Dan Armstrong pickups?

[cheezemaster]

been a long time since I've been on the forum. here's an odball one..

I just picked up a used Dan Armstrong plexi guitar (reissue) on the cheap. The thing looks awesome and plays great. Unfortunately, since I got it used, it only came with one pickup, the single coil one..don't know what the guy did with the other double-coil one. I've been able to tweak a usable tone out of it, but it's definitely on the weak/bright side. Gotta roll that tone knob wayyy. back.. this mutha is one bright axe!

My questions are this:

1. anyone make after-market slide-in pickups? I know Kent Armstrong will make them for you, but it's on the pricy side. Preliminary googling has come up with nada.

2. Ideally, does anyone make a slide-in housing where you can just install whatever standard Gibson-sized humbucker? This would expand the tonal options greatly. (I'm thinking something like the CC would work well in this thing)

thanks in advance for your wisdom.. I need to start hanging around here more again.

- cheeze

 

[ElevenBravo]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

I'm looking for a source for Dan Armstrong pickups too. I'm considering buying one of the inexpensive wood body AMG100 guitars (Sam Ash $269.00) which comes equipped with a dual-blade humbucker, but I want to know in advance where I can get the single coil Rock Treble pup when I'm ready. I'll keep an eye on this thread.

 

[cheezemaster]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

Hey ElevenBravo.. thanks for responding! I thought this thread was dead..

Yeah mine just came with the Rock Treble.. the dual-blade pickup (Modern Drive) and the case were missing.. I got a good deal so not really complaining.

The guy from Fu Manchu (or his guitar tech) figured out a way to put Hot Rails in a housing that fits in his plexi Dans.. I'm thinking it might be difficult to put a full-sized humbucker in there due to the spacing of the banana plugs..

Greg Ginn from Black Flag somehow put a Super Distortion in his, but I think he just hard-wired and bolted it in there..it wasn't removable.

In the 70's there were apparently 6 different models of pickups.. probably really expensive now if you can find them.

BTW - www.danarmstrong.org is an interesting site re: the history of these guitars, as well as effects, pickup construction and other stuff. Unfortunately there's no info re: replacement pickups, nor is there a forum.

 

[butch cabrone]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

Bros
I have been using DA guitars since 1970! I have had 4 of the originals and like all musicians i am fickled and let them go to use other guitars, and also, construct my own design guitars!
The original 6 pickups were all awesome but the humbucker model did not come out until late 71. I did not like it! to me it was flat sounding and not enough punch!
Nothing like a single coil to my ears!
the names of the ones i can remember were;

rock treble
rock bass
country treble
country bass / Definitely my favorite-i like fat warm tone!
jazz treble
jazz bass
The RT and CB were the two that came with the guitar originaly

I have not checked out any of the new ones so i can not give you my opinion
on any of them. I chatted with Seymour years ago about making some for me
and he finally said that he would consider it. It has been a long time since then
but i am going to approach him again soon.
The magnets on the DA pickup are on the outside of the coil and i feel this really
saturates them to give a real fat sound. All of the other single coils i am familiar with
have the magnets under the coil.
I really wish i had my DA but maybe in the future i will be able to afford another.
I constructed a plexi guitar of my design utilizing a CB pickup and a 30 fret neck and
also a Steinberger Trans Trem. Awesome guitar to say the least and it has tone
qualities of the original DA thanx to the Lucite and the CB pickup.

 

[Tomerento]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

I actually know what you are looking for and if you still need it , you can go to arcane pickups. they make some dan armstrong pickups.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

Welcome to the forum, Tomerento.

Cool first post.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

Now that's how you necropost!

I could've sworn somebody made an adapter to put any pickup in one of those guitars but I can't find anything about it for the life of me right now.

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Dan Armstrong pickups?

Now that's how you necropost!

I could've sworn somebody made an adapter to put any pickup in one of those guitars but I can't find anything about it for the life of me right now.

Bringing this one back from the dead (I am searching for a solution to this issue as I just acquired a Dan Armstrong guitar)

It was probably CGI. Unfortunately they do not make them anymore. I can't find anything on Fu Manchu's Scott Hill's guitars. He has several DAs with some sort of adapter which, so far as I can tell, is not a CGI product.

Here's what CGI used to offer...



Scott Hill's DAs: