Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Aria Pro + Alembic = Awesome!






Well, Rudy Sarzo thought so, and I have to agree! Rudy has an SB-Black 'n' Gold II with Alembic pickups in this photo (thanks Nuno!).

Here are my two Aria SB basses that have been modded with Alembic pickups and electronics. I can tell you it is a great combination! I actually got the p'ups/electronics from Aria Pro II SB-LTD basses that had been damaged. Alembic and Aria have a history that goes back to the late '80s/early '90s, possibly due to Rudy Sarzo having his Aria basses modded with Alembic electronics. Aria produced the LTD series for a few years. Click here for some specs.

The first bass I had modified was an SB-R60. The bass, which was produced in 1982, plays extremely well and with the Alembic electronics is just a terrific instrument. I had my friend Lance install a red LED battery indicator on the bass. I also made this a 'stealth' bass by add black Gotoh tuners and a black SB bridge. In the future, I may have an Alembic Q switch installed. G-Cat in Seoul, Korea did the pickup installation.


The second SB I had modded was an SB-Black 'n' Gold II, also 1982 vintage. The truss rod cover says Toshi' Model 5 on it, whatever that means. I had to have this bass refretted in addition to the p'up/electronics swap. It has a little different sound than the R60, due to the double pickup configuration, but is just as great sounding and playing as the R60! Again, I had Lance add an LED battery indicator, but this one is blue. MD Guitars did the mods and repairs on this bass.
Lastly, here is a photo of three SB basses stocked with Alembics. My SB-BnG and R60 along with an SB-LTD, which now resides happily with Nuno!
As usual, more photos can be seen at my photobucket sites. SB-R60 and SB-BnG.



1 comment:

  1. Hey Ys. I have a Aria Pro II that used to belong to Rudy Sarzo. It has Alembic pick ups.

    It's awesome. Feast your eyes on this:http://ariapro2.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete