**SOLD** Aria SB-Elite II AKA SB-ELT AKA SB-RSZ AKA SB-800, can ship worldwide £750 Dudley

[dyerseve]

My clearout due to moving country continues... with that in mind - no trades please.

Up for sale is the newly re-fretted Aria SB-Elite II / SB-ELT / SB-RSZ

Model history:

so here is what I know of the history behind this model(thanks to @Fionn for this info!):

when it was first released, they called it the SB-Elite II, but changed it to SB-ELT shortly after, so it wouldn’t be confused with a previous model named  SB-Elite II. Anyway, Rudy Sarzo was playing one, so when they got him to endorse it they renamed it the SB-RSZ. All. 3 different names in only 3 years of production. Meanwhile, in Japan, they called it the SB-800 the whole time, despite the fact that there was already a bolt-on single pickup model with that name....

Bass History:

Anyway, back to this particular bass - it was originally fretted but somewhere along the line became a fretless which is how I bought it back in 2018. I had it professionally refretted by a local luthier (Tony Wright of Lakestone Guitars) so it is now back in it's original form. Whilst it was being refretted I took the hardware and got it shot-blasted to get rid of the tarnish on the gold hardware - the hardware now has a nickel-like finish which looks much nicer IMO. It isnt perfect though - the gold finish was heavily tarnished and so the shot-blasting worked well but in a couple of small areas it went a bit further so there are some areas where that are slightly unsightly - I am being picky here as this is a 30+ year old bass but I want to be as honest as possible. The bass in general is in very good condition for its age but again there are a few little bumps and knocks commensurate with normal use - certainly not abuse! I have tried to capture all of these in the photos so please study them carefully - there is nothing of any real significance other than a slight crack near the jack - the bass is rock solid, everything works perfectly including the truss rod and electronics. All the pots and switches have been cleaned and work  perfectly.

Did I mention this bass sounds epic? Not to mention versatile, despite being passive! It features VVT controls and two coil tap switches to give you plenty of tonal varieties to chose from. The natural tone of this bass is quite bright and clear with a hot output.

The bass is all original and I believe the case is also original to the bass. There is a small screw missing from the control cavity cover but otherwise it is complete and fully functioning. The same luthier that refretted it has just given it a pro setup with new Warwick Red Label strings.

The ergonomics are excellent - perfect access to all frets , comfortable playing standing or sitting thanks to the body shape and contours. This bass weighs exactly 4kg and the balance is as perfect as it gets. The neck has a jazz neck feel to it - ie thin and fast.

I think that covers all of it - if you have any questions please let me know.

Worldwide shipping available at cost - I have a box to pack the bass and case in to for added protection.

Detailed photos here - please check these for the not so pretty bits!:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/chfjsuMRjE1n4kJKA

Edited October 13, 2020 by dyerseve

[Bassassin]

Lovely bass - I have one of these with a black stain finish.

I've done  a bit of research about these & can hopefully clarify a little - it's an SB-ELT, from 1988-91 (ish), hard to be certain of the year because these are post-Matsumoku basses & don't have serial numbers. They differ slightly from the Matsumoku-made SB Elite II & SB-R II, the nut width is slightly slimmer (mine's 38mm, as opposed to my SB Elite's 40mm) and the body proportions very slightly different. The Matsumoku basses also have a recessed jack, stacked v & t and a rotary selector switch. Otherwise they're very, very similar, hardware & pickups appear to be identical.

These are thought to have been made by Tokai Gakki, who apparently took over high-end Aria Pro production after Matsumoku closed in '88. Not confirmed yet, but wherever they were made the quality's exceptionally good - I'd say the inlays are tidier on my ELT than the ones on my Matsumoku SB-Elite B&G I.

The RSZ designation is interesting, but might just be have been a Japanese market thing:

It doesn't seem to appear as an RSZ in the US/EU literature, including the 1989 brochure featuring Mr Sarzo himself capering around on the front:

Anyway, hope this has helped clarify what it is a little -  and if I didn't already have one I'd be seriously interested. GLWTS!

[Brother Jones]

Oh, now this is very interesting. I have the same bass, but with gold hardware.

I bought it here about 15 years ago, as an "SB Elite II". They're superb. 

[dyerseve]

3 hours ago, Brother Jones said:

Oh, now this is very interesting. I have the same bass, but with gold hardware.

I bought it here about 15 years ago, as an "SB Elite II". They're superb. 

The confusion over the model name is rife and quite understandable. Regardless, these are phenomenal basses.

[dyerseve]

Open to sensible offers of course...

[Skybone]

OMG, that's a beauty and no mistake, the black one was/is one of my bucket list basses.

GLWTS.