Paul Norman's art guitars are also made to be played. This "Bat Out of Hell" model has a very loud voice but a little fuller than the "Snake" guitar. It also employs a carbon fiber biscuit bridge (made by Paul), and National cone. This guitar is a collector's item, but please play it. Paul believes that guitars are tools for making music. The body is made from wenge (pronounced wen-gay). The neck is mahogany. The tuners are gold Schallers with ebony knobs. The custom made tail piece is solid brass with a soldered on copper decoration. The fingerboard is Gaboon ebony. Mother of pearl positions are inlaid at the 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets (side dots for 5, 7, and 9). The bat's wings are malee burl from Australia. It's "arms" are bloodwood, The jaw is mother of pearl. The face is mostly lacewood. The eyes are a composite material made from ground shell obtained from my favorite shell supplier (Rescue Pearl). The ornament on the headstock is bloodwood. The back is ladder braced. The front relies upon the cone support and a support stick shown above. Finish is nitro-cellulose. Hard case included. Paul modifies the case to make the neck heel fit properly.
A Maker who has been a valued part of this community for several years.
Customers say that this Maker ships promptly after completing a project.
This Maker has consistently demonstrated excellence in craftsmanship and customer service.
Paul Norman has two interrelated businesses. Forbidden Fruit Guitars refers to his lutherie (guitar making) business. Forbidden Fruit Designs includes all furniture and crafts that are not guitars.
M. Wheeler
For Front Porch RebuildI hired Paul Norman of SherpaDog Renovations to rebuild a large enclosed front porch which had been destroyed by carpenter ants! I was pleased by the variety of cost effective redesign options Paul offered. In the end I chose to add some ornament to my Victorian home. He replaced the exterior plain shingles with scalloped ones, designed a diamond pattern (instead of the common basket weave) for the exterior skirt of the porch, added wainscoting under the interior windows, built a beautiful wooden ceiling and installed casement windows. I was thrilled with the results. Paul's attention to detail and fine carpentry skills resulted in a porch much admired by my neighbors and friends. I recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable, conscientious and creative carpenter. I would definitely hire him again.
Richard Frank
For Wooden Cover for residential holding tankVery good. No problems, builder took time to ask questions and provide suggested design elements.
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