Here at Sutton Strings, we have the privilege of carrying the two top brands of Australian guitars: Maton Guitars and Cole Clark Guitars. As we move forward and begin looking into additional domestic boutique acoustics to add to our lineup, I am reflecting on the last two years and the Australian acoustics that have been the foundation of the shop. In this post, I will discuss what makes Maton Guitars so special and unique; Cole Clark Guitars will be described in my next post.
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Tommy Emmanuel with his Maton EBG808TE Guitar (photo taken spring 2010 in Burlington, VT) |
Maton Guitars
There is a certain nostalgia and refreshment listening to Tommy Emmanuel play the guitar. Tommy has set the gold standard for finger-style playing and will undisputedly go down in the record books as one of the great acoustic finger-stylists (if not the greatest). His fresh approach to his music is rooted in decades of influences from Merle Travis to the great Chet Atkins. Growing up in Australia, Tommy received his first guitar at the age of six; it was a Maton MS-500.
Maton Guitars (pronounced "May-ton") was started by Bill May in 1946 in Melbourne Australia, in a response to build quality instruments domestically that would rival popular brands in the USA. The company quickly attained great success and began providing Australians with quality hand-built guitars made right at home. Today, high demand in Australia continues for Maton and they have branched out to Asia, Europe and of course, right here in the USA.
I bought my first Maton in 2006 (an EBG808 Artist) after discovering them through watching Tommy Emmanuel "shred" his guitar in a way I never thought possible on an acoustic. The sound coming from this 3/4 sized guitar was mind-boggling. A signal so pure and natural, it was larger than life. Aside from Tommy's playing, the APmic system is at the core of what helps a Maton sound great. Developed by Maton working with Tommy, the APmic pickup system is in a class of its own. A piezo pickup by itself (as offered in the AP5) in the 3/4 sized guitars can leave something to be desired in the mid-range. This portion of the spectrum can often get over-compressed. This is where the onboard mic in the APmic really shines. The mic (located just under the sound hole) captures the acoustic nuances that would otherwise be missed with a classic system. It really does bring out the mid range as well. There are other pickup/mic systems out there, but none come close to this.
Playability is a significant factor when choosing a guitar and Maton excels here as well. The neck profile can best be compared to a Fender Stratocaster or a newer Gibson Les Paul. An electric-like neck on an acoustic makes for great playing! Fast, accurate and smooth are some of the reviews I have received from clients. With the neck adjusted straight and the action lowered, a finely-tuned Maton is a player's machine. I can tell when I am playing a great guitar if I never want to put it down. The neck seems to fit hands of all sizes quite well. The rounded back allows for excellent clamping down on strings and difficult chords.
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The new Maton Messiah EM100-808 |
How about the sound? This is a question I am asked on a frequent basis. These guitars are built for the player. If you are looking for a boutique, lightly constructed showpiece, I would look elsewhere. For the majority of people, I have found the Matons to be a great fit. Native Australian tone woods such as Queensland Maple and Victorian Blackwood are featured on most of their models on the back and sides while tight-grained Sitka Spruce graces their tops. It can be difficult to speak for all models, as each one is unique and sometimes the differences can be subtle... Generally speaking, projection and sustain come to mind when thinking about their sound. Tonally, they are very well balanced in the mid range. They have a clean sound, well suited for the fingerpicker and strummer alike.
Construction and aesthetics is another areas to delve into. Maton takes much pride in the quality of their production. With each shipment that arrives, I have been extremely pleased with the consistency of their quality. Maton builds about 8,500 instruments each year and no detail is overlooked. Proper wood selection is at the core of their building process. Tonality and beauty can go hand in hand. As a woodworker myself, I have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful grains and figuring offered in the Australian timbers that Maton selects. Beautiful book-matched tops and backs are a focal point on these guitars. The bindings and neck inlays are simple but elegant. If I had only two words to describe a Maton I would say they are clean and refined. You almost have to hold and play one to see how unique and special they really are. They just feel good to play!
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Quilted Queensland Maple Back |
Maton's notch pickup system, buttery playability and great sound come together to produce the ultimate players guitars. Maton guitars can be found in the hands of great performers such as Keith Urban, Ben Harper and of course, Tommy Emmanuel. Many fingerstyle players following in Tommy's footsteps such as Adam Rafferty, Joe Robinson, Kieran Murphy and Loren Barrigar all play Maton guitars. No matter your venue (living rooms included), this just might be the guitar you have been searching for.
- post by Adam Bronstein, Sutton Strings Guitar Shop
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