(SOLD) Aria 1540 JB-Style Sunburst 1970
Aria 1540 bass, sunburst, made in Japan 1970. The Aria brand was a house brand for famed guitar builders Matsumoku, who made some of those famous Ibanez 'lawsuit' models in the 70s and 80s. This one is so early that it pre-dates the mid-70s shift to the 'Aria Pro II' brand... heck. It had some mods before it landed here: a replaced bridge and neck pickup, which involved some minor routing under the guard to get it to fit nicely. We had our tech install some new (working) tuners and dress the frets, and since that was all sorted, it's playing really well. The neck is a slim D shape with a tradition skinny Jazz Bass style nut, which feels good in the hands. The binding and quirky rounded block inlays are cool little aesthetic touches, it looks awesome. The tone on offer is growly, rich and full, it's got a lot of character. Rolling the tone control back offers a rich, gooey plonk... yum. This is far from visually perfect, but dang... it's gob a vibe, right?
Model: Aria Pro II TSB-400
Made: Japan, Matsumoku plant, 1970 (serial 0197063)
Finish: sunburst, gloss poly, 4-ply tort guard
Body: nato
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 34" scale, 12" radius, 38mm nut, D shape
Mods: bridge, tuners and neck pickup replaced, minor routing required under the guard to fit new pickup
Weight: 4.040kg
Pickup: Aria passive single (bridge), generic 8-pole single coil (neck)
Case: none
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has widespread dimples and scuffs, no major marks. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, rub wear and dimples on the back and some scuffs and discolouration on the binding only. The back has widespread dimples, dents and scuffs, no major marks but heaps of minor ones. The sides have dimples and dents around the whole body, most notably in the elbow area. The front has a bunch of marks along the top edge , dents and extra screw holes around the bridge and widespread dimples and scuffs around the whole body. Overall: good condition (7/10).
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. The frets have some minor wear but they're in great shape and have just been levelled and dressed; 8/10 for fret life left. Set up with fresh 45/105 Moonshiners strings.