AUSTRALIA · FAMILY-OWNED · MELBOURNE-BUILT · 808 · MINI MATON · TOMMY EMMANUEL
Maton
Maton is a long-running Australian guitar manufacturer founded in 1946 and still family owned. Its modern identity is centered on acoustic guitars built in Melbourne, Australian timbers, the compact 808 body, stage-ready AP5 pickup systems and a particularly visible association with Tommy Emmanuel.
MODEL SEARCH
Know the model number?
Enter a full or partial model number or model name. The brand is added automatically.
OVERVIEW
What to know quickly
Maton is not merely an artist-signature story. The 808 body, SRS road guitars, Mini Matons, Australian tonewoods and Maton-built pickup systems create several distinct model families that should be identified before pricing.
IDENTIFY YOUR GUITAR
Which Maton do you have?
Start with the full model code. Maton names often reveal body family, cutaway/electronics and artist relationship, but similar-looking 808 instruments can differ substantially in wood grade, pickup system and series position.
- 808: Maton’s compact body shape dates to 1978 and appears across several series.
- TE: Tommy Emmanuel signature models include EBG808TE and cutaway EBG808TEC variants.
- SRS: Solid Road Series includes dreadnought and 808 formats such as SRS70C and SRS808.
- Mini: EM6, EMD6 and related Mini Matons use a shorter 22.7-inch scale and should not be comped against full-size models.
SERIES & MARKET POSITION
Several familiar Maton families—and the model code matters
Current Maton documentation also includes 12-string, Troubadour, Australian, Master Built and other families. Use the complete model code rather than treating “Maton 808” as a single guitar.
USED VALUE GUIDE
Start with the exact model
Used Maton values are driven heavily by model family, condition, electronics and regional availability. Tommy Emmanuel and higher-spec 808 models occupy a different market from SRS or Mini instruments, while older Matons can carry their own collector interest.
- Confirm the AP5 or other pickup system works cleanly through an amp.
- Check bridge, neck angle, top bellying and humidity-related movement as with any acoustic.
- Record Australian wood species and whether back/sides are solid on the exact model.
- Do not price a Mini Maton from full-size 808 comparisons.
CURRENT USED MARKET
See what the market is doing now
Maton model codes are unusually useful search terms. “Maton acoustic” is broad; EBG808TE, SRS808 or EM6 gets much closer to the guitar in front of you.
COMPARE
What else lives in this neighborhood?
Depending on model, Maton can overlap Taylor, Martin, Cole Clark, higher Alvarez/Furch/Eastman acoustics and other stage-oriented premium instruments. The AP5 system and Australian timber choices can make the comparison less direct than body shape alone suggests.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Before you buy—or price—one
- Do not assume every 808 is a Tommy Emmanuel model.
- Confirm AP5 generation and controls rather than treating all Maton electronics as identical.
- Older and current model codes can look similar while wood specifications change.
- Australian retail familiarity can be much higher than U.S. familiarity—market geography matters.
HISTORY & COMMENTARY
A Melbourne builder that became an Australian guitar institution
Maton traces its start to 1946, when Bill May and his brother Reg formed the company in Victoria. The company remains family owned, still builds in Melbourne and has long experimented with Australian timbers. Maton introduced the 808 body in 1978 and today continues with SRS, 808, Mini, Signature and other acoustic families. The company also manufactures its own pickup systems, an important part of its live-performance identity.
WHAT PLAYERS LIKE
Why this brand earns a closer look
Tommy Emmanuel is one of the clearest examples of Maton in real-world use. Maton documents the EBG808TE as a model developed with him, while the company’s artist history also includes players such as Neil Finn, Keith Urban, Tash Sultana and others.
PLAYERS
Hear Maton in the hands of Tommy Emmanuel
A performance is not a controlled guitar tone test—the player, arrangement, amplification, room and recording all matter. But Tommy Emmanuel’s official performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is useful real-world context for the Maton sound and playing approach with which he is closely associated.
Tommy Emmanuel · Somewhere Over The RainbowOfficial Tommy Emmanuel channel. Included as a performance example—not a claim that every Maton, or every Maton setup, sounds the same.
REFERENCE
Useful places to keep digging
Research checked October 17, 2026. Product lines, prices and distributor relationships can change; confirm the exact model before valuing an individual instrument.