Dupont Nomad or Gallato?

murillo

Hello everybody.

It´s time for me to by a new guitar but I´m in a small dilema.

My main interest is sound and playability. Currently I own a Cigano GJ 15 which is a find instrument but I feel that it’s becoming a bit limited and would like to try a non Asian guitar. I was thinking either a Dupont Nomad (D-hole) or a Gallato. The price is about the same. I also heard about JWC guitars, which looks interesting, but I don’t know anything about them. Since I live in an awkward place for Gypsy Jazz and don’t have the possibility to try out which one I like the best before I buy one, I would really appreciate any advices about which guitar to choose.

Best regards

Musette

I'm lefty and i'm also between those two but i think i'm just gonna save to get the Gallato RS 1930 Angelo Debarre, because its about the same price as the Nomad but the Nomade has a blot on neck (which you can easily unscrew for carrying purposes), and i thinks this gives you less volume and tone.
Duponts are THE gypsy jazz guitars, but i think the Nomade is just a cheap version for guys like us, i'm gonna go for the Gallato, it has german spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, ebony fretboard, i think rosewood on the tail piece, and the neck is'nt bolted on.
I've heard both in youtube and i think the Gallato wins overall, sound and look.
Here is a video o the Nomade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyfB3BPIL4Y

Here is a video of the Gallato RS 1939:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPo7zfBfwys&feature=related

And here is Tchavolo Schmitt on fire playing a Gallato (not sure if its the RS1939 but it sounds AWESOME):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzaywnhRtGk&feature=related


Both are great i'm not saying they're not, but i would go for the Gallato, because of materials, look and most important, volume and tone.
Good Luck.

MichaelHorowitz

It's my understanding that the Gallato's are all built in Asia. The ones I've seen were clearly made in a well known shop in China. I don't know if they are all built there.

The Nomades are a fantastic deal...none of the Asian stuff comes close IMO. A great deal for the $.

-Michael

MichaelHorowitz

Musette wrote:

Duponts are THE gypsy jazz guitars, but i think the Nomade is just a cheap version for guys like us,

Have you played one? Most definitely not true....they sound pretty much like the higher priced Duponts. They just save some money on cosmetics (Satin finish, less expensive wood.) The bolt on neck saves some money but has no effect on sound or playability.

Musette

Michael Horowitz wrote:

It's my understanding that the Gallato's are all built in Asia. The ones I've seen were clearly made in a well known shop in China. I don't know if they are all built there.

The Nomades are a fantastic deal...none of the Asian stuff comes close IMO. A great deal for the $.

-Michael

Those are made in France or sometimes in Spain.
I know because Gallato said that himself in an old thread in here.
Later i'll search for the link.

Musette

Michael Horowitz wrote:

Musette wrote:

Duponts are THE gypsy jazz guitars, but i think the Nomade is just a cheap version for guys like us,

Have you played one? Most definitely not true....they sound pretty much like the higher priced Duponts. They just save some money on cosmetics (Satin finish, less expensive wood.) The bolt on neck saves some money but has no effect on sound or playability.

I think its just a thing of taste and personal ear.
I like the sound and look of the Gallato a lot more, but i also like the sound of the Dupont (i dont really like it's look though because of the bolted neck, satin finish, etc). I think you have to love your guitar to be able to play it good.
I don't really like the sound of the Nomade (at least on that video) and i wouldn't pay + 1200 euros for it, i would go instead for the Gallato or save more money to buy the MD100 (That is a damn good guitar)

All in all, i think the guitar choice is a matter of taste.
Who knows?????maybe someone likes more a Cigano than a Dupont vieille reserve.
The tone and volume relies most on the players technique, getting a good GJ guitar helps a lot though.

Musette

Heres the link :
http://djangobooks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7172

frater

Musette wrote:

And here is Tchavolo Schmitt on fire playing a Gallato (not sure if its the RS1939 but it sounds AWESOME):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzaywnhRtGk&feature=related

No, Tchavolo is playing a 452 of the Mateos period in that clip.

By the way, I suspect JWC guitars are worth investigating... from what I've heard they're really trying to put something special on the market.

BluesBop Harry

Hi Musette,
If you like the early Gallato sound (Tchavolo on that clip) look for Geronimo Mateos guitars, he's the one who built the early (good) Gallatos.
I own an old Nomade (2003) and I love it. I also own an MDC60 and I can tell you the Nomade is a full on Dupont. Sure the bolt-on neck is weird but the sound is there, I take my Nomade to Samois every year and it's held it's own pretty good. If you're going for tone a Nomade is a great choice for the money, if the looks of the bolts bother you too much then get something else.

Musette

I'm still between those two and its killin' me i just can't make a choice, M. Dupont is a more respected luthier but idk if the intro model Nomade is the real thing because to be honest i don't like that much the sound that i've heard on those clips, but maybe its just the cammera's fault or something.
The Gallato RS 1939 sounds nice to me in this clip : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPo7zfBfwys

but people say they're built in Asia and some other people say they're built in Cahors, in France.
It has a better finish but i'm lookng for sound and playability.
Which one is louder, dryer and has more tone balanced, better materials, etc.
Some say that the new Gallatos are bad, so the old luthier that worked for Gallato, Gerónimo Mateos is also on my list, so i'm between :
Maurice Dupont Nomade
Gallato RS 1939 Angelo Debarre
Gerónimo Mateos Modelo B

I want to get a nice gypsy balanced tone, my favorite famouse gypsy jazzers are obviously Django Reinhardt, Tchavolo Schmitt, Romane, Stochelo Rosenberg and a lot of others, but i would like to have like a mix of those tones.
Romane who uses Duponts has very nice mids and highs, Tchavolo who used G. Mateos has great trebly mids and lows, Angelo who used Gallato/Mateos has thin highs...
I wish i could afford an MD-50 or at least MD-100.

periclimenes

In my experience, I have found Mateos-made Gallatos and the Geronimo Mateos guitars to be wonderful instruments, but not necessarily the "traditional sound," whatever that means. To my ear, the old Gallatos and the newer Mateos guitars are darker sounding than a Dupont with a very warm rich tone. The few I have played have not sounded anything like the few Duponts I have played, but they were wonderful instruments and I prefer that darker sound over the brightness of the Duponts. **** has suggested that some of the difference might be due to the Spanish Heel construction of the early Gallato/Mateos guitars.

I have never played the Nomade, or the RS1939, so this isn't terribly helpful, I suppose. But if it's between a Mateos B and a Nomade, it should be an easier choice because the sound is pretty different.

One last thought: upgrading from a Cigano, you will be blown away no matter what. And if you are anything like most of the people on this forum, this won't be your last guitar!

Good luck!