Amp Mad Scientist
Ambassador of Heresy
It has to be Charvel.
And it has to be a hockey stick head stock.
Sorry.
Nothing says 80s metal better than a Hockey Stick.
80s Metal Axe Acquisition Dilemma - Need Some Guidance
- Thread starter SIx String Chef
- Start date
And it has to be a hockey stick head stock.
Sorry.
Nothing says 80s metal better than a Hockey Stick.
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
HA!.... uhm -- no................
80s ....... excess...............
BC Rich ruled
OP
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Well I've got the BC Rich side covered (pending some serious surgery), if you remember... so I guess a hockey stick with a sexy body should definitely be next! Be it Aria, Kramer, Jackson or Charvel
Amp Mad Scientist
Ambassador of Heresy
Hockey Stick and Hair Bands go together.
It's Stikma.
It's Stikma.
Amp Mad Scientist
Ambassador of Heresy
What is CC?no...its CC
I vote Jackson that crack is not much of an issue for me, because I was opening up the tuner holes on one of my Strat necks , and broke the piece clean off, a little glue, and 24 hours later I strung it up and that was 6 years ago, , I had a similar Aria pro ll, nice axe, that would be number 2 ..
Cheers
Last edited:
That’s how my Aria Pro ll looked, but black pick ups.
Here’s a pic of my blunder
OP
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
DeVille. CC DeVille, guitarist for Poisoncc’s displacement on dirt bikes
Aria Pro II. Just an opinion.
OP
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Sorry, Mitch... Been a long day and a couple whiskies on top dont help... 
Gotta go hit the sack!
Gotta go hit the sack!
OP
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Much appreciated, Don!Aria Pro II. Just an opinion.
OP
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Good morning, Everyone!
Update: I went to the store yesterday, to test drive the Aria... I was told that they just had it setup, but the guitar told me another story. The pups sounded shrill and tinny. Of course, the SS Vox Cambridge amp they had in the booth didn't help much, but I wasn't able to squeeze a decent tone out of the guitar. Even the push/pull coil splitter didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the sound overall. Didn't look under the hood at the wiring and electronics. Had a bad hum, but nothing that good shielding and a properly grounded AC outlet wouldn't solve.
The trem is the original ACT3. I believe Aria's stab at their own FR-type locking trem. The whammy bar was missing, so... not the best way to test. Anyway, couldn't get the strings in tune with the fine tuners no matter what, and I didn't bring a hex key to try and tinker with it while in the booth. The angle of the picture does not show it, but the saddle intonation pattern, especially the position of the D saddle is way off, hopefully not a sign of trouble. Also, the fine tuners didn't seem to have much of an effect but most likely just because of crappy old strings. I sighted the neck... quite straight, it seemed to need some relief but no noticeable warps or twists so, nothing that a good REAL setup shouldn't be able to fix.
The finish looked overall OK (in the dimly lit testing booth) although the back seemed a lot rougher and was missing the spring cavity cover.
Bottomline: Even though I think it could have been a nice fixer-upper project, the guitar's sound and tone really put the kibosh in it for me. Couldn't shake off the bad first impression enough to want to put time and more money in it. SO I passed on that one.
But... I had a chance to take a closer look at the Jackson KVX10. Mitch, just like you mentioned, the headstock crack was a whole corner that got broken. off in what must have been one bad fall. The crack went through the peghole, clean from one edge of the headstock to the other. But the repair seemed to be, I guess as good as it could have been done. I may be wrong.
In any case, a world of difference in tone compared to the Aria (duh...). Duncan "Designed" pups, which to me translates as made somewhere else but the SD factory. Good shredder neck, nice thin profile... plays really well. Jackson locking trem working the way it should, good dives and lifts... I'm considering this one, although they will not budge one (Canadian) penny on their asking price in spite of the headstock crack. They say it was professionally repaired, so... I believe I'll have to mull this one over a bit more.
Update: I went to the store yesterday, to test drive the Aria... I was told that they just had it setup, but the guitar told me another story. The pups sounded shrill and tinny. Of course, the SS Vox Cambridge amp they had in the booth didn't help much, but I wasn't able to squeeze a decent tone out of the guitar. Even the push/pull coil splitter didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the sound overall. Didn't look under the hood at the wiring and electronics. Had a bad hum, but nothing that good shielding and a properly grounded AC outlet wouldn't solve.
The trem is the original ACT3. I believe Aria's stab at their own FR-type locking trem. The whammy bar was missing, so... not the best way to test. Anyway, couldn't get the strings in tune with the fine tuners no matter what, and I didn't bring a hex key to try and tinker with it while in the booth. The angle of the picture does not show it, but the saddle intonation pattern, especially the position of the D saddle is way off, hopefully not a sign of trouble. Also, the fine tuners didn't seem to have much of an effect but most likely just because of crappy old strings. I sighted the neck... quite straight, it seemed to need some relief but no noticeable warps or twists so, nothing that a good REAL setup shouldn't be able to fix.
The finish looked overall OK (in the dimly lit testing booth) although the back seemed a lot rougher and was missing the spring cavity cover.
Bottomline: Even though I think it could have been a nice fixer-upper project, the guitar's sound and tone really put the kibosh in it for me. Couldn't shake off the bad first impression enough to want to put time and more money in it. SO I passed on that one.
But... I had a chance to take a closer look at the Jackson KVX10. Mitch, just like you mentioned, the headstock crack was a whole corner that got broken. off in what must have been one bad fall. The crack went through the peghole, clean from one edge of the headstock to the other. But the repair seemed to be, I guess as good as it could have been done. I may be wrong.
In any case, a world of difference in tone compared to the Aria (duh...). Duncan "Designed" pups, which to me translates as made somewhere else but the SD factory. Good shredder neck, nice thin profile... plays really well. Jackson locking trem working the way it should, good dives and lifts... I'm considering this one, although they will not budge one (Canadian) penny
on their asking price in spite of the headstock crack. They say it was professionally repaired, so... I believe I'll have to mull this one over a bit more.
Iron1
AmbassaDOOM of Red VVinter
Exactly my thoughts.
And, I wouldn't go after an Aria or a Fernandes, just because I know how fickle I am and trying to resell one of those would be much harder than re-selling an 80s guitar that's more well known, like a Jackson, or Ibanez or BC Rich, Gibson, Fender, etc...
Iron1
AmbassaDOOM of Red VVinter
You could also go for something like this. Odds are it plays WAY better than any of those choices. Fujigen made 80s/90s Ibanez Sabers are unbeatable.
