Fret Edge Binding on an ARIA PRO II Leopard?

[detroitace]

Hi,
I just snagged this nice ARIA Pro II Leopard, LP copy off ebay. I had to change the pots, but otherwise the guitar is in great shape. It's a pancake style body, with what appears to be a single piece of maple veneer top.



I just noticed last night that it looks like the guitar used to have fret edge binding. As you can just see in this picture, the fretboard binding seems to come around the edge of the frets a little bit. This is a good thing, I think because it means this guitar was a higher-end model. But, I wonder why it's not there anymore. Maybe a re-fret removed it? The frets do seem kind of high for a 20+ year old guitar.


Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Bill

 

[marcusnieman]

Looks like it did have fret edge binding and it was refretted. Most times the binding is damaged during a refret and you end up losing it altogether rather than having the chipped remnants.

Nice guitar

 

[tudor]

Bill,

the Arias do have the open-book headstock ???? I always saw the newer ones with the ugly "something called headstock" ...
This one looks great !

... and Marcus, I think you're right concerning the former fret-edge-binding ... :-?

Roger

 

[detroitace]

Roger,

Yes, I was surprised by this as well. I've seen a lot of Aria "Les Paul", which aren't really Les Pauls. They have a slightly different body and a straighter headstock. When I saw this one, I jumped on it. I think I got a good deal because it sounds good and is in such good shape. I also like the 'Leopard' name -- it's cool.

I have a Yamaha Lord Player, which is very similar. Both have pancake bodies and are TBS, but the Leopard has a one-piece back, whereas the Lord Player is 3-piece and the Leopard has a one-piece veneer? top and the Lord Player is a 3-piece top. They sound very similar.

I've had to replace the pots in both guitars because they were very stiff and didn't move smoothly. I guess this is a result of the salty Japanese air?

Anyway, I'm psyched about the purchase and will be using it a bunch!

-- Bill

 

[Loudmouse]

Yep, I have an Aria Pro II LP Deluxe with the open book headstock and fret edge binding.

Pictures HERE

Nice leopard, I wish mine said that. I think the "LP model" sticker was added later on mine.
I wonder if they removed a leopard decal to add the other.

Does yours have a 3 piece neck with a volute?

 

[sneakyjapan]

looks very much like mine... except the one I have is not a pancake body but 3 piece top and 2 piece back. It also has the original open white DiMarzio p`ups. On the Japanese web I have seen models that have Leo Pold without the standard truss rod cover and I`ve seen models that have the standard truss rod cover but no Leo Pold on the headstock...but never both before. Mine does not have the standard rod cover. These shop up regulalry on the Japanese web but never for the price I got mine for... $80.oo. I`m so happy with the guitar.

 

[Loudmouse]

$80.00!!

I'd pay TWICE that!

 

[detroitace]

Loudmouse,

Yep, mine has the 3piece neck with volute. The truss rod cover, though bell shaped, is 3-screw and the adjustment requires a male fender-style allen wrench, not the gibson hex female that looks like a pipe.

It sounds like there are lots of variations in them, between the trcs, body make-up, headstock labels, etc. Maybe no two are a like.

I paid $399, not $80, but I still think it's a good deal. The seller said it has a long tenon, but I haven't verified it, yet. I've seen other Aria's with a medium tenon and a screw inside, but I don't know if mine has that or not.

It sounds really good through my peavey classic 30. It's a vintage dimarzio-type sound, with lots of high-end humbucker chirp if you dig in. It sounds like Ace Frehley's guitar, actually. :wink:

-- Bill

 

[sneakyjapan]

they had mine in the junk section so I asked why and they said the neck is warped...I looked it up and down, saw nothing out of the ordinary and said...OH yeah, I see what you mean...here`s my $80.oo ...thanks.
But you know...it didn`t come with a case... those rip off artists. heeheehee
I visit that shop at least twice a week but haven`t seen another one like it yet. They seem to either grossly overprice their stuff or under value it...I believe there is no guitar player that works there.

 

[le juge]

Hi,
What do you think about an Aria Pro II Leopard with 2-piece solid top, 2-piece back (not pancake), binding over the frets and dimarzio PUs?
What is the grade of this model ? I have not found any informations in the catalogues about it.
I think it could be a LS600 because of the serial number 1XXXXX (mean 1981 ???), or LS-700 and higher are made until 1980 (see this information on matsumoku.org).

 

[le juge]

Here is mine.
It would great if someone has some informations about it.

 

[mojoburst]

ARIA pro II LS-600 P cherry sunburst, mij 1980
Specs:
-solid 2-pc plain maple top
-two P-90 pickups
-Mahogany pancake-body with 1-ply maple-layer
-3pc-maple neck
-ebony fretboard
-fret-edge-binding
-open book headstock without model-type logo
-Kluson-style tuners with greenish double-ring-tulips
I can?t fiend a comparable model with the same specs for 1 year now, so I think that this is a really rare version of the really rare P-90s models from that production-period. ARIA pro II made this P-90s -LP-version only in 1980! ( :evil: ATTENTION!! Some cheap plywood-body -versions of this ARIA pro II -model are on the market, korean-made I think! They?re quickly identified by their slotted bridge-posts, 3-screws-trussrodcovers and ...the plywood-bodies :wink: )
Modifications:
-aged nickel Faber alu-tailpiece
-aged nickel Duesenberg ABR-bridge
-original golden reflectorhead-knobs from the ?70s

 

[Ozeshin]

The Leopards were all Matsumoku made so for any info or discussions go to www.matsumoku.org

 

[le juge]

Excellent Les Paul (comparing to my highest-end mij models). Very well-built, DiMarzio PAF sound like are very good sounding, lot of sustain...

 

[soundcreation]

Roger,

Yes, I was surprised by this as well. I've seen a lot of Aria "Les Paul", which aren't really Les Pauls. They have a slightly different body and a straighter headstock. When I saw this one, I jumped on it. I think I got a good deal because it sounds good and is in such good shape. I also like the 'Leopard' name -- it's cool.

I have a Yamaha Lord Player, which is very similar. Both have pancake bodies and are TBS, but the Leopard has a one-piece back, whereas the Lord Player is 3-piece and the Leopard has a one-piece veneer? top and the Lord Player is a 3-piece top. They sound very similar.

I've had to replace the pots in both guitars because they were very stiff and didn't move smoothly. I guess this is a result of the salty Japanese air?

Anyway, I'm psyched about the purchase and will be using it a bunch!

-- Bill

You guys are probably thinking of the PE series which are very nice guitars in their own right. That was Aria's own original take on the LP. But the copies they made are quite common as well.