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Need help finding my dads old bass.

R

reidbeauchamp

Dec 19, 2025
1
10
#1
Hey, i’m looking for my dads old bass he had in the 90’s. I’m looking to get him one for his birthday but i can’t find an exact match for the life of me. It seems to me to be an Aria Pro 2 (by the headstock shape and lettering), but I can’t find one with an exact body match. The pickups are always wrong, or the bridge is right against the bottom of the body not slightly offset like in this image.

Also sorry if this is the wrong forum for this I’m getting desperate and don’t know how to use the site haha.

Thanks!
 

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#3
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#4
wintremute said:
I think you're right. How did you track that down? I've never heard of Memphis basses.
Click to expand...
They're pretty obscure now but they were one of the lower-tier import brands in the 70s and 80s. Which is not to say they made bad stuff, only that they weren't as common as Ibanez, Greco, Washburn etc. There's a fair amount of mystery about the Memphis company and which companies built their guitars.
 
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#8
singlemalt said:
That’s a cool gift idea….but, dad might want something less pointy, different style, another color, heck, maybe even a guitar or something at this point in time.

Maybe make it into a hang with a bit of shopping on top.
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I'd be thrilled if my son found me a bass I had 30 years ago, regardless of my current tastes. I would expect no less from any dad.
 
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#9
Was it a short scale? Found this on Reverb after exhaustive 30 second search!
https://reverb.com/item/92226772-memphis-b-2-short-scale-bass-guitar-1980-s

And this one on Ebay:
www.ebay.com

Memphis Bass Guitar | eBay

Memphis Bass Guitar. Состояние товара: Used. Отправлен: USPS Priority Mail.
www.ebay.com

They are still around, the Ebay one looks damn close except for color. If you were a REALLY good son, you'd have it painted to match that red color. Just say'in. Asking $500 or B.O, which seems overpriced. I don't imagine he's getting deluged with offers, offer him something reasonable and he'll probably let it go.
 
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#11
Gilmourisgod said:
Was it a short scale? Found this on Reverb after exhaustive 30 second search!
https://reverb.com/item/92226772-memphis-b-2-short-scale-bass-guitar-1980-s

And this one on Ebay:
Invalid Link Removed

They are still around, the Ebay one looks damn close except for color. If you were a REALLY good son, you'd have it painted to match that red color. Just say'in. Asking $500 or B.O, which seems overpriced. I don't imagine he's getting deluged with offers, offer him somethingreasonable and he'll probably let it go.
Click to expand...
The "ebay" link is the same as the Reverb link, which has the wrong pickup (not a PJ).
 
#12
lowfreqgeek said:
The "ebay" link is the same as the Reverb link, which has the wrong pickup (not a PJ).
Click to expand...
Yep, fixed the link, here it is again, looks Identical to the red one, P/J, three knobs, black hardware.

www.ebay.com

Memphis Bass Guitar | eBay

Memphis Bass Guitar. Состояние товара: Used. Отправлен: USPS Priority Mail.
www.ebay.com
 
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#13
Good lord, do not spend $500 on that.

You motive is great, but that is like a +/- 100 dollar pawn shop bass (not MIJ)
It also appears to be a shorty, but your OG pic appears to be a full scale???

The sought after 70s MIJ lawsuit Memphis basses have a logo like thisScreenshot 2025-12-19 at 4.24.48 PM.png
The latter, probably Korean??? 1980s( Post Matsumoku factory fire) have the logo that you're seeking Screenshot 2025-12-19 at 4.25.10 PM.png

I'm not saying that they are bad. I'm just saying that they have no resale value.
Anyone listing one for $500 just did a word search, and assumed that the they also had the most valuable bass that had the word "Memphis" on the headstock. They certainly DO NOT.
 
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#16
reidbeauchamp said:
Hey, i’m looking for my dads old bass he had in the 90’s. I’m looking to get him one for his birthday but i can’t find an exact match for the life of me. It seems to me to be an Aria Pro 2 (by the headstock shape and lettering), but I can’t find one with an exact body match. The pickups are always wrong, or the bridge is right against the bottom of the body not slightly offset like in this image.

Also sorry if this is the wrong forum for this I’m getting desperate and don’t know how to use the site haha.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Is this it?
[This invalid link has been removed]
 
#17
Gilmourisgod said:
Yeah, $500 seems highly "optimistic", but he does say "or B.O.", and I'll bet he has no offers. In this case it's really just sentimental value, but the seller doesn't need to know that. What's a "reasonable" offer, $150? Factor in the OP's time to search for one too, what's that worth?
Click to expand...
On that blue Ebay item, the string spacing at the nut is bizarre and makes me wonder what other home repairs it might've had.
 

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