Aria FA71 v Yamaha AEX1500 (Martin Taylor)

[Badge]

I have an opportunity to get one of these. The Aria is about half the price of the Yam.

I've played both - it's not easy to compare them in the shop as the Aria is strung with flatwounds (and the Yam isn't). I liked the Aria though (I also liked the Yam - but is it worth the price!)

I would like to buy a jazz box without breaking the bank. I have a 99 Korean Epi Sheraton II which I love. I've tried various of the Epi hollows (e.g. new Emperor) and found them a little 'cheap' feeling and sounding - nothing like my Sherry. The Aria and the Yam didn't feel 'cheap'.

All advice gratefully received, thank you!

[clem_gael]

two different animals...

I had a yamaha aex1500 and sold it a couple years ago... stupid move!!!

I really liked that guitar. The piezo/floating pickup combination is very interesting and usable. IMO, that guitar should not be stringed with flatwounds.

BTW, thanks a lot BADGE, I got GAS again! I had a hard time trying to forget that Yamaha...Now, I want it back!

[bojan]

I am not familiar with that particular Aria model but I do play - for ten odd years - that particular Yamaha guitar. My suggestion would be ... that you should take as a starting point the comment by clem_gael: the Yamaha should not be stringed with flatwounds. I would also mention that it should not be stringed with heavier gauges since the added mass of the strings may (will?) excite the tailpiece resonances (buzz).
In brief, the sound is versatile and malleable - yet, the guitar itself is difficult (nay, impossible) to bend into something else.
As for the price Yamaha is asking for this guitar, you may consider it fair for a signature model: ebony fretboard, active PU system, fit and finish ...
I hope you will find these comments useful.

[Stackabones]

I've played both - it's not easy to compare them in the shop as the Aria is strung with flatwounds (and the Yam isn't). I liked the Aria though (I also liked the Yam - but is it worth the price!)

If price is the only thing keeping you from making a decision and everything else is equal, go with the one that is more affordable. Use the leftover dough to get a good case or buy some new music.

[Badge]

Thank you for these responses. Am I right in saying that this Yamaha is not really a dedicated 'jazz box' but almost a semi-acoustic for non-Jazz stuff? Whereas the Aria is an old fashioned jazz hollow guitar...

[RoyaleT]

I have played an Aria Fa71 for two years and only changed the pickguard to a wooden one for visual appeal and the control knobs to thumbwheel type mounted to the guard's underside. The sound has never disappointed me, through a Roland Cube clean, or a Fender Princeton Chorus, also clean.

[clem_gael]

Believe me, this guitar is a serious jazz box with the ability to blend the darker side the a magnetic pickup (with tone rolled off) with the bright/acoustic side of the piezo.

[Stackabones]

Thank you for these responses. Am I right in saying that this Yamaha is not really a dedicated 'jazz box' but almost a semi-acoustic for non-Jazz stuff? Whereas the Aria is an old fashioned jazz hollow guitar...

Jazz is music, not gear.

[Joe Walsh]

I have owned an Aria FA71 for about two years. It is my first jazz box, and like RoyaleT, I have never been disappointed. In fact, I like the guitar so much I rank it as my happiest accidental purchase ever. “Accidental”, because I had never heard of the FA71 until the day I bought it. Like Badge, I found the Epi hollows in the same price range to feel "cheap"; except for a vintage Broadway which was a great guitar, but whose “vintage” price tag made it a bit too rich for me at the time. I don’t know how much the Yamaha you are looking at costs, but if affordability is a deciding factor, I think that if the FA71 is a great guitar-value for the price (I paid $600 used).

[Badge]

Jazz is music, not gear.

I know... But all other things being equal there is always a better choice between 2 alternatives.

Thanks for your views. I think I'll go for the aria.

[caravan]

I've been watching two Aria FA 71's on the internet for about a year now (neither one has sold). One has been on MusicFolk.com (in St. Louis, MO), and the other has been on elderly's site. Besides some damage to the elderly model, I'm not sure why they haven't sold yet. I really like Aria jazz guitars, but other folks don't seem to share in my enthusiasm. There's a better model, the FA 77, but it doesn't have a cutaway.

The Yamaha will hold it's value better over the years. It's simply worth more and if you can afford it then go for it.

[RoyaleT]

There is an FA71 on EBay right now with a bid of $300(Not mine), this could be a steal for someone.

[Badge]

Well... what a tricky task it is to choose an archtop!

Many people have told me that, for some reason, Arias just don't hold their value. I suppose this doesn't matter as they are quite cheap anyway! Also, it's not an investment, it's for my use and enjoyment anyway. The new FA71 I'm looking at is about A$1200. This seems a lot compared to US prices. I played this guitar and liked it.

Many people say that the Yam AEX1500 is a great guitar and well made (although ugly with the back plate and electrics). But that it is a real compromise between a traditional archtop and a modern semi-acoustic (i.e. it is a good compromise but not optimal in either function). The new Yam I'm looking at is about A$2300. I also played this guitar and liked it.

I have recently seen a pre-loved beautiful looking 2005 Eastman Archtop AR805E 16" (i.e. no cut away, carved top) for A$1900. It's located 3500 km from me so I can't play it but the shop owner, a lover and collector of archtops, sings its quality and workmanship. Other reviews of Eastmans have been mostly very positive and I love the look of it.

So... opinions please. I'm now leaning toward the pre-loved Eastman, but does it matter that it has no cut away? Is it crazy buying a guitar sight unseen? If a cut away is preferred, is the Eastman AR805CE the way to go (A$3000 new)? Or the uberexpensive Pisano ($5000 new in Australia!)?

Australian prices seem much higher than US it seems to me...

What I'm loving at the moment is sweet chord harmony stuff. Is an Eastman archtop even the right type of guitar for me and this style or is it a penetrating chunk chunk big band box that won't be sweet on the harmony? Confused...

[Dad3353]

Well... what a tricky task it is to choose an archtop!...Confused...

Good evening, Badge...
An expression comes to mind...

He who hesitates is lost

...to be meditated upon (but not for long..!).
It seems to me (but I may be wrong...) that your 'dilemma' is that of us all, really. You've played and heard the Aria, you like it, and can afford it. Buy it, and play it. Later (next week..? or more likely in a few years...) you will come across another instrument which attracts you, and that you can acquire. No big deal; if these are the biggest problems in life we come up against, we're not doing so badly.
An Eastman (or a Gibbo, or a [fill space with whatever brand]) is doubtless a great guitar too, but the one you have already tried (and if you had not started to compare, would have already bought...) has already your very own 'seal of approval'.
I'm not trying to be flippant, and your questioning the merits or advantages of different models is very pertinent (Aria v Yamaha: quite different breeds...), but there is always greener grass just a bit further on. Take the plunge (your call; don't listen to me...) and enjoy (until the next 'opportunity'...).
How's the Mickey Baker shaping up, by the way? Have you found something better for your needs? Must be close to finished by now, if you've stuck with him...
Hope this helps...
PS: just for perspective, I have been down this road, and have accumulated a 335 copy, a Hofner jazz box and a tele thinline-type, amongst others. If the budget can stretch to it, it's quite a pleasant illness (perhaps incurable..!).
Now when you need to choose an amp (or amps...), that's when the fun starts...

[Badge]

Thanks Douglas. Spoilt for choice I guess aren't we!

Mickey b is going well. I'm working it in tandem with leavitt. About halfway through mb (I'm not rushing it as I'd prefer that it sticks) and getting through about 3 pages a day of leavitt (trying to revise as I go).

I got sidetracked from the books by 'composing' arrangements of vanilla tunes with the jazz chords and inversions that I am learning from a great book called 'chord connections' by Robert brown. Slow work but very satisfying.

Part of my dilemma is that the second hand market in oz for arch tops is very thin. Chances are whatever I buy will be consigned to the 'shed' as it will be hard to move at a reasonable price. Hence my interest in a better quality guitar that I will 'love forever'

Cheers

[pingu]

Jim Mullen is playing an FA 71 at the mo and likes it well enough

Hmmmm they are MUCH cheaper in the UK

[Badge]

Well, thank you to everybody for your comments. Douglas, I had seen that Eastman but it was sold by the time I got seriously to thinking about it. I scoured the 3 best stores in town on Saturday and played the Aria, the Yamaha, an Epi Emperor Regent, an Eastman Pisano and an Epi 175 against each other. 3 hours well spent. In the end, the Korean Aria was the one I liked the best! The Eastman was made beautifully - a work of art - but had a more rigid feel and tone IMO. The Epis did not seem well constructed to me - the 175 was an Indonesian and the Emperor a Korean - not that it matters to be honest. Country of origin is increasingly not an issue for any goods nowadays. In the end, I decided to get real and remember that - for example - my kids are likely to flick the strings as they walk past my guitars each morning (hopefully not upsetting the stand!)... and I am not (yet) Joe Pass mk2.

A weekend of use has confirmed the decision for me. So, all ends well!

[pingu]

how much ?

[Badge]

A$1100. I definitely overpaid by international standards. Still, it's not an investment it's a luxury item.

[RoyaleT]

Congrats on the Aria. I hope you have years of pleasure from it.