Sold my Big Island Mango Concert and bought a Maton Concert!

smellofstrings

smellofstrings

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A beautiful new uke to replace a beautiful former uke. Will you be writing a review of your Maton? I've never heard of it.
 
Welcome to the Maton owners club, they are very nice aren't they ? :)

I got number 163 built 12/2011

Have you left the Aquilas on it that it came with ? I still have the originals on and i cant wait to hear how people found the sound changes with different strings.

The quality of the finish that Maton manage to attain is stunning in my opinion.

Congrats !
 
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Congrats. Looking forward to hearing some vids (If that makes any sense)
 
webby said:
Welcome to the Maton owners club, they are very nice aren't they ? :)

I got number 163 built 12/2011

Have you left the Aquilas on it that it came with ? I still have the originals on and i cant wait to hear how people found the sound changes with different strings.

The quality of the finish that Maton manage to attain is stunning in my opinion.

Congrats !
Click to expand...

Hey webby! Nice to meet a Maton uke owner!

I put on Fremont Blackline Medium strings and it sounds totally different. In my opinion the Fremont adds A LOT OF warmth and clarity. But my Maton is topped with Cedar instead of Blackwood. So I don't know whether the Blackwood top loves Aqulia. But my Cedar top tells me that Aquila is too bright for him.
 
smellofstrings said:
Hey webby! Nice to meet a Maton uke owner!

I put on Fremont Blackline Medium strings and it sounds totally different. In my opinion the Fremont adds A LOT OF warmth and clarity. But my Maton is topped with Cedar instead of Blackwood. So I don't know whether the Blackwood top loves Aqulia. But my Cedar top tells me that Aquila is too bright for him.
Click to expand...

OK that decides it, I am going to have to bite the bullet and re string it.

I've been reluctant because the set up technician at Maton put them on nicer than I ever could have lol, but the sound of the solid blackwood actually needs brightening up a bit rather than toning down, its got such a woody earthy full bottom and midrange that the only thing it lacks is some top end crispness, I have always known that different strings would give me some more options with its tone but like I said it was so beautifully presented out of the box that I have been reluctant to mess with it, ho hum, now where did I put that string winder ?
 
Never owned a Maton, though I've heard good things about them. :)

I do have two cedar top tenors, though, and they are both cannons. Cedar is pretty amazing. Loud and resonant, but still very sweet and warm sounding.
 
I've also joined the Maton club, buying last week an accoustic/electric Maton (Concert-e 387 (03/12)) - Victorian Blackwood which has such a sweet ring to it - the Aquila strings which came with it sound great. I will change the G for an Aquila low-G when the strings arrive next week.
I consider the Maton Concert-e as nice as my hand-made Jim Williams soprano, made of Tasmanian Blackwood!
 
ghop0man said:
I've also joined the Maton club, buying last week an accoustic/electric Maton (Concert-e 387 (03/12)) - Victorian Blackwood which has such a sweet ring to it - the Aquila strings which came with it sound great. I will change the G for an Aquila low-G when the strings arrive next week.
I consider the Maton Concert-e as nice as my hand-made Jim Williams soprano, made of Tasmanian Blackwood!
Click to expand...

If you want to put on a low-g string, you may have to widen the string slot on the bridge. It seems like the original string slot is cut for a thinner high-g string. :)
 
smellofstrings said:
If you want to put on a low-g string, you may have to widen the string slot on the bridge. It seems like the original string slot is cut for a thinner high-g string. :)
Click to expand...

I was expecting to have to vandalise the Maton - but surprise, the Aquila wound low G string was about the same thickness as the nylon Aquila 4th string it shipped with - so no need to change the woodwork.
I love the sound with the Low G and am changing over my other concert and my soprano to Low G
 
i biught thus maton concert recently. and belived it or not sound louder thsn my kala sol mahog concert and pono mahog tenor.

william, are you sure its a cedar top?.......
 
Jesus, I just go out and buy a Collings because smellofstrings has one, and now he goes and buys something called a Maton.

Trying to keep up with you is like trying to catch a possum under a tool shed, armed with only a mouthful of ice cubes and a first baseman's mitt.
 
normal maton is victorian blackwood (acacia family) top back and sides, but I believe William's is a special one.
I have played the normal one, not my cup of tea though.
 
where do you buy these Ukuleles from, as the Maton website says it has dealers around the world, but which one is the right one to call up as The Music mart doesn't inspire much confidence.
 
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1300cc said:
i biught thus maton concert recently. and belived it or not sound louder thsn my kala sol mahog concert and pono mahog tenor.

william, are you sure its a cedar top?.......
Click to expand...

I can easily believe that. My KoAloha longneck (concert scale) soprano crucifies both of my solid-wood tenors when it comes to volume. In fact, the only uke that I have that is as loud is my Mainland mahogany strung with heavy fluorocarbon strings (that soprano is an incredible cannon - entirely out of proportion to its size and price).

John
 
Wow...sold a great uke and got another, from the looks of it. I wasn't real happy with the one cedar uke I've had - was fine but sounded too much like one of my guitars - but I'm thinking I might have to give a cedar soprano a shot one day...

John
 
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