Maton Coolibah

I bought my Coolibah new in Cape Town in 1981. I paid around R650 but I think that included the case. The top is what Maton refers to as AA grade Sitka spruce. Back, sides and neck are maple. The finish is satin over an unusual amber varnish with a hand painted motif just inside the binding. The binding is ivory and fret markers mother of pearl dots. The scratch plate is leather! Aside from the painting and the scratch plate, the guitar is quite plain.

Sound is very warm and mellow with good balance between bass and treble. The guitar has great projection. I use 13 - 56 phosphor bronze strings and a hard plectrum for strumming and fingernails for picking.

Fit and finish were very good when the guitar was new. The action was always good. I understand that a higher action produces a better sound. I found any initial difficulty acceptable because of this. I had had two guitars before this one, so my fingers and hand muscles coped quite well.

I've played this guitar regularly for 28 years but have been careful with it so there are few scratches; it is still in very good condition. I had to replace the tuning machines after a couple of years as one broke. The varnish on the neck crumbled, probably from sweat and capo use. I recently had some work done. The neck was re varnished, the fretboard was dressed and the frets replaced, a new, less curved saddle made and the strings lowered slightly. I also had an LR Baggs pickup installed. The luthier who did the job is fantastic and the guitar is better than ever in all respects.

I tried twice to ask questions of Maton, using the contact box on the website. Never had a reply. It might be some technical problem, not their lack of responsiveness. I'm actually trying to establish a realistic current value for my Coolibah.

This guitar is a joy to play and it sound fantastic, both acoustically and plugged in at gigs. I would never change it. I play with musicians who own Martins and I wouldn't swop but then, neither would they!

My Maton Coolibah was given to my Dad as a 21st Birthday present in 1973. It was made in March 1973. Solid top is Spruce, I'm unsure of what the sides are. Possibly maple or Rosewood. Finish is satin. Due to the guitars age, it needed some work. The top was cracked, frets worn out and the bridge was cracked. I put it into the guitar shop for a full restoration and a retro fit of an LR Baggs active element pickup.

After the restoration it was a completely different guitar. It is amazing to play. It has an amazing rich tone which you have to hear to believe.

I use this guitar exclusively in pub bands/worship music setting. The guitar's tone is very mellow and quite different to the bright "shingy" tone of Matons you hear off the shelf today. I think that is due to it's age. It has opened up very nicely. The tone actually reminds me of a Martin. The LR Baggs system is awesome! It sounds so nice when it's plugged in!! I was considering putting an AP 5 in, but my guitar guy told me to go with the Baggs system. So glad I did!

To be honest, the action is shocking. The saddle has been shaved down as low as possible, but the bridge is set really high. The bridge will need to be sanded down at least 1cm to bring it down so I can play bar chords without killing my fingers! For open chords, it's fine. After long periods of playing though, it starts to hurt your fingers. Maton must have set the old Matons up with a really high action.

Of course I will need to be careful with this guitar because of it's age. However, it is tough as nails. It has original hardware and haven't had any problems with it at all. Long live the Coolibah!!

Maton are fine. Always respond to e-mails.

Good, solid, vintage guitar. So glad I got it restored! I would never dream of selling it. My other acoustics include a Maton 225 and a Seagull S6GT. Acoustic amp is a Kustom KAA30. Nice little amp. Check out my review on it!

My Maton Coolibah (CB70/6) was built in 1976, in Melbourne. It's a Dreadnought body, with Sitki spruce top, and Queensland Maple back, sides & neck.The fingerboard in Rosewood. Finish is satin.

This is a loud acoustic guitar, with excellent projection. Its become louder as the guitar has aged, with nice balance between highs & lows. I play it acoustically, solo and with a group of others, even with six or seven other guitars I can hear myself. I love it.

The guitar was perfect when I bought it in 1976, I couldn't fault it.

This guitar has been amazing. It has been dropped once (not by me) when a strap broke - undamaged. Someone once fell on it and the only damage was a internal brace popped off. Its only been back to a professional twice for neck adjustments in 32 years. The tuners are OK, still original.
The only wear is the fingerboard - slight, but there is heavy pitting of the spruce top above the sound hole where I have been too enthusiastic with my strumming. Considering the thousands of hours of playing over the past 32 years, it has survived very well.

Haven't needed anything from the factory.

I have been playing for 36 years, and the Maton was an expensive guitar for me in 1976 (then) at $300 dollars Australian. I didn't really know the brand, but the guitar shop man said it wouldn't disappoint & he was right.
I love its playability, its so easy to play - nice low action, fast neck and it it fits me like an old shoe.