Maton ECJ85

Maton's top of the range electro jumbo. Beautiful looking guitar with spruce top, maple back & sides, black ebony headstock, binding, board & bridge. Gold plated tuners matching strap buttons. Volume/tone/eq on the side. Made in Australia mid 2008 - bought used by me Nov 2008.

This is a very bright vibrant guitar. Great clarity sustain and balance across the range. The guitar was six weeks old when I got it, now after three months playing it is beginning to mellow. Initially I thought the sound a little brassey but now it is better described as shimmering. Perhaps it lacks a little warmth compared to my Martin j40 or Gibson jumbos but is well ahead on clarity and balance. The bass is very nice but not as oppressive as the Martin. Supposed to be ideal for flatpicking but works great fingerstyle.

The previous owner requested a "Tommy E" setup, so I got the guitar with a ridiculous low unplayable action compromised by negative relief. Once I adjusted to the factory recommended relief the action was spot on, very comfortable, lower than average, and very playable.
This guitar is superbly finished with no flaws obvious inside or out.

This guitar is very robust and shows no signs of playing or wear after three months gigging. Everything is rock solid so far. I don't use a back-up instrument. I'm giving an 8 only because I've only had it for three months

It is not under warranty to me because I bought it used. Maton have been very helpful and responded quickly to phone calls and emails. They have sent me setup specs and advise, offered to post me their special truss rod adjuster, given advise on tone woods and other info.

I'm playing over 40 years. Mostly finger style Irish Trad with a mix of odd other stuff Taylor/Clapton/Beatles/Petty/Holly. My main guitars were/are Guild D55, Martin D18 & D35 & J40, Gibson CL20 & jumbos.

Jumbo Style Body, Rock Maple Back, Sides and Neck, Ebony Fingerboard
Maton AP5 Pickup System

I play rock and Ballads mostly,and at home i like to do fingerstyle a la Tommy Emmanuel; The sound is rich and full, with plenty of room to move volume-wise> Very rich harmonic overtones and lots of Sustain

Guitar was awesome out of the shop. It was specially ordered for me so it did not sit in the shop at at all. It came about 3500 Kilometres, so was it pretty good nick considering....
My only comment on that is the Elixer strings- i have never been a fan ( I find they are quite unatural to play and are not as bright as regular strings) and can't wait to put Gibson J-200's on instead..

This guitar will last forever- its high quality sound and timbers ensure a classic in the making........

Maton are well known, I have a good relationship with my dealer aswell. Shouldn't be a problem.

I have been playing guitar for 17 years, and have been playing professionally for 6.
I got this guitar after I had bought a Taylor 716ce. The Taylor was terrible considering the price and I ordered the Maton ECJ85 instead. I got the Maton, a pair of THD Yellow Jackets and a cheque for 285 dollars for my Taylor.
If it were stolen I would replace it. It is my dream guitar
The best part is that feels very similar to My Gretsch Nashville (same rock maple neck) so is a breeze to swap over during a gig.
Its a very comfortable guitar to play and hold aswell

High Gloss Finish - natural colours highlighted. Beautiful looking guitar.
Jumbo shape - I was surprised that this was not a bigger body. It is about the same mass as a dreadnought.
Tuners are gold Grover.
Neck is thinnish but not too thin - just comfortable for the left hand. Ebony is so nice to look at - hopefully last for the long haul.
Received a Hiscox Flite case complimentary with guitar along with a Maton leather strap.
Freshly made for me in 2007 (july) in Melblurne factory of Maton.
The guitar has 21 frets with 14 to the join of the body & the neck.
This guitar is all solid - top to bottom. AAA grade spruce, solid rock maple sides & back, & a rock maple neck & headstock. It is cover with a black laminate of some sort on front of head. The colourings are blond woods contrasting with the black ebony fingerboard & bridge.
The pick up is th world renowned AP5 which cuts it in any situation I have seen it in. Factory installed. This includes bass, treble & sweeping mids x2 to get the sound you want.

I am a folk musician who was after a full body sound. This guitar sounds good unplugged or plugged in. It resonates amazingly well long after you have hit the strings.
The woods highlight a brightish tone, but depending on your fingerings you can change the tone a lot by emphasising bass or open chords.
Plugged in of course gives you another dimension - depending on your amp. I use a Behringer ACX1000 which is a great acoustic guitar amp. Gives you lots of choices for tone & subtle effects, but also for natural guitar sounds, which the ECJ85 has plenty of.
I would like to see the mids on the pick up with a little more definition, but what you get is pretty good anyway.

I paid plenty for this guitar so did not expect any flaws. Looking at it carefully, it comes up to expectations. The overall look is very eye catching (pretty)! The finish is meticulous. The action is just right - light but no buzz. The workmanship lives up to the tag of 'King of the Acoustics'. You get what you pay for from Maton!

The guitar is great for unplugged playing with plenty of volume & variety of tone. The tone is consistent up the neck with no dead spots. The AP5 pickup is fantastic for playing in a band situation standing up to all competition with great tone & volume.
The finish seems very robust but am not anxious to try out how robust when I paid so much for it.
I believe good guitars should be secured with strap locks, but due to the truss adjustment hole being the back end strap button one can only do this on the neck button. BUt that is enough if you don't pull the strap on & off the rear button.
I could play this instrument all night but i wouldn't. For art's sake I believe in using different guitars to make different noises & to change the appearance of what I am doing. Also I learnt the hard way that I need a back up if I break a string in the middle of a song.
This guitar cuts it as well as any other I have seen & much better than others I have played.

The guitar is too new to have repaired it yet but I have a 12 month warranty & a good relationship with my retail outlet. So that will be no problem.
I have emailed a series of questions & made one phone call to Maton about different things, & they are very helpful people. One guy's tone of voice sounded a bit busy after I had asked him a number of questions, but he answered all of them as best he could.

I have played for over 20 years. I have had a splurge over the last 3 years & bought 3 Matons and EBG808CL, an EM325 & this ECJ85. I am obviously impressed by the Maton quality. They suit my style & my image (folk singing).
I bought the first with just impressions of Maton, the second with a desire for a Bunya top, & the third after a lot of research & having to choose between the Messiah & the ECJ85. I had played the 2 models of Messiah but had not played the ECJ85 as there are not many around yet. But I decided on the ECJ85 as I already had a dreadnought.
I would happily replace this guitar as it is sweet in sound & eye catching in appearance.
The neck is great to hold & it is quite honestly not as cumbersome to hold around the body as I might have expected. I expected a bigger guitar than what I got, but I am not disappointed with what I got. On the contrary I am full of wonder over its workmanship & qualities.