Just wanted to do a quick NBD on a new instrument - an Aria Pro II 313 Detroit. Aria is a bass name that I used to know, but honestly, I thought they had gone out of business around the 2000's. Apparently not. I just never hear of them anymore, or see them anywhere, at all. The Aria name had all but fallen out of my memory of bass names. But, I stumbled across them recently and this one caught my attention. It's apparently part of their relatively new Hot Rod Series release a couple of years ago. Why 313? Because apparently 313 is the Detroit area code. Anyway, I think the idea of this design is to be a kind of mix of both vintage looks & modern features, and it definitely is that!
The features are both impressive and unique. I'm a huge P/J fan, but I've never seen so many features packed all into one P/J style instrument. Things like 24-frets, Roasted neck, Ash body w/open-pore Sunburst stain finish, spoke wheel truss adjustment.
The finish is just beautiful - the open-pore Sunburst stain leaves the body very resonant and lively. Every little ridge and valley of the Ash grain can be felt - feels very earthy/woody. The stock pickups sound really good!
I usually find most stock pickups kind of bland & I tend to want to change 'em out pretty quickly after getting a new instrument, but these are impressing me with their growl & clarity. I think I'm going to leave them stock for a while, if not permanently.
Another unique feature that I've never seen before is the extra distance between the pickups - Aria placed the P pickup about an inch further towards the neck than anything else I've seen in a typical P/J setup. Not sure what kind of changes in frequency cancellation this equates to, but there is much midrange clarity and it gets some great growl when you dig in. I was thinking it might things a little darker & hopefully not muddy. But whatever voicing the pickups have is working in this case. This bass also loves gain & overdrive!
If there is one downside, it's that Aria chose not to shield the control cavity at all - just bare wood and pots in there, no shielding paint either. So there is a little single coil hum when the J is soloed. Nothing a little copper foil won't fix.
Besides the need for a little shielding, I'm digging the way it plays & sounds. I'm loving the whole vintage look, but yet it has modern features under hood so to speak. Another thing I love about it is that the body is slightly downsized, smaller than a jazz bass for sure. This keeps the weight down nicely. This particular 5-string weighs just a pinch over 9lbs. It weighs in at 9lbs, 6oz. The price is surprisingly good as well - $519 brand new at most places on the net.
Given the features and the build quality, if someone had told me this was a $1500 -$2,000 instrument, I would not bat an eye. They also make these in Natural Finish and a Transparent White. I was told by an Aria dealer that the Natural Finish will not be in store for 8-10 months due to supply issues. But judging by how much I'm digging this bass, I can easily see a Natural Finish in my future. Highly recommended to check these out if your in the market for a P/J with these types of features.
A few pics...
The features are both impressive and unique. I'm a huge P/J fan, but I've never seen so many features packed all into one P/J style instrument. Things like 24-frets, Roasted neck, Ash body w/open-pore Sunburst stain finish, spoke wheel truss adjustment.
The finish is just beautiful - the open-pore Sunburst stain leaves the body very resonant and lively. Every little ridge and valley of the Ash grain can be felt - feels very earthy/woody. The stock pickups sound really good!
I usually find most stock pickups kind of bland & I tend to want to change 'em out pretty quickly after getting a new instrument, but these are impressing me with their growl & clarity. I think I'm going to leave them stock for a while, if not permanently.
Another unique feature that I've never seen before is the extra distance between the pickups - Aria placed the P pickup about an inch further towards the neck than anything else I've seen in a typical P/J setup. Not sure what kind of changes in frequency cancellation this equates to, but there is much midrange clarity and it gets some great growl when you dig in. I was thinking it might things a little darker & hopefully not muddy. But whatever voicing the pickups have is working in this case. This bass also loves gain & overdrive!
If there is one downside, it's that Aria chose not to shield the control cavity at all - just bare wood and pots in there, no shielding paint either. So there is a little single coil hum when the J is soloed. Nothing a little copper foil won't fix.
Besides the need for a little shielding, I'm digging the way it plays & sounds. I'm loving the whole vintage look, but yet it has modern features under hood so to speak. Another thing I love about it is that the body is slightly downsized, smaller than a jazz bass for sure. This keeps the weight down nicely. This particular 5-string weighs just a pinch over 9lbs. It weighs in at 9lbs, 6oz. The price is surprisingly good as well - $519 brand new at most places on the net.
Given the features and the build quality, if someone had told me this was a $1500 -$2,000 instrument, I would not bat an eye. They also make these in Natural Finish and a Transparent White. I was told by an Aria dealer that the Natural Finish will not be in store for 8-10 months due to supply issues. But judging by how much I'm digging this bass, I can easily see a Natural Finish in my future. Highly recommended to check these out if your in the market for a P/J with these types of features.
A few pics...
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