1 1/2 minute read: On 05/06/2026, Greg Sinclair and I,…read morearrived at NORMANS RARE GUITARS as previously planned by Greg. 1 1/2 minute read Today (05/05/26), ahead of the invitation extended (to me) by esteemed colleague- Greg Sinclair, Administrator of a FACEBOOK renowned Surf Group "TUBES", today I went on a scouting mission. Relying on GOOGLE'S Siri, I arrived around 09:15 hrs m, to find business hours had been slightly rearranged at Norman's Rare Guitar Shop. Not being one to waste time, in the same little strip mall (TOPEKA VENTURA PLAZA) I saw a coffee shop (PEET'S) and decided to treat myself to some (coffee), and I did. I went in, got hot black coffee & a Blueberry Muffin. Before realizing it, it was 11 am. So I mozied'on'over to NORMAN's. The video I took, as I approached the guitar shop main door, will tell you more than words could ever say. Once I was in the guitar shop, I felt a nostalgic Deja-Vu pinching me. The same atmosphere, feel, sounds surrounded me like when I used to go to Sam Ash and other, now gone, guitar & Pawn shops. Be that as it may, I hope my photography will satisfy your curiosity of this scouting mission I went on today and as always ... ... thank you for stopping by! 05/06/26 ... UPDATE As promised, Greg Sinclair drove from Redondo Beach (I think) up to my place in North Hollywood, and picked me up. AS YOU RECALL. Greg has been inviting me to accompany him to go to NORMAN'S RARE GUITAR SHOP. We first had lunch on Venture Blvd at BLU JAM. It was very trendy for me, at least. Then we got to the guitar shop and Greg introduced me to Michael, whom you will see a short clip playing one of their guitars. Greg and I had a very satisfying visit at NORMAN'S, as we strolled around inside. We also met another guitarist who works there-Joey, I believe and if I'm wrong, I will correct my error. They have live music on certain days and as soon as I can get their schedule, I'll share it! All in all, THANK YOU, GREG, for your considerate invitation, picking me up at home, treating me to a fabulous lunch at BLU JAM restaurant, a fun time at NORMAN'S RARE GUITARS, and best of all ... your companionship. Update, 05/17/2026: Click link https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02sSQznzKewuHeGR2yfjHRxaA7qc6x88RgkhxcGj3FtyF6DHE6u1HKH878WtavKUvUl&id=1222849448&mibextid=wwXIfr

You don't really find out about a business until something goers wrong and you get to see how they…read morehandle it. My co-worked was retiring soon so I ordered him a couple of t shirts because he always would talk about how many great guitars this place had. So I ordered him two t-shirts last month but one of them they sent was the wrong size. So I emailed them the day I got them about it and I got a return email telling me to send them a picture to prove they screwed up and they would then send me a return email detailing the process of how I could get what I paid for. So the same day I got the email I retuned the email with the pictures proving they sent the wrong size in one of the t-shirts and then I heard nothing... So I emailed them multiple times over several weeks with no reply. But then last week I got an email saying sorry we screwed up and your t-shirt will ship out that day. Well, I never got a shipping confirmation and a week later I still have no t-shirt. This has been going on for weeks. Luckily, I didn't order anything expensive from them. If they can screw up something so simple as a t shirt and fail to quickly remedy it, how are they going to treat you when you have spent thousands of dollars and there is a problem?? If you are not famous or in the music business, probably the same way they have treated me.

Walked into Guitar Center looking for a pack of guitar strings. James slowly emerged from behind a…read morewall of amps like he'd just been summoned by the opening riff of Sweet Child O' Mine. He looked at my guitar, closed his eyes for a few seconds, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "Yeah... she's got potential, man." Then he scratched his beard, stared at the ceiling like he was downloading a firmware update directly from the Rock Gods, and quietly said, "Follow me." What followed was less of a shopping trip and more of a spiritual pilgrimage. We wandered Guitar Center for what felt like three business days. Along the way he high-fived a drummer, had a philosophical debate with a bass player about whether tone is a mindset or a lifestyle, explained signal chains using a slice of pizza, a lava lamp, and what I'm pretty sure was quantum physics, then disappeared into the acoustic room. He eventually reappeared riding an office chair, tuned three guitars without looking, handed me the exact strings I needed, recommended an obscure pedal from 1987, and an album I'd never heard of that has since changed my life. Before I could thank him, he simply nodded, muttered, "Rock on, dude," and vanished back behind the amp wall like a cryptid protecting the sacred tones. I still don't know if James actually works at Guitar Center or if he only materializes whenever someone's tone is in danger.

We come here to get all the things that we need to make a good music. They have everything that I…read moreneed and i'm very grateful for the people that help me.

Sam is the man! Did a great job setting up my Gretsch and Fender P Bass. Thanks againread more

Awesome work and knowledgeable owner. Highly recommend. Really cool shop. Sam is great. Thanks.read more

I've trusted Eric's for many years for everything from refrets and re-radius to building…read morepartscasters and simple setups. No matter what it is, Eric will give you quality and he's honest. He will never talk you into work you don't need. Billy is amazing too. Best part is they will make adjustments on the work til your axe feels magical.

I'm a pretty average guitar player. 13 years ago, I treated myself to a Martin HD28 guitar. I was…read morehoping it would make me a better player, but in reality it just allowed me to be just as average, but sounding much better. It's a great sounding guitar. I played the factory settings for all these years and thought everything was great. Then, I took it to Eric's for a setup. WOW. The guitar plays so much better all up and down the neck, is correctly intonated and even to my "average-guitar-player" ears, sounds even better. Eric treated me like a king. He's obviously someone who loves what he does and values all clients, whether they are pros are someone like me who just dabbles. GREAT job, thanks, Eric!

I visited this place last week, nice set of guitars and very friendly. Prices seem very reasonable.read more

Great to have a local music shop I have purchased several…read moreitems over the last few years. Friendly service.

I know where I'll be shopping for my next guitar!…read more I was in the market for a 12-string Takamine. I went to all the major retailers and found absolutely nothing!! I did my research and found this place. I met with Jerry and he had exactly what I was looking for!!!! In addition to finding my guitar, he gave me a great deal on it! Thanks again Jerry!

This is a RARE gem of a guitar shop and Jerry is the man…read more I've been playing classical for 20+ years and was looking at the La Patrie line of guitars. Went in for a jam session and the showroom was set up, ready, and Jerry was waiting for me. Ultimately, the Collection QI was what I settled on and honestly, it's worth twice what I paid for it AND it came with a free SKB case! You will get excellent care and a fabulous deal here. Oh, and there is also some great inventory Jerry told me about while I was there, so ask what else might be in stock. You might leave with more than just one guitar!

The Valley is the soul of LA youth culture and rock and rolls roots that ID this city. No place…read morebetter defines the core of LA's music authenticity than Gerard and his talented wife's awesome shop full of vintage guitars and me. Operated from a passion for Beatles and classic standards, old school quality customer service & lessons that inspire talent you didn't know you had - this place deserves your business I'm posting about a year since my original post to Yelp with an update on this incredible gem of a guitar store to simply say: Yes!! Everything I said above is absolutely true and more! If you're reading this post to consider music lessons or to purchase an instrument, look no further. Instead find a friend for life in these two and discover something wonderful within the joys of sharing music along the journey. Happy strumming!

I started taking guitar lessons with Teri in January of this year. I played piano and french horn…read moregrowing up so I already knew how to read music, but I always wanted to play guitar and didn't have the discipline to learn it when I was younger. In the ~6 months I've been with Teri & Gerard, I've begun to learn how and why music works the way it does, and not just how to read what's written on the page. My lessons are completely customized based on what I want to learn. I have learned everything from scales and arpeggios to classical Spanish songs to improvising blues riffs. I can bring in a song, let Teri listen to it a bit, and then she'll teach me how to play it. It's amazing! They are honest and generous people and I really enjoy my weekly lesson. I've only bought one guitar from them when I started, but I wouldn't bother going anywhere else if I wanted another. I think their prices are more than reasonable and they've always been straightforward about how the lesson scheduling and prices work. Teri and Gerard have always been kind enough to give me free extra time on my lesson whenever it works out that way with scheduling, and they've given me great prices on any merchandise I've picked up. I highly recommend Teri and Gerard!

I love this store and eagerly awaiting it to re-open. All the others are far from home. This is MY…read moreguitar center

My experience was in reverse. Returning the item was more pleasant than purchasing the item. We…read morewent there to buy a speaker for our son. Buying it was a bit stressful, the answer to our questions were hard to come by and we had to carry this big speaker to the car. That said the experience wasn't bad, but, I believe for someone like me who doesn't have knowledge of speakers, a little more education would have been helpful. I am sure this an ideal place for musicians who know what they want. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong speaker. When I returned it, the staff member was pleasant and didn't make a fuss about it.

I've been a collector and player of vintage classical and flamenco guitars for more than 10 years…read more I own several guitars I got from Dan. He has built a solid client base from around the world, and they often turn to him to buy or sell their guitars. His service is great, instrument quality is excellent, and his prices are fair. The fine guitars business is a pretty small world, and I can tell you he's the most trustworthy of the bunch. He's eager to earn your business, but he's a no-pressure guy. He has an inventory that rivals the larger dealers. Before you buy, see what he has in stock.

I purchased a terrific guitar from Dan over the Internet. He was honest, straightforward, had…read moregreat followup ( UPS was not at its finest ) and a pleasure to deal with. His pricing extremely fair. I highly recommend him and would trust his view on a particular instrument. I also sold him a guitar and that too was an easy and smooth process Thank you Dan

I am a beginner and though Mory works with lots of professionals as well, he treated me with…read moreattention and care and helped me get my used clarinet up and running. He recommended a great mouthpiece and reeds for me and has taken care of me twice since with minor repairs.

I was referred to Mory by my sons middle school teacher (who was a student of Morys)…read more I first went to Mory for a simple saxophone inspection. (I've been back several times since). From the very first moment I met him when he opened the door I immediately felt how amazing he is. There's just something about him thats impossible to describe, but you just know he's has a genuinely good soul. Mory is friendly, welcoming, patient, detail oriented and extremely knowledgeable. Mory's repair skills are unmatched, he is a literal instrument wizard. On top of that his pricing is very reasonable. I would highly recommend Mory for any woodwind or brass instrument needs you may have, you absolutely wont regret it!