Maton MS500 Mastersound

2007/8 model.
21 medium-jumbo frets on a 24.75 scale neck. All Australian tonewoods throughout.
Same body as the MS500, but with a Rickenbacker style F hole in it.
Transluscent dark cherry finish
P90-ish single coil in the neck, humbucker in the bridge, coil tappable, 3 way 'bar' selector, generic P-Bass style chrome volume and tone knobs.
Tune-o-matic bridge.

A lot of people seemed to have jumped onto this brand expecting to instantly sound like Josh Homme, unfortunately they'll be sorely disappointed.

George Harrison had one on loan for a few months in '63 while the Country Gent was in for repair. So these things have a little more pedigree than you might first give them credit for.

No complaints about the pickups. They're not super-bright like a Strat or a Jag, nor are they dark and smooth like a Les Paul or a 335. The closest comparison I can think for the neck pickup is maybe an old Epiphone Casino or something. Both pickups are very much vintage voiced, plenty of character in there, although you do need to fight the best tones out of it - it responds quite nicely to shifts in playing dynamics - I love the gritty jazzer sound you can get with the tone rolled off on the neck pickup a touch and played with fingers. The bridge humbucker coil tap is a bit of a missed opportunity, as the output drops loads, to a very low output single coil. The bridge pickup gags for some amp dirt, but there are some lovely solidbody Gretch style clean sounds to be had too. This guitar really benefits from a nice vintage voiced amp, I use an AC30 mostly and that really works for me. QOTSA fans should really think about getting either the MS2000 or swapping the pickups out for DiMarzios or whatever. Swapping the pickups out would be a real shame though, because it can sound really cool, not a lot like a Gibbo and not a lot like a Fender. The pickups aren't at all noisy. Theres a bit of buzz there from the single coil, but it's pretty controllable.

Wasn't set up great, but then it has travelled from Australia to the UK, with all the atmospheric abnormalities that kind of journey entails. Raised the action a bit and it's a lot better. Theres a tiny bit of a buzz coming from the first 2 or 3 frets still, but nothing that can't be gently sorted in the next couple of string changes.

The pickups were in the right place, and all the hardware was as it should be. The transluscent cherry finish had carried ever so slightly onto the binding in places, but everything else on it is so well put together as to make this anomoly just that.

The f-hole is just spot on, all the materials look great. Maton have used one of those special joints (the name of which momentarily escapes me) between the the headstock and the neck, so you shouldn't be able to snap the headstock off like on, say, an SG.

It's as solid as any other guitar, if not more so. It's not a guitar that is going to wear into a Relic in just a couple of years, that's for sure and the electrics and hardware all seems roadworthy enough. Big ol' strap buttons too.

I'd never gig without a backup of some sort.

I've been playing for 11-ish years, gone through pretty much everything gear wise but have settled on a MIM Strat (w/Novaks), Godin SD, Fender Jag and this Maton as my main guitars, generally always going into a bunch of random effects before hitting an AC30 although there's a little no-name 10 watter I sometimes use if i'm feeling frisky.

This guitar obviously gives a very different palette to draw from than my other guitars, also you don't really see them in the UK that much, and i've never seen one with the f-hole before. If it were stolen i'd either get another or maybe look out for an old Casino, or maybe a vintage Gretsch - stuff that's going to hold it's value.

I love the subtle 60's vibe, the chrome pickup rings, the weirdest pickup selecter in the world, the satin finish on the neck, and the good cop/bad cop neck and bridge pickup combination. It feels pretty nice to play too, quite rewarding for small hands. There's nothing to especially hate, although if there was a way of boosting the output of the humbucker with the coil-tap activated, that'd be cool.

I'm pretty certain it's not the best guitar i'm ever going to play, but it covers a lot of ground sonically, and definitely a keeper.

Black finish which looks like a real dark purple in the sun (really eye catching) and white pickguard. Light weight guitar compared to the Les Paul I always used to play. Neck is Rosewood and is fantastic. They make these in Australia to order and I had mine shipped over to the UK. The pickups are a sort of P90 single coil in the neck and a split hum/single coil in the bridge. I would forget about using the single coil though really in the bridge but the choice is there. Cool pickup selector thing. Maybe would be nice for separate tone volume for pickups but never mind.

It suits my type of music perfect and my playing style as well. A fat tele would maybe be a good description but this has its own look and sound. I get many people in the UK asking me about the guitar actually. The neck pickup sounds really nice clean for rhythm and lead although when overdriven, it is best to stick with single notes there I think. The bridge pickup in humbucker mode is fantastic sounding. Not too fat like a Les Paul but quieter then a single coil too. The single coil mode does sound very thin and a bit weak though so not so useable. I give a 9 for the good sounds though.

The guitar plays amazing and the pickups were also fine. There were no flaws at all and you can tell that Maton take their time to build the guitars.

It has lasted a good few gigs so far and seems very well built. I would like another as backup at some point though just to have around (and they are nice to look at)

Answered the e-mail questions very quickly. Small company too. Great.

I use to thinkt he Les Paul I had was my guitar but the Maton is now it. Fantastic guitar all round and considering the price, beats most other guitars hands down.

2001 Model.

Nice, short scale neck (plays kinda like a Gibson, but better).
Very useful coil tap.
Nice wood.
Check the website for more info.

Only thing I could ask for would be another volume knob, but they make a model like that, and the lack-there-of doesn't bother me a bit.

Ok, I was looking for an SG and I was looking for a Les Paul, but neither of those guitars really "did it" for me. Too honky, too smooth, bla bla bla.

I do tour work for people and need guitars that cover the bases (not basses).

This is a UNIQUE guitar. That's something you don't see much in the "boo-teek" guitar world.

Anywhooo, this guitar has nearly every sound I need and MORE.

They say these are single coils, but don't expect twangy strat or tele single coils, these are BEEFY!

Worried it won't cut through a mix? IT CUTS IN SPADES with FAT SUSTAIN too boot.

No hum or noise issues at all (unlike a Fender).

People complain about the pick-ups and I guess I can see how (they're a little on the dark side), but I generally play bright 6L6 style amps, so it works for me.

This was used, but feels great.

The action was a bit too low for my taste (again, I need to do all styles at the drop of a dime and tend to have the action set up just between a "rawk" and a "jazz" setting).

Nice, "purrrdy" finish,

Very EVEN neck. No fret buzzzzzzz.

The previous owner did not mention if he had this set-up or not.

Very light, but SOLID!

Have done dozens of gigs now (and it's at least 4 years old), no problems, but will wait to determine the longevity.

I plan on buying a backup immediately.

Nice, thoughtful, helpful people.

Really helped determine if this guitar was for me.

This is a UNIQUE guitar. Not enough good things can be said about it, I wish there were more here in the states.

I see a lot of people in the Maton reviews trying to be JOSH HOMME, talkin about their Little Sister covers and whatnot.

Homeboy's got some great tones, but it ain't the guitar kiddo's (here's a clue, it's IN THE FINGERS!)

This guitar does some, warm jazz tones (not like an ol' Archtop, though), thick blues, crunchy "rawwk," even some funk (yah bootsy!).

GREAT alternative to yr run o' the mill Les Paul or SG (yawn, too honky anyway!).

If only I had known about these sooner, I wouldn't have blown (and thus lost in resale) so much money on LP's and SG's.

You can keep your uber-boutique Strat copy, I'll take this Maton any day of the week.

This is a FANTASTIC value which is why it get's a 10.

This is a built to order, Ebony Burst Maton MS500. 1 Volumme and 1 Tone nob, a cool as rotary pick up selector (looks like something off an old hotrod)and a coil tap switch. The pick ups are a CTapped Bridge Humbucker and a neck single coil (all though, sounds like a P90 to me)I dunno what the guitar is made out of. Rose wood finger board. Grover Deluxe tuners, the units I've seen on other 500's have been those horrible, plastic "button" ones, but these are chrome units and look fantastic. 24 1/2 neck (a 25 1/2 is available.

I'm not a guy who likes a crap load of switches/nobs on his guitar, it's more utility than quantity I go for. This layout/selection works fine for me, all though it could do with a seperate tone control for each pick up, which lowers it's marks.

Maton have never been a company who claim their guitars "do it all". The MS500 especially is a very unique sounding guitar, however for me, this was one of the selling points. The bridge humbucker is sheer rock 'n' roll/60's garage. Loud, Brash but with enough fatness and twang to make it a sexy little unit(Think Eagles Of Death Metal). The neck pick up, if you set it just right, can deliver some sweet, sweet blues tones. If you try and diff on this with distortion, it'll go to mush, single note stuff only! The coil tap setting is great, like the bucker but with a more surf-y/borderline jangly sound (great for QOTSA's "Little Sister")As I said, this guitar has a unique sound, you'll love it or hate it. Also a great amp can almost make or break it's tone, get it thorugh a nice tube amp (I like my Matamp Non-MV combo) and she'll sing for you.

The factory set up on this guitar is absolutly fantastic, nice and low with absolutly no buzz or problems the length of it's neck.Normally I have guitar sent to my tech to get the action fixed, this was totally un-nessisary with the Maton. The tuning is absolutly solid.

The finish is a thing of beauty, an Ebony Burst that can look anything from dark Ebony/Black to vibrant purple depending the light. You can see the grain through the finish and it looks absolutly fantastic.

The neck is brilliant, the fret work is spot on (better than most Gibsons)it's an absolute joy to play, something (I suspect) will only get better with age. Becuase it's a smaller neck chords/jazz chords roll of your fingers. I can honestly say, I've played Gibson Les Paul Customs who's necks aren't near as nice as this. All in All, fantastic. The whole guitar it's self feels and plays solidly.

I can honestly say this is one of the most solidly built guitars I've had pass through my hands (and belive you me, it's a long, long list) The only problem I've had is the out put jack coming loose (the screw on the out side, it still works fine) I had an issue with the bridge pick up high (it had a tendancy to spring up) but after screwing it down a bit, this problem went away.

Maton is still a small company and their attention to deal, and sheer build quality is strikingly evident.

First I have to say, the strap buttons on this thing are the single BEST units, I've ever seen on a guitar (short of strap locks) this may not seem like a big deal, but when you have a flying V come off the strap and unserimoniously remove a machine head, you'll get it.

The finish is a high gloss and totally solid, which is a little bit of the problem, I want this baby to age! It'll withstand bump and scrapes with the best of them.

I've never had this guitar stop working on me, she's solid, a total workhorse. I'd use her live and I'd use her without a back up.

I've talked to Hailey a couple of times and she's always friendly and helpful. They're a company who still give 2 about their customers and make a real effort. If I remeber correctly it's a life time warranty but she feels that solid, I can't see her breaking down on me in the near (or distant) future. They are pretty rapid with their responces (normally with in a day) I really respect this (Gibson, in my experience, don't even bother to answer E-mails). Maton are a pleasure to deal with, there's no simpler way to put it.

I like my gear simple and well built but with character, The Maton delivers amply on all 3 fronts. I'm having a total gear over haul at the moment, my current (additional) gear is a Gibson Flying V and a non-master volume, custom Matamp. I tryed a bunch of stuff before setelling on the Maton (Les Pauls/SG's/Tele's/Strat's) but the Maton has THE sound.

If she was lost or stolen I'd bust heads till I got her back, I would certainly buy another, and am looking into buying more Matons. I'd like to add, Maton's are an undiscovered gems on these shores, and I like it that way. They still build guitars to the higest quality. The MS500 feels like a guitar twice it's price, but it has a subversive sound, if you don't like the sound, simply, don't buy one!

I bought this in 1998/99 I think. I remember walking into Eastgate Music in Balwayn and hearing the salesperson getting all excited about the first batch of MS500s they just got in, and I bought one a few minutes later. The neck is a 24.5" scale maple affair, and the body is probably maple (although according to the Maton website, it could be silkwood or bunya). It has a lovely satin tobacco sunburst finish which I fell in love with instantly.

Has a volume and tone knob, a rotary 3-way pickup selector and a coil-split switch for the bridge numbucker. The rotary pickup selector is the best thing ever. Not all players agree that it looks the best (I personally think it rocks!) but I'm sure that many have had their Gibson/Fender pickup selectors break/die on them because of the way they stick out from the body. My Epiphone Les Paul selector died on me early, and so did my friend's Gibson Les Paul. My Maton selector, on the other hand, has NEVER died on me in the 6-7 years I've owned it.

Pickups are basic Maton chrome-covered. P90 style single coil in the neck and humbucker in the bridge. They're not the best (see details below). Bridge is a chrome stop tailpiece. Simple and functional. Tuners are Grovers with Kluson-style heads, but I had to swap the inital ones out which were rattling. However, they hold their tune extremely well. Once I install new strings, tune them up and stretch them, I rarely go out of tune.

Fretwork past the 14th fret is a little sub-standard. It's not out of tune, but some notes don't ring out fully and the sustain suffers a little.

A very well-rounded, and well thought out set of features. I'm usually the lead vocalist in my band and don't like to muck around with my guitar while on stage if I can help it. When I need to, the controls are all in the right place. Extra point for the pickup selector and coil split, but lose one point for the poor quality pickups, and one point for the under-average fretwork past the 14th fret.

I play a wide variety of styles - mostly rock and ballads, sometimes jazz and blues. I've played the guitar through a Marshall VS65 (solid state 1x12 combo) and a Fender Blues Jr Tweed ed (1x12 valve combo), and use a Boss GT6 for effects.

First off, the pickups are not the best. The biggest gripe I have about them is the lack of clarity and articulation, especially when using overdrive/distortion with chords. The bridge humbucker is thin and weak (more so when coil split). The neck pickup is ok - very warm - in fact rolling off the tone and running a clean amp, it was actually perfect for jazz - very smoky, mellow tone! I played most of the time with both pickup selectors which balanced out the cons of both pickups. Overall the sound is usable - I learned to live with it for a few years, but recently I decided that I'd do something about the pickups and swapped them out for Seymour Duncans - Pearly Gates in the neck and a JB in the bridge. The guitar now totally rocks! The pickups bring out the guitar's true character - a tonally well balanced guitar with lots of sustain. I simply can't put it down!

The guitar has always been very quiet. Never had a problem with noise, even with the stock pickups.

As before, this guitar is perfect for jazz with the stock neck pickup. The bridge humbucker is terrible - too thin and nasally sounding for my liking. Both pickups in combo provide a useful sound though, which saw me through for a few years of gigging. Shelling out an extra few hundred bucks for after market pickups is the best investment you can make to this under-rated guitar, as it allows this well-made, affordable instrument to really show its true qualities: a half-way house between a Les Paul and a Strat - nice warm tone but brighter than a Paul, with lots of sustain.

Factory set up was perfect for me. In fact, I have not changed it at all!

One of the tuning machines developed a slight rattle whenever I played the D string, so I changed them all out myself. I love the jade-green Kluson heads though - it compliments the guitar with it's vintage feel perfectly!

Maton used a bucketload of screws to hold the plastic scratchplate in place, as well as the pickup rings. When things get a little sweaty resulting in rusty screws, it can look a little tacky.

I've gigged live with the MS500 regularly - at least once a week for the last 6-7 years, and it has never failed me. It fell from a guitar stand a few times and still stayed in tune. It's a solid workhorse guitar that really shines if you swap out the pickups. Hardware is sturdy - especially the pickup selector. The satin finish is no more/less durable than similar finishes on other guitars. Strap buttons are very solid (although I don't jump and swing my guitar around excessively).

I can depend on it, and I have gigged with it for years without a backup (more by economic necessity than by choice).

Looking back now, this guitar actually got better with age...

Emailed Maton customer service a couple times to inquire about parts and servicing and I got a prompt and friendly response with the right answers.

I'm glad I bought this baby. For the money I paid (even including the cost of upgrading the pickups), I reckon I came out on top with this one. The guitar looks great, it's extremely reliable and very well made and while it's let down by poor pickups, it's not a huge budgetary stretch to replace them (and let's face it, most tone hounds will replace their pickups anyway, even if they were perfectly functional to start with).

If I compared the tone I got from the MS500 to say a Les Paul Std, I'd be hard pressed to say which one I liked more, and the Les Paul costs around 3-4 times more! Granted it looks 3-4 times better and the build quality is better, but does it justify an extra $3,000?

made in australia yr 2000 21 medium size frets solid body guitar queensland maple or bunya nut wood for the body and a maple neck with rosewood fretboard its a bolt on neck.
has humbucker at the bridge and single coil at the neck they are a p- 90 style pickup with the bridge h/b with a coil tap switch , 3 way selector switch kinda retro style i like that !!
this one is finished in a black gloss with chrome hardware looks mean it has tune-o-matic bridge and stoptail end.tuners have been replaced with gotoh crown head style tuners quick ratio but stable...

the maton has a very bassy sound so much bottom end so for clean i dont tend to favour it .but distortion it revs up kinda verging on a les paul sound .the pickups are muddy they do lack clarity im tempted to change them but i cant put in a humbucker that easily maybe a di marzio p-90 would be good to save hassles.one thing maton have done well is create a great tone in this guitar it really does ooze tone .there is good variety in sound from the bridge to neck pickup sustain is good harmonics are there ,im using a 70's valve amp with a digitech rp2000 effects unit so i let it do the talking .it is good for hard and heavy rock its all there...

action was sweet the neck was adjusted and set angled so its super low and really comfortble to play .its a flat top guitar no contours so its ok to play not very heavy but got even weight . its shaped like les paul but with a kinda double cutaway of a tele. its groovey!!!!i think they are a remake of the maton from the 60's the neck has a medium width but its a thin neck suits my playing very well.i have broken the odd string but thats more because of my playin not really a flaw its very well made i think solid as a rock and the neck is tight and immovable it could take a bomb and still be ok in my opinion

this guitar has been my jam guitar and it serves its purpose very well i think it will be a long runner i might not treat it as well as my other guitars but im sure it will be dependable .the finish will be fine but i have already put a few bumps and bruises on it i dont care for it so it will have that played look lol....
the strap buttons on this are excellent take note other guitar manufacturers , large and dont move even the sloppiest of straps stay on them.i would always bring it for backup i know its there

havent dealt with them......

ive been on and off for 12 years playing but decided to get back into it. my friend was raving about getting one , but never did i saw it advertised so went to check it out liked it so got it!!! i would say the pickups are the worst of it the original tuners may not be great either . but otherwise its solid and its aussie made i will keep this one or maybe if i find a firebird or explorer part ways with it but have fond memories of the maton....

My Mstersound was made in Aust in 1993.
Its got 21 frets, solid-top, volume and tone controls/ 3 way pickup selector, bridge pickup swith.
Twin humbuckers, Vintage style tuners(which don't look the best but it works fine and thats the way its gonna stay), Thin neck, Black with white pickguard(also doesn't look the best, but will change in the future.

I am a rhythm guitarist using a Mesa Boogie V-Twin and it sounds fine, i would much rather play this than a strat, not noisy, pickup selector goes from Hi-Fi (high notes) to Cool ( Low notes)and works really well. Like the difference that the guitar makes going from Bridge to Neck pickup.

Guitar wasn't set-up because it was old. I set-up intonation and action. Pickups ajusted fine. Did have loose pickup selector(once again old guitar).

Great for live playing. Dependable, definately solid strap buttons, lasting finish.

N/A

I've only been playing guitar for 4 years, more a drummer than a guitarist.And rather playing accoustic than electric(personal favourite). Probably try something different if it was stolen, but still hope it doesn't get stolen. Like the retro feel about it, feels better than alot of guitars i've played.

Just an update after I installed new pickups.
Sounds bloody brilliant now - can't stress the difference enough.
Below is how I did it...

Just updating my review directly below - I've just finished changing the stock maton pups out of my MS500 and the difference is SOOO good! Got one of those SD 59s in the neck and an Invader in the bridge (ther invader was not my 1st choice but I had one kickin round and couldn't be stuffed waiting for the shop to get a JB in - also the Invader DOES smoke). This was convenient because I was able to make the bridge invader splittable to single coil (just like stock) without adding switches/knobs to the guitar (ie just used the components already installed). Also, a word on my pickup replacing experiences -
I was concerned that I would not be able to use the stock MS pickguard for dropping in standard-sized humbuckers. Unfortunately Maton want about $120 bucks or more (from memory) for a replacement. It turns out that to do the pickup mod all you need is - 2 pickup surrounds with 4 screws each (I pinched them off an Ibanez of mine that was no longer being used but I'm pretty sure you can buy them at a good music shop). And a drill with a 3/16 or 4/16 inch bit. What you need to do is...
1) Loosen the strings till they're slack but not "off"
2) Unscrew the neck with an allen key (forget the size - smaller than u think!)
3) With the neck off, pop the tune-o-matic "tail piece" off and thus remove the neck with the strings still "attatched" to it.
4) Pull off the tune-o-matic "bridge" (should just slide off).
5) Unscrew the pickguard. Keep the screws in a safe place.
6) Draw a diagram of the wiring inside for future reference. Cover the body with an old tshirt/rag to avoid solder splatters/scratches.
7) If you're replacing both pups, unsolder the wire connected to the underside of both the chrome covers or just the one you're replacing(this is just a ground drain - keep it for relevant grounds). Note these wires are bitches and are the strongest solder in the guitar so be patient and use a good hot iron. Pull the wires off with gripping pliers once you've melted the solder as they'll be so hot you can't touch them.
8) Unsolder the pickup wires of the relevant pickup(s) where they join the volume pot/tone control/coil split etc.
9) Unscrew the chrome pickup casing and remove the pickup in its case in one hit.
Now you have a guitar with vol/tone/selector/split controls but no pickups. Also the guitar at this point is not suited to accepting new pickups because the scratchplate's holes are skinnier and wider than standard pickups. Here's where your drill comes in handy...
1) Carefully place your aftermarket pickup surrounds over the hole in the pickguard from on top of the guitar (in my case they're the black plastic pickup surrounds off an Ibanez AX120). You should notice that the surround completely covers the edge of the Maton's gaping scratchplate - convenient!
2) When positioned correctly, score with a pencil/sharp pin the location of the holes on the pickup surround where you will pre-drill for screws to hold it in place. With a correct pickup surround, you should be able to find drill points over the meat of the pickguard at all four corners of the surround (ie, you do not drill the "air").
3) Note with glee that any drilling you do now on the pickguard is completely reversable because the ORIGINAL chrome pickup covers would normally overhang and cover the areas you are about to drill!
4) Drill away with a 3/16 inch bit. You will find that this size works perfectly with the small silver screws of the ORIGINAL Maton pickup casing so if you have no screws around just use them! (slightly larger hole required for bigger screws - be careful too big too late!).
5) Drill the holes and screw in your new pickup surround.
6) Note with glee that the remaining two holes in the CENTER of each top and botton edge of your new pickup surround (where the humbucker is mounted) actually OVERHANG the Maton's scratchplate - thus creating the "mass" we require over previously hollowed out scr

As above, a really well made guitar. Do the pickup mods and you'll realize its full potential. 10/10 after the upgrade - about as close as a bolt neck will come to SG/Les Paul territory (ie WAY closer than stock). The main point of this mod is so the guitar will actually accommodate standard sized humbuckers. Then it's just up to you which ones you want!

Aussie guitar, translucent wine red, 21 frets, 3 way pickup selector between splittable humbucker in the bridge and a p90(?) in the neck. At the moment the guitar is totally stock.

Acoustically, this instrument is quite nice. This is probably a lot to do with how well made it is. Feels solid and classy for the price. The short scale of the neck is not my favourite length tho (more of a fender guy). However, when plugged in, there's no diguising those god awful pickups. Yeah they're chrome and they look cool but all the aesthetics in the world can't pull this tone out of the gutter. Such a pitty because - in theory - this guitar would sound awesome. About the only style you could kid yourself into thinking is passable is jazz but for rock/fenderish/metal etc etc there's no way this guitar can hold its own. I play through a Mesa Nomad or Framus Cobra into a Mesa Recto cab 4x12 v-30s for heavy stuff. For clean there's a Non master Volume SF Fender Super w/4x10" Weber California speakers. I use EHX effects but prefer to go straight into the amp cold turkey. As I said above about the only passable tone these pickups can spit out is woody jazz on the neck or neck/split bridge combination. Forget about searing distortion and screaming harmonics. This guitar is in desperate need of pickup replacements - made difficult by the fact that the pickups are wider and skinnier than normal. I plan to replace both pups very soon to rectify what would otherwise be a smoking guitar.

I really would be hard pressed to fault the action fit and finish. The action is gold - the guitar is a dream to play. Everything is constructed well and the simplistic design (no ornate binding/additional inlays) means that there's really little that can go wrong. The neck is nicely set and intonates well. I have not experienced any problems with the vintage style tuner's ability to remain in pitch but I can see that they're not the strongest looking things in the world so a grover upgrade may well be the ticket. Wine red finish is just beautiful - allows the wood grain to show right through. Headstock join is odd but effective - I think Maton may have changed this by now though.

I've used this guitar many a time live. Funny story - in the middle of tool's "stinkfist" one night my bassist decides to swing his bass around his body using his strap and a fair dollop of centripedal force to keep it's orbit on track. 3 quaters of the way around I cop one of those huge vintage-style fender bass machine heads to the noggin. With blood streming down my face and barely concious after the impact I remember leaning forward so as the blood would not drip onto the guitar and thanking god that the clown didn't catch the neck of the Maton on the way through. Yeah she's survived a bit. On a BAD point though - one night I'm playing away am suddenly aware of an awful tone coming from my guitar. Initially I thought I'd blown a speaker and fried my amp. But the problem was actually much closer to home - the top screw holding the bridge pickup in had unthreaded and because the pickups are counter-tensioned by springs, the damn thing was effectively muting my strings. This rightly pissed me off. Not only were the pickups bad enough in themselves but then they start physically sabotaging my efforts!

I emailed Maton re replacing pickups and they responded promptly. Keep it up guys!

Overall this is a REALLY well made guitar that looks awesome and sounds good UNTIL you plug it into an amp. This instrument is certainly capable of a lot more than Maton are content to send it away from the factory to achieve. If it weren't for the craftsmanship, I would have sold this guitar but because the damn thing is so well made, I've decided to keep it and with a couple (err a few) hundred bucks replace the pickups/tuners/bridge to make it into the guitar it should have been all along. Overall a 5 before the changes...watch this space for a rating afterwards!

This guitar was probably the coolest guitar made in 2004. It's an Aussie and it rock's. It has 21 frets (not good for mettalica eh!). its a solid top beauty. Make you go wow. The controls are simple but cooooool! An oversized p/u selector rules the guitar it kinda resembles something rude. it has coil tap in the bridge brought to you by a Bill Lawrence L450 and on the neck a Maton single-coil. To make it versi I added a piezo to it. It has passive electrics (I think) and I might add a Roland GK3 (feedback please).
The body is made from Bunya and the neck: Qld maple. It is wine red and is a kind of offset singlecut. I've added a Josh Homme style Badass Tune-O-matic (chanse your bridge too if you want better sustain). I also fitted Schaller locking tuners because I literally beat the hell out of it.
The neck width was chosen by me so it is thin all the way (not like a Jaguar though). I got a case with it to witch is cool.

This Maton sounds so good for QOTSA stuff. whatever amp you use it will soynd good. Style-wise it is stoner/garage rock.
The best settings on my amp for this guitar are treble-6, mid-9 and bass-4. The amps and effects I use in order are:
Boss TU-12, Boss SD-1, Big Muff Micro-Synth and a Line 6 delay moddeler thing into a Laney Linebacker and Ampeg VT22.
It will be noisy on the coil-tap if your a budding Joe Perry or Eric Clapton i.e. Everything=10 so just don't alright?
The sound is very bright and bouncy and play the right thing and you'll want to join in. because of the coil-tap and piezo even the people at Maton think this os versitile. i do dislike one thing tough about this guitar... People waqnt to play it!

The action is superb even a beginner of the age of 6 would find it easy to play. The p/u's sounded great even over a broken phone! there was nothing wrong with the bridge and could people please stop bollocking me about the finish it's meant to be like a relic series guitar.

This guitar is the most reliable thing ever end of comment.

Maton really helped me with getting this guitar as did Jesse Hughes of EODM. The warranty lasts for 1 year.

It's simply the best! I think it's better my Bro's Gibbo Les Paul