Counterfeit Duponts

MichaelHorowitz

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to alert everyone to the fact that someone is producing fake Dupont guitars, complete with accurate label and headstock logo. Fortunatley they are easy to spot as the design and workmanship are nowhere close to anything Dupont would produce.

Here's one that was sold in New Zealand:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=548966402

Caveat Emptor,

Michael

Steveareno

That's a shame! Saw a YouTube video on counterfeit Les Pauls: Fairly accurate, right down to the logos, sickers and other new guitar paraphanelia. It did have a funky scarfed neck joint about 1/4 way down the back of the neck and the neck binding didn't flow onto headstock. I would have thought the GJ scene was under the radar for counterfeiters, but apparently not. Don't know how this stuff gets thru customs. Meanwhile the CITES guys are trying to bust Gibson and vintage collectors with old Brazilian rosewood. NZ is pretty loose, with what they call "parallel importing", or "grey goods". They opened up the market about 10 years ago to some pretty shady importers of various products. :?
Swang on,

Archtop Eddy

Thanks Michael for the heads-up. As Steve said, it's a shame. Maybe the best thing for buyers is to stick with known and trusted dealers and sellers. It seems to me, based just on the low quality photos often posted on the net, you'd need a very skilled eye to be able to distinguish a forgery from a real Dupont . Unfortunately, that's about all you have to work from before laying your money down on-line. AE

frater

Of course it's not a real MD 50E: the tuners are too expensive!

Mitch

Hard to tell it's not a real Dupont...

Bohemian

Who is doing the counterfeiting?

"pure" maple and spruce" what's that ?

lacrossehotclub

Bohemian wrote:

Who is doing the counterfeiting?

"pure" maple and spruce" what's that ?

It's like pure maple syrup, except without the syrup and more wood...

Bernie

How can I know for sure if the Dupont Nomade I might get is a genuine one..?
The guy in the shop may not be aware - it's a second-hand guitar -,he does not like gipsy jazz guitars,and this guitar doesn't go along with the case it is now(?)supposed to go with...
I am not myself a "connaisseur" in gipsy jazz guitars, if in any guitars at all !!
Anybody can help?

frater

Strange as it may seem, a Nomade would be more difficult to counterfeit than a regular Dupont ...plus why bother imitating the cheapest model Dupont produce? It's quite probably a genuine one.

Bernie

Hi frater
Well said, no interest in counterfeiting the cheapest one if it is not the easiest to make.
I would have thought at first though,that a Nomade would be easier to imitate...
But a luthier that knows these guitars seem to agree with you. Thanks for your concern and help.
Bernie.

Bernie

The Nomade was not counterfeit, but did have two light cracks on the soundboard - on each side of the tailpiece...So I made up my mind to forget about it all (don't know what kind of treatment did that,but it must have been quite a big shock).
It did sound good though, with an excellent playability...(in case someone would want to know...).