Ampeg Reissues Dan Armstrong Guitars and Basses
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ADAG1 and ADAB1
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ADAG2 and ADAB2
(Click for a close-up) |
August 26, 1998Ampeg announced that it is reissuing the Ampeg/Dan Armstrong line of guitars made famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The line consists of two guitars and two basses which feature plexiglass bodies, removable pickups and unique tone circuits among others.
The Ampeg/Dan Armstrong guitars feature completely unique bodies made of a plexiglass material that eliminates unwanted vibrations and frequencies while producing tremendous sustain. A removable pickup system allows the user a choice of pickup types with two different pickups supplied with the guitar and bass. The guitar has a faithfully recreated "Rock Treble" pickup, made famous on the original plexiglass guitar as well as the new Modern Drive pickup which features fatter tone and higher output. The bass pickups are absolutely unique, as they are actually two different pickups, one on top of the other. In conjunction with the tone control, the "high and low" pickups offer a vast array of tones for a variety of playing types.
The simple yet effective tone control circuits allows an astonishing range of sounds from a single pickup. The tone circuit on the guitar features a three way switch with multiple "presets." The center position allows the tone circuit to be bypassed, while the other two positions allow the single tone control to affect different frequencies as the tone knob is adjusted. The tone circuit on the bass allows the player to remove the bottom coil from the circuit, resulting in a particularly accurate vintage "single coil" sound when the Tone control is fully open. As the Tone knob is turned down, the lower coil is engaged resulting in a full, clear sound with high output. A two-position switch provides either a "dark" or "'punchy" sound when used in conjunction with the Tone knob.
Each Ampeg/Armstrong instrument features a hard maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and a unique neck joint for full access up to the 24th fret. The peghead features tuners which are positioned for nearly direct string pull while being close-coupled for minimum string tension differences.
Other unique features are a solid rosewood bridge which couples directly to the bridge plate enhancing tone and sustain. The bridge features individual brass inserts which are compensated for string sets using an unwound "G." The bridge plate, which is also the string holder (tall piece), also allows the most efficient string to body contact available.
The four Ampeg/Dan Armstrong models include the ADAG1 guitar and ADAB1 bass in clear, plexiglass with a retail price of $1,499.00 each. The ADAG2 and ADAB2 are the same models in black plexiglass with a list price of $1,549.00.
The Ampeg/Dan Armstrong guitars are backed by Ampeg's five year warranty and are expected to ship September 1, 1998. For more information, visit their web site at www.ampeg.com. | 
