Maurice Dupont B4EFL

(Originally written by phildo2/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

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French manufacturing from the luthier Maurice Dupont near Cognac. My instrument has a serial number from July 1998 (I heard it's the 4th ever manufactured).
Fretless bass guitar
Bolt-on neck
Piezo pickup with active circuitry: bass, mid, high, volume
Massive spruce top
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UTILIZATION

Very pleasant neck. Satin varnish enhancing the playing comfort. Cutaway allowing a very good access to the upper frets. The body size isn't very ergonomic although I'm rather tall (6 feet). It's big, but that's the price to pay if you want a powerful and good acoustic sound. It can be played with an acoustic guitar without amp if the guitarist doesn't play too loud.

SOUNDS

The acoustic sound is close to a double bass. Low frequencies aren't that rich but that's normal given that the body is much smaller than a double bass. But in spite of the size difference it's stunning!
The amplified sound with an AER Bass produces slightly more low-end. If you close your eyes you'll hear a double bass. With an EBS Drome 12, it's better to turn off the amp's EQ and tweak the mids slightly on the bass guitar's integrated EQ if you want to get a double bass sound. Played with an amp, the bass can also produce a bluesy or even rock sound, but it's definitely not its element: This bass guitar is first and foremost acoustic.

OVERALL OPINION

I've owned this bass guitar for one month and I have nothing to criticize. Until now I hadn't found an electro-acoustic bass sounding close to a double bass and loud enough play along with a guitarist. All bass guitars of this sort I had tested before were disappointing. But as soon as I held this one in my hands, it was love at first sound. It's worth its price and I wouldn't hesitate buying it again. It has a great design, sound and manufacturing quality.