Criptonite Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I bought my Aria Pro II Black n Gold Fretless Bass in 1983. It's not mint as it was a working guitar but it's still in good condition which the photo's, hopefully, show. The serial number is 3052576 and it was made in Japan. No other bass gave me more pleasure playing (and it still does, it's so easy to play fluidly) but times change and I'm ready to sell, having moved on to playing guitar. I have no idea what I could reasonably expect to get for it. Any thoughts? [attachment=28812:Aria_Pro..._b_small.JPG] [attachment=28811:Aria_Pro..._a_small.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Wow. You don't see too many of the Black and Golds about, and I've never seen a fretless version. Value-wise I wouldn't know where to start. Cliff Burton played one of these, though of course his was fretted, so that might cause a bit of interest. These were essentially the same as the SB Elite I, so that might give you an idea of the price, but being a fretless might reduce interest somewhat. It really depends how many collectors are about (and there are collectors of Aria SB's). £500 give or take a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Is this B'nG I not just an SBR-60 with alder instead of walnut, hence the paint job? I got £300 for my SBR60 and was lucky to get that. Mike in London cant get £250 for his SBR80 so IMHO getting £500 is a bit hopeful. Was it freless originally? BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) Yeah quite possibly. A lot of the SB series were quite similar, but nevertheless the B and G's aren't nearly as common as SB-R's. That might put them at a premium, it might not - the same as the Cliff Burton connection. Christ knows whether being fretless is going to make it more or less desirable to a buyer (though there are certainly less potential purchasers for a fretless). I think the only way to really find out is to stick it on ebay. Edit: I don't think any SB series used walnut as the main body wood (besides the pinstripes). They were all ash or alder as far as I know. Edited July 13, 2009 by Musky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) [quote name='BarnacleBob' post='539343' date='Jul 13 2009, 12:59 PM']Is this B'nG I not just an SBR-60 with alder instead of walnut, hence the paint job?[/quote] Assuming the bridge is original - which I'm sure it is - you can tell that this is a factory-issue Black and Gold because the bridge is gloss back, with gold saddle assemblies and fixing screws. Exactly as it should be. Some confusion as to what is and what isn't a BnG exists, because Aria issued a large number of instruments with black finishes and gold hardware as standard models, but these will always feature an all gold finished bridge assembly. The bridge although the main giveaway isn't the only feature to look for, as the truss rod cover plate will also be particular to the BnG series. [quote name='Musky' post='539357' date='Jul 13 2009, 01:16 PM']I don't think any SB series used walnut as the main body wood (besides the pinstripes). They were all ash or alder as far as I know.[/quote] With the woods used for SB/SB-R series body wings and bodies, while ash and alder were very common, so also were sen, nato, maple and mahogany. The BnG version of the SB1000, for instance, used Canadian ash for the body pieces, in addition to the maple centrepiece. The Cliff Burton connection: This is something of a misnomer. Burton in fact used a standard SB-R60/Elite I model, active-wired, which just happened to be black with gold hardware, and not a factory-issue Black and Gold model. The SB-R60 and Elite I are the same model, Aria changing the name from SB-R60 to Elite I in '83. The bass model that Burton actually played gets a little confused with the model that was issued - which I suppose would be viewed as a commemorative issue - which is closer in specification to a factory BnG model, but featured a matt black bridge assembly, and non-standard pickup/wiring. As for value, fretless models are more common than you'd think - there being a real surge in the popularity of fretless instruments in the early/mid 80s - but this being the lined/marked version is a little more desirable than the unlined version. Saying that, I picked up a fretted BnG SB-R80 a few months back for £280 - including original Aria hard case, and with two sets of DR LoRider strings thrown in. The seller was originally asking £350. Edited July 13, 2009 by noelk27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='noelk27' post='539424' date='Jul 13 2009, 04:07 PM']With the woods used for SB/SB-R series body wings and bodies, while ash and alder were very common, so also were sen, nato, maple and mahogany. The BnG version of the SB1000, for instance, used Canadian ash for the body pieces, in addition to the maple centrepiece. The Cliff Burton connection: This is something of a misnomer. Burton in fact used a standard SB-R60/Elite I model, active-wired, which just happened to be black with gold hardware, and not a factory-issue Black and Gold model. The SB-R60 and Elite I are the same model, Aria changing the name from SB-R60 to Elite I in '83. The bass model that Burton actually played gets a little confused with the model that was issued - which I suppose would be viewed as a commemorative issue - which is closer in specification to a factory BnG model, but featured a matt black bridge assembly, and non-standard pickup/wiring. As for value, fretless models are more common than you'd think - there being a real surge in the popularity of fretless instruments in the early/mid 80s - but this being the lined/marked version is a little more desirable than the unlined version. Saying that, I picked up a fretted BnG SB-R80 a few months back for £280 - including original Aria hard case, and with two sets of DR LoRider strings thrown in. The seller was originally asking £350.[/quote] You learn something new every day. Especially when you're as misguided as I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Criptonite Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='Musky' post='539436' date='Jul 13 2009, 04:18 PM']You learn something new every day. Especially when you're as misguided as I am. [/quote] You can't possibly be as misguided as me Well, thanks for all the info. I was thinking I might get £100. Can aim a bit higher now, ta muchly. It is an original fretless. Bought it from a shop in Fulham Rd, London after trying loads of other Fretlesses. As soon as I played it, it was a done deal. Never regretted it. Right, off to ebay Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimbfunk78 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Hi I know this may have been sold but do you have any pictures as I cannot open the attachment and would love to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 18 minutes ago, Thimbfunk78 said: Hi I know this may have been sold but do you have any pictures as I cannot open the attachment and would love to see it. You may not have noticed, but the thread is 11 years old and the original poster has not logged in since, so he will be long-gone. The attachment can't be opened because it was posted before the move to the current hosting site, about 3 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Yeah sorry, although the OP should get an email notification so you never know! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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