Maton Guitars strikes a chord with Japanese musicians

On a sunny day last September, Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel stepped onstage to perform a 30-minute set before thousands of visitors at Expo 2025 Osaka. Strapped to his chest was a well-loved Maton guitar, designed and handcrafted by the 80-year-old Australian company. 

The performance by Emmanuel, a Maton Guitars ambassador and long-time friend of the business, boosted the company’s profile in one of its top markets. Maton Guitars has exported to Japan since 2008, welcomed by a culture that places a high value on heritage, quality and craftmanship.

‘Austrade organised for Tommy to perform at Expo,’ says David Steedman, General Manager, Maton Guitars. ‘He was touring Japan at the time and even though his schedule is booked out years in advance, Austrade worked with his people to arrange for him to perform at the Australian Pavilion.’

Maton Guitars’ distributor reported numerous people approached them after the performance who had not previously heard of Tommy or Maton Guitars but were extremely impressed by both. 

‘The depreciating yen has made the last couple of years tough for us,’ says Steedman. ‘We hope the exposure at Expo makes people, particularly non-professional musicians, curious enough to look into our guitars. We’re really indebted to Austrade for their support.’

Guitars handcrafted in Australia

Based in Victoria, Maton Guitars is a family-owned business that has been designing and making acoustic guitars since 1946. 

Today, the company produces around 6,000 guitars a year, handmade by 50 skilled craftspeople using a variety of woods – including maple, blackwood, spruce and Tasmanian myrtle – sourced mainly from Australia. Standard guitars take 8–10 hours to make, while premium instruments can take up to 20 hours.  

Maton Guitars is beloved by musicians worldwide. In addition to Tommy Emmanuel, Paul Kelly, Neil Finn, Keith Urban, John Butler, Courtney Barnett and Felicity Urquhart are part of the Maton family. Overseas artists including Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World and Phil Palmer from Dire Straits also play Maton guitars.

Tommy Emmanuel with his Maton guitar thrills the Expo 2025 Osaka crowd at the Australian Pavilion.

Hitting all the right notes in Japan

Maton Guitars has been exporting for close to 50 years, with exports growing steadily over the last two decades. The company exports to Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, China, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

‘When we started, we were exporting maybe 5% of what we made, and now we’re up to 50%,’ says Steedman. ‘We could export more, but it’s important we support our local retailers, some of whom we’ve worked with for close to 80 years.’

Japan is one of Maton Guitars’ top markets. The company entered Japan in 2008 following an introduction from Austrade Senior Business Development Manager Cindy Lineburg, a music lover who introduced Maton Guitars to its distributor Ace-K.  

Over the past 18 years, Maton Guitars and Ace-K have built an enduring relationship that underpins the company’s success in the market.

‘Ace-K has a great appreciation of our product and has shown a real desire to partner and collaborate with us,’ says Steedman. ‘They’ve visited us in Melbourne and have brought Japanese artists, retailers, media and special partners here. 

‘They love to get into our factory to get involved in and understand what we do, so they can use that knowledge and understanding to sell our guitars in Japan. They often have great ideas around new guitars and will send us a full report every time we send a shipment. We get better just by having them as a partner.’ 

Maton Guitars also has the support of several Japanese musicians, including singer-songwriter Motohiro Hata, for whom the company built a custom guitar and who travelled to Melbourne to pick it up in person. Takayuki Nishiyama is another musician who has a custom-designed Maton guitar. Known as Nishi, he was the opening act for the Tommy Emmanuel Japan Tour in 2007 and 2009. 

Austrade support worldwide

Austrade too has been a constant support for the past 18 years, not just in Japan, but worldwide.

‘We love working with Austrade and always seek their help in new markets,’ says Steedman. ‘Austrade’s “badge of government” brings a level of kudos to meetings with potential distributors. It shows we are a credible enterprise keen to partner with local businesses. It also reflects our government’s commitment to building meaningful business relationships with other nations.’

Steedman says he and Ace-K are working on a number of initiatives to grow sales, including new products and once-off models for the Japanese market. They are also looking into partnerships with Japanese musicians who can showcase the Maton Guitars brand. 

‘We’ve been in Japan for 18 years and remain invested in the country,’ says Steedman. ‘Our focus now is evolving our understanding of what the market is after.’