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I had a chance to see it today, I met the owner briefly for an unplugged eval.
There is some fret wear up near the nut, not crazy but it is there. The frets are kind of wide and not too high and look like the ones in the pictures I have seen. Some buzzing (not crazy bad) at various spots up and down the neck. Original case, pretty much perfect. The bridge is on a tilt towards the tail end to where the thumb wheels are almost touching the base if memory serves. And the base has some space between the body towards the end of the base. The top has a nice arch to it and there is a sound post present. The Aria label is present inside the f hole..I forgot to get the SN.
Cosmetically it looks nice, no dings I noticed, the neck has just a little relief and looks pretty straight up and down when sighted down it's length..I'm no expert though. Are the inlays MOP?
It has been played but appears well cared for. It even has the paperwork it came with. It has a beautiful aged look to the bindings etc. Some patina to the metal too. Very cool look. One of the Vol knobs has the little decal missing from the top.
The tilted bridge (a very noticeable tilt) and it's low setting reminded me of acoustic guitars that had to have a low saddle just before a neck reset. Also, I once bought an SG with a tilted bridge that wouldn't intonate. I got it sorted but it was a bit of a project. To be clear the upper metal part of the bridge is on pronounced tilt. Assuming it does not need a neck reset none of this is the end of the world but I have no time for projects and I don't do fret levels. As I think about it though if the tilt was resolved, maybe with a new base, then the bridge would be higher with room for downward adjustment so I'm thinking it does not need a reset. I'd bring a straight edge and check it if I look at it again.
The strings were supposedly very old but were surprisingly almost to pitch and did not appear old at all..made me wonder.
The seller is a non player, pretty nice guy, it was his dad's guitar. I gave him an honest unplugged eval to the best of my abilities.
So I'm considering it, I gave him the name of a decent tech in my area who I know to be honest. I already have an ES 175 (a 59 VOS from CME) and more guitars than I need or have time to play and this would be an "I'm in down size mode" purchase ha ha. You know how that feels. So we'll see I guess. If not for the tilted bridge and fret wear I would probably make an offer right now. It has a very cool vibe. The headstock is kind of odd (post lawsuit I suppose) but it is also cool in it's own way, very unique.
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07-28-2018 11:33 AM
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Yes, that’s the “post-lawsuit” headstock. The ‘78 version looked like this.
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Picked up this Aria Pro II PE-175 Herb Ellis today and I couldn't be happier. I've been looking for a 175-style guitar and this one kind of fell into my lap.
No need to change a thing. The pickups sound super sweet and all the hardware is top notch. These Japanese-made 70s-80s guitars are so good, especially for the price.
One question. I have no idea what year it's from. Is there standard serial number dating for these Aria's? Mine is 8 numbers and starts with 81.
Last edited by rmpmcdermott; 03-15-2019 at 05:45 PM.
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You're fortunate it has the original L5 style tailpiece. Lots of folks remove that and sell it, replacing it with something else.
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Yeah, I'm really glad that original tailpiece is there. Love the way it looks.
Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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What are the prices of those these days generally?
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This one was $750, but Reverb sales seem to be about $800-$1000. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
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Great Matsumoku HE guitar. I have played several and every one was a super archtop.
The pickups are simply superb.
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The pickups are out of this world. I hear Maxon made them. Originally Posted by Greentone
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Treated myself to some Thomastik-Infeld George Benson flats and threw them on this evening. Oh man this thing is so sweet!
It's my first hollowbody. I've been wanting a hollow for a few years now and didn't want to get a cheap one. I'd initially resigned myself to sucking it up and saving up for a used Gibson 175, but for a 1/4 of the price I feel like I've done really well. It's shaping up to be a late night of playing along to some standards.
And it's really cool to actually see Herb playing one.
Last edited by rmpmcdermott; 03-15-2019 at 10:16 PM.
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I have owned my '79 since 1984, I had it out for home practise just two days ago. Yup, them PU's are really great.
Good to know I could get my money back on it, paid $850 Canadian back then.
It would be in dollars that are worth 10 cents now / Sarcasticat
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I actually play my HE more than the 175, it's the most undervalued git out there.
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Nice - those are great guitars, and pretty unique nowadays if you like to have something different. Congrats!
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Congrats. Is that the one from our For Sale section? I can't find that ad now.
A while back I looked at a local one for sale near me on CL but it was rough, needed work and the guy was asking top dollar.
I did some research on the model and it is highly regarded for sure. A lot of guitar for the money. Enjoy.
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No, this was a local acquisition. They’re definitely around and in good shape, so keep a look out! Like you said, it’s a ton of guitar for the money. Originally Posted by 73Fender
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