Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

At left, Roger Daltrey, lead vocalist of The_Who handles a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar. It is unknown if this is a studio shot, or a backstage photo.

Above left, an early photo of Quiet Riot's lead singer Kevin DeBrow plays a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar while a young Randy Rhodes plays a Gibson SG. At right, and at a different venue, their positions are reversed though they are both playing the very same instruments. Photos courtesy of Jim Edwards.

Above left, Bob Dee, singer and guitarist with Petro, a hard rock band from New York City is another recording musician that plays a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar at times. On this photo Dee states "Tokyo band days! My Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar!!" At right in Hawaii Dee states "Finally found a photo of my Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar!! Part of my collection."

Above left & right, the models that appeared in a Duran Duran's music video. Quoting from Rolling Stone magazine, "For their splashy new “Girl Panic!” video, Duran Duran take a page from George Michael’s “Freedom ’90” handbook, casting supermodels as even more stylish versions of the band members.

In keeping with the vintage glam spirit of Michael’s original model template, 'Girl Panic!' features a dream lineup of original 'supers': Naomi Campbell as Simon Le Bon, Eva Herzigova as Nick Rhodes, Cindy Crawford as John Taylor, Helena Christensen as Roger Taylor, and, comically, Yasmin Le Bon, Simon’s own wife, as a random guitarist.

Shot by Jonas Akerlund at London’s Savoy Hotel, the video celebrates the British pop group’s ongoing flirtation with high fashion – Dolce and Gabbana and Swarovski Elements styled the models. If you hire the best, you dress them to impress. 'Girl Panic!' is cleverly set as half mockumentary and half tribute to the excesses Duran Duran have enjoyed and embodied over the span of their 30 year career, winking all the while.

Right on cue, the video opens with Campbell waking up in a bed full of debauched and leather-bound model groupies; Crawford, clad in snakeskin and fur, sips bubbly in a limo. Herzigova portrays Rhodes in a sequined jump-suit and wanders along the Thames, while the real Rhodes appears as Helena Christiansen’s bellhop, maneuvering her blacked out body from one hotel suite to another, where she indulges in another spree of champagne and girl-on-girl-fueled hedonism. “Any addictions?” the “journalist” Roger Taylor later asks Christiansen in a mock interview. She sneers to the camera: “There were some episodes, but I’d rather not talk about them.” As seen at right, the real Duran Duran steps in and jams.

Duran Duran 'Girl Panic!' video used 1969 Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexiglas electric bass guitar. This 1969 Armstrong space-age model was one first, the original clear acrylic instruments. Light years ahead of its time, these iconic Ampegs have been played by artist such as Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Dave Grohl. Built from Lucite as part of a collaboration between Dan Armstrong and Ampeg, these models feature a bolt-on neck, clear Lucite body, and interchangeable pickups.

Band member John Taylor and supermodel Cindy Crawford are both seen in the video playing the guitar. The video was styled by Dolce & Gabbana and was the cover story of Harper's Bazaar with a photo-shoot of the models with the guitar.

The article closed, stating "This 1969 Armstrong space-age model was one of the first, of the original clear acrylic instruments. Light years ahead of its time, these iconic Ampegs have been played by artist such as Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Dave Grohl. Built from Lucite as part of a collaboration between Dan Armstrong and Ampeg, these models feature a bolt-on neck, clear Lucite body, and interchangeable pickups."

At left, William Duvall playing a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar with Neon Christ at Atlanta, GA in 1985. Notice the scratchplate. At first it looked like it's been broken or trimmed down in size but in the enlarged view it appears to be the glare that makes the plate look trimmed down. On the right, and from the official video of their song 'Neon Christ' - Duvall is seen with the Dan Armstrong.

Above, William Duvall playing alongside Neon Christ's drummer/percussionist Jimmy Demer.

Duvall, like many other players of this genre, utilized a Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar that he had modified to create his sound. At left, and like many others, he had a tunable bridge installed. In this case, it looks like a Schaller Non-Tremolo Roller Bridge. Notice the pickup selector switch, and how it appears to be from a Gibson guitar - which could act pretty much in the same way as the original switch, as it too, has contacts for three positions, just like the original switch.

At right, and to get a more progressive attack sound, he installed what looks like a Seymour Duncan 'Dimebucker' or a Bill Lawrence L-500XL pickup which is simply screwed down onto the acrylic body, without the use of a pickup ring. The sad part of the pickup is it's installation. In the enlarged view you will notice a section of the scratchplate has been cut away in order to have access to the screw that anchors the pickup to the body. A better alternative would have been to run the pickup height adjustment screws through from the bottom which would have kept the scratchplate intact.

Another alteration is one that looks like an output jack repair. Many players of the Dan Armstrong instruments have had damage to the scratchplate in and around this area, usually as a result of stepping on their guitar cord, which results in anything from minor to major breakage of the scratchplate.

It appears that Duvall used a metal jack plate, maybe one of those replacement metal ones for a Les Paul guitar. He likely flattened it and placed it onto the scratchplate of his guitar which would give it the additional strength that's often required in this area. Seen here, the right angle cord he's using is one good way to keep from further breakage.

William Duvall plays his modified Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar with Neon Christ at an outdoor venue. This was probably in the early 1980's - before joining B'LAST in 1986.

Above left & right by 1986 Duvall had joined up with BL'AST! and can be seen here on November 26, 1986 at Westside Community Center in Santa Barbara. BL'AST! opened for the band Bad Brains. Photos courtesy of Alison Braun.

In an interview Duvall spoke of how he got into music and in particular, the punk scene stating "I persuaded my grandfather to take me to see a band and the very first band was Black Flag. The second they started their song White Minority and I saw Greg Ginn slashing up that Dan Armstrong guitar with his bright yellow shirt on, plus the way the band was behaving on stage, I knew that was it. That moment felt like an epiphany. Just like hearing Hendrix a few years before but the difference was these guys were alive now… Hendrix was already gone by the time I discovered him."

As a guitarist in the band BL'AST! Duvall worked alongside Mike Neider writing for the bands second album. Seen here at Olympic Auditorium in southern downtown Los Angeles in 1987. It's interesting to note that Duvall, like Neider, utilized a customized Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar. Photo courtesy of Alison Braun.