#16
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They are slim on the ground after the Covid lockdowns - Reverb.com has a couple in Quebec, couple in Italy, one in Kentucky......
I saw one advertised near me with a custom burst, no pickguard, ooh, ooh, someone beat me to it.....but now I have a plain one with a very nice piece of wood on the top! While the idea of the hardwood top is like the mahogany top vintage Martin 00-17 or the newer 15 series, the Maton EBW808 has scalloped X bracing, dovetail neck joint, binding, and the fabulous Maton pickup system.....and perhaps built a bit heavier for the road warriors. But my Better Half is working from home with phone, laptop, teleconferences and I am very pleased to lock myself in my music room and plug in to my gear with headphones....sounds great!!! Off there right now BluesKing777. |
#17
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Congratulations! Great looking guitar, love the grain.
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#18
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Yes, the top is very nice!
But can I say that I have seen some not as nice in my online research, well, not what I really want and........I went to a shop closest to me and unless it was really ugly, I would have bought a good sounding one. So I am very happy.... Just played it plugged direct to my mixer, fantastic! By my current expectation, it will be run in by Tuesday, big weekend coming up.. BluesKing777. |
#19
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Played it and then played some more!
Fingers bleeding, given up. Cases....the higher end Matons often come in custom road cases made by Hiscox with the Maton logo embossed on the side. The 808 models are deep body 00 size guitars with dread thickness, so standard Hiscox 00 flight cases don’t shut! I was on a mission a couple of years ago to get a couple for my 2 Matons. Found 2..bingo! No easy task. Then I bought my Maton Messiah 808 and that came in the custom Hiscox. Now.....new guitar above is mid range model and came with the Maton boat anchor, I mean, standard Maton 808 case. So, the first Maton I bough may go....so either way the new one will probably get more action in the coming weeks, so I swapped cases! New guitar in the first guitar’s Hiscox, light weight heavy duty protection! BluesKing777. |
#20
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Got mine through Hebert Musique, a shop in Quebec City and the only Maton dealer in Canada. He got a shipment of some 20 or so Maton's along with mine that he'd had on order for a few months.
Last edited by jazzereh; 07-31-2021 at 09:50 AM. |
#21
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Quote:
What made you look at the EBW808? I have the other 808s and had not tried the EBW, but wanted the hardwood top thing in the 808 format and that pickup! BluesKing777. |
#22
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Congratulations on the new Maton guitar! It looks really cool!
- Glenn
__________________
My You Tube Channel |
#23
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Quote:
Thanks Glenn! It is cool looking, luckily, because my fingers are bleeding almost from playing it since Wednesday and I am reduced to looking at it! But the brave will go play some more....... P.S. it is such nice looking Australian Blackwood that the original thought to pass it around the friends and at the blues club to torture it a bit.....well, that is gone. Nope. If I had the patience, I would love to try a full Maton Custom Shop full gloss all Blackwood with wood binding, no pickguard.....trade the others towards it and have just one Super Maton! Phew! I better go play and stop thinking. BluesKing777. Last edited by BluesKing777; 07-31-2021 at 07:52 PM. |
#24
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Quote:
Firstly, the look of the blackwood is so striking and completely different from any of my other guitars. Secondly, I liked what I was hearing from videos but had never played one. Don't know if there are any others in this part of the country. Thirdly, being built from native woods, it is a bit of Australia that will remind me of my trips there every time I look at it and play it. All good memories and Maton has an excellent reputation for their builds. I will also add that this one is an exception to all my other guitars that were built in Canada as that's important to me. Fourthly, the size appeals to me as I tend to stay away from dreads but the 808 size looked like it would be good even though the body is a bit deeper than my other OM's and OOO's and OO's - turns out I was right now having it in hand. And, finally, being woods that are nothing like any of my other guitars, it would have a different sound and feel and when I buy a guitar, that's something that I want. No point to me to have several guitars all with the same body woods. Have not yet plugged it in to play. |
#25
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Ha! Congratulations again, hope yours is as nice as mine acoustically and plugged.....it would pay to try the pickup to make sure all is well.
I have similar pickup settings on all my 808s......sliders - treble centred, bass centred, volume on full.......sweep the mid controls by turning the knob to 3/4 to full and moving the freq to hear the worst mid kloink, cut the mid volume a bit - it can make a huge difference to your sound.......I have the piezo on full and start the internal mic on half for an amp and 3/4 to full on for mixer/headphones practicing. The internal mic is on a swing arm joined to the controls and can be swung in an arc across the soundhole to the position that sounds best to you.....I usually place it under the 3rd string for headphone use, but some players will swing it back under the bridge. Through an amp, it is best to use the custom size Maton feedback buster (soundhole plug) to prevent the mic feeding and therefore getting a higher mic setting and a more real sound. After years of having pickups with the guitar plug in the strap button, it is great to have the Maton separate plug off centre - lean the guitar against the amp! Good luck with your guitar, mine is faultless as far as I can see. Feedback Buster plug: https://maton.com.au/store/feedback-eliminator https://www.thomannmusic.com/maton_f...buster_808.htm BluesKing777. Last edited by BluesKing777; 08-01-2021 at 04:35 PM. |
#26
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Quick update - after torturing the new guitar top in various ways for the one week of ownership, so far, it is starting to open out!
I have played it 2 -3 times per day for approx 1/2 hour to an hour or more, plus an extra few plays on the weekend and a few tunes with fingerpicks to blast it a bit..... I also tuned it down 2 steps for that Lighnin' Hopkins blues thing and played LOW for a day or so but the neck complained a bit and the high E string went pingy on the frets, so tuned it back up to standard and...the sound had definitely changed! Fabulous definition for the blues vocal line notes I was trying just before packing up for the night..... If it stayed as it is now, soundwise, I would be content! I assume people that play hard with picks won't have the same problem as I do with bare finger picking.... BluesKing777. |
#27
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@BluesKing777
How is the Blackwood 808 stacking up against your spruce top Matons? I'm in the market for a Maton, had it with trying to amplify my Gibsons, Martins. Is there any real difference in woods, when plugged in? Briefly got to try a blackwood recently, I liked it, had a very unique sound, good with flatpick too, a little heavy (to be expected given hardwood top). Going back to shop when a Nashville808 is in stock to compare. cheers. |
#28
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Congrats on a real nice looking Maton! Play in good health
__________________
-Joe Martin 000-1 Rainsong CH-OM Martin SC10e sapele My Band's Spotify page https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KKD...SVeZXf046SaPoQ |