Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

A surprise of equal magnitude arrived when I received an email from John Constantelos, son of Ampeg's design engineer Steve Constantelos. I had written John, and asked for anything that he might remember about his father and his time at Ampeg. In addition to giving me contact information for his father John had written the following. "One thing he (Steve) did tell me was about the day they shut operations down and sold off all the remaining Dan Armstrong guitar & bass parts. A local dealer in New Jersey bought everything. He knows more about that too because we still have a bass parted out from this place. We also had a solid Dan Armstrong in a burgundy wood. Not sure if it was original or a prototype, but I do remember it very well. I played on that thing quite a bit. It looked exactly like the clear design but in wood. It's the only one I've seen, but now it's long gone. Still in the family, but my father gave it to a cousin many years ago. We also had the pickups for all the guitars, many were full sets. Unfortunately those are all gone."

Moments later I was on the phone speaking to John's father Steve who, in his slight Greek accent reiterated the same story of a burgundy wood Dan Armstrong guitar that looked exactly like one of the Dan Armstrong acrylic models - only this one was made of wood. When asked, he didn't know the type of wood, but he was equally positive that it had all the looks and features of the acrylic models - including the slide in pickup design, and that it has a burgundy red colored body. As he spoke about his past experiences with Ampeg, and even getting equipment to 'Woodstock' my mind kept drifting back to this guitar he had spoken of earlier. In brief, I was mesmerized.

After talking with Steve, I once again emailed John and responded back with the following questions in regard to this wooden Dan Armstrong guitar, stating "Your father also mentioned this guitar, which is very interesting to me as after leaving Ampeg, Dan moved to England and ironically enough, soon began making the Dan Armstrong 'London' type guitars which are almost exactly as you and your father have described. Since this guitar was made of wood do you remember if it uses the same slide in pickups as the acrylic guitars or does it have a pickup that slides back and forth on the body? The London guitars utilize the latter - pickups that slide back and forth on the body. I am curious if you remember much about the pickup, or pickups on this guitar."

Basically I was double checking to make certain I understood Steve correctly when he stated the guitar featured the 'slide-in' pickup design, as the pickups on the Dan Armstrong London models 'slide' back and forth on the guitar body, so I wanted to double check, some verification..... if you will.

That verification came soon enough as John had quickly replied to my email stating "our burgundy one had the same shape as the clear guitars, and it used the same slide-in type pickups that the clear guitars use. I remember quite well because I would switch these around between the guitars." (John also had a clear Dan Armstrong guitar).

John continued, stating "I would experiment with the sound difference each pickup had between the guitars. I remember the slide in design on the burgundy guitar because the finish down at the bottom of the slide would wear badly if the pickup was not slid down correctly. It was almost like a fitment issue needed to be worked out."

Ironically, and - as seen at left - nearly fourty years later at the 2008 NAMM show, Ampeg unveiled its new 'AMG100' electric guitar line — wooden body versions of the original Dan Armstrong guitar that may somewhat resemble what John had strummed on so many years prior. More about these models can be seen in the AMG100 section of this site, but the instrument at the far left should give an idea as to what John held in his hands so many years ago.

So what was Dan up to? Unfortunately, we will never know for certain but it seems likely that this one of a kind guitar may well have been a sign of where Dan's mind was at - or going towards, and is equally possible that it was a very early design idea, or attempt, for what would become the Dan Armstrong 'London' instruments.

When coupled with the vivid recollections of Steve Kubica, who not only delivered some colored acrylic samples to a specialty shop, but also later saw colored Dan Armstrong instruments in various music stores on 48^th St. - one can easily begin to understand how rumors have persisted, and continue to this day about colored Dan Armstrong guitars and it is most unfortunate that none of these colored acrylic models have surfaced over the years.

As for the burgundy wood Dan Armstrong guitar it seems likely that this rare bird has not been seen much beyond Dan Armstrong, Ampeg employees, and members of the Constantelos family, but it is not just 'another rumor' about a red colored Dan Armstrong guitar. It has been witnessed, and independently described to me by father and son on nearly the same evening. It must be taken seriously, but beyond that, it too, remains somewhat a mystery. As for the new 'AMG100' line it is not only interesting, but even a little eerie to reflect upon the fact that Dan had virtually designed an exact model as these so many years ago - for it is a testament as to just how far ahead of his time he truly was.

But regardless of whether it was a colored acrylic instrument, a black plastic instrument, or a wooden experimental one the Ampeg Co. of Linden, New Jersey would come to manufacture only one version of the Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar and bass and that was the clear acrylic models.

With their visually striking appearance, deep double cutaway bodies, two octave necks and interchangeable pickups they would soon become an icon for the rock industry, and secure for themselves a place in history as a staple of modern rock society.