Aria FET-Elite Elecord Series

Natural finish, abalone rosette and inlays.
Cutaway body, slightly thinner than normal but still deep enough for volume and tonal depth.
Own brand chromed machine-heads/tuners.
Neck has 21 good solid frets on rosewood fingerboard. Neck feels slightly wider than usual towards the bridge - finger-picking felt easier.
Made in 2008 - not sure where.
Top is solid spruce and just thick enough for durability but thin enough for good resonance. Nicely finished/varnished throughout.
Aria's own-brand under-bridge acoustic pick-up and built-in 4-band EQ - bass, mid, treble, presence. Onboard tuner. Jack and balanced XLR output - I used the jack as the weight of the XLR plug caused it to drop out. There was plenty of power available though.
Spruce top; back, sides and neck are mahogany, fingerboard is rosewood. A lovely instrument but I'm deducting one point for the XLR drop-out problem and the fact that the tuner (nice clear display)only reacts to EADGB which means minor bother with unorthodox tunings (I like dropped D).

I play everything from gentle singer-songwriter stuff to 60s rock. It works well for all styles. I generally keep the presence control very low unless playing lead for someone else when it helps to cut through the mix.
The sound is rich with a surprising amount of bottom for a smaller-bodied instrument and good clarity and separation on the strings. It has fantastic sustain for an electro-acoustic which really helps if I'm supplying lead parts. As an experiment, I linked it up to my Sansamp pedal and got a real pure electric sound without the feedback you would normally associate with a high-volume electro-acoustic.

Set-up was perfect with low action but great resonance all the way up. Pitch, fret-by-fret, is very accurate and the guitar's finish is lovely - it looks and feels expensive.

I've done just one 3-hour gig with it but it performed perfectly both as rhythm and lead instrument. The finish seems tough and durable. I've read complaints re other Aria models about the machine-heads/tuners. They seem ok on this one if a wee bit insubstantial. Mine held their tuning pretty well over the 3 hours. If they start showing signs of wear, you can usually haggle down a set of Grovers to under ??20 so it's no big deal. I, perhaps unwisely, didn't take a back-up guitar to the gig but the Aria didn't let me down and was very enjoyable to play. Only quibble here is that they only supply the bottom strap button so you either have to use a string-tie above the nut or get another button fitted. Silly omission, really. Do better next time, Aria!!!

1 year statutory in this country - don't know what the company warranty is.
No dealings directly with Aria but Musicstreet (UK online company) seem very friendly and helpful - they gave me an excellent price!

I've been playing for 44 years pro and semi-pro. I presently do small pub and club gigs and use a portable Yamaha PA. I have been using a Takamine Jumbo but the Aria has a better sound and is MUCH more portable, I would definitely buy it again if it were lost. I love the set-up, the sustain, the cutaway, and the beautiful finish. Apart from the machine-heads (which are pretty basic), I'd compare it favourably with similar model Taylors costing twice as much. It's a sweety!