Aria Basses: 2015

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Famous Arias: Jack Bruce's SB-1000

Up for auction at Sotheby's is the late Jack Bruce's SB-1000 which he used for a short period of time in the early '80s. Of note is the serial number: 088047. He was also featured in an Aria Pro II advert with this bass and the quote "It's a bloody good axe!". This particular bass has a very plain grain but is still a very interesting instrument for Bruce / Cream fans. The bass is expected to go for between 3,000 - 5000 GPB.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Aria Pro II SB-Integra signed by Billy Gould!

Back in February I had the pleasure of meeting one of my bass idols and former Aria player, Billy Gould! He was at an event to launch his Zon Sonus signature bass in Tokyo and I was able to attend! Bill signed my AP SB-Integra prototype model which is just like the bass he played on Introduce Yourself and The Real Thing. When I showed him the bass he said "that's my bass!" and even played it a bit before signing for me. Here are some pics because "pictures or it didn't happen!".

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Another "Cliff Burton's Bass" Post!

Another one? Yep! This time Cliff's older sister Connie Burton has posted a picture of one of Cliff's Black 'n' Gold basses! Check it out:

Also, because today, February 10, is what would have been Cliff Burton's 53rd birthday, here are some photos of "The Major Rager..." in action! RIP Cliff!

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Erik Scott of Alice Cooper with Aria Pro II

It seems like the list of players who used Aria Pro II in the '80s is endless. Just when I think I've found them all, another one pops up. Here is Erik Scott of Alice Cooper's band playing what looks like an SB-900. Check out the wood grain! Check my video links for a video of Scott playing an Aria live.

Even More Aria Pro II Models!

It looks like the folks at Aria have been very busy lately! Here are even more new models! I'm noticing a emphasis on build quality - even on the lower priced models - that I haven't seen from Aria since the '80s. By build quality I mostly mean things like using 3 piece necks instead of scarf joints. Just in my experience with Aria basses from the '80s to the '90s, the ones with 3 piece necks were a lot less likely to warp. *Many* of the Integra models I've played with scarf joints had neck issues. So I'm glad to see Aria producing models with 3 piece necks again. They also seem to have more maple fretboards than I've ever seen from Aria. Here are some of the new editions!