1980 The Aria Pro II SB-1000 Bass Guitar Review

Hi there!

Today we are looking at another gem from the crown of Japanese guitar-building, a 1980 The Aria Pro II SB-1000 bass guitar. Note that I said “The” Aria Pro II, as this logo on the headstock differentiates the early production basses from the later ones.

The original run of these Aria Super Basses was built in Japan from 1978 to 1986, with a fair number imported to Europe and North America. They were adopted by a few popular bassists, such as Jack Bruce, Cliff Burton and John Taylor. They eventually re-issued these basses, and they are now available at premium prices.

As I said, this is an early bass (from around 1980), but it has many features that have been carried on to current production. Most noticeable is the Canadian ash body with neck-through construction. You can see this through the transparent finish, which shows the gorgeous 5-ply maple and walnut neck.

This one is finished with dark walnut stain over the ash, but they were also offered in transparent red, natural, and black. The black ones are as rare as hen’s teeth.

The C-shaped neck is sweet with a 24 medium-jumbo frets sunk into its rosewood fretboard. It Is beefy, with about a 1.75-inch nut. The headstock has a pretty veneer on it, with the usual legend: ”Designed & Approved by H Noble Original Custom Body P. No. 555719 A Product of Matsumoku. 4 11 n.m.”

The hardware is good, with a high-mass brass bridge and a brass nut. A factory brass nut, by the way. There are also nice brass covers over the electronics cavity on the back of the bass. The closed-back tuners are marked Aria Pro II, but they were manufactured by Gotoh.

This is all nice stuff, and it is a beautiful instrument, but what sets these SB-1000 basses apart from the rest is the electronics package. This includes an MB humbucker, 18-volt pre-amplifier, a six-position tone switch and a coil tap switch. Unfortunately, these early models did not have a power LED indicator on the front. Everybody and their brother wants an LED on their bass…

The 6-position tone switch provides most any tone you are looking for, from thick and boomy to sharp and aggressive. I have had a few of the original SB-1000s, and they are pretty consistent in tone and quality. The only downside is the weight, as they are usually around 11 pounds. This one comes in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces.

First series Aria Pro II SB-1000 basses are getting a bit hard to find, and I was lucky to run into one that was in such good condition and that included the original hardshell case in similar shape. If you have a choice, I would recommend picking up one of the original series instead of a re-issue, as they are usually very good basses. The quality of the re-issues is spotty, and if you do purchase one make sure you play it first so you don’t spend 4 figures on a dud.

Mahalo!