Just picked up an Aria Pro II 380 (Black) on a whim from Craigslist. I thought I'd post some observations, as there doesn't seem to be much written about this bass.
You can see an example of the bass here:
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Very interesting instrument. Some features: It has a "medium" 32" scale, neck that has a string spacing similar to a precision at the nut but doesn't spread as much, so is a bit narrower at the bridge than a typical Fender spacing. It has some wear, but has evidently survived the last 23+ years very well. It seems to be very well made MIJ instrument with alot of attention to detail. The bridge is actually countersunk into the body, and the saddles are obviously influcenced by the badass style. The control knobs look like typical Gibsons, but are ridged and easy to adjust. The pickup height screws are machine type and screw into threaded inserts in the body! I didn't realize that Aria put this much thought into their products. I also liked Aria's offset spin on the Gibson SG body shape.
The only things I didn't like was that the foam under the pickup made the pickup stand a bit to high, and the input jack is permenantly loose due to a cross threaded nut (I'll be putting a new jack on it this week) and this was likely the fault of someone other than the original builders.
Sonically, the bass was quite surprising. I was expecting a Mustang bass like, vintage, slightly muddy tone. Instead, the pickup is very powerfull and clear, and with the tone cranked up, it sounds almost active. I liked that the tone control seemed to get brighter and stronger rather than harsher. It can warm up with the tone knob, but probably as a result of the pickup placement (nearer the bridge) it doesn't warm up quite as much as my precision or my T-40.
Sum up, this was definatley an impulse buy (I don't usually buy basses without a mid or neck pickup), and while I probably won't keep it, I'm glad I got to experience this really neat bass. I would not be surprised if an Aria Pro II with 2 pups or a mid position pup someday ends up in my posession.
