Maton El Toro - with 31 frets

[RayL]

For years you've been waiting to play Apache entirely in the third octave from the nut (the special canine version) and now it turns out that it has been possible since 1968!
http://www.grouseguitars.com.au/sold/matoneltoro.htm
Obviously modeled on the Dano but with an amazing 31 frets and they even managed to squeeze in two pickups!
There was a bass version too, as can be seen in this clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMid252n5gU
The dancing gent in the bow-tie certainly adds style, doesn't he?

Ray

[ecca]

I used to gaze in awe at Maton guitars at one shop only in Birmingham in the early sixties.
I still have a thing about them although I've never seen one in the flesh.

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi Ray
Looks like a young John Farrar doing the vocal?
Regards Geoff.

[exprog]

According to the Youtube info.. It is John Farrar

[cockroach]

Yes, it's John in the Strangers- great group they were too- they also did many recording sessions playing for vocalists and other groups here in Oz back then.

Maton not only made their own original guitar and bass designs (acoustics and acoustic -electrics from 1946, solid guitars and basses from 1958) but also made a number of subtle copies of Danelectro, Fender, Rickenbacker etc back then. Go to www.maton.com.au and check their 'museum' section with pics and prices and production years and numbers etc from their old brochures.

They were always expensive, even here in Australia where they were made. They made a cheaper line of acoustics and acoustic-electrics called Alver, but the quality of these was a bit average.

I think you could have bought an actual USA Danelectro Longhorn with 31 frets in the UK in the mid '60's?

[AlanMcKillop]

Wonder what the intonation was like.

[ecca]

I'd struggle to get my fingers in the frets up top.

[donna plasky]

I'm a big fan of The Strangers, and I was noticing that after John Farrar left (to join MWF), the bass player in The Strangers stuck with the Maton El Toro bass. The rest of the group switched to a Rickenbacher-looking guitar...but not the bass player. It's a very unusual looking bass.



Cheers,
Donna