Members badpenguin Posted February 25, 2020 Members Share Posted February 25, 2020 Hey all. first off, interesting to start a post that hasn't been rehashed from 12 years ago. At least there's some sort of life here, but does zombie count as life? Anyway... Been busy selling off some of the herd, paying off bills, and bought a couple to fill in the missing places on the wall. (yeah, I know, lame excuse but whatever works, right? 😀) In December, had to go down to Orlando area to pick up some stuff for work, and while down there decided that my fav store was 20 minutes away, why not go and pick thru the parts bin? And sitting in the back of the store, cruddy strings, blackened goop covered frets, and dust bunnies on the verge of discovering fire in the F holes was this piece of majestic Japanese craftsmanship, a 1977 Aria Pro II ES700. Everything about it is sheer perfection. From the nib covered fret ends, the A2 magnets in the pickups, action, tone, playability, and the certain "something" that special guitars seem to have, all called out to me. It's a major keeper. On the way home from that same trip, drove by a yard sale, and lo and behold, saw a headstock sticking up from behind a set of golf clubs. A few minutes of talking with the owner, whose kid wanted it, played it for 2 days, covered it in stickers, and tossed in under the bed where it sat for near 17 years. $20 USD later, yes, you read right $20, a 2003 Ibanez IC200. (3 days of Goof Off and cleaning, the stickers are just a bad memory. ) A SD 59 in the neck, and a Pearly Gates in the bridge makes me VERY happy! The next one was a Christmas gift from my beloved wife. a 1968-70 Encore MIJ Ric 330/12 copy. Needed new tuners in the worst way, some setup, and a set of 8 to 40 12 strings, and she plays, well, nice-ish, kinda, sorta. Stringing it made me realize just WHY they are NOT the most popular guitar on the planet! And finally, found this poor neglected 2007 Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded in a pawn shop. Repaired headstock, chambered, so it weighs less then a truck (Maybe 8 lbs. soaking wet.) and really plays incredibly well. AND the original hard-shell case for $300USD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Dude - MAJOR scores! Especially that Ibanez for $20! A friend of mine says that when he dies, if he's taken to a room full of Ric 12 string guitars and is told to play them, he'll know he went to heaven. If he's told to re-string them, he'll know he wound up in the other place... Congrats on the new guitars. You did really, really well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted February 25, 2020 Members Share Posted February 25, 2020 More like highway robbery nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 25, 2020 Moderators Share Posted February 25, 2020 Since you didn't mention the price on the Aria, I'm not sure you killed on that one, however, they are extremely excellent copies of the 335, so I will say nice score; but the 'Iceman' was definitely a steal at $20! Too bad they are so 'fugly'...but the p-ups alone made that one worth doing. The Ric copy [bolt neck?]...as you said, 'kinda, sorta'...if you change out the pickups and pots you should see a marked improvement....but it won't sound like a Ric. The Lester, though, with the OHSC, if the repair was done correctly, was also a great deal, maybe not a steal, but well under valued. The Studios may not have the 'bling' factor like standards and customs, but they have the LP sound, and that is 'where the rubber meets the road'! So congrats on your new 'wall coverings'...enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted February 25, 2020 Author Members Share Posted February 25, 2020 Thank you one and all! No Daddy, the Aria wasn't in the "bargain bin" but it wasn't stupidly priced either. After the normal chest beating, insults to ones intelligence, and the final grunting out a price, I paid 500USD with original case for it. Worth every penny in my opinion, especially after playing the 1960 ES335 he had. Great guitar, but not worth the 40X price difference! the Encore had a bolt on neck that someone in it's past glued in. Yeeeeaaaaahh… my thoughts too, but it's cool and fun. I do have a set of Ric pickups I may throw in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 5 hours ago, badpenguin said: After the normal chest beating, insults to ones intelligence, and the final grunting out a price... I've never heard the price haggling process described in quite that way, but it fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 5 hours ago, badpenguin said: I do have a set of Ric pickups I may throw in there. Hi-Gains, or Toasters? I've been tempted to put a pair of Toasters into my Ric 610 on and off for years, but the Hi-Gains are just so much fun to play with overdrive. That guitar has surprised more than a few hard rockers when I've handed it to them in the studio and suggested they try it for an overdub... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 26, 2020 Members Share Posted February 26, 2020 Congratulations. Happy New Guitar(s) Day. 👍 I agree, especially about the Iceman. Great score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 26, 2020 Moderators Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 2/25/2020 at 7:25 AM, badpenguin said: Thank you one and all! No Daddy, the Aria wasn't in the "bargain bin" but it wasn't stupidly priced either. After the normal chest beating, insults to ones intelligence, and the final grunting out a price, I paid 500USD with original case for it. Worth every penny in my opinion, especially after playing the 1960 ES335 he had. Great guitar, but not worth the 40X price difference! the Encore had a bolt on neck that someone in it's past glued in. Yeeeeaaaaahh… my thoughts too, but it's cool and fun. I do have a set of Ric pickups I may throw in there. that Aria, assuming the condition is as it appears in the pic, is worth every penny of $500, and the OHSC was a nice bonus... If you put Ric 'toasters' in that Encore, it would be lipstick on a pig, but it might sound a lot more like a Ric...😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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