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Aria Pro 2 SB Special 2


Wilco
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I've just acquired one of these which is a little beat up & needs some TLC to get it playable.

I wonder if someone could help with a control query.

There is a three way toggle switch on the bass which I believe is a pick up selector. There are also two, two-way toggle switches which are I think a 'dual sound' switch & a coil tap.

With both the two way switches down & with three way switch set at either up or middle I get sound.

With all three switches in the down position there is silence.... If I then put the most rear-ward two way switch up (coil tap). I get a thin sound from I think the back pick-up.

Not sure of that's by design but it feels like a fault.

Anyone got one of these (or the ZZB model) & could let me know if the above mirrors their instrument?

Many thanks in advance for any thoughts.

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Both the mini toggle switches are On/On, and the three-way selector in Bridge/Mid/Neck, so irrespective of what combination you select you should always have sound. When the three-way selector is in the mid position then only one of the mini toggle switches is operative (the second will not change the character of the sound), which people often think is a wiring fault but is the circuit operating as originally intended. But, there should always be an audible output.

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The smaller switches are serial/parallel switches for each pickup and the bigger switch is the pickup selector - bridge/both/neck. It's most likely a coil in your humbucking pickup is dead and when you switch to serial you're forced to go through the dead coil and that is why the output is disappearing. It seems to be fairly common with old Arias and it's almost impossible to get original replacments. Kent Armstrong will make a replacement but they sound nothing like the Aria pickups, so you either get two Armstrong pickups and live with a wildly different sounding bass or wait for a working original to appear.

Try tapping around the face of the pickups with a screwdriver and see if one side is louder than the other when moving through the different selection options.

Edited by Doctor J
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[quote name='Wilco' post='1074786' date='Jan 1 2011, 09:41 PM']I've just acquired one of these which is a little beat up & needs some TLC to get it playable.

I wonder if someone could help with a control query.

There is a three way toggle switch on the bass which I believe is a pick up selector. There are also two, two-way toggle switches which are I think a 'dual sound' switch & a coil tap.

With both the two way switches down & with three way switch set at either up or middle I get sound.

With all three switches in the down position there is silence.... If I then put the most rear-ward two way switch up (coil tap). I get a thin sound from I think the back pick-up.

Not sure of that's by design but it feels like a fault.

Anyone got one of these (or the ZZB model) & could let me know if the above mirrors their instrument?

Many thanks in advance for any thoughts.[/quote]

Hi.

I've got one - Cracking bass.
[attachment=67837:AriaSBSII.jpg] Same as this??

Could be an iffy switch. Could be a semi dry joint!
I had this problem on a guitar, yesterday - hadn't played
it for ages and when I plugged it in it sounded very weedy!!

The wire to one of the switch contacts was almost off (must
have been like that for ages) soldered it back on, as well as
doing all the others. . . . KERRRANGGG!
If you are any good with electrics/soldering, should be easy.

You could remove the wires from the switch and make a direct
contact to test.

As suggested by Noel, tap the pole pieces.

Cheers. :)

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[quote name='Doctor J' post='1077205' date='Jan 4 2011, 12:33 PM']It's most likely a coil in your humbucking pickup is dead and when you switch to serial you're forced to go through the dead coil and that is why the output is disappearing. It seems to be fairly common with old Arias and it's almost impossible to get original replacments. Kent Armstrong will make a replacement but they sound nothing like the Aria pickups, so you either get two Armstrong pickups and live with a wildly different sounding bass or wait for a working original to appear.[/quote]
If it is a coil, there are other options to getting Kent Armstrong pickups. For many of the lower models, replacement parts come up quite often, or you can source period DiMarzio models (as a lot of what was fitted in Aria guitars/basses was built to DiMarzio designs, or supplied by DiMarzio). If not, Wizard Pickups offer repair services, as well as replacements. There's also the high-end route, given that Aria modelled some pickups after Alembic models, to use Alembic AXY pickups in place of PP and MB models.

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[quote name='noelk27' post='1077290' date='Jan 4 2011, 01:40 PM']If not, Wizard Pickups offer repair services, as well as replacements.[/quote]
I called Andy at Wizard a while back, & he's rather loath to provide 'replica' pickups for fear of treading on the toes of Aria's legal dept. He also said he didn't have a mould for the staggered/exposed variety.

As the Special II has the staggered pole arrangement however, a rewind ought to be a simple solution if needed as this style aren't potted (at least the ones in my TSB & ZZB aren't). The covered-in 16 pole SB p/ups are the buggers as they're epoxy potted & transplant surgery is the only option.

Pete.

Edited by Bloodaxe
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  • 5 years later...

I have just picked up an SB Special II and unfortunately the bridge pup is dead. No sound at all when selected regardless of any switch position.
I've wiggled the wires round but not noticed anything amiss or heard any difference. I will reflow the solder joints when I get my iron back.
Btw, if the pup is dead, will it just read as open circuit on a multimeter?

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If you need a decent, authentic replacement try Rautia Guitars. I got a new pup for my SB-1000 from there. The guy is Finish and his English isn't brilliant. I'm not sure if he does them with the exposed pole pieces, but apart from that the picture above (posted in 2011!) looks very similar to the original (MB-1E ?)

Edit: If Prostheta is around he'd know :)

Edited by Norris
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I've owned 2 SB Special II's over the years, both black, and both from 1984. The first one was my 3rd bass, bought second hand in the late 80's. Played brilliantly, sounded great, and I stupidly part-exchanged it for a red Encore Strat (I presume that I had lost my mind). I definitely regretted selling it.

The second one was bought off eBay about 10 years ago in a fit of nostalgia. It had seen better days, but the neck was perfect with no dings and very little fret wear. Kind of wish I'd kept that one as well, but it went to fund my Ric, so it went in a good cause.

Aria Info Site: [url]http://www.matsumoku.org[/url]


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Well I have had the multimeter out today and confirmed it's defo the bridge pup that's dead and not a faulty switch or pot or dry joint.
i took the pup out and found the source of the problem, where the coils attach to one of the flying leads the coil wire has snapped. Oddly exactly the same problem with each coil.
Now I am negotiations with the eBay seller as I want to get this fixed!

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[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1474744945' post='3140239']
Well I have had the multimeter out today and confirmed it's defo the bridge pup that's dead and not a faulty switch or pot or dry joint.
i took the pup out and found the source of the problem, where the coils attach to one of the flying leads the coil wire has snapped. Oddly exactly the same problem with each coil.
Now I am negotiations with the eBay seller as I want to get this fixed!
[/quote]

My problem was a dud bridge pick up too. I took it to one of my local guitar shops & from memory, I think they sent it off to Kent Armstrong for repair.

It's a bass I miss though - I part exchanged it at Bassgear about three years ago.

Edited by Wilco
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