Norman B20

Not sure what year it was made. It was made in Canada by the same company that makes Seagull and Godin. Mine came with a spruce top and a maple back and sides. Most reviews that I have seen and people I have talked to have different wood of the back and sides. It has a Fishman pick up in it. It has a satin finish. I wasn't sure I liked the finish at first, however all the compliments I got changed my mind.

The tone on it is a little bright when flat picking. It is perfect for finger picking. The sound is much more full. Sounds great with Elixir strings.

The action on this guitar is the best feature I think. Everyone who plays it falls in love with the feel. I't is a great guitar for someone just starting out. Most starter guitars have action that is an inch off the neck. This feels good and won't discourage the beginner. I wish I could give it an 11 rating

I would say that overall the guitar has held up well.. I'v had it a year with no problems. Well built guitar...

I've not had to contact the company for warranty issues. However I tried to contact them as to why they don't put more information about the Norman on their web-site. It is treated like the step child. All e-mail is answered via automated server. They say they are to busy. I feel that you should never be to busy to talk to your customers.....

For the money this is the best. It is a hand made guitar with great sound and action for under $500.00USD. It cannot be beat. If you are one of those people that have to have a name brand guitar like Gibson, Taylor, or Guild this is not the guitar for you. If you tell People you have a Norman they look at you like you have a booger hanging out of your nose. Then they play it and feel and hear the quality.
For the new player or for a good second guitar this is it.

a simple looking but beautifuly put together instrument. matt finish spruce top with laminate cherry back and sides. mahogany fretboard with 21 frets and a mahogany/ rosewood fret board/ neck (i think).
looks plain. machine heads are some non specific brand but work smoothly hand built in Canada, same family as Godin, Seagull, Simon Patrick.

sounds to me are good, nice percussive bass, a forward mid range and a sweet treble. likes to be picked and yet again it just sings out when you hammer out those big open chords. i have played some top end accoustics and this matches them at the least. the wide neck takes getting used to if you are used to playing an electric but persevere. it has a lovely response all the way up the neck.

set up was good, action is medium to low but no buzzes! the plastic nut and saddle make for near perfect intonation to my ears. the only gripe is that the nut is not perfectly flush to the neck and there is a tiny but visible join miss-match in the binding below the heel of the neck.

like any thing, if you look after this guitar it should last forever. build quality looks good and solid. it is a great busking/ gigging instrument.the satin finish will need some maintainance with a good quality bees wax to keep it in trim.

warranty is 2 years. no probs so far.

been playing 20 years, i own a les paul delux and a laney linebacker 65. various pedals.
i wish i'd asked for a cah dicount.
if it was nicked i'd be very upset, i'd have to buy another.
i chose this guitar because it sounded, felt and played the best, compared to more expensive fender, washburn, gretch, simon and patrick ,epiphone, tanglewood, takamine.

Let me be simple. There are lots of detail reviews. There are only standard features in this guitar. No excessess and no lacks. Just nice.

When it's new, it's just like most other guitars. But one you season it with the sound waves penetrating tru its wood grains, you will hear the difference. The difference is clear.

Just perfect. Nothing more you could ask for. If you love the nature of wood, then you will swoon over this baby.

Playing it for over a year. No cracks or wobble. Only that the top is not lacquered (for a darn good reason), just be careful. Do not put your power drill next to it.

Have not tried them yet.

I have a Kapok (?), Yamaha and Suzuki. (No Honda yet). I am a true Asian but I dare say that we should leave the making of guitars to the west. They somehow bring the best out of wood and steel. This Canadian baby is a privilege to own.

I received this as a gift in July 2000. So, I'd assume it was manufactured in "99" or "00". This beauty is blonde. When I first saw it I wasn't crazy about the color. I picture an acoustic guitar as a rosewood body with a light top. It only took a few weeks to love the color. As far as other features, I like the pick guard. It's not real big, so you see more of the top.

I've only been playing for one year. So, it sounds great to me. My teacher who's played for thirty years and has played many guitars loves the sounds. Usually once a month or so he'll use it during my lesson, and it sounds great.

This guitar has been flawless since I got it. No buzzing, flaws in the finish or nicks at all. The top and back are a perfect bookmatch. As I said, this is my first guitar and knew nothing of guitars. So I thought they were one piece of wood until I was informed that it wasn't.

I play this beauty every day. I have only changed the strings a few times and it looks like it did the day I got it.

I've had no reason to contact them. I believe the warranty is for two years.

In the past year I've gone to music stores and played Gibsons, Martins and Taylors. I prefer my Norman to all of them but the Eric Clapton Martin and the 800 series Taylor. I just recently bought a Simon and Patrick Folk Pro. Norman and S&P are sister companies. I'm spoiled. I'll keep paying a few hundred dollars to play a great guitar verses thousands to play a name.

my giutar was made in canada in 1993-1994 i think,thats what it says inside the body.its a 6 string left hand that i have strung up left handed.... works really nice......

i play rythym most of the time, has a nice fat,thick sound that i love

its acoustic so it cannot be set up too many different ways. no pickups but i do ocassionally use a dean markely pickup..

stays in tune for 4 hrs of hard country playing,cannot argue with that

never had a bit of trouble,a friend gave it to me so i` dont know if there is a warranty

had it for 5 years never any trouble, wouldnt trade NORMA,for anything

Built in 1993- solid spruce top plays well has good tone and retains tuned state.
High quality for provided at a reasonable price

Good volume with full rich sound

book matched back. Well set up as new No flaws found

Has given no problems in 7 years and expect it to stand up for a lifetme of use.

no problems had to be dealt with by dealer I have changed strings twice

B20 - Matt Laquer finish, solid spruce top, Mahogany neck.

Bought this with a hard case, strap and years warranty for #249.

played plenty of other makes Yamaha etc... but could not find anything which had such a quality and powerful sound for less than twice this price. Found a nice Martin for #700 which I could not afford. Later my guitar tutor bought the Martin and we swapped for a while, both of us agreed there was nothing between them but price.

Not many features in an acoustic guitar - but this still scores 10

Rich & Full. I would encourage any beginner to buy this make/model as the quality of sound will improve your performance significantly.

10 out of 10 - no issue

When I bought this guitar I did'nt really know what 'action' was, all I can say that for a beginner the guitar was setup correctly,

I get no buzz, the strings are easy to play and the thing NEVER and I mean NEVER goes out of tune.

I was also afraid that the matt finish would mark easily - but its hard as nails - no scratches or chips.

Can I depend on it.

I have played it daily for 7 months and each day I enjoy it.

I have never played live but for me its dependable.

The dealer was very good and I think I got a very good price, but Im a very determined negotiator.

I have had no reason to ask for support.
I did try to contact the manufacturer to say how delighted I was, however I think they have changed their product line and they are no longer made under the Norman name. The shop where I bought still has B20's and other Norman models for sale. If these are end of lines then I may well buy another whilst I can.

If this guitar was lost I would be desolate if I could not purchase another exactly the same.

Performance v Price - nothing comes close.
Im really hard to please and even I think I got great value for money.

Features and appearance as described in other reviews. Made in Canada. Mine is not fitted with a pickup. My Dad(R.I.P) bought me this back in 1991 brand new. How many features is an accoustic guitar supposed to have anyway?

When I first got it, it seemed a bit hard to play but I had been playing electric only for years. I like it with Martin light gague strings which really aren't that light. I have Martin extrs light on it at the moment, which play nice but don't have such a full tone as heavier ones. The tone has improved with age. It is a truly nice sounding guitar..full and yet sufficiently bright/trebly sounding to have a special sparkle. The sound is also very balanced and the intonation, which I just tested now, is still sound as a pound although the frets need replacing..

The matt finish seems to make for a lovely sound although the guitar is prone to getting a bit dirty as a result. Everyone who plays this instrument likes it a lot. The action is at an acceptable level but like asny accoustic guitar you have to be prepared to go through some pain before you are fully comfortable and free to express yourself..it aint like playing electric. I have taken this guitar on my travels when working in Germany. It has been rained on, snowed on and dropped upteen times. It has been left standing by a window in blazing sun for days on end. I was camping out by the river in munich in the damp and I took it without case to where I was working at a brewery and stashed it in my locker. When I argued with my girlfriend on the phone I once threw it against the wall and it is still cracked as a result. Still sounds lovely. I don't know how it held out.

See above. I appear to have mixed up the sections.

Never had to call Norman. Guitar has only improved with age despite having been mistreated.

Been playing for 15+ years. I went dow the west end(central London) the other day and tried out lots of guitars. So many were rubbish despite having high price tags. I did, however, play one Martin which was exceptional at about #650. I am just getting back into playing the guitar after suffering depression for many years. This guitar has saved my life with all the happiness it has given myself and others. It has had thousands of different songs played on it and has jammed with many other guitars. My attatchment to it is not, however, purely sentimental. It has a grand, expressive tone and solid intonation.
I feel tempted to buy another Norman guitar and would recommend Normans above any others for value for money and quality. Mereci pour tout Norman.

My B-20 six string was made in 99'. I got the satin finish and I like it. Spruce top, cherry back & sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard---great (quality) wood all the way around.

I've been playing it for 6 months, varying between Martin Marquis & SPs, both in light strings-- work perfect. I also replaced the bridge pins with nice chrome-plated brass ones. It has a uniquely-fantastic sound. Great deep lows, solid mids, and wild highs, not to mention sustain that won't quit (partly due to those pins). It plays as good as the Martins (better than the entire X-line) & Gibsons I've tried at a fraction of the cost.

High-quality woods used throughout. Nut & saddle materials are some composite that looks great, but the saddle did chip (under the 3rd string) for whatever reason -- this has not effected sound/performance. Action is sweet--this is the most playable and forgiving guitar I've played, however, I'm still a novice with little more than a year of shop visits/tests under my belt. With that said, my B-20 is the standard I measure all other acoustics by, and for the money, nothing comes close.

May be too soon to tell, so far so good other than the minor chip in the saddle.

I haven't dealt with them yet

I also own an Epiphone PR-100, which like the Norman B-20, is a great guitar for the money. The PR-100 is a baseline starter guitar... the Norman B-20 is definitely not a starter. It is a basic model in the Norman line, but you wouldn't hide it behind the couch---its a looker/keeper/gig player. I did quite a bit of shopping before I was struck by the B-20. I was narrowing in on Martins and Gibsons, for sound/playability and quality. You get all that with the B-20, but don't have to make those mortgage payments for the namesake...yet.
I will buy another Norman, no doubt.

Hand Made in La Patrie, Quebec, Canada. I bought it in June '98, so would assume it wa made in late '97/early'98. Dreadnought body with dot inlays and 21 frets, but there is no cutaway, so you can only really get to about the 15th, or so. It is a straight acoustic, no pickup. The reason I bought it was because it has a solid spruce top,in addition to cherry back and sides, mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. The finish is a "matte" or "satin"-type finish, no gloss here. The tuners appear to be generic-types to me. Gave it an 8 because of the great tuners - this guitar stays in tune forever! One bad thing is that the truss rod could be "Gibson-style" on the headstock, but instead is inside the body.

First off, I have been playing for almost 3 years, and started with this guitar. I play mostly alternative/classic rock, such as Radiohead, The Tea Party, Zep, and some other stuff like U2,etc. and it sounds great! I can strum, pick and fingerstyle with this guitar, and the sound is in my opinion strong (ie.-full) and bright. Sounds better than my friend's fender, and most other guitars in-and over-it's price range. Hammer-ons and pull-offs sound great, and the sustain will last forever if you keep your fingers still (great for slow, arpeggiated stuff). I use Martin SP light strings, so mediums or other brands may sound a bit different.

I stuck with the same setup as the factory, and it seems to offer great playability. I think the action may be a bit high, but when playing in alternate tunings (such as CGCGCe), this works out OK because there is still no fret buzz until you really hammer on the top string. I can pretty much play this thing as hard as is practical without any problems. It is difficult to see the seam between the two top pieces, but the side and bottom seams are visible. They still look good, though. One problem is the low-gloss finish. Some say that it results in a better sound than gloss, and it certainly looks unique, but I think it will show some wear when this guitar starts to travel and if one were to gig with it. I already have a few dents in the top. The plastic-like edging has saved me many times, though, as it is very tough. The internal bracing is beautiful, and you can just smell the wonderful wood smell through the soundhole. I gave the Norman an 8 here only because of the finish. I would buy a glossy version next time (and I would seriously consider a Norman again!).

As I said before, I don't think the low-gloss finish could survive serious gigging for very long, but the rest of the guitar seems to be quite durable. I think the tuners are great, and the guitar stays in tune for probably a week or so of on-and-off playing. Again, it gets a lower mark because of the low gloss finish.

I think it had a 2 year warranty, but am not sure exactly of the length. I have never had any problems with this guitar, other than initial hesitations about adjusting the action, but I decided not to take it in.

The staff at Steve's Music, Toronto were so helpful (I really only talked to their acoustic guitar guy) that they (he) deserve this mention. He let me take my time, and took the time out of a seemingly hectic afternoon to explain to me and my friend about the construction of the guitar, etc. If my B-20 were stolen, I would either upgrade to a semi-acoustic Norman (now that I am a so-so player, and am also looking for an electric) with glossy finish, or a Seagull (made by the same parent company in the same town). The friend who helped me buy my Norman owns a Seagull, and he took me around and showed me all the competition, which left me no choice but to get the Norman. Where else can you get a solid-top acoustic for this price, that sounds this good? My likes: this guitar will only sound better with age, because of the solid top and great construction. Dislikes: You guessed it, the not-very-durable low-gloss finish. I challenge anybody in the market for an entry-level to intermediate acoustic guitar to find anything better or even as good as this guitar for the price. I would definitely recommend Norman or the sister brand Seagull to anybody and everybody. I just can't say enough about them.