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12 String Guitar
Dear MonaLisa Twins,
At the show you did with Mike, Mona played a 12 String Maton guitar. I’ve never played a Maton but I have heard nothing but good things from it. Tommy Emmanuel plays them, probably in part because of the Australia connection.
How did you come about yours and how do you like it? Does your model have the Queensland Walnut back? In the video for the rehearsal for that show, the guitar sounded lovely and very balanced. Do you gravitate towards it over other 12 strings?
Thank you for all that you do and for always lifting our spirits!
Tomás
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36 Replies
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Hi Tomás,
That 12-string guitar has been on quite the journey, halfway around the world.
You might have read that back in 2009, at the age of 14/15, we had spent half a year in Australia for student exchange. Even before we left for the trip we knew we wanted to buy two acoustic guitars there and bring them back home with us afterward. While roaming the music stores of Adelaide we found this 12-string as well as the other 6-string Maton we own and immediately fell in love with them. We didn’t plan on getting a 12-string but it sounded so great and once we picked it up we couldn’t put it down anymore.
They became our “working horses” for the six months we spent in Australia. We took them busking, carried them to school and back most days and played them a LOT.
We brought both Matons home with us, and it was the only 12-string we owned for quite a few years after. I love the tone of it, it’s full and warm and extremely well balanced even when plugged in.
The action on it is not the best. If we don’t stay on top of it and adjust the neck every few months it gets out of shape, and the chunky neck isn’t helping with the playability. Compared to the other 12-strings we have played and owned since, it might not be the most “finger-friendly” one but the tone, as well as the story, make up for it, and I do tend to gravitate towards it for performances! 🙂 For noodling around at home, I would probably choose a different one though.
Also yes, it does have the Queensland Walnut back and sides which is gorgeous and so different from what you usually see. The model number is EM425C/12 by the way.
We all hope you’re well, thanks for the question and all the best from both of us!
Mona
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Hiya Girls,
just read your comments regarding your 12 string and realised you have spent some time in my home town, Adelaide.
Still searching through these numerous club pages and catching up on a lot of things, but I should have realised you were pretty close when you posted the pics of Ayers Rock.
What did you think of the city ? where about did you stay ? what were you favourite places / experiences ?
I originally lived in Brahma Lodge district, then moved to Salisbury, when I was growing up we could see the Anzac Highway from our back yard over in the distance – and that was all – nothing but open bush and kangaroos !!
there were only 4 bungalows and a pony farm in what was the original Brahma Lodge, I walked 2 + 1/2 miles to the nearest school every day, it had 2 wooden hut style classrooms, 3 teachers and and Aussie football pitch.
Some of my best memories and sadly missed
Ive been back since and now it’s full populated and dense housing all the way to the city, such a shame.
perhaps you could share any other photos you have and give more info in your question and answer video
Loving the club experience
P:)
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Hi Tomás,
Tank you for that question and for Mona’s answer.
I found one EM425C/12 on Ebay a short while ago but the seller refused to send it abroad…? I was desapointed.
Now that I know that’s it has “a chunky neck” wich do not hold his shape” etc.. It softens my regrets.
Do you intent to buy you one?
Personally, I decided for the Breedlove Atlas Studio 12. So beautiful. to be seen on “Morning has broken” cover.
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Thank you Mona, that is great insight. I guess 12 strings tend to have those issues. I appreciate your answer because I have a Martin J12-16GT and I’ve been itching for something else, though it sounds heavenly and it’s always in tune. It is a bit hard to play for a lengthy period of time. It’s very rich in tone, even if it’s mahogany and I’m quite partial to rosewood. I have to say though that I love Martin guitars.
I’m doing well, sorry for being absent for a while, August has been a butt-kicker! Always know that even if I’m quiet, I’m always around. 🙂 Haven’t been going to sleep before the sun comes up. There is something about being productive while everybody else sleeps. I used to think it’s because the city was noisy, but now I live in the forest and the owls are just as loud as the other birds during the day ? so that’s not it! I guess that’s my biorhythm. My mum used to complain that as toddlers my brother (one year older) would go to sleep early and get up early and I would be up all night and sleep in the morning, so between the two of us she got no sleep!
Anyway, I’m trying to catch up with all the threads, there’s much to read and much going on. Bought a 70’s 12 string Takamine F-400 that I couldn’t pass up. I’ll post more when I get it, Angelo. There’s more guitar news…
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Hi Skip. I asked similar questions to you early on in the club. You can find my questions answered under the Topic:
“MLT Adelaide Visit Downunder 2009”
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Cheers Howard,
found your piece, interesting – my mom and dad where part of the £10 poms who emigrated in the 60’s, Adelaide was chosen as it was the most similar to Birmingham UK, it was a learning city with a great arts culture and music centre, my dad was then world harmonica champion and was looking to change his outlook for somewhere he could use his music talent, he ended up as musical director of Channel 9 TV, the station that Earnie Sigley started at, hence the record with him.
Adelaide was very different then, new suburbs like Brahma Lodge were only just starting to be developed and we were really in the “Bush” as far as i was concerned then, there where only 2 other kids of my age within walking distance with the school only having a total of around 100 pupils.
It was a great upbringing and some were I will always consider as my Home, although I’ve been back in the UK since I was 8 i still consider myself an Aussie and love the land dearly.
Been back a few times since leaving but not recently since my dad passed away, hopefully will do a final visit before my time comes.
P:)
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Hi Skip. Have you seen this from the archives which takes us back to their Adelaide days, of singing, having fun with friends, and some surfing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVff28OAjoI&feature=youtu.be
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Cheers Jung,
wow thats cool, hadn’t seen this, not much of the oz clips but got the vibe, Australia is a land that imprints itself in you, once experienced never forgotten.
I have a few old photos but sadly no movie clips, there was one old cine 8 film in our attic at some point with me and my brother on the beach xmas day, plus a short clip of us on a kids tv show when my dad worked at the studio but alas the damp and mould got to them and became useless.
Ill have to hunt out the old pics and share
P:)
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Just looked up on google maps
woooee – Australia is such a big place – you wouldn’t believe how much its been developed – it was so sparse when I lived there.
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Skip. Australia is one place I’d like to visit one day, as it is so different from Canada and literally on the other side of the planet. Even the animals are so drastically different. Perhaps I can bring along a Canadian Beaver and Canadian Goose to do an animal exchange for a Kangaroo and Koala Bear. 🙂 I bet Howard has never met a real Canadian Beaver in person! 🙂
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Nice one Jung. However, we have our own beaver and plenty of gooses, especially in our parliament and on shock jock radio!
Could do an exchange for a platypus though!
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Count me in on an Australian adventure! Maybe we can all meet up in Adelaide and hang out at some of MLT’s old haunts.
I’m originally from Kentucky, so I guess my animal contributions would be a thoroughbred racehorse and a toothless possum with emphysema.
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I’ve been encouraging the Wagner family to return to Adelaide to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Mona’s and Lisa’s stay there. Not likely to happen this year with so much on at the moment and a new album about to be released. Hopefully, they’ll have more time for such an adventure next year. Wouldn’t it be awesome if they could include a couple of live concerts while visiting! I’m sure they wouldn’t have any trouble picking up a bass player and drummer in Adelaide!
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Howard, I think we could all fit into the bus. MLT and all the fans here!
Or maybe we may need a few more of these to form an MLT Magic Mystery Tour convoy.
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Or maybe Dr Who’s Tardis could get us all there!
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He He,
cheers Jung, that bus just reminded me of the “Scooby Doo” clan, hmm similarities ??
MLT Club Edit: Photo got removed for copyright reasons
Now we know what they do in their spare time !! lol
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I am NEVER going to be able to get this picture out of my head, Skip! And yet I’m going to contribute to the cognitive dissonance by suggesting that Scooby’s head be replaced with that of Lampi Bampi.
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?? who the h**l is Lampi Bampi ???
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You need to do the MLT Club Birthday Quiz + Give-Away, Skip. If you want to get 100 % correct you may need to do some research!
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Oh, Ok ,
new here so got a lot to catch up on, too busy enjoying the music to research all of this fantastic forum, but will endeavour to find out the answer to this, when i do ill re-post the pic.
I suspect it has something to do with the Twins In Adelaide, so I’ll start there.
P:)
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