Norman B20 HG

I have never really been in acoustics a long time. I never owned an acoustic before this one, so I cant really talk about the kind of wood that was used for this guitar. I entered a small Pawn Shop looking for custom effect pedals, and took that acoustic into my hands. I played on lots of acoustics. One of my friend has a Norman B-10 that I used a lot while jamming with him. He just loved that guitar, and me too. So I played the "very used" g-20 and couldn't stop. Everything seemed perfect to me. If it weren't of the bad condition of the finish, I think I would have ruined myself for that guitar if it had been 5 times the price. The string set was very high gauge, something that i liked a lot. While new guitars made me suspicious, this used one was awesomeand I felt like I could rely on it, technically speaking. It dosnt need extra features. Extra features would ruin it, I believe.

The B-20 I bought has no buzz, and an incredibly rich sound that I never experienced before. You can go travel from a blues jam to folk music. It is very versatile, and inspires me a lot. You know, it has "spirit". With the high string gauge (that I kept), that guitar sounds powerful, and loud. I can go from smooth jazzy riffs to hardcore powerchords.

I dont think that this guitar was built for lead. I dont play lead, and the guy who used it before me must have been a rythm player as well. In fact, there are obvious thumb marks behind the neck at fret 1 to 5 and pick scratch on the lower side of the hole. I will propably have to do a little job on the finish in a year or two. The fretboard is surprisingly in perfect shape and that guitar keeps tune perfectly for days. There are absolutely no undesirable sounds due to the solid construction in that handmade marvel.

This guitar is strong, good for powerful riff players like me (and the guy who used it befor me...). It seems like the finish is having a hard time behind the neck and aroung the sound hole. On the other hand, it is the most reliable guitar i ever heard of (jeez, it's mine :)). Everything stays in place, and I'm giving this one a hard time (beach, camping, bars, etc.). I wish that the finish was more solid though, but on the other hand it's giving this guitar a nice "used" look.

Doen't apply.

I just love that guitar. It's inspiring, and powerful. I always been scared of buying an acoustic, and never trusted these overpriced Martin or Takamine, new or used. There has always been something wrong between me and acoustics, but this guitar is just awesome, with its rich tone and wild harmonics. It's the kind of guitar I can bring with me anywhere. I don't think that this is a matter of personal taste that much. I played a B-10, like I said earlier, and found that great tone there again. I think that these Norman guitars are just the best for me, and worth cecking for every player. Go out there and play guitars in your local pawn shops. You can find gems for almost nothing.

I've been shopping these Normans for nearly 7 months since finding
a few in Mobile, AL last year. Then I purchased a beautiful B-20 HG in
Ocean Springs, MS at Tippit's. The top is spruce, back and sides are
a honey blonde cherry wood that glows beautifully. The top and bottom
have a cream/tan binding I've only seen on Normans and their intricate
soundhole rosette must be seen. The neck joins the body at the 14th fret and carries 22 in all. But, the dot markers only go to the double-dot 12th fret, and don't include any dot beyond that. It's okay, I'd just like to see them on past the 12th. The unbound rosewood
fretboard is unusually fast and easy, like the girl you don't bring home to meet Mama.

Sound is where the Normans win biggest. This B-20 HG is most like
Martins in the sound department, however this Norman is sweeter than
any D-28 or HD-28 I've ever played. I'm most impressed with her balance, in that she's bright with no harshness on the high end and deep and punchy on the low end with no muddiness. Open chord strummin'
shows her full sonic range while blue pickin' works exceptionaly well. I ought to mention she's strung with Martin SP .012-.054.
So, I've aimed a Shure 57 at the 12th fret and stuck a Dean Markley pickup in the sound hole and plugged the 2 into a Fender Acoustasonic Junior and have experienced an 8.5 sound there. BUT, after removing the soundhole pickup and adding a 2nd Shure 57 aimed at the soundhole the B-20 HG ran her rank back up to 10. The guitar maintains her unique string dynamics with the added amp chorus effect; that being
pretty much a matter of personal taste. A little touch of chorus goes a long way.

The factory set-up was thoughtfully done with great attention to detail. The first thing that you become aware of with a Norman is its
comfortable fit. I prefer it's lower-than-average action. You won't find any buzz anywhere on the fretboard. The cherrywood back is a curious but expert bookmatch featuring a "pair of eyes" in the upper
bouts, then the grain tapers wider throughout the lower bouts.
The saddle is snug, yet the material flakes a bit under the D and G
strings. This was a matter of concern until the first string change
during which I was able to smooth that out and carry on undaunted with
no effect to the Norman sound.

In a no holes barred contest against a Martin HD-28 or the Gibson J45, my money is on the Norman B20 HG. It is my First Choice.

I thought I was dreaming when I found that a Norman B20 HG could be
had for as little as $365 when Martin D28s and Gibson J45s cost 4 times as much or more. Then I was told Norman has a much lower overhead situation goin' on in La Patrie, Quebec; and they don't really advertize much beyond their brochure. All that leads to,
"10-Fantastic Value"