Bill - Congrats on finding your Norman B-20 :>) - and what a great price too. I really liked the higher-end Normans I tried - it was the Seagulls oh-so-comfortable wider, less rounded neck and that easy low action I couldn't pass up. And I amgoing to try a set of Elixirs. I liked the feel of them, and between my son and I the guitar has had nary a break in the last 24 hours. With that kind of "mileage", the longer life will be worth it!

BTW - My guitar actually has a solid spruce top, bird's-eye maple back and sides, but you know it does smell good! There was another 20th Anniv. Seagull at the same store - lovely cedar top, satin finished back and sides, same easy action and comfortable feel but I liked the tone of the spruce-topped better - enough to pay another $60 for it! Sounded just a little warmer and deeper, I thought. And I was sorely tempted to buy the other for my son, and let him pay me back monthly, because they sounded so awesome together. That idea is still "in the works"!

Clinton - The light colored wood is so pretty - I wish I could post a picture of it here but my computer skills/equipment are not that advanced. It actually looks very much like the lighter colored one on your webpage! And I want to thank you for being the "last word" in my decision making. After your reassurance about the tone only improving in time in spite of the lacqered finish, my mind was pretty well made up! Re the Elixirs - I'm not much of a string-breaker myself, but my son is ... hmmm, there's a split-the-cost scheme arising now! Thanks for the tip!

Mick, I was considering getting a humidifier yesterday, as my little place is heated with a forced-air gas fireplace which is VERY drying. Not so bad now that it's spring and the windows are open a lot, but I know I'll need one by the end of the summer anyway. And a strap, and a time-saving tuner, and a stand, and a ... and a bit more money!! Thanks for assuring me that spending the extra on a humidifier will be well worth it tone-wise as the instrument "matures"!

Thanks Jim for your hints re Elixirs and your encouragement! Only $10 in the States, eh? Good for you - I know I can find them cheaper around here too. Little Hawk, my new "guitar guru", will know where to look for better prices.

And the finger-picks are a good idea, LH, because as a piano player I just can't have long nails on either hand. And I'll get to try out the Elixirs on your guitar tomorrow, right? I did like the feel of them in the package, but I haven't heard or tried them yet.

Carol, I did break down and glue a pickguard on it last night - very reluctantly (for esthetic reasons). If my son does continue to play it a lot - which I'd be loathe to stop him from doing - I might end up glueing a clear pickguard on the other side of the soundhole. He's left-handed, and learned to play "upside down and backwards" - pretty amazing how good he's getting playing that way too! :>) But two pickguards just might look REAL funny ... hmmmmmmm

Off to teach piano now ... switchin gears ... and giving my sorefingers a break!

Thanks so very much again to everyone .... veryhappydaylia