Ampeg Dan Armstrong AMB1

This bass has the nice Dan Armstrong bass design. I find the neck very fast and comfortable. It's 4 string, shortscale, and has a rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets. The neck-body joint design makes the 24th fret easily accessible. Small headstock, with small tuners. The body is basswood, mine is cherry red with quilted maple top. Seymour Duncan SMB-4D pickup, one volume, one tone, and a parallel/series switch. The bridge allows to string it through the body. Overall the bass is very light, and well balanced.

I play this bass fingerstyle with D'Addario Chromes flatwound. I play both rock and jazz with it, and I have been complimented for my sound in both cases! For rock I add a bit of tube-like distortion, otherwise I play it with no effect. The passive pickup has a pretty strong output, not noisy at all. The middle/high frequencies give it a strong presence, and you can play it in a very "authoritative" way. When I boost a bit the lows, and slightly cut the mids, I get a more round and warm tone. With more treble I get a more funky sound.

The set-up is perfect for me. My luthier told me that the truss rod was very effective. You can make the action very low if you want. No problem so far.

I have had no problem with the bass so far. The finish seems to be good quality (no visible scratch so far!). However the pickguard has some scratches.

I play bass for 3 1/2 years, and this is currently my main bass. I own three other basses: an Ibanez Roadstar II, a Daytone doubleneck (bass and guitar), and a fretless shortscale Godwin (italian stuff). None of them reaches the Ampeg in terms of sound and playability.

I won't bore you with the details for the features as you can read them on the other reviews. This short scale 4 string's greatest feature is its SOUND and PLAYABILITY.
Mine is a rosewood fretboard with quilted maple top on deep red.

I have tried several different effects and amp modeling pedals with this bass, and the best sound overal tends to be straight up. I wouldn't use this as a slap happy bass style, but if you like to create melodic sounds like cello or fretless bass, this has a sweet sound indeed.

I have used this as a live and studio instrument, and it holds up well in either environment. The low end is not going to growl like a musicman with active pups, but you can always hotrod it with some bartolini's if you are up for it.

I started playing bass on a Fender Jazz 30 years ago, and played in a jazz band. What I like about this as a short scale is that I can really get around the whole thing all day long without wearing my hand out. The action is fast, frets after 4 years of playing are still in great shape. The pickguard is very easily scratched. I own talyors with no pickguards and play them with a pick and never scratched them. The plack pickgurad on this shows marks from just looking at it. It does not bother me though. The hardward is a bit tarnished where it does not get wiped down readily.

I have used this as my primary bass worry free during live sessions. I do recommend a small compliment of tools to tweak it, especially if you are in varying climate conditions. Make sure you get it proper set up with the harmonics rung out on it for perfect intonation. Strap buttons are cool as there 2 on the bottom side for adjustability. You can get a nice almost upright sound out of it if you play it like one.

I have always had it serviced at the authorized AMPEG dealer where I bought it. Their service is a credit to AMPEG.

For a short scale, this a sonic marvel, and Seymour Duncan is to share in the credit there. The thing I have not been able to find for this after the gig bag was stolen from it, was to find a nice hardshell case. I don't think I would ever get rid of this, as I agree with so may who have heard me play this bass. They love the sound! With fresh EB's strung on this, it is no match for most long scale basses. It is a fun instrument to play, and very hard to find them used. Nobody wants to get rid of them. It has provided me a very pleasant 4 years of worry free playing so far!

This is one cool bass. Short (30") scale, super fast neck and a kickin' Seymore Duncan pickup with a selector switch that changes from series to parallel wiring. The bass comes if various colors and maple tops. Mine is amber-burst. The bass has a rosewood fingerboard and a basswood body. It is very light. I weighed it at 6.5 pounds. The tuners are smaller than I am used to (my other bass is a Gibson Ripper). The pick up is mounted closer towards the bridge. I would have liked to have had a place closer to the neck to rest my thumb but I'll get used to using the thick pickguard as a thumb rest. It has the option of stringing through the body which I do. You need to get medium scale strings to do this. There are 2 strap buttons on the bridge end of the bass to allow for different playing angles and balance preferences. There are a few great photos available at www.islandmusiconline.com. The pictures on the Ampeg website don't do this bass justice. The bass has thin frets and the neck is "buzz free" even with the action down low. I don't slap or pop so I can't comment on that but it sure plays nice. The most impressive thing is the sound variations you can get. From piano bright to a very deep funky sound. NOT YOUR TYPICAL SHORT SCALE THUDDY SOUND. I like it a lot. If it had a thumb rest I'd give it a 10.

The sound is the best part of this bass. The bass has one volume and one tone knob and the series/parallel selector switch. The tone control is almost like a phase shifter. It not only adds bass or treble but it modifies the phase of the sound. You have to hear it to appreciate it. The bass is very quite...no buzz. The pots on mine are quite also. The sound range goes from a very trebley piano sound to a deep funky bass with little or no mids. It can sound like a lot of guitars. I can get it to sound like my Ripper or a Jazz Bass. Alot of variety here. I am using a Peavey TNT 130 with a Blackwidow and the bass cuts through the band with no problem. I changed the strings day one. They were straight roundwound stainless...no nickle. I am trying differnt ones until I see what works best for me.

The bass is a thing of beauty. It is highly polished and the maple top is beautiful! Even the headstock has the maple finish. The only issue I have is that the finish of the body and the pickguard scratches real easy. I am talking about fine hairline scratches not chips or chunks. If you use a pick the pickguard will take a beating. I didn't like the knobs either. They were nickle and had no shine or style. I replaced them with chrome Fender knurled domed knobs. The bass needed to be set-up when I got it but it was in a music shop for a while so who knows who did what to it. The intonation on the E and A was way off. Otherwise the physical condition was very good.

I only have this bass for 2 months but I think it will always play well. I am not sure how the finish will stand up to gigging. As I mentioned above the pickguard scratches if you look at it crooked. Strap buttons are great and there are 3! 2 on the lower end and one on the horn. The hardware will last as it is heavy nickle plated metal. The thing is that it is so pretty and the finish is so perfect that you worry about every little scratch. Once It gets that first big ding from wacking a cymbal I'll be over it.

Excellent!!! Did I mention that Ampeg started making this bass in 1999 and stopped this year (2001)! Yes...they don't make it anymore. There are still lots of new ones around. Anyway, the Ampeg people were great in providing info and helping with locating dealers that still had some. You always get a person and a call back. Very friendly and helpful. I even had a nice talk with the person who designed the bass.

I started playing 30 years ago and have gigged and jammed all that time. I have owned lots of Gibsons including an EB0, SB-400 and the Ripper. When I bought the Ampeg I actually started out looking for a Jazz Bass. I found a Stu Hamm with the medium scale neck and liked the shorter neck (Anything is shorter than a Ripper). It reminded me of the EBO neck. When I read about the Ampeg I called the factory and 2 days later located the color I wanted. I love this light, short and excellent sounding bass. It will be my main bass now. I am tempted to locate and buy another while there are still some around. If I loose this one I would hunt the internet day and night to replace it...you have to try one to appreciate it.

I have had my ampeg amb for about 4 months and i havent had any problems.Its a four string bass with top load or body through bridge.Mine has a basswood body with a quilted maple top which is fantastic.The only problem with the tuners is the E hole and the A string hole are too small to fit the string through.I just unwound the string once for it to fit.The neck plays like glass and the finish on the maple back is to die for.The small scale length with the teeny headstock takes some getting used to but when you do its very comfortable.At the price i bought it for i wish it came with a cool hard case but thats ok.Also the small body is very comfortable to play and is feather light, I only wish the bridge was further down the body because im used to playing down there but thats my preference

The sound is phenominal!!!Im into all diferent styles of music like alternative rock,jazz and blues.Even playing through my hartke b60 which is not the best amp in the world it sounds great.Its capable of having a 50s fender sound or a real deep sounding jazz tone.Just by tweaking with your amp settings you can get almost whatever sound you want.

the bass was set up just to my liking when i bought it.The pickup is tilted to one side but i havent touched in fear it might attribute to its great tone.The only thing i can find wrong about the finish is that it seems kinda thin any little bump and a little chip of paint comes off. all of my past basses have not had this problem.(i should also comment on the quilted maple mathing headstock which iwould imagine took a lot of extra time and effort).I dont raelly mind this but some one else might.Also when you turn the knobs you get a little fuzz but then again i dont mind

except for the finish chipping this thing is solid as a rock.Ive never had t adjust the truss rod or anyting else for that matter.The strap buttons are just the norm and serve their duty just fine although the strap does slide off but then again thats normal.I would gig with this thing night on end if oppurtunity arose without abackup either.I also have a 1970 gibsin eb3 and i often cant decide which to play

ive been playing for about two and a half years and i absolutely love it on looks alone i woud give it a 10.And if it were puke green with neon pink parts i wold still buy it for the sound. I would recommend this bass to anyone who could find one especially anyone who likes small bodies and short scale necks.I would emmediately go buy another one if someone stole it and would be inconsolable till i bought another. I chose this bass over a fender and an eko fiddle bass and would have chosen it over anything else.

Ampeg has introduced the new AMG1 and AMB1 electric guitars and basses. Utilizing many of the design characteristics of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitar, the AMG1 and AMB1 are crafted from traditional tone woods for players seeking classic sound and cosmetics combined with modern form and function.

For the bass player, the Ampeg AMB1 bass offers playability with its neck joint allowing 24 frets clear of the body, and the tonal range of the Seymour Duncan SMB-4D Basslines pickup. The control circuit of the AMB1 utilizes a single Master Volume and Master Tone, with a mini switch for series/parallel pickup coil configuration.

With a design descended from the legendary Ampeg Dan Armstrong bass, the new AMB1 features an extremely lightweight basswood body finished in Blue Pearl, Black Pearl, and Purple Metallic. Quilted maple tops are also available in Black Cherry, Amber Burst and Purple Burst. A "high mass", nickel plated, bridge allows for precise intonation and offers the player the ability to mount the strings through the rear of the bridge or through the body, for increased sustain and string tension. The AMB1 in solid colors retails at $899.00, and at $949.00 with a quilted maple top.

Unbelievable tone, it does everything well and better than the pre-CBS fender that it replaces; the short scale is easy to play and has no negitive sound consequence....light too.

Made in Japan, perfect finish in every way; the short scale and low action are really fun and fast.

Too new to tell, but build well so it should last.

The dealer was great, I've never had to deal with Ampeg, but they care enough to set the unit up here in the states and put on good strings; it plays well out of the box.

I'm an occasional player and normally play drums. I wanted a serious short scale bass with good pick-ups and found one ...avoid the wanta-be's (Fender Bronco and Epiphone EB-0)