What is it about Aria SBs...

ICBM

... that seems to invite this sort of idiot? And this sort of butchery?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204506140748

No, it is not an SB-1000 - it's an SB-600. No, it does not have all-original parts - not just the extra pickup, I'm not actually convinced the ebony fingerboard is original, beautiful though it is... factory Arias had rosewood boards, including the fretlesses. No, that is not a flightcase - it's a rather flimsy 'hard' case, although it is at least original.

And no, it is not worth anything like that. Even a pristine SB-1000 factory fretless isn't.

Maybe I see them more because I look for Arias, but do other basses of this era get hacked and overpriced as badly as these?

sweepy

Must admit that I don’t remember  and SB.s of that era being offered as a fretless option but the fretboard does look lovely 

ElectricXII

It looks like an SB-700 to me, like the one I bought in 1982. That's not the first SB I've seen like that, and it's sacriligious isn't it?

The original cases are reasonably sturdy. Mine survived being dragged around Europe one summer. 

Mine:

ICBM

sweepy said:

Must admit that I don’t remember  and SB.s of that era being offered as a fretless option but the fretboard does look lovely 

I've got a definitely factory fretless SB-R60 - which admittedly is a couple of years newer - which is how I know they have rosewood boards .

John Taylor had one in Duran Duran - used on the Rio and Seven And The Ragged Tiger albums - too, although I'm not certain which model. (Nor is he, from an interview!)

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

not just the extra pickup

The extra pickup is a Seymour Duncan Active EQ model from the late Eighties and early Nineties. A nice pickup - I collect them - but the instrument does not need it. 

Confusingly, the SD LJ pickup is active whereas, IIRC, the Aria pickup is not. There would need to be buffering in there somewhere.

Difficult to know whether the hack* socket plate is disguising a split in the body wood or a hole made for a second output jack socket.


* This was a typographical error but I let it stand because it seems a better description of what has been inflicted on the instrument.

ICBM

ElectricXII said:

It looks like an SB-700 to me, like the one I bought in 1982.

Ah, yes - a 700 not a 600. But definitely not a 1000.

Funkfingers said:

Confusingly, the SD LJ pickup is active whereas, IIRC, the Aria pickup is not. There would need to be buffering in there somewhere.

I wonder if the original pickup has died, as they are somewhat prone to, and the J pickup has then been added instead rather than as well - although if that was the case you might expect to see it badly fitted in the original recess...

Funkfingers said:

Difficult to know whether the hack* socket plate is disguising a split in the body wood or a hole made for a second output jack socket.

The nicely recessed original jack does have the disadvantage of weakening the body slightly, and I have seen a few damaged ones with bodges like that to cover the resulting hole.

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

I wonder if the original pickup has died, as they are somewhat prone to, and the J pickup has then been added instead rather than as well - although if that was the case you might expect to see it badly fitted in the original recess.

What are the dimensions of the pickup cavity? Is it all one depth or are there "shelves" at either end where the height adjustment screws are? 

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

What are the dimensions of the pickup cavity? Is it all one depth or are there "shelves" at either end where the height adjustment screws are? 

The pickup is 100mm x 40mm with 5mm radius corners, with the adjustment screws at the centres of the radii - the cavity is probably no more than 1mm larger all round. From memory the cavity is flat-bottomed, although it's a while since I had the pickup out of one.

Funkfingers

An EMG-40 series pickup would probably fit. Maybe, the rounded corners would need squaring up a little?

Bartolini, Delano, Duncan/Basslines, Fishman, MEC/Warwick, Nordstrand, whoever. Hell, maybe even a RIC 4001 pickup and metal surround?

ElectricXII

Wasn't there a guy in Scandinavia who used to repair or build SB pickups? Mine is still working fine, but I'd hate to have to find a replacement.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

An EMG-40 series pickup would probably fit. Maybe, the rounded corners would need squaring up a little?

Bartolini, Delano, Duncan/Basslines, Fishman, MEC/Warwick, Nordstrand, whoever. Hell, maybe even a RIC 4001 pickup and metal surround?

There are definitely options which don't involve butchering the body, even if some of them might not look that neat. Personally, I wouldn't want to even slightly square the corners of the recess - the original woodworking and finishing is beautiful, and getting it too look right would be very difficult. I would consider rounding off the corners of the pickup first! The coil won't go that close to them.

ElectricXII said:

Wasn't there a guy in Scandinavia who used to repair or build SB pickups? Mine is still working fine, but I'd hate to have to find a replacement.

There was - Rautia Guitars in Finland. Sadly, he's stopped production now, I think after some health issues.

One of the reasons I keep looking for Aria basses on Ebay is that I would buy a basket-case hack job if it was fairly cheap and the pickup was working, just to have a spare.

Funkfingers

I vaguely recall @HarrySeven needing to repair or replace a dead Aria bass guitar pickup. What I cannot recall is whether it had split coils à la Precision Bass or full width coils like a regular humbucker.


On second thoughts, the bass that H7 was rescuing might have been a Westone.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

I vaguely recall @HarrySeven needing to repair or replace a dead Aria bass guitar pickup. What I cannot recall is whether it had split coils à la Precision Bass or full width coils like a regular humbucker.

The Aria pickups have full-width coils but only half-sets of polepieces, in a reverse-P configuration -

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/169512/aria-pro-ii-bass-pickup-rewind/p1

Ash is right - it's the epoxy potting which makes the closed-cover ones unrepairable, unfortunately.

Stratavarious

 My unmolested original 80’s SB1000 is an absolute gem of a bass.   Do every bass dep gig with it.  I can see why those who know them and have played one will pay a lot for them.

Lovely slim, fast neck, great punchy musical tones, eats batteries (it takes two 9v).. … so I rarely use it in active mode.  

I’ve been curious who might ever do a pickup replacement too.

ICBM

Another one... with the typical utterly delusional pricing as well. Horrendous photography which does nothing other than reveal some of the damage too - it's even had a completely unnecessary extra strap button fitted (they balance perfectly with the strap on the top horn).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325902074579

Dear god. Why?

Funkfingers

Utterly delusional. 

ElectricXII

The seller can't even take decent pics, never mind price a butchered guitar realistically.

LukeFRC

Funkfingers said:

ICBM said:

not just the extra pickup

The extra pickup is a Seymour Duncan Active EQ model from the late Eighties and early Nineties. A nice pickup - I collect them - but the instrument does not need it. 

Confusingly, the SD LJ pickup is active whereas, IIRC, the Aria pickup is not. There would need to be buffering in there somewhere.

That's interesting - I used to have a 1985 Thumb bass with them fit in the factory - I really didn't get on with them as pickups! But the different resonant peaks you could get was interesting. 

ICBM

ElectricXII said:

The seller can't even take decent pics, never mind price a butchered guitar realistically.

It's been relisted again at the same price with the same shitty photos - which still do nothing to disguise the damage, if you're familiar with these - after attracting no bids last time. You would think the seller might wonder why...

At least the twit with the "professionally used" Aria guitar with all the Kahler saddles missing is relisting it at £10 less each time! Only about another five relists to go before an optimist thinks it's worth a punt .