Thank you very much JP for making this video honouring Robin’s uncle! We are extremely proud of what Mr. Norman Boucher achieved and what he inspired. Many people are still enjoying his legacy is various ways. We are extremely proud to be following in his footsteps.
Yeahh I was waiting for a Norman review by JP! Im from Quebec and my grand father named Normand Dubois who died when I was around 12 years old had a Norman Studio 68 hand made here in Quebec that my grand mother bought to him as a gift and to this day it is one of the best acoustic guitar I've heard and played.
My very first acoustic guitar was an old used st-68 i bought in the mid 90' ...i still play this guitar! Sound incredible! And to close the loop i bought myself a Studio goose a few years ago! I am in heaven!
I own a Martin D-16 and several other fine Simon & Patrick guitars. Today, I stopped at my local music store and played a Norman ST50 CherryBurst. After the first chord played, I thought « This sounds like a Boucher. » What a singer, what a velvety and clear sound, what a magnificent voice this instrument has! After buying a couple of strings packs, I called my band's guitarist and friend and told him : "The Norman I just played has nothing to envy to any Martin or Boucher guitar of this world." What an unbelievably superb guitar !
You've been tight lipped about Godin until now JP. There is some obvious history some of which we need not be privy. The Canadian way is to cooperate. The co-existence of Boucher and Godin is testament to such. Unquestionably Godin has been providing good value to the North American market in its guitars. Part of my journey has involved sharing the Simon and Patrick line up with friends and experiencing their joy in discovery (a small taste of what you've been doing regularly with models you experience).
You’ve Convinced me to buy a Boucher Guitar. Last year I bought my first Acoustic Guitar . A Martin Road Series d12e. The Price was Right and I always said if ever I buy an acoustic it’s gonna be a Martin . I had an old Yamaha from the 70 s that my mom Had and Always found that Guitar was Better than any other Acoustic I would ever try. But was always an electric rock player until just recently we’re I wanted to try my hand at Flatpicking. I’m starting to Save Now and next year at this time I will go see Jean at higho music and will Find a Boucher . My plan was to buy a High end Martin but you’ve changed that.
I've had quite a collection of the old "pre-burned-factory" Normans. my first was a B-50 with the mahogany neck, then B-20-12 strings, then. B-30 and a very rare B-68. All were sold back in the day. In spite of owning a Larrivée, Taylor and hand made Béneteau, Normans remained special to me as a brand. Now, 40 years later I found a fine, well used 1979 B-50 ( this time with a maple neck) which I restored, optimized (new 510 gotoh tuners, reworked nut) and cleaned. It is very special and I'm sure there aren't many of those left in such good condition. I'm lucky again. 😊
Hey JP would it be possible to review a Martin ceo-7 ? I am very interested in purchasing one but I am having a hard time finding one to actually play before I purchase it. It is unlike most other guitars I have currently and I wanna know I am making the right choice. Also have you heard about McKenzie and Marr guitars. They’re from Canada also manufactured in china I assume but it looks like they have some really nice stuff. It would be great if you could review some of their stuff. There is not much info on them on the computer. Thanks
JP Would you please do a review of the new Norman B50 12 string, there’s so little content around on that guitar and the guitar forums are full of guys like me who can’t get our hands on them to try them before buying. I know you’ll make one of these talk and I can’t wait to see one in your hands! Thank you
Very nice guitar. I just purchased a Norman b70 at an estate auction. The fine folks at Godin informed me that its a solid top, back and sides dreadnought made of Birdseye maple. A truly stunning instrument. Thank you for the rundown and history sir. Subscribed
That guitar throws me back to the 60's when my father had a guitar similar to the looks of that Norman. It wasnt a Norman but it was that sort of style. It makes me think of those old travelling songs from back in the day. Train whistles, loggers, miners and long and lonesome highways. Good old songs. Simple but effective.
I just bought a Seagull S12, Concert Hall body, cut away. Sounds so much better than a Yamaha 820-12. The Yamaha was nice but for twice the price, still very affordable, the Seagul sounds and plays 3 or 4 times better to me. I think Mr. R. Godin does it right for the right price. That Norman looks, sounds great. I was going to soon get a Seagull 6 string for $1849. But you changed my mind. Norman it'll be!! Thanks for what you do!
I had a beautiful Norman ST 40 that I loved for many years. I was moving to a new home and one of the movers sat my guitar beside the moving truck, then drove away without it. When they returned to look for it, it was gone. Last week I attempted to purchase a new Norman, I was told the line was being discontinued and that the music store couldn't get them anymore. I seriously almost cried. Less than a week later this video appeared on my feed and I still have to fight tears when I think of it.
That guitar is so gorgeous and the stock is so red. The ones you can order have black stock and less cherry burst, more orange. Can you order the bright cherry like you have?
I remember the Normans from the 1970's with their heel less design. Made famous of course by the great Quebecois group Harmonium. I keep looking for a "heel less" Norman, but sadly I think most have since died ..........
I have been a lover of Normand Boucher guitars for many many years and have owned a fair amount of them, but recently, I purchased a B50-12 that needed some attention due to hanging on the wall of a music store for over 4 years. I seen the potential and kept my eye on her. I have restored a lot of guitars since the 80's and pulled the trigger due my ever present GAS. did the standard rehydrating in a tric case for a a couple weeks and completed the restoration i wont bore you with details but only actually had to replace the pins with some nice ebony ones and the strings. reached out to Claude as well as Daniel and Martin from the Norman historical site. This 12 string is the nicest sounding 12 string I have ever played (and ive played quite a few) i had placed it as mid 70s but after back and forth with daniel and martin once i removed the neck and its markings (beautiful engineering by Normand with its inverted heel in the body/etc, she is actually one of the last ones built by Normand at his original factory between jan- sept 1980. amazing spruce top with stunning Bearclaw ( possibly one of the martin Adi tops of Claudes) but she is Adi. birds eye sides/flame back and neck. I am so happy to have brought this back to life and i spend as much just looking at her as I do playing her.
Beautiful guitar, and really nice sounding too. That elongated headstock is interesting. Would love to see & hear an old original built by Norman himself !!!
Nice video story of norman guitar i love norman i used to have a norman b50 and st 68 and i have the new b20 with Pick Up igot on used guitar market for 450$ Canadian,the retail price 765$ Steve music plus taxes great guitar !
Thanks for bringing a Norman to your channel. I got my B20 around 1992 - solid cedar top, wild cherry back & sides - and this thing has turned into a pretty good sounding guitar after starting out super dry (I use Elixirs now for balance). Recently put in a K&K mini so it sounds good plugged in too. Would love to hear your thoughts on the ST-30, the only cedar top Norman has now. I think I'd like the tone, but not sure if it has the volume of the dreadnought.
I remember Ivor Mairants guitar store in London, England, stocking them in the late 1960s. I recall they had cherry back and sides and wished I could have bought one back then. They were very reasonably priced compared with the big American names.
Please tell me that I'm wrong but I had a Norman in the early 90's with a heelless bolt on neck. I got it used and what a nightmare, nothing but problems with it. I gave it away. I now have several acoustic guitars, one of which is a Simon & Patrick (also a bolt on neck), a wonderful instrument that I will never part with. I hope your Norman is everything you say it is.
Have one as well it's a little beat up has been camping and stuff and I really still love it. It was my first legit acoustic and I think I almost prefer the Cedar tone of it more than my b50 six string non- studio version
I use a Norman ST40 CW as my main stage guitar. It was under $1000 taxes in with the TRIC case when I bought it (Nov/2016). It still looks and sounds terrific. I don’t understand why more Canadian players don’t take advantage of the incredible value of Canadian guitars.
@@catnapgee5357 you’re probably right although I find all guitars selling for roughly half the new price. Guitars are a terrible investment at that price point.
I also find that Godin change their guitars too much....they don't have a stable line such as Martin, Taylora, Gibson, Yamaha and so on. If someone stumbles across a guitar they may like it is likely they won't be able to buy one new because Godin changed it or discontinued it. Look at the Norman Line for example....completely changed from what it was 3 yrs ago....the ST40 is now completely different wood combination from what it used to be, the ST68 is a completely different body shape from what it used to be... There is a reason why the Big Brands have model lines that have been the same for decades.
@@stevebernard221 you're absolutely right about it. And personally, I think their new line up (sadly including this ST50) is "gimmicky", whereas, it used to be a cut and dry quality/price relationship offering a great bang for buck with well made guitars. Now, if you want "well made" you'll pay at least 50% more than what you would have paid years ago, inflation accounted for. The old st68, and ST40 mid range/priced cedar top were just true gems. I tried the new st68 and st40 ... clowns in comparison.
@@catnapgee5357 yup. I had an ST40, Cedar and Mahogany. I traded it in toward this ST50. I only traded it due to it being a cutaway, and that it had a fishman pickup with the onboard pre-amp (in the side of the guitar). I don't like undersaddle based pickups, especially cheap fishman and couldn't find something that I could replace it with.....so, it's gone. If I had that guitar as a pure acoustic only, I wouldn't have ever sold it. It had the old bracing, and I did enjoy the Cedar top and mahogany combination. Now, I also fell in love with the ST50 and took a a chance on it. I do like it, and maple back and sides is new to me and as it breaks in I do think it is going to a good instrument. I pulled the LR Baggs out of it, put a K&K in it, replaced the Tusq saddle and nut to Bone, and changed out the Tusq bridge pins to Ebony. It's working for me so far. However, if I found another ST40 dread (no electronics and no cutaway) I would probably snatch it up pretty fast.
When you can play like he does, you can just find what the guitar likes and give it. But there have been a few on here he didn't care for and it didn't take him long to call them DOA.
I'm new to acoustic guitars and I find his reviews are brilliant. Except he goes all poetic over a guitar costing $1000 UpTo $10,000 and everything in-between. So it's made me cynical about the whole industry. Who and what to believe. Anyway I bought a Yamaha FGX5 based on his review and I'm very happy with it. But having watched maybe 50 of John's videos I'm getting bored with his endorsement of every guitar he reviews. Inadvertently I feel he is devaluing the industry by loving every guitar
Hey JP. I've been trying to get in touch with you. I have a couple of questions I hope you can help me with. But first let me say that I just love your playing, saw you first on a Alvarez video and you just blew me away. So the questions. I've been playing bass for 57 years and have started teaching myself guitar. I have no more than $1,000 to spend on an instrument. I think I have it down to 1) Alvarez MD 60BG or 2) Bridgeport BG400 CLW-C. Which one do you think would be the best choice for an all-round instrument. I have a rather large musical palette, I've played everything from square dances to symphonies. Oh and when is MMM coming back, I'm dying to join. Thanks in advance, Kevin
Thank you very much JP for making this video honouring Robin’s uncle! We are extremely proud of what Mr. Norman Boucher achieved and what he inspired. Many people are still enjoying his legacy is various ways. We are extremely proud to be following in his footsteps.
Yeahh I was waiting for a Norman review by JP! Im from Quebec and my grand father named Normand Dubois who died when I was around 12 years old had a Norman Studio 68 hand made here in Quebec that my grand mother bought to him as a gift and to this day it is one of the best acoustic guitar I've heard and played.
You're as great a storyteller as guitar player, great review. Cheers.
My very first acoustic guitar was an old used st-68 i bought in the mid 90' ...i still play this guitar! Sound incredible! And to close the loop i bought myself a Studio goose a few years ago! I am in heaven!
I own a Martin D-16 and several other fine Simon & Patrick guitars. Today, I stopped at my local music store and played a Norman ST50 CherryBurst. After the first chord played, I thought « This sounds like a Boucher. » What a singer, what a velvety and clear sound, what a magnificent voice this instrument has! After buying a couple of strings packs, I called my band's guitarist and friend and told him : "The Norman I just played has nothing to envy to any Martin or Boucher guitar of this world." What an unbelievably superb guitar !
and resale 10 years later? 20? but if this isn’t a problem then 700-1500 dollar guitars are fine, anything under 2000 basically
Awesome looking curly maple on the back, great burst colors and it sounds great as well. Priced very competitively!
You've been tight lipped about Godin until now JP. There is some obvious history some of which we need not be privy. The Canadian way is to cooperate. The co-existence of Boucher and Godin is testament to such. Unquestionably Godin has been providing good value to the North American market in its guitars. Part of my journey has involved sharing the Simon and Patrick line up with friends and experiencing their joy in discovery (a small taste of what you've been doing regularly with models you experience).
You’ve Convinced me to buy a Boucher Guitar.
Last year I bought my first Acoustic Guitar . A Martin Road Series d12e. The Price was Right and I always said if ever I buy an acoustic it’s gonna be a Martin .
I had an old Yamaha from the 70 s that my mom Had and Always found that Guitar was Better than any other Acoustic I would ever try. But was always an electric rock player until just recently we’re I wanted to try my hand at Flatpicking.
I’m starting to Save Now and next year at this time I will go see Jean at higho music and will Find a Boucher .
My plan was to buy a High end Martin but you’ve changed that.
I've had quite a collection of the old "pre-burned-factory" Normans. my first was a B-50 with the mahogany neck, then B-20-12 strings, then. B-30 and a very rare B-68. All were sold back in the day. In spite of owning a Larrivée, Taylor and hand made Béneteau, Normans remained special to me as a brand. Now, 40 years later I found a fine, well used 1979 B-50 ( this time with a maple neck) which I restored, optimized (new 510 gotoh tuners, reworked nut) and cleaned. It is very special and I'm sure there aren't many of those left in such good condition. I'm lucky again. 😊
Hey JP would it be possible to review a Martin ceo-7 ? I am very interested in purchasing one but I am having a hard time finding one to actually play before I purchase it. It is unlike most other guitars I have currently and I wanna know I am making the right choice.
Also have you heard about McKenzie and Marr guitars. They’re from Canada also manufactured in china I assume but it looks like they have some really nice stuff. It would be great if you could review some of their stuff. There is not much info on them on the computer. Thanks
Saddle, Nut, and Pins are Tusq. I switched out to bone on my ST50 and now it's right!
JP Would you please do a review of the new Norman B50 12 string, there’s so little content around on that guitar and the guitar forums are full of guys like me who can’t get our hands on them to try them before buying. I know you’ll make one of these talk and I can’t wait to see one in your hands! Thank you
Purchased the ST50 over a year ago. Love it more every time i pick it up.
Very nice guitar.
I just purchased a Norman b70 at an estate auction.
The fine folks at Godin informed me that its a solid top, back and sides dreadnought made of Birdseye maple.
A truly stunning instrument.
Thank you for the rundown and history sir.
Subscribed
I got my first Norman (B20) in 1972 and it has been with me throughout my military service in Valcartier, Qc.
That guitar throws me back to the 60's when my father had a guitar similar to the looks of that Norman. It wasnt a Norman but it was that sort of style.
It makes me think of those old travelling songs from back in the day. Train whistles, loggers, miners and long and lonesome highways.
Good old songs. Simple but effective.
I just bought a Seagull S12, Concert Hall body, cut away. Sounds so much better than a Yamaha 820-12. The Yamaha was nice but for twice the price, still very affordable, the Seagul sounds and plays 3 or 4 times better to me. I think Mr. R. Godin does it right for the right price.
That Norman looks, sounds great. I was going to soon get a Seagull 6 string for $1849. But you changed my mind. Norman it'll be!! Thanks for what you do!
I had a beautiful Norman ST 40 that I loved for many years. I was moving to a new home and one of the movers sat my guitar beside the moving truck, then drove away without it. When they returned to look for it, it was gone. Last week I attempted to purchase a new Norman, I was told the line was being discontinued and that the music store couldn't get them anymore. I seriously almost cried. Less than a week later this video appeared on my feed and I still have to fight tears when I think of it.
That guitar is so gorgeous and the stock is so red. The ones you can order have black stock and less cherry burst, more orange. Can you order the bright cherry like you have?
You have to review more Norman and Godin guitar, these are awesome guitar that sound amazing from the province of quebec like Boucher Guitar!!
I would love to hear some B. B. King style on that Norman ST50
I really dislike the tuning machines on these guitars.
definately they captured the boucher spirit in making this!!!!
Buy the godin metropolis ltd
Hey JP - would love to get your thoughts on Larivee at some point
I have a Norman B50. Great guitar. High acoustic volume and nice low and mid range . Super price. I compared it with my Martin D28 and competed well.
I remember the Normans from the 1970's with their heel less design. Made famous of course by the great Quebecois group Harmonium. I keep looking for a "heel less" Norman, but sadly I think most have since died ..........
I have been a lover of Normand Boucher guitars for many many years and have owned a fair amount of them, but recently, I purchased a B50-12 that needed some attention due to hanging on the wall of a music store for over 4 years. I seen the potential and kept my eye on her. I have restored a lot of guitars since the 80's and pulled the trigger due my ever present GAS. did the standard rehydrating in a tric case for a a couple weeks and completed the restoration i wont bore you with details but only actually had to replace the pins with some nice ebony ones and the strings. reached out to Claude as well as Daniel and Martin from the Norman historical site. This 12 string is the nicest sounding 12 string I have ever played (and ive played quite a few) i had placed it as mid 70s but after back and forth with daniel and martin once i removed the neck and its markings (beautiful engineering by Normand with its inverted heel in the body/etc, she is actually one of the last ones built by Normand at his original factory between jan- sept 1980. amazing spruce top with stunning Bearclaw ( possibly one of the martin Adi tops of Claudes) but she is Adi. birds eye sides/flame back and neck. I am so happy to have brought this back to life and i spend as much just looking at her as I do playing her.
Beautiful guitar, and really nice sounding too. That elongated headstock is interesting. Would love to see & hear an old original built by Norman himself !!!
Nice video story of norman guitar i love norman i used to have a norman b50 and st 68 and i have the new b20 with Pick Up igot on used guitar market for 450$ Canadian,the retail price 765$ Steve music plus taxes great guitar !
Thanks for bringing a Norman to your channel. I got my B20 around 1992 - solid cedar top, wild cherry back & sides - and this thing has turned into a pretty good sounding guitar after starting out super dry (I use Elixirs now for balance). Recently put in a K&K mini so it sounds good plugged in too.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the ST-30, the only cedar top Norman has now. I think I'd like the tone, but not sure if it has the volume of the dreadnought.
J.P.........your videos are just plain FUN! Thanks!
What an unbelievable sound to that instrument. Thsnks.
@@catnapgee5357 Do you know nwhere to buy one? I have a hard time finding the ST 50.
Let's see some bashing of bad guitars
Why? In order to get sued and fatten the lawyers? We look forward to hearing about the best, to hell with the worst.
@@robertmartin4821so people with less money don't buy junk
I remember Ivor Mairants guitar store in London, England, stocking them in the late 1960s. I recall they had cherry back and sides and wished I could have bought one back then. They were very reasonably priced compared with the big American names.
Please tell me that I'm wrong but I had a Norman in the early 90's with a heelless bolt on neck. I got it used and what a nightmare, nothing but problems with it. I gave it away. I now have several acoustic guitars, one of which is a Simon & Patrick (also a bolt on neck), a wonderful instrument that I will never part with. I hope your Norman is everything you say it is.
I have a modern Norman B-18 cedar top cherry sides.
I would put it up against anything.
Yup
Have one as well it's a little beat up has been camping and stuff and I really still love it. It was my first legit acoustic and I think I almost prefer the Cedar tone of it more than my b50 six string non- studio version
I use a Norman ST40 CW as my main stage guitar. It was under $1000 taxes in with the TRIC case when I bought it (Nov/2016). It still looks and sounds terrific. I don’t understand why more Canadian players don’t take advantage of the incredible value of Canadian guitars.
advertisement/resale value/brand name .. those are the reasons
@@catnapgee5357 you’re probably right although I find all guitars selling for roughly half the new price. Guitars are a terrible investment at that price point.
I also find that Godin change their guitars too much....they don't have a stable line such as Martin, Taylora, Gibson, Yamaha and so on. If someone stumbles across a guitar they may like it is likely they won't be able to buy one new because Godin changed it or discontinued it. Look at the Norman Line for example....completely changed from what it was 3 yrs ago....the ST40 is now completely different wood combination from what it used to be, the ST68 is a completely different body shape from what it used to be... There is a reason why the Big Brands have model lines that have been the same for decades.
@@stevebernard221 you're absolutely right about it. And personally, I think their new line up (sadly including this ST50) is "gimmicky", whereas, it used to be a cut and dry quality/price relationship offering a great bang for buck with well made guitars. Now, if you want "well made" you'll pay at least 50% more than what you would have paid years ago, inflation accounted for. The old st68, and ST40 mid range/priced cedar top were just true gems. I tried the new st68 and st40 ... clowns in comparison.
@@catnapgee5357 yup. I had an ST40, Cedar and Mahogany. I traded it in toward this ST50. I only traded it due to it being a cutaway, and that it had a fishman pickup with the onboard pre-amp (in the side of the guitar). I don't like undersaddle based pickups, especially cheap fishman and couldn't find something that I could replace it with.....so, it's gone. If I had that guitar as a pure acoustic only, I wouldn't have ever sold it. It had the old bracing, and I did enjoy the Cedar top and mahogany combination. Now, I also fell in love with the ST50 and took a a chance on it. I do like it, and maple back and sides is new to me and as it breaks in I do think it is going to a good instrument. I pulled the LR Baggs out of it, put a K&K in it, replaced the Tusq saddle and nut to Bone, and changed out the Tusq bridge pins to Ebony. It's working for me so far. However, if I found another ST40 dread (no electronics and no cutaway) I would probably snatch it up pretty fast.
The duck jokes quack me up. I REALLY LIKE YOUR SIGNATURE Boucher 00 GOOSE!
OOO actually
I don't think he's ever met a guitar he didn't like
When you can play like he does, you can just find what the guitar likes and give it. But there have been a few on here he didn't care for and it didn't take him long to call them DOA.
I concur.
You haven’t seen neon John’s review of Martin guitars? 🫢
I'm new to acoustic guitars and I find his reviews are brilliant. Except he goes all poetic over a guitar costing $1000 UpTo $10,000 and everything in-between. So it's made me cynical about the whole industry. Who and what to believe. Anyway I bought a Yamaha FGX5 based on his review and I'm very happy with it. But having watched maybe 50 of John's videos I'm getting bored with his endorsement of every guitar he reviews. Inadvertently I feel he is devaluing the industry by loving every guitar
Unless it's a Taylor
Sounds & looks great J.P
Hey JP. I've been trying to get in touch with you. I have a couple of questions I hope you can help me with. But first let me say that I just love your playing, saw you first on a Alvarez video and you just blew me away. So the questions. I've been playing bass for 57 years and have started teaching myself guitar. I have no more than $1,000 to spend on an instrument. I think I have it down to 1) Alvarez MD 60BG or 2) Bridgeport BG400 CLW-C. Which one do you think would be the best choice for an all-round instrument. I have a rather large musical palette, I've played everything from square dances to symphonies. Oh and when is MMM coming back, I'm dying to join. Thanks in advance, Kevin
I think the Alvarez might be the best choice for you as the Bridgeport is more set towards finger style players
@@JPCormier Thanks JP! Looking forward to joining MMM.
Who trained everyone in the Boucher shop?
Embryo of Boucher, sooooooo nice.
JP, you have the soul of a poet. Also, that ST50 is only 1595.00 USD right now. Wow. Also, I think street price is more like 1350.00 What a deal.