Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

At left, Richie Sambora's guitar tech being very camera-shy poses with Sambora's re-issue Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar. Photo is courtesy of Bill Richardson.

At left and right, Ego Sensation (Lynnea Scalora) is another musician that employs a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg bass. As bassist for the psychedelic rock band White Hills she speaks of the attributes of the instrument, stating "I love my bass! It’s an Ampeg Dan Armstrong reissue. The fret board is perfect for a petite-handed player like myself. It’s not short-scale but it isn't’t your standard long-scale either - and it’s clear plexiglass which looks dynamite on stage."

At left, and all the photos prior - it's unknown for certain, but highly likely that Ego changed out the stock aluminum volume and tone knobs for what appears to be gold colored Gibson speed knobs. Like she said in her interview, her bass is a re-issue - evident by the pickup channel in the body. Also notice the black colored Kent Armstrong pickup.

At right, other signs of a re-issue is the additional screw in the scratchplate. Notice the guitar cord leaving the bass and going down by her feet, as she apparently does not use a wireless unit, at least not at the time of the photo.

At left, a good shot of Ego and her bass. One can read the lettering on the scratchplate in the enlarged view. At right, a good photo depicting her playing style.

At left and right, and when asked if she would please share a list of 5-6 of her favorite pieces of gear and how they affect the sound of her instrument the very first thing Ego mentioned was her "Ampeg Dan Armstrong Bass: I love this bass and don’t like to play anything else right now. It was made in the ’90^s as part of a limited run of copies of the original 1969 version. It has a clear, Lucite body, a medium scale, and it comes with two quick change pick-ups: Broad Bass and Deep Bass. It’s funny because I get complimented all the time on how beautiful it is but when I first saw it I thought it was hideous. My friend Jeff from Caveman was selling it and convinced me to give it a try and I ending up really loving the way it sounded and felt in my hands. On the downside, it’s pretty heavy."

At left and right, what looks like strumming chords on her bass. When used properly it can add a lot of fill in a song.

Above left the gold speed knobs are easily visible, while at right, the newer style re-issue bridge can be seen.

Above left and right, Paul Stanley of Kiss also played a Dan Armstrong guitar at times. Given their theatrical aura, such a guitar makes perfect sense. The Dan Armstrong was Paul's main guitar for a brief period right after the Hotter Than Hell recording sessions.

A photo of a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg bass given to Kiss drummer Eric Carr by bassist Gene Simmons. Carr used the bass to write music with and present to the band in hope that they would use his material.

The bass now hangs on the wall at the Hard Rock Cafe in Miami at Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Fl.

Another user of the Dan Armstrong · Ampeg instrument is Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke.

At left, judging by the additional scratchplate screw it appears that Starr plays a re-issue model. At right, and seen in the enlarged view, it appears the truss rod cover is missing. Perhaps his guitar tech made a last minute adjustment.

At left and right, BlackBerry Smoke played two concerts at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in August of 2012. Their first concert was on Aug 7^th while these photos are from their Aug 8^th engagement at Easyriders Saloon. Starr is playing his Dan Armstrong on their song Sleeping Dogs.

At left and right, in an interview Charlie mentioned that he "uses the P-90 single coils because Paul uses the humbuckers and he likes the sound variation." yet in his Dan Armstrong guitar he is always seen using the Kent Armstrong ST humbucker. Perhaps he was just referring to certain songs, etc.

At left, Starr onstage with his reissue Dan Armstrong plexi. Enlarged views show that his guitar features a factory tunable bridge making it a somewhat later model. Seen in the extra enlarged view, one can make out his first finger is playing an 'F' note, while his second and third fingers are doing a massive string bend of the 'G' and 'D' strings.

At right, Starr onstage along with Blackberry Smoke's bassist Richard Turner. In the enlarged view, at the far right edge of the photo the Ampeg 'a' logo can be seen. Likely on an SVT amp that Turner is playing through. Photos courtesy of Chris Welkert.

At left Steve Stevenson played a Dan Armstrong guitar. Notice the SSD decal as well as several others. At right, and in the foreground, Stevenson playing in the band BL'AST while Mike Neider - on the far side of the stage, is also playing an Armstrong guitar.

As seen at left, Steve with BL'AST at an unknown venue.

Steve and BL'AST at another unknown venue, but with numerous stickers on his Dan Armstrong plexi guitar.

At left and right, bassist Mark Stone plays a Dan Armstrong bass along with young Eddie and Alex Van Halen in the early 1970^s. The first name of the band was Genesis, but after learning that a well known English band had that name the group renamed themselves Mammoth. Stone departed the band shortly after David Lee Roth became their lead singer and who suggested Van Halen as a new band name. He was replaced by Michael Anthony.

At left, Frank Sullivan of the rock band Survivor is a very strong proponent of the Dan Armstrong guitar. As an avid user he has often stated of the instrument "A Dan a day! OK... yes... I like to play mine. I often start the show on it."

The enlarged view better shows a replacement black truss rod cover. I can't tell for sure but it looks like a different nut has been installed but it could be the stage lighting making it appear darker, with a yellowish tint.