Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I bought this last week, and I just got around to cleaning it and setting it up… ’90s Korean Aria GTB II J. Pretty tatty on collection, but the seller assured me it sounded amazing, and all was well with the neck etc…. he was correct Having just spent an hour working on it, new (old but newish) strings (yes they need trimming down a bit) put on it, cleaned and oiled etc, it’s a belter. Fantastic pickups, very jazz like, but very bright and punchy. I really do love these 90s Aria pickups, they’re very potent and very clear as they are on all my old Aria basses. My Integra 4 string, very similar to this, is also a beast. Not light, but not heavy, just a sold piece(s) of wood. I saw it on Gumtree and knowing what I know, I had to add it to the stable, I beat a lot of folks to it apparently, there was a bit of a queue by all accounts. It was £50. 👍🏻 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 That's a great score, has the old stock MIJ Aria bridge on it as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 20 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: That's a great score, has the old stock MIJ Aria bridge on it as well. Yep, always a plus point with these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I remember Arias being highly regarded in the 80s. No idea if they lost their way or if its just a flavour of the month thing but others with long memories should agree. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I told a friend of mine about an Integra that was on eBay about a year ago. It was about £100.00. Mental. It needed a bit of a set up, but it was stonking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 41 minutes ago, TheGreek said: I remember Arias being highly regarded in the 80s. No idea if they lost their way or if its just a flavour of the month thing but others with long memories should agree. Yes the SB series, MIJ, were great basses. Subsequently production moved to Korea, and they became more intermediate, good, but not quite up there with the Japanese made instruments. The 90s and early 00s MIK Integras were great. I have a couple, my 5er is an IGB68, great bass. Now, they’re made in China I believe, but even Chinese production is getting good now. All that said, there’ll be more knowledgable Aria enthusiasts on here with more accurate information than me. I’m just a big fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 35 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said: I told a friend of mine about an Integra that was on eBay about a year ago. It was about £100.00. Mental. It needed a bit of a set up, but it was stonking. Get a good one, they’re really great. Worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I have an Aria 4 string with a MM pickup which I don't play - nothing wrong with it (in fact it's nicely balanced, good tone, nice neck) - I have several other 4 string basses I don't play. The resale price of these is ridiculously considering how well built they are and how good they play. I would have loved one as my first/ second bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 Yes my IGB68 5er is a MM pickup bass. Bizarrely, they used a ‘neck’ position pickup in them as standard, so the pole pieces don’t quite align with the strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 Oh yes, very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 2 hours ago, TheGreek said: I remember Arias being highly regarded in the 80s. No idea if they lost their way or if its just a flavour of the month thing but others with long memories should agree. The first Aria I came across was in the music department at my school in the late 90s. I think it was a cat. The roundwound strings were horribly old (I think they were rusty too), and it was played through a 90s Fender bass amp which wasn't great itself. It wasn't until I joined Basschat that I learnt that they weren't all terrible. I think that one probably just had the bad luck of being abused by kids and living in a static caravan sort of a thing. I wonder if a lot of people were also introduced to them like that. Might have reduced the brand reputation? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 The history or Aria and the man that started it is really fascinating. High end instruments made in Japan that rivalled the other Japanese builders. Down the years its been relegated to a perceived budget brand, which is a shame. I have no idea if the new Chinese stuff is any good or not. All said, there’s a lot of very affordable MIJ & MIK basses that punch well above the used prices. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 3 hours ago, TheGreek said: Ooh, that’s nice 😍. My first good guitar (sorry about the G word) was an Aria Les Paul. I wish I still had it now, it was awesome, especially with the 2 DiMarzio SDHBs I fitted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thump Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Excellent find! can never find bargains like this, lord knows I keep looking too. That looks like a real beauty cleaned up from the pics you posted. Very nice indeed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 TBH if it was a 5 string it would get more use. The only 4 string I play is a Mania fretless - another bargain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 Manias are fantastic basses. So having played this little Aria a lot over the last few hours, I love it even more. The only change I’m going to make, and I think it’s worth it because I’m absolutely keeping it, is a new set of Gotoh GB7 tuners. Everything else will stay as is. It’s great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 The mother of all bargains.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 ………. 😧 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 22 hours ago, TheGreek said: STB-GT, mid '00s. Basically a Stingray with a P shaped body & a skinny maple/blocks J neck. These are probably Indonesian or Chinese but very nice quality. Paid £100 for mine... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 I’m loving this….. An antidote to the extortionate prices of some of the gear out there at the moment. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 1 hour ago, Bassassin said: STB-GT, mid '00s. Basically a Stingray with a P shaped body & a skinny maple/blocks J neck. These are probably Indonesian or Chinese but very nice quality. Paid £100 for mine... Bargain...I paid £150 which I thought was OK when I played it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu_g Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Here is mine,I think I paid between £30-40 for it! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Now that was a real bargain... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 £20... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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