Maton EBG808

[SeanTracey]

HI SEAN I've been wanting to buy a 808artist for the last 4years I gig with the AVALON SILVER SERIES I love it, butI'm also into small guitar's with good pickups. I,M one of T.E. BIGGEST fans I BUSK in BELFAST in the allyway at the side of B.H.STORES I also gig now and then at the minute I'm working on my new CD money's short but I want a 808artist seen your pictures thanks for posting them I thought I was the only nut case in Belfast . IVE spoken to tommy emmanuel he loves Avalon guitars so do I, but I want an 808, how much did you pay, should you have went to London checked it out first. SEAN IF you where to do this deal again how would you do it. cheers mate MIKE. PS don't let tommy play it he might break it.

Can't beat the Silver Series man, I love mine to bits! But yeah now that the Maton is breaking in it's warming up and I'm really enjoying playing it. If I pass by the BHS alley I must give you a shout!

Buying over the internet without having seen a guitar would usually have put me off, but I'd heard so many good things about the EBG808 series that I just decided to go for it. I bought mine from Hank's Guitar Shop and it came to just under £1200 altogether. Big dent in the wallet now but I know it's a guitar that will last me a lifetime!

[syncopater]

I have considered a Maton Artist and have tried some of the smaller bodied Collings and Martins as well as larger Taylors. I would normally play a dreadnought fingerstyle but I found the small Freshman selling at £999 here in NI. I bought it as an interim guitar till I got a more name brand high end one. Usually the only guitars from this maker available here are the budget end ones. I was astonished at the quality of the guitar. It has an AAA grade spruce top and rosewood back and sides. It is grand auditorium size which is basically about as big as a classical but with wider shoulders. It is shallow bodied, again the same as a classical BUT this guitar has astonishing projection, especially after replacing the Elixir strings with D'Addarios. It is supremely balanced across the strings and had been well set up by quality control. It also has the Schertler bluestick pick up which has subtle rotary controls at inside edge of the soundhole. I did not expect an electro acoustic to sound like it fills the room. The action was 1st string 2.3mm at 12 fret and 2.7 on 6string. For me this is too high so I reduced it to 2.0 on 1st at 12th fret and 2.3 on 6th string at same. Yet the projection still screamed out but with a slightly more balanced sound than before. Playability is much better though I still want the string height at the nut slightly lower. I keep trying other high end guitars but they do not seem to offer a substantial improvement. I had my heart set on a Collings D3 but while an amazing guitar it lacks the definition, balance and subtlety of the smaller body. If anyone is interested there is currently a cedar top dreadnought from Freshman hanging up in Camerons music department in Ballymena. I tried it - it delivers -same price £999.