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Does anyone have an opinion or experience playing this model? Thank you,
Tom
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02-08-2020 04:18 PM
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A local shop has had one for a while and I've played it once or twice. It's big, obviously, and to someone used to wrapping themselves around a guitar it felt a bit unwieldy to me. People do manage though. The neck girth was huge up near the body. The amplified sound was fine and what you might expect from such a guitar.
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If I recall it's a Matsumoku made L5 type body with a floating pickup? Basically the Aria Pro II PE180 but with a floater? If so, I imagine it would be a splendid guitar.
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Yes, I think so...here:
70's MIJ Aria Pro II PE-190 Robert Conti Honeyburst w/HSC | Reverb
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These guitars basically have the body dimensions of an L5ces and the neck of a Super 400, with the more massive headstock of the latter. They are very well made but old ones are subject to binding rot, pickguard off-gassing, etc. The necks are 5 piece longitudinal laminate and are the 70's Gibson dimension, which was a bit heftier than guitars today. I suspect it is identical to my PE180 but with a floater. 7 layer laminate construction.
If you get one that hasn't degraded too much with age, it's a fine instrument.
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Lawson, thank you. It sounds like you know your jazz guitars. Anything else you would recommend in the under 2k price range for a hollow body / archtop--anything except bright. This one on Reverb looks well-taken care of, meanwhile..
Tom
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One of my students had one and I owned one for a short time, both had 2 pickups built in like an electric L-5 CES. While I thought I could always swap out the neck pickup for something different I didn't get comfortable with the rather hefty weight, the neck size/dimensions and - sad to say - the aesthetics of the guitar. The proportions are somewhat out of whack to my eyes .... Have you checked out the Ibanez Pat Metheny models ? Very comfy guitars, great pickup/playability and looks. Also, check out this Guild X-500 :
Originally Posted by tomvwash
1972 Guild X-500 Hollow Body w/Hard Case | Crescendo Music | Reverb
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I will put the Guild on the watch list, thank you. I'm hearing more negative than positive on the Aria, probably time to scratch from consideration--hollow body shopping is not easy.
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I own one in blond finish and I'm the original owner and I bought it directly from Bob in 1977. It was one of the first he received. I previously owned a PE-180 (two built in pickups) that also had Bob's name on the tailpiece and I also purchased that one directly from Bob. I haven't had any binding rot. The pickguard did deteriorate but not unusual as I kept this in the case for 10 plus years. I replaced the floating DeArmond copy with a 12 pole handwound pickup in 1997. I replaced the pickguard at the same time.
Mine has a pressed spruce top, maple back and sides and it is in natural finish. I like the tone I get from the 12 pole and it is a well made guitar considering the time it was made. I don't play it anymore because of a hand injury I suffered in 2000 that now requires me to play with a wider nut width. I also play mostly with my fingers now and the nut width on my PE-190 is slightly less than 1 11/16.
As I mentioned, at the time (70's) the only choices one had were either the Aria or Ibanez or a Gibson. Today, there are a lot more choices and even low price guitars are very well made.Check out Eastman, Comins GSC 16, Ibanez etc.
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on sale from a forum fellow and a steal at that price :
2016 Holst 16” Hollow body archtop jazz guitar with Dimarzio | Reverb
You can't find a better deal for a TOP TIER custom made archtop by a respected and well established luthier
and this will get you the mellow, sustained tone you strive for, and then some - just sayin' .....
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I have done business with this establishment and they are world class in the customer service space. No financial interest... other than that I've traded several Grover Clevelands for guitars there. Originally Posted by tomvwash
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