[mede5]

Hi everyone, I am currently looking for my first acoustic guitar. It's been almost 2 years since I started the electric guitar. I need a guitar to record and create songs. I currently have 3 models of guitars that I am looking for and I would like to have your opinion on which of these 3 guitars would be the best for me.

Norman B20 Norman Guitars Canada - B20
Yamaha FG830 Yamaha FG830 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Blueridge BR-40 Blueridge BR-40 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Takamine GD-51 product-details

Thank you very much!

 

[AlBDarned]

I've had a B20 with electronics for years & years now. I love it. Back when I bought it I tried everything in & around that price range at Steve's music in Toronto, and the Norman, for me, was the clear standout in that it just sounded bigger & richer than the others I tried. Can't say how it stacks up to the others you have listed, or whether they're the same now as they were when I bought mine.

I think Norman put the emphasis on the right things for this guitar - the top & the general build, not the rosette or the finish or the fancy appointments. The laminate back/sides sound fine as far as I can tell, and I think they make the guitar more capable of a bit of abuse in terms of humidity etc compared to all solid woods.

I'd recommend testing the ones you're interested in head to head if at all possible and seeing which one feels & sounds best to you.

Norman's made in your belle province as well still I think, fyi if you didn't know

 

[Scotty]

Lots of love here for the FG, especially considering the price point. I recently picked one up and am quite happy with it.

 

[greco]

I have two Yamaha acoustics (LS6 and FS830).

Excellent value for and typically dependable quality of sound and 'fit and finish'.

 

[Wardo]

I have a Norman B20 that I bought 18 years ago. I has no structural issues. Solid sitka top, laminated cherry back and sides. Neck is good, intonation pretty good for a $300 guitar. Plane Jane nothing fancy but nice bcs the wood quality looks good and the guitar is well constructed. Sounds good for what it is and runs better on 13s IMO.

 

[cboutilier]

I always look to Yamaha first for acoustics. Great tone, great price, and extremely reliable.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Tone is important but for me feel is more important. Those are all decent sounding guitars. Play them and see how they feel to you. They will all have slightly different necks and body shapes. Which feels the most comfortable to you?

 

[Lord-Humongous]

Three Chinese guitars and one built in Canada. Just sayin.

The Norman is a great guitar, you really can’t go wrong. I’d suggest you check out a Seagull too. The neck shape is a little different on the standard S6 and you might prefer it over the Norman.

 

[mede5]

Three Chinese guitars and one built in Canada. Just sayin.

The Norman is a great guitar, you really can’t go wrong. I’d suggest you check out a Seagull too. The neck shape is a little different on the standard S6 and you might prefer it over the Norman.

I already looked at the seagull s6 slim, because I do not like the handle too big of the original. What made me change my mind is that the body is made of cedar wood, a much drier and brittle wood.

 

[mede5]

Three Chinese guitars and one built in Canada. Just sayin.

The Norman is a great guitar, you really can’t go wrong. I’d suggest you check out a Seagull too. The neck shape is a little different on the standard S6 and you might prefer it over the Norman.

Are the Canadians guitar better than the Chinese ones?

 

[mede5]

Tone is important but for me feel is more important. Those are all decent sounding guitars. Play them and see how they feel to you. They will all have slightly different necks and body shapes. Which feels the most comfortable to you?

I'll go try them in a guitar store, thank you for the awnser.

 

[mede5]

I have a Norman B20 that I bought 18 years ago. I has no structural issues. Solid sitka top, laminated cherry back and sides. Neck is good, intonation pretty good for a $300 guitar. Plane Jane nothing fancy but nice bcs the wood quality looks good and the guitar is well constructed. Sounds good for what it is and runs better on 13s IMO.

Is it easy to play on it?

 

[mede5]

I've had a B20 with electronics for years & years now. I love it. Back when I bought it I tried everything in & around that price range at Steve's music in Toronto, and the Norman, for me, was the clear standout in that it just sounded bigger & richer than the others I tried. Can't say how it stacks up to the others you have listed, or whether they're the same now as they were when I bought mine.

I think Norman put the emphasis on the right things for this guitar - the top & the general build, not the rosette or the finish or the fancy appointments. The laminate back/sides sound fine as far as I can tell, and I think they make the guitar more capable of a bit of abuse in terms of humidity etc compared to all solid woods.

I'd recommend testing the ones you're interested in head to head if at all possible and seeing which one feels & sounds best to you.

Norman's made in your belle province as well still I think, fyi if you didn't know

Yes, I know that Norman guitars are made in Quebec, which is a huge + for me. I saw that they have a natural finish, which normally means that they only have a thin coat to protect them. I would like to know if the scratches appear very quickly on the guitar. I am very perfectionist, and as soon as there is going to be a scratch or something, that will obsess me.

 

[Wardo]

Is it easy to play on it?

Yeah, the action is good, neck comfortable and I think the scale length is shorter than my Martin guitars so the Norman has less string tension as well which makes it easier to play.

The machine heads on it are better than you’d expect for a cheap guitar.

Mine is nearly 20 years old so hopefully they are still building them as well now.

Bottom line though is that you have try a bunch of guitars and find one that you like.

 

[AlBDarned]

I saw that they have a natural finish, which normally means that they only have a thin coat to protect them. I would like to know if the scratches appear very quickly on the guitar. I am very perfectionist, and as soon as there is going to be a scratch or something, that will obsess me.

Probably scratches a bit easier with the thin finish yes. Flipside of that, the story goes, is that the thinner finish doesn't interfere with the vibrations of the soundboard as much, so the sound is that much dreamier. Mine is not quite yet 'beat to hell,' but it's getting there, with plenty of scratches/worn off finish around the pick guard.

That said, any guitar is going to scratch up a bit or not, depending on how you play it. Best to learn to love the scratches & patches on a lower priced beater guiar - it's a tool not an object d'art.

 

[Guncho]

There's only one person who can decide which is best for you and that is you.

Go to store that has all of them, line them up and play them back to back. Play each one for like 10 seconds and switch.

That being said you might have a hard time finding a Blueridge in a store in Canada.

PS I decided the FG830 was best for me.

 

[Steadfastly]

To me they are all different animals. But they are all good animals. Try them all if you can. If you decide you like the Norman sound, you might want to go Simon & Patrick or Seagull in the same style guitar. While Norman guitars are quite good, they are not made with as good materials as their S & P and Seagull counterparts, all being made by Godin.

 

[mede5]

I just

Probably scratches a bit easier with the thin finish yes. Flipside of that, the story goes, is that the thinner finish doesn't interfere with the vibrations of the soundboard as much, so the sound is that much dreamier. Mine is not quite yet 'beat to hell,' but it's getting there, with plenty of scratches/worn off finish around the pick guard.

That said, any guitar is going to scratch up a bit or not, depending on how you play it. Best to learn to love the scratches & patches on a lower priced beater guiar - it's a tool not an object d'art.

I just found on the Norman's guitar site that they have a norman B20 high gloss. It will probably be my choice!
Also: If you would buy another guitar, which will you choose between the Norman B20 HG and the norman B50?

Thanks

 

[Wardo]

B50 looks to be Sitka over maple.

B20 is Sitka over cherry laminate.

You would need to play them bcs they will likely sound a lot different.

 

[AlBDarned]

Yeah can't help you there. Play them if you can, otherwise check the prices, maybe make a call to the factory to someone who can explain any finer points on the differences? Otherwise check the prices, admire the looks, imagine what they will sound like in your head & roll the dice My bet is you'll be happy with what you get either way