Here is an extremely original and low-mileage Alver archtop acoustic guitar, made by Maton in the late '50s or very early '60s. Alver was the budget or 'student' line of guitars made by Maton at the time, and didn't have body binding or other fancy (and costly) adornments. They were made of laminate, so are extremely stable.

Bill May's wife, Vera (mother of present owner, Linda Kitchen, who runs the very successful Maton business with husband Neville) is the reason for the 'ver' part of the Alver name. I can't remember for the life of me where the 'Al' comes from!

This vintage guitar sounds surprisingly sweet, and is in perfect playing condition. Neck angle is exactly as the day it was made, with nice low action with the bridge not having been hacked as can so often be seen on vintage archtops as the owners try to avoid the expense of a neck reset. The frets and fingerboard show the barest signs of having ever been played, and it's really only the top edge of the guitar, where the player's arm has rubbed through the finish (and painted-on 'binding'), that shows the guitar has been played at all! There are a couple of scuff marks on the guitar's back, where it has been put down, and that's about it. Check out the detailed photographs in the 'more pictures' link below.

Even the original hard shell case is still in amazingly good condition.

This is definitely one suitable for the collector, or for a musician wanting to get that authentic archtop tone. This guitar sounds very similar to the Hofner archtops of the same period, with a distinct upper-mid and treble lift, and is quite different to the larger, solid-timber vintage archtops from Maton.

Sold to Steve

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