barrycreed Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) Got this delivered today. Needs some TLC and I'd say the strings are as old as the bass. There's a lot of dust gathered on the bridge. I got it on reverb from Asia, so God only knows the stories this guitar could tell. I haven't had an old intrument for a long time. Bridge and neck sound really good on their own. I was looking for something a little different to a P or J configuration. But both pickups on together seems a lot quieter. Jack input is flakey so will need fixing. I may have to replace or upgrade the volume knob as well. I had been tempted to get it refinished to get rid of all the knocks and dings on it, but I'll see. I suppose it adds to the character. Any suggestions on strings? Flatwound or roundwound. The ones on it are roundwound I think and are bloody old. The neck feels great. I have it beside a P bass at the moment, and it doesn't look *that* much shorter on the guitar rack, but it's far easier to play obviously than a P Bass. Lots of aggressive riffs to come once this is playable. Here's a link to all the pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/YvYmZFA Edited June 3, 2020 by barrycreed 7 Quote
Bassassin Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 That's an Aria 1720, from around 1970 - '72 or so, and looks, apart from the missing bridge cover, to be in original & unmolested condition. http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria/catalogs/e70s_aria/e70s_aria_cat.html I'd be inclined to leave it as is, just give it a stripdown & thorough clean up - looks like there's very little corrosion to the metal parts, and all those knocks and bumps are its history. These are rare instruments these days, and pretty collectable - although not worth a fortune, they aren't without value, and are becoming more sought-after. 1 1 Quote
PaulThePlug Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 Strangely Weird... Weiredly Strange... Body looks like a 'left paw' with the pick guard on 'tother side... Headstock too... If the wood is nice and one piece, would look nice plain with a black guard to match the pickup surrounds. Quote
meterman Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 That's a beauty! If you can live with the target 'burst then I'd say leave it. The wood grain doesn't seem too prominent, and stripping poly out of a German carve is No. Fun. At. All. Clean it up and enjoy playing it! :) Quote
barrycreed Posted June 3, 2020 Author Posted June 3, 2020 It didn’t cost me a whole lot to be honest. I might get a cover for the bridge and will see if there is anyone selling volume pots online. I’ve come across parts before. Not sure I’ll gig it down the line! Quote
barrycreed Posted June 4, 2020 Author Posted June 4, 2020 Had a good rattle off it earlier. It has that Ric clackity sound on the bridge with a bit of drive. Sounds massive. My p bass sounds puny beside it. If this is what a Ric sounds like, I want one! Not sure why more companies haven’t used the Mosrite style pickups for bass... Quote
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