Aria LS-400, cherry burst, made in Japan circa 1980. This is a grgeous littel overachiever, I'm a big fan. Aria Pro II have a long and storied history; many of their earlier guitars like this were made at the famed Matsumoku plant that produced famous 'lawsuit' models by Ibanez and Yamaha. This is a pretty straight up copy of a Les Paul Standard; it's simple but beautifully executed and made by hand. The plain maple top shows off some lovely subtle grain patterns and the cherry burst finish has aged beautifully to a mellow, warm glow. The neck is straight and stable with good frets after all these decades; it's carved to a sixties style slim vintage C shape and generally very agreeable indeed. The tone on offer is a vibrant, lively affair, with plenty of natural resonance and brightness adding some flair to the trademark LP warmth and thickness. These are some of the most underrated and underpriced 'lawsuit era' Gibson-style guitars going around, so get ahead of the crowd and thank me later.

Model: Aria Pro II LS-400
Made: Japan, Matsumoku plant, 1980 approx (serial 029319)
Finish: cherry sunburst, gloss poly
Body: agathis, sandwich style join, plain maple cap
Weight: 4.090kg
Neck: agathis, three piece, rosewood board, 12" radius, 24.75" scale, slim 60s profile
Mods: knobs replaced
Pickups: Aria Extra-II humbucker x2
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some minor dimples on the end, plus the 'Standard' logo on the truss cover is faded. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, there's a pair of minor dents on the back behind the third fret approx but they're not bothersome, as well as a couple of other minor dimples. The back has a couple of dents in the middle of the body and up from cavity, as well as a little trio of minor chips on the back edge near the rear strap pin and some dimples in the elbow area. The sides have some light dimples on both horns, elbow area and near the jack, as well as a dent near the knobs. The front has some minor dimples on the top edge, near the elbow area and near the knobs, as well as some minor play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: very good condition (8/10)

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have a bit of normal wear but don't need immediate attention, 7/10 for fret life left. No headstock breaks. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.