Talk me out of it

anthonyg said:

As long as you play it first and make your own decision. To be honest Maton's aren't the most resonant instruments that I have played. They have a tendency to be a bit tight. I played one once that was resonant but most of the Maton's that I have played are a little tight for my liking.

Anthony

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Thank you. I haven't played one before. I'll be taking my Mele concert uke for comparison when I try it out. They are around the same price point, so it should be a good comparison.

Well, I tried it out... and I didn't like it. Go figure! It looks beautiful, but the sound and playability of my Mele were miles ahead of it. That saves me some money!

I have a Maton and it was purchased for the same reason you are considering buying: two concerts, one each high and low G. My Maton was priced similarly to the Pono AC that I have, the Maton was more expensive but it came with a case. Some of the wood in both bodies is so similar it looks almost as if it came from the same tree. The Pono is acacia, the Maton is Tasmanian Blackwood, another form of acacia.

Depending what strings are in use, sometimes it is almost impossible to differentiate between the two by sound - for me anyway. I would rate the action of the Pono slightly better than the Maton, only because the latter has the higher action.

One of the ukulele players with lessons on YouTube uses a Maton concert.

pritch said:

I have a Maton and it was purchased for the same reason you are considering buying: two concerts, one each high and low G. My Maton was priced similarly to the Pono AC that I have, the Maton was more expensive but it came with a case. Some of the wood in both bodies is so similar it looks almost as if it came from the same tree. The Pono is acacia, the Maton is Tasmanian Blackwood, another form of acacia.

Depending what strings are in use, sometimes it is almost impossible to differentiate between the two by sound - for me anyway. I would rate the action of the Pono slightly better than the Maton, only because the latter has the higher action.

One of the ukulele players with lessons on YouTube uses a Maton concert.

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I've discovered I have quite particular taste when it comes to ukuleles, and it doesn't necessarily align with other people. UU user Caspet let me try out a bunch of his ukuleles a while back, which was a real eye opener, and I tried a bunch when I was shopping for our current concert as well. I know people seem to love Ponos, and I'm not saying they are wrong, but Ponos just didn't do it for me. I much preferred the Meles and Opios that I tried in the same price range. I think my favourite ukulele that I've tried would be Caspet's Koa Pohaku. It was just amazing (but way beyond my budget).

Anyway, this Maton would not have been possible to string with a low G because of the extremely narrow slots on the slot bridge. The sound was a little bit dead, and what I would call sour. The further up the neck I played it, the sourer it sounded. The intonation wasn't great either. I suspect that some new strings would have improved it, but I'm not sure how much. When compared with my Mele, which cost around the same amount, there was just no comparison.

robinboyd said:

Well, I tried it out... and I didn't like it. Go figure! It looks beautiful, but the sound and playability of my Mele were miles ahead of it. That saves me some money!

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And, as I said:

Go try the Maton. If it speaks to you, then buy it.

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It didn't, you didn't, and life moves on. But had you never tried it, you would have wondered...