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| I've had a few of these interesting Maton 'Telecasters®' through here over the years, and have always loved them. The early ones were virtually a straight copy of the Fender® original, at least in the body and neck design, where the later versions had an extra cutaway and slightly altered headstock, probably in an effort in the mid 1970s 'lawsuit' years to put themselves in a more comfortable position regarding the possibility of litigation. (the 'lawsuit' term is applicable to Japanese copies of the era, but the desire of the big USA manufacturers to protect their copyright would not have been limited to Japan alone) Serials ran from 101 to 255 on this model, and this one, serial 253, was the third-last G250 made. This model ran from 1971 until 1974, with just 155 being produced. You can see serial 156 here, serial 178 here, and serial 241 here. See also the bass versions we sold here and here (very rare, with only 66 made). This guitar is in absolutely mint collector condition. The nut was professionally replaced by the previous owner as the original kept letting one of the strings jump out of position during playing, but otherwise this is absolutely as it left the Canterbury (Melbourne) Maton factory back in 1974. At first I assumed the case that came with it was not original (the earlier examples I've had in the past had rectangular cases), but I now think that by '74 Maton may well have switched to a different case, as this definitely dates from the same era, and is in exactly the condition that matches the guitar. The case is pictured towards the bottom of the 'more pictures' link below. Unlike the earliest G-250 guitars, by the end of the model run the guitars came with a much more Fender-like 'ashtray' bridge cover, and this guitar still has the original ashtray. I challenge you to find another one anywhere! This vintage Maton weighs in at 4kg (8.8 pounds), and the original Maton pickups sound unbelievably good! Heaps of spanky output, and I've always personally liked the reversed control panel position, with the 3-position switch at the rear, and the volume knob in front, lending itself to great volume-swells and even tone 'wah' effects while playing. Very collectable, very playable, very Australian, and probably the most tidy example in existence. Click here for Australia-wide shipping quote - just add your postcode, select whether you want the security of signing for delivery, and click the 'Calculate Postage' button! Sold to James in Melbourne
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