Good afternoon, everyone. I'm looking to sell my Fender Precision and buy an Aria Pro II SB1000. I want a complete change of direction, as I've become quite disappointed with my Steve Harris P-Bass... I really want to buy one of these to play John Taylor's bass lines. My question is: is this Japanese reissue of the SB1000 any good? Is it the same construction as the 80s SB1000? I've noticed they replaced the aluminum plate with a plastic one on the back... but the bass seems quite robust, and I think it's interesting that it comes with Gotoh tuners and bridge. I also think it's a worthwhile investment, considering that Aria might stop producing it again in the near future... Does it sound like the original 80s version? Let me know!
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New Aria Pro II SB1000
- Thread starter Asllan Pizzatto
- Start date
The latest SB re-issues are the closest they’ve ever made to the originals since the Matsumoku factory burned down in 1987, but they’re still not 100%.
A lot of details are there this time around such as the pick up shape and placement, as well as the countersunk input jack.
That being said, the bridge is still different than the original machine brass bridge, which was counter sunk into the body. And the headstock shape is still a little bit different than the ones that came out of the Matsumoku plant
Quite honestly, for the price point of the reissues, you can get a proper vintage one in great condition for the same amount of money or less.
A lot of details are there this time around such as the pick up shape and placement, as well as the countersunk input jack.
That being said, the bridge is still different than the original machine brass bridge, which was counter sunk into the body. And the headstock shape is still a little bit different than the ones that came out of the Matsumoku plant
Quite honestly, for the price point of the reissues, you can get a proper vintage one in great condition for the same amount of money or less.
So, I live in Brazil. It's difficult to find these instruments here. That's why I opted for the idea of buying a new one, especially since the price is worthwhile... importing an SB1000 from the 80s here ends up being very expensive and is very laborious.
I'd recommend getting one of the Reissues if for no other reason than reliability. The vintage ones are wonderful but if there's a problem with the pickup or electronics or pretty much any other component, good luck getting a replacement.
I have a 1984 SB-1000 and a 2004 Reissue and they sound exactly the same. They even weigh the same... for better or worse.
I have a 1984 SB-1000 and a 2004 Reissue and they sound exactly the same. They even weigh the same... for better or worse.
unfortunatlety they did not bring an SB-1000 to NAMM last year.
I did get to check out the SB-700; the weight, balance and feel all felt on par w/ my '80 SB-1000. I knew I was holding an SB...
I was impressed with build quality and feel. No impressions on sound, I didn't plug it in.
I did get to check out the SB-700; the weight, balance and feel all felt on par w/ my '80 SB-1000. I knew I was holding an SB...
I was impressed with build quality and feel. No impressions on sound, I didn't plug it in.
At one point or another I've owned at least 7 original 1980s models (ZZB, SB-1000, RSB-900, SB-900, SB-RSZ, SB-700, etc) and 3 of the high-end reissues (SB-1000 and SB-R150). The reissues I've had, had slightly larger/blockier bodies and wider/flatter necks. Neck angles are also different because of the non-countersunk bridge, but doesn't change the playability. The new preamps are slightly better, but otherwise they sound and play pretty much the same. The reissues are a better choice every day of the week. The old pickups and electronics are notorious for going bad. I'm restoring a few 1980s models for resale that all have bad pickups and I still haven't decided whether I want to shell out for Kent Armstrong replicas or just retrofit EMGs. It sucks because everything else except the sound survives the 40+ years. Unless you specifically want to gut it and put your preferred pickup in, I would not buy an original model again.
I played one of the reissue SB1000s in London last week. Only had about 30min on it, but it was sweet. Played great. Didn't put it on a strap so don't know about the balance. Seemed like a great bass for the price point.
