The Norman B15: An Unexpected Slide Guitar Journey
Norman B15. A Serendipitous Find
The Norman B15 is a regular, inexpensive acoustic guitar. Not more nor less.
But the one I’ve found on Kijiji was claimed to be modified specially for the slide playing.
My temptation grew even stronger when I discovered the offer was three times less than the money invested in this instrument.
The Norman B15 Slider: A Pleasant Surprise
The final convincing factor was the sound. It was warm, mellow, and simply great! Of course, I couldn’t compare it with my Norman ST-40, but it had its own charm.
Unique Modifications
As you can see in the images, the nut and saddle were significantly raised. This created an interesting combination:
- It’s similar to a square-neck guitar, allowing for lap-style playing.
- As it retains a round neck, you can still play it in the standard position.
An Ill-Fated "Improvement"
I had grand plans for this guitar. Here’s what I did:
- Purchased a Fishman Sonicore Piezo pickup on eBay.
- Installed it on the guitar along with the jack. (I can provide details if you’re interested.)
- Retuned the strings, and it sounded great. I played it briefly, then placed it in its case for a week or two.
The Unfortunate Discovery
When I opened the case after two weeks, I was shocked to find that the bridge had cracked!
I started to google with the keywords like “Bridge crack”.
Guess what?
The first reason leading to the issue in the acoustic guitars is “installing the under-saddle pickup”!
My mistake was incorrectly assuming that the thickness of the under-saddle pickup was similar to the small plank placed by the previous owner under the saddle to raise it.
Fixing the Double Trouble
I had to bring the guitar to a professional luthier to address this problem. On his advice, I abandoned the plan for the under-saddle pickup.
Instead, after the luthier reglued the bridge, I installed a Fishman humbucker in the soundhole.
Lessons Learned
I’m still unsure what to do with my unused Fishman Sonicore Piezo pickup. I may incorporate it into my next Cigar Box project.
This experience taught me the importance of thorough research and professional consultation before making modifications to instruments, especially when it comes to structural changes that can affect the guitar’s integrity.