Bass Collection 9 - Aria Pro II's

Here's the link to the Facebook group that will have a few photos of each bass - / tjh3113basscollectiong...
Once in the group (you'll need to join), click the "Media" tab and look for the album that contains pics of the featured bass/basses. The page is a bit cumbersome to navigate, but it's Facebook and it was put together by me, so....
Here's a link to the Blog I mentioned that was written by the fellow who sold me the Elite I (you'll need to scroll down a bit to find the entry I'm in) - ariabasses.blog...

[@jacklifeson]

Nice! Cool to see that you have alot of the same basses I have. I have an Aria Pro II SB1000 from '79. Got it because of JT as well. Love the mid-focused tone. Its what made me want to first play bass back in 1985. I play live so its a portly lass for a 3/4 hour gigs, but it balances really well. My first bass was a Guild B-301 and I played that and only that for 22 years. Dont see many of those around. Now I have a Ric, Wal (we actually talked on the phone about your Wal once), the SB1000, Stingray and a couple G&L's.

[@TJH3113]

Thanks. I was up to 32, but sold off around 17 over the last year or so. The Arias went. They were incredible basses, but a little to "middle of the road" sounding for me. Also sold off most of the Guilds but kept my favorite one. I've got those Guild pickups in a few other basses. They seem to be a big part of their sound. Sounds like a nice collection you've got there... all the major food groups. Feel free to call anytime. Take care!

[@learj25]

I had a red one in 1982. Enjoy your videos

[@TJH3113]

Very cool! Thanks so much, that’s great to hear.

[@RC32Smiths01]

I love these videos. So many brands, and so many history which each model. Cheers man

[@TJH3113]

Glad you like them! I thank you.

[@RC32Smiths01]

@@TJH3113 It's always a must for me to tune in. Great stuff Troy!

[@lowend]

Those Arias sound GREAT! Love the 2nd one a lot, and also good song selection there!

[@TJH3113]

Glad you like them! Thanks!

[@tom_mc802]

I just picked up an 82 Aria SB-1000 (the active model) in padauk red. It’s boat anchor heavy but I love the feel of the neck and the sound. Even passive it’s got this honky 80’s sound that I love. I find myself picking it up every day, it’s a lot of fun. Great playing as always!

[@TJH3113]

Congratulations! They are fantastic basses. Something I forgot to mention in the video was that this line of basses was intended to be their version of what Alembic was doing at the time... at a fraction of the cost. Thanks and take care.

[@harrywalsh677]

Just bought a aria Pro ll wildcat bass play's and sounds great, think it's from the 80s also it's active and passive, can anyone tell me more about it cheers

[@darkj3di336]

Great, I have a red one too. You don’t see too many of them. Pick mine up in ‘86 for cheap in Japan They were trying to rid themselves of the Japanese model and get more American ones.

[@judowrestlerka]

Nice noodling on Cygnus X-1 at the end. Aria Pro ii is a bass that I brought up to you in a post several years ago and then.....bang....you have 2. Sweet.

[@TJH3113]

Thanks. I wound up selling both of them. They were both incredible basses, but I had too many that I just didn't play enough to have sitting around.

[@judowrestlerka]

@@TJH3113 if you don't mind, what did you get for them? I'm looking for a 1981-1987 SB 650 right now.

[@jeffreyjohn2037]

I have an 84 S B 1000. With clear finish. I bought it new in 84.

[@TJH3113]

Very nice! Excellent basses.

[@AmandaRogersarock1988]

Thanks for putting these all in a nice clean playlist! Love your explanations behind the collection.

[@TJH3113]

I'd say, "It was my pleasure." but it really wasn't. I've still got one more video to go.

[@AmandaRogersarock1988]

@@TJH3113 I've never done a rig rundown. I've thought about always "where to start" and why anyone would care why I own the basses I do. 😂. I love how you go through the history of your basses though, the mods, your initial thoughts. Also how you are honest about what you really like and don't like. So many YT "reviews" are paid, or people in the honeymoon phase that can only see the good.

[@TJH3113]

@@AmandaRogersarock1988 I don't understand either, why anyone would be interested in my basses, but I had a bunch of people ask over the years and I, sort of, promised that I would make a video. What pushed me to finally do the videos was that I had so many basses, it was getting ridiculous. I was up to 32. They were all over the house. So, doing the videos allowed me to start selling some off. I loved them all, but I knew I could get the number down significantly. I've sold 17, but I'd like to get that down to around 8. It was a great experience. I revisited every bass I ever had when I was young and, just about, every bass I ever wanted to get my hands on. Fortunately, I wasn't brought up with extravagant tastes or an interest in vintage basses. The most important thing I learned was that it does not matter how much a bass costs or where it was made as to whether or not it is a great bass. The Alembic (on loan to purchase), Fodera, Wal, and higher-end Spectors all came and went pretty quickly, while some of my favorite basses are the least expensive.

[@AmandaRogersarock1988]

@TJH3113 yeah your collection has always been interesting because you play so many things like Guilds that not everyone plays.

[@rickrolli7091]

That was cool playing that Sammy tune. I haven't heard that one in a long time. Thanks for showing us your gear. Very interesting and rare stuff.

[@TJH3113]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rickrolli7091]

@@TJH3113 I did. Thanks again. Your Aria basses are kind of a collector now. I was looking into them for a friend and I was like... $1K to $2K. I think it's totally worth it for the quality you get. Eventhough they had a lot of "lawsuit" basses.

[@_Only_Zuul]

Wow 😮 I bought my near mint condition Aria SB-Integra from same guy on Talkbass, he always has a few Aria basses on hand to sell.

[@TJH3113]

Very cool! He's a super cool guy and has a wealth of knowledge about these basses.

[@_Only_Zuul]

@@TJH3113 Yeah I still play my Aria and recently had it upgraded with Dimarzio model P/J set and Hipshot Kickass bridge. Hey do you own any Zon basses and what do you think of them?

[@TheHylianBatman]

That red one looks slick! Kinda sad we're nearing the end now. But oh, well, it's been a lovely tour and story time.

[@TJH3113]

It's definitely a beauty. I have to say, it was not an enjoyable process and I'm glad it's nearing the end. I have the headless basses to do and I might do one on the few I've gotten in-between. I'd definitely like to do a closing video to summarize my thoughts on the whole experience.

[@jonathanchevallier7046]

Thank you for this Aria's tour. I have myself an Aria precise bass, a copy of a P-Bass from 77 (lawsuits).

[@TJH3113]

You're welcome. Very cool!

[@nickd.6365]

Great video, thanks.... I've just recently acquired a nice 1980 'batwing' SB700. It's a fantastic bass. Totally agree with you, these are like Japanese 'Alembics'. Quality, iconic (underrated) classics in their own right IMHO. Unfortunately, one of the coils in the original MB-1 pickup is dead, so I've gotta replace it with an Armstrong repro pickup. Cheers

[@TJH3113]

Thanks Nick. I actually sold off both of these. Yeah, not uncommon for those pickups and electronics to fail. It's a shame that Rautia closed his shop. He had some incredible stuff.

[@benthompson9349]

I've owned a few of these over the years, currently have an '81 SB700. Without a doubt the best built and best playing bass I own - the parallel strings make so much sense - but it just doesn't fit tonally in any bands I play in. I'm considering a new pickup, but it sounds so good solo...

[@TJH3113]

Very cool! It's a tough call on trying out a new p/u on the Aria. In my experience, mods to radically change the sound of a bass have a less than 40% success rate but, sometimes, you strike gold. Sometimes you are just better off moving on to a different bass... going through this with my MusicMan 5 string.

[@IronBhoy]

I have an Aria Pro II fretless I bought in ‘83 with 2 pickups. I got the guy in Finland to make a new pickup when one broke. It’s much more powerful than the original so I’m thinking of getting that one replaced. Love Aria Pro’s even tho their heavy. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TJH3113]

Very cool. Unfortunately, it looks like Rautia has closed up shop which is really bad news for the Aria community. I found the tone and output of the Rautia and the stock p/u to be very similar.

[@IronBhoy]

@@TJH3113 That’s a real shame. He did a brilliant job.

[@johnbaldwin9126]

Great Great videos Troy ..thank you

[@TJH3113]

Thanks for watching John!

[@geerhoar]

I have an SB Elite I in Padauk Red with an ash body. Love the D-shaped neck with 1.5” nut width.

[@TJH3113]

Nice!

[@Tracer9GTRider8]

Didn't get blocked and sounds awesome for that Hagar tune!

[@TJH3113]

Thanks! That's always a risky maneuver... to play a part of a song in a non-cover video.

[@MG-wb7wf]

i’m a big Aria fan. have 4 of their guitars !

[@TJH3113]

Awesome!

[@artrogers3985]

Good stuff. The first neck looks like Jazz width. Am I right? I’m not usually right.

[@TJH3113]

Truth. Yes, it's right around a Jazz bass' proportions... not to thick and not too thin, but definitely on the thinner side.

[@Colin.W]

Man, how many models of these are there? I see different models all over the place. I’ve always wanted one bass and it was one of these in black and gold. I got one a few months ago. The Pro II SB-R60 apparently. 1982. I love it!

[@TJH3113]

Too many!

[@shantypiker41367]

Funny how you jammed a few Rush riffs. I have long thought that the Aria's sound a lot like a Rickenbacker. I have an SB 700 that gets that "Cygnus X-1" tone.

[@TJH3113]

I really think that the Geddy sound comes more from the way the bass is set up than anything else.

[@cpepe1000]

Love those basses - sounds amazing; could you share your settings on your DI/SansAmp?

[@TJH3113]

Me too. I came up with these settings on the fly, since I hadn't played either of them in quite a while. In my Fender video, I go through the steps I take to get a sound from my SansAmps.

[@johnnyt3973]

Wow gives me Entwistle vibes

[@TJH3113]

Wow... Thanks!

[@jeffreyjohn2037]

​@@TJH3113I saw Jack Bruce playing Aria circa 1980

[@roddymac998]

Aria pro 2 was a fantastic active bass. Played them for yrs. Slim smooth neck light body and most importantly sound well rounded. But i must say my most fav bass was the ibanez roadster 2 cheap but such a full sound. Maple neck was very comfortable. How u feel about headless basses?

[@TJH3113]

I'm not sure if I ever play an active Aria, aside from the one I bought with the bum p/u, so I really can't comment on them, but I'm sure they are very nice. Yep, Roadsters are fine basses as well. Headless basses - I've got two - a Steinberger Synapse and an NS Design Radius WAV. Both are great, though I took the active electronics out of both and put in passive p/u's.

[@Sheehy223]

Ha! I've been waiting for you to finally play the Cygnus X-1 riff in one of these, I always use that one to test my basses, it has to sound right or I spend hours messing with my EQ and instrument setup. Do you think it would be possible to flip the pickup 180 Degrees like a Peavey T40 to orient the coils in a normal P position? That would definitely give you a bit of a high mid boost.

[@TJH3113]

Yeah, that's a good riff to put a bass through its paces. I'm sure you could flip the p/u, but I'm a huge fan of reverse P's. Pickup placement is so much more important than most people may think and an inch, one way or the other, can make a dramatic difference in sound. I think the reverse-P does what it was intended to do - increase focus and definition on the E and A strings and beef up the D and the G.

[@Sheehy223]

​@@TJH3113The massive tonal difference between 60's and 70's style jazz basses is a great example of your point, I own both and sometimes I'm even stumped by how the bridge pickup being 3/4" closer to the bridge makes a completely different instrument. I admire your being partial to the reverse P, they definitely sound great in your hands and really nail ~that~ tone you always get with your single pickup basses. I'm actually really only asking because I always thought that pickup was a conventional humbucker, now that I know it's a split coil, I may actually jump on one if I find a good deal. Flipping the pickup is just one of the stupid things I would do in the pursuit of my clacky clangy wannabe Chris Squire tone. Thanks for the response as always, I love that one of my favorite content creators is also the one who responds to my comments the most often.

[@secretjourney4815]

Probably a Series/Parallel switch there. Nice Cygnus reprise! Could you at some point measure the pickup location from the 12th fret line to the center of the pickup? Thank you!

[@TJH3113]

Yes, that is what it is, though I don't think it's terribly practical, as it cuts the output nearly in half. From the bottom (so I could hook the tape to it) of the top (closest to the bridge) 12th fret - the measurement is 13-1/4" to the center of the p/u. If you need any clarification you can ask as a comment on any video. Don't reply to this one as I am not notified of responses.

[@darkj3di336]

The one you have is single/humbucker. The active ones switch is for the active circuit to the 6way selector switch.

[@jcburn1973]

Lovely bass Troy. I bought 2 Aria Pro basses from Jason. I think some of them (and pics of me) made his Blogspot page many years ago!

[@TJH3113]

Thanks... I think so too. Yeah, Jason was totally cool to deal with. I'll have to look back and see if I can find you.

[@CC-hg9un]

Troy, is your SB-700 noisy with the original pickup (60 cycle hum)? I recently got a 1980 Oak SB-700 and it's really noisy. Humbucker not humbucking. Wondering if this is a common issue, but not a lot of info online. It is definitely not grounding hum, it's 60 cycle hum, as with a single coil pickup.

[@TJH3113]

I never took it out of the house and into any adverse conditions (though I do have a couple of basses that hum a bit in my room), but I never experienced any sort of noise from either of my Arias. It should be a Reverse-P magnet layout beneath the cover. See if you could check that out... with a piece of magnetic film (you can get it from Amazon) or just trace the magnet out by touching it with a little nail or something. Maybe the p/u was replaced, which is not uncommon, with a single-coil variant?

[@CC-hg9un]

@@TJH3113 Yes, it's a reverse P. (MB-II model pickup). I know it's 60 cycle hum because I have an Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger pedal which is designed to silence 60 cycle hum in solo-ed single coil pickups (ala Strat & Jazz Bass). The Hum Debugger silences the noise on this bass... I just ordered a reissue MB-IE pickup from Aria in Japan. It's the full coil humbucker., not split. (They used these in the SB900 and SB1000 basses.) I'll swap out the pickups and see what happens. Has to be some type of phasing issue within the original split coil MB-II. Just wondering if that was just how they were made or if it's an issue specific to the SB700 that I have...

[@CC-hg9un]

@@TJH3113 Troy, update: I had my SB700 repaired. It was a faulty wiring issue, not the pickup. Sounds great now.

[@TJH3113]

@@CC-hg9un Great news!!

[@paulanderson7796]

Voice mic gain is very reactive

[@TJH3113]

Is that good?

[@ianinfinity380]

If ever want to sale it. Please let me know.

[@TJH3113]

I just put them up on Facebook Marketplace. I prefer not to ship if I don't have to. If I don't get any action on them, I'll get back to you.

[@ianinfinity380]

@@TJH3113 thanks

[@MrHattrick63]

Do you have a Reverb Page ?

[@TJH3113]

I do, but I don't have anything currently on it. I usually try to sell locally first (to avoid shipping), then TalkBass (to avoid fees).

[@Bass.Player]

Bass growls it's ass off...

[@TJH3113]

It does, doesn't it?