St. Louis Music To Distribute Classic Dan Armstrong Sound Modifiers

LOUD Technologies is pleased to announce the distribution of the Dan Armstrong sound modifier line by St. Louis Music. As the designer behind the iconic clear acrylic instruments of the late '60s and early '70s (recently reissued by Ampeg), Armstrong also created a line of popular effects modules — including the Orange Squeezer, Blue Clipper, Green Ringer, and Black Reaper — made famous by artists like Mark Knopfler, Elliot Randall, David Lindley, Kurt Cobain, Ry Cooder and Mark Mothersbaugh.

Now available in the original and original extended formats (the latter plugging into instruments with recessed jack plates), as well as a new stomp box version, the sound modifiers are made by hand in the US by Grafton Electronics and follow Armstrong's original specs with several new feature additions designed by Armstrong's son, Kent.

"We've been getting tremendous feedback from musicians regarding our original line of Dan Armstrong sound modifiers," explains Chuck Wojack, founder of Grafton Electronics. "One thing we repeatedly heard was a request for stomp box versions of these versatile effects. After months of production and testing we are proud to present an awesome lineup of truly exceptional stomp box devices."

"The cool thing about the Dan Armstrong stomp boxes," adds Randy Fader, St. Louis Music product manager, "is that they take those original series sound modifiers from the '70s and put them on the floor, giving the guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, or other instrumentalist the freedom to kick the effect on or off with their feet, or the ability to mount it into their pedal board. These are the exact same circuits as the reissued originals and the boxes are made of metal. Plus, they lock together taking up less space."

Originally designed for electric guitar, these simple, compact, and rugged accessories essentially plug into any electric instrument. The series is currently comprised of four units, including the Orange Squeezer (a signal compressor providing 30 dB of clean, undistorted sustain), Blue Clipper (an excellent fuzz tone with incredible sustain), Green Ringer (a distortion device that produces ring modulation-type effects), and Black Reaper (enhances sound by decreasing mid-range frequencies), with additional effects slated for reissue in the near future.

Now available through St. Louis Music, the original and original extended versions of the Dan Armstrong sound modifiers each feature a MSRP of $119.95, while the stomp box versions are priced at $169.95.