player opinions
Norman B50
Name: Mark
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Band: -----
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Model Year: 2003
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Price Paid: $550 Cdn.
Performance
Top notch. This is a guitar lovers guitar. No frills, basic inlay, basic trim, bland headstock, but a great guitar to play. Always forced to pull the switcheroo with whoever I play with, gives me the chance to try all those Taks, Martins, etc.
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Performance Rating: 10
Sound Quality
Loud, with new strings this thing just shines. Great sound playing around the fire, cuts through even a group sing-along. You will not be disappointed.
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Sound Quality Rating: 10
Construction
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Well made. No frills, but this is what is reflected in great price. All the bucks have been put into making this a great sounding guitar. Kind of guitar you want to keep for 20 years, and then have people drool over the sound.
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Construction Rating: 10
Name: Matt Dasovic
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Band: -----
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Model Year: 2002
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Price Paid: $430
Performance
The sound is excellent. The Lows are strong, the highs are a little twangy for me, but Med-Heavy strings made a difference.
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Performance Rating: 8
Sound Quality
For the price you will not believe what you hear.
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Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
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Very well made. The bottom edges of the first 3 frets had a little bite to them but a fingernail file took care of it. No problems, it came with a 1 year backup from the dealer.
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Construction Rating: 8
Name: Ross Fairgrieve
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Band: -----
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Model Year: 1999
Price Paid: $600 Canadian
Performance
This guitar is as easy to play as any acoustic I have ever tried and I’ve tried a fair few. It tunes easily and it stays there even when the strings are past their best. I bought it while working in Toronto for a year away from my native Scotland. I wanted a substitute for my Lowden which I didn’t want to expose to the harsh four seasons in TO. And what can I say!
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Performance Rating: 9
Sound Quality
This guitar is not the loudest on the planet but I have a Lowden and a Taylor too. While I think my Lowden is something really special my Norman still blows the Taylor out of the water in the sound stakes — strummed or picked. It is a very sweet sounding instrument with a sound quality and projection that belies its meager asking price. Go try one, or better still a good few of them! From a sound perspective it is well worth trying a number of them. I feel that they can be a little inconsistent in the sound department compared with some of the more expensive makers. But rarely anything less than good though. Mine is a peach.
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Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
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Mine is a B50 which means dreadnought Spruce top and laminated Maple back/sides finished in gloss. It is neater on the inside than many more expensive instruments and tidily finished on the outside though not as well executed as say a Taylor, but then you pays your money! The neck is great though and the fingerboard is made of a nice piece of well nourished Indian Rosewood and not the dry brittle looking stuff you often get on guitars costing 3 times the price. The frets — well they are as good as on my Lowden and that is really saying something. Tuners are good quality Gotohs, I think, and should last a lifetime. No frills quality and unbeatable value for money.
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Construction Rating: 8
links
Average Ratings
- Performance: 8.8
- Sound Quality: 9.2
- Construction: 8.2
Ratings Key
- 10: Excellent
- 0: Useless
Company
- Norman