Normandy ATGWB-CH Archtop Guitar with Bigsby, Chrome

by Normandy Guitars

Product Features

• Triple-electroplated chrome
• Aluminum Body constructed of aircraft-grade material
• Hard Rock Maple neck with Rosewood Fretboard
• Bigsby Vibrato Tail Piece
• Gotoh Tuners

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 47 x 21 x 8 inches ; 24 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 22.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001Q9EDMK
• Item model number: ATGWB-CH
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,146 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #76 in Musical Instruments > Guitars > Electric Guitars > Hollow & Semi-Hollow Body

Product Description

Manufacturer's Description (March 31, 2009)

Key Features

Every Normandy anodized archtop guitar comes fully loaded with these features - 

• Triple-electroplated chrome
• Aluminum body constructed of aircraft-grade material
• Warmoth hard rock maple with rosewood fretboard
• Tuners made by Gotoh
• Graphite nut made by Graphtech
• Normandy Humbuckers for high output, powerful midrange and tone
• Optional Vintage-style Bigbsby virbrato tailpiece or Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridge

Ten Reasons to Own a Normandy Guitar

1. The Look – From the classic arch top curves of the body, to the vintage Bigsby-vibrato tailpiece, to the distinctive rivets front and back, there is simply no other guitar like it.
2. The Sound – The resonant, aircraft-grade aluminum body produces smooth, warm tones that ring true and long. Sustain is increased significantly when compared to that of a conventional wooden guitar body.
3. The Feel –The Normandy weighs 8.6-pounds, which is roughly the same (or less) than most other electric guitars. It maintains perfect balance when on a strap, and is so accommodating that you may just be able to go at it all night.
4. The Durability – This is a deceivingly solid piece of equipment.  You may be able to snap the neck, but the body will stand up to the most aggressive punk-inspired outbursts.
5. The Neck – Our maple-on-maple and rosewood-on-maple necks are shaped close to what you would find on an old-school jazz guitar – not too fat…not too thin.
6. The Pickups – Normandy Old School-Humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets are overwound to 12K ohms for higher output, powerful midrange and driving tone.
7. The Craftsmanship – Normandy Guitars are made one at a time with quality and durability as our foremost concerns; they are built to stand the test of time from one gig to the next.
8. The Finish – The Chrome guitar is triple-electroplated, the School Bus and Army Green guitars are powder coated using a special baked-on finish and the Candy Apple Metal Flake finishes are far superior to the standard paint, stain, or varnish typically found on guitars.  Whatever the color, the appearance will outshine that of any guitar you’ve ever seen.
9. The Service – Normandy offers a warranty against defective materials and workmanship for the life of the guitar (check with the vendor for details).  Normandy takes pride in every one of their instruments playing its very best right out of the box.
10. Add it all up  –  Custom, boutique styling and quality that every player can afford.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "People just Freak out when I take it out! I mean Freak out!", February 10, 2009

By 

H. Johns "huckoff" (santa monica, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Normandy ATGWB-CH Archtop Guitar with Bigsby, Chrome (Electronics)

I Own this Guitar! And I have to say.. this [...] is Baddass. I mean the chrome is just amazing. surprisingly light ,beautifully put together, the neck is killer and the kill switch is gnarly! Ive toured the country a bunch and wish I had this one for every show, its the ULTIMATE stage guitar! When I pull it out of the case people just freak I mean people just freak out! it looks so sweet! Players look at it with there mouth open, hold it, play it, and then say where t f**ck can I get one!? The sustain is foooorrrreeeeevvveeeerrrrrrrr! the tone is deep and cool, rich...not twangy or hollow like some metal guitars and with the Hum 57 pickups this things got balls 2 the wall. The cash is alot to lose these days but the Normandy is worth the doe. I cant say enough, this is a piece of Art and it plays like a dream, It will be one of your favorite guitars I have to tell you... its mine.. with out a doubt.

A proud owner of this Awesome Instrument,

Huck Johns
Capitol records "Huck"
and current frontman of
Black Robot
[...]
[...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finest Guitar I've Ever Played, March 24, 2009

By 

BassMan (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Normandy ATGWB-CH Archtop Guitar with Bigsby, Chrome (Electronics)

I own a chrome Normandy with a Bigsby. I just got it and am completely floored. All my other guitars are quickly going to become lonely. The craftsmanship here is impeccable. The design was well thought out through-out and the result is a guitar that sounds amazing, like nothing else, and plays incredibly well. I love Bigsbys, and there are plenty of guitars out now with a Bigsby, and almost everyone of them pairs it with something like the typical Gibson tune-o-matic bridge. Gretsch offers a space-control or their own roller bridge. Normandy really thought about it and offered a roller bridge which is completely adjustable in every direction. My guitar arrived with a flawless setup and near perfect intonation. This is the best bridge for use with a Bigsby I've seen. I own two other guitars with Bigsbys (one with a space control and one with a tune-o-matic type) and this one stays in tune and intonates far better than both of those.

An obvious draw of this guitar is the unique Aluminum construction and chrome finish, and visually yes, it's awesome. I look cooler wearing this guitar than a dork like me has any right to expect. The real question is "great, how does that effect the sound?" The answer is, it's actually fantastic. My fear was that it would sound tinny, metalic, and have annoying high-pitched overtones that led to uncontrollable feedback. This is not at all the case. What you get out of the aluminum body is sustain for days. Normandy also gave it a graphite nut that gives that sustain even more lasting power. The pickups are really hot, but not with the character you get out of active pickups that I find fake and annoying sounding. These sound rich, midrangy, slightly unpredictable in the harmonics, and gainy. The guitar does not produce high-end feedback at high volumes despite being a hollow-body, but I have no problem getting the richer feedback I want out of it when I really lean in.

The price is high, but not compared to Many Gibson's or Gretsch's which I think this hanily beats in tone quality and playability. Did I mention how awesome this looks? Seriously, even at the high price point, I think it's a good deal. I can't ever imagine selling this guitar, and I can't imagine playing any of my other guitars live except in case of a tuning or broken string emergency. Les Pual--forget it, Duo Jet, not even close. Both great guitars, but they ain't quite this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably Cool, February 22, 2009

By 

M. Squires "Guitarist, Duff McKagan's Loaded" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Normandy ATGWB-CH Archtop Guitar with Bigsby, Chrome (Electronics)

I wasn't sure what to expect from such a pretty guitar, but I certainly wasn't thinking it would sound as good as it looked. This thing is not JUST pretty. It is a rock machine. I played it every night on tour through the UK and Europe and it will appear on a DVD that is included with my band's upcoming album, as well.
Straight out of the case, this guitar played incredibly. I received it at a venue and played it that night after playing it only at sound check. It felt immediately at home in my hands and had an incredible mid-range punch that I was pleasantly surprised by. It weighs around the same as a Les Paul Custom, too, which I was happy to learn. I was expecting it to be much heavier because of the materials. It remains one of the most comfortable guitars I own to play.
Jim at Normandy guitars puts a lot of love and hard work in to these guitars and it really shows. They are stunningly good-looking, play and sound great, and people are constantly asking me about it. Find one. Play it. Get one. Love it. I did.

Mike Squires
Duff McKagan's Loaded
Seattle, WA