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MGR/mark steele « Norman B-50 »
Published on 12/26/06 at 15:00Hi, I'm Mark Steele from Peterborough Ontario. There has always been a guitar in the house and I have always picked it up daily. I've been through a few bands recently, mainly Celtic, traditional Irish, Scottish, Canadian folk. I solo on occasion and am a regular at the local "jams". I accompany a local fiddle band "Fyd-L-Styx" and consider this 26 piece "orchestra" my working band.
This is a follow up to a previous review on my Norman B-50 dated 2004-04-04 when I purchased it at Bud's for about $500. A little scarred now from being my primary working instrument, the Norman has proven to be strong, robust, impact resistant etc.
The sound!!!! Clean, clear and loud!! With a fresh set of Martin acoustic bronzes this guitar just yells through the fiddles!! When I play solo with a vocal mike I don't even need a mike on the guitar, in fact the tone in quieter passages is still quite bright and needs a little discretion with a soft pick. Still the balance is very good. Recently I've tried other strings to mute the beast a bit.
This one took a little while to set up properly..nut and bridge were adjusted..and then twice the truss rod was tightened. This I think is not a fault..it's been stable now for nearly 2 years of being hauled around. This is not a "pretty" guitar..plain and yellow looking ( and the target of a little good-natured ribbing from fellow "expensive" guitar players ). However no tuning problems.
As previously..well built and solid. The body gets used as an "Irish Drum" on occasion with no ill effects. Mahogany neck, flame maple back and sides and solid spruce top are all holding up well.
Would I buy this guitar again? Yes, and yes again. This instrument is durable goods. Next time I may spend a little more and opt for a more appearance value from the same manufacturer. Seagull ( I don't like the shape of the head!! ), and Simon and Patrick both have nicely trimmed guitars that aren't ..um...yellow!!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
This is a follow up to a previous review on my Norman B-50 dated 2004-04-04 when I purchased it at Bud's for about $500. A little scarred now from being my primary working instrument, the Norman has proven to be strong, robust, impact resistant etc.
The sound!!!! Clean, clear and loud!! With a fresh set of Martin acoustic bronzes this guitar just yells through the fiddles!! When I play solo with a vocal mike I don't even need a mike on the guitar, in fact the tone in quieter passages is still quite bright and needs a little discretion with a soft pick. Still the balance is very good. Recently I've tried other strings to mute the beast a bit.
This one took a little while to set up properly..nut and bridge were adjusted..and then twice the truss rod was tightened. This I think is not a fault..it's been stable now for nearly 2 years of being hauled around. This is not a "pretty" guitar..plain and yellow looking ( and the target of a little good-natured ribbing from fellow "expensive" guitar players ). However no tuning problems.
As previously..well built and solid. The body gets used as an "Irish Drum" on occasion with no ill effects. Mahogany neck, flame maple back and sides and solid spruce top are all holding up well.
Would I buy this guitar again? Yes, and yes again. This instrument is durable goods. Next time I may spend a little more and opt for a more appearance value from the same manufacturer. Seagull ( I don't like the shape of the head!! ), and Simon and Patrick both have nicely trimmed guitars that aren't ..um...yellow!!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com