Trained as a cabinetmaker, the young, musically inclined Alan Hawking eventually turned his hand to guitar building. It seemed he had a natural talent and before long the Clifton Hill local was working at the Maton factory in Canterbury, where he spent fifteen years or so, until the band he had formed with his brother and cousins began to take off. This lovely CW80, completed on the first of December 1972, and presented to a friend from Tasmania, in early ’73, would have been one of the last guitars Alan built in his time with Maton.
One of Maton's most popular models
Similar in size to a Martin size ‘0’, and rumored to have been based on Gibson’s successful SJ/Country Western models, the highly popular CW, (Country Western), series has remained one of Maton’s most popular models for more than forty years. Built for the professional musician, the guitars boast real warmth, with neatly balanced mids and highs, along with ample projection for any setting.
The company formula
There were no CW80s on the Maton production books for 1972, so Alan most likely crafted this guitar specially for his Tasmanian mate, although keeping close to the company formula; Queensland Maple back and sides, fine-grained solid Sitka Spruce top, hand-finished Maple neck, and Rosewood fingerboard. We suspect Alan used a different stain for the back & sides for his friend’s guitar, as the usual hand-rubbed ‘Antique Mahogany’ more closely resembles Rosewood here.
Plays very smooth and easy
Other features include a Rosewood headstock veneer, low-profile medium-jumbo frets, two-way truss rod and heavy duty scratchplate. The guitar plays very smooth and easy, with perfect medium to medium-low action. With only light playwear to show for just casual playtime across its near 45 years, this CW80 is ready to become an instant favorite in your rack.
Onstage
Freshly restrung and complete with its original hard shell case, you could be onstage with this historic Maton six-string thirty minutes after unpacking it!
NOTE: The soundfile for this guitar will be uploaded in the next day or two
Just Guitars
