It Was Gonna Happen Sooner or Later......

[101Volts]

:shock: i saw the aria's in a catalog and that got my interest going--------are they any good? mim strat quality? for the money they look good but how do they sound and play? help me out---the money gods are not favorable for me at this time!! are the aria re-issues worth the 289 clams???

I can't speak for Aria but the next guitar up from that price, Eastwood's Hi Flyer, Isn't a good Mosrite copy. (Then again, It is a copy of Univox's Hi Flyer so it is a copy of a copy) The body is too small and the neck is too big and the neck isn't replaceable because it is a set neck. The pickups aren't too exciting either although those can be replaced.

Then again, That is a whole other guitar. Back on topic.

[Dennisthe Menace]

I can't speak for Aria but the next guitar up from that price, Eastwood's Hi Flyer, Isn't a good Mosrite copy. (Then again, It is a copy of Univox's Hi Flyer so it is a copy of a copy) The body is too small and the neck is too big and the neck isn't replaceable because it is a set neck. The pickups aren't too exciting either although those can be replaced.

Then again, That is a whole other guitar. Back on topic.

EXACTLY! Which brings us back to how I originally started this thread with confusion

guess we should not be surprised when Eastwood came back out with the reissue
of the Univox Hi-Flyer. So now, Aria has decided to step into the ring as well with
their reissue of their copy of the Univox Hi-Flyer copy made by Eastwood which are
both copies of the Mosrite Reissues of the Mosrites........

[surfdaddy]

confusing, isn't it? my mim strat is the 1 in 10 that is really good but i got to check it out at the store before i bought it. if i order the aria online, only the waves know what's coming to my door. bit of a gamble i see. looked at the wilson brothers models, they don't even look right at all. eastwood or univox?? may as well look for a kapa continental (actually, i had a good one--40 years ago). my wife said the aria was "pretty"-----but she doesn't play and is near tone deaf.


how does the aria sound and play?? does anyone know??

[Veenture]

...how does the aria sound and play?? does anyone know??

No, I don't but Aria does have a good reputation; the Ventures endorsed them too for a while and Bob Bogle really loved his Aria bass. (Elnjay, that last remark shows we think of our bass players too once in a while )

Dorckrockrecords may chime in; he'll know about Aria...without a doubt.

[dorkrockrecords]

First off, the Aria Diamond isn't really a copy of the Univox Hi-Flyer because they were both made in the same factory in the late '60s. That would be like saying the Greco Mirage was a copy of the Ibanez Iceman when in fact, you guessed it, they were made in the same factory.

Both Nokie's current Hitchhiker line and the Wilson Brothers' line are Aria products. That being said, I know very little about the quality of the modern Aria Diamond, and by price point alone assume that they are products of Korea or China. The '60s instruments (as with all '60s Japanese guitars with the exception of Yamaha) fall into the "junk" or "pawnshop guitar" category, but Aria's real heyday was in the '80s with their Pro II line.

[surfdaddy]

well, i bought an aria mosrite copy. 289 bucks. not too bad. the strat style trem is not great, it works, only for little shakes. neck is good, fretwork is good, it looks good. not sure about the pups yet. ran it thru an ibanez ds7 and well--too tinny for me. but straight thru a fender camp 600 it sounded pretty good. might use it on stage but only in a surf band.

anyone else had experience with one of these guitars ?