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Showing results for tags 'aria pro ii'.
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Now that's a hell of a title. I think that's it's fairly well-known that I've somewhat of a fascination with Japanese instruments made from 1976-1986 in the Matsumoku factory under the Aria Pro II banner. For the last ten years or so I've been making replacement preamp modules for their classic SB-1000 basses, and doing a few complete restorations for clients. The SB-1000 was an active single-pickup four-string bass made in two versions '76-'80 and '80-'86. It was made beyond this time in various forms, and is still made by the current incarnation of Aria Pro II, however the classic -
A friend of mine sent me an Aria Pro II RSB-600 bass a while back which he wanted retrofitting with hybridised SB-1000 electronics. Because of the extensive work that bass would require to do it proper justice (including a full refinish) we decided instead that I would trade the bass for work. That work being on a different bass acquired in Japan. The project remit is a new neck to replace the one that is missing, but in the style of the 2+2 SB Black n' Gold basses rather than the 4-in-line style of the original. Additional modifications include a brass nut, body end truss rod access, gold f
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This thread will be a collection of information and stages of planning a build using parts found on eBay. Ultimately this will become a series of articles on specific techniques and procedures for the main Project Guitar site with one main article documenting the build with reference to these. For the moment this will serve as a public thread discussing everything as it happens.
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From the album: eBay body project
First step was to use a bearing-guided template bit to copy the existing cavity shape to a sheet of 5mm plywood. -
3D Cross-eye stereogram of veneer issues under the finish
Prostheta posted a gallery image in Member Galleries
From the album: eBay body project
For those of you into stereoscopy, check this one out! Look at the images from a comfortable distance and cross your eyes until both images overlap in the centre.... -
From the album: eBay body project
The light patch on the veneer could either be a sandthrough or adhesive soaking through the veneer. I suspect that this is a sandthrough whilst the marks at the edges are adhesive. -
From the album: eBay body project
Finish chips around the edges. -
From the album: eBay body project
Wow, now that is some awfully rough routing. -
From the album: eBay body project
The lack of a square heel does suggest the possibility of conversion through to a seven-string.... -
From the album: eBay body project
Finish chips around the edges. -
From the album: eBay body project
Finish chips around the edges. -
From the album: eBay body project
Potential sandthrough or veneer adhesive soaking through at the left hand side? -
From the album: eBay body project
Ding in the finish through to the veneer -
This is how the instrument would have looked new
Prostheta posted a gallery image in Member Galleries
From the album: eBay body project
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In exchange for some work I have taken onboard a 1981 bass which....has seen better days.... From 1977 to 1986, the Matsumoku factory (actually part of a larger complex, Singer I think) produced the best instruments Aria Pro II ever put out. The RSB-600 is a relative of the more commonly recognised SB-1000 bass played by John Taylor of Duran Duran, briefly by Cliff Burton (bigger backstory here), Trevor Horn and numerous other bassists of the era. Like the "big brother" SB-1000 this bass is a 7-piece laminated neck-through design with Oak wings. According to the catalogues, the neck consis
