When we came to the States in 1979, we all played Maton guitars, i8ncluding the bass player who played a fat bass that was based on the Mariachi bass of Mexico exsept it had a guitar nesk. They've stopped making them now. My current guitar was the prototype for a model called the Messiah and I love it. Maton gave us a guitar to carry as a spare on the trip which was a good thing as my brother's guitar was pierced by a fork lift in Heathrow airport in London. In California we had a similar experience to the one above in that a friend wanted to swap for his Gibson which was a lot more expensive. Maton's do have a sound of their own. They don't have the brilliance of a Martin but if that's the sound you have in your head, that's what you buy. I had a Martin 12 string once but the bridge lifted half way through a recording session. Maton lent me a guitar to finish the session and it became a permanent swap. Old Martins tend to hate the Auistralian climate. Perhaps it's their delicacy that gives them their sound. You can find out more about Maton from their web site here: MATON GUITARS