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Norman st-40 . . . good beater?

Heartstring

By Heartstring
in Acoustic Guitars

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OldGuitarPlayer Newbie

OldGuitarPlayer

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BUY IT NOW!...they sell for almost $500 new here in Canada and they have a solid cedar top with laminate mahogany back and sides. I have been gasing for one of those for years. Normans are great guitars and if it needs a neck re-set it can be done in 10 minutes since they have a bolt on neck system similar to Taylor's. At the very least go try it out.

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seagullplayer77 Newbie

seagullplayer77

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BUY IT NOW!...they sell for almost $500 new here in Canada and they have a solid cedar top with laminate mahogany back and sides. I have been gasing for one of those for years. Normans are great guitars and if it needs a neck re-set it can be done in 10 minutes since they have a bolt on neck system similar to Taylor's. At the very least go try it out.

 

My thoughts exactly :thu:!

 

Do it. Now! I'm not familiar with that particular model---or any of the Norman models, for that matter---but Norman is owned by Godin, which is the same company that makes Seagull, Simon & Patrick, and Art & Lutherie. All the Godin acoustics are made in the same factory and the only difference between a lot of the guitars is the brand on the headstock.

 

It's a smokin' deal, man. Go for it :)!

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Glenn F Apprentice

Glenn F

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BUY IT NOW!...they sell for almost $500 new here in Canada and they have a solid cedar top with laminate mahogany back and sides. I have been gasing for one of those for years. Normans are great guitars and if it needs a neck re-set it can be done in 10 minutes since they have a bolt on neck system similar to Taylor's. At the very least go try it out.

 

 

I could've sworn the Norman site said solid mahogany. Whatsup with the headstock change? There's some lettering under the Norman logo that I can't quite make out.

 

Yep. Just double-checked;

 

http://www.normanguitars.com/st40.html

 

Price seems a little too good to be true.

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OldGuitarPlayer Newbie

OldGuitarPlayer

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I could've sworn the Norman site said
solid mahogany
. Whatsup with the headstock change? There's some lettering under the Norman logo that I can't quite make out.


Yep. Just double-checked;




Price seems a little too good to be true.

 

 

That is the new version. The ones before this year have laminated hog back & sides. The new ones sell for about $600. The old ones can be found for about $400-$500 depending on the dealer. The last one I saw at Steve's on Rideau St. was $485 marked down to $385 or something.

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Heartstring Newbie

Heartstring

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Um, I'm thinking I may have lost this one. The guy posted it for $200 including a hard case which looked like a mint TKL or similar in the picture. We exchanged a couple emails and I was trying to get him to lower the price (:p what can I say?) and he hasn't gotten back to me.

 

My email is screwy sometimes and seems to lag a day, so I'm still hoping. I offered him $150, figuring the case was worth $50, and I'd have the guitar for $100. I've been on the lookout for a decent 6 gun for about a hundred bux that I could just throw in the car anytime without worrying too much about it, hence the whole sordid affair. :confused:

 

I really don't need another guitar, but now you guys have me really jonesing for this one! Update to follow. :wave:

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seagullplayer77 Newbie

seagullplayer77

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Um, I'm thinking I may have lost this one. The guy posted it for $200 including a hard case which looked like a mint TKL or similar in the picture. We exchanged a couple emails and I was trying to get him to lower the price (
:p
what can I say?) and he hasn't gotten back to me.


My email is screwy sometimes and seems to lag a day, so I'm still hoping. I offered him $150, figuring the case was worth $50, and I'd have the guitar for $100. I've been on the lookout for a decent 6 gun for about a hundred bux that I could just throw in the car anytime without worrying too much about it, hence the whole sordid affair.
:confused:

I really don't
need
another guitar, but now you guys have me really jonesing for this one! Update to follow.
:wave:

 

The other alternative is that the seller got dozens of E-mails from people that wanted to buy the guitar, then realized that perhaps he wasn't asking enough. I've had this happen a few times in the past on CL. Usually, they'll stop all communications, pull the ad, then repost whatever they're selling at a higher price.

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Steadfastly Newbie

Steadfastly

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The other alternative is that the seller got dozens of E-mails from people that wanted to buy the guitar, then realized that perhaps he wasn't asking enough. I've had this happen a few times in the past on CL. Usually, they'll stop all communications, pull the ad, then repost whatever they're selling at a higher price.

 

 

I can see that happening. You would think people would do their homework first, though, wouldn't you? It only takes a couple minutes to search other similar ads to see the going price.

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blue2blue Newbie

blue2blue

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Just another shout for Normans. I have a B-20 (dread, cherry over 'hog, b&s, solid spruce top) which I bought new in the States for around $400 (at World of Strings, a shop known for its in-house luthiers [founded by the late Bob Mattingly], not its prices) in the mid-90s. It was very new and somewhat green when I bought it -- it smelled fresh out of the sawmill for what seemed a long time (not an unpleasant smell, necessarily, but certainly not the smell of long-aged wood). The feel was great, it just said buy me even though the sound was immature. I figured it might be an investment, in a sense.

 

I babied it in the early days, and it developed a very nice tone over time, which I would describe as a number of other users have: well-balanced, not boomy, a smooth transition from tight, clean bass through warm, clean mids and mellow, unhyped highs. For a dread, it sounds good fingerpicked, yet still has solid authority when driven with a flatpick.

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John Watt Newbie

John Watt

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All Godin guitars are not made under the same roof.

Godin is Godin, and the family tours with their guitars as a band for demonstrations,

and it's an umbrella organization for other companies it aquired.

 

Norman is the oldest name I can think of for guitars out of Quebec.

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Steadfastly Newbie

Steadfastly

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Ok, the guy called me back. He'll take the 150 and he's bringing the goods to my workplace tomorrow. He said the guit was a Christmas present from about ten years ago and has been sitting in his closet ever since.
:p
We'll see.
:lol:

 

If that's the case, it should be in excellent condition. You might be getting a better bargain than you bargained for.

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Heartstring Newbie

Heartstring

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So, I bought the Norman for $150. I'm looking at it like $100, since the hard case is worth at least $50 and will fit any of my other dreads. I think these cases list at $100-120 new in stores now. It's almost like getting a guitar for free! :p

 

Condition: a couple of minor gouges in the top, otherwise very good, no fret wear.

 

Sound hole label has a "DEMO" stamp where the serial number would be. Is this different from a "USED" or "2nd" stamp? There is a paper label with a number in the back of the neck. Maybe the dealer put it there. In case anyone knows how to decipher it for me, it is:

 

ANO40D 1

95-456085

 

It sounds and plays pretty nicely and will probably really ring when I get around to restringing it. This is a very rugged, well made instrument, and I think I did well considering my purposes. Thanks for reading!

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Steadfastly Newbie

Steadfastly

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I would call myself semi-computer illiterate, hence the lack of pics.
:confused:
Sorry. I might attempt to post pics if someone was willing to talk me through the process in simpleton's terms.
:facepalm:

PS I hammered on that thing all morning. Nice guitty!
:thu:

 

Hey, if I can do it, just about anyone can. Take your pictures and download them to your computer. Open http://photobucket.com/ (you'll need to register, which is free). Then download your pictures from your computer to photobucket.

 

Once you've done that, follow the following steps that take about 30 seconds to perform.

 

1) In photobucket and your pictures you've downloaded, click on "share".

2) Click on "get link code".

3) Highlight "IMG for bulletin boards & forums" (full size)

4) Right click and copy

5) Right click in your post and paste.

 

That's it. BTW, photobucket is a great place to store all your photos, you'll never have to worry about losing them, you can retrieve them from there if your hard disc or back up disc ever fails you. They also have lots of free pics you can download for your personal use. Regards, Flip.

 

PS: Let me know if my directions are not clear enough or you need more help.

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