Maurice Dupont

(Originally written by phildo2/translated from Audiofanzine FR) <ul> 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 </ul> 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.

(Originally written by seba.j/translated from Audiofanzine FR) - The MD50E (by Maurice Dupont) is a French instrument made in Cognac. The fingerboard has 22 frets. I use it with a Stimer pickup also made by MD. The sound is very clean but I find the instrument tends to sound too much like an electric. It's a pity for an acoustic instrument. But I must also mention that I use a Laney LC50 amp, which isn't really conceived for acoustic instruments. The edge of the body begins at the 15th fret. - An additional bridge is provided with the guitar but the first one doesn't seem to wear away... Features: - Curly or birdseye multi-ply maple back and sides (mine has a wonderful curly maple) - French spruce top - Curly maple neck with wonderful ebony fingerboard. This pleasant neck reminds me a Gibson LP - Glossy varnish (very fragile) - Brass tailpiece - Golden machine heads (very good quality) - Sold with a case (average quality compared with the guitar) UTILIZATION - Slim (see above). - Easy access to the upper frets thanks to the cutaway (at least up to the A of the thinest string, above that you'll have to place your thumb on the back of the neck). - This Selmer copy is very ergonomic. You'll understand why Django Reinhardt chose this body shape. The guitar is very light. - The instrument produces the typical gypsy sound, which it can't be described, just listen to it! It produces exactly the sound I wanted. No other guitar I've ever played gave me this sound. However, before buying it I hesitated between the MD and the Puga Alves DR670, which is also made of curly maple. I find the lows could be more powerful but I'm still looking for the right string set. The sound is VERY accurate from the first to the last fret. SOUNDS - Does it fit my music style? Yes it does! - I don't know how to answer this question... I just love the sound of this guitar. OVERALL OPINION - I've been playing it daily for over one year and I'm addicted. - I will only mention what I like least (everything else belongs to the pros of the guitar): the varnish is quite delicate. If you want your instrument to stay in a perfect condition for a long time, you'll have to cover everything with soft cloth... But that's the price you pay for such a high-quality sound. And when you look at the guitars of renowned artists you understand that the sound is the only thing that matters. Nevertheless, I talked about it with M. Dupont, whom I met during a festival in June 2008, and rubbing and varnishing the guitar is not expensive considering the instrument's price. - I tried out many guitars in a short period but I had never tested a gypsy guitar. I'll test other instruments in the future. - When I bought it I thought the guitar was expensive but guitars above a certain price do sound much better... The value for money is perfect but I only compared it to budget guitars. - I'm sure I would buy it again. If I ever want to buy another guitar I'll buy one of the same brand and perhaps made of some other wood.