1985 Aria Pro II RS Knight Warrior

Vintage Japanese super-strat, made by Matsumoku and equipped with a Kahler Flyer tremolo

 

The younger cousin of the strat copy that I scored a couple of years back, this one is its mirror image and 30 years has seen the white finish age into a killer vintage cream color. The pickups seem to be original, although most photos show the guitar with blade style pickups and the Kahler Flyer is definitely stock. I took this to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar for the setup and it does play and sound super sweet.

Getting back to those pickups, I found a set of vintage blade pickups, including an MMK 45 humbucker, but the PUPs inside looked to be the same build, so we decided to leave it be. This guitar doesn't have the output of some of my other electrics, but it gets really nice clean sounds and the Flyer alone is probably worth what I paid for it.

These are high-quality mid-grade guitars, worst-case scenario, and you can find them for $200 or less most times. I'm currently in the market for a bass with a rosewood fretboard and it's either going to be an Aria or another Ibanez Roadstar, which I also brought in for Clay to look at. If you live in Southern California and you need repairs to your guitars, check out the Yelp page above. Clay will take care of your guitars and give you a great deal on the price.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1980s Aria Pro II RS Special V Electric Guitar

Made in Japan, by the famed Matsumoku guitar masters, with the classic black and white setup

Early-mid 80s Aria Pro II RS Special V Strat Style electric guitar, these are often said to rival Fender Strats of the same period and this one definitely plays like a dream.

Can't say for sure what year it is, the neckplate indicates 1982, but the Special V series supposedly only ran in 1983-84.
Either way, this is a killer vintage electric guitar and one that is offered at a price you'd pay for a new mid-level guitar, at best.

These seem to be more popular over in Europe, so you can sometimes find them here in the US for less than $200.

Thank you for looking. More high-resolution pictures here.