An original-production vintage 1970 Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite bass (serial #D1021A) screen-used by John Taylor and Cindy Crawford in the Duran Duran production of Girl Panic! — a short film and music video directed by Jonas Åkerlund, released in 2011. Supplied by Harris Hire (UK) to the production and documented on screen and in photography as the instrument used in the role of John Taylor’s bass, with Cindy Crawford cast as Taylor in the production’s performance sequences as well as used by John Taylor himself, founding member and bassist of Duran Duran. Harris Hire supplied two vintage Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite instruments to the Girl Panic! shoot; this bass and a companion Lucite guitar were selected for their unmistakable visual presence within the production’s heightened glamour aesthetic. The instrument is photo-matched to Crawford in Harper’s Bazaar UK (December 2011) and screen-matched to both Crawford and John Taylor in the film and music video.
Video Documentation
Historical Context
Duran Duran are a British new wave band formed in Birmingham in 1978, comprising Simon Le Bon (vocals), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums). By the early 1980s they had become one of the most commercially successful acts in the world and pioneers of the music video as a distinct artistic medium — their visual output in the Rio era defining the aesthetics of the form for a generation.
Girl Panic! was conceived as both a music video and short film for the band’s 2011 single from All You Need Is Now, developed in direct collaboration with Harper’s Bazaar UK. The premise — five of the defining supermodels of the 1990s portraying the members of Duran Duran — was a deliberate, knowing callback to the band’s history of landmark model-featuring productions, most famously “Girls on Film” (1981) and the Rio videos (1982). Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the Swedish filmmaker responsible for landmark productions for Madonna, U2, Lady Gaga, and others, the shoot took place over two days in June 2011 at the Savoy Hotel, London — using three major banqueting rooms (the Savoy Ballroom, Lincoln Room, and River Room) as well as the newly renovated Royal Suite, in what the hotel documented as the first time filming had been permitted in that suite following its £2.5 million restoration. The Savoy had itself only recently reopened after an extensive refurbishment.
The five models cast were: Naomi Campbell as Simon Le Bon, Cindy Crawford as John Taylor, Eva Herzigova as Nick Rhodes, Helena Christensen as Roger Taylor, and Yasmin Le Bon as the guitarist. Actual band members participated throughout the production’s mockumentary framing sequences alongside the models. Swarovski partnered with the production, providing crystal elements that appear throughout the film — most notably the Swarovski-bedazzled guitar straps worn by the models in the performance sequences, which the band subsequently retained for use on tour. The project was documented as the cover story of Harper’s Bazaar UK’s December 2011 issue — “The Supers vs Duran Duran!” — in a 22-page “Women of the Year” feature written by Jessica Brinton and photographed by Åkerlund. It was described by the magazine as the first time a cover had been created in direct conjunction with a music video. Nick Rhodes described the concept: “I’d had this crazy idea for a video for ‘Girl Panic!’ that looked fantastic on paper, but that I thought in reality would be impossible to pull off. The idea was to recreate a day-in-the-life of the band, with five of the world’s greatest supermodels playing all of us.” Of Eva Herzigova’s performance as Rhodes at his keyboard, he added: “I must admit that it’s been a personal fantasy to have a supermodel play my keyboard.”
Music Video Use
Harris Hire supplied this bass — along with a companion Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar — to the Girl Panic! production. Both instruments were selected for the distinctive visual quality of the clear acrylic Lucite body, consistent with the production’s glamour aesthetic and the Savoy Ballroom setting. This bass served as the instrument for the John Taylor role throughout the short film and music video performance sequences. It is documented on screen in the hands of both John Taylor himself and Cindy Crawford, who portrayed Taylor in the production. Per the Swarovski behind-the-scenes documentation, the models wore Swarovski crystal-bedazzled guitar straps during the performance shoot — the guitar straps referenced in that footage are those seen worn with this instrument and its companion guitar. The instrument was acquired from Harris Hire’s inventory following the company’s cessation of operations.
Photo-Match
This bass is photo-matched to Cindy Crawford in the Harper’s Bazaar UK December 2011 “Women of the Year” feature, in a dedicated spread captioned “Cindy as John Taylor” — one of the primary editorial images from the production, photographed by Jonas Åkerlund. The match is established through the rosewood pickguard’s distinctive grain pattern: the linear dark figuring and tonal variation of the wood are singular to this specific instrument and are consistent across the Bazaar photography and the instrument as currently presented. Three dedicated match graphics are included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing: one screen-match to John Taylor, one screen-match to Cindy Crawford, and one photo-match to Cindy Crawford.
Screen-Match
This bass is screen-matched to both John Taylor and Cindy Crawford in the Girl Panic! short film and music video. Match identifiers include the rosewood pickguard grain pattern and hardware configuration, consistent across production footage and the instrument as currently presented. Comparative screen captures are included in the photo documentation.
Specifications
· Manufacturer: Ampeg / Dan Armstrong (New Jersey, USA)
· Type: Lucite electric bass
· Year: 1970 (early-to-mid production); Dan Armstrong Lucite basses use a “D-[number]A” serial format, with production running from late 1969 to 1971; serial D1021A places manufacture in early-to-mid 1970
· Rarity: Estimated 400[x=#8211/]600 total Lucite basses produced across the entire run
· Body: Clear acrylic (Lucite/Plexiglass) — transparent double-cutaway; internal wiring and neck joint visible through body; honest vintage wear including scratches, light clouding, and surface marks consistent with 50+ years of use
· Scale: 30″ short scale
· Neck: Bolt-on one-piece maple; 24 frets; rosewood fretboard with dot inlays
· Headstock: Pointed shape with rosewood overlay; Grover tuners with heart-shaped buttons (marked “GROVER” and “PAT. PEND. USA”)
· Pickguard/control plate: Rosewood, bearing “DAN ARMSTRONG · AMPEG” engraving; volume and tone controls
· Pickup: Sliding single pickup in original configuration
· Bridge: Chrome assembly with individual saddles
· Serial: D1021A — stamped on neck heel, visible through acrylic body
Condition
The acrylic body presents well with light wear consistent with age and professional use. Interior cavities exhibit age-appropriate grime and minor oxidation visible through the clear body. The rosewood pickguard retains its original finish. Electronics show age-consistent oxidation. No case.
Included Items
Original issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, December 2011 — “The Supers vs Duran Duran!” cover, on sale November 3, 2011. The issue contains a 22-page “Women of the Year” feature photographed by Jonas Åkerlund at the Savoy Hotel, London, including the dedicated “Cindy as John Taylor” photo spread that constitutes the primary photo match for this instrument, and a full behind-the-scenes narrative account of the Girl Panic! production by Jessica Brinton. The cover — jointly conceived as a magazine editorial and music video — is documented as the first time in publishing history that a magazine cover was created in direct conjunction with a music video.
Provenance
Acquired from the inventory of Harris Hire (UK), the long-established backline and instrument rental company that supplied this instrument directly to the Girl Panic! production. The instrument was obtained from Harris Hire’s inventory following the company’s cessation of operations. No formal production certificate accompanies the instrument; identification is established through Harris Hire inventory provenance and the visual photo and screen match documentation detailed above.
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
» Item: 42.25 x 13 x 2.5″ · 4.86 lbs.
