Maton EBG808 Artist

Welcome to the Maton EBG808 Artist! My model is relatively young, having only been made in December 2007 and purchased January 2008 from a dealer in England, delivered to Ireland.

It's a handmade Australian concert-sized acoustic with Queensland spruce soundboard, blackwood (gorgeous) back and sides, Queensland maple neck, blackwood veneer headstock with Grover tuners, and a tortoise shell pickguard. Overall there's no denying that it's a fine looking guitar, well built and made to last, but it's not quite as stunning to look at as other handmade acoustic guitars. The shape of the guitar's body is unusual to me because I own two other dreadnoughts (one Avalon, one Tanglewood) so the Maton definitely looks different. It's comfortable to hold and play for long periods, even though it took me a wee while to adjust to the smaller body.

The Artist comes with the mighty APMic pickup/preamp system installed and this thing is (not to take away from the guitar's fine acoustic sound of course) the pi??ce de resistance. It's an under-the-bridge/condenser mic blend combo that takes 2x AA batteries and it really does a magnificent job of reproducing the guitar when plugged in. In my experience very little (if any) EQ is needed because the pickup does it beautifully. Add a touch of reverb and the guitar sings in live situations.

Mine didn't include the custom Maton case but instead got a good quality classical-size hard case which is fine, fits perfect. It's a good idea to get yourself one of the custom Maton truss rod adjusters because without it you won't be able to make any tweaks to the truss rod. The shop I bought from were kind enough to send me one out free of charge on request, because I prefer to play with a dead-straight neck (see Action section for more).

The Artist suits what I play pretty much in every way. I'd say that I play 75% [thumb]picking, 15% bare fingerpicking and 10% strumming, so a small-bodied guitar with thinner bass was what I was after. When it first arrived, the sound was actually quite big, which shocked me, but now that I've fiddled with the truss rod and changed strings it's sounding more like what I expected. The sound unplugged didn't blow me away to be honest, it was pretty much what I'd been getting from my trusty Avalon. The beautiful woods used really lend to the sound; it's a really raw, bright, "woody" sounding instrument, with mids and highs that sing and bass that really doesn't overpower. If anything, the bass is slightly lacking acoustically (but you'll get it all back with the APMic of course ;)). Harmonics ring out, the intonation is great all the way up the neck.

Which leads me to say this - this is not a good unplugged guitar. I'd discourage people from buying an EBG808 Artist if their main purpose is for leisure playing or for acoustic sets. You simply won't be heard above the others - the Artist is quiet (there's a reason why Tommy Emmanuel nicknamed his Maton "Mouse")! If your playing is mostly unplugged, you'll maybe want to look into a jumbo or dreadnought size for the extra volume. Otherwise, if you do a lot of recording or live performances plugged in, the Maton is your perfect choice. Personally I plug in, add some reverb and I'm good to go; I can tweak settings on the preamp should I need to and the sound is always top notch.

One problem I seem to be having is trying to keep strings in tune...it's only slightly, but it's still there and kind of frustrating when one or two (or all) of the strings detune after an hour or so. I'm putting it down to the guitar being so young and having travelled from Australia to England to Ireland all in a month, it's probably still settling into the new environment and I'm still breaking it in. I also no doubt expect the Artist's sound to improve as the woods mature, hopefully along with my playing!

Straight out of the box the Artist's action will suit the majority of players. I know players (singers that play some guitar, I should say) who simply out of laziness or lack of spare time have neglected to keep their acoustics set up properly, and the neck relief on some of them are shocking! When I let them try the Maton they instantly fell in love with how easy it is to play - hopefully that'll lead to them getting a decent set up on their own!

As I said, I prefer a dead-straight neck on my acoustics and the odd slight buzz from the bass strings doesn't annoy me and doesn't seem to annoy listeners either, so I straightened the neck with the Maton tool and I'm happy with it. The first while I started noticing an unusual rattle coming from inside the body, especially when playing open harmonics; rattles are notoriously bad news for acoustics so I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Turns out that it was just the APMic's wiring vibrating against the inside of the body, so I got my hand in and moved the wiring until the rattling stopped.

The finish on the Artist is ultra-ultra thin, you'd barely know there was even a finish on it. Compared to the glossy sheen from my Avalon (you can see your own reflection in it), the Maton looks really natural, but it makes me sorta uneasy thinking that the finish won't last, and the guitar will end up taking some scratches or dents before its time. I think a handmade guitar of this quality deserves a better finish, even a few more coats of the ultra-thin stuff would do!

It's a sturdy machine and will no doubt stand the test of time, both the guitar itself and the electronics. The strap buttons are solid, can't imagine them failing on me either. I'd easily depend on the Artist on a gig with just spare batteries for the preamp just in case.

The people at Maton in Oz are probably one of the friendliest to deal with that I've come across. They were first of all going to sell direct to me because there are no Maton dealers in Ireland, and even though I'd bought mine from England, Maton have assured me that I have lifelong support and that they're only an email away. Really impressed by their customer support. Hopefully it won't be too often that I deal with them, but when I do, I know the experience will be a good one. Thanks Maton!

It's a gem of a guitar, without a doubt. That said, consider your options and weigh up the pros and cons first; think about whether it'll suit your style and taste, compare it with other guitars. Play one if you can get your hands on one (hot property, these things!) and see what it does for you. I'm glad I bought mine and I can safely say that it'll permanently be a predominant member of my acoustic line-up.

The guitar I have was made in August 2006 and I have been playing it for about 2-3 weeks now. I bought mine with a Hiscox flight case for AUD2700 inclusive of shipping to a country outside of Australia. But be ready for an extra 10% customs tax bringing it close to AUD3000. Since this purchase was over the Internet, I had no way of testing and inspecting the guitar prior to the purchase but all is well. I bought this guitar purely on other owners??? feedback and recommendations. The guitar and the Hiscox flight case were splendid.

The keyhole headstock and the snowflakes dot inlays are cute. Nice touch. Also the herringbone rosette around the soundhole has more ???colour??? to it. It is not as beautiful as compared to the other US guitar brands with all their pearl and abalone inlays etc. It's pretty much a simple, no frills kinda guitar.

The APMic system is THE thing about this guitar. This is what makes this guitar what it is known for. I've listened to many guitar players and guitars and after a while, I preferred the Maton tone. That's why I chose to get that guitar. it's different from a Taylor, Martin etc. All these guitars have a different voice. I would say that the Maton is more woody.

All other specifications can be optained here:-
http://www.maton.com.au/acoustics/ebg808-artist-te-2.html

Chord strumming and played unplugged, the guitar was so-so. It wasn???t fantastic. It was not loud, no bell-like notes, bass and treble were not impressive unplugged. But harmonics all over the neck were pretty much easier to achieve if compared to other lower end guitars. Fingerpicking some tunes on it, pretty much the same.

Plugged in, the APMic really showed its power. This is where the guitar shines. I would say that it???s more of a performance (live) / recording instrument only ??? not so much an instrument you use to play unplugged in your room or around campfires etc.

If you mainly strum and fingerpick, like for church music, I would say the Taylors are an excellent choice. Taylors are very nice sounding, clear, bell like tone guitars. Good for strumming and some light fingerpicking.

But for great woody tone, it's the Maton for me. The MAIN reason anyone would want a Maton is because of the amplified sound. Unamplified, the guitar pretty much is mediocre only. Even a low-end Taylor sounds better than it. But when plugged in and amplified... that's when the magic happens. Beats all other guitars FLAT! Serious. It's the pick-up system that makes all the difference in the Matons. Great for fingerstyle and picking, but not too suitable for strumming. This of course is my opinion. And if you read what others have written / reviewed about this guitar, you'll find pretty much the same.

Everything as perfect as could be and set-up nicely by the dealer I got the guitar from. The action was nice and low. The guitar plays like ???butter??? but I think I prefer lighter gauge strings. The strings on the guitar should be Elixir .012 - Light. I think I???ll go for Custom Light .011 next time. The neck was not dead straight but a little concave around frets 9-10. I think this is okay.

The only qualm is the thin satin finish that is applied on it. Yes, it is very thin for the puspose to allow the woods to vibrate more. However, it's not as bad as you think. Normal playing will NOT wear off the finish - at least I don't think so. If looks were a criteria, surely a gloss finish would be better. That is an option from Maton but will cost you AUD400 - AUD500 more.

I guess this guitar is as durable as any normal guitar. Nothing spectacular to make it more durable.

Pretty quick e-mail replies from Maton Sales when I asked them a few questions about their guitar modifications and parts etc. prior to my purchase. The guitar was not bought directly from the manufacturer (Maton does not sell direct to end customers).

The purchase left a huge whole in my wallet now but I have no regrets about the guitar purchase.

I bought this guitar new in Australia, after Tommy told me all the good things about Maton. And he should know. I did not want the TE signature model (everybody has that one) so I went for the Artist. I also liked the look of the Artist better, without the CGP nameplate (I'm an UGP), with snowflake in stead of big dot inlays on the fingerboard and with the beautiful herringbone edge. For the rest, this guitar is conceptually identical to Tommy's guitar.

I play mostly fingerstyle, and when I first played this guitar I was surprised by the full and massive, bassy sound, pretty much like a dreadnought. And pretty much unlike Tommy's guitar! However, when I adjusted the action (see next section) and the truss rod - the neck was slightly concave - the sound lost its massiveness, and become more like the typical 'Tommy sound'. Brighter, more transparent, better defined. The highs are very clear, and the mids (half way up the neck, on the G en B string) really resonate. The guitar sounds very pure and open, a little 'raw'.

Plugged in, the guitar lacks the usual piezo 'quack'. The sound is smooth and clear, and sounds best over a PA (acoustic amps often are designed to push away the piezo frequencies, which will dull down the Maton sound).

All in all, this guitar is a good fingerpicker, although I would prefer a slightly better acoustic bass response. When you play muted bass, the bass often just seems to disappear. Plugged in it's no issue.

The guitar is simple, but neatly made. Nothing spectacular, but elegant, and sometimes a little peculiar (like a rather heavy bracing, no center seam in the butt, a truss rod adjusting tool that goes through the endpin hole and makes a good self-defence weapon too, etc.). All in all, the guitar makes a 'raw', maybe even slightly primitive impression. A real workhorse, 'bush'-type guitar. But nice, really!

The action was too high for me, but that is normal. I prefer really low action. No big deal - I replaced the carbon bridge saddle by one made of bone and filed down the nut. Then it played fine, although I cannot really get used to the slightly flat neck profile. I'm probably too much used to Taylor necks. The frets feel a bit 'edgy' too, and although the action is really low, the guitar neck somehow lacks the smoothness my Taylors have. I could never figure out why.

The guitar is nice and small, but beware: quite deep! So not as comfortable to play as many other, small-bodied guitars.

There are no flaws, except... the laquer! I assume they dip a brush in a cup of egg white (once) and use that to finish the entire guitar. The lacquer is opaque (I prefer gloss), very, very thin and very, very, very soft! You will go through it by just looking at it.

I rate 5 points here, because I think a guitar of this price deserves a decent finish.

No reason to assume this guitar is constructed worse than other top-of-the-line guitars. It is very light, but well made. Except for the lacquer. I hardly touched my Maton, so it's still nearly mint, but the 808s I see around me, and which are played, usually just have the laquer falling off. Just by resting your fingers on the top of the guitar you will go through the finish in a week. Any slight bump will create a dent. Play this guitar, and it will look like Tommy's in a month.

Again, a 5 here, to account for the bad finish. My Taylors look like they were dipped in glass, and the lacquer is really tough and protects the guitars well. That's the way I want it.

No experiences.

All in all, this is a very good, quite unique guitar with a unique sound. If you want something different, give it a try.

I also own a Taylor 712ce, and that guitar is quite similar to the Maton in many respects, including the price. I would recommend the Taylor (better playing comfort, much better 'feel' of left hand, more controlled response, smoother sound, terriffic lacquer, slicker looks), but that recommendation is definitely based on a personal preference in many respects. Try both, and trey many other guitars in that price range, and decide for yourself!

Made in 2002, in AUstralia most likely in th old factory before Maton had fully moved into its new premises. I bought it for Aus$2495. This solid AAA spruce topped, 22 fret, no cutaway OM-style guitar is a beauty. It has Maton's APmic system in it which s basically an AP5 with a condenser microphone in-built into the guitar near the high E string. This has a blend function so you can blend the two. You can also have the microphone on its own, but its sound is a little poky. Rather it adds the body noise to the string sound of the piezo which is quite strong. The system is active so it does need 9-volt batteries, but I have only had to change once so far and that is with quite a bit of gigging and playing plugged in. The Back and sides are solid Tasmanian Blackwood. This is similar to Koa, and in the sunlight it shimmers with this three dimensional fiddleback almost holographic look. It's real flash. The neck is Queensland Maple with a Blackwood topped headstock. The fingerboard is Gidgee which is 20% harder than the hardest of Macassarian Ebony. It has pearl cross inlays. The Bridge is rosewood. The finish is nitrocellulose and very thin yet very durable. I have scratched it a few times with some extreme strumming, but it seems to hold up to knocks and bumps. The bridge and nut are both made of graphite which is fantasic for the sound and sustain. The tuners are Gold Grovers. The neck is 25 1/2 inch scale and is not too fat. The frets are quite thin and low, but beautifully seated. The deal included a hard case and a couple of picks and a battery.

When I picked up this guitar I thought "Gee that feels light" and I immediately played one riff just on the E-string and the bass to come out of this little Guitar was fantastic. Upon trying all the strings, things seemed so clear and balanced compared to my muddy old dreadnought. It was much louder than my old guitar (an old $170 laminate Epiphone). I lter found it had a very distinct midrange that made it quite conducive to being played like a les paul, in the context of having a fat solo lead tone. This surprised me as I never expected this from a Fender scale guitar. I mainly play pop, rock, country and progressive metal music. I use it for writing quite a number of my songs. Always have used the acoustic, even for some of the heavier songs. It really does drop-D like nothing else. When I bought it I tried it in Drop-D playing Grinspoon's Chemical Heart, and it was just like the track. Pat Davern owns one of these and I have seen him using one on TV for the track. It was like sooo cool. I would have to say it has a very rich sound. It sits out in the mix. In terms of pop this is not always a great thing when playing a strummy track. It tends to overpower a little. In terms of fingerpicking, well that is really what this guitar is made for. There is plenty of variety to be found in the sounds it makes when plugged in. Just a twist of the mid knob will take you to some very different aural landscapes. I have found that cutting the bass helps plenty when playing live. I have no dislikes with this product, apart from the fact that it really loves new strings and that its old string sound is pretty ordinary in comparison. It sounds great with Martin SPs.

There was nothing wrong at all with the factory set-up. It was playable straight from the shelf. Once fit with new strings it had so much zing and harmonics just flew from this little wooden box. It is so comfortable too as it is not as big and bulky as a dreadnought. The action is low and fast, and really my only limitation with this guitar is myself.

This guitar has withstood plenty. Recently it was dropped on the floor on its top when the person was in a hurry and forgot to lock the case. I am an idiot for lending it to him. That said, it was as playable as ever after that, and the damage was merely cosmetic. I was lucky and learnt a very valuable lesson. As I said earlier it has some scratches, but it will survive as long as I stay careful around it. t is definitely a dependable instrument that has a reliable indigenous tone that is a little different to everything else out there. I have gigged with it without backup.

These guys at Maton are fabulous. Very friendly with a pretty snazzy website. The warranty I believe was for two or three years. I have had it repaired and set up once to my own specs. But that was my own fault.

I have been playing for eight years. I own a Pearl Flute, harmonica, Ebow, brass slide, A modded DeArmond Jetstar Special. I also have a Zoom MRS1044 with a Rode NTK and Rode NT3. I also own a Fender Frontman 25R. I think I might shop around a little more if it were stolen or lost. What I love about it is it is a solid sound that is reliable. I don't hate too much about it at all. My favourite feature is its sound.

I ordered this guitar direct from Maton in Austrailia mainly after seing Tommy Emmanuel several times. I got to talk to him after the gigs to ask him about his Matons. He was quite clear in his opinion and basically said that nothing comes close to a Maton for sweetness and playabilty. I assumed he was biased because of his assumed product endorsement but there must have been some truth here because he has played Matons all his life. I took a gamble and got the credit card out, mine is a EBG808 Artist (not the TE signature model)with a custom Abalone inlay and custom scratchplate. Also for security in transit to the UK I went for the Hislox case which was a real problem!! You can see the specs on the Maton web page & other reviews.

Out of the case the guitar sounded a little thin and I was at first dissapointed compared to my Taylor 814c & 614C guitars. I persevered and took into consideration the slightly smaller body size. I then plugged it in and oh my goodness!! the guitar just came to life, the tone and just amazing sweetness came evident and Tommy's words came into my mind. My Taylors come no where close!!

I've plugged it into a small Gallien Krueger combo and it sounds great but through a decent PA then it is pure TE and if you haven't seen Tommy Emmanuel play yet then do it before you die becase he is simply the wonder of the world when it comes to acoustic guitar.

The guitar played perfect out of the case and the sound as described above is amazing. I bought the guitar to replace a Martin M38 I foolishly sold last year but this wins hands down.

The build is very good, one or two blemishes on the Spruce top but the handbook does explain that the Maton policy is to produce a guitar for sound and hence their woods may have small marks. The guitar is very light and is a dream to play

If you have seen TE you will know that he bashes hell out of his Matons and they withstand a lot of abuse. I used to be very paranoid about my guitars but now don't bother too much about the odd dent and fair wear & tear.

This guitar will stand up to hard playing, OK the finish is thin but you get compensated by the beautiful tone.

Ordered from Maton in Dec 2002, the guitar was ready in mid Jan 03 but I didn't get it until July. This was becase the Hiscox case was not available, the irony is that Hiscox are located about 20 miles from where I live in the UK and the case went all the way to Aus & back again. Hiscox had production problems so this was not Maton's fault. I lost my rag with them a couple of times and I had to chase a rsponse by email, but generally they responded quite quickly.

They gave me a free Maton Strap which was something, but all in all the frustrations and the long wait were worth it.

Been playing mainly electric blues for 30 odd years and I have had my guitar thought processes turned on their head by TE and Chet Atkins, where have I been!

I love this guitar and I look forward to growing old with it,I will never sell it. I needed another finger pickin style guitar to replace the Martin, the Maton did this and together with the unusual woods, sweet tone and playability, it is perfect. I would replace it in an instant, simply fantastic! If you have any questions email me, meanwhile get to see Tommy Emmanuel as soon as possible!!!!!!!!!!

It was an Australian made guitar. Bought in 2003 but manufactured in 2001.
This guitar is made of solid Australian Maple, so a brighter tone.
The label on my guitar reads "EBG808A-TE" but I am quite confused as to distinction between EBG Artist and TE. I supposed there are two variants within EBG808 Artist. It has a pickguard, an C.G.P. inlay on 12th fret very similar to Tommy Emmanual's.
The guitar is fitted a Maton APMic pre-amp/blender powered by 2 AA batteries
The guitar has a satin type finish which I believe has to do with its tranparent tone.
It is a OM sized body and very responsive to delicate playing and dynamics but would be less satisfactory for strumming or in a band situation.
The guitar comes with a nice Hiscox case but no truss rod key which the Maton deliberately leaves the job to dealers in order to minimize possibel damages to truss rod by inexperienced players.

I guess many people would agree this guitar sounds wonderful when amplified. The Maton APMic is a dual source system that blends under-the-saddle and internal mic well. This gives a much airy tone when compared to a tone generated through the under-the saddle solely. SO far I like this combination except for some Soundboard Transducers such as PUTW and B-band.
The guitar has a very nice balance between the highs and lows and can record beautifully without much EQ. I have plugged it into my Korg D12 and the built in mic simultaion generates a very good tone. I also like to play with my amp with some reverb on.
Acoustically, this guitar is not a loud one, just moderate tone. So expect lower volume than Ovation, Lowden and any jumbo sized guitars.
As this is an OM sized guitar, I can play fingerstyle and flatpicking...
I have a lot of reasons to love this and nothing to hate about.

Another thing to be crazy for this guitar is its playability and low action. It has been professionally set up at Maton factory. I found Matons are generally well set up in factory and requires less follow-up at the detailers' end.
The pickups have been properly installed to produce an accurate tone.

I don't have a chance to play lively since I bought it.
The satin finish requires special care and avoids regular guitar polish which may make the guitar over-glossy and impair its tone.
I don't find anything suspectible to damages. Think I have enough confidence here.

Since I live outside Australia, I can only email them.
Replies are prompt and helpful.
Other than this, so far I don't need much customer services form them which is good!

I have been playing it for six months now.
I owned a number of "good" guitars made by reputable manufacturers.
This is a gem from down under.
If this is stolen, I may or may not bought another EBG808 TE but I will certainly look for better Maton since it is TE's not mine. I would rather order a custom one from them.
Maton certainly delivers a good tone for fingerstyle players but has its own style and character. So you owe yourself a chance to play test one at your nearesr Maton dealer. I know they may not have good distribution network outside Australia. I am not sure if the dealer in my country would order them in future since they are not selling that well - may be TE is not very popular....BUt I have confidence in Maton.

Same features as the above reviews. Beautifully put together. It's been over a year and I still love staring at it.

I love the sweeetness of the tone. The midrange and the high notes are clear and pleasing to my ears. The bass is not too heaven. It compliments the other notes by being overpowering. I took a chance buying it only from reading the reviews on this website. I haven't regretted it. I put pho/bro strings on it. They seem to compliment this guitar the best. Just a great sounding guitar.

Mr. Haworth(Australian guitar shop owner) set the guitar in low action. Plays great. With my small hands, this neck and width of the fingerboard seem to work perfectly. Light to moderate strumming will bring out great sound. This guitar begs to be fingerpicked, also. Very comfortable to hold. The pickup sounds better than the ones I have heard. Rich, warm amplified sound over the PA makes playing and performing that much more enjoyable.

This guitar was banged up a few times, dropped accidentally a few times. And it sustained minimal damages. This is a tough guitar! I try to baby it but sometimes people just aren't careful around it. So it's good to have a well-build guitar to withstand all the punishment.

Both Haworth Guitars and Maton Guitars have been good to work with. Mr. Haworth is particularly helpful with my questions. He is great to work with. Since I live in the US, I appreciate all that he's done in the customer service area for me.

I love this guitar. I have had it for about a year. This is the best investment I made so far. I have tried Taylor 314, 414, and Larrivee L-03. This one is still my favorite by far. I have a Bourgeois Artisan OM and I am waiting my new Paragon Guitar to arrive. With all the guitars I had owned, this Maton is the one to keep. I love the way it feels, sounds, and plays. Wonderful guitar!!

This is my third Maton. This guitar was made in 2001 and I was actually lucky enough to choose it myself at the Maton factory in Bayswater (Victoria, Australia). It has all the features listed above with a AAA grade top, which is a beautiful piece of Australian grown timber, and sides that shimmer in the light. It even smells great!! I particularly like the fact that the quality of the wood is not plastered with artificial paint jobs. The light coating on the wood enhances its natural beauty and its brilliant sound.

I bought this guitar after hearing Tommy Emmanuael use it live. It was unbelievable! It could punch out great crunchy tones and then mew like a kitten. I play fingerstyle after crossing over from classical. It has rich bass notes and clear treble. Its not too boomy or overly screechy. If you want tone tone tone this is the guitar for you.

Great neck, smooth as silk, good close action. It plays well for me straight out of the box. Excellent finish, smooth as silk tuners, cute snowflake inlays. Sounds great through an amp (just crossing over amps at present)

My Maton will last as I dont play professionally, and if I did I wouldn't let it out of my sight!! Mr. Emmanuel thrashes the hell out of it on stage and his still works so I reckon thats a big plus for reliability.

Dealt with Maton personally when choosing the guitar. Pleasant, helpful, explained features, warranty, service available for repairs etc.

Been playing quite a few years. Other MAtons owned in the past CW80 and EMC325. Both good guitars but nothing touches this one. If someone stole it I would be in mourning until I could replace it.Have tried other guitars (Takemine, Yamaha, had an old Martin made classical_cheap version) Sound like cardboard boxes next to this> Do yourself a favor, if your considering this model, BUY IT, you wont regret it

This is a 2001 model year Australian-made ?small jumbo? or ?grand auditorium? style acoustic/electric guitar. It compares favorably with the Martin 000, Larrivee ?L? series, or Taylor x14 (e.g., 314, 414, 714) guitars. AAA-grade solid Sitka spruce top, solid figured Australian blackwood back and sides, Queensland maple neck, 20 frets, rosewood fingerboard with snowflake inlays, mulga bridge, herringbone inner banding and rosette, rock maple outer banding, blackwood veneer over keyhole headstock, gold-plated tuners, and satin finish. The neck is comparable to a Taylor, but with a much silkier finish, and measures 1-3/4? at the nut and 2-1/8? at the body. Scale length is 25-1/2?; the fingerboard has a 12? radius. In addition to several cosmetic/timber upgrades, the ?Artist? version of the EBG808 comes with Maton?s ?APMic? blender, which combines a piezo bridge pickup with an on-board microphone mounted in a foam sleeve on the lower inside lip of the sound hole. The preamp is powered by two AA batteries that last 120 hours, and has slider controls for volume, bass and treble, and knob controls for midrange and mic blend. The microphone volume knob replaces the midrange ?sweep frequency? control found on the standard ?AP5? electronics (sans mic) sold with virtually all other Maton acoustic/electric?s. This instrument is handsome, but not ornate. Its appearance is very natural; the figured Australian timbers are beautiful by themselves, and the herringbone banding and rosette inlays are reminiscent of the Outback. Cases and accessories are purchased separately; I bought my guitar with a Maton hard shell case (made in Canada) that has a sculpted cover and burgundy plush lining. Prospective buyers should insist on getting a special custom-made Maton tool with their guitar needed for truss rod adjustment. Luthiers outside of Australia are not likely to have one. Purchase price included the guitar, case, truss-rod tool (provided N/C by the dealer), and shipping to the U.S.

More so than most other brands, Maton guitars have a distinct sound, which I assume comes largely from their use of native Australian tone woods in the guitar?s back, sides and neck. (Spruce tops are from Alaska). If you are not familiar with the ?Maton sound,? I recommend getting a copy of the album ?Only,? by Australian guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel. He?s pictured on the album jacket with his well-aged EBG808, and the CD is entirely made up of his solo acoustic guitar tracks. While it?s difficult to put sound characteristics into words, this guitar has a well-balanced tone, extremely rich in harmonics. The tonal characteristics of Australian blackwood are very close to Koa. While the midrange spectrum is emphasized, trebles are bright and clear, and bass notes are neither too boomy nor too mushy. While its small body is capable of producing reasonable volume unplugged, it is certainly not as profound as a rosewood dreadnought or a full size jumbo. In my opinion, this as a fingerpicker?s guitar, which suits my style perfectly. Unplugged, I work a bit harder than with a full-bodied guitar to get the volume I?m accustomed to, but the guitar?s amazing tone makes up for the extra effort! Plugged in, it absolutely comes to life, and is very sensitive to touch and responsive to nuances in technique. Dialing in 25-30% mic level increases sustain, picks up the percussive sounds of fingers/pick, and adds some warmth to the midrange. Through my 30-watt Crate acoustic amp with just a touch of chorus and reverb, this guitar does a credible job of matching the sound of James Taylor?s Olsons. It records beautifully when run directly into a home recording workstation. The output of the Maton is fairly hot, and it takes a bit of fiddling with guitar/amp settings, and also orientation of the mic (it should be pointing out toward the ?B? string) to prevent feedback. It?s unfortunate that Maton chose to eliminate the AP5?s mid sweep control in order to make room for the mic volume knob on the APMic preamp, but my Crate has a sweepable mid control, so it works out in the wash. Between the controls on the guitar and on the amp, I can get a wide range of natural acoustic guitar and ?piezo? tones with this instrument.

Setup on this guitar was very good right out of the box, with action at the minimum recommended factory spec of 2.0mm under the low E and 1.6mm under the high E string at the 12th fret. Intonation up and down the neck is excellent. String height in the nut is perfect, and neck relief adjustment is smooth and positive when changing between string gauges. The custom Maton truss rod tool is somewhat bizarre, and consists of a screwdriver handle with a two-foot long shaft, and a square *? nut driver spot-welded to the end. Maton truss rod adjustment is accomplished by unscrewing the bottom strap pin with an Allen wrench, then inserting the shaft of the tool through the exposed hole in the body to reach the end of the truss rod from the inside at the neck joint. The Maton tuners are the smoothest operating of any of my guitars bar none, and the gold plating does not seem prone to tarnishing or wear. The satin finish is ultra thin, to the extent that the pores in the woods are not completely filled. Maton purports this to be a tone enhancement feature. My only nit with the workmanship is that the cutout for the rosette has a somewhat ?fuzzy? edge where the routing tool must have chipped up the grain of the spruce slightly during the cutting process. As a result, after filling and sanding, the thin black inlay lines on either side of the herringbone rosette pattern are not as ?crisp? looking as they could be, but really this defect is very minor in an otherwise beautifully manufactured guitar. The herringbone inner banding and maple outer banding around the body are flawless.

Face it, this is a solid-wood guitar with wooden (vice hard synthetic) banding around the body, and a super-thin finish. While mine hasn?t a mark on it, I handle it with great care. Nonetheless, this guitar has been crafted to last, and given reasonable handling, I have every reason to believe that it will. It could easily be depended on in a live playing situation.

I sent Maton a couple e-mails regarding their minimum action spec on this guitar, and feedback management. I had replies from their chief luthier within a day or two. Their marketing and sales is all but non-existent in the states, though, and I pretty much had to research the line of Maton guitars on the web and find a suitable vendor in Australia to deal with. Visitors to the Maton website (www.maton.com.au) should note that many of their best guitars are not shown (including this one). You should download their price list in PDF format for a complete rundown on everything that?s available.

I?ve been playing primarily as a hobbyist for over 25 years now, and own a wide variety of quality acoustic, A/E, and electric guitars from Takamine, Ovation, Fender, Ibanez, Epiphone, etc. This is by far and away my favorite guitar to listen to, to look at, and to play. Dollar for dollar, I feel the quality and value in the line of Maton guitars (especially the solid-wood models) is far better than the current offerings from the major U.S. manufacturers. I absolutely love the sound of this guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I would seek to replace it in a heartbeat. I?d seriously consider one of their dreadnoughts or jumbos as a second addition to my collection. It?s unfortunate that Maton hasn?t made greater efforts to gain popularity in the states, but then again their limited marketing outside of Australia and low production volume help maintain their status as one of the guitar industry?s best kept secrets.