Maton MS500 Mastersound

Mine is a 2001 Tobacco sunburst MS500, as described by everyone else! I didn't need or want a whammy, but I did want some versatility wioth the pickups, so the split bridge pickup suited me down to the ground.

I would comment on the scale length: Compared to a Strat the Mastersound seems small, but once you play it you realise it's actually just the right size.

Also... the oft demeaned pickup selector... it looks like something off your grannie's toaster, or a cheap prop from an early Star Trek episode... but it works. Remember the first time you used a Strat and had to teach your little finger to find the switch? Pick up a Mastersound and reach for the pickup selector and it's exactly where you want it.

If you're looking for more info on the Mastersound I've put a website on my SomethingAbout.net webserver. There's all sorts of musical stuff there that may be of interest.

I'd put the sound down as a cross between a Tele and an old P90 Les Paul or LP Junior, but not exactly like either.

I play anything that takes my fancy... Eagles to Deep Purple... Bryan Adams to Alice Cooper... Bachelor Girl to Bread.

Two faults were apparent.... the volume knob sits a bit crooked, and there was a ding in the neck that was probably done in the shop pre-sale. I'd finally decided to buy a Mastersound and then discovered I'd have to wait 5 weeks, so I bought the first one I was able to find.

Solid as a rock and very very well made. The best guitar I'd had before this was an Ovation Breadwinner, and the Maton is easily as good.

I bought the guitar from Matt at Allan's Music in Adelaide. He found this one in their Melbourne store and had it sent over. When it arrived he pointed out the ding in the neck straight away and offered to loan me this one until a new one arrived 5 weeks down the track. Once I had the guitar home and played it I decided to keep it so he organised a warranty repair thru Fretco here in Adelaide. When it came back we couldn't find the ding!

I'm 44 and I've been playing since I was 15. I might not be that good but I've seen a lot of guitars, owned a lot of guitars, and met a lot of guitar salespeople! I wanted a good quality versatile guitar that wouldn't break the bank. List price on a MiM Strat was AUD$1200... List price on a Mastersound was AUD$1099. I wanted to buy the guitar from my usual guitar shop, GuitarWorks (http://www.guitarworkssa.com) but because of their dealer setup I had to look elsewhere. Allan's cop a lot of flak here for being a bit of a supermarket for beginners, but I couldn't fault them.

Being an Aussie I'd always wanted a Maton, and I'm pleased as punch that I now have one. If I was looking for another guitar I might buy a MiM Strat which was my original choice until I played a Maton and thought about where my dollars were going. Then again I like the look of the MS526 Maton Mastersound, so maybe I'd buy one of those instead.

Its a 2000 ms500.. natural finish, white pickguard (soon to be black).
right from the shop i ripped out the standard single coil, and put the humbucker at the neck, then put a duncan JB at the bridge.. wasnt enough, ive recently put an invader in the neck. good choice... other than that, its standard, being older it has the smaller fretwire, doesnt matter though, means i can fret harder. good guitar.. but dont like the pickguard.. makes the guitar sound echoey, i can hear it through the amp if i turn it up loud enough.

Like i said.. the pickguard annoys me.. im considering screwing a block of wood to the back of it, ANYTHING would be good... running it through a marshall bass state 65, it sounds better than my plywood guitar sustain wise.. and the tone is good.. but i bought this guitar because it plays well.

its SO great.. i bought it, whacked some d addario 46-10s on it, and tuned it to d, and the intonation was perfect. i couldnt be happier. the machine heads annoyed me, they look kind of cheap and crappy, so i replaced them with some gotohs, not that the stockies were hard to turn or anything, they did the job, i just didnt like the look of them, plastic things make me paranoid. the stock knobs went too, i prefer metal hardware. but overall, its great. the bridge and saddle rock, theyre super easy to work with, and the maton guys set the neck up perfectly. the actions nice and low, too,

This thing is built well. i reckon itd be hard to smash, it looks pretty damned solid. the hardwares replaced, itll last forever.. the finsh wont come off, its clear varnish, applied rather thickly. The strap buttons are pretty big, i dont think the strap could fall off very easily.. its dependable, though.. the pots are a little scratchy already but ive played brand new 3000 dollar strats and theyve been scratchy.. i put 50 dollar push pull pots in my other guitar and THEYRE scratchy.. if i was going to do a volume swell id use a pedal.. so no matter.. but the electrics etc are all great, its never dropped out.. and as other people have said, its pretty quiet.. a backup guitar? well i have a couple.. dont think either would fail me.

this guitar is great... its cheaper than a paul or a strat, and its better to play... than a strat anyway.. the pauls are heavier, generally, and probably sound better.. but these guitars are in a league of their own. Worth the money indeed, theyre hand made in australia, not mass prduced in a factory in korea. they can be yours for less than a grand australian.. so why not? if someone stole it, id be majorly pissed.. id only spend my money if i really liked what i was looking at... its solid, fast to play, looks cool, is cheap.. my only criticism is the pickups are mounted to a pickguard, instead of in a routed out hole in the body... but for the price.. who cares.

2000 model purchased from Rockhampton new.
Silkwood body Qld maple neck rosewood board.
Body black, pickguard white. jumbo frets.
This is the Standars MS 500 Mastersound

I play all styles of music except real heavy. This guitar is suited to solo stuff not rythym. The sound, well I have to say that I am dissapointed. This guitar whatever anyone else say's does not suit all musical styles.
The pickups are warm, too warm almost muddy. The only way I can get antwhere near a clean sound is by using a pod.
My previous guitar to the ms500 is a Samick tele copy. This guitar is much sweeter sounding. To the people who say they can get Tele/strat sounds from this guitar, I would ask please show me how, cause to hell if I can.

The Guitar is well made and factory setup was good. I did however change to a lighter gauge of string 10-46. The ms500 came with 12 gauge

I play solo and use midi files where I mostly play rythym. It is not too well suited for this. I will still use my Tele copy most of the time.

I have had several emails with the Cheif Luthier, but each time the replies are vague to say the least. They will exchange the pickups but as usual at a cost.

I have been playing for over 32 years.
I should have gone into a sound booth and given it a proper test.
I bought it mostly from reviews.
I would not buy this guitar again at least not with the standard pickups.
The guitar except for the sound is great to play. It fits like a glove. It is well made and looks great

First off I would like to note that I think I'm probably the only guy in America that owns one of these. If there are any other American Maton owners contact me.This guitar features two Maton pickups. The neck is a single coil, and the bridge is a humbucker that has a coil tap. One volume, and one tone knob. My guitar is a natural finish, that is just beautiful. The wood is bunya pine which is a very warm sounding wood. The scale of the guitar is a little shorter than a standard Gibson scale. In my opinion this is a very easy guitar to play, and I haved owned at least forty guitars in my twenty years of playing, including Strats, Teles, and Gibson style guitars. The neck on the Maton is very comfortable, not too thin, and not too thick. I wouldn't consider this a shredders guitar, but liken it more toward a vintage feel, but not as clubby. The bridge is a very hefty tune-o-matic style, with a stop tailpiece. The tuners, look a lot like vintage klusons. Now for they coolest feature on the Maton, which happens to be a Maton tradition. The pickup selector switch! It looks like a mini gearshift, of perhaps a vintage tube radio switch. I thought maybe this was a try at a retro look when I got the guitar, but since then I have aquired two 60's Maton Semi Hollow body guitars (a supreme 240, and a supreme 770) and they both have the same style pickup selector switch. Too cool.

Now here is where the guitar really shines. I play ALL styles of music, but heavy music is my forte. The Maton has a big bad deep warm tone. I can conjure up Strat, and Les Paul style tones outta the Maton. Granted the guitar doesn't sound exactly like the two aforementioned guitars, but does a great job working in those ranges. The cleans tones are to die for, from a good snappy twang to a warm jazzy smooth feel. This guitar has it. Now here is where most guitars lose my very rigourous test....the gain test. I'm not talking about overdrive, and I'm not talking about Marshall type gain. I'm talking about rip your face off Dual rectifier on steroids type gain. Now most of us know that if a pickup sucks, or is on it's last poorly potted legs, it will feedback like a banshee when pushed with a lot of gain. The Maton I must say, doesn't budge, Turn it up to eleven, and stand next to your amp...nada, nope ain't gonna do it. All the Maton has is love. It thrives in a high gain situation, and sounds HUGE. I know a lot of people on this board have different opinions of what a guitar should sound like, and I'm no different. One thing I think most people would agree on, and that is versatility. I have been in a touring band
for eight years, and one thing you don't want to do is bring five guitars on the road, (or any gig really, unless your some sort of "hey look at me!! I got a lot of really neato guitars!!" type person) One main versatile guitar, and one good back up should suffice. This is why the Maton really shines. Very vesatile in ANY musical forum.

Ok my praise continues. I had to drive 125 miles one way to pick my guitar up at the state customs office. When I did get the guitar out to my car, and pulled it out of the box I gave it a strum... and what came next shocked me to all get out. The guitar was ALMOST perfectly in TUNE!! So what you might ask? Here is why this is a big deal. Take any standard guitar (tune it before hand) out into you car on a winters day. Drive to your buddies house and take the guitar inside. Let the guitar sit for...umm let's say twenty minutes. Now pick it up and slam a nice Pete Townshend power chord. Here that nasty dischordant sound? Your guitar is out of tune. As a general rule of thumb, the less attention to fit and finish, and hardware directly relate to a guitar's stability. Now after my long winded tangent. My Maton MS500 had just flown ALL the way from Australia in a Jet, excuse me in the STORAGE area of a jet, facing extreme changes is climate, and pressure, AND it was damn near in TUNE!!! Stability factor 5! Ok point made. Now the finish is just amazing, the wood is b.a.eutiful! The intonation was perfect. The only thing I did was raise the action a bit. I play with 10-52 gauge, and the guitar was set up with a standard ten set, so that is a standard practice with all of my guitars. The guitar handles the bigger gauge wonderfully. All in all a top notch set up job at the factory.

This guitar is so well built you could use it as a weapon, Mark Mcgwire could bat with thing, and it would be fine. The hardware is top not, and it feels solid. The finish should be able to handle a lot of sweat. Which(as most gigging musicians can attest to) is what will kill your guitar ie; rusted hardware, electronic problems et al.

Ok now for my bitching session. Why would ANYONE gig without a backup, unless you don't own a back up? If you play out at ALL you should have a backup. Preferable a good backup. There are way too many variables in playing live. Breakings strings, damaged hardware, or electronic problems, and so on, so forth, forever and ever amen. No one wants to wait for a guitarist to restring in mid set. Not only that but it's unprofessional. If you want to be really safe, you should gig with a backup amp too, especially if you play through a tube amp.

Neville Kitchen, and Bradley Clark are top notch guys. They were VERY helpful to me, answered all of my questions promptly, and went out of their way to make sure I was happy. Maton Guitars are Australia's oldest guitar maker. They have been around since 1946. So, i'm not afraid that they are a fly by night maker that won't around next year. They also make WONDERFUL acoustic guitars that hold there own against Taylor, Martin, Larivee. I own a EM300 acoustic that is just great!

I have been playing for twenty years, and have toured all over the country, and if there is one thing I have learned, good gear is good gear, and crap is crap. A guitar is a tool, if you are trying to do a job and you don't have good tools, it makes your job that much tougher. I understand what it's like to try and play music on a budget. Believe me if your in music to make money, become a plumber. What I'm getting at is, when making a decision to buy a guitar, do yourself a favor and do a lot of research. Play a lot of different guitars, and try to try out each guitar through your own gear. If this isn't possible, try and find gear at the store that is as close to your set up as possible. The guitar you try through a Marshall JCM900, and a 4X12 isn't going to sound the same through a crate 1x12 solid state combo.

All in all the Maton is a wonderful instrument, and a fantastic bargain. Very well built, and a dream to play. Check out their website, (www.maton.com.au) and email them for more info. You won't be disappointed.

Features as described in earlier reviews. Mine uses Silkwood: (Flindersia brayleyana) (also known as Queensland Maple)- natural..has a nice brown with white pickguard (much better than black). I changed the cheapo plastic volume/tone knob to stainless steel "telecaster style" knob - beautiful! I like the mini-arm selector switch .. very unique. Wish I could change the pickup splitter switch - so urgly and inefficient. Neck is bolted on, head stock is jointed to the neck by a groove and glued tight..I think? Don't understand why they do that.

The sound seems to lack the highs, overall on the low side for all pickup combinations with little sustain from the wood. It came with probably a .12 string guage & 3rd wound..why? Switch it to .10 - much better. The pickups are alright nothing worth mentioning. I play it through a Tubescreamer into a Fender blackface Twin Reverb - you can get a nice warm low tone. Quite smooth. You cannot get a Fender or a Gibson tone from this axe. It has it's own sound and if you like the lows .. this is alright. Frequency range is narrow in my view - maybe it's the wood. Really nothing outstanding about the sound.

Had to adjust the action, it was too high for my liking. Good workmanship overall. Very clean and neat construction. Finish is good.

Still new - no problem.

Sent Maton a question through their web site. NO REPLY!

Wanted a piece of Australia. Bought it while visiting the country. Nice to look at but I won't buy it again if I lose it.

Australian Made (Naturally), Bought in Jan 1999 (first in Adelaide as far as I know), Natural finish, 21 Frets, short scale neck (24.5 in), Two pickups made by Maton (I think) with 5 way selection via 3 position pickup selector and humbucker coil splitter (Single coil neck pickup, Splittable bridge humbucker. Selection therefore = neck, neck and bridge, neck and bridge(split), bridge, bridge(split). Not sure what wood mine is made of. I contacted Maton and they said that they use sveral woods for these guitars. Stop tailpiece (Sorry shredders, no whammy). Non-locking tuners.

Everything I could ever use and want. But probably not perfect for everyone (Metalheads don't seem to like it)

I ran it head to head with my girlfriends Fender Strat Plus Delux (with lace sensor pickups etc.) and they are very different beasts indeed. The Strat has a much brighter top end and I found it a bit harder to get the sound I wanted on the strat (too much in the top end, though I can't fault it's playability). The Maton is alot warmer and has a nice full sound with a unique quality that is hard to describe (maybe I just haven't played enough guitars). I have small hands and the short scale of the Maton (shorter than a Les Paul) suits me perfectly and I dont have any trouble switching between this and the 25.5 in Strat. I use a Crate soilidstate 160W 2x12 combo (With a sealed extension cab built by a friend housing 2 12in lorantz drivers - fantastic box, I rarely use the Celestions in the combo these days) with a swag of Boss effects (Fuzz, Blues Driver, Super Overdrive, and Chorus), a Danelectro Delay and a Cry Baby Wah. Even with the solidstate amp I never have troble geting a nice warm overdrive or just a hint of breakup on the clean tone - This guitar sounds fantastic doing everything I wnat it to do. I play original bluesy sorta guitar pop with a hint of Stevie Ray and a touch of Counting Crows and I've never found the sound lacking. By winding up the amp distortion, I can even rip away at the few heavy metal riffs that I know - no problems.

The guitar came from the dealer fitted with 0.010 strings which I immediately sent to the circular file and replaced with jazz/rock 0.011s. This pulled the action up a touch and was perfect. I was give two free services by the store that sold me the guitar (great blokes) and I haven't used either of them in two years. Come to think of it, I haven't done anything to this guitar in the last 2 years (pickups are in the same place as when I got the guitar, no wiring faults etc.) but change the strings alot (I've never broken one, I just sweat alot when I play). I've never even needed to adjust the intonation. Truly a superb purchase.

The only fault it has is that there is a small gap above the neck joint (when viewed from a playing position). This has not caused problems thus far, but who knows what it will be like in the long run, although I can't see it being a problem.

I think that the main problem that metal players must have with this guitar is in the lack of top fret acces (doesn't trouble me - I only solo under duress) and the lovely thick batt-like neck (no paddle-pop thick shredders necks here), which I also love. Either that, or they don't like the way it looks - If so, I must disagree, originality is to be commended and this is a beautifull instrument.

I bought this guitar so that I could retire my previous guitar from live playing (an entry-level Legend strat copy which I retro-fitted with a DiMarzio Super Distrtion bride humbucker). I love my old guitar but it just couldn't take the hot lights, lugging and sweat that I was subjecting it too. At first I still took it along as a backup for the Maton but after a few gigs I stopped. The Maton stays in tune and even though I have a fairly rough strumming hand, I've never broken a string (wether this is because of the thick gauge strings or well finished bridge/nut/etc., I don't know). Maybe I'm naive, but yes, I gigged regularly without a backup guitar and it has never been a problem.

Finish is great, I don't think that I have even managed to scratch it yet.

I used to require aftermarket straplocks on the strat copy (it kept on falling off, maybe due to the swamp ash body - it's a damn heavy guitar) but again, this was not a problem for the Maton.

I emailed Maton about the typ of wood it was constructed from. The reply was prompt and courteous.

The guys at Holden Hill music were also very usefull. I'll probably buy my acoustic from there.

I've been playing about seven years and gigged regularly untill recently (hope to start again soon). I love the sound, the looks and the way it feels to play (what more do you want). It's certainly my first choice when I reach for a guitar (but I do return to the strat copy fom time to time).

It won't suit everyone though (no whammy, 21 frets, chunky neck, unique styling) and, quite frankly, I'm glad of that because I like being a bit different from the strat/les paul brigade. If you're in the market for a guitar this is a high-end instrument (it holds its own against a strat plus delux that retailed for almost three times as much when they were still available) at a low end price, and is different enough (in sound and looks) to compliment almost any guitar in a collection.

If it was stolen, I would wish that I had it insured because I would certainly buy another one (maybe tobacco sunburst this time). I'm soon going to buy an acoustic and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be a Maton.

Well, this is a followup to the last one..
ok.. I was soo in love with this baby.. I changed the hardware..
put Schalller Security Locks on her, new machine heards, bridge, stop bar
now.. she was a looker before.. now.. man.. I'm drooling :)

Yeah.. I finally got a change to try the other models out.. well.. admittably.. the higher model had a glossed finished, binding.. but unfortunately, lacked the punch.. the power of this baby..
ah.. they say it's more.. a defined sound.. but.. personally, I find the cheapest model is the best.. hmmm...

ok.. there's one point.. maybe it was me doing an amateur job of fixing the new machine heads on.. but.. I find that the edge of the headstok.. had gloss slowly peeling off..
then again, I AM rough with my instruments..

still reliable.. this is a trusty workhorse..

They were great.. I've emailed them about componants.. assistance with my other matons.. and they were VERY quick in replying...
great business sense!!

What I found.. that with this.. I've lost my dream of getting a Les Paul.. I know.. I wouldn't mind one.. but this baby can do anything a LP can..
trying to get my hands on one of the Maton rockabilly style guitars they used to make..
but yeah..
I still reccomend this..
maybe slight superficial flaws.. but she plays like a dream!!!
A mate was thinking of getting the De Armond guitars.. but.. man.. I had a go on them.. and.. well... great guitars.. great pickups.. but.. nothing on the matons.. (although I'm getting some DeArmond humbuckers for my Gretsch)

A kick arse guitar!!! Australian made Maton guitars are usually well known for their acoustics (my opinion, beats any other acoustics hands down) and now, they don't dissapoint devotees with their electrics!!!
The model I have is a sunburst model. probably made in 1998. A reissue to the mastersounds they had in the 60's but apparently, this is very different soundwise. It was love at first sight.. ;) once I saw her, I HAD to play her, and once I did that, I had to buy!!
Uses the same machine heads, bridge and stop bar that the Gibsons use. (I've got a Les Paul here). And the neck, well, if I recall, my old strat had a slightly thinner neck, but this neck is thinner then a gibbo.. basically, it's thin enough to allow more manuverability on the neck.. demands your creativity!!!!
21 frets, and due to the thin body, easily reachable. flat top, bolt on neck, with a single coil for neck pickup and a split coil in the bridge. One volume and one tone knob. 3 way (cool, midway and hifi) selector switch (and a very COOL sitch/knob thingie) and a coil tapping switch. Stop bar bridge.. pickups are made by maton, and they've gotta be the quietest single coils ever.. hell, the guy at the store thought the single coil was a humbucker!!
Woods? I dunno, but maton usually use quality aussie woods.
Accessories: Who cares about getting accessories when you're getting one of the best guitars made!!!
The store offered a stand, gig bag and strap.. but as I already have these, I a few dollars knocked off the price.
My bad points on her are:
the headstock, VERY coolly angled, therefore making it difficult to just lean her against a wall or something and.. yeah, I always welcome a tremelo as having it there, gives you more versility.. but these are small points..

Well, I play a bit of pop/rock.. nothing too heavy, more a mellow
Sounds... VERY sexy!!!!
The sound is slightly less solid then a Les Paul, but if you wanted to, you can emmulate the sounds of a tele or a strat..
but according to responses, she sounds like a Ric or an early Les Paul..
but I find she's got her own sound.. and she sounds great!!!
With the pickup configuration and the split coil. There's almost nothing you can't do on this baby...
her single coil pickups are.. as silent as you can get.. and it's not as shril or thin. these are powerful pickups, very able to stand out amongst a PAF...
She's gotta be the best sounding electric I've heard..
I mean, I had a strat, I'll still use a Les Paul, cause nothing could sound like a Les Paul, but this guitar stands out on it's own...

This is one sexy guitar!!!
You just MUST see one to understand what I mean.. the sunubrst model
I heard about these guitars coming out.. but when I saw it in a shop, I HAD to play her.. she's gorgeous!!!
If she was a woman, she'd be Andrea Corr!!!

Definately withstands live playing. I've dropped her a few times and she still stands up. This is one solid guitar. Matons are the most underrated guitars and (don't tell them) they could charge more for them if wanted...
solid strap buttons.. metal and, damn well long lasting.. if you got a good strap, she won't fall off on ya..
And I'm really clumsy, therefore, I tend to get a lot of bumps and scratches.. but she looks like she'd last me :)
Nothing is really indestructable. I changed the machine heads as I tend to bump them into walls and stuff. Once I changed the heads.. I had to change the bridge and stopbar too.. :)
Small point but, she looks even sexier now!!
just don't do a Hendrix and sacrifice this baby.. that would hurt..

Absolutly brilliant!!!!
I contacted them on previous occasions regarding this guitar and previous, and have always got a response within a few days.
Got phoned by them, and got infomation sent in the mail.. great!!!
I also enquired about putting a bigsby on this baby, and they were helpful, making reccomendations on having it done in factory, and filling the pots and redoing the finish..
Really, she looks perfect as is, and maybe when I get another, I might get it custom made from Maton, so I don't have to harm this baby..
well, I can give a 10.. but that would need bribes ;> (hint hint Maton people.. free guitar hint.. hint)

I also have a Les Paul as I origianlly fell for Les Paul as my major inspiration, Neil Finn uses. And I mean, Gibsons are overpriced and.. I also have a Maton EBG808, a small bodied steel string acoustic (size of a nylon string). Oh, a lovely guitar!!
Use a Vox AC30 (what can I say, classic tone) and a couple of effects., A notable one is Emlyn Crowther's Hotcake overdrive.
And no, she came perfect!!! Nothing I had to do, besides change the strings. She comes with D'dadarios which are GOOD strings.. which I use on my acoustic, but for my electrics, I love DRs..
Honestly, there is almost nothing about her I hate. I mean.. no single coil is THAT silent.. and if you think she's lacking as she's not a set neck.. just you wait till you try her out..
Well, I would love to have a tremelo on her... but yeah, maybe the next mastersound..
well, why I chose this. I didn't intend getting a new guitar, but, this is one you HAVE to have..
I would reccomend EVERYONE to try this out. It's cheap to be.. affordable for the beginner, and it's also built like one costing twice, or three times it's price