LeftyBassist.com

Hi There,

I have what i believe to be an 80's lefty Aria Pro II Black N Gold series bass.

The bridge saddles are not in the best shape. I was looking to know if anybody knows where to get replacements saddles? The threads are worn and i can't adjust them.

I tried contacting Aria in the States and in the UK cause i know they have the reissues out now and those bridges look identical. I think they are Gotoh ones but i have had zero luck with Aria. Tried emailing and calling cant get nobody. I have bought a new pickup from Kent Armstrong as the stock one has died. I'm having some fret buzz so i think it maybe the bridge needs lowering cause adjusting the trustrod doesn't help as much as i want it to.

It's the closest Lefty Aria bass u will get that looks like the one Cliff Burton played.

If anybody has some advice please help?

Check to see if the bridge screws are stripped, or if the threads inside the bridge pieces are. If the threads inside the bridges aren't completely gone, you can use the correct sized "tap" to dress the threads up, and get new screws. Or, it might be possible to re-tap the threads with the next size up, and use new screws. This may work until you can find a replacement.

Take off the strings, take off the bridge and take it to a machine shop, maybe they can help.

Cliff Burton is the reason why I am who I am today... so... if you ever decide to part with that bass, let me know.

I'd love to try restoring it.

Anyway, as far as everything else goes... keep hammering Aria. Have you tried contacting Dana B. Goods?

They're the US distributor.

I used to work with them when I kinda/sorta had a Warwick endorsement deal going and it was hit or miss... they lost the Warwick deal, so you can guess it was probably for a reason.

The machine shop is definitely a good idea as well if everything falls through... although, everytime I've ever talked to machineshop guys they treat me like I'm a big pain in their ass, so if you know a decent machinist personally, you'll be much better off.

One other idea for you would be to call Hipshot... they are usually AWESOME on the phone, and I've heard that they've done custom work for people before. It'll be SPENDY, but you could at least check into it... they might also be able to refer you to someone else who could help since instrument hardware is their business.

Good luck and keep us updated!

I remember seeing one of these on eBay.co.uk about a year ago. I contacted the seller, but unfortunately he refused to ship outside the UK. It sold for an absolute steal

+1. PM Bill at Billw97. He works at Hipshot and is a resident lefty here. Awesome guy to know and will undoubtedly have a suggestion/solution for you.

Howdy folks,

I wanted to share the response from Marc Boomer (danabgoods), when I asked about parts, etc for my Aria:

Aria has been around since 1956, so as you can imagine, there are hundreds of models in their rich history. Simple (i.e. standard) electronics parts such as pots, jacks, and switches are best obtained from after-market suppliers such as All Parts (http://www.allparts.com/), WD Products (http://www.wdmusic.com/), Warmoth (http://www.warmoth.com/), GuitarPartsDepot.com (http://www.guitarpartsdepot.com/) or Stewart Macdonald Guitar Shop Supply (http://www.stewmac.com/).

Cosmetic items such as coverplates, knobs, and tuning gears may or may not be available. The best way to proceed on those is to take a good digital photo of the guitar, then close ups of the needed parts. Email them to us at BarneyT@danabgoods.com. We will work with Aria's service department in Japan. If the parts are still available, we will let you know the cost and a guess on the leadtime.

There are a few good web sites or forums where you may be able to contact other Aria experts worldwide for assistance identifying your instruments or finding original parts. If you come across any others in your search, please let us know. Here's a good starting place: http://www.matsumoku.org/guitars.html

If that does not turn much up, you can try sending an email to Taku and Atsuki (kawauchi@ariaguitars.com and atsuki@ariaguitars.com) . They are located in the Aria headquarters in Japan. Every now and then they able to put their hands on old catalogs that can answer this type of question. Make sure that you send a digital photo or two along with your email inquiry. After making so many different models since their inception in 1956, the collective memory of the organization is less than perfect. Inquiries sent without photos will not be answered.

We are building a network of historians to answer questions such as yours. Please help if you strike pay dirt in your quest and post your discoveries on the AriaUSA forums for all to see.

Thanks for your interest in Aria Guitars.


Marc Boomer
Aria USA


Good luck

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to thank all of you for your excellent input. I really appreciate that. I got lots of options now to try and get this problem resolved i will keep u all posted.

Thanks Again

Now THAT'S what I call customer service!

Pull the bridge, soak the saddles in "Liquid Wrench" (get at a hardware store) for a few days. Take some vice grip pliers and clamp on the bottom of the height screws and wiggle and turn. They will eventually break loose and you can then remove them and get a replacement set of height screws. I did this for my 1978 P bass as the screws were seized in the saddles. I was able to remove them like this.

Good Luck!

FYI...

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=656714

Hey, do you still have this bass or any pictures of it? Really curious to see it.

sure no problem here are some pics of the bass have now fixed the saddles and added a new Kent Armstrong pickup.

Beautiful bass