, as it happens. However, I've always thought if I get a stock Jazzmaster, I'll mod it thusly, anyway.
All EQ's @ Noon and GOBS O REVERB !!!
Awesome looking Strat. I think the Fiesta Red might be my favorite of the red Strats. My Holy Grail of Strats. This one is still phenomenal though!
Me too Joe....Hardtail strats are the only ones I like......but then I’m a tele guy.
Oh man, love, love, love the hard tail Strats, love this gang.
When it comes to hardtail Strat players, have to give the great Walter Trout a shout. Always good to see Joe and Norm chatting together.
Sound great - very noticeable difference. Hard tail Strats have never interested me but now I 'get it',
I love Joes guitar work and wish him well with that Strat but I thought Mike absolutely slayed it with his playing of that same guitar for his 200th GOTD episode.
Sucks cause we'll never see this guitar again. If Paul had it, it would be front and center like it should be.
You may get to see it played live on a dvd or something as Joe plays vintage guitars live.
So what?Is this so important in your life?Its just a guitar.
What are you talking about? JB plays most of his vintage guitars live, every night! His vintage guitars are front and center in every show and every album.
Congratulations Joe ! She's a beaut ! 😎🎸👍
So many Les Paul's and Fender Twin amps to last three lifetimes!!! And using them as scratch posts?! That is so awesome! I've been playing 20 years and still can't afford alas Paul or Fender Twin amp.
I would love to take one off your hands! I promise I will cherish it and put it on my dining room table forever!!!🤤
Oooo lovely red strat😍!
I was fortunate enough to see BB King, Joe Bonamassa, and Kenny Wayne Shepard in September of 2004 at Meadowbrook in New Hampshire.
If I had powerball coin, I would spend every weekend there buying cool gear. What a treasure store. I get to go to Killer Vintage in St. Louis and it’s nice, but this is a whole new level.
I'm sold! :-) Joe's the best!
This explains why I went straight on the Norman’s site right after guitar of the day 🎸 and it wasn’t there :(.
I’m wanting one and finally have the means.
Joe is happy as a child ;) This is a passion for guitars ...
Nice ✊ Nice Strat, nice chat 🤘
I was trying to put Joe’s guitar collection into perspective. Behind them on the left are hanging (roughly) 75 electric guitars. 25 guitars in a row x 3 levels.
Picture 5 walls with that many guitars and you’re close to the same number in Joe’s collection. Not jealous at all!
This may be one of the sweetest sounding strats I’ve heard
Hardtails are wonderful, I like more the sunburst color, thanks Normans ...love your videos!
What a guitar. Won’t get enough playing with Joe I’m guessing, since he has so many. Kind of a shame, better with him though than some collector who just puts it up on a wall, or in a vault
My Squier Bullet Stratocaster Hardtail cost $150 new. In stock form it sounds and plays at least 30% as good as the Strat in this video. So I think I got a really good deal.
You got to hear this in person trust me
I had the chance and privilegie to try it too, before Joe got it !!!
Very Nice Guitar !!!!
Love hardtails.. I have one. 50th anniversary in Olympic white.
Wow!!!! Great sounding Strat!!!! I would love to be able to play like Joe!!! =)
Just another ho-hum Saturday at Norman's for Joe B. Can he never be great and sincerely humble...👍😃🎸🎶🎵🎼
Me: Sees Paul Davids play the guitar.
Joe Bonamassa: Aight imma head out.
Joe is the man!
I'm glad Joe is going to be looking after "my Strat". It isn't my Strat but it is my ideal Strat and that's that.
that guitar sounds great, it has real warmth and a lovely quack the rosewood neck helps with the warmth i guess, it might have something to do with the player as well :-)
I have a 79 Antigua hardtail Strat. Love it
hey...me too. is it all flakey aged?
@@kevincolliss2877 yup. It leaves paint chips on me sometimes.
lol. same here 😆
Remember, when you go to a Bonamassa concert, you are eventually subsidizing Norman's Rare Guitars 😅😅😅
11:20 Joe plays strat
"I have enough tweed amps as a scratching post, if I come back as a cat for 4 life times"
The most humble guitarist today.
No that would be Julian Lage.
Guthrie Govan?
Another great review from Normans Rare Guitars 🎸
Joe B is definitely right about the « extra 5% » sound of hard tails strats
After seeing how much stuff Walter Becker left for auction after he died, I sobered up and decided to avoid GAS at all costs. I don't envy other guitars like I used to anymore.
That is a fantastic looking and sounding Strat!
a amazing lovely guitar . sounds magic .
Gorgeous guitar.
This Joe fella's not bad on guitar.
now that guy has some fast fingers , some very fancy fret work.
Hey, Joe! Where ya goin' with that guitar in your hand?
"Red Robin" is also a DC Comics character, one of the extended Batman family. Red Robin was actually Tim Drake, Robin #4 (later Tim Wayne). Guitars are not my sole nerdiness.
Going down to shoot my old lady...ya know I caught her messing round with another man.....huh and that ain’t to cool.....but that damn hardtail is.
@@Gratefulman1965 Ha, ha, you must like Hendrix. Come to think of it. Didn't he play a Strat?😁
Joe boss amasser!! Of strats and epic guitars
I mean, at this point "Bonamassa owned" means like half of the guitars on earth so...
The good half.
Actually, I'm fairly certain Billy Gibbons is way ahead of him. He has/had an actual warehouse. Before he sold them off, Clapton had an ungodly amount. Jimmy Page also has a warehouse like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Just a great player on a great guitar. And get that man a burger!! 🍔🎸 🍔 🎸🍔 🎸
lol this makes me think of band rehearsals where the band is discussing stuff and i’m straight noodling through the conversation .. untill i get shushed
Hard tail Awesomeness. And our friend Lakota John will be on an upcoming Joe Blues Cruise. So exciting
I don’t have any issue with my standard Strat tremolo or my Floyd rose. They always stay in tune even with crazy dives. I only have 3 springs on them and the stock blocks…..
My bigsby on the other hand I can never get it to return to pitch. I’ve tried everything and upgraded all the hardware and still nothing. I can get by , by lifting up on the bar until it returned to pitch. It’s rather annoying though. I tried a stiffer spring and a lighter one, also all shorts of gauge strings. Always have the issue
Legendary
Such a pleasure...
There is a solution that gives you both the benefits of the tremolo and the tone/stability of a hard-tail. It's called the Blade Runner by Super Vee. It's the best Strat upgrade EVER conceived and built. I am not going into detail here, just Google it to see how it works, but the difference it will make to your tone is stunning. You get 100% vibration transfer from the strings into the body 100% of the time and it always comes back to true zero. No modifications needed and it comes in two styles. It will fit the two post modern trem and one for the neanderthal six bolt rocking POS that Fender should be ashamed about. They're only about $170 and you will be amazed. Really amazed.
Beautiful Strat, I sure love it!
Dream guitar.
That extra “5%” goes a long way.
automatics1im costs a lot too
Glad to see my 64 Strat is getting more attention due to Norm!
Did Michael Lemmo turn down Joe's amp when he was playing while Norm was trying to talk to Michael? Brave man if so.
Minute?
There is a 63 CAR hardtail in Norm's book. Probably the same guitar but now it's a 64?
I love this channel so much!
999 people out of a 1000 don't know how to use the tremolo. This sounds AMAZING
Beautiful Strat!
I want a hardtail strat so badly. Just haven't found "that one" yet.
what's a VOX valvetronix doing in Norm's?
So cool! I dig it! Joe is such a musical genius! Micheal is getting an education that is priceless! Love it!
You really do want to know the specifics of this deal between Joe and Norm ! Joe knows so much about guitars ,Amps. Scary!
Deep strat sound. Excelente
I want to start playing guitar and love jimi and John frussiante. Is there a hardtale stratocaster that i can buy and is nog to extensive? Haha👌🤙😍
First strat I owned was a hardtail. It did sound better than a trem model far as I'm concerned.
Buddy Guy , Clapton , Robert Cray are biggest names on plays Stratocaster wihout the tremolo bar and right now Blackmore because he said : “ I don’t plays with the tremolo bar anymore because I’m not on tune “
And the other guy is Mark Knopfler on the early years of Dire Straits he played with the tremolo bar and through the years he don’t use because never plays a dive bomb but I’m not sure on the video of Calling Elvis on the last dire straits record from 1991 he makes a standard tremolo sound .
And the last guitar player Neal Schon ( Journey)maybe sometimes plays tremolo specially Floyd rose but only on his PRS and les Paul but he left the bar tremolo and plays blues improvisation and later songs like : Lights / Still they ride , I’ll be alright wihout you , loving touching squeezing sometimes but definitely he don’t plays with tremolo like on the early 80’s with the Eddie Van Halen influences and Hendrix but 2 guys still rocking with all the equipment ( standard tremolo bar ) Yngwie Malmsteen and Jeff Beck !
My God, it sounds good!!
I would love to see Joe’s collection of guitars. Any chance?
Ronald Mason there is a video! One sec I’ll link it to you here
ua-cam.com/video/ctx86V-GI8A/v-deo.html
Evan Keough Thanks Evan
Ronald Mason no worries. It’s incredible the collection he has.
Evan Keough - What a beautiful collection of Gibson and Fender guitars and amps!
Did he just say over 400 guitars and counting, yikes. If I was a professional musician similar to Mr. J. B. I would of have done the same thing myself.🎸🎸🎸🎸++ Thanks Joe and keep on rocking.
I’ve never played a hardtail Stratocaster but have always liked the sounds people get out of them. Do Fender actually build a production hardtail Stratocaster?
Henry Hunter Yes. The Robert Cray MIM signature model is a hard tail.
What a beauty.......