Maton’s collaboration with Australian picker Joe Robinson boasts an AA grade Sitka spruce top, Tazmanian myrtle back and sides and AP5 PRO pickup system
Australian guitar builder Maton is known for its collaborations with expert picker Tommy Emmanuel, but the storied company has another great new artist model on its hands: the J.R. Signature.
And who, exactly, is J.R.?
That would be Joe Robinson, a 29-year-old Australian virtuoso who has been playing Maton guitars for the past 15 years, and now has been graced with his very own signature model.
“He’s got five solo albums to his name, he’s done a ton of touring, he also plays clinics and workshops all over the world,” says Pete Thorn of Robinson in this demo video. “And he’s designed a really nice guitar, so let’s get on to that.”
Let’s get on to that indeed.
(Image credit: Maton)
The J.R. Signature boasts an AA grade Sitka spruce top and Tazmanian myrtle back and sides, with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The frets, Pete says, “are really beautiful. Really nicely polished and just look impeccable, and feel great as well under the fingers.”
Other features include rock maple outer binding, chrome Grover Rotomatic tuners, bone nut and saddle and scalloped Maton X bracing.
There’s also a “really cool pickup and preamp system,” the Maton AP5 PRO, which Pete then goes into detail explaining and demonstrating. He records the J.R. Signature via a microphone, and also at the same time with the AP5 PRO, and then allows us to compare the two sounds.
(Image credit: Maton)
“I’m finding this is some of the most natural acoustic sounds I’ve heard coming out of a plugged-in acoustic in a long time,” he says. And we fully agree.
“All in all the guitar is super solid and really well built,” Pete says. “I’m quite impressed with it. It’s easy to play, it sounds great and the pickup system is exceptional. It’s a great-sounding guitar and a great-playing guitar.”
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