The Maton SRS series of guitars is the culmination of years of development and fine tuning by Maton’s senior luthiers and production designers. Maton have improved the neck geometry, bracing patterns and body construction of their acoustic guitars with stunning results and improved production methods have made it possible to produce these all solid timber guitars more effectively.
New to the SRS range is the Maton SRS 808, which incorporates solid Blackwood back and sides and a Western Red Cedar top. The SRS 808 is a beautiful little guitar and combines the warm, full tones of Blackwood with the top end sparkle of Cedar.
A forward shifting of the X braces and the shifting of scallop peaks to nodal points around the soundboard help to enhance the vibration of the top. The shifting of the X braces also allowed the inclusion of a second, parallel tone bar which allows the scalloping of both tone bars, and spreads the load while reducing mass.
Adjusted bracing heights as well as a locked15 foot radius for the arch of the back, gave Maton the plate resonance separation they were looking for between top and back.
“For some time now at Maton, we have been looking for ways to improve the acoustic performance of our 808 series of smaller bodied guitars,” said Maton’s chief designer Patrick Evans. “They have long been a favourite of finger style guitarists and are excellent instruments on stage and in the studio but as the demands and sophistication of acoustic guitarists increase the time had come to revisit this iconic Maton guitar and see if we could make it even better. Could we unlock the tonal potential of this fantastic little guitar? As with the recent improvements to our Messiah and Australian models the genesis of this project is to be found in the Maton Custom Shop.”
“The new 808 series sounds a whole lot bigger than a small bodied guitar should,” Evans continues. “We were hoping the end of this journey would produce a guitar that amazes the player at first strum, then continues to impress as each aspect of the sound of the guitar meets and surpasses the player’s expectation.”