help me date and find model number on this aria jazzbox

[Keira Witherkay]

hi all this is a pic of a recent buy it's an aria jazz box..( before my changing the tuners and the bridge(saddle) .from what i can tell it's a ES175 copy but the switch is in the wrong spot on the lower horn where all the 175's i seen have the switch at the top horn unfortunately .the previous owner or the one before him stupidly pulled out the label which contained the model number inside the f hole......the glue mark is still there ......but no other model number can be found

but it seems from my research to be anything from very late 60's to sometime in the 70's but not sure i can't find a pic of an identical model some are similar but none are the same yet .. both the headstock and the truss rod cover say Aria......

just curious to find out what it is........ the guitar is a laminated one .... and the neck is glued on NOT bolted and the whole guitar is beautifully bound and the neck inlays look fabulous and are well installed cos they absolutely flush

however the tone is to die for....... it's exactly what i want ....so i'm busy restoring this instrument .... already replaced the tuners with vintage ( gibson) tuners think they gotho tuners the plastic has a beautiful green sheen to it ....... i have had the frets dressed and the action setup........ and i replaced the wooden bridge with a nicol tunamatic...... seems i may need to refret the entire guitar as the frets are quite low and i have 2 or 3 notes that bottom out cos the frets are so low..... so that expense is on the horizon.however i'm using it for my pro gigs..... and even the staff at the hotel i work at commented how much better this guitar sounds

so not that it makes any difference ........ i'm using this guitar cos i love the tone not whatever is in it's pedigree........but can someone give me a model number and date this beauty ........

peace and light
keira

[mongrel]

That's a beauty. Looks like the neck pickup may not be original. How long ago and where did you acquire it?

[mongrel]

Intrigued enough to search a bit and found that it could be the "Diamond" model possibly manufactured by the renown Matsumoku folks. And perhaps the neck pickup is original and the bridge was a retrofit.

[M-ster]

Cool find, but is the guitar really on its face on the tile floor? Poor baby!

[Keira Witherkay]

thanks guys ..... yes it looks closest to the diamond range butr they had diamond printed on the headstock mine does not ........

and as for the neck pick up thats the only one i use..... i get the tone i love outa that pickup no idea if it's a retrofit or the bridge one is but i love the sound it gives me for fingerstyle playing ....

as for how long i have had it........ only about a month now i bought it middle dec 2010 from an ad in gumtree(a 2nd hand website) from a guy who bought it himself only months earlier but needed the cash so sold it again ....... and in process of restoring it ....... to be my main gigging jazz box ....

hehehehehe yeah as for it lying on it's face........ M-ster i'm afraid i love guitars but i don't molly coddle em....hehehhe so damn right i never tossed it down or scrapped it dragging it off the concrete . i'm careful but don't wrap it in cottonwool ..... it's gigging 6 days a week at moment so it's gonna see some wear .......

thanks for the input so far ....... much appreciated

[NSJ]

Originally Posted by M-ster

Cool find, but is the guitar really on its face on the tile floor? Poor baby!

If you have to lay it down , better that way, where the strings touch the floor than to have the back do it.....

[goshawk]

Looks very similar to this guitar, which is identified as a 1968 Model 1262. The cutaway is different, but the headstock, bridge, tailpiece and neck pickup all seem to be the same.

Vintage Aria Mij Hollowbody Archtop 1262 Baccobrst Hsc | Vintage Archtop Guitar

[Keira Witherkay]

thanks .. for the help..... yes it looks similar indeed and match's in with the age the seller told me he also said late 60's or early 70's ..... but hey he was selling the guitar he would say anything to get it sold heheheh

peace and light keira