player opinions
Norman B20 Folk
Name: Scott Cooper
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Band: -----
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Model Year: 1999
Price Paid: £349 second hand with epm qauntun pickup
Performance
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The guitar in general plays like a dream the action is as good as it gets with the strings barely off the fretboard. The guitar is well made which means you can instantly tell it has had a lot of time spent on it. The neck is firm which makes barre chords easy to play and the guitar isn’t too heavy so it sits on your lap quite easy. The one thing I have found is that to replace the battery in your pick up is no easy thing. Basically you have to take the whole pickup out of the guitar which can be a pain. The guitar tunes up very well and stays in tune which is always a sign of a good quality guitar.
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Performance Rating: 10
Sound Quality
I'll rate this section in to bits “unplugged” and “plugged in” Unplugged: Ok, if your after a big bassy guitar sound which you can strum your heart this isn’t the guitar for you. It’s more for picking chords and finger picking. With the guitar only having a small body you are never really going to get a bassy sound anyway so that isn’t really a criticism, so it wont effect the rating. But this still doesn’t mean the guitar hasn’t got a “big” sound because it has just not as “big” sound as my Tanglewood Earth 500. This is still a very good guitar to have unplugged.
Well what can I say about this guitar plugged. I strummed this guitar once through a amp and my heart was jumping with joy because I have been after this acoustic sound ever since I started playing. The other thing I couldn’t believe is how I have got this sound for something at this low price. Basically the guitar doesn’t lose any of his acousticness when plugged in. The EQ consists of volume, middle, treble and bass which is simple but gives you plenty of options to get the sound you want. It’s hard trying to describe the sound until you have heard it but trust me it is everytihng you are thinking of. I have heard Taylor guitars that don’t sound this good and at the price well what can you say. The only bad point is the pickup is quite badly made like battery replacement being a real problem.
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Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
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Is the product solid or seem cheap? The B-20 Folk left hand is a very soild guitar and exceptionaly well made for such a good price. If I went into a shop and played on it and it didn’t have a price tag I would have guessed at it being £800+. So I guess that speaks for itself. How does it stand up to regular use? Can really answer this as I have only owned it for a week. Does the guitar have rough frets, bad neck, poor finish? Rough frets? No. Bad neck? No. Finish? Very good finish. Do effects have plastic case or metal? Metal. Have you had any problems with the product? NO! BUY THIS GUITAR BELIEVE ME IT IS WORTH IT!
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Construction Rating: 10
Name: Scott Pickover
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Band: -----
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Model Year: -----
Price Paid: $440 (with hardshell case)
Performance
The Norman B20 has an excellent feel, and is very easy to play. A great fingerpicking guitar.
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Performance Rating: 10
Sound Quality
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Sound quality is exceptional. I tried many guitars before I bought my B20, including Martins, Taylors, Tacomas, and Larivees. Even though the other guitars cost more, I preferred the sound of the Norman. Musical, singing highs, rich, thumpy bass.
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Sound Quality Rating: 10
Construction
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The B20 has a solid Spruce top, laminated Cherry sides and back, and a Mahogany neck. The fingerboard and bridge are Indian Rosewood. The B20 I bought had a minor cosmetic flaw: where the sides meet at the bottom of the guitar, the top of the joint is not absolutely tight and is filled with a millimeter-thin wedge of wood filler. Barely noticeable, and most likely present on other guitars if not for the end binding they often feature. The B20 seems well constructed overall and I anticipate many years of trouble-free playing.
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Construction Rating: 9
links
Average Ratings
- Performance: 10
- Sound Quality: 9.5
- Construction: 9.5
Ratings Key
- 10: Excellent
- 0: Useless
Company
- Norman