tonybest Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Hi all Been playing live about 30 years now, mainly covers bands, during the 90s'was a Blues Brother/Commitments covers function band which was all the rage back then, especially for wedding receptions, Then in the mid Noughties joined a covers band doing 70s 80s 90s covers in pubs and social clubs. I've never been an overly serious player, i'd say I'm competent but naturally talented i certainly aint!! I do it for the fun to be had playing live with a group of your mates, and watching people in the audience who are probably perfectly sensible in their normal life make complete arses of themselves after too much beer. The point of my visit is to see if anyone one of you learned gents or ladies recognises this bass. I bought it mid 90s from a local guitar shop, can't remember how much for or what it was purported to be. Ive had a go at researching it but a little stumped as i doesn't quite seem to match anything i've found. My best guess is an SB 900, but this seems wrong as there's no serial No on it. Could it be a copy, in which case I was diddled a bit as I think it was a fair amount of money. Hopefully attachments worked, Im not fantastic with internet stuff Many Thanks Tony [attachment=221392:IMG_0325.jpg][attachment=221393:IMG_0326.jpg][attachment=221394:IMG_0327.jpg][attachment=221395:IMG_0328.jpg][attachment=221396:IMG_0329.jpg][attachment=221397:IMG_0330.jpg][attachment=221398:IMG_0331.jpg][attachment=221399:IMG_0332.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 No doubt resident Japanese bass expert Bassassin will be along soon to help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I had one the same as yours until I stopped playing for a few years in 1992. Mine was identical. I think it's an SB900. The SB 1000 was active with a single pick-up. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Looks pukka to me. Apart from everything else, the bridge & the pups look definitely 80's Aria. I'd go with it being an SB Elite 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 (edited) That my friend is an SB 2 elite. You weren't far off with the SB900 guess. It's pretty much the same bass but with a different neck profile. The 900 has the super skinny, parallel profile with tight spacing at the bridge. This has wider spacing and less of a parallel profile Edit the inlays are also different on the normal SB range. Also the controls don't look right to me. If memory serves the top knob is a 3 way pickup selector, the other 2 knobs on mine were stacked volume and tone. Yours don't appear to be stacked though? Edited June 13, 2016 by cocco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybest Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 Thanks for all the replies guys. Been so long since i played it cocco I can't really remember what does what. A couple of years after buying it one of the pick ups failed. I took it back to the shop, they ordered another pick up but it was slightly thicker than the original. They had a nightmare apparently changing it as it was pre internet days and they couldn't find any info on fitting the copy, hence the dogs dinner inside the body. I wasn't overly happy with the result but was just glad to get it back as I was gigging most weekends, and my mate who loaned me his bass was getting a bit tetchy to say the least!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeC16 Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 From googling some pics and the eye fret inlays it looks a bit like a Rudy Sarzo Aria sig model. I'm no expert though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhiggins Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 I had the same bass and i think its a sb 1000 mark 2 the first version had one pickup the second two it came out a few years after the original single p.u. version ,90/93.. i'm fairly sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 (edited) Looks to me to be either an SB-R80 or SB Elite II. Maybe more likely the latter. The SB range featured the following initially... SB600 (single pickup set neck), SB700 (single pickup thru neck), SB900 (two pickup thru neck), SB1000 (single pickup, active circuit, thru neck) The R series sort of mirrored this but with a wider bridge and string spacing. The SB-80 was the equivalent of the SB900. The R series featured the distinctive "eye" dot markers whereas the SBs had simple dots. http://gfyfe.com/sbr80.htm http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/sb/sb.html The SB Elites came along layter as a sort of simplified SB range. The SB Elite II was the twin pickup model... http://gfyfe.com/sbeliteii.htm Across each model range and across time the fine details varied... The bat ear or book headstock, round or tear drop pick up selectors, recessed or flat Jack sockets, single or stack knobs so it can be confusing to tie a model down sometimes. Edited June 13, 2016 by TrevorR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 If it's an SB-R80 or Elite II, it's a later, post Matsumoku bass. Might be a different, later model with similar configuration. Either of the aforementioned would have 2x co-ax V & T & rotary selector. Control knobs were a different type and there should be a dateable serial on the headstock. Also the pots in a Matsumoku-era bass would be full size. Tonybest - did you buy it new in 1990-something? Lovely bass btw. I have massive GAS for an SB-R80. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 (edited) Quite possibly. The open book headstock shape isn't quite like a typical early 80s shape. The ends are a bit pointy. Some sort of late 80s or early 90s reissue? Whatever, it's a lovely bass! Edited June 14, 2016 by TrevorR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhiggins Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 On second thoughts [ you lot are far better informed than me ] mine must of been an sb 900 if they did one with gold hardware and dot markers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybest Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 Thanks again every body I'm thinking elite 2 myself now In answer to your questions Bassasassin, there is no serial no on the head or anywhere else I've found. And yes I bought it new mid 90s Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybest Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 Sorry Bassasin. Misread your name Must find my glasses!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 No problem - most people call me much worse! Anyway, if you bought it new in the mid-90s, that at least clarifies what it's not! Very likely it's an Elite/SB-R reissue rather than a completely different model. There's an Aria SB owners Facebook group which might be helpful: [url="https://www.facebook.com/groups/196371477217872/"]https://www.facebook...96371477217872/[/url] J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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