1960s Norma EG-673 (Teisco-made) Hollowbody Electric Guitar

The headstock reads "Norma" but this is definitely a Teisco-made (Japan) product and features their usual mix of odd hardware and pickup choices. This is an upgrade version of this guitar model, featuring rosewood veneer for the body wood. It gives it a sort-of "Fender Coronado" look in its own, space-alien way.

The main event with this guitar is its completely odd wiring. It has a main slider switch that reads "all-on" or "select-on." That toggles between all of the pickups on all the time and a selector knob right next to this main slider. The selector knobs lets you toggle between neck, bridge, treble-only, and bass-only. The last two options are weird but could be useful... maybe... at some point? In addition there's a master volume control on the lower bout and a master tone control.

The master tone control is actually a 3-way selector with three modes: bypass, low-value tone cap, and medium-value tone cap. I like this better than a roll-off tone pot because you "know what you're getting" with a flip of the wrist and the capacitors seem to "load" differently in this configuration, giving you some of that "Esquire thing" going-on.

Anyhow, post-repairs, this is a sturdy, practical, interesting guitar and it plays spot-on. It has a bright, jangly tone to begin-with that can be altered to suit fairly easily in whatever way you desire. The repairs/modifications added stiffness and rigidity to the body and whammy, too, which means that this is one of the only Teisco-style hollowbodies I've played where the whammy actually stays in tune about as well as a decent Bigsby.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, install of a 1/2" dowel running from the neckblock to the endblock internally (this adds much better body rigidity = keeps the neck joint stable), replacement spring for the whammy, stabilization of the whammy (screwed it down to the top to keep its base rigid), minor repair to the bridge base, cleaning, and setup. My guy Ancel did the fret level/dress work and I did the rest.

Body wood: two-piece solid mahogany (top/bottom) w/veneers

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: ebony

Neck wood: mahogany

Pickups: 1x hofner

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 46w-10

Neck shape: medium-full C

Board radius: 12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 24 3/4"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Body width: 15 3/4"

Body depth: 1 7/8" + arching

Weight: 6 lbs 15 oz

Condition notes: it's completely original save for the whammy spring, the truss cover, and some locking, Kluson-looking tuners the "last guy" put on. It's in good overall shape, though the back does have plenty of buckle rash and finish wear and tear. The front is pretty clean, though. The neck has a few nicks and dings on its rear as well -- but nothing that detracts or bothers.

It comes with: a gigbag (not pictured, but decent).