Winter NAMM 2008: Ampeg's New See-thru Dan Armstrong Transparent Bass

Among bass players, Ampeg is a name synonym with bass history itself: a legendary brand which has influenced entire generations of bass players and has written the history of modern music itself.

[admark=1]From the early creations of guitar guru Dan Armstrong, the clear acrylic body guitar taken on stage by Rolling Stone's Keith Richards to the modern basses and amping played by today's rock/metal big names, everything is there: an almost mythical, natural drive for high-quality, zero-compromise and exceptional bass performance that keeps on inspiring young and elderly alike.

This year's Winter NAMM will be the host of the new Ampeg launch, a re-issue of the 1969 Dan Armstrong's ADA4 "Plexi" bass guitar. The new ADA4 boasts the same head-turning diamond-cut acrylic body with dual cutaways on full two-octave fretboard made from Indian rosewood. The neck of the new bass also sports a new bolting method for enhanced rigidity and better sustain.

Also related to the eternal sustain-issue, the Ampeg ADA4 has a compensated brass saddle bridge that is directly-connected to the tail-piece and forming a very solid assembly for increased note sustain and offering one of the best string-to-body coupling possible. The two pickups in the new Ampeg bass are grouped together in a stacked unit and they work as either "Bright Bass" or "Deep Bass"; these custom PUs are also removable, in case you feel like adding a new sound to your axe.

The re-issued Ampeg ADA4 runs with top-notch Grover tuners, vintage rotary volume and tone pots and a 2-way switch while a real Formica pick guard partially covers the front of the body. This bass guitar is priced around $1,899.99 list / $1,399.99 MAP and you can get your hands on it at the Winter NAMM in Anaheim, California, 17-20 January.

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