Now for an incredible piece of rock 'n' roll trivia!
In the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley’s character, Vince Everett, is shown playing a Maton HG100 guitar. The story behind this is fascinating because it wasn’t Elvis’s personal guitar but a prop used in the film.
In one of the scenes, Elvis's character smashes his Pawn Shop guitar in frustration. Afterwards, he picks up the Maton HG100, which was supplied by Maton’s distributor in the U.S. at the time and continues playing.
While it wasn’t Elvis’s personal instrument, the guitar became part of this iconic moment in the film. The HG100 (HG: Hillybilly Guitar) is an archtop acoustic guitar, similar to the first Maton guitar, the FG100, in style, and its appearance in the movie gave the Australian guitar brand some exposure to a wider audience.
This bit of film history links Maton to one of the most famous names in music, even though Elvis wasn't known for using Maton guitars outside this film. It adds a cool layer to Maton’s legacy.
Here is the Original Brochure for the MATON HG100
So there it is, ELVIS played Maton Guitars..... well, sort of.
