Quote:
Originally posted by ttchen
I purchased a Maton EBG 808 from Haworth Guitars in Australia. Phil, the owner is a great guy to work with. With the exchange rate, I got a much better deal from him than what I would have paid here in the US.
Tim
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Me too. Phil is great to deal with, and that's who I would recommend as well. I'm very fond of mine, although it is a "polite" guitar acoustically compared to some -- but volume isn't everything in the tone department. I've gotten several others in the used market. If you want to hear Matons, get a copy of Tommy's CD, "Only."
Quote:
Originally posted by rhudson
As you know, Maton is an Australian made guitar, and Tommy simply will not entertain any thoughts of playing anyone else's guitar.
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Actually, he did. I follow the Tommy Emmanuel Yahoo group from time to time, and some time ago his manager announced that he was working closely with Larrivee to come up with a signature model that he would take on the road. They were trying to work on details of body style and electronics. She acknowledged that regardless, Tommy can play whatever he wants, and plays the ones he likes. Probably three years have passed now, and he's still exclusively touring with Matons, which can only mean Larrivee couldn't come up with anything he liked better.
He does like a wide variety of quality guitars, and he discusses them in a short video on his
web site. It looks like there's a sunburst Gibby on a stand behind him in the video. He generally plays electric on a Telecaster (his brother Phil plays Maton electrics.)
Matons are certainly a lot more "rustic" than Taylors, for sure. But they make a fine guitar that is different from the rest of the pack. Pricing on Matons from U.S. dealers is pretty much rediculous. There's a U.S. dealer trying to sell Matons on eBay at prices that approach the cost of a Goodall or Collings. While I really love my Matons, there's no comparison when you're up with those guys. A local San Diego shop just got their first Maton, the M325 model, which is a laminate one notch up from the bottom rung. They're asking a price that I would probably pay for a new 714. I had to break the news to them that it wasn't solid wood. I think import tarriffs make pricing difficult for dealers in the U.S.
-Kent