I have played Tommy's guitar. He has a very close setup on his guitar. So close that it buzzes a little, but that's the way he wants it. I was impressed with his guitar plugged in, but unplugged, I thought it lacked a lot. There is certainly no shortage of respect on my part for Tommy's playing. He is awesome. Great entertainer.
Another thing about Tommy is his loyalty to his home country, Australia. As you know, Maton is an Australian made guitar, and Tommy simply will not entertain any thoughts of playing anyone else's guitar. He told me that Maton does not pay him to play their guitars, but they do furnish him personally with guitars.
2 or 3 years ago, Tommy brought 3 young men from Australia with him to the CAAS. They were all playing Maton guitars. Tommy made it very public that Maton paid all of the expenses for these young men to come to Nashville. So, in a sense, I guess Tommy does indirectly get paid because, he is kinda like E.F. Hutton to Maton, when Tommy talks, they listen.
Just in case you might be interested, here is some great footage of Tommy.
http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp. Scroll down to Tommy Emmanuel and click video. It is rather lengthy, and you can't fast forward until everything is FULLY loaded, and there is a rather long and lengthy intro at first; but it is worth the wait. Showcases Tommy's amazing playing as well as his humor and his joy of doing what he does.
Regards,