Factory Overview

The Maton factory is an impressive facility.  Everything is done here, including dressing and drying the specialist woods.  The company employs about 70 people, 50 of whom are on the factory floor.

On average, it takes a minimum of five weeks to make each guitar from the raw timber to the finished product.  Higher end guitars such as the Messiah and the Australian series take even longer to produce being rated among the world's finest acoustic guitars.

Bill May opened the first factory in Canterbury (Victoria) in 1949.  It was the country's first major guitar making facility and operated at that location for about 40 years.  They moved into a larger factory in Bayswater (Victoria) in 1989 and to the current location in 2002 where much of the extra production is aimed at the export market.

Currently Maton is achieving its highest international sales in Italy where it seems the product is regarded very highly.  Asia is also proving to be a successful venture with the largest stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia showing exceptional growth - and a recent push into USA despite that market being dominated by their own local brands.

Entering the factory from the museum