- Aria Pro Ii Bass Serial Number
- Aria Pro Ii Bass Guitar
- Aria Pro Ii Bass Specs
- Aria Pro Ii Bass Slb Series
Hi there!
I love the early 1980s Aria Pro II Super Basses, and have owned dozens of SB-700 and SB-1000 models over the years, but only one SB-900. In fact, this SB-900 is the only one that I have ever seen.
The original run of Aria Pro II Super Basses were made in the 1970s and 1980s, and were the top of the line basses coming out of the Matsumoku factory in Japan. They were kind of a poor man’s Alembic, with multi-laminate neck-through construction and trick electronics. Aria found some high profile endorsers, including Jack Bruce and John Taylor, which gave them instant credibility.
Aria Pro Ii Bass Serial Number
1977 – The Aria Pro II PE 1500 comes on the market and this model is quickly recognized as an exceptional guitar. Its classic and modern design as well as the quality of manufacturing have made it a rather expensive model for the time. The Aria Pro II PE-350CST is the perfect mix of playability, versatility, and affordability. PE-Series guitars have a lightweight, streamlined design, that includes the Aria exclusive, heel-less cutaway neck joint. These guitars are nicely accented with gold hardware and a triple lined binding that hugs every curve.
At the time, all of the Super Basses had single pickups except for the SB-900, which had two MB-II double coil (humbucking) pickups. These were wired through volume and tone controls, as well as a rotary 3-way pickup selector and two “dual sound” (coil tap) switches.
Aria Pro Ii Bass Guitar
The Aria brandname was changed to Aria Pro II in late 1975, though this has been used mostly (but not exclusively) for electric guitars and basses. All guitars were made in Japan until 1988, when production of less expensive models was switched to Korea. Vintage 1980’s Aria Pro II ZZ Bass Deluxe. 1980's aria pro II slb bass dirty pot. I want to fix the tone pot on my dads 1980's aria pro II slb bass. I sprayed it with contact cleaner but it didnt do anything. Should i replace the pot? Aria Pro II CSB-380 Description:A beautiful Aria Pro II Cardinal bass made in 1983 by the Matsumoku factory, this thing shines in a transparent red with a matching headstock. Ash body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, it's recently been restrung and plays nicely.
Aria Pro Ii Bass Specs
But, unlike the SB-1000, the SB-900 did not get active electronics, so it is really more like a two pickup SB-700 pr an SB Elite II.
Aside from the electronics, the SB-900 received all the same good stuff as the other Super Basses. This includes a rosewood fretboard, a brass nut, a brass high-mass bridge, Gotoh tuners, and a nicely-figured body finished in natural, black or trans red.
Aria Pro Ii Bass Slb Series
I found the one you see here at a music shop in New York City about 10 years ago. According to the serial number it is from 1980, and it bears the original “The Aria Pro II” moniker and the early batwing-shaped headstock tip so this is an early example.
The overall condition was very good, with the usual dings and scratches as well as a relocated strap pin, but the electronics were unmolested and the original frets were in fabulous shape. The weight was not too bad for this one, coming in at around 10 ½ pounds. I have seen some Super Basses that weigh as much as 12 pounds. Ouch. It even came with the original hardshell case.
This all sounds good until you factor in that it had a weak tone with no mids, which made it too much like an SB-700, and I really prefer the SB-1000 tone. If I could have found an 18-volt SB-1000 or a MusicMan Bongo pre-amplifier to put in this thing it would have made a formidable instrument, but as it was, it was uninspired.
Fortunately, it was rare (which made it collectible), so despite its mediocre sound I did not have any trouble selling it. This SB-900 eventually went to an Aria bass collector (there are such people), which was probably the best result I could hope for.
Mahalo!