Guitar Gear: Maton EM225C
Author: Stan Malcolm
"Mate - I see you're bringing the ice to the Eskimos," remarked my muso buddy Chris, after seeing the Maton EM225C acoustic guitar in my luggage. I had turned up with the Australian-made guitar at Melbourne airport, having decided to do some pre-production work at Chris's home-studio. My trusty Yamaha was left at home - so the Maton got to ride the baggage-claim carousel this time around.
The Maton Musical Instruments Company was established in 1946 by Melbourne woodwork teacher and jazz musician Bill May. The name Maton is a hybrid of Bill's surname MA(y) and TON(e) and the company is regarded as the pioneer of the guitar manufacturing industry in Australia.
Maton guitars are used by artists such as Tommy Emmanuel, Neil Finn and Ben Harper through to the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age and Jon Toogood of Pacifier. Even the Wiggles have their own custom made Matons, with the Wiggles name inlaid with pearl on their fretboards
The EM225C falls within the entry level 225 range, but it is by no means a cheapie with an rrp of $1499. Maton products are placed at the upper end of the guitar spectrum where the quality of the wood treatment and hand finishing are vital.
This guitar has a solid sitka spruce top braced with traditional style cross-brace, also made of spruce. Maton's supply of this wood is sourced from Alaska and the timber used is about 450 years old. However, the company is trialing the use of Australian bunya, a timber that has similar properties to spruce, but only takes 80-90 years to reach the appropriate maturity. Bunya is commercially grown in Queensland and as it's renewable and cheaper to buy, it may be the way of the future for Maton.
The sides, neck and back are made of Queensland maple, while the neck is constructed of jarrah, an extremely hard Australian wood, underneath a rosewood fretboard. The wood is kiln dried for up to six months to reduce the moisture content from about 12% to 6%. This process stabilises the composition of the timber to prevent warping.
The EM225C has a satin finish of nitro cellulose. As well as preserving a natural look, the 15% gloss satin finish moves with the timber giving the guitar a louder tone than the hi-gloss painted models, which will tend to give a more mellow ringing sound. However with the light lacquer finish, the guitar will attract scratches and dents more easily than a high-gloss finished model.
A Maton AP4 pickup is used on this model which features bass, treble and volume sliders along with a cut and boost knob (-8dB to +8dB). This pickup is a simpler version of the AP5 pickup, which is used on Maton's higher spec models. In trialling the EM225C in the studio, I found that although the pickup has relatively basic controls, it really is a case of 'less is more'. The natural sound of the instrument can be translated onto a recorded format with a minimum of EQ adjustment.
The Maton feels extremely comfortable to play, a result of a having a relatively low action and a thin but solid-feeling neck. What does stand out about the EM225C is the deep bass tones it produces as part of its "natural, earthy" sound. The top end tones also ring nicely, especially when open chords and half chord derivatives are played.
Maton embarked on a major upgrade of facilities and plant earlier this year, moving to new premises in the suburbs of Melbourne. The factory is four times the size of the old one and Maton hopes to double its production to about 14,000 in the next two years. Computer controlled routing equipment is now used to accurately machine timber into the various parts, although the assembly of the instruments is carried out much in the way Bill May crafted his guitars in the 1940's, each guitar built over a six to eight week period.
The EM225C is the product of a long history of development and craftsmanship. The finish is first-rate, as you would expect of this class of instrument. It will particularly appeal to those guitarists who want the best of both worlds - a deep, resonant bottom end as well as those crisp high frequency tones.
For those musicians who take their craft seriously, the Maton EM225C will deliver a consistent natural sound that will underpin your playing. It also feels and sounds like an instrument with stories to tell - a perfect partner for those songwriter-guitarists out there who feel the same way.
Stan Malcolm is an Auckland-based singer-songwriter currently working on a follow-up to his debut album 'Fall Into The Light'.
