Maton Mayfair Grande

**pecktime** · 05-29-2026, 07:21 PM

Just picked this up-it’s a 1955 Maton Mayfair Grande, Maton’s answer to the 18 inch big bouted Gibsons of the era.
Only 175 were made.
carved spruce top, someone has added a floating pickup.

it’s got a super high action, and the neck is bowed so i’m taking it to a luthier next week.

Does anyone know if these Matons have truss rods?
i can’t see any spot to access one.

cheers.

**deacon Mark** · 05-29-2026, 08:17 PM

Probably has no truss rod but that is a total guess. If you bought this guitar without a truss rod and it had a significant bow you made a mistake in my opinion. To heat it will not be that much help wood has memory and will return to former state at some point. Add a truss rod is option but a major repair deal. If the guitar was/is unplayable to most degree I would have pass on the buy regardless of anything else.

Edit my research suggest it might have an adjustable truss rod with allen type key on fingerboard end under tongue of neck

**AllanAllen** · 05-29-2026, 09:41 PM

That’s a pretty guitar.

**jamesego** · 05-29-2026, 09:45 PM

Shine a flashlight through the strap button hole and see if there’s an adjustment bolt on the neck block. If so, you’ll need to acquire a special tool to reach it.

Potentially more info here:

Maton Truss Rod Adjustments - Artisan Guitars

**thelostboss** · 05-29-2026, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by pecktime

Just picked this up-it’s a 1955 Maton Mayfair Grande, Maton’s answer to the 18 inch big bouted Gibsons of the era.
Only 175 were made.
carved spruce top, someone has added a floating pickup.

it’s got a super high action, and the neck is bowed so i’m taking it to a luthier next week.

Does anyone know if these Matons have truss rods?
i can’t see any spot to access one.

cheers.

There is some info on Maton's historic pages - https://maton.com.au/wp-content/uplo...300Mayfair.pdf They describe the neck as "Slim neck with Maton Adjustable Truss control."

I have found the company to be very helpful with previous inquiries that I have emailed to them.

**Mick-7** · 05-29-2026, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by deacon Mark

Edit: my research suggests it might have an adjustable truss rod with allen type key on fingerboard end under tongue of neck

I'm thinking only the Maton acoustic guitars would have one like that? (It's common for acoustic guitars, my old Washburn has one.) I mean, why would they put in a truss rod that you cannot access to adjust?

Originally Posted by thelostboss

There is some info on Maton's historic pages... They describe the neck as "Slim neck with Maton Adjustable Truss control."

o.k. but is that the same model? - Home - Maton Guitars - Explore World-Class Acoustic Guitars

Yeah, looks like it is:

**pecktime** · 05-29-2026, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by Mick-7

I'm thinking only the Maton acoustic guitars would have one like that? (It's common for acoustic guitars, my old Washburn has one.) I mean, why would they put in a truss rod that you cannot access to adjust?

o.k. but is that the same model? - Home - Maton Guitars - Explore World-Class Acoustic Guitars

Yeah, looks like it is:

that’s great news!

here’s the label on mine, and a gratuitous peg head shot

**Chezdeluxe** · 05-30-2026, 06:02 AM

I have two Maton Mayfairs from 1958

The trussrod is accessible via the end pin hole and requires a long special tool.

Where is the guitar located and good luck finding a luthier with the specialized tool.

By the way the Grande is the sunburst Mayfair and the Royal is the blonde.
I have one of each variant with sequential serial numbers..PM me if you need any further information.

Cheers Gerry

**pecktime** · 05-30-2026, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Chezdeluxe

I have two Maton Mayfairs from 1958

The trussrod is accessible via the end pin hole and requires a long special tool.

Where is the guitar located and good luck finding a luthier with the specialized tool.

By the way the Grande is the sunburst Mayfair and the Royal is the blonde.
I have one of each variant with sequential serial numbers..PM me if you need any further information.

Cheers Gerry

thanks Gerry,

I’m in Wellington New Zealand.

i’ve put my phone with the torch on through the f-hole to see anything at the neck end- couldn’t see any metal bits.

Is it possible the earlier Mayfairs had no truss rod?

cheers,

Daniel

**thelostboss** · 05-31-2026, 12:11 AM

Jon Free at https://www.blackguitars.com/about-us.html might be able to answer your questions and he is pretty good at responding to emails

Cheers

**Mick-7** · 05-31-2026, 12:12 AM

On an acoustic guitar, the truss rod end looks something like this, might the pickup be blocking your view?

https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-adjust-an-acoustic-guitar-truss-rod/

**Chezdeluxe** · 05-31-2026, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by pecktime

thanks Gerry,

I’m in Wellington New Zealand.

i’ve put my phone with the torch on through the f-hole to see anything at the neck end- couldn’t see any metal bits.

Is it possible the earlier Mayfairs had no truss rod?

cheers,

Daniel

Sorry Daniel I don’t have definitive information about your earlier Mayfair but I would be mighty surprised if it doesn’t have a trussrod . It was Maton’s top of the line guitar and Gibson’s patent on the truss rod had expired well before 1955.

I just checked My Mayfair Grande using a torch on a flexible goose neck through the f hole and looking through the end pin hole I can see the trussrod end in the neck block, very close to the top of the guitar.
My 76 year old eyesight doesn’t give me good definition of what the adjuster nut looks like but I have read that Maton’s used a 1/4 inch SQUARE nut for many years before changing over to a 8mm diameter hex nut around 2000.

Good luck getting it sorted out. It will be a great guitar for you I think.

One question about the pickup. Is it floating above the top or has the top been cut to mount it.?

Cheers Gerry

**pecktime** · 05-31-2026, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Chezdeluxe

Sorry Daniel I don’t have definitive information about your earlier Mayfair but I would be mighty surprised if it doesn’t have a trussrod . It was Maton’s top of the line guitar and Gibson’s patent on the truss rod had expired well before 1955.

I just checked My Mayfair Grande using a torch on a flexible goose neck through the f hole and looking through the end pin hole I can see the trussrod end in the neck block, very close to the top of the guitar.
My 76 year old eyesight doesn’t give me good definition of what the adjuster nut looks like but I have read that Maton’s used a 1/4 inch SQUARE nut for many years before changing over to a 8mm diameter hex nut around 2000.

Good luck getting it sorted out. It will be a great guitar for you I think.

One question about the pickup. Is it floating above the top or has the top been cut to mount it.?

Cheers Gerry

hi Gerry,

yes I’m sure you’re right and that it does have a truss rod.

the pickup is floating and attached to the pickguard.

cheers,

Daniel

**pecktime** · 05-31-2026, 06:27 PM

Here’s the pickguard volume control and output jack thingy?

**Chezdeluxe** · 05-31-2026, 07:21 PM

Great photos Daniel and good that the top hasn’t been cut.

My opinion on strings may run counter to many others Daniel but I will share it with you.

I have a collection of acoustic archtop guitars comprising a 49 and a 50 Epiphone Broadway,
a 39 Epiphone Deluxe, two 58 Maton Mayfairs and two Australian luthier made guitars (an 18inch Gary Rizzolo and a 17 inch Garry Albrecht) All those guitars have a 25.5 inch scale length and they respond perfectly to 11-52 Phosphor Bronze strings.

My Gibson L5 1934 reissue has a 24.75 inch scale and I string it with 12-53 PB strings.

I am not playing guitar with a Count Basie or Benny Goodman style band and am not seeking volume to compete with a group of horns. Many guitars have suffered from the use of heavy strings in the past and that maybe the cause of your bent neck. I hope that you can get it adjusted and suggest you try 11 s in acoustic or electric strings as a starting point.

You are now the owner of a very desirable guitar. Please update us with news of the adjustments etc going forward.
All the best
Gerry

**Woody Sound** · 06-01-2026, 10:00 AM

Removing the entire pickup and guard assembly should help you get in there, at least the get a nice view. You might have to fashion your own wrench/tool. Might not be too difficult, just connecting two or more things together.

**pecktime** · 06-01-2026, 10:06 PM

Well, The Mayfair and I visited the luthier today.

the upshot is- it’s a good guitar, and is getting a neck reset.

The neck was not bowed at all really until it met the body, then there was a real ski-jump.

so it seems like the neck joint had moved- pushing the neck ‘overhang’ into the body of the guitar.

it does have a truss rod too!

the bridge had been shaved down to try and compensate for the neck bend, so that will be sorted.

there’s a glue failure on one of the wings on the headstack to get fixed, and the old-school lap-steel pickup connection will be replaced with a guitar input (this is reversible if we change our minds).

more news and photos in a couple of weeks!