By Joe Matera

Until the late 1930s, the Australian guitar manufacturing industry was virtually non- existent and good quality guitars were hard to find. The best guitars, it was well understood, seemed to only come from the U.S.A. not the bottom end of world.

Regarded by Australian luthiers as the "founding father" of the Australian guitar industry, Maton has gone on to become Australia's longest running and most successful guitar manufacturer.

Maton – a derivative of the words "May and Tone� - was founded in 1946 as the Maton Musical Instruments Company by Bill and Reg May. Reg May was a wood machinist while Bill May, a jazz musician, woodwork teacher and luthier who had for some years operated a custom guitar building and repair business under the name of Maton Stringed Instruments and Repairs.

At first, the company produced high-quality acoustic instruments for students and working professionals that aimed at providing good value for money and experimenting with the use of Australian woods.

Maton’s first born guitars were mainly acoustic f-holes and sound hole models that proved popular enough, that the company slowly developed a local clientele and reputation. Along side these acoustics, the company also tinkered in producing several lap-steel models.

In the late 1950s with the world now under the musical grip of Elvis Presley and rock and roll, Maton decided to venture into electric instruments and instrument amplifiers, at first under the name of Magnetone. The early catalogs of these products noted that the warranties on these Magnetone amplifiers and loudspeakers were void if used in situations of "overload or distortion", reflecting Bill's jazz background but still incredible to modern electric guitarists of any style.

The first electric solidbody to run off Maton’s production line was christened the Mastersound in 1957, with the first series simply named the MS500. The MS500 was a flat top, double cutaway small bodied electric guitar housing 2 single coil pick-ups. The MS500s quickly became a popular choice for some of the world’s most prominent musicians, including The Beatles’ George Harrison. In later years, Harrison’s Mastersound would eventually be auctioned off at Southerbys in London carrying a price tag of $100,000!

Locally, the Mastersound proved very popular with many Australian rock artists of the day. And along with the praises being heaped upon Maton from many overseas artists, Maton started making good in-roads into various export markets, in particularly the U.K. Rather than expand on the successes of the Mastersound though, Maton decided to retire the Mastersound series in 1962 and replace it with another solidbody model called The Fyrbyrd.

The early Sixties was a time rip with newer sounds permeating the world’s musical stage. The role of the guitar became more prominent, featuring heavily in the sounds of surf, Rn’B and rock and roll, which would reach it’s zenith with the British Invasion bands, the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Something Maton took particular note of. Endeavoring to explore a lesser conservative approach to the electric guitar, it would be fully realised with the remarkable success via its Fyrbyrd.

The shape of the Fyrbyrd was very much suited to that of the decade with its very retro look, Bigsby tremolo and three split-able humbuckers that were out of phase most of the time. The Fyrbyrd proved popular quickly helping to push the company’s profile further a field into the world marketplace.

Having now made prolific gains from its Fyrbyrd line, Maton decided to introduced four different variations of the same model between the years of 1962 and 1965. With a demand for the Mastersound being rekindled, Maton decided to re-introduce its original MS500 to the masses in 1965.

The mid-Sixties would see an influx of Australian rock acts riding the wave of international success, with many playing various Mastersounds and Fyrbirds. And one band in particular would help further cement Maton’s reputation overseas.

Widely regarded as Australia's greatest pop group of the 1960s, The Easybeats ventured to England in 1966 where they would record their now classic working-class anthem 'Friday on my Mind'.

In itself the song featured an array of Maton guitars including a MS500 played by Easybeat’s guitarist Harry Vanda. The success of The Easybeats helped the Mastersound experience a somewhat rebirth, in turn overtaking the popularity of the Fyrbirds. This forced the company in 1966 to make an attempt at re-establishing the Fyrbyrd by working on several different ideas and attempts at other variations of the Fyrbyrd. These all in turn proved unfruitful. So in 1970 the company called it quits on any future development surrounding the Fyrbyrd.

The 1970s ushered in a whole new era for Maton, its fortunes now beginning to change as they finally secured a firm stance in the tough competitive American guitar market. Maton’s vision was now fully focused towards the American market. The G250 which debuted in 1971, formed the company’s first push into American territory.

The G250 was a Telecaster copy and pretty much made to Telecaster specs, but its production was shortlived, being withdrawn shortly thereafter in 1974, at which time, interest in Maton’s original MS500, going from strength to strength.

At around the same time, Maton acoustic guitars were enjoying a new found popularity within the mainstream pop and rock market. Helping things along was the enormous American chart topping success of The Little River Band who’s guitarists Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble played an array of Maton acoustics, both on record and live onstage. These included the likes of a Southern Star - a high end acoustic constructed from an Australian timber called Marabou, first unveiled in 1967 - and a Messiah – its enormous popularity forced Maton to drop the Southern Star from production. The Messiah – which remains in production today - also appeared in the hands of performers such as Neil Diamond and Cliff Richard (and his backing band).

In the punk drenched year of 1977, Maton unveiled its next development the JB6 - JB stood for “Jumbuck� which comes from the Australian traditional standard Waltzing Matilda. The JB6 was a double cutaway solidbody and with a shape that was more similar in style to that of the Fender Strat, it proved a winner. Enough so, that a JB6 was snapped up by American guitar legend Carlos Santana in the later part of the Seventies for use on his recording and live dates.

Maton also released a four string version, the JB4 bass which in turn achieved far greater success than its six-string offshoot. The JB4 Bass has gone on to become one of Maton’s most successful productions to date, being very popular amongst professional musicians and today remains among the most sought after Matons ever produced.

During the 1980s the company now experiencing a reversal of fortunes, nonetheless soldiered on though as the decade came to a close and with the onslaught of the acoustic guitar revival of the nineties just around the corner, interest in all Maton acoustics would slowly be rekindled.

During the “grunge� decade that was the 1990s, Maton didn’t manufacture any solidbodies whatsoever, preferring instead to concentrate on its acoustic guitar output. The decision was shortlived however as in 1998 it finally re-entered the electric guitar market when it reintroduced for the second time running, the MS500 series. Its reintroduction proved so popular that it spawned its variant offspring aptly called the MS2000 in 2000.

Currently the company is experiencing it’s most prolific years on record and with current artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal and Ben Harper all playing Matons both on record and live, the trend is expected to continue unabated for many years to come as the company continues to stand head and shoulders amidst the big guns on international guitar market. The company still remains a family-owned and operated business and continues to retain Bill May’s emphasis on the use of Australian woods and his unique “Australian� vision.