Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

Dale Mayuries writes in regarding Ampeg prototypes, stating "I've made several calls to various people who either had a hand in building the prototypes or knew a little something about them. I am not sure that I have the full picture, but I am pretty close.

From what I know, Ampeg had these three guitars made as 'test beds' to check on the viability and production costs of a wood version of the acrylic DA guitars. They were very pleased with the outcome, but they couldn't’t justify the amount of money and effort it took to build a neck through design. I assume this is where the 'bean-counters' at Ampeg stepped in. Since the factory in Japan was set up to build bolt on necks it was much easier to alter the design to fit their existing production facilities. Unfortunately, the way the fretboard ends right at the edge of the body along with the fact that wood is not as stable as acrylic caused stability problems. Sadly, it doesn’t take much at all to bend the neck joint on the production AMG models.

I couldn’t find out why Ampeg used P90 pickups on the AMG-1 models instead of the Humbuckers. It might have been due to the cavity for the humbuckers being bigger than the P90s. This would have made the neck joint even more unstable. The person who initially designed the prototypes clearly understood or foresaw the issues, which is why they opted to go with the neck through construction. I couldn't confirm who built the prototypes, but at least three different individuals pointed to Dave and Dick Regenberg who were owners of US Masters Guitars. US Masters is now out of business, but they had a solid reputation for their guitars, plus they were hired by several other companies to "ghost" build instruments (i.e., building specialized guitars that were then sold by the company that hired them). In any case, there is zero movement on the neck through prototypes. It is 100% stable.

One of the individuals I spoke with worked in the marketing group with Ampeg. Her recollection was that no one was overly happy with the production AMG models. They felt that upper management at Ampeg had given up on their goal of making an excellent guitar and instead pushed forward with one that was more affordable, but obviously and knowingly flawed. I'm told that a lot of people at Ampeg felt let down and disgruntled because they were expecting to put out a guitar that would put Ampeg instruments on par with Gibson and Fender.

I couldn’t find out if Ampeg preferred one tailpiece over another with the three prototypes. My assumption is that they would have probably picked the version that made production the easiest in terms of cost and availability of parts. In the end, they went with the simple wrap-around tailpieces on the AMGs.

The overall weight of the prototypes is surprisingly low.... which was one of the goals that Ampeg had set. The model I owned weighed in at 6 pounds, 2 ounces. I’m used to the weight of my DA bass and Les Pauls, so the prototype feels light as a feather. At times, I almost felt that is was TOO light, but the sustain, the tone, and the comfort of wearing the guitar for an entire gig made it a joy to own. Other than that, the look and feel of the prototype is much the same as the DA acrylic model. I suppose you could say that Ampeg tried to take the original DA design, update several features, and make a guitar that was extremely playable and versatile. It’s just a shame that the company didn’t go forward with the model because it really is an excellent instrument. I can’t think of any flaws or awkward issues. In fact, I cannot think of any other production guitars that are this light, have full access to all 24 frets, are completely stable, and can boast such a wide variety of sounds.

I bought the guitar from the original owner. He worked for a company called Mackie in Seattle. This specific guitar was on display in the hallway along with several other instruments and amps that Ampeg had made over the years. When Mackie decided to sell Ampeg to Yamaha, the managers in the office offered the various Ampeg instruments to the employees.

Yamaha didn't even know these guitars existed and they were much too busy trying to take over Ampeg to care. The original owner used the guitar for a few years and then put it in his closet. I'm not sure how long it stayed there. Some time later he and I made contact and I offered to buy the guitar from him. Neither he nor I made any changes or alterations. I had thought of updating the pots because they were the type that would have been installed in the production models, but I figured it was better to leave well enough alone. The guitar is just too unique to be fooling around with it. Besides that, it sounds and plays great as it is... so there was no justifiable reason to make any changes."

Dale

"This prototype was made for Ampeg and appears to feature a neck-thru design that was made by US Masters (a since defunct company out of Wisconsin). Being a U.S. Masters-built prototype it was decided it wouldn't fly because it was too expensive to make. The black scratchplate features the same components as an acrylic guitar with volume and tone controls, pickup selector switch and output jack. Apparently there are three such prototypes of which this is one." Photos and text are courtesy of Dale Mayuiers.

At left and right, unique to this instrument is what appears to be its one-piece construction. Unlike anything made prior, the neck and body is built from one piece of wood. This is way different from the usual neck-thru construction where the 'wings' of the body are glued to the body afterwards. Notice how smooth the neck blends into the body, showing no seams or joints. This would be consistent with an all one-piece neck and body.

At left, these models feature two Kent Armstrong built humbuckers, both measuring in at a very hot 14.65k. It's rosewood fingerboard features 22 medium jumbo frets and a wrap-around bridge/tailpiece. Small dot position markers are like those on the acrylic Dan Armstrong instruments. At right, the headstock sports Grover Rotomatic chrome plated tuners while a body matching black nut, likely TUSQ, helps add sustain. Notice what looks like a bar-code type label that's been applied to the back of the headstock.

Another interesting prototype, and one that Dale sold now belongs to Steve Vineis. Describing the instrument, Steve says, "there is a certain attitude to this guitar that makes me think of it more in terms of a Gibson SG than a Dan Armstrong. It’s slightly neck-heavy, perhaps due to the weight of the tuners, or that I wear my guitars low. The guitar itself is solid but light, weighing in at only six pounds by my scale." Photos and text are courtesy of Steve Vineis.

Steve continues, "the immediate familiarity with the Dan Armstrong is there. I've played 69 and 70s Dan Armstrong models and the neck profile on this guitar is not as fat as the 69 models, or the last round of reissues. The body contours are pretty much exactly like a Dan Armstrong acrylic model, and the neck through construction allows for very easy access to the upper frets.

“Notice the neck-through design and see how the contour yields easy upper fret access. There’s also a scoop taken out of the lower horn as on every Ampeg Dan Armstrong and 'good' copy I’ve seen. Since this is over twenty years old and a prototype, I inspected the body to see if there was any indication in the paint - where joints were glued together but I couldn't find anything. Could it be all one piece? Is that why the build price was so high? Perhaps.”

As seen above, the pickups feature a double row of screw headed pole pieces. In the enlarged view, the Ampeg 'a' logo can be seen, even though the white paint on the logo has been removed or worn off from use. Small remnants of the white Dan Armstrong · Ampeg lettering can be seen on the scratchplate on the image at left as well.

Steve adds, "this guitar is POWERFUL. The pickups are clear and punchy and remind me of Dirty Fingers due to the double rows of screws and their aggressive nature. Lowering the bridge pickup to balance with the neck pickup gave me a full spectrum of tonality, where high notes had heft and the low notes were clear.”

As with most of the Ampeg prototypes based on Dan's body design the front pickup is mounted under the scratchplate, while the rear pickup employs a pickup ring.

Notice the remains of the white Dan Armstrong · Ampeg lettering on the scratchplate. Photo courtesy of Dale Mayuries.

Above left, the neck pickup can be seen - still residing within the scratchplate, while at right, and lying on the body the bridge humbucker can be seen. I suspected these pickups were made by Kent Armstrong so I emailed these pictures to him. A day later Kent had answered my email, stating "These are my Rocker C pickups. The letter C refers to the ceramic magnets that they use." Back on the left, notice the shielding that's attached to the underside of the scratchplate - surrounding the pickups and electronics to help eliminate hum.

Above left and right, the reading of the pickup winds. Notice the neck pickup has fewer winds than the bridge pickup. According to Steve, "the bridge pickup and neck pickups are well-matched, though the bridge pickup might be overbearing for some on the clean channel. However, when used together, the bridge and neck pickup have this throaty, full sound. The neck pickup also yields some really spectacular cleans. Volume knob cleans this thing up better than an Oreck.

As seen above and as Steve mentions, "the tailpiece is a Gotoh, and the bridge is labeled BM003 which I believe is a Gotoh part number as well. They’re lightweight pieces. The tunable bridge is a screw type - kinda like the ABR-1 where you hand turn thumb-wheels to adjust the string height, up or down. The roller saddles are nice".

Above left, Steve mentions "the pickguard was in there snug, and I was surprised at the three-way switch. I was expecting a generic one and this is an oddball part to me. Notice the Tele type looking knobs with knurled sides. However, most unusual are the black tops on them, no doubt to match the black finish of the body. The pickguard is very much like the re-issue Dan Armstrong models. At right, notice the metal shielding which can be seen at the bottom of the scratchplate. Back on the scratchplate, notice the usual bat handle switch. Feels robust.”

Notice the switch in this thing! Steve says, "I was surprised at the three-way switch. I was expecting a generic one and this is an oddball part to me. Could’ve been it was purposeful as the many contacts could inspire some experimentation? It’s heavy duty in feel." This switch is unlike any other that's seen on a Dan Armstrong, or any other Ampeg model.

Above left and right, and as Steve mentioned "The pots were also surprising. 500K minis, generic green capacitor on the tone pot. The soldering throughout is very clean."

Steve talks about the fingerboard, stating "The 24-fret fingerboard has a nice grain to it. I applied a light, but thorough application of Fret-Doctor to clean the board. The shine really made the board pop." At right, Steve says "The neck is definitely more of a C-shape. Comparing it to my 2008 reissue Dan Armstrong lucite reissue, which had the 69 profile and feels more D-shaped, this neck is just a tad bit slimmer, more like the feel of a 70s Dan. I believe the fret profile is a medium size. My 2008 Dan Armstrong lucite reissue has much taller and narrower frets. It’s very Gibson-like comparatively, but not in such a way that’s a turn-off. As stated initially, it’s like a super-charged SG.”

At the end of the neck the front of the headstock maintains the looks and the lines of Dan Armstrong acrylic models, complete with scratchplate matching faux-wood veneer and truss rod cover. Steve mentioned, "I think the nut might be TUSQ. I think Graphtech has been around since 1986 and it has that slight grey shade to it." At right, chrome plated Grover Rotomatic tuners adorn the headstock.

Above is another prototype guitar Ampeg made working with Stephen Egerton from the band Decedents. This prototype is a signature model he was working on with Ampeg that unfortunately never made it into production. Above left and right, and unlike the instrument prior, the body has a charcoal colored metal flake type finish. Note the combination bridge/tailpiece with Fender styled adjustable saddle pieces. At right, notice string ferruls for the string-thru design.

At left, notice how the pickups feature full length pole pieces, reminiscent of the Dan Armstrong pickups. Equally similar is the name Ampeg in white lettering at the lower front portion of the faux-wood scratchplate which is just barely visible in the enlarged view. Apparently, someone's playing style &/or perspiration has made it all but invisible.

At left, the Dan Armstrong styled headstock features a black veneer and what looks like Grover Rotomatic tuners. At right, the backsise of the headstock reveals that these are not Grover tuners, but something that looks like them. Gotoh tuners, perhaps.