Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

At upper left, is this the Teal blue prototype that Tom Kruszka had hanging on the wall in his office? Given the limited number produced it would seem most likely. At upper right, a Teal blue prototype guitar. Judging by the background in the following photos, it would appear that both instruments belong to the same owner.

Unlike stock AMG1 instruments this guitar features single coil pickups styled somewhat like the Dan Armstrong acrylic models in that they employ full length pole pieces. Beyond that they begin to differ as they are colored black and mounted differently. The neck pickup is mounted under the scratchplate while the bridge pickup sports a black pickup ring. An adjustable bridge, white scratchplate with gold lettering, vintage volume & tone knobs and a black tipped 3-way tone switch top off the list. Unlike stock AMG1 models, or the Dan Armstrong acrylic models, the output jack is not mounted on the scratchplate, but rather on the side of the instrument. Two strap buttons adorn the lower portion of the body with one such button on the upper horn in the usual Dan Armstrong fashion.

At upper right, and according to the serial number this is one of, if not thee - first guitar of 2001. Like the other models in the AMG1 line this guitar was made in Japan at Fujigen-Gakki. Notice the Ampeg emblem etched into the chrome neck plate. At lower right the maple neck features a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets & dot position markers. The Teal finished headstock features Gotoh tuners and a white truss rod cover that matches the scratchplate and also features the Ampeg emblem.

At upper left and right, another five-string bass prototype, this one in what Ampeg calls a 'metallic seafoam green' body with matching headstock. Though to me it looks to be more of a blue shade. At left, maybe it's just the photo, but the B and G strings look to be very close to the edge of the fingerboard - making me wonder if the neck was originally designed for a four string bass model. Notice too, the Ampeg design logo on the scratchplate. This model features a Seymour Duncan Basslines dual coil passive pickup with EMG active EQ. Individual volume, bass, and treble controls, along with a series/parallel switch would seem to suggest that like most, if not all, instruments made during this time were made overseas, but shipped to SLM where it was assembled, equipped and completed with American made electronics.

At right, and better seen in the enlarged view, the Ampeg 'a' is etched into the chrome plated neck plate, while on the heel of the neck the ubiquitous 'Made In Japan' logo can be seen along with the instruments serial number. Further down on the body a black battery clip can easily be seen.

At left, the color matching headstock sports five tuners in a 3 by 2 pattern. Notice the Ampeg 'a' on the truss rod cover. It appears that this bass features a black TUSQ nut which is a synthetic material designed to enhance tone and tuning stability, while at right, Schaller style tuners also sport the Ampeg logo as well as 'Made in Japan' lettering.

At left and right, full body photos of this bass.

A White model almost identical to the Teal prototype above was also produced. It has the same features as the Teal model above but is adorned with a brushed metal scratchplate and sports a different bridge/tailpiece. As seen upper left, the pickup ring surrounding the rear pickup is creme colored, while at right, it appears that these particular instruments have a string through body design.

At upper left & right, and like its Teal counterpart, it is unknown what kind of wood the body is made of, but it's well known that many of these early prototype AMG1 guitars were made using basswood. At upper right, at this angle, and at extreme magnification it is apparent that the combination bridge & tailpiece unit is designed to accept strings from either the bottom of the unit (for a a string-thru design) or from the back of the unit, for non string-thru instruments. It can be seen here.

The necks however, are a little bit easier to decipher due to the fact that they have a natural finish. At upper left you can easily spot the seam of the laminated maple used to make up the neck just to the left of the instruments serial number. At right, and quite easily spotted, you can make out the three pieces that makes up the headstock.

At left, and like the Teal model, the maple neck is topped off with a rosewood fingerboard with small dot position markers. The truss rod cover features the same brushed metal that matches the scratch plate, and has the Ampeg logo on it. On the right, the headstock features tuners (probably Gotoh) that are also adorned with the Ampeg emblem on the backside.

According to Tom Kruszka "The white one is a prototype that never went into production. It was manufactured in 2000 but I have no other info other than it was a Fujigen product as were all of the AMG1 series."