REVIEW: Made in Australia: My Maton Collection by Wadih Hanna

Mention the ‘Maton’ name in the company of any self-respecting guitar player, and you’ll typically get the same reaction: expressions of passion and excitement! So it goes unsaid that an entire book be dedicated to one man’s passion, one man’s collection, and an almost encyclopedic approach to each of the instruments inside that collection. One that spans the iconic Australian manufacturer’s vast range of acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric models, and brings them all together in a beautifully presented coffee table edition full of high-res colour and deep-dive information.

Wadih Hanna

Through the eyes of one person’s collection, Made in Australia: My Maton Collection is so much more than colourful photos and showing off. It’s a wonderful view of history that sways back to 1946, through to the then-cutting edge evolution of electric guitars and the many eccentric shapes making their way into Maton designs.

The book took 7 years to complete and its subject matter is professed to be the ‘most comprehensive collection of vintage and collectable Matons on the planet’, and with 400 bulging high-gloss pages, we’re not arguing!

Synonymous with world-class acoustic guitars, the Maton name gets stronger as time passes. With its myriad of custom and limited-edition models, including rare guitars that the author was lucky to get his hands on, Maton has certainly enjoyed its own halcyon periods of production, and the author does well to showcase those instruments — this book is a deep dive into Maton history.

Passion is weaved throughout this book. I love the explanations of intricate detail such as the author’s self-professed ‘best Maton acoustic: The Messiah MS1’ with its ‘spruce top multi-bound in ivory and ebony with a tortoiseshell outer layer’; the photographs are often macro, it’s impossible to miss the detail the author wants to share.

There are too many rarities contained here, too many to mention. But for me (an avid admirer of Maton) this is the book’s allure and the reason why these few paragraphs of review actually took hours because I was drawn deep into detailed explanations and absolutely gorgeous photographs of guitars I’ll only dream of playing, including the Aussie version of the famed Fender Strat that Maton tried in the late ‘80s (dubbed the ‘FB86’).
The photo close-ups of oxidised and gig-worn pickups, headstocks and pickup selectors, are grand — you can almost smell the Australian timbers like Queensland walnut and maple, and Victorian blackwood. Gush.
Lastly, there are special sections dedicated to ads, labels and, a special section showcasing custom Matons, including the famed GA1, ‘the first Maton guitar ever made!’. More gush.

The collection’s owner and Maton diehard, Wadih Hanna, has delivered us something beyond special, driven in part — of course — by the brand that occupies his world. But it’s Wadih’s passion and dedication that will provide you with countless hours of enjoyment with a book that, as a fellow guitar enthusiast, should sit proudly in the centre of your coffee table, music room, studio or guitar shop sales counter as the ultimate demonstration of your love of the greatest instrument of all: the Maton guitar!

—Made in Australia: My Maton Collection by Wadih Hanna and design by Tony Giacca (Frets & Strings) is out now.

Made in Australia

My Maton Collection

by Wadih Hanna & Tony Giacca (Designer)

The first book of its type ever written, Made in Australia is a 400 page publication highlighting every vintage and collectible Maton model ever made. Featuring hundreds of guitars, basses, amps, ukuleles and lap steels, each instrument photographed and described in detail.

Large format, hard cover, full colour photography...

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That Metal Man