TheGreek Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I started playing back back in the 80s and though Aria weren't considered"great" basses they were considered to be a good mid range instrument of good build quality. I've recently seen a few on eBay, Gumtree and Preloved for what seem to be ridiculously low prices. There are a few on eBay ATM for around £50 which I suspect are not bad basses. When did they fall out of grace or was it just where I live that people liked them? Examples: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Four-string-bass-guitar-Arla-stb-series-Black/282825815841?hash=item41d9bb7721:g:tz4AAOSwUg9abebY https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bass-guitar-Aria-electric-Good-working-order/162873129861?hash=item25ebfebb85:g:FoEAAOSw-JJabF8~ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-STB-JB-bass-guitar-custom-painting/162871668117?hash=item25ebe86d95:g:zUsAAOSwfphaa1Di https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beautiful-Aria-Bass-Guitar/152883469671?hash=item2398909d67:g:6SMAAOSw~o5abOSS https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-bass-guitar-P-bass-copy-with-look-a-like-transfer-head-and-hard-case/222814389582?hash=item33e0c5c54e:g:-qoAAOSwBV5abgcQ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-ARIA-STB-series-Peripherals/222812660247?hash=item33e0ab6217:g:LBwAAOSwtDdabEF2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I think it happened when they launched the budget range as alot people I know seems to associate aria with being cheap and nasty but I tell them the older ones are fantastic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I'm the proud owner of a late 70s SB1000. They are fabulous instruments to play and far from budget quality. However, they are not the most versatile of basses. The narrow neck and string spacing makes "slapping" rather tricky... If that's your bag! Had to replace the pickup a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 There are Arias and there are Arias. An SB from the late 70s, especially if it has "The Aria Pro II" on the headstock is a great bass and will be still be holding its value. Unfortunately there's also a lot of very ordinary and average instruments with the Aria name on them. The ones own the links you posted are examples of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Still love my Aria MAB20/5 that I spent most of my formative years playing. Recently dabbled on it a bit and it's sounding better to me now than it ever did! Have to agree with BRX (doesn't happen often!), there are Arias and there are Arias... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZilchWoolham Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 The Japanese Aria Pro II's ranged from great value to flat out terrific instruments. Anything simply labelled Aria, especially from the later non-Japanese runs, is in general nothing to get too excited about. If Bassassin stops by this thread I think he could tell you everything you'd ever need to know about Aria! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I have an Aria ATB that I picked up for peanuts. It’s great and I will never sell it as it’s still worth peanuts. It would be an ideal starter for someone and a lot better than the Encore type fender clones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Some of the Korean basses were very good, there's a lovely fretless with SD pickups on eBay at the moment for a good price (that's the original bridge btw, bass looks like it's had surgery at some point): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-Pro-II-Fretless-Bass-Guitar/162865428790?hash=item25eb893936:g:mHQAAOSwY3daZnV2 I gigged a brace of Korean (Samick?) Integras and a Chinese Integra and all three were very nice basses which punched well above their weight. The Korean Integra (an early one with Japanese parts) I kept hold of is simply the most brutal sounding passive bass I've heard, I don't play much rock but I held onto it just in case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 (edited) My 1981 MIJ Aria Pro II CSB380 has the best neck of any bass I've ever owned. The overall build quality and finish is very good. I'm the 2nd owner and it's a keeper. I recently saw one on ebay for about £400 so the prices have crept upwards, though this one was in very good condition from a seller in Japan. Edited January 29, 2018 by grandad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 In the late 80s I had a SLB model PJ. Wasn't an expensive bass but it was very nice. Lovely blue colour too. It was stolen in the end. I wonder what happened to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZilchWoolham Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 43 minutes ago, grandad said: My 1981 MIJ Aria Pro II CSB380 has the best neck of any bass I've ever owned. The overall build quality and finish is very good. I'm the 2nd owner and it's a keeper. I recently saw one on ebay for about £400 so the prices have crept upwards, though this one was in very good condition from a seller in Japan. I would say that must have been very optimistically priced. The CSB380 was one of the cheapest models. 38000 JPY adjusted for inflation is about 50k JPY, which in turn is about £325. I see no reason why anyone should pay more than the original (Japanese) retail price for a budget instrument, even if it happens to be a very good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Any excuse to pop a picture of this 1981 SBR-150 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) As a man of a certain age, I'll always have a soft spot for the 1980s SB range and also the Integra models that Billy Gould used on The Real Thing. I've got an old Japanese (1978) Primary P-bass; granted it's really just the body and neck that remain original (everything else was shot), but it's a very robust well made bass. Edited January 30, 2018 by NancyJohnson 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendall Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 1 hour ago, police squad said: Any excuse to pop a picture of this 1981 SBR-150 A true Thing of Beauty right here. I still have a 1980s Pro 2 knocking about - battered to hell, pick ups replaced, but the neck is still sound and it plays and sounds awesome. It's a bit of a one trick pony, but that one trick is pretty damn good. I still hanker after my original Aria SB...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 i had a pro 2 magna five string. Very nice indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Still got my Aria Pro II Integra IGB, passive, 1989/90. No complaints at all . In fact I like it's fairly small body, light weight and thinnish neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) I helped out in my local music shop at the end of the 70s, when they were undergoing a transition from being a home organ shop that also sold some budget guitar brands like Columbus and Grant to being more aimed at rock bands, and to that end they had become main dealers for Aria, Ibanez and Fender. Aria and Ibanez had recently made a move away from copies to original designs for their export markets, and while most of the guitars still had obvious design roots from the classic US instruments, the basses - in particular the Aria Pro II SB range - were very different. They were streets ahead of everything indesign, construction and finish, with only the more conservative looking Ibanez basses coming close. By comparison the Fender instruments they were getting were little better than the Grant copies that had proceeded them, although you do have to remember that the late 70s was probably the lowest point for build and quality control at Fender. Incidentally, Nobuaki Hayashi who was responsible for most of those fantastic Aria Pro II instruments now makes guitars and basses under the Atlansia name. Edited January 30, 2018 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Those Atlansia are totally MAD! Probably way out of my league price wise but if I was still doing decent sized gigs I would be SO tempted, just for the look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 1 hour ago, ivansc said: Those Atlansia are totally MAD! Probably way out of my league price wise but if I was still doing decent sized gigs I would be SO tempted, just for the look. I used to own and Atlansia Solitaire 1-string fretless bass, which I got second-hand from Ishibashi in Japan. IIRC with shipping and VAT/import duties it cost me about £400 roughly 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Spotted this today, they do pop up from time to time. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-SB-600-bass-guitar/132486825780?hash=item1ed8d48734:g:w3oAAOSwwZtabzPE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 (edited) I've had a couple Arias over the years - an SB1000 (shown in the pictures above) and an Integra. The quality of the SB1000 was as good as (probably better than) any other bass I've owned including a USA Music Man and German Warwick Custom Shop basses but I wouldn't put the Integra, as good as it is, in the same league; it sounds good enough, really good actually - it was my default "rock" bass until I got the EBMM Sterling, but the fit-and-finish is a bit hap-hazard. It's fine for a mid-priced bass (cost me about £500 I think) but just could not compete with the SB1000. Edited February 1, 2018 by darkandrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Ooh is this a "post a photo of your SB-1000" thread? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 8 hours ago, Norris said: Ooh is this a "post a photo of your SB-1000" thread? And why not? And what a lovely one you have sir! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 What about this one? https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/aria-pro-ii-classic-bass-guitar/1283514723 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 2 hours ago, TheGreek said: What about this one? https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/aria-pro-ii-classic-bass-guitar/1283514723 That’ll be a cracking bass for peanuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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