ok ....here's some more answers on this bass.........the original color was red..( that's why you can't seem to get rid of the red colors ).....i wanted at first a white..then i decided on a glittery white with black trim ..........came out looking great ..but i used the wrong kind of clear sealer.......seemed to pick up colors from anything it touched ( guitar stand ,floor,etc.. ) and was too soft............other than that ..i was happy with all my mods and results...........this had always been my favorite of all basses as far as the neck and body...........sound was always a little lacking though certainly not bad.........like i said i made our cd with it even choosing it over the rickenbacker 4003 that was in the studio.............oh yeah the case this thing was in is the best bass case i have ever seen..........superb..........so i digress...........i am gonna include some pictures of the "poor thing" when my mods were done...........and yes i was gonna keep the secret ....but i've been outed by "KRAMERBASSFAN" ....damn you !!!!!!! ..truth be known that "dirty filthy fudgepackin pickup" is a 1960's guild starfire pickup.........and is worth more than the rest of the guitar plus case put together..........you can actually buy an aria pro 2 bass just like this one only in perfect shape on ebay right now for about $275 shipping included.......
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300515008666&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
but that pickup usually sells well over $300 if you can even find one..........
mind you it's not the hagstrom bisonic that the dark stars were copied from....but a tiny bit later model.....
still basses with these pups hit between 1 and 2 grand...( john entwhistle had one )........so anyway.......it was not a bonehead move...but an experiment.......and actually came out fairly well........that pickup added a bit more bottom and a lot more thump..........and my guitarist at the time really wanted to have that bass....( a surf instrumental band )( and it really had an extra thumpiness to it that was way cool ) ......anyway i lost my job and had to pawn.........didn't get it back in time.........my loss........i am sticking with medium to short scale basses though.........it's just so much less of a pain to play.........and the aria so far has been my fave..........but i'm gonna try some new things........ya gotta experiment or you stagnate........
anyway my offer is still on if you wanna buy or trade for that original aria pickup.......but i gotta be square with ya bro..............that pickup ( you guys joked about ) is actually the most rare and expensive thing of the bunch...........
i level with ya cause i don't really wanna mod no more it's a big pain..........i'm goin stock......or something easier...............( the pickup cover on that bass was actually a routed out light switch plate )....lol..........worked pretty good i thought.........the repainting is a good idea..........but honestly if you hype that pickup you might get twice the money for it on ebay...than you would stock...........it's a one of a kind as is.............
now for some pictures of the bass when i pawned it..............
and here's the basses the fudgepackin pickup came from..........
this one belongs to that guy in that band "the who".....
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scroll down on this thread..........
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=544532&page=4
another talk bass thread.scroll down........
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anyway....it was an experiment.....to make my favorite low end bass........high end........
as most mods are.................
bonehead maybe.....but worth a shot........
and yes the original arias are killer..........but not quite as killer as the guild starfire.........hence the mod.........
( ****a side note for those unfamiliar with it.....the guild starfire was the bass favored by early sixties bands jefferson airplane and greatfull dead among others and led the way for high end basses to come later like the alembics.......also the inspiration for the dark star pickups which are pretty much direct copies of the earlier hagstrom versions of this pickup...)
so anyway.........i've been found out...........that pickup is not an ugly old rusty fudgepacker..........it's an amazing old collector's item...........one which is much sought after.........and if you were to throw the whole bass and case in the trash...........that pickup alone would get you some pretty good bucks alone....................
final word.......my ideal bass would be......the medium scale neck of the aria...( perfect neck in my book )....the body of either the vox teardrop ( without neck dive ) or the body of maybe an italia maranello..or maybe rickenbacker 4003......with the glitter finish in red,blue or maybe seafoam green........maybe semi hollow or at least very lightweight............wouldn't mind a big box either like the dean taxi.( beautiful bass ).....or allen woody............the sound would be virtually impossible ..but here goes...........
the thump of a hofner........the treble of a rickenbacker 4003........the low end of a fender or even gibson ebo mudbucker..........and the midrange of the guild starfire or old gretsch.............
i am a super broke guy who has a crap job so i've always bought the cheapest yet best thing i could find..........hence the use of aria's throughout my career..........but they still lacked in thump,low end and presence............still a damn good bass and sound .great playability.......and built like a tank but..........i ended up wanting more thump and more mix cut through............hence the mods that were done............worked somewhat........but somewhat didn't.............and ya move on...........
my advice to the guy who has this bass now.........go ahead and buy the stock pickup from me cheap.........then stock it out ...but be aware you will get maybe $300 tops for it on ebay or craigslist...............then sell the pickup for another $200 to $300..............and you got a pretty good profit for your work and all..............
my next bass is gonna be a cheap ass gretsch g2202........it's not trying to be a copy or to be something else.........it's short scale..it can be had for $250....gets rave reviews and sounds like what i was lookin for all along..............lightweight and killer tones.......
i may post again when i get it to see if it lives up to the hype and meets my standards..........
thanxs................
the bonehead................( just messin with ya )..........
you guys are ok by me.............just didn't know what you had here.....................credit goes to "kramerbassfan" for making me tell the truth.............hahahhaa
i've owned a ton of guitars and basses in my life....( i've been in bands since 5th grade )........and i always repaint them or somewhat mess around with them to make them fit my style.............i'd already owned about 5 of these aria's stock.........and i just wanted to try something new..........and actually i think it was an improvement in sound............but like i say the paint job was pretty much ****ed.................
for the guy who bought this bass..........dude you actually got even more than you thought you did.............good luck with it...........and yes maybe i was a bit defensive about the bonehead comment..........but it's all good..........you just didn't realize that the thing was modded by someone who knew what they were trying to do.......( not some dumb kid )......and you didn't know what that pickup actually was................no biggie..........they all look similar...........
but let me just make it clear that that pickup was owned by some of the best players that ever lived...........and i wasn't trying to mess with you............you got a good deal............and now you got an even better deal than you thought..so it's good news for you...............
if you wanna hear that old aria bass .........look for my band videos on youtube...........under sins tailor..........still a damn fine sounding bass even though i was mixed way too low in the final cuts.................
love this board.................
david a burdick.................
my goal...little necks,lightweight big sound !!!!
hey stanley clarke did the same.....
