NBD none more blue

[police squad]

With my thanks going to @HeadlessBassist for agreeing to collect this from Rotherham and meet me at Membury services (mentioned positively in the 2019 Gavin and Stacey

here is a 1981 Aria TSB 550.

I have only ever seen one other fretless one of these in this colour and it belonged to Frank Allen from The Searchers.

Undergoing some TLC as the truss rod is seized atm

So 3 in 1 oil into it and fingers crossed I can sort it

32 inch scale and MB 3 pickup

Edited January 24 by police squad

[Merton]

Oooh I like that a lot!

[cocco]

Lovely bass. Could definitely be bluer though. 

[HeadlessBassist]

6 hours ago, police squad said:

With my thanks going to @HeadlessBassist for agreeing to collect this from Rotherham and meet me at Membury services (mentioned positively in the 2019 Gavin and Stacey

here is a 1981 Aria TSB 550.

I have only ever seen one other fretless one of these in this colour and it belonged to Frank Allen from The Searchers.

Undergoing some TLC as the truss rod is seized atm

So 3 in 1 oil into it and fingers crossed I can sort it

32 inch scale and MB 3 pickup

 

Lovely to meet you yesterday mate & thanks for the coffee  Membury was an easy run for me, as I teach on Thursdays and Fridays in Malmesbury, Wiltshire near the M4. Typically, the run to Rotherham from Derbyshire on Tuesday evening was not an easy one, as an accident had closed the M1, but hey-ho, the mission was accomplished and that's all that matters!

 

It really is the very nicest blue, isn't it? Hope you can get it sorted relatively easily - having seen the lovely home/music room where it was previously located, I'd say that it has probably spent the last few years hung on a wall, which can occasionally cause neck issues, but they're usually sortable as you say.

 

Hope you enjoy "None More Blue"!

 

 

[Owen]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

I'd say that it has probably spent the last few years hung on a wall, which can occasionally cause neck issues, but they're usually sortable as you say.

At the risk of derailing the thread (lovely colour) - tell me more. 

[lemmywinks]

Never been keen on the TSB shape or that particular shade of blue but for some reason that just works, very handsome bass.

[Geek99]

I mean honestly, what’s with these shrinking violet, wishy washy pastel colour shit? Just buy something bold for once … 🧐

 

oh … you have … as you were 👍

[Bassassin]

Love that finish - very rare & something I've only seen on TSB550s - apart from this, which might be a refin for all I know.

 

 

Not sure but that & black might be the only solid colours Aria used on through-neck body wings. 

 

 

[Pea Turgh]

Just noticed the quick-load bridge - what a stonking idea!  Nice bass, too 👍

Edited January 25 by Pea Turgh

[police squad]

truss rod is stuck still

may take a trip to my guy, he'll have more tricks to do to this than me

[police squad]

14 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Love that finish - very rare & something I've only seen on TSB550s - apart from this, which might be a refin for all I know.

 

 

Not sure but that & black might be the only solid colours Aria used on through-neck body wings. 

 

 

what's that, a 700

 

I've google image searched and cannot find any pictures of a blue fretless TSB550 except the ebay listing I got this from

Edited January 25 by police squad

[Mediocre Polymath]

14 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Love that finish - very rare & something I've only seen on TSB550s - apart from this, which might be a refin for all I know.

 

 

Not sure but that & black might be the only solid colours Aria used on through-neck body wings. 

 

 

I remember seeing that finish on an old "Thor Sound" guitar in a local shop a few years ago. It does look really neat. I'm always tempted to try that sort of solid/natural finish on one of my own builds.

[Bassassin]

3 hours ago, police squad said:

what's that, a 700

 

I've google image searched and cannot find any pictures of a blue fretless TSB550 except the ebay listing I got this from

 

That's an SB-R60 or an SB Elite I, which are broadly identical - apart from minor neck width differences, apparently.

 

I've only ever seen fretted TSBs in this finish - is yours definitely factory?

[police squad]

15 hours ago, Bassassin said:

 

That's an SB-R60 or an SB Elite I, which are broadly identical - apart from minor neck width differences, apparently.

 

I've only ever seen fretted TSBs in this finish - is yours definitely factory?

yes mate defo factory. I'm wondering if this is actually Frank Allen's bass. My band mate bought it from Frank about 35 years ago but he passed away a long time ago, so there isn't anyone to ask

It has dot markers for every fret, which is annoying because it makes finding 3,5,7,12 etc quite hard

Edited January 26 by police squad

[lemmywinks]

Frank was still active a year ago giving interviews and doing The Searchers' last show. He's done an interview with a smaller YT channel here which may be a point of contact:

 

 

[Rich]

If the 'neck thru' bit was slightly more orange, that'd be Gulf racing colours  very cool

[uk_lefty]

That's a lovely bass, don't think I'd ever see a blue bodied Aria before, though I have seen a red one with a blue headstock... Replacement neck maybe?  Anyways, gorgeous bass, hope you get it back to gigging condition.

[police squad]

On 26/01/2026 at 11:44, lemmywinks said:

Frank was still active a year ago giving interviews and doing The Searchers' last show. He's done an interview with a smaller YT channel here which may be a point of contact:

 

 

Having had a few emails with Frank, we have acertained that this wasn't his,as he had modified the side dots

[lemmywinks]

34 minutes ago, police squad said:

Having had a few emails with Frank, we have acertained that this wasn't his,as he had modified the side dots

 

That's a shame, can't flip it on eBay as "ex Searchers vintage Japanese Aria bass" now!

[police squad]

17 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

That's a shame, can't flip it on eBay as "ex Searchers vintage Japanese Aria bass" now!

surely no one would ever think of such a thing😂

[HeadlessBassist]

@police squad Being as I was instrumental in the transport of this lovely bluest of blue basses, I was wondering how you were getting along with getting the trussrod freed off/replaced? 🤔

[police squad]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

@police squad Being as I was instrumental in the transport of this lovely bluest of blue basses, I was wondering how you were getting along with getting the trussrod freed off/replaced? 🤔

Hi mate

well it's cross threaded and basically buggered

but on Friday I'm off to my (retired) luthier friend and we're going to remove the fingerboard, remove the truss rod, see if we can un-do the cross threaded nut, 

then I'll bring it to my work place, re-cut both the truss rod end and the nut with corresponding tap and die set.

Then back to my friend to re-install and attach the fingerboard

 

A right little project in fact. I was going to do the board removal myself but my mate suggested I come to him and we;ll have a crack at it

 

If the board breaks, we'll get some lovely ebony on there instead

[HeadlessBassist]

Sounds like a good overall result. A slab of lovely ebony would suit it very well.

[police squad]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Sounds like a good overall result. A slab of lovely ebony would suit it very well.

if we can't save the RW yes. I'llpost up here when it's done

[2pods]

I remember seeing that exact model and colour in a local music shop, when I ordered my natural TSB550N (which had the original Fender type headstock)

I had mine defretted and lined by Jimmy Moon, who also convinced me to install a brass "Slap Plate" at the end of the fingerboard.

(well. it was the 80s)

 

It was a great wee bass.