Find him: There's this guy in Santa Monica named Armstrong. You may not know it, but this guy has had something to do with the Yellow Humper, the Orange Squeezer, Billy Wyman and the Skunk, not to mention plexiglass guitars with roving pickups.

You would have to follow Dan Armstrong a long way. From 48th Street in New York to factories in England to the West Coast, Armstrong's abiding interest in guitars and amps has taken him on a long trip. Through deals with big companies and not-so-big" companies, from studio sessions to repair shops; yeah, through the valley of the shadow of Big Bucks, Dan Armstrong has pursued one thing: Sound, and the means to convey it.

Armstrong is one of those people you will never see on The Midnight Special, but chances are that those you do see are using something that Armstrong designed or modified in some way. He is an inventor, quite simply; a guy who spends his time building guitars and gadgets. Like many designers, Armstrong decided to try his hand at it after discovering that the advice he was getting from others around him, especially guitar teachers, was less than good.