Dan Armstrong Guitar Registry

How Do I Date My Dan Armstrong Guitar?

The purpose of this FAQ page is to try and shed some light on when a particular Dan Armstrong guitar may have been manufactured at Ampeg's plant in Linden, NJ.  Although Ampeg undoubtedly kept accurate manufacturing logs of its various products, these records do not seem to have survived the many changes in corporate ownership over the last 45 years. So there’s really no way to get an exact build or shipping date based on each guitar’s serial number.  However, it is possible to estimate what Dan Armstrong production might have looked like back in 1969 - 1971 using constant manufacturing rates, EIA date codes on potentiometers, and other dates that we do know.

There are a number of assumptions we used to come up with our production estimate, including... 

1) Dan Armstrong guitars and basses were introduced to dealers at the 1969 NAMM show, which ran between June 22 - 26.  It is likely that formal production started around that time, possibly a few weeks earlier so that Ampeg had product available to ship.  Per the table below, our estimate is that Ampeg might have produced a batch of 25 guitars or so in June, starting with serial number A101D.  Another item points to starting production in June.  The CTS volume pots on the early guitars have a manufacturing date of May 1969, suggesting that it was June by the time they reached Ampeg and were assembled into the first guitars.

2) Although Ampeg had been producing its line of "Scroll" basses for several years, these were never large-volume items and it is unlikely that Ampeg would (or could) devote significant incremental resources to manufacturing the new line of Dan Armstrong guitars and basses.  We believe that DA production ramped up during the first few months, then reached some sort of peak monthly volume (average of 80 guitars/month) that could be accommodated by the staff and floor space that Ampeg had allocated to the instrument team.  Keep in mind that the SVT was also introduced at the '69 NAMM show, to be shortly followed by the V-4, VT-22, V-2, etc.  These were some of the best-selling amps ever produced by Ampeg, so it's unlikely that there were extra resources available for instrument production.

3) Ampeg manufactured approximately 2,350 Dan Armstrong guitars between 1969 and 1971, with serial numbers ranging from A101D to perhaps as high as A2850D.  We have another FAQ page - here - that goes into serial numbers in greater detail.  Any estimate of guitar production by year has to fit into the framework of the total number of guitars produced and their related serial numbers.

4) Like most manufacturers, Ampeg bought its potentiometers in bulk, and therefore the EIA date stamp on these parts ended up being used across many hundreds of instruments.  However, the earliest use of a potentiometer with a particular date code should roughly line up with the manufacturing date.

5) Ampeg published "Bulletin # 17" on March 8, 1971, covering changes to the factory wiring spec for guitars starting with serial number A2000D.  It is likely that the memo documented changes that had recently been put into production, so guitars with serial numbers close to A2000D were probably manufactured in February 1971.

6) Dan Armstrong production ended in late 1971 and probably tailed off in the last month or two as Ampeg stopped taking orders and completed whatever instruments it could using parts on hand.

7) As detailed in the table below, we estimate that approximately 470 Dan Armstrong guitars were manufactured in 1969, 960 were manufactured in 1970, and 920 were manufactured in 1971.

                         
                         
Dan Armstrong Guitar Estimated Production 1969 - 1971
                         
      Monthly Cumulative                
  Date   Production Production   Serial Number   Notes    
                         
   
  Jun-69 25 25 101 - 125 Production starts for NAMM show at serial # A101D.  
  Jul-69 50 75 126 - 175  
  Aug-69 75 150 176 - 250  
  Sep-69 80 230 251 - 330  
  Oct-69 80 310 331 - 410 A379D has CTS tone pot dated October 1969  
  Nov-69 80 390 411 - 490  
  Dec-69 80 470 491 - 570  
   
  Jan-70 80 550 571 - 650  
  Feb-70 80 630 651 - 730 A697D has CTS volume pot dated January 1970  
  Mar-70 80 710 731 - 810  
  Apr-70 80 790 811 - 890  
  May-70 80 870 891 - 970  
  Jun-70 80 950 971 - 1050  
  Jul-70 80 1,030 1051 - 1130  
  Aug-70 80 1,110 1131 - 1210  
  Sep-70 80 1,190 1211 - 1290  
  Oct-70 80 1,270 1291 - 1370  
  Nov-70 80 1,350 1371 - 1450  
  Dec-70 80 1,430 1451 - 1530  
   
  Jan-71 80 1,510 1531 - 1610  
  Feb-71 80 1,590 2011 - 2090 Ampeg jumps 400 serial numbers; resumes at A2000D  
  Mar-71 80 1,670 2091 - 2170 March 8 - Bulletin #17 released on new wiring spec.  
  Apr-71 80 1,750 2171 - 2250  
  May-71 80 1,830 2251 - 2330  
  Jun-71 80 1,910 2331 - 2410  
  Jul-71 80 1,990 2411 - 2490  
  Aug-71 80 2,070 2491 - 2570  
  Sep-71 80 2,150 2571 - 2650  
  Oct-71 80 2,230 2651 - 2730  
  Nov-71 80 2,310 2731 - 2810  
  Dec-71 40 2,350 2811 - 2850  
   
  Copyright 2016, 2LoudAudio                  
NB - the above production totals by month are estimates only and may not prove to be accurate based on actual production or sales records.  We hope to update this table as original sales receipts, owner's warranty cards, and other documents become available, but undertake no obligation to do so.