Dupont Vielle Reserve and MD-50B For Sale

MichaelHorowitz

pallopenna wrote:

What is the Busato sound? I loved your Dupont when I played it this summer at Django in June. Just curious.

Hi Paul....well, first off it's an old guitar (over 50 years old), so it has certain properties that only guitars of that vintage have. Very clear definition of the notes, especially in the bass register. The fundamental of each note is very pronounced with the overtones being very "tight" (i.e. very little sympathetic ringing or weird wash of overtones.) It is also the loudest guitar I've ever owned but the playability is not as good as a newer guitar like the dupont VR. But I'm still dialing it in.

Most old guitars have these characteristics....I first heard it as a teenager playing on pre-war Martins and archtops at a local acoustic guitar shop. Even though those guitars are very different in construction and design, the age gave them many of the same characteristics that this Busato has. Just the other day I played a Martin D-18 from the 60s that was like this...it was so loud and punchy for an flatop. You could totally play Gypsy on it. There was a new D18 sitting right next to it and it didn't even sound like the same model. Totally lame by comparison.

Other then the qualities that age adds, the Busato is tonally right in the middle of the Favino/Selmer spectrum. It's construction has things in common with both. The Busato has the 4" deep body like a Favino and the extra long Favino scale length of 675mm. But the neck angle is more like a Selmer so it doesn't have a skyscraper like bridge that you see on Favinos. The lower bout is right between the two, at 16" it's bigger then a Selmer but smaller then a Favino.

The top has a bombe (sp?) which is sort of like a forced pliage. Many Selmers had a real pliage (the Dupont VR does). I'm not sure about Favinos, I think they're forced top. The Busato is again a bit of both. Josh and Bob could explain this better then I.

Tonally, the guitar sounds like what you'd expect. Like a Favino, it has more depth and low end then a Selmer. It has some of the nasal, honk of a Favino too, but not nearly as much. I think the extreme neck angle on Favinos is what gives it the honk factor. The Busato doesn't have quite as much high end "shimmer" as a Selmer.

Not sure if that makes sense...but the overall analysis is that it's tonally a mix of a Selmer and Favino.

By comparison, the Dupont VR is very, very easy to play (much in part to Josh and John Saba's setup work) and also has a very bell like and rounded lead sound. Not honky at all....I'll really miss that about that guitar because it's so sweet when playing single note lines. But it has more overtone "interference" then the Busato so it does lack the pure "in your face" cutting power of the Busato. You can get a fair amount of "attitude" from the VR, but the Busato is the king of that. It really likes to "yell" the notes out. Excuse my French, but everything I play on the Busato sounds sort of like "FUCK YOU!!!!" ha ha.

The Dupont, and just about any other new guitar, really fall short on the chords. The chords on the Busato are just so full, rich, and defined. The bass notes feel like a kick in the gut and whole chords just swirl with complexity yet each note is clearly audible. The Dupont's chords, which are still damn good, sound muffled and diffuse by comparison.

I love these qualities about the old guitars...but I will say that a good new guitar like the Dupont VR still sounds "smoother" overall and probably records and amplifies better. It lacks some character, but to many listeners it will probably be more listenable. And the problem with these old ones is no matter how good they sound, the chances of finding one that isn't beaten to hell and is really playable are very small. This Busato is in exceptional shape, but I'm definitely paying the price in playability. It's just harder to play....

Anyway, that's my impressions so far...Bob Holo could tell you a lot more about the design of Bustos.

If you want to hear recordings of Busatos check out Romane's Acoustic Quartet and French Guitar CDs. I'm pretty sure Romane and his rhythm players are all using Busatos. Although, I think he added some chorus on the French Guitar CD.

'm

BluesBop Harry

Hey Michael,
is your Busato the one Jacques had a few weeks ago?

MichaelHorowitz

Yes....Jacques hooked me up with this one!

Markos

Are you planning to take it to Django in June?

Markos

Are you planning to take it to Django in June?

Phil

Please can you put future guitars for sale in the Classified section as I totally missed this and if the MD 50 was the Dupont that Josh used to own I would have been really interested in knowing that? cheers, Phil

a

If anyone's still looking for a Vielle Reserve, I might be interested in selling or trading mine if I can find a suitable replacement.

viewtopic.php?t=2988

MichaelHorowitz

Markos wrote:

Are you planning to take it to Django in June?

no, it's not really a travel guitar.

'm

MichaelHorowitz

Phil wrote:

Please can you put future guitars for sale in the Classified section as I totally missed this and if the MD 50 was the Dupont that Josh used to own I would have been really interested in knowing that? cheers, Phil

I think of the classifieds as more for people selling guitars to each other. I usually list the DjangoBooks inventory here....

Yes, that was Josh's MD50...also belonged to Neil Andersson.

Good news is I have another great MD50 which be for sale later today!


'm

chappie

I played a Busato at Jacque's place a couple of years ago... I imagine there must be a variation between the different models and years because the one I played was pretty dead and the neck was quite literally like a Louisville Slugger at the fattest part of the barrel. I have really big hands and this was the biggest neck I have ever played. It made the Jorgenson Saga seem like a toothpick.
But these guitars are likely played to death and any guitar probably has a lifespan to it.