Tell me about Aria Pro II guitars

[gardo 688]

On 12/5/2019 at 10:10 PM, badpenguin said:

It's bottom feeder territory. Made from plywood, and crap pieces. I believe it was made in Korea after 87. Unless it's dirt cheap, avoid.

If this guy says they should be avoided I would take his advice . 

 

[badpenguin 752]

15 hours ago, Louis C said:

Hey guys,

I found an aria pro 2 fs from the 80's on facebook for 50euros , do you think it is worth ? 

Idk at all about the quality of these guitars but for 50 bucks...

What do you think ?

ok, what model? Arias ran the gamut from pure crap, to brilliance. It all depends on the model and the year.

[jwguitar 1]

On 8/23/2012 at 11:37 PM, chimi said:

Saw this thing on ebay. Did not bid but boy was i tempted.

 

This thing just looks stunning

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item27ca440dee&item=170897182190&nma=true&pt=Guitar&rt=nc&si=VzqnGAYZ3OIbAntr9WO%252FSIT4smI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_11913wt_1271

 

Made me wonder just how good these things are? Are we talking epiphone quality or higher? Also what's the difference between Aria, Aria Pro II etc.? Never got that.

I really like the Aria Pro II guitars.  Here is a video of me playing my PE-LUX guitar.  This is not a Matsumoku made guitar rather this is a recent Japanese made model.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJtnKqSWS7E

[Arcticfox35 1]

I can speak about guitars from the 80's.   I have a 1985 RS Knight Warrior; bought it used in '87 for $125.    Two years later I bought a Fender Strat, and put the Aria away...until last year.  I began playing it again because the neck agrees with my hand (pain from middle age, lol).   I never thought it was on par with my Fender, however, the neck is top notch! And just a tad narrower than Fender.  At 35 years old, everything still works!  It stayed in tune sitting in the case for years.  I feel the pickups are, well, subdued.  Not good or bad necessarily, just...subdued (compared to others).   But I recently recorded a couple songs with it, and I think the sound quality is just fine.  I have a link below if you want to hear what it sounds like.  I played all the guitar parts (and Bass) with the Aria, through a Peavey Vypyr amp.  I would buy another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKIKggB7JAo

Hope this helps.

[Phil O'Keefe 12,610]

Nice video, and it's cool that your Aria II is working for your hands and lets you continue to play. 

Welcome to HC Arcticfox! 

 

[BrianHorvath65 0]

WOW, I didn't think anyone even remembered the 80's Aria Pro IIs anymore. I bought a white Aria Pro II RS Special-V Strat back in 1983 for $500. It was my first REAL guitar. (My Magnums didn't count). I wasn't a big fan of it's tremelo. Seems like anytime I used it, it went out of tune. The neck is narrower than most guitars, but I didn't notice it since it's the only thing I played for like 2 years. I have pretty long fingers, so it made it little difficult for me to play at times. (Just thought it was the partying in the 80s - LOL) I used it to play metal,  so I swapped out the bridge pickup for a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail which made a LOT of difference. Of course, like a lot of us, eventually we realize that the garage band will never make it out of the garage, and we have to put our guitars down and get a real job. You know, life. But that doesn't mean we have to sell what makes us happy. I STILL HAVE THAT GUITAR & still play it. 37yr old guitar and still looks and feels as good as the day I got it. Every once in a while I go online looking to see if I can find someone selling one like it, just to see if it's worth anything, but I never find anything. Oh well, even if it's not, it still has a lot of worth to me. (Unless its worth like $1500, then it's up for sale - 😄)   I'd post a pic, but I don't have a URL image, just a jpg. Anyways, I just wanted to share that with you all. Thanks for your time. Love to hear any comments you might have, if they are nice ones. 

 

PS- Added pic after posting

Edited April 21, 2020 by BrianHorvath65
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[tomman47 0]

Hi, can anyone help me identifying this guitar ? 

https://imgur.com/i1ZgewQ

https://imgur.com/fXGrQaP

https://imgur.com/0UmIJ30

 

usually on these models it says made in korea, but not this one, so i have no idea what year or country its been made in.... 

[badpenguin 752]

Radical concept here, but it's a …. wait for it.... wait for it.... TA-40B!!! Lots of detective work there. (whew!) Mid 90's 94-96, MIC (Made IN China) Generally thought to be a decent starter guitar.

[tomman47 0]

9 hours ago, badpenguin said:

Radical concept here, but it's a …. wait for it.... wait for it.... TA-40B!!! Lots of detective work there. (whew!) Mid 90's 94-96, MIC (Made IN China) Generally thought to be a decent starter guitar.

yeah well I read the TA-40B The problem for me was country of origin. Every information on these TAs I found was that they were made in Korea and it always said that it was made there, but this one just doesnt have any indication about the country of origin... thx for the info 

[badpenguin 752]

Not a problem, that's what Google is for.

[mbengs1 91]

I have two aria pro ii STG-series strat copies. I put malmsteen yjm fury's on one and dimarzio hs-3's on the other. I like them. For just straight out playing they cash in. I have lots of fun playin them. 

[tomman47 0]

I ended up buying it even tho it was the chinese model, because it was 120 bucks. 

I have a very decent strat that is my main guitar and this is just a hollow body for fun... but man for the money its a great guitar. It has the hollowbody sound, the pickups are hot, the fretboard was super dry, but I oiled it and it shines beautifuly, the action can be set low and its actually in tune... 

I'd compare it to 350-400  dollar hollowbody guitars that I tried in the store... 

[Joe168 0]

Hello all, I am new in this forum.

I have Aria Pro II MA-40 red-black color with 2 single coils (neck+middle) and 1 humbucker, 2 tone switches, 1 volume knob, 2 tone knobs, double locking bridge tremolo (floyd rose?).

It needs 2 x 9V batteries for its pickups. I like the guitar.

1. Can anybody tell me if my guitar is still made by Matsomoku (Japan) or Korea?

2. In which year was it produced? I can't remember when my father bought it for me, may late 80s or begin of 90s. It was not cheap at that time.

3. I want to know the setting measurements recommended by manufacturer (string action height, pickup height, etc.). Can anybody give me some information about that?

Thank you in advance.

Joe

[badpenguin 752]

Hey there. 

Magna series, made from the late 80's to about 96/98 range. No, not Japanese, Korean made. As to the set up specs, no info, since they never made that public. Best setup, is the one that you like. Best answer I can offer.

[MR Ralph 0]

Does anyone here know anything about the pro II CTB series. I just bought one that looks like new. I was told the CTB series was made for only 2 years like 88 and 89 in Japan. This Bass has no markings on it. Love the neck and weight and I am trying to decide if I want to upgrade the electrics and turn it into a fretless or let someone else enjoy her and look for another project.

[The Other Paul 0]

I have a SH-1000 that I bought in Vancouver in 1981. Sadly the rear pickup is kacked and I don't have the guitar-fu to know what to replace it with. Any suggestions?

[SteinbergerHack 10,798]

On 11/3/2020 at 2:17 PM, The Other Paul said:

I have a SH-1000 that I bought in Vancouver in 1981. Sadly the rear pickup is kacked and I don't have the guitar-fu to know what to replace it with. Any suggestions?

Pickup selection has more to do with what sound you want from it than what was there before.  What amp do you.use with it?

[The Other Paul 0]

On 11/6/2020 at 2:53 AM, SteinbergerHack said:

Pickup selection has more to do with what sound you want from it than what was there before.  What amp do you.use with it?

Marshall JCM900 100w (set to 50), 2x12. Not really a pickup connoisseur. Plus the pre-amp gives plenty of guts, and tone options. I'm thinking maybe an EMG just for looks.

[SteinbergerHack 10,798]

19 minutes ago, The Other Paul said:

Marshall JCM900 100w (set to 50), 2x12. Not really a pickup connoisseur. Plus the pre-amp gives plenty of guts, and tone options. I'm thinking maybe an EMG just for looks.

With that amp, you can make almost anything sound good.  The EMGs have a very characteristic sound, very good for high-gain metal tones (IMO).  I would never mix an EMG with something else, as they don't mix well with anything else in my experience.  Put in a complete set or stick with something more basic like a PAF-style passive.

[badpenguin 752]

31 minutes ago, The Other Paul said:

Marshall JCM900 100w (set to 50), 2x12. Not really a pickup connoisseur. Plus the pre-amp gives plenty of guts, and tone options. I'm thinking maybe an EMG just for looks.

An active EMG won't really work due to 1) no grounding,  2)different value pots 3) different output jack. It's never been a recommended thing to mix active and passives. You can get a passive EMG Select that will drop in.

[Roy Brooks 2]

I like my early to mid 1970s Aria model 5502 copy of an ES-335 and mid 1970s SG copy.

[Richierich82 0]

Hi all, I have an Aria Pro 2 Viper series VP-30. This was my first guitar almost 30 years ago. I know it's was made between 91-92 and that it has a maple body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Does anyone know anything else about it as there is nothing on Google.