So the Cliff Burton signature bass costs a little bit

[4stringfiend]

I've got an 84 Aria Pro II SB Elite I that is definitely my go to bass, after going through about 6. That was about $600 or $700 though, it's probably just as much bass as this one, but I bet it's a luxury machine

[cfsporn]

Seriously? 4000 GBP? That is NEW Fodera money. Hell, with that kind of budget, I could find a nice used Carl Thompson and still have enough left over for a chicken sandwich

[HuntYouDown]

Honestly, it looks pretty good, like it plays easy. But....if you were to have an Ibanez with the action raised a bit, looks to be the same.

[Erich Bruning]

I was a huge Burton fan back then. He and Steve Harris were two early inspirations for me as an aspiring bassist in the 1980's. Would be interesting to have a replica, but not at that price.

I'll keep saving my pennies for a quality bass built to my specs.

[alembicguy]

$6000 doesn't seem unreasonable for that, oh wait yeah it does.

[kevinelilley]

When Aria start talking about 24k gold plating, you know it's going to be expensive!

The 40mm nut width makes it sound like a revised SB Elite 1. Anyone know what the string spacing at the bridge is? The Elites had 18mm. The Elites also had a smaller body than the original Black and Gold series which used a 42mm nut width and 18mm string spacing at the bridge.

It's certainly a nice looking bass but with the SB1000CB and the SB-CB, Aria have more Cliff Burton models on the market than we can count strings (well, almost) and none of which seem the same spec as the original Black and Gold 1.

p.s. If anyone has an SB Elite 1 in black they would like to sell, please contact me. I'm not looking for an SBR60 in black or a Black and Gold 1 but an Elite 1 in black.

[seang15]

Originally Posted by Jumpno

Could it be? The best bass for metal?

+1

[Metalway]

Originally Posted by Erich Bruning

I was a huge Burton fan back then. He and Steve Harris were two early inspirations for me as an aspiring bassist in the 1980's. Would be interesting to have a replica, but not at that price.

I'll keep saving my pennies for a quality bass built to my specs.

Same for me. That's Cliff talent that was really special, not his Bass...

[klejst]

If you ask me just another company looking to bank off another great and legendary musician and/or their name...

[rebelscum]

Originally Posted by Jumpno

Could it be? The best bass for metal?

Word.

Wish I could finally afford one. Has always been at the apex of my GAS list.

[I<34080]

With a fan base that large you have to have a few fanatics with deep pockets.

[String Theory]

Hmmm.... Could someone explain to me how Cliff authorized the use of his signature on the headstock?

[TRyan5289]

The opening statement made it to my signature. I had a pretty good laugh.

[PsychoG]

Originally Posted by String Theory

Hmmm.... Could someone explain to me how Cliff authorized the use of his signature on the headstock?

His dad, Ray, was on board with Aria from what I've read.

[20db pad]

Originally Posted by String Theory

Hmmm.... Could someone explain to me how Cliff authorized the use of his signature on the headstock?

He didn't, his estate did.

[bwoodman]

Originally Posted by klejst

If you ask me just another company looking to bank off another great and legendary musician and/or their name...

Yep - we're talking huge profit margin on this one when you take a look at the actual cost to make that thing in ....., oh yeah, can't mention that here....

[Alembic83]

Yes, Ray Burton authorized this...Even though I'll never be able to afford one of these, I still think it's pretty cool. As for the price, there are bound to be a few deep pocketed Metallica fans as someone else said.

I know there are a few cynical folks here, but I really doubt Ray's motivation was to make a few extra bucks on this.

[zachoff]

That's just plain silly.

[toddoutloud]

In the late 90s, I had customer trade in a mid-80s Aria Pro II SB towards a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. It played horribly and sounded bland. The blue book value on it was embarrassing and we had a very hard time reselling it for $300. Aria is REALLY milking Cliff Burton's legacy with this.

[Sound Chaser]

Seems high for an instrument that's going to be mostly desired by high-school kids with part-time fast food jobs.