Preamble
Aria has long been a well-loved name in guitars and basses. Today's post is the first of four featuring a Matsumoku-built Aria short-scale bass from the '70s, namely; the 1820. Although it's in rather poor shape, the pickups are still functioning.
The maple/ash/maple "sandwich" body has delaminated along the edges, and someone tried to stick it back together using grey autobody filler (which didn't work). The body was then sprayed black, and it's flaking off; revealing the original sunburst underneath.
Sadly, I forgot to take a pic of the bass before taking it apart. To make up for that oversight, the first pic in this post is one of a similar bass in much better condition; courtesy of Izzy's Vintage Guitars. It's for educational purposes only, so don't nobody sue me; please.
There is quite a lot of interesting information on the web about the 1820, as well as some fine pics for you to browse through at leisure. I've included links to relevant sites in the "Further Reading" section of this article. Do take the time to check them out, you won't be disappointed!
Meanwhile, the next section highlights some specs related to the specific bass I'm working on. Note that these specs are based on my own observations, as well as information sourced from the aforementioned sites.
Specifications
Body: Maple/Ash/Maple "sandwich"
Finish: Three-tone sunburst
Body Length/Width/Depth: 44-1/2”/13-1/4”/1-3/8”
Neck: Three-piece maple
Fretboard: Rosewood/30-1/2” scale length/9-1/2" radius/20 frets
Pickups: Two/Chrome Covers
Controls: Three-way toggle selector/Volume/Tone
Bridge: Two-way adjustable
Hardware: Chrome
Pickguard: Four-ply W/B/W/B
Tuners: Enclosed
Neck Plate Information: Steel Adjustable Neck/Made in Japan/1029267
Special Mention
The pickups on this bass deserve special mention as they're quite unlike anything I've come across, contemporary or vintage. To begin with, they aren't attached to the body or covers in any way. They simply "sit" in their respective pickup cavities, cushioned by foam; and held in place by the chrome pickup covers.
So, if you remove the covers; the pickups will fall out just like that. The pickups' polepieces protrude through round holes in the pickup covers, and I guess that helps keep them from moving about when the covers are closed.
The covers themselves are not attached to the pickups (as mentioned before), but screwed into the pickguard and underlying wood. Long story short, you won't be able to adjust the height of these pickups as easily as you would a generic single-coil or humbucker.
The polepieces can be screwed in or out, though; so I guess you can at least play around with that. Now, the best part: the pickups' magnets are not part of the pickups themselves. They just stick to the bottom of the coils via magnetism (of course) and can easily be removed. There are two magnets sticking to the bottom of each pickup. Interesting, isn't it?
Plan of Action
This bass needs a major overhaul, for sure. Among the parts that will be replaced include the tuners, control cavity components, bridge, neck plate, screws; and strap buttons. I understand that ideally, the neck plate, bridge and tuners should be retained.
They are in such bad and unusable shape, however; that it would be impractical to do so. I'll just clean them up as best I can and ask the owner to keep them as proof of this bass' vintage pedigree.
Meanwhile, the body will be stripped down to bare wood, repaired and refinished, and the headstock face restored; with great care taken to preserve the "Aria" black lettering. That's what I've mapped out, but we'll see how it goes. Do stay tuned for further updates on this Aria 1820 Short-Scale Bass Restoration.
Further Reading
1. Vintage Aria 1820 1820T 1970's Sunburst MIJ Japan Shortscale Short Scale Offset Bass Guitar
2. Vintage 1970's Aria 1820 Electric Bass Guitar! Made in Japan, Great Player!
3. Matsumoku Aria FE**ER Bass Clones
4. Aria Diamonds 1820 Jazz 70's Vintage road worn arctic white
5. Aria 1820/1830 Bass Body 1968-1976 Unfinished
6. 1972 Aria Model 1820 Electric Bass
Just finished cleaning up and repairing an Aria 1820 (possibly "Diamond" model). Missing the screw on headstock nameplate and bridge cover. Very cool, distinctive looking bass!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. Happy to hear that you've repaired the 1820. Hope that you find suitable replacements for the missing screws. And yes, it's a one of a kind bass!
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