November 2006 Archives

Take a trip in the wayback machine with this vintage video footage of Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix, which features the rock legends checking out a Dan Armstrong Plexi guitar as they hang with their entourage backstage.

Posted by Ampeg at 4:41 PM | Permalink

Guitarist magazine recently spent some time assessing the Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi Guitar, and the verdict is in. Drumroll, please.... After a thorough vetting from fingerboard to pick-ups, the re-issued "see-through" earned a four-star rating, garnering heaps of praise for its unique voice and retro-modern good looks.

"Dan Armstrong's vision is a perfect example of the highly experimental time of the late-sixties and seventies.... There's definitely something quite inspiring about the instrument."

The reviewer notes that this guitar, like the original, is still one-of-a-kind: "For those of us that 'get it,' the 'see-through' remains a truly unique and highly recognisable instrument."

So, do you get it? We thought so.

As a bonus, the review includes an interview with Dan Armstrong's pick-up maker son, Kent. His opinion on the new Plexi?

"I think the latest version is far superior to the old ones. Far superior."

'Nuff said. Click here to read the piece in its entirety.

Posted by Ampeg at 11:56 AM | Permalink

Little Steven's latest Underground Garage tour just pulled through town and your humble (pie) rock 'n' roll servant was treated to a band he thought he'd never ever get to see: The New York Dolls! Yes indeedy-do, my wish came true. There before me on the stage of El Corazon in Seattle were David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, and the rest of the guys who are now the Dolls. I can now die content that I have witnessed "Personality Crisis," "Trash" and "Jet Boy" performed in front of my googly eyeballs by the actual girls who originally gave them life!

By now you're probably wondering.... what does this have to do with Ampeg? Well, bassist Sami Yaffa (unfortunately not pictured above) stood in front of not one but two SVT stacks that night and for the entire tour. He had SVT-CL heads and SVT-810E cabs behind him, no doubt the way original bassist Arthur Kane would've wanted 'em. And the Dolls weren't the only ones using Ampeg that night, since we were the backline bass rig for all of the bands onstage on that tour, including Supersuckers, the Chesterfield Kings and the Charms. Suffice to say the low end was absolutely marvelous all night, all tour long.

Posted by Ampeg at 4:40 PM | Permalink