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Never seem to have same kudos as some of the Burny/tokai/Ibanez stuff.
Quality was always pretty good. anybody else use them?
I used to have a ES650 which was sort of335-345 type and always wanted the black and gold Cardinal series guitar.
Just maybe 1-2 Aria Knightwarriors , sort of HM superstrat type in local shop as well.
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I also had an Aria semi, a TA50 many years back. Nice enough guitar but I didn't bond with it too well. Didn't get on with the neck, maybe a narrow nut, can't really remember tbh.
Two thing that I think hit Aria - well at least when I was growing up in the 80s.
Firstly the other three mentioned did direct copies without any shame and it was a way to own something like the unattainable that from a distant might even fool someone into thinking it was the real thing. Aria (to their credit in retrospect) seemed to actually do their own thing and people are always sceptical new designs - especially in the 80s when you were split between either classic design or superstrats.
The other thing that to a great degree damned Aria to my generation was that they were stocked in local music stores (along with school violins and the guillotine lethal folding music stands) alongside Hohner. They became associated with beginners guitars that you Mum would buy you and as a result didn't carry much cool and had no big artist endorsements. Then when you went up town to a big guitar store, all you saw was the big Gibson and Fender signs.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Some people believe an Ibanez Destroyer body with a broken Squier neck is better than a Fender Strat though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v349/Lixarto/zap.jpg
It's an Aria PE DCW T.
Do you know the ES650 model, bought mine brand new in about 1980 from Gamlins in Newport. Tortoise she'll binding varitone circuit coil taps the lot.
http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss103/hsk925/S5000451.jpg
Laser Electric Heritage. MIJ in about 1986 - bought it 2nd hand in 1987. Nothing fantastic but nicely put together.
When 'Aria' began their new regime in the late 70s they had some monster launch models to show what they could do. These were the PE1000 and the PE1500 (the same guitar but the later had Di Marzios fitted which were all the rage at the time). The guitars were well designed and took much from the best Les Pauls and a bit of fender of the time. The Matsumoko production was excellent, in addition these 'launch models' were hand finished and set up in the factory. The GB dealer were Gigsville Ltd and they had a luthier (whose name escapes me) who would un-box and set up every guitar before delivery to the customer. They only had 4 a month for the first year so they were exclusive and caused the desired 'BUZZ' in the guitar world.
I bought one and still have it.
http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z410/ESBlonde/Guitars/018.jpg
http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z410/ESBlonde/Guitars/019.jpg
The most famous users were Andy Summers (I strongly suspect Roxanne was recorded on one). And Gerry Cott of the Boomtown Rats.
Cott did lots to his like split coils etc and had it sprayed blue. Aria then issued a Gerry Cott version.
After that year Aria imported more very reasonably priced guitars from their matsumoko factory, these again were inspected and setup at Gigsville in Surrey and were well above the inconsistent quality of the big american brands of the day (CBS fender and Norlin/Gibson). the SB1000 was released and became the bass of the moment (Buggles/Trevor Horn being a high profile early user).
The current crop bearing the name are not in the same league as those early models but over the time the brand have produced some good quality instruments at very affordable prices. The Factory (Uncle Matsumoko) also produced a quantity of good guitars under different brand names.
There is a lot of info and a dedicated forum here
http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/index.php
I bought an Aria Wildcat at one point (in my Alan Murphy phase) which was a reasonable guitar for its money). Wish I'd kept it.
I've got a big appreciation for old Aria guitars. The ZZs, Cardinals and some of the superstrats, as well as the PEs all tickle my pickle.