Norman B20-12

made in quebec, solid cedar top. simple dreadnaught 12 string acoustic guitar. no "features" necessary :)

i fell in love with this guitar as soon as i strummed a couple of chords on it.the sound is HUGE!!! loud and sweet... tons of harmonics...this thing sings so sweetly...love it.

action was perfect. i inspected every inch of this guitar before i bought it and found it to be virtually flawless in finish. the wood smells awesome too!! lol

i know this guitar will perform fine onstage...i admit i have only had it for a week, but i have played it hard for a good 15 hours and i have not had to tune it...i am super impressed.i know i am going to kill the finish in no time and i expect the keys to be solid rust in a year as my sweat is REALLY caustic. it feels really solid and im sure that itll last me a long long time.

wish it had a fishman....problem is im a lefty and this guitar is right handed ...i will install a system eventually.

Plain, Looks like No Finish. Only Sealer. Drednaught Acoustic 12 string. Lousy Tuners, Need Replaced! 21 Frets on the Wide Fretboard. Don't care when it was made. 3 piece Mahogany Neck, Solid Cedar front with Cherry Sides and Back.

Sounds very Mellow. Lots of Tone. Full Sounds all the way.

Dont know about the Factory setup. Got this Very Used and I mean Used. Bookmatched Wood. Lousiest Tuners I have ever seen on a Guitar.

I believe that if the tuners are changed then it would probably stand up to live play. This thing seems like a BullDozer. I dont know if I would gig without a backup. I wouldnt trust it that much?????

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Beeen playing longer that I care to say, I am Older Than Dirt. If it were stolen I would maybe try to find one in better shape than this one. Wish it were Shiney! I Traded another guitar for this one and got some boot. Valued at about $200.00

I liked the Features of this guitar so well, I bought another Used one! Plain Jane, No Frills, No Gloss Finish. Alcohol Laquer sealed to protect the wood. This one has been "well-loved and well-played" Has a problem with slight Neck Dive and slightly Sunk in top at the soundhole. Strings are a bit too high, but I will get this fixed eventually,anyway! Solid Cedar Top Dreadnaught Body with Wide Mahogany Neck, Nicely Bookmatched Wild Cherry back and sides. Cheapest Die Cast tuners ever created. I have just purchased 4 sets (24) of Gold Plated Wilkinson (Schaller style) tuners to help both my Norman's stay in tune.Older model B20-12 string Made in Canada. Has the Huge Neck Heel at the body. Gave it a 6 because of the Tuners. They ought to put decent tuners on these things.

It may look like its been run over by a truck, but this is where this baby shines. Deep Sound all the way up and down the fretboard. Intonation is "Awesome" The Solid Cedar top sounds "Sweet" Lots Warm Tone. I Chord and Fingerpick in Alternate Tunings If I had 75 guitars I would tune them all different.

Don't know about Factory set up. Nice Bookmatching on the wood. Heavy Sherman Tank Neck. Unusual Type of bolt on neck. Real weird to adjust. But kinda CQQL. Top is slightly sunkin in around soundhole causing the strings to be a bit too high, I put Martin Silk and Steel and it reduced the string tension dramatically, and plays pretty good.

I believe that once I put on new tuners and have the top repaired that this guitar could go to War, beat the crap out of the enemy and still play them a tune while you chase them back under the rocks they crawled out from. I fully intent to Live perform with this guitar without needing any backup.

Emailed them once and it took awhile to respond, I intend to email the serial numbers to find out the date of mfg. We'll see if they reply?????

I have been playing over 40 years. I own another Older Norman B20-12 string with the Huge Neck Heel. The Older ones are Made better, Heavier, and I am sure More Hand Made!!!!!!!!!
If it were stolen or lost,I would Hunt down the Low Down Rascal and introduce them to the Twins, "Smith and Wesson" Heh Heh Heh! Just Kiddin, I would be Heart Broken, cause I dont think that they could be replaced as the Old models are extremely hard to find???? I traded a Norman 6 string and got some $$ for this 12 string, We both got a "Good Deal".......

Satin Finish 12 String Drednaught Acoustic. Made in Canada. Solid Spruce Top with Laminated Wild Cherry back and sides. Looks 50 years old. They put the Cheapest Die Cast Tuners available,dont hold it in tune real good,but they work. Will replace with Wilkinson Grovers. 3 Piece Mahogany Neck that is Wide with a Huge Heel at the body. Dont know the Year model but it is Not New. Bought off of Ebay for $175.00 and it had a Crack in the back of the neck that was repaired. Holding Firm???? I Hope. Old Hardshell case came with it, sufficient to protect it.

Perfect for my style of music. I am into Alternate Tunings. The guitar is built like a Tank. Plain Jane, butt ugly all the way with No Frills, but it does "Sound Great" More of a Middle of the Scale Sound.Has adequate Bass with Lots of Midrange and Mellow Highs. Sounds change Dramatically with the different Choices of Strings. I have bought another of the Older models because of this. I will string one with Martin 80/20 Bronze and the other with Martin Silk and Steel.

Don't know about the Factory setup, when I got it ,it was pretty good. String are fairly Low, but it does have a Unusually Easy Tension all the way up the Neck. All the Wood is Nicely Bookmatched. Again its Plain, Looks like a Vintage Well Seasoned 50 year old guitar. I like the Plainness of it.

A real Preformers guitar(After I replace the Tuners) Its seems built to last. Strap buttons correctly placed and solid. I believe that it is Dependable.

Emailed the company once. Took them 5 days to answer, busy I guess?????

I am going to give this guitar a Decent rating of 8, because its got a Wide Neck. Its fairly comfortable to play. and Sounds Pretty Good for a Cheaper Plain Acoustic guitar.It fits me and My Style. Would kinda be a bit nicer if it was High Gloss Laquer, but then it wouldn't be Plain anymore, would it?

My guitar was made in the early 1980's and I picked it up about 10 years ago. It is a beautifully made guitar and it has lasted through many shows and many campfire parties. It Features a sleak look and the tuners are very sturdy. It rarely gones out of tune, which is great seeing how it's a 12 string.

The tone is amazing. I can' beleive the projection this thing puts out. It really compares to the Gibson B-20 and other higher end Martin guitars. This is where this guitar soars...

I found it a bit tough to use at first. The action needed to be lowered on mine. Once the action was lowered and I put a nice set of elixers it was a great feel.

It's a tank. Need I say more...

Not Apllicaple

I urge people to get thier hands on this fantastic guitar...

Got this in late 2000 as salvage stock from their UK distributor - it has a 5mm long dent in the top (maybe around 2mm or so deep), hence the bargain price. This was a left-handed model which I restrung and set up as a right hander - no negative effects from this to date - you can read about the construction in some of the reviews below - Basic but functional

This is a very loud guitar, more so than any acoustic 12 I've tried in the past, most of which were quite compressed sounding. This in contrast has plenty of dynamic range. I wasn't aware of the "Busker" designation as mentioned in a previous review, but it would certainly make sense. It has a fairly balanced response across the frequencies, with the octave strings almost giving it a hi-fi sheen. Lovely

Set up fine as a lefty, and even the change to a righty didn't affect it too much. I didn't replace or recut the nut, yet the action is still very comfortable. Like most acoustic 12's, the neck is fairly wide, so any thumb over the top string stuff can be a bit tricky... that's likely my only criticism.

Haven't used it live, but it seems fairly robust - it had a few knocks before I got it, but is still in good shape

N/A

Been playing for 23 years and have a variety of other electric and acoustic guitars from Fender, Yamaha, Aria etc. I can't really complain about this one given the bargain price I paid, but even for some of the prices I've seen below it would seem to be pretty good value for a well-made nice-sounding guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I'd certainly check out Norman if I was looking for a replacement

Features are a very personal thing. They are important to some and not to others. This guitar is basic in appearance. Laminated cherry back and sides, solid spruce top, maple neck, rosewood bridge and fingerboard and veneer headstock describe the look. The finish is nitro-cellulose lacquer and satin in appearance. Important to note the type of finish because it is porous and allows the guitar to breath. Many guitars, including some pretty high-priced makes, are finished with polyurethane which is not porous. More importantly, a porous finish allows the wood to absorb the moisture it needs to prevent possible shrinking and subsequent distortion. This guitar looks good. The one I purchased is a 2004 model with the dual action torsion rod in the neck. Basically, this type of rod allows the neck to be adjusted two ways. That is a great feature. I like an unobtrusive-looking guitar that has a plain look. It comes with a domed-top hardshell case. I can't scare up an appropriate numerical rating for this category so I will simply say the guitar has what I want.

I'm a free-style fingerpicker. I have a Guild F-412. The Guild has a solid spruce top with solid curly maple back and sides, booming sound and I have been playing it for 30 years. I have played many 12 strings over time and have always walked away smiling because none of them have ever matched the sound nor playability of the Guild. However, I picked up this Norman 12 and was pleasantly surprised to find it a very close second to the Guild - so much so that I bought it. 30 years ago I paid $800.00 U.S. for the Guild. I paid $615.00 for the Norman in the case and I consider that a steal for the quality of the guitar.

Being rather spoiled by the playability of the Guild, I was surprised to find the Norman very close in ease of play. I bought it from a dealer here in Louisville who prides himself on ensuring every guitar he sells is a quality product including construction, finish and playability. My point is that I do not know how well it was set up from the factory because he tweeks all newly arrived guitars before offering them for sale. Regardless, the playability was as good as I needed it to be to make the decision to buy it.

I really cannot offer an opinion here. I am very respectful of the instruments I own and treat them well. I will say that, by all appearances and experience to-date, this guitar is well built and I would not be worried about it's dependability.

Have not had any reason to call Norman. They prefer any discrepancies be negotiated with the dealer first. That's my understanding of it. If a problem arises that the dealer thinks important enough to tell Norman about, he will. Otherwise, the dealer will correct any problems inhouse without getting Norman involved. This guitar comes with a limited life-time warranty.

I rate this guitar highly. There are some folks out there who want to play a 12 string but have shyed away due to good playability inherent in only the very high-priced makes. This guitar is the exception to that rule. Quite honestly, I believe that Guild makes the best 12 strings guitars bar none. Everyone has at least one thing they are good at and 12 strings are Guild's claim to fame. But, having compared the Norman to the Guild, would I go out and pay $2,500.00 for a new Guild when the Norman's quality and sound are a very close second at $615.00. No, that's why I bought one. Even if my Guild plays forever, I just could not walk away from the Norman 12. One just knows a good thing when it comes along.

Features are a very personal thing. They are important to some and not to others. This guitar is basic in appearance. Laminated cherry back and sides, solid spruce top, maple neck, rosewood bridge and fingerboard and veneer headstock describe the look. The finish is nitro-cellulose lacquer and satin in appearance. Important to note the type of finish because it is porous and allows the guitar to breath. Many guitars, including some pretty high-priced makes, are finished with polyurethane which is not porous. More importantly, a porous finish allows the wood to absorb the moisture it needs to prevent possible shrinking and subsequent distortion. This guitar looks good. The one I purchased is a 2004 model with the dual action torsion rod in the neck. Basically, this type of rod allows the neck to be adjusted two ways. That is a great feature. I like an unobtrusive-looking guitar that has a plain look. It comes with a domed-top hardshell case. I can't scare up an appropriate numerical rating for this category so I will simply say the guitar has what I want.

I'm a free-style fingerpicker. I have a Guild F-412. The Guild has a solid spruce top with solid curly maple back and sides, booming sound and I have been playing it for 30 years. I have played many 12 strings over time and have always walked away smiling because none of them have ever matched the sound nor playability of the Guild. However, I picked up this Norman 12 and was pleasantly surprised to find it a very close second to the Guild - so much so that I bought it. 30 years ago I paid $800.00 U.S. for the Guild. I paid $615.00 for the Norman in the case and I consider that a steal for the quality of the guitar.

Being rather spoiled by the playability of the Guild, I was surprised to find the Norman very close in ease of play. I bought it from a dealer here in Louisville who prides himself on ensuring every guitar he sells is a quality product including construction, finish and playability. My point is that I do not know how well it was set up from the factory because he tweeks all newly arrived guitars before offering them for sale. Regardless, the playability was as good as I needed it to be to make the decision to buy it.

I really cannot offer an opinion here. I am very respectful of the instruments I own and treat them well. I will say that, by all appearances and experience to-date, this guitar is well built and I would not be worried about it's dependability.

Have not had any reason to call Norman. They prefer any discrepancies be negotiated with the dealer first. That's my understanding of it. If a problem arises that the dealer thinks important enough to tell Norman about, he will. Otherwise, the dealer will correct any problems inhouse without getting Norman involved. This guitar comes with a limited life-time warranty.

I rate this guitar highly. There are some folks out there who want to play a 12 string but have shyed away due to good playability inherent in only the very high-priced makes. This guitar is the exception to that rule. Quite honestly, I believe that Guild makes the best 12 strings guitars bar none. Everyone has at least one thing they are good at and 12 strings are Guild's claim to fame. But, having compared the Norman to the Guild, would I go out and pay $2,500.00 for a new Guild when the Norman's quality and sound are a very close second at $615.00. No, that's why I bought one. Even if my Guild plays forever, I just could not walk away from the Norman 12. One just knows a good thing when it comes along.

Made in 2001/2002 in La Patrie and Princeville, Quebec Canada. It's got 21 frets, solid spruce top with a natural finish, and cherry sides and back. It has a Fishman Prefix Pro pickup in it.

I decided to buy this guitar after playing if for a minute. It was by far the best sounding 12 string in the store.

The guitar is easy to play. There are no flaws in it whatsoever. The action is very good for a 12 string.

This guitar is very solid. It is a high end instrument for Norman and therefore it's appropriate for every occasion.

No warranty included. I don't have any problems at all and in my opinion a warranty is not needed.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years. I've played many 12 strings before and find that this is among the best. It can be played in many styles of music.

Made around 1974-75, in Canada, solid maple top, sides and back. Bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Satin finish. Only problem, when they made it in them days (so my luthier tells me), they tried (for a short while) putting plastic tuning machines, which tend to break. I probably will change them all one day. I also have had installed a fishman pre-amp with no E-Q wich makes it sound even better through my small Fender accoustic amp.

The guitar alone sounds incredible. Sustain is great, rich full sound of a twelve string. The highs are very crisp, maybe missing a bit of lows.

Since the guitar was used, and old, it needed a bit of work. After a neck adjustment, a fret dress and having raised the top nut (150$, CAN - a worthwhile investment), the action was about one of the best i've seen on a 12-string. The satin finish looks great on maple, allowing the natural wood grain to shine (even 30 years later). I give it a 9 (not a 10) because of the (badly aging) plastic tuning pegs.

I've had this guitar for a couple of months now, and since it is already around 25-30 years old (and made of maple) will probably last another 30...

I have absolutely no comment, for this guitar has long since expired its warranty

Been playing for around 15 years. If stolen, would probalby cry for a week (try to find another 30 year old maple 12-string for that price)

Solid top. Pretty basic twelve string.

This thing sounds incredible. I love to play it and I don't think I can ever return to a 6 string after playing this fine piece of equipment. I have 10's on it, and it sounds very bright. Holds a tune well. I play often and this thing seldomly loses its tune.

The action is perfect! It was perfect when I purchased it- no adjustments have been made (other than putting lighter strings on it). No flaws and no problems yet. If I were to purchase another I would get the glossy finish, which costs a little more, but no big deal.

This guitar is very easy to play.

I have only had it for about 6 months, so no problems yet. When restringing it I put a small crack in the bridge, but I suppose that is my fault. It feels solid enough, but I guess only time will tell.

It has been dependable, but I can't say whether I would use it on a gig without a backup because I just don't do that sort of thing...

The web said (lasido.com) lists nothing about Norman guitars, only Seagul, so I am not sure about customer support, and I haven't had to deal with it yet.

If this guitar was stolen I would cry, and then go directly to the same store where I purchased it and pick up another, this time with a high gloss finish.

Compared to other guitars in its category I think it sounds better and is build better.

Don't know what year it was made but I've had it for at least 15 years. Very solid, with subtle, low-gloss finish. Neck is solid.

Ridiculously full sound - I play mostly accoustic folk/contemporary.

Action is very low - yields NO vibration. Bridge is good - no production flaws that I can see.

Though I have it for more than 15 years - I typically play my 6 string so it doesn't see much wear and tear. However, it's been moved around a lot and my kids have pummeled it over the years and it's still in great shape and sounds like new.

N/A

Great guitar!

Hand built in La Patrie & Princeville Quebec Canada
I think the woods are spruce for the top and Indian rosewood for the fretboard. The sides and Neck are Cherry I think.
The Fretboard is wide and thickish. Its a bit board for playing a lot of barre chords on.
Its an accoustic therefore I hardly find a features rating useful.

Rich and bassy. Very load (the B designation is apparently for Busker). Sounds best with a very thin pick. Its soo good my brother stealing it from me. So much better sounding than any rivals not made by the same comppany (Godin, Simon & Patrick, Seagull). Almost bought a Yamaha or a lovely Epiphone but this just slayed them.
Records beautifully.

Very low action. One of the best built guitars I have ever seen. Lovely. No faults to speak of and I dont think you will find many Normans with a fault the number of inspectors stamps that where on the documents with it. Certainly the best accoustic I have ever seen in this price range

Mine has a few little dents from being lugged across the city every so often to school. But is still very much 100%. I think it will last forever looked after properly. I have used i live a few times and it has sounded wonderful. Only accoustic I use. The tuners are not the best in my opinion however. I will replace them when they get worn a bit more.

Never dealt with them. Two year warranty is always good.

Ive had it three years now. I have only broken strings tuning the guitar on older strings. I would look into buying this again if it was stolen as it is simply the best sounding acoustic I have tried in this price range and even slightly above. Glad it doesnt have Piezos as my Parker has them anyway and a Mic always sounds better.

Made in 2000, in Quebec, Canada, solid spruce top, plain acoustic guitar.

It sounds great. I "play" folk or country. Loud guitar, kind of sounds like a whole orchestra in one instrument.

Set up is fine, nicely book-matched, no flaws. It has a flat ("silk") finish, which doesn't shine. The B50 has a shiny finish and costs more. Seems like a very solid and well built instrument.

It should last a lifetime (if properly humidified), hardware seems great, finish looks like there is none but it should stand the test iof time, strap button is stainless steel (I think) looks solid, very dependable machine. Suitable for professional entertaining.

Steve's Music Store in Montreal is verry good service. La Si Do which makes these instruments are very helpful as well. (I've called them a few times for things. They also make Seagull, Simon & Patrick, and Godin guitars.

I've been playing about 30 years, I tried out many others before buying this guitar and settled because of the quality and affordable price. I would have bought it sooner or later, and would do so again. I also have a Seagull Grand, and a Taylor 312-CE.

I don't think you can really go wrong buying a Norman guitar (unless there is some freak coincidence and you get a defective one, which I have not heard about thus far).

Twelve string, solid spruce top, low gloss finish, dreadnought body. Basic tuners, set neck

I play a wide range of music, mostly 60's rock(the Beatles). Sounds absolutley amazing sounding for a guitar in this price range. Smooth lows and brilliant highs. Very impressed with the overall tone.

Action is perfect right noe, but will it stay as the guitar ages??? There are no obvious flaws, but I haven't played it that for that long. The finish is two low of a gloss for my liing, but that really is not a flaw; it s more personal preference.

Looks solid. I am a litle worried about the neck, being a 12 string and all. I would however, worry about the neck on any twelve string.

Haven't had to deal with them yet. No opinion.

Have been playing for about 4 years now. I play an Epiphone casino and this guitar is the perfect compliment to it. For the price, or even higher, you cannot find a better guitar.