Australian-made Maton Guitars have become much more visible to American guitarists
in recent years thanks to players like Tommy Emmanuel, Albert Lee, Ben Harper, and
Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. In Australia, however, the brand has been
an institution for decades.
Maton was founded in 1946 by Bill May, who created the company’s name (pronounced
MAY-ton) by combining his last name and the word “tone.” Back in
the ’40s, quality guitars weren’t readily available in Australia
so Maton quickly became the founding father of the
Australian guitar industry. They began manufacturing
high-quality acoustic instruments and ventured into
electric guitars in the late ’50s. Their first solidbody
electric was called the Mastersound in 1958, and the
MS500 series followed soon thereafter. It quickly became
a favorite for many musicians—including George Harrison,
who played a Maton MS500 early in his career. The guitar
was reissued in 2008 as a 50th-anniversary model, and now
Maton has introduced a semi-hollowbody version of that guitar—
the MS500/HC reviewed here.
Proven Design, New Twists
The 24.5"-scale MS500/HC has a maple bolt-on neck
with a rosewood fingerboard and a Queensland
maple body with a Blackwood tone cap. The
pickups are Maton’s own design—a coil-tapped
MVB1 in the bridge position and an MVS1
neck unit that has alnico magnets.
As you’d expect from its origins in the
late ’50s, the MS500/HC exudes a retro
vibe. Everything from the pickups and
pickguard to the headstock with the
original logo from 1946 contributes to the
throwback nostalgia. One of the coolest
features is the 3-way, gearshift-style rotary
pickup selector, which features kitschy setting
names: “Cool” for the neck pickup,
“Midway” for both, and “HiFi” for the bridge
pickup. The shape and position of the switch
allow for fast and easy switching between
modes. Plus, there’s something about having a
rotary switch with a little handle that’s a lot more fun
than a regular toggle switch.
The Queensland maple body and blackwood tone
cap are probably not a tonewood combination most
American guitarists are used to. But because Maton is
based in Australia, they have access to a wide range
of woods that aren’t available elsewhere. This particular
combination is probably most analogous to the
maple-and-mahogany-cap construction used for Les
Pauls. These timbers help Maton make unique, quality
guitars while keeping materials costs a little lower.