Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

Greco also made a copy of the Dan Armstrong guitar. However, unlike all the other copy makers, they would come to produce three versions of this guitar, though the latter two would be identical - for the model names changed as a result of inflation.

The model number & date of manufacturer is unknown but it's a good guess that it's an early 70^'s model as the headstock has very similar features to a Ventura copy I once owned at that time. At upper left, everything from the faux-wood veneer to the truss rod cover, even the Greco badge name.... all appear to be made from the same types of materials as my old Ventura copy. The first time I saw this photo it was pretty much a case of Déjà vu for me.

At right, and seen from the back is where the similarity came to a close. Unlike the Ventura model this Greco model lacks the dark strip of wood in the middle of the neck and headstock. Also, the tuners and their housings appear to be a bit different. Notice the corrosion taking place on the both the peg winders (at left) and the tuner housings (at right).

At upper left, notice the 3-piece laminated maple neck. At upper right, the Greco model seen from the backside. With space routed out for two humbuckers. Notice that not nearly as much of the neck gets seated into the acrylic body when compared to the original Dan Armstrong models.

At upper left, and seen better in enlarged view, a closer look at the hardware on this instrument. Notice the all metal speed knobs and large style 'wrap-around' scratchplate that surrounds two humbucking pickups. At upper right, notice the two octave neck and how the fingerboard is adorned with smaller dot position markers.

As seen above left and right, Greco also produced a copy that features a 'slide-in' channel on the body that utilizes modular type pickups like those used on the original Dan Armstrong · Ampeg models.

With a stock number of EG380 this model utilizes the same bridge/tailpiece combination as the original Dan Armstrong model. At right, the laminated neck appears to lack any shim at the tongue, which is impressive, assuming the action is low enough.

On the left, notice the letter r in the Greco name and how it can easily be (and often is) mistaken for the letter n by many. It helps here as it's a definite indicator of the time frame in which these guitars were manufactured, which were the years 1970-71 as per literature - which can be seen in the brochures section.

At right, also notice the laminated neck at right, with the maple sides surrounding a darker wood center laminate, probably Mahogany which is very common among the Japanese copies from this era. The tuners are stock and the type seen across many of the Japanese golden-era guitars. Virtually all of the copies from this era were equipped with tuners (and more) that were supplied by Shinetsu Borya in Matsumoto City. According to Frank Meyers "They were, and still and are, the biggest supplier, which is still around even today. Some of the parts they made (like truss rods) and some others are simply gathered from various manufacturers and housed there. The owner is Mr. Ishizone and he’s been running the place since the 60^'s! All the factories from Matsumoto, like Fujigen and Matsumoku used this place."

The EG380 is, without a doubt, Greco's closest copy of the Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar ever produced, with the possible exception of the Electra 2246WC model which is... for all practical purposes... totally identical to this instrument. So much so, that many believe the two brands rolled off the same assembly line at the same factory, with only the badge name on the headstock to differentiate between them.

One thing that grabbed my attention however, are the pickups for this guitar. Here, they look very much like what one would expect. But in the early Greco brochures of the time the pickup resin appears to be of a lighter shade. To think that the Greco brochures all faded the exact same way is a stretch at best, and one can only wonder about the difference. Owners of the Electra 2246WC models have actually slid real Dan Armstrong · Ampeg modular pickups into their Electra models and everything lines up, ready to rock - even the pickup thumbscrew hole on the back of the guitar lines up. If I were a bettin' man, I'd wager that the Dan Armstrong pickups would likely fit in this Greco model as well.

Above left and right, fast forward two decades and Greco once again produced copies of the Dan Armstrong guitars. and this time... even basses. Known as the AP-850 (guitar) and the APB-850 (bass), they were part of the 'Spirits Of The Live' series. A rather unique name, and very fitting for any musician as we all normally associate 'spirits' with the deceased, while at the same time, in admiration of one's playing capabilities, or technique, is often said to "have soul".

These instruments are first seen in the Greco 1990 product catalogue. Later catalogues show identical models but with the stock numbers AP-1000 (guitar) and APB-1000 (bass). No doubt the AP letters on both models refer to 'acrylic plexiglass'. While I immediately figured that all out I was rather curious as to why the numbers changed when the instruments remained the same. I eventually discovered the answer from a man in Ireland who has both the 850 and the 1000 models.

He went on to state ""I use both the AP-1000 and 850 models. Their designations - based on my current understanding is that the 1000 and 850 relate to the price that the guitar cost in Japanese Yen at the time the guitar was produced. So, in 1990 if you just bought an AP-850 it was because that was how much it cost to produce. Likewise, in 1992 the list price was 100,0000 yen, making you the proud owner of an AP-1000." He ended stating "I'm pulling these years and prices out of the clear blue sky just to illustrate an example." Suffice to say the model number changes are essentially nothing more than increased prices due to inflation.

At left, upon closer examination, there appears to be some minor damage to the scratchplate on this model. Damages like this can often be found on the original Dan Armstrong scratchplate as well. Also like the original models, and in place of the 'Dan Armstrong · Ampeg' name - the scratchplate sports the aforementioned Greco series name 'Spirits Of The Live'. However, at right, and very much unlike the original Ampeg models, the Greco name is clearly seen on the truss rod covers.

At left, and immediately obvious is the fact that the tailpiece features the 'string-through' design. Notice the flat ribbon grounding cable that runs from the tailpiece to the pickup cavity. Notice too, the broken section of the scratchplate in & around the output jack. There is also some breakage at the very end of the scratchplate.

On the right, the top side of the string-thru bridge/tailpiece combo can be seen with its Fender style appointments. Notice the lack of the 'Spirits Of The Live' name on the scratchplate, begging the question as to whether its either been worn off, or was never on the scratchplate to begin with. Also notice that the instrument body does not feature a sliding pickup well in the body as these models do not employ modular type pickups.

On the left, the breakage around the output jack and very end of the scratchplate can be easily seen - while at right, the 3-piece laminated neck and headstock of maple-mahogany-maple can be seen adorned by a set of Schaller styled Gotoh tuners which tends to help give the instrument more the look of an original Dan Armstrong model.

As seen above, not all AP-1000 models were equipped with faux wood scratchplates. Apparently some models sport a black plastic plate, but the rest of the hardware & appointments remain the same.

At left, the AP-1000 as seen in the playing position, while at right the lettering on the scratchplate is better seen.

At upper left, these guitars were equipped with a string-thru combination bridge tailpiece that appears to be somewhat fashioned after the Fender line of instruments. Seated in front of that unit is the 'Rock-Bullet' - a humbucking pickup that vaguely resembles a Dan Armstrong pickup - in that these pickups feature bar type pole pieces. The oversized brown pickup ring that tends to resemble the brown resin of a Dan Armstrong modular pickup completes 'the look'.

With a 15.86k ohm reading these pickups are considered by many as having a massive output while still retaining clarity. As one owner put it "the pickup on this is the loudest, most aggressive I've ever heard." while another said "the pickup is one of the best I have heard; agressive but never abrasive and great articulation! It makes all my other guitars sound quite timid in comparison." Another said "This blade type is high power, bright, good separation of sound. Very crisp tone. Also, because the pole piece is a bar type, it is also characterized by no sound break at chalking and so on."

At right, the Rock-Bullet as seen from the underside. Notice the flat ribbon-like grounding wire is soldered to the base of the pickup. Judging by what appears to be an amateur soldering joint, it would seem to suggest that the pickup had been removed and then replaced at some point in time, perhaps just prior to selling it.

At upper left, and like the faux-wood equipped models, the laminated black-white-black scratchplate is adorned with chrome plated type speed knobs with knurled sides for grip. A mini toggle selector switch is wired so that when the switch is up, (or forward) one uses the volume and tone pot in the usual way. When turned down, (or back) it bypasses the volume and tone pots altogether - allowing the raw output signal of the pickup to reach the output jack. It's been reported, by some, that with no volume and tone control in the circuit, that a slightly cleaner signal (thus sound) - can be achieved. The usual output jack rounds out the electronics. At right, and looking at the underside of the scratchplate, the same components can be seen.

Another AP-1000 instrument, but with a few differences. At left, and immediately noticeable, is the lack of a pickup selector switch. The scratchplate lacks the 'Spirits Of The Live' logo while the volume and tone control knobs are different.

At right, a 3-piece laminated maple-mahogany-maple neck extends throughout and features a slim modern flat 'U' shape profile which measures in at 42mm wide at the nut. The neck maintains a consistent depth measurement of 22mm from the 1^st to 12^th fret. As seen here, the neck sets to the acrylic body via four screws and a chrome plate.

As seen upper left, and better seen in enlarged view, the scratchplate on this model is one solid color unlike the aforementioned model which features the multi-ply version. At upper right, the rosewood fingerboards on these models have slight touches of black throughout and feature a 12° radius. The frets on these models appear to be highly polished, this one with very little fret wear.

As seen upper left, the headstock is shaped and finished off much like the instrument it's copied after, with the exception of the Greco brand name on the truss rod cover. At right, the laminated neck can be seen as it morphs into a headstock. As seen in both photos the tuners resemble Grover Rotomatics in shape, but unlike the Grovers these particular tuners have a flat black grip-type finish to them.

Another Greco AP-1000 model that has some different features to it. Seen here set against a Japanese flag, some observers may have already noticed a few alterations compared to the stock model. The above two photos and the remainder below are courtesy of John Blackman.

Above left, one of the most obvious changes is that the stock pickup has been replaced with a Seymour Duncan humbucker. The enlarged view reveals the factory flat ribbon grounding wire has been replaced with a white coated wire that is soldered to the tailpiece.

Above right, notice the gap between the pickup and scratchplate. Upon looking at previous AP models it's obvious that the original large brown pickup ring has since been replaced with a more standard sized humbucking pickup ring. Seen better in the enlarged view, one can easily see the additional screw mounting holes in the acrylic - not far from the factory holes.

As seen upper left, and from the backside, notice the 3 piece laminated neck. Note that because this is a single pickup model guitar, it allows for a neck with a longer tongue that, like the Dan Armstrong guitar neck, sits deeper into the body for better overall strength and rigidity. Looking at the tailpiece from the back you can see where the original grounding wire once was.

At upper right, a closer view of the backside. Notice that wood screws are used to secure the neck to the acrylic body unlike the bolts used on the Dan Armstrong model. The additional holes in the acrylic for the humbucking pickup mounting ring can be easily seen as well, and one can accurately speculate that the height adjustment screw holes for the Duncan pickup do not line up with the mounting ring for the original Greco 'Rock-Bullet' pickup.

At left, sighting down the neck reveals dot type position markers very similar to the original Dan Armstrong models while on the right the screws that secure the neck to the body are easily visible. Notice the black plastic, or rubber piece just under the chrome plate that helps secure the neck & body - probably to keep the plate from slipping around too much on the smoothness of the acrylic body. Notice too, another look at the 3 piece neck.

As seen Upper left, the headstock on the Greco model is shaped very much like an original Dan Armstrong guitar and even the tuners have the look of Schallers. The only thing that stands out as different is the truss rod cover. While shaped like the original Dan Armstrong, it is adorned with the Greco name on it and secured down with 3 screws that ironically have more miniature sized heads on the them - very much like the recent Dan Armstrong reissue guitars that are being produced in Japan. At upper right, a good close look at the backside of the headstock revealing the 3 piece laminated neck, as well as the Schaller looking tuners.

Another Greco AP1000 copy which - like the model before it, has a replacement pickup installed. At right, the 3-piece laminated neck and electrical wiring of the replacement pickup can be seen.

As seen at left and unlike the previous model seen on the last page, it apparently was not deemed necessary to change to a smaller pickup ring for as can be seen, the stock ring is still in use. At right, the replacement pickup is a Bill Lawrence L-500 humbucker that utilizes bar type pole pieces that somewhat retains the look and the lines - not only of the stock Greco 'Rock-Bullet' humbucking pickup, but also of the Dan Armstrong · Ampeg type pickups. Notice too, that - for whatever reasons - the grounding wire has been re-routed and now approaches the bridge/tailpiece from the side rather than from the back.

As seen upper left, a very nice rosewood fingerboard is adorned with small dot position markers. Perhaps it's the viewing angle of the photo, but it looks to me that the position marker at the 15^th fret appears to be a little bit off - i. e. not as close to the 3^rd guitar string as the other markers.

At upper right, a closer view of the backside of the neck. Seen better in enlarged view, the 3-piece laminated neck is composed of beautiful woods. Because this is a single pickup model guitar, like the instrument it's copied after, the neck features a longer tongue that sits deeper into the body (over the 2 pickup copy models) for better overall strength and rigidity which no doubt, greatly helps with any tuning issues.

At left, a headstock looking very much like an original Dan Armstrong. Suprisingly, there is no Greco logo on the truss rod cover. At right, a beautiful walnut center laminate is reinforced by two maple sides laminated to it.

This Greco AP1000 instrument is a bit interesting. As seen upper left & right one can see that it lacks the 'Spirits Of Thr Live' logo on the scratchplate. This is not a 'shocker' by any means as several of these instruments seem to lack the logo. However, looking at the scratchplate it appears that it is very likely a replacement. When compared to the other AP1000^'s the color and texture, is way off, as is the virtual lack of any wood grain in the pattern.

Everything else on this instrument appears to be stock, but as seen above left & right, when putting the scratchplate alongside the headstock, it becomes obvious that the scratchplate is not stock to this instrument. It's definitely a very well made scratchplate, but clearly, not stock. It's unknown if it's a direct after-market replacement or a custom made one however.