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| Some years back, during a period I'd rather forget, I had to sell my treasured 1956 Maton Starline, a guitar I simply loved to bits! In truth, it wasn't the best guitar for live, on-stage use; it is the type of guitar simply crying out for a Bigsby (I was constantly reaching for one!), the pickups were not my favourite Maton pickups, and the controls consisted only of a pickup selector and volume controls for each pickup (no tone controls) which was, simply, a drag, severely limiting its on-stage usefulness. But it was probably the single most beautiful guitar I'd owned up to that point, and the workmanship evident in its construction was second-to-none. Ever since that day I'd searched for a replacement...and eventually struck gold! And this is it. A vintage Maton EG90 Starline 151. When I took the guitar in to Maton so they could view this amazing time-capsule, Managing Director Neville Kitchen brought out the original hand-written ledger and we discovered this was the 10th-last Starline ever built! This vintage Maton has serial number 1269, and the last Starline ever built had serial 1369. This true 'under-the-bed' find was made in 1961, and has been virtually unplayed since. It even has its original hang tag and price label inside the original case. And it has the factory-option Bigsby, and the much more usable volume and tone control for each of the two pickups, plus a selector switch. To cap it off, the pickups are my favourite type used by Maton; strong output, and nice and bitey and expressive. The solid timbers are stunning, with the bookmatched back and front having selected birdseye grain. Click on the 'more pictures' link below and have a good look at the pearl inlay work, the hand engraving of the 'Starline 151' name, and multiple binding everywhere, including the fretboard and headstock. This beautiful work of art cost £231-15-0 back in 1961. The average weekly male wage in 1961 was just £21, so it was a very expensive item! A stunning Australian-made vintage guitar, with sound and playability to match its stunning looks. Sold to Trent
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