Author Topic: Various Questions... (Read 323 times)

trekster · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2006, 10:56:32 AM »

whew, that was 3 years ago. Don't have the same email address, so no backups. Phoo.

Ok.. I remember trying to get the pickups from the American Distributor (ARIA USA). At that time they could not get parts like that. So I emailed the Japanese manufacturer (ariaguitars.com), they turned me to the Japanese Distributor. I think the pickups cost me at the time 140? They had a couple of options as far as shipping. Took them about week and a half to get here.

Yeah, I love my SB-900..mine was made in 1983, and the Paduak Red has aged to a beautiful red-brown. Feels like she weighs about twice that of my new Essence. I had the brass bridge re-laquered, and replaced the chrome keys with gold keys, and the E tuner with a hipshot extender key.

--T

lg71 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2006, 12:51:53 PM »

Ah, it's been a while then, well I am sure I will be able to trace them if I really need to. Thanks for clarifying that it is thru Japan.

The SB900 is nice as well, two pickups, passive, Brass bridge/nut, five pieces slim/narrow thru neck... I know a lot about the SBs, once I had the SBR150 which was the very top of the range with zebra wood and dual pickups active electronic + ebony finger board, and a wider neck, they do weight a ton some of those SBs...

How did you re-laquer the brass bridge, did you have it done or DIY? I am just cleaning mine in fact, and was thinking of protecting it. What are the gold keys you are using as well?
1983 is a good year for the SB900, my 600/700 are 1980s.

A couple of short files were I am having fun with the SB600:
http://www.topfloormix.com/bits/H&G.Intro1.mp3
http://www.topfloormix.com/bits/you2muchBass.mp3

apdavis · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2006, 01:15:00 PM »

Rudy had activator replacement pickups in his basses at the time. Alembic had made replacement drop in P/U's for Rickenbackers, P and Jazz basses, soap bar mods that I think drop nicely into Musicmans. I suspect that Val has contacted you about this already, So FYI for any other basses in your future.

lg71 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2006, 01:29:25 PM »

Thanks for the info. No, I haven't heard from Alembic yet, I look forward to it.

lidon2001 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2006, 08:53:01 PM »

bsee · « **Reply #20 on:** March 16, 2006, 09:23:10 PM »

Sarzo also had a Peavey model that seemed to be the four string brother to the TL-5 and TL-6 models. Those were great wood for the money, very much a poor man's Alembic.

palembic · « **Reply #21 on:** March 16, 2006, 10:57:14 PM »

LOve those basses too!
From the moment I saw an ad Jack Bruce playing one.I would go for the SB 1000.

Paul TBO

PS: it IS nice to have dreams no?

trekster · « **Reply #22 on:** March 17, 2006, 04:55:47 AM »

For re-laq'ng the bridge, I took it appart, and then took the plate and saddles over to the local brass shop, had them do it. Cost me like $20.00. Worth every penny. For the keys, just standard gold gotoh's, with a hipshot extender on the E.

I thought the Peavey Sarzo basses were beautiful, but I didn't like the Peavey electronics in it -- they always sounded so sterile. Personal opinion rears it's ugly head up once again!

The only other Aria I have is a 1980 Thor-sound TSB-650 Bass. Got it for $100 at a local store; the shopkeep didn't realize how much of a bargain that was for a neck-thru bass that just needed a little TLC. Medium scale that I'm in the middle of modding extensively to fretless. Even found an SB1000 pickup for it so I can upgrade her from passive to active!

I've already had it written into my will that I will buried with my SB in hand. My Alembic goes to my son.

--T

trekster · « **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2006, 05:00:57 AM »

oh, I just remembered.. when I got the pickups three years ago, the model that they were being made for at time was the SB-850.. I don't think the 850 was ever sold in America (and not even sure if they are still making it; didnt see it on the Aria Japan site anywhere). I remember looking at the specs; it was almost a 900, but they were using a hipshot style bridge instead of reproducing the Aria bridge that was used in the vintage 900/1000's. I remember it disappointing me.

--T

lg71 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 17, 2006, 04:46:07 PM »

I know this pictures, luckily there are still a couple of good sites for info:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fyfeholt/aria.htm
http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/sb/sb.html

I don't know the Peavey at all, but yes, back in the days, basses sounded like basses. These days there are basses that sound like flutes

Well me, it was by accident that I discovered the SBR150, got it from a pawn shop, traded against a mini-disc player at the time... the minute I played it, I understood that this thing was some serious kit, although not known to me at the time, but I was so impressed that I called Aria UK to find out a bit more, and I was lucky to speak to someone who knew everything about SBs as he worked for Aria very long time.

Well, I wish you long life for a start, but remember those basses are heavy I thank you for the tip on brass protection, I'll see how it goes over here.

bigredbass · « **Reply #25 on:** March 17, 2006, 10:34:56 PM »

Geez these were nice axes. If you've never played a good one, do yourself a favor, right up there with the Daions as far as being overlooked from the 80s.

Of course they all bear the decal about being designed by one 'H. Noble'. Well actually they were designed by Hayashi-san (his real name) who moved on to found Atlansia, the Japanese company for his creations (www.atlansia.jp). Some of them seem downright zany (the famous ONE string bass), but study his website and gaze at his own designed, fabricated, and installed hardware and electronics and woodwork, and this guy has a LOT going on in his mind. Too bad they are SO rare on this side of the Pacific (along with several other pieces . . .www.guitarsjapan.com ).

J o e y

lg71 · « **Reply #26 on:** March 18, 2006, 04:42:14 PM »

Just 7 hours left for this one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7398029840&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3APIC&rd=1