The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Maurice Dupont is a French luthier whose Selmer-Maccaferri style guitars are IMO the best of their type. I see that a couple are for sale in the "for sale" section of this forum (and not by me, BTW!) Whoever buys these guitars will be quite pleased.

    I own two Dupont guitars and think that for playing an acoustic jazz gig, without amplification, they cannot be beat. Many archtop players would be surprised at what wonderful tone they can get for playing straight ahead jazz. The problem is that there are so many tinny sounding Gypsy guitars out there that most jazz guitarists do not know what they are missing.

    Here is a clip of me playing one of mine with Country music singer Ginny Mitchell. It is all acoustic. Notice that you can hear my guitar over the chords of a Martin Dreadnaught and an upright bass. How many acoustic archtops would be able to cut through in this context?


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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Absolutely, petite bouches are cannons! I have a custom Grande Bouche, but designed with 14-frets vs.12-frets and for more overtone content and less cut. The Argentine .011s feel so slinky. They are fun to play jazz beyond manouche jazz.

  4. #3

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    I've only played one Dupont before; it really was outstanding.

    Wonderful video and playing again Marc. Wow you own 2 D'A's and 2 Duponts! I think you could start booking vacations for JJG members just to sit in your guitar room!

    Cheers, Chris

  5. #4

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    Wish I had the cash for a proper Dupont, but my Altamira does the trick for now.

    Great video, love the tone you get!

  6. #5

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    Another kudo for the great playing and tone Marc. I'm laying low on the Dupont upgrade from my Latcho Drom Djangology at the moment, will pounce when I have the funds. I use the Latcho on a gig with a violinist, and we do a lot of the gypsy rep, however we do wander into the American Songbook and a GJG fits wonderfully!

  7. #6

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    Hi,

    I'm selling my Dupont Vieille Réserve if anyone would be interested! In case you don't know his work it is the most faithful copy of a selmer maccaferri you can find. It is built with a selection of old woods and it sounds outstanding!

    A lot of french gypsy jazz guitar players such as Bireli Lagrène or Romane play them!

    Thanks for the thread Marc, and great playing.

  8. #7

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    +1 on Maurice Dupont's guitars. I have a MD-50 and it really is amazing.
    Keith

  9. #8

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    I've played a few Dupont petite bouche guitars and they're fine instruments, but for my tastes, nothing beats a Dupont MDC50 grande bouche long scale. The notes just seem to explode out with minimal effort. Archtops and flattops weep at the amount of volume and cut those guitars have.

    My JWC gets about 90% the same tone, but not that exquisite touch and massive volume. Alas! I can't buy a new guitar till I pay off my credit card...

  10. #9

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    D.G., The Dupont in the video above is a 1993 MD-20. It was made by Maurice himself (these days he trains the luthiers who make his guitars) with solid French maple back, sides and neck that Maurice milled himself. It is an amazing guitar.

    My other Dupont is an MDC-50, and as you opine it is also amazing. I think the D hole guitars are louder to the player (and have more bass response), but to the listener are not necessarily louder than the oval holes. Both of my guitars are equally loud to an audience member at a gig.

    For all the archtop folks reading this thread, in the world of Selmer style guitars, long scale is 26 and 3/8. Short scale is 25 and 1/2 (which is long scale in the archtop world)

    I think the midrange heavy oval hole Selmer guitar is a better crossover fit for an archtop player. I think the D hole is better suited as a crossover for a flattop player who is used to the extra bass response. Either way, any guitarist who gets a Dupont guitar is a lucky guitarist!

    Cheers,

    Marc

  11. #10

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    I think your advice regarding the petite bouche and the grande bouche is right on target with respect to archtop and flat top players. For those of you who have not yet waded into the gypsy pond, don't let the 26-3/8" scare you. With .011"-.045" Argentine strings the tension is much lighter than archtop strings.

    I had my grande bouche made with a 25-1/2" scale to minimize the stretch, not the tension, but went with 14-frets to the body. This comes at some cost of power and cut, but it still is a cannon. They are amazingly fun guitars to play and their "cut" shines in an ensemble.

  12. #11

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    Dupont is best known for their Selmer-style guitars, but they also make archtop and flattop guitars. Has anyone on the forum played either of these, and could give their impression of them?

  13. #12

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    I haven't played those but I have played a Dupont classical nylon string with more of a D oval sound hole. I was very impressed with the tone, workmanship, volume and playability. It was a fantastic instrument in every way. I'd imagine anything made by him deserves serious consideration.

  14. #13

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    I've played a few Dupont archtops - models Saint Louis, Bebop, and Lloyd. I thought the Saint Louis and Bebop were some of the best non-vintage laminate top guitars that I've played. Excellent construction. Great tone. Anyone looking for an ES-125 or ES-135 style guitar should most definitely check out the Saint Louis. A new one with custom options (nut width, neck profile) goes for under €2k. Imo, it blows away anything similar on the market (Godin 5th Avenue, etc.).

    Here's a demo (albeit not very jazzy) of a Saint Louis from one of the French guitar stores:



    Also, Maurice turned me onto Hepcat pickups which are made in Paris and sound great: HEPCATPICKUPS

  15. #14

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    Also, the Lloyd is a lot of bang for the buck. Arguably the best value of all the L-5 style guitars available from any maker. Sounded better than many I've played being sold at twice the price.

    Some examples of it being played:






  16. #15

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    Thanks for the replies! I had found those videos of the Lloyd, and that certainly looks (and sounds) interesting as a Loar-era L-5 type of model. Has anyone played either an ATTM (solid top, laminated back) or Orchestre (all solid) model Dupont?

  17. #16

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    Reviving the thread, anybody has the the Dupont Bebop model?
    Vitually no videos nor tests to be found anywhere (which I find strange because Maurice Dupont is a very renown luthier in France)
    I wonder how it compares to otherchumbucker pickup style Es175 clones on the market?
    I'm really interested in a 1972 Gibson ES150 DC, and looking for about any kind of Es175, clone or real deal (even curious about the chineese made Stanford Crossroad Fatboy or Vanguard)

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmajor9
    Thanks for the replies! I had found those videos of the Lloyd, and that certainly looks (and sounds) interesting as a Loar-era L-5 type of model. Has anyone played either an ATTM (solid top, laminated back) or Orchestre (all solid) model Dupont?
    I have the all solid wood version of the Lloyd that I picked up used last summer, it is wonderfully built, and sounds great - I have not played it all that much since i bought it though, due to it being quite expensive (for me anyway). On my list of things to do as soon as things open up is to take it for a pro setup and start playing the darn thing!

  19. #18

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    Dupont Guitars-img_4517-jpg

    almost forgot to post a photo

  20. #19

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    I'm not into NGDs but for the record, here's a picture of my newly arrived Saint Louis. Fabulous guitar in every way.
    Attached Images Attached Images Dupont Guitars-20210508_094716-jpg 

  21. #20

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    Marco is my hero.

  22. #21

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    Always fun to see this zombie thread revived.

    Since I started this thread 6 years ago, I sold my Dupont D hole and replaced it with a Shelly Park oval hole, so I now have a Dupont and a Park to cover my Gypsy guitar needs. That said,IMO, Dupont guitars are superb and I still highly recommend them.

  23. #22

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    I have been a fan of Dupont guitars for many years. Marc's petite bouche is a fabulous guitar! I had the pleasure to visit Maurice's workshop last time I was in France. Maurice is super friendly and was very generous with his time and I enjoyed playing all the various models. His guitars are wonderful and continue to be the gold standard for traditional Selmer type guitars.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    Always fun to see this zombie thread revived.

    Since I started this thread 6 years ago, I sold my Dupont D hole and replaced it with a Shelly Park oval hole, so I now have a Dupont and a Park to cover my Gypsy guitar needs. That said,IMO, Dupont guitars are superb and I still highly recommend them.
    You looked really good in that video bro.
    I think you could have used a Sears Silvertone Acoustic and it would have sounded great in that video.
    JD

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    You looked really good in that video bro.
    I think you could have used a Sears Silvertone Acoustic and it would have sounded great in that video.
    JD
    Thanks bro! You might be right, but like I always say, having the right guitar for the job inspires the great playing. As Gitpicker said, my Dupont is indeed a fabulous guitar.