# Does anyone own a Norman?



## TrentRiver (Dec 7, 2009)

Thinking on getting a Norman ST40 for my 1st Guitar

Any thoughts would be helpful


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

My first acoustic was a norman... I loved that guitar!

You'll hear it echoed in many posts around this forum. Anything by norman/seagull/simon and patrick is great - Canadian made, great value and just all around well built guitars. If you can find a good deal on one, you can't go wrong.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Go for it.

I've had a couple that I bought low and sold high. Great guitars for the money, and in some cases, any money...like the rest of the company's guitars.

Peace, Mooh.


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

I'm interested as well,how are the overtones(if any) that come with a sitka and wild cherry guitar?I hear they can be non existent or very little.Allot depends on the voicing i understand,so what of the normans tonal qualities?
Sorry for hijacking the thread but i feel it is relevant to the topic.
Overtones-bell/piano like sound:food-smiley-004:


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## TrentRiver (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi 
thanks for responses

I was thinking about an A&L and Seagull until I held the Norman
I must add only compared to the models that I could choose from 
Only 3 small stores in a 1/2 hour drive from me 
Slection is limited

The ST40 is Solid Cedar top and 3 ply Mohogany back
I felt it had fuller tones thanthe others 
Going back to try it again

The 1 store has Larivee and he put 1 in my hands 
I wish 
He said Hagstroms were his best seller also BlueRidge


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

TrentRiver said:


> ...
> 
> The ST40 is Solid Cedar top and 3 ply Mohogany back
> ...
> ...


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2009)

I owned a B20C (or was it a BC-20...the one with the cutaway) for years. It started out a great guitar, but slowly degraded over time. In it's defense I knew very little about caring well for an acoustic guitar and the cedar it was made of make it a finicky guitar to care for. It was very susceptible to humidity. It was not a good guitar to bring camping, which I did, or to leave outside its case when it wasn't in use, which I did.


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## TrentRiver (Dec 7, 2009)

That is a good tip

Looking for a home Guitar and when good enough to play infront of People a outside guitar would be nice

The hardest part is that each store is about a half hour from each other
Hard to compare when no one has the all guitars I am checking out each 1 carries different ones
Going back and forth takes alot of time lol


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2009)

TrentRiver said:


> That is a good tip
> 
> Looking for a home Guitar and when good enough to play infront of People a outside guitar would be nice


The tone of the guitar changed considerably if it was used out-of-doors. Especially if it was outside and humid. It got very dull in the damp.


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## TrentRiver (Dec 7, 2009)

That is a good point and an Excuse to buy another guitar for outside only
When I learn a few songs


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## naisen (Nov 25, 2009)

my brother has a 12 year old B20 spruce top, its a great guitar that i love to play when i get the chance. I like the sound and feel better than my own cedar top seagull, even though they are very similar in design and build.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

We have a B20 here ... nice, hey head up to Ed's music in peterborough. Don is a great guy ...


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## roadflix (Nov 4, 2008)

I have a Norman B20 Folk cut-away with a pickup. I bought it used for about $200 including a hardshell case. At that price it was well worth the money. Since I own a guitar company most of my playing is on our own guitar but I keep the Norman tuned to open D and use it occasionally to remind myself that I'm no Chris Smither.


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## Xanadu (Feb 3, 2006)

I had a B20. Great guitar for the money, I think I picked it up for $200 used.


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2010)

*Norman B18 & Seagull 12 String*

Norman B18 Tobacco Burst was my first guitar, then I purchased a Seagull 12 String. I love Canadian made acoustics. I like the idea getting a quality solid top acoustic made in Canada. Feels good in many places such as your wallet, in your hands strumming and in your heart for buying Canadian!


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

My only acoustic is a cheap 150$ Samik my parents bought me for xmas when I was like 16. I play mostly electric, I have quite a few amps and guitars, i'm thinking of getting a Norman ST-68 with the fishman pickup but it seems that most players here refer to Norman's as good acoutics to start with, so what other canadian guitar makers do you suggest for something below the 1500$ mark (tx included).

Here's the link to the ST68's 

http://www.normanguitars.com/st68.html


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2010)

*Good Canadian Acoustics*

Seagull S6/Mini-Jumbo, Normans, Simon & Patrick, etc...

http://www.godinguitars.com/


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

ive got an older norman b20 here, its not mine, but ive been looking after it for a good friend for the last couple years. my friend has a very unstable life, he tends to lose or destroy guitars in a short time, so he asked me to be the caretaker of his favourite-
he takes it out for gigs or jam sessions, then either brings it back or has someone he trusts do it for him.
its not my kind of guitar, and i have lots of my own, so i never play it myself- but ive spent plenty of time on it doing nut and saddle work, reglued one brace that came loose, just changing strings etc.
thing is, this guy doesnt care about a guitars cost- cares nothing about the woods used, or the name on the headstock- zero interest in value or anything. he just really likes this guitar.
and the fact that he doesnt trust hisself to have it says something-
its a really nice guitar-


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## eric_b (Dec 6, 2008)

I've got a '75 Norman B-20 that gets heavy use around here. Very good value for money.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Trent: They are excellent guitars. You may not see as many of them as are actually around because they are also sold under the name of S & P and Seagull and except for the headstock they are all the same guitar. In the opinion of many seasoned acoustic owners, you would have to pay a lot more money to get a guitar to match it for sound and quality. They are a sound investment. Pun intended.:smile:


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## silvurbak (17 d ago)

I've got a B50 (6). Bought used for 300 about 10 years ago. Love it.


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## nbs2005 (Mar 21, 2018)

Are you looking at new or used? New ST40 are over a grand. You can find used Larrivees for that (Brickhouse in Guelph and Kaos in Toronto just to name 2). If you're new to guitars, let us know where you are and maybe someone on the forum can help find a good used one. I'm happy to help if you're within an hour of Hamilton.

And I agree the Godin family guitars are great buys (I've owned a couple). They are better buys used.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

See post #20....This thread is 13 years old!


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

At this juncture it might be useful to point out that I own a Norman B20 and I don’t like it very much.


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## nbs2005 (Mar 21, 2018)

deleted


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I still have my B20 CW. Always good to have a campfire guitar.


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