1960s Norma EG-405-2 Redburst MIJ Vintage Electric Guitar w/ Original Gold Foils

Super cool and undeniably quirky vintage Norma EG-405-2 built by the Tombo factory in Japan circa 1965–1969 and imported into the United States under the Norma brand by Norman Sackheim during the golden era of wildly creative Japanese guitar design.

If you’re into obscure vintage Japanese guitars, this one checks a lot of boxes — aggressive offset styling, oversized chrome hardware, original gold foil pickups, rocker switches, and that unmistakable garage rock / catalog guitar vibe that made brands like Norma so collectible today.

This example has just been fully restored electronically here at the shop. Everything is functioning properly and the guitar has been cleaned, restrung, and professionally set up as low as possible while still playing cleanly overall.

Current action:

• .12" at the 12th fret on the low E
• .10" at the 12th fret on the high E

Like many vintage Japanese guitars from this era, the neck angle and construction limit how low these can comfortably go, but this one plays surprisingly well for what it is and absolutely nails that raw vintage feel.

The original long string tree on the headstock had broken at some point in its life, so two smaller replacement string trees were professionally installed for stability and playability. You can still see the original mounting holes on the headstock.

Cosmetically, this guitar has plenty of honest vintage wear throughout including scratches, finish checking, dings, oxidation, and several larger finish cracks in the body. The finish cracks are cosmetic and very typical for a Japanese guitar of this age.

The original gold foil pickups have a wonderfully trashy, bright, garage-rock character with a ton of personality. Perfect for:

• Vintage garage rock
• Surf
• Psychedelic
• Lo-fi recording
• Indie
• Collector display pieces

A genuinely cool piece of Japanese guitar history that stands out immediately in a room full of guitars.

Does not include original whammy bar.

Includes gig bag.

Case: Soft

Scale Length: 24.75“

Nut Width: 1.68“

Fret Wear: 9.8/10

Action at 12F (6th): .12“

Action at 12F (1st): .1“

Weight: 5lbs 2oz

Overall Condition: 7/10

Internal Use (Bin) - V2