Maton guitars

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by Aplayer710

I've been researching guitars and am planning to try a Maton next week since I found a local dealer that carries them. I appreciate these boards as it's been really helpful getting info from experienced players. I'm newer to the guitar world.

https://maton.com.au/dealers/the-usa

Artisan, Nashville are the only ones that consistently stock Matons:

https://artisanguitars.com/catalog/b...ock?page=0%2C1

"Try a Maton next week" is like saying you may try a Gibson next week - they have lots of different models. I read in their web page that in the very early years, they had some 300 models.

But currently, if you are a fingerpicker - head for some kind of Maton 808 (00 size) - from budget price to max to full Custom Shop...name your price. As I have said before, I have 3 808s of various wood. This is my area of Maton expertise.
If you are a strummer, singer songwriter type, head to the range of dreads or jumbos. Again, a large range of material and price. I have played maybe one budget Maton dread strummer this century, my friend's guitar, so I know zip about them. Like any guitar maker, they have made good to bad over the years! Play first! (And buy the soundhole cover to suit the size! Then you can run the mic part of the pickup loud!).

If you want a Custom Shop flatpicker, Artisan have this one for sale:

https://artisanguitars.com/maton-cus...ewood-id-13582

Or if you want a beautiful big jumbo, the Maton Messiah Jumbo is fab...I have only played one and it would be mine but the pickup was faulty/buzzy and was being returned. But the guitar, wow!:

https://artisanguitars.com/maton-em1...ewood-id-13611


BluesKing777.

[skiproberts]

I am always looking for the best plugged in sound I can get... The new Maton Messiah Dreadnaught - Sitka/Rosewood with the AP5 Pro electronics is that guitar! Unplugged - I have a Lowden for that!

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by skiproberts

I am always looking for the best plugged in sound I can get... The new Maton Messiah Dreadnaught - Sitka/Rosewood with the AP5 Pro electronics is that guitar! Unplugged - I have a Lowden for that!

That's their top factory production model (their Custom Shop offers more options if you want a higher spec) and plugged in is exactly what they do best!

[FoxHound4690]

Originally Posted by colder

How many folks do we have here who are playing Maton guitars? What's the consensus on these?

There are no dealers near me, but I am intrigued by them and some of the clips I've seen of Matons being played online, and there is a dealer within a half day's drive or so. I see a lot of comments about how well they record, but not much else. (Maybe there aren't so many of them here in the US?)

I love unique and offbeat stuff, so I'm hoping for some opinions on the Messiah, the TE, or any other Maton.

Have you played them? Own them? What do you think, AGers?

My main acoustic is a Maton SRS808C and i love the thing to death. best acoustic guitar i've ever played and I would not be without it. I've got no problem admitting I paid $1,800 AUD for it and i honestly have not even played Martins or Gibson acoustics twice the price that sound as good. Matons just have this unique tone of their own.

[Scotso]

Acoustically, Matons are as polarizing as Gibsons or Taylors. Either you like em or dislike em at various intensity.

[pandaroo]

Originally Posted by Scotso

Acoustically, Matons are as polarizing as Gibsons or Taylors. Either you like em or dislike em at various intensity.

You certainly described it best!

[Shadowfox]

I have not had the chance to play, but if you are doing it for more than an unplugged tone, it seems to me that they are quite wanting in the acoustic department.

Takamine and Yamaha might be a better option for sound while unplugged with great built-in electronics.

[Johan Madsen]

I have played a few and have never been impressed. Sure their pickup system is supposed to be very good. But one of the EBG808 standard models I've played, had unbelievable defects, which really shouldn't pass the quality control, at that price point. That being said, the EBG808 line have a sexy shape!

[Skip Ellis]

Don't own one but, based on TE's tone that I've heard, I wouldn't even try one. To me, his tone sucks - thin and 'boxy' sounding plus,I just don't like any acoustic pickup....period. I know many do and I'm in the minority but you can't beat a good condenser mic. Now, I'm speaking as a purely instrumental player who doesn't sing and dance around on the stage.

[BluesKing777]

But, but, but...I got 3 fabulous Matons (808 size)!
Did I get the only good ones?

"BK777, go sit in the corner on your naughty chair, and don't forget to dust your broom....."




BluesKing777.

[larren]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

But, but, but...I got 3 fabulous Matons (808 size)!
Did I get the only good ones?

BluesKing777.

Haha.......No, I have a good one, and quite a few of my friends were lucky enough to get good ones as well!!

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by larren

Haha.......No, I have a good one, and quite a few of my friends were lucky enough to get good ones as well!!

Ha! Another good one and a few possible good ones with your friends, plus a couple of good ones mentioned above in this thread...hmm...my 3, your 1, 2 more...6 definite good ones!

My 3 were totally faultless with a perfect setup for MY style straight out of the shop. 100% fingerpicking all over the map. Bone nut and saddle. 1.736” nut is surprisingly fingerpickable, probably because I have some Gibsons at 1.72”. My black Maton pictured earlier is a plain old fingerpicking MONSTER in the TE style of Maton....not too many overtones to get in the way of fast playing, sustain if you hold on. Played it at the shop, could have played a gig THAT night. Ready to go!

But people say Maton is no good, but they don’t say what model they tried or what style of music they played on it or what the neck was like or what woods they had or........ If someone here said their Taylor or Martin was ‘no good’, everyone would say to try the Taylor Boo Boo model instead. Or one of a hundred Taylor models that could suit.

That said, my first Maton 808 is cedar top over Australian Blackwood I love for slide and while it has the Maton glassy type of tone, it is very different from my black Maton above (sitka over Aus blackwood, unsure as the shop may have had the details wrong but who cares, it is incredible).

And then I have my Maton Messiah 808 top of the line factory model with the ‘works’...rosewood, sitka, gloss, wood binding etc. Maton first class! Again, it has a ‘Maton’ tone somewhere in there but this one is creamy overtones and sustain better for things like DADGAD and similar sounds (Lowden-ish). And the same out of the shop beautiful setup ready to go anywhere. And...nothing like the sound of the black Maton...at all.

All 808s have balanced sounds ala perhaps a Gibson LG3. Great for fingerpicking without the bass booming out. And all three of mine are great for doing that very same fingerpicking...gasp....acoustically! Love them!

And then we plug them in!!!! Ha ha ha ha! Straight in anywhere! Ha hee hee crazy laugh. (Edit)...Yep, no ‘what pickup will I buy, where does it go and what do I do with it? Or ‘Why does the pickup that was in my very expensive guitar when I bought it sound.....horrible?’ Or ‘what preamp do I buy to make this THING work properly live?’ Nope, none of that, just plug ‘er in! Straight in? Yep, fancy that, eh? PA? Yep! Amp? Yep! Ready to rock the casbah with guitar lead and capo and don’t ever forget your soundhole plug feedback buster thing!. THEN, if you want to have more controls and knobs and pedals and stuff and more EQ and loops, plug ‘er in! Wind it up and stand back!

Just saying that I have a fab houseful of wonderful guitars of major makes and I am very impressed with my different model (newer) Matons...


BluesKing777.

[ukejon]

I play about 16 TE songs and using an EBG808TEC allows me to really understand why he uses Maton guitars. With the action set quite low the way he does it and using flesh instead of fingernails I begin to hear a unique tone that is perfect for exploring his playing style.

Acoustically, my Maton is quite nice: very sweet, nicely balanced in terms of tone with minimal overtones and average volume. Beautifully shaped neck, a bit on the thick side and very easy to grab solidly for all those up-the-neck barre chords (I’ve sanded down the finish a fair amount for even better grab). In terms of overall feel and heft this heavier guitar is unlike most. As for the tone, it definitely is not sonically dynamic and complex like my Hatchers, but on the other hand just right for exploring and expressing Tommy’s melodies (I added a sound port on the upper bout, which considerably increased volume and sonic clarity). I now even more fully realize that he plays Matons for a reason....they do exactly what he needs physically, musically, and tonally. Yes, they are a tad overbuilt but again that works well—very stable in different weather conditions, which he certainly needs. As for quality control, the workmanship is fantastic....beautifully built guitar with no aesthetic or structural shortcomings.

In short, owning the Maton has been a complete epiphany and the guitar brings me even closer to realizing some of what Tommy does as a fingerstyle player. And that is priceless!

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by ukejon

I play about 16 TE songs and using an EBG808TEC allows me to really understand why he uses Maton guitars. With the action set quite low the way he does it and using flesh instead of fingernails I begin to hear a unique tone that is perfect for exploring his playing style.

Acoustically, my Maton is quite nice: very sweet, nicely balanced in terms of tone with minimal overtones and average volume. Beautifully shaped neck, a bit on the thick side and very easy to grab solidly for all those up-the-neck barre chords (I’ve sanded down the finish a fair amount for even better grab). In terms of overall feel and heft this heavier guitar is unlike most. As for the tone, it definitely is not sonically dynamic and complex like my Hatchers, but on the other hand just right for exploring and expressing Tommy’s melodies (I added a sound port on the upper bout, which considerably increased volume and sonic clarity). I now even more fully realize that he plays Matons for a reason....they do exactly what he needs physically, musically, and tonally. Yes, they are a tad overbuilt but again that works well—very stable in different weather conditions, which he certainly needs. As for quality control, the workmanship is fantastic....beautifully built guitar with no aesthetic or structural shortcomings.

In short, owning the Maton has been a complete epiphany and the guitar brings me even closer to realizing some of what Tommy does as a fingerstyle player. And that is priceless!

My custom black Maton EBG808 is probably the closest I have to the TE kind of tone. Nothing gets in the way of each other when fingerpicking, but it has sustain if you do a slow tune and want the notes to hang on...easier to do than explain, almost.

Ukejon - learning just one TE tune can be a major achievement, but 18!!! Can I ask how you went about learning the 18 for myself and others that are interested in learning? By ear? Video course? TAB? I ask because after getting my first Maton SRS808 a few years back, I thought I had better do a few TE's, so I did a few online courses but their TAB/music was a drag to print out (for future reference and playing without the iPad). I bought a TAB/music book and that has its own foibles - jumps from really easy to excruciatingly hard the next song. I then bought his online lessons where he appears to be at home - the songs, sound are great but there is no TAB or any clue except watching him, due to copyright ownership of the songs.... Some of the stuff is sort of "just do this like me" but no explanation of how he arrived at that combination of lots of things, so we can practice and practice and 'parrot' TE but can't make our own thing. Unclear sorry but...

P.S. .....on the pickup front, I was thinking about getting my local luthier to make me a custom slope shoulder (I saw one he made for another customer) with the same large mod V style neck as my other 00 deep body he made me, but get him to install the full Maton AP5-Pro system while he is at it! King of the road!

BluesKing777.

[Russ C]

I sound like I work for them but I don't.
There's a Messiah dread at the store I do set-ups for and I was surprised to note that to my ears it outperforms a new HD28 and D18 hanging beside it.