Maton EST60C

My specimen was born in 2004

Finish = High Gloss
Body Type = Cutaway, 90mm to 114mm body depth
Bridge = Rosewood
Tuners = Gold Grover Rotomatic - unbelievable machine heads, I haven't retuned my guitar in months.
Soundboard = "A" grade solid sitka spruce
Neck & Headstock = Queensland Maple
Back & Sides = Queensland Walnut
Pickup = the famous AP5
Scratchplate = Tortoiseshell with M logo

Stunning guitar: visually and sonically.

Let me tell you a story about how I came to choose this guitar. One day, I travelled all the way to attend a university class only to find out it had been cancelled, much to my consternation. So, in retalliation for wasting my time, I decided to head to the local guitar shop and scratch an acoustic guitar itch I had been battling with at the time.

So I sat down on a stool that faced a vast wall of every acoustic guitar known to man: from cheap knock offs to the expensive monstrosities that trigger untrusting glares from the shop staff as soon as you place your unworthy mitts on them.

And so it began, the ultimate test: I started from the top left-hand corner of the wall all the way to the bottom right-hand corner, through 4 rows and countless columns of guitars, playing the same songs on each in order to properly compare them. I've gotta tell you, those guitar shop staff wanted me dead by the end of the experiment and probably wished Led Zeppelin had never recorded "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" because I was in there for a loooooong time.

By the end of it, my selection came down to three guitars: The Maton "Messiah", a Martin & Co (can't remember the model, but it was double the price), and the Maton EST60C. The fact that two of my last three shortlisted selections were Matons gives testimony to my opinion of their sound.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I chose the EST60C. It sounds simply amazing, and like another reviewer mentioned, it was marketed as a "Stage Series" acoustic intended for live use. I play this thing unplugged and I'm captivated by it every time, and plugging it in is a whole new revelation. I can't speak highly enough about this guitar so I will stop. 10 out of 10 for sound. Enough said.

The action, the woodwork quality and the finish (in particular) are astonishing. Not only does it sound brilliant, but it looks brilliant too: from the beautiful timber to the gold hardware, man, this thing even SMELLS GOOD. I find myself opening the case just to have a whiff of it and not even playing it at times. I'm a weirdo, I know, but buy one of these guitars and hopefully you will share the same enthusiasm.

My only criticism is that the finish is almost too good - if there is such a thing. It is so flawless that I take fastidious care not to scratch it or anything because I want it to look like this forever. But sometimes, you want a guitar that you can go wild with and thrash about... the high gloss and pristine timber prevents me from doing this, but that's because I'm picky and it's a small price to pay in my opinion.

This guitar feels solid and appears well made. They say that these guitars grow better with age: I'm yet to confirm that however I do agree that it's likely to be with me for a long time so we'll wait and see.

As for gigging I wouldn't really know, however everytime I see an acoustic on stage (including the likes of Jack Johnson) I see Matons everywhere I go, so they must be good for performing.

I've never had to deal with Maton, so I can't comment here.

I chose this guitar over the other two I had shortlisted (The Maton "Messiah" and the Martin) because it was highly competitive on quality when compared to the others, but much cheaper, which was the deciding factor. The Messiah is in a league of its own (but more expensive), however, and the Martin didn't look anywhere near as good as the EST60C and it had dead spots on the 12th fret... eeeeek!!!! That's completely unacceptable considering the price tag.

The EST60C screams quality and value thoughout, and considering I'm an Australian, this was a bit of a patriotic choice too... makes me proud to be an Aussie!!!

Steel string acoustic cutaway with AP5 pickup, 2005 model, handmade in Australia.

21 frets, A grade solid sitka spruce top, Queensland walnut back and sides, queensland maple neck and headstock, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, gloss finish, gold Grover tuners, tortoiseshell pickguard. Very much an Australian guitar!

No case included.

Maton advertises that their "Stage" series guitars are intended to be plugged in and played live. They claimed they have a body designed to eliminate low frequency feedback, back raising its resonant frequency. They sound bloody good unplugged too!!

I play rock/pop, Nickelback, Matchbox 20, 3 doors down... to me, it's a very versatile, well balanced guitar. It sounds good with every style that I play (OK, maybe Im just bloody good). My friends who tried it told me the same, whatever they play sounds awesome, makes them sound like pro-veteran musicians (OK, maybe Im not that good).

The action was nice and low (almost perfect) from the factory. Almost perfectly bookmatched top and back.

I did not notice any manufacturing flaws with this guitar. First class quality control. The whole instrument looks and feels SOLID, seems like it could take up quite a lot of abuse and still rock on for years to come.

This guitar was designed by Maton to be played live, hence it's "Stage" name. The gloss finish looks awesome, definately adds to the protection than a satin finish. Doesn't look like it will wear off with lots of hot, sweaty playing on stage (maybe it will, but it will take a lot... and I mean A LOT of playing...). The strap buttons are solidly screwed on.

In simple terms, yes, I can depend on it when playing live. I would definately gig with this without a backup (that is, if guitar strings don't break).

Never dealt with the company. The guitar comes with a 12 months warranty.

I've been playing since 1993. During that time, I have owned Yamahas, Washburns and not so long ago, a Cole Clark. I decided to let go of the Cole Clark because I wanted something better (it was their bottom range FL1, satin finish, no binding whatsoever). Compared to the Cole Clark, this is a much better guitar in terms of durability and construction. They have been proven to last and the sound will improve with age, whereas the Cole Clark is a whole "new" way of constructing an acoustic, not yet proven to last as they are a relatively new company.

I was originaly looking to purchase an EM325C, it has exactly the same specs but satin finish, black pickguard and chrome Grover tuners. But I wanted something in gloss, so the EST60C was the best option. The only major difference is it's 90mm - 114mm body depth. It's still shaped like a dreadnought, but slightly smaller. I only noticed when I put it in a standard dreadnought Gator case, I did not notice it otherwise.

For it's price, to me it has the best bang for your buck in the whole Maton range. Excellent value for money!