Vale Vera May
Maton announced in a statement via social media that Vera May, the wife of Maton founder Bill May and the ‘matriarch’ of the company, passed away aged 102.
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Maton said “It is with sadness that we mark the passing of Vera May”.
“A woman who stood by her husband Bill May, in the building of a dream that was to become Maton Guitars.
“76 years later we owe everything to the bravery and vision of Vera and Bill.
“In her 102 years Vera was a constant influence at Maton. As a business and a family, we are honoured to play our part in continuing to share Bill and Vera’s dream of a fine Australian guitar that musicians around the world can be proud to own.
“Vale Vera May, long will we continue to celebrate your legacy.”
May toiled alongside Bill as he took Maton from a shed-born passion project to Australia’s finest instrument manufacturers, handling all administrative and financial aspects of the brand up until her retirement in 1987.
May was honoured with her very own Vera May Special Acoustic which features an 808-sized body with a Lutz spruce top and a blackwood neck, back and sides, with an ebony and inner pinstripe binding giving the guitar a pristine touch of elegance.
The headstock features a design inspired by the original W.A. headstock that appeared on the first-ever Maton, with an elegant gloss finished ebony veneer and Mother of Pearl logo being placed atop a figured blackwood veneer for a distinctive aesthetic.