NAMM06: See-Through Plexiglass Guitar Makes A Comeback

US Ampeg reissues the legendary Dan Armstrong acrylic guitar 31/01/06

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Originally made between 1969 and 1971 and seen in the hands of Rolling Stone Keith Richards, the Ampeg Dan Armstrong see-through guitar is now a rare and expensive collectors item. Good news if you want one though as Ampeg has announced a reissue model for 2006.
Featuring a completely unique body that is made of an eye-catching clear Plexiglas material, Ampeg tell us that the Dan Armstrong guitarâ€™s distinctive construction actually eliminates unwanted vibrations and frequencies, while producing tremendous sustain. The net result, they say, is a playing experience and tone unlike any other.
In addition to its unique clear body, the Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitar also features a removable pickup system that allows users to choose between two different hand-made pickups. Kent Armstrong, who designed the original Ampeg/Armstrong guitar pickups for his father in the 1960s and 1970s, designed both pickups. The faithfully recreated Rock Treble pickup was made famous on the original Ampeg/Dan Armstrong guitar and a new dual blade Rock Sustain pickup feature offers a fat tone and no noise.
The onboard tone circuit features a three-way switch offering multiple â€˜presetsâ€™ from a single pickup. 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.
Each Ampeg/Armstrong instrument features a hard maple neck, a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard and a unique neck joint for full access through two octaves. The headstock incorporates Grover die cast tuners, which are positioned for nearly direct string pull while being close-coupled for minimum string tension differences.
Other unique features include 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.
Price and Availability
The Ampeg/Dan Armstrong guitar will be available in early 2006 and will carry a manufacturerâ€™s suggested retail price of $1,899.00. More info:

www.ampeg.com

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