Europe guitarist John Norum’s 1974 Fender Stratocaster, a 3-tone Sunburst model with Rosewood Fingerboard & Fender Tolex Case is FOR SALE now.
THE JOHN NORUM STRAT STORY
When I saw this Fender Stratocaster on eBay ten years ago, I fell in love with the beautiful sunburst finish and the very dark rosewood of the fingerboard. Even then mid sixties Strats were not available for me, so I had to go for a Seventies model and ignore the bullet on the neckplate. And I also liked the orange inside of the original hardcase a lot, that had the flair of my seventies teenage years.
During our correspondence Robert, the previous owner, told me, the guitar was owned and used in studio by a world famous Guitarist! Robert wrote me: „The Strat belonged to John Norum, guitarist and founder of the band Europe (The Final Countdown). It is still pictured and described on his website under Gear. Take a look at https://johnnorum.se/fender-stratocaster-1974/ – John is an incredible guitarist and Stratocaster player. I got the Strat through John Norum’s studio engineer, Michael Jessen.“
That sounded strange and I was not really sure, to believe him. Anyway, I bought the Stratocaster, and it really was an awesome instrument, that I played a lot from then on.
When I heard, that Europe reunited and planned touring again, I had the idea to finally clarify this question of origin: I found John Norum’s guitar technician Michael Jessen via the internet and then messaged him on Facebook and sent him some photos of the Strat. It wasn’t long before Michael replied: „Hi Lothar. Yes definitely Norum’s old Strat. Hope that will help you.“
Michael also confirmed that it is the 1974 Strat on John Norum’s website, where this Strat is described as follows: „Fender Stratocaster 1974 in mint condition! This guitar is super light and extremly resonant. The sound of this guitar reminds me a lot of Ritchie Blackmore’s sound on the album ,Burn’ (Deep Purple). As soon as you pick this guitar up you want to start playing that ,Burn’ riff..ha. It’s very ,straty’ sounding and loud! A great guitar!“
So this guitar has a story and she is definitely a piece of rock history by her first owner. It is without doubt John Norums ’74 Fender Stratocaster. He and his swedish band Europe, famous with their hit ,Final Countdown’, will be on tour again this year. They will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their album „The Final Countdown“ (1986) with a major European tour through 12 countries. The tour will include 19 concerts in September and October 2026, including dates in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, where the album will be performed in its entirety.
The following dates are scheduled in Germany, Switzerland and Austria:
12.10.2026, CH-Lausanne – Salle Metropole
13.10.2026, CH-Zürich – Volkshaus
16.10.2026, Stuttgart – Liederhalle
17.10.2026, AT-Wien – Gasometer
19.10.2026, Berlin – Admiralspalast
MORE? www.europetheband.com/tour
INTERLUDE: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
I have to say, though, that I really only knew „Final Countdown“ by Europe. A song I have very special memories of. It was quite prevalent, even overused, on mainstream German radio in the late 1980s. When I traveled across Turkey with my girlfriend in 1988, all the way to the Syrian border, the following happened regularly: We’d discover a small restaurant in some little town, usually playing Turkish music, when we came in. We’d sit down – and then the owners would recognize us as European tourists. Suddenly, the music would stop, another cassette would be put in, and then… „Tatataaahtah Tatatatata, Tatataaahtah Tatatatataaaahhhh We’re leaving together …“ That was a real running gag in our Turkey trip. Anyway, we had fun and liked the food. And John Norum’s guitar solo is still upper-world-class. I love it.
FOR SALE NOW: JOHN NORUM’S 1974 FENDER STRATOCASTER
John Norum’s old axe is a very fine 1974 Fender Stratocaster in 3-tone Sunburst. And this guitar is still in very good, almost mint condition! Some facts: Nitro laquered light weight Alder Body – only 3.42 kg. Typical early 70s colour fading. The frets are in great shape and the neck has a very comfortable medium C-profile. Great playability and Sound.
The three original and desired 1974 Fender Grey-Bottom-Pickups still have the staggered Polepieces all stamped ´74. They make it a great sounding Vintage Strat with the voice of the famous late 60/70s Rock Hits we all know, warm punchy with a lot of clarity. The Strat comes in its original period correct black Fender tolex case with orange interior.
Pots and a 5-way Switch have been changed at some time from wear out. Pat. Nr. 3.143.028 at the Peghead Logo on the headstock. Former old locking Tuners on the headstock were changed back to period correct 1970s Fender-Logo Tuners – therefore there is one small aditional hole under the Tuners. Capacitor, Plastics, Screws, Neckplate with Serial number all original. Only the backplate is missing – like on the photos on John Norum’s website
https://johnnorum.se/fender-stratocaster-1974/
The serial number on the neckplate is „576048“. www.guitardaterproject.org says: „Your guitar was made at the Fullerton Plant (Fender – CBS Era), USA in 1974. Production Number: 576048“
The guitar offered here is in ready-to-play condition and has been played over the last ten years. It has some minimal signs of wear. The pictures are part of the description.The electronics with the 5-way switch and potentiometers work perfectly, without crackling or popping. The truss rod works, the neck is straight, and the playability is very good. The frets are in good condition at around 90%; they do not have any rough nicks or scratches. To my knowledge, the frets are still the original ones.
I am happy to answer any further questions. You are welcome to come by and try it out
AND WHAT ABOUT THE PRICE? The average price for a 1974 Strat in near mint condition with original case ist between 5000 and 5500 Euro. I don’t know what the „Previous Owner John Norum“ fact is worth for you. Make me an offer!
CONTACT: Lothar.Trampert@paleblueice.com
DHL SHIPPING COSTS
including increased insurance
GERMANY 40 EURO
EU 100 EURO
NON-EU 120 EURO
JAPAN 170 EURO
CANADA 210 EURO
Other Countries: Please ask for shipping costs!
Shipping with DHL (as an insured parcel) is at the buyer’s risk.
DISCLAIMER: The item I am offering above is a used item from my private collection. To the extent that I am aware of any defects in this item, I have indicated them in my offer above. As this is a private sale between individuals, any warranty for the item listed above is excluded; there is also no right of withdrawal or return for this item.