AriaII Pro RS Deluxe-V

Demanic

Demanic

PenultimateTone Member
This guitar belongs to a friend of mine, I put strings on it tonight and have done some upgrades to it through the years (Dimarzio Fast2 in the bridge, locking grovers, TusqXL string saddles, EB Cobalt .10s Haven't found too much information about it over the years, and I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with these.
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Re: AriaII Pro RS Deluxe-V

I have an RS series Aria ProII that I recently "overhauled". The headstock on it just says "RS Series", no other model designation. Not a bad guitar. The neck is really nice. Mine had a wacky tremolo bridge that I replaced.

Like you, I could not find a lot of info on them. The body on mine is solid wood, but 7 pieces. Still sounds fine. I reshaped and refinished it, as I started to really dislike the long upper horn. Here's what it looks like now:

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Re: AriaII Pro RS Deluxe-V

I have one of the original Aria strats, circa 1984, i bought it new back then. Still sings very nice. I had built another partscaster and compared to the Aria the partscaster always sucked. Ended up selling the partscaster as it would not rival the Aria in tone and sustain.
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Re: AriaII Pro RS Deluxe-V

I also have an RS series with no other designation. It's an '85 SSS that was modded to accommodate a humbucker. It was my first "real" guitar I bought used in 1987. It was also my only electric guitar for the next 15 years or so. I always felt it was a wannabe guitar that never really measured up. The tremolo is wonky, the electrical marginal, and the shape was a little off. When I finally got a "big boy" guitar in 2004 (American deluxe HSS Strat) I compared the quality and build of each guitar. That's when I gained a whole new appreciation for the Aria. Sure the Strat was prettier and had better components. But the quality and build of the Aria is every bit as good as the Strat. I still prefer the feel of the Strat and its neck but the Aria is solid. I wouldn't hesitate getting another and modding it with new hardware and electrical if that's what you're inclined to do.

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Re: AriaII Pro RS Deluxe-V

The bridge on my friend's is a six screw heavy brass block with Graphtech TusqXL string saddles and it has been blocked with a wedge shaped piece of corian.
I'm particularly impressed with the hex screw stock single coils. They have a fantastic clean sound and I think that they may be made with 2 alnico, or maybe ceramic, spacer type magnets, one on either side of the hex poles.
Also, the fit of the neck to the pocket is incredible. You couldn't fit a sheet of tissue paper between the neck and the body.
 
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