The maintenance technician is a true specialist. Fantastic guitar.

NORM!!!! please do more of these kinds of videos 👍 there is an audience of people like me who aren't kids that have a thirst for, and appreciate this kind of knowledge. and this repair guy is top notch!

If that gets refinished I’m gonna cry 😭😭

Masa! you are THE MAN! Exceptional! and humble

I love all of this guitar tech stuff. It's a fascinating combination of technical know-how and historical knowledge.

I was born in 1953 and my Stratocaster that I got in a pawnshop in Chicago in 1971 is a 1954 number 260 Taddio Gomez did the neck and Gloria did the wiring which is what I have named her Strats are pretty cool Great channel

Should do more of these Normie

this is the future - people love these types of videos - the internal workings of vintage guitars is very interesting to the question of why some guitars are amazing and why some are not. Like people, we are generally the same - but with interesting differences that are not so easy to first explain.

The luthier has great hands, very, very careful and precise in a very imprecise world. Ooooodles of experience, just watching him remove the pickup covers, skill baby, skill! Thanks,

Here it is 2021. We are going through very difficult times and this 1954 Fender Stratocaster seems to make it all better. Just makes me feel good that it is still around. Thanks, Norman!

Schweet, Great job Norman this video takes me to a great song While My Guitar Gently Weeps,If it could only talk of what it has endured over the past 68 plus years,thanks for a great video.

Guitar archeology, love it.

I'm always completely fascinated by the shows with Norm. I can sit for hours and watch them...

I love the color of this old Strat. It looks very similar to the Bourbon Burst finish on Fender´s 75th Anniversary Commemorative Stratocasters. Beautiful!

Such a great history lesson, thank you. I have a 63 that’s precious to me seeing 54 taken apart is a rare gift :-)

The pickups are upside down because it once was used as a lefty. Very common mod when you have staggered pickups.

I could watch these type of videos endlessly, love the history and Norm's analysis is always really interesting, tremendous video.

Its like watching a surgeon, awesome guitar tech

Best video from Norm's shop in a LONG time... Love the format & subject matter.. Please consider doing more

This is, by far, my favorite channel on KZfaq!! Thank you for all the hours of education, inspiration and entertainment!!

1:45 A relic job on this guitar would be sacrilege. It's bad enough to put fake wear and tear on a guitar to look like you have played it for years, but to put fake wear and tear on a guitar that has real wear and tear on it is something I can't understand.

Wow. This was so informative and interesting! Thank you Norm, Masa and whoever was running the camera. I would enjoy seeing more videos like this.

Norm is nuts! He would be willing to strip it, repaint it and relic it? It is a relic!

Always been curious about the techs @ Norman's. Great gig working on some very cool guitars. More of this kind of content please!

These kind of videos are so relaxing to watch.. love it

Greatest guitar shop in the Nation. Thanks Norm for all you do. What a find thanks for sharing!!

Amazing vidéo of a LEGENDARY instrument !!! Love it 👍. Cheers from France 🇨🇵

DON'T TOUCH THAT COLOR! That's one of the most beautiful colors I've seen on a Strat. It's original (implying for a refinish), and unusual. It's looks like a piece of Brach's caramel.

More vids like this, please Norm. Watching these old guitars being brought back, is fascinating. Personally I’m rather partial to Sienna burst type finishes, so would probably leave as is, if it were mine😁

My very first guitar was a 1954 Stratocaster, serial number 0517 or 0571 ... too long ago to remember (1963-1965).

Norm should do more of this, hopefuly on really beat tour guitars from some iconic guitarrists

So much knowledge and experience instantly noticing the changes like an autopsy. It’s in good hands now and will be returned to correct set up. Make more videos like this 🙏

Back in the 60s and 70s I redid several guitars in my parents storage shed for myself and all my friends. Most of the time I used paint for model cars and for motorcycles. I would spend weeks after school sanding down every little nick and scratch replacing parts and rebuilding each one. My Dad did some wood working and showed me how to steam dents out and make the wood sooth. Most of the guitars were good name brands that were ugly and well used from pawn shops. Loved the video it brought back a lot of memories.

I’ve got a 2010, but same beautiful wood and color. She’s the best piece of ash I’ve ever had.

Love Your Videos......always the Straight Shot. Much appreciated. :)

This is one of the most beautiful colors I have ever seen on a guitar... Such a beauty!!

I could watch this tech work on guitars for hours. Do more vids like this pls.

I learned a few things that I should have known (or noticed) a long time ago. Thanks, Norm !

Very interesting work that goes into verification of a guitar! Good stuff

LOVE THESE VIDEOS

This is really great content!

Great stuff, thanks Norm.

Thanks for posting this up Norman. Very interesting. If anyone says to you that you're lucky to have a job like this tell them.... "Yes. And the harder I work, the luckier I get.!!"

"Heavy Build" formvar wire on the pickups ! That is why the bobbin is so full and its just under 6 K ! I made some with the same wire and they sound fantastic ! Wonderful video !!Thank You

That is a really nice 'burst finish, I must say!

fascinating. thx norm & crew .. .

Awesome video! thanks guys!

The reason the pickups are in backwards is a left-handed player had this at one time.

For a time people turned Strat pickups around to simulate the way Hendrix's guitars were oriented (Low E string over the high E string pickup pole). That may be what happened on this one.

Yes, more of these videos please Norm.

Yes, more of these please. Very ASMR.

- puts pickups in backwards - "Huh, these aren't fitting now. Guess I better route out the wood to make them fit" 🤦

This was interesting to watch. I don't like to pull the pickguard with pickups attached though when inspecting. I know you guys are experts, but I find it much easier to pull the knobs, remove the locknuts from the pots, unscrew the pickups and pickguard and lift the pickguard off leaving all the electronics in place. Old wiring can be fragile and twisting a loaded pickguard around can be problematic along with the potential to damage the finish with a pickup height screw you slip up.

This is was cool to see the ends and outs of these old guitars

ANWE NEED MORE OF THESE NORMAN WATCHING MASA WORK AT HIS BENCH IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE THAT 99.9% OF YOUR VIEWERS HAVE NO INSIGHT INTO A PERFECT RESTORATION CANDIDATE PERSONALLY ME NO LIKEY RELICING JUST THE BEST VIDEO IN A LONG TIME THANK YOU NORMAN & MASA MAN CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042

I love the light Burst

I reckon it WAS a deliberate act to put the pickups in upside down and not a mistake due to the influence of Jimi Hendrix and the notion that his pickups would be “upside down“ in relation to a left-handed player👍

I actually love that finish, I’ve been looking for the modern American ash body with that color (Sienna sunburst) for awhile they are difficult to find, they don’t, or can’t use ash anymore… I’d leave it alone, put some new strings on it clean the pots and play the heck out I’d it… In no way whatsoever would I want a fake “relicted” 54, nope…. What it looks like now is what it is… long as it plays…

Very cool! Thanks Norm!

This was brilliant to watch

That burst color reminds me of the current performer series strat burst.

Interesting, I didn't realize they had them with a 3 way switch. I thought all strats were 5 way, you learn something new every day.

Great video norm....please do more of these

Great video, more of these please.

Cool really enjoyed this one, maybe do more like this

...perhaps the guitar was set up for a player like Eric Gales ie. strings back to front? ...might explain the pick-ups being upside down especially as the poles are staggered?

0269!!! What a gem! Could be worth a fortune at a reputable auction if the right people heard about it.

Fascinating. Thanks!

I would have loved to see a proper restoration of this guitar.

Do a vid of restoring this guitar....

Learned alot. Thank you.

That was fascinating, thanks!

More videos with Masa, please!

This video got sooo much better once "The Sales Guy" left the room.

I have a 1954 Strat. #0859. Ash but the body was treated badly in the 50's. The neck is beautiful but probably shaved down a bit. Original tuners on it and I have the original pickups but I put newer old ones in it. Some where I have the original saddles and the tone controls. Bought it in 72 and played it a long time but not anymore. It's retired I guess. They are the original frets. The best thing is how great the neck is....

I agree! That color is beautiful.

1:58 - couldn’t disagree more...imo, it’s precisely because the sunburst is that light that it looks as beautiful as it does.

Backwards pickups: maybe the original owner was trying to imitate Hendrix's strat tone on a right-handed guitar?

Your friend Bonamassa had a concert in Carnage Hall and just knocked it out of the park, great jobZ!

I am excited just watching this.

I hear this would be a great guitar to restore guys

i love that he feels the need to have an assistant to take the neck off for him! Man,I'll never get those 20 mins back!!!

Love old strats! Iconic guitars

it's so interesting how his work surface is so organized.

There's a possibility that the pickups were fitted upside down in an attempt to get closer to the Hendrix tone

Since it's already been worked on, there's no reason not to take it back to period-correct!

This is unintentional asmr 😴😴😴😴 Awesome thanks norm!

Lovely. '54 has short skirt knobs, football switch tip, round bakelite pickup covers... and yeah '54s didn't have BLACK outer ring of burst color. It was dark brown. Such a cool video and guitar. Thanks!

Sometimes when norm wants something to be what he thinks it is, he will literally come up with every excuse as to why this or that is not correct at all lol don’t get me wrong norm has the greatest guitars and does know his shit but it’s like come on buddy…. You can’t win them all lol great episode though!

Wonder if the pickups were mounted upside down to try and achieve a Hendrix tone?

Ultimate Sound !! Crazy ! :D

Watching this at the end of 2022 going to 2023 tomorrow!! Happy New Year to all!!

Note , If you see the guitar used by Buddy Holly , all the pickup covers were broken !

I learned something years ago, dont mess with things you know little to nothing about.

Great assessment.

Great Job!

who would customize a 54 Strat? And relic it?!!! Did I hear right?

I had an old Strat that I called Leo Fender about back in the '80's. I knew it was an old Strat, so I called Leo Fender when he was at Music Man in LA. He told me how to find the date it was made by removing the pick guard and there would be a piece of masking tape with a date it was built. That is when I found out the age of the guitar. It had a 1954 date on the tape just like he said. I called him back the next day and he told me I had one of the first 500 prototypes they made. He told me they only made 500 to begin with because, as he put it "we didn't know if the thing would sell". He was happy to know the guitar was still out there being used. He also said the number on the neck plate had nothing to do with the age. They had a box of plates and put them on the guitars in no certain order. BTW, I only paid $20 buck for it because the guy who had it was a friend and told me the 3-way switch was broken and all the pick-ups were all wired together. He said it sounded OK, but not great. Enjoyed the video.

I like the color as it is... put it playable and it´s good... nice video

That Milwaukee tool he is using.. I have the exact same one.. for building industrial control wiring. Love that tool. Fantastic tool. BTW