Norman B20 Cutaway

Canadian made, 1997. Standard 21 frets, solid spruce top and cherry venear sides and back. Neck is mahogony, with a rosewood fretboard. Hi gloss finish body, flatter finish neck. Neck is wider at the nut, but compensates with a flat profile. Chrome tuners, no case. I had an aftermarket Fishman preamp saddle pickup installed shortly after purchase. A bare bones, if not understated dreadnought design. No fancy inlays or markings, and a Martinesque squared off headstock.

I'm a pop/rock/folk strummer, with just a little soloing. This guitar sounded great from the get-go. Its loud, yet still retains a clear, punchy tone. The highs are high, lows low, but mid range is not distinguished in any way. I guess its a brighter sounding axe overall, which is what I was looking for. The spruce top vibrates quite well for a new guitar. My guitar repair guy (who has seen pre war Martins come through his shop daily) commented on the nice tone, and he does not sell any guitars retail, just repairs and maintains them.

The setup had high action, which I got lowered immediately. The fit and finish appeared to be good, with the exception of having rough edged fret wire in the upper neck area, and some sawdust inside the body. Otherwise, fine.

Seems durable, though the tuning machines may be a weakpoint, though its too early to tell. Buttons and everything else seems durable enough.

Have had no probs yet, so tough to tell. Emailed the manufacturer (website www.lasido.com) and got answered the next day.

I'm a rookie with 2 years of playing. Sold a Yamaha ply top and bought this, my only instument. If it gets ripped off, I may not buy one for one reason: resale value. Because this is a Canadian made guitar from a little known company, the resale value outside of eastern Canada is very poor. I think this guitar is the best value for the dollar, barre none. However, a bottom line Guild would command better resale dollars just for the name alone, though I think the product would not be as good sounding as a Norman.