Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[donf]

I've heard of them, but don't know much about them. A friend of my daughter has a store in southern NJ and is selling off his stock. Apparently, a lot of it is Aria guitars. Is it worth going to look at? And if I do, which ones are worth looking at? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[jgcable]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

The early Urchin Pro's are excellent. I had both a basic bolt on and a top of the line set neck with koa wings, bubinga strips, cloud inlays, brass nut, 5 pos varitone, 3 preamps with preamp level control and mix, coil taps, phase switches, 24 fret ebony board, hardtail. It was beautiful looking, sounding and playing. I gigged with those 2 guitars only for almost 5 years.

[donf]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]
The early Urchin Pro's are excellent. I had both a basic bolt on and a top of the line set neck with koa wings, bubinga strips, cloud inlays, brass nut, 5 pos varitone, 3 preamps with preamp level control and mix, coil taps, phase switches, 24 fret ebony board, hardtail. It was beautiful looking, sounding and playing. I gigged with those 2 guitars only for almost 5 years.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought they were made by the early Matsomoku factory. I own several Westburys that were made there and they are very good quality. I'm not sure if the Aria, or at least the early Arias were made there or not.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

The old Super Bass series is great...I haven't played much else than that.

[BallsOnParade]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

I've owned three Aria Pro II's in my younger years, and they were GREAT guitars: 2- V's and one plain jane Strat-ish model with an all natural finish and three single coils, all with the 80's Aria headstocks (not the Jackson knockoff headstocks that came later), and they all had great tones and playability...



basically it was this guitar in an all natural finish, maple fretboard and white pickguard, everything else is the same

and I had two like this one:


one was solid red body, the other had the exact paint scheme like this one except it was black with yellow graphics, both with maple fretboards and color-coded headstocks...

[zeegler]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard of them, but don't know much about them. A friend of my daughter has a store in southern NJ and is selling off his stock. Apparently, a lot of it is Aria guitars. Is it worth going to look at? And if I do, which ones are worth looking at? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

If they are new ones, I have no idea. They are made in Korea.

Generally, the pre '85 Arias and Aria Pros are the best.

[zeegler]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]

I thought they were made by the early Matsomoku factory. I own several Westburys that were made there and they are very good quality. I'm not sure if the Aria, or at least the early Arias were made there or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, the Arias were definitely Matsumoku products up to the mid/late 80s. However, according to the guy who runs the Guitar Gallery web site, Westbury guitars were not made by Matsumoku. I had thought the same thing, because they share a lot of attributes, and build quality with the other Matsumoku brands such as Aria Pro, Westone, Electra, Skylark, and Washburn. He is most likely correct, as he pretty much knows more about Matsumoku guitars than anyone else.

[BallsOnParade]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

i like this one, too, I knew a dude who played in an undergroud prog-metal band back in the late 80's-early 90's (Aaron from HELSTAR)who used this guitar exclusively...except his was cream and black with gold hardware...

[zeegler]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

Mmm, perhaps my info is out of date. I was just reading some posts on the Guitar Gallery, and it appears that Westbury are indeed Matsumoku made. Go figure!

[donf]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]
Well, the Arias were definitely Matsumoku products up to the mid/late 80s. However, according to the guy who runs the Guitar Gallery web site, Westbury guitars were not made by Matsumoku. I had thought the same thing, because they share a lot of attributes, and build quality with the other Matsumoku brands such as Aria Pro, Westone, Electra, Skylark, and Washburn. He is most likely correct, as he pretty much knows more about Matsumoku guitars than anyone else.

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe he is correct, come to think of it. The first Westbury Performer (I believe under Univox)),a prototype to the Standard, Custom and Deluxe) was from the factory, but the rest that followed weren't. But I could be wrong. They were all made very well.

[donf]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

Zeeg, here some more info from a Westbury site regarding their guitars...

http://www.westburyguitars.com/history.htm.

[donf]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]
like this one, too, I knew a dude who played in an undergroud prog-metal band back in the late 80's-early 90's (Aaron from HELSTAR)who used this guitar exclusively...except his was cream and black with gold hardware

[/ QUOTE ]

Nice looking guitar! [img]/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[Rupe]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

There's a big article on Matsumoko guitars in this months Vintage Guitar magazine...check it out if you can.

[donf]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

[ QUOTE ]
There's a big article on Matsumoko guitars in this months Vintage Guitar magazine...check it out if you can.

[/ QUOTE ]

I saw that in a store, but I haven't picked it up yet.

[SARJ]

Re: Aria/ Aria Pro ?

When I was an ignorant teenager back in the early 80's I played an Aria Pro that was Stratish with one bucker, one volume and had what I think was a real brass V-trem. It had a 22 fret maple board with black dots. It was in a metal flake maroonish red color kinda like fire engine red. My friends uncle picked it up for him and it was missing it's humbucker, volume pot and knob and input jack. Everything else was there. Since I was there when he brought it over I got to go shopping with them. My buddy put a Di Marzio Super Distortion zebra bucker in it and a volume pot with a gold dome knob to match the brass bridge and goldish tuners. The input jack was square and made of black plastic, (not OEM). After it was all together it sounded like the hammer of the gods.........dude! I knew little about guitars then so just about any guitar that looked cool was a killer guitar to me. Do any of you guys know what model it may have been? Custom shop maybe? I have no idea where this guy is now. I would imagine still living with his mother in San Diego CA in the hood where we all came up. I have no other distinguishing features to offer or serial numbers.