A Brief History of Maton Guitars

October 07, 2021

Maton Guitars have been handcrafted in Melbourne, Australian for 68 years:

“Bill May founded Maton in 1946. The name is a derivative of the words “May” and “Tone”. Until the mid 1930’s the Australian guitar manufacturing industry was virtually nonexistent. Good quality guitars are hard to find in Australia at this time and Bill, a Jazz musician and woodwork teacher was determined to change that.

During the early 1940s Bill established a custom guitar manufacturing and repair business known as “Maton Stringed Instruments and Repairs”. Having established Maton as Australia’s longest running and most successful guitar manufacturer, pioneering the use of many Australian wood species in guitar construction, Bill May is regarded by many Australian luthiers as the founding father of their industry.”

Tommy Emmanuel’s guitar of choice for live performance: “If you have ever seen Tommy Emmanuel perform you will know he is one of the world’s greatest guitarists, and one of the most inspirational musicians on the planet. Tommy was born in Muswellbrook, New South Wales and first played Maton guitars as a child prodigy in 1959.”

Tommy continues to choose Maton for his grueling tour schedule, and proudly performs each show with his Maton guitars.

Take the Maton Shop Tour with us!