Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

The last, most common type question come from players of the Dan Armstrong bass. It seems at one time or another almost every bass has had the thumb rest removed, even if only for awhile. Unfortunately for many, often times the thumb rest, as well as its two mounting screws, get lost in the shuffle.

Unfortunately, no one is making replacements that I know of but one can, in fact, make one from a piece of rosewood providing you have the skills and dimensions. Fortunately I have the overall dimensions of the thumb rest, plus screws - all taken from my Dan Armstrong bass.

At upper left, an enlarged view of one of the two screws that secure the thumb rest to the body of the bass guitar. At upper right, the rosewood thumb rest. The measurements included in these photos are given in inches as well as millimeters and are next to a letter. The letter, then, corresponds to the particular part of the screw (or thumb rest) that the measurement was taken from. They are as follows:

A is the diameter of the screw head.
B is the diameter of the smooth portion of the shaft directly under the screw head.
C is the length of the smooth portion of the shaft.
D is the diameter of the smooth portion of the shaft just before the threads begin.
E is the diameter of the threaded portion of the shaft where the threads begin
F is the length of the threaded portion of the shaft.
G is the diameter of the threaded portion of the shaft where the threads end.
H is the overall length of the screw from top to bottom.
I is the width of the rosewood thumb rest.
J is the distance from the end of the thumb rest to the center of the screw holes.
K is the height of the rosewood thumb rest.
L is the overall length of the rosewood thumb rest.
M is the distance from one screw hole to another on center.

Alternatively, and somewhat ironically, one can acquire or even make an acrylic thumb rest. This is a viable option that not only works well, but also blends in nicely with the rest of the body. It has a cool look all its own and can be found online or, as mentioned above, made relatively easy.

These are the most common requests that have come across my desk over the years, though they are by no means the only ones. I also get email for necks, bodies and most anything for the Dan Armstrong · Ampeg instruments. The online auction sites sometimes have original parts for sale as well.