Aria Pro II Avante 6-String Fretless

My bass was made probably in 1994. I had one of the first 6-string models with less body contouring,and it had (yuck!)frets. The factory pre-amp SUCKED. Due to electronics issues, and thanks to someone who apparently liked me enough,I swapped this bass(thanks to Bill Dutcher at Sweetwater Music!) for a "showroom" bass-that is, a representative carried this bass around to guitar shows and the like. The bass was originally fretted, but I did some custom work and lined the fingerboard with maple veneer after removing the frets. The sound was improved immensely by not being so "squeaky clean". The tuners were standard non-locking issue, and the neck is a four-piece quartersawn maple design with dual truss rods. The fingerboard is a THICK piece of rosewood, treated with 8 coats of spar varnish and sanded down to a super-smooth finish. The body is swamp ash, with a 34 inch scale length on the bass. I also installed a bone nut-the plastic original was not acceptable for great tone. I bought a tweed case separate from the bass. The neck is perfect, and I love the wider string spacing. The bridge is standard issue. The bass has a tobacco-sunburst finish, done quite well. The bass was fabricated in Korea, and has no serial number, as it was a "special" swap for my older Avante. One of a kind, and I will use no other bass until I can make a better one for myself!

After installing a Bartolini pre-amp and a bone nut, this bass speaks all languages! Even before my custom work (if you do custom work, be PATIENT-this can make one very nervous if one is not prepared to take on the work of a luthier!) the bass was absolutely amazing in tonal quality. I have let other bass players play this bass onstage, much to their dismay. That is because their basses paled in comparison to my bass, as far as tone goes. The addition of a bone nut increased sustain and "sweetness" of every note. The neck has no dead spots, it never warps (I am picky about maintenance, as this is willingly my only bass), and the sounds cover the whole descriptive spectrum, depending on one's approach to playing. The variety of sounds are only limited by one's technical proficiency at utilizing various techniques when playing. This is an amazing studio bass, and it is the best stage bass I have ever heard, besides maybe a Carl Thompson bass. I play through a SWR 350X "studio" amp, with hand-built cabinets using Carvin speakers. The sound is better than most things that are twice as expensive, and I NEVER have issues with bad sound or tone. This bass is its own effects unit. One just needs to find many different ways to approach playing it. There is absolutely nothing I dislike about the sound of this bass. I use GHS flatwounds, and I am sure there are other reputable brands of strings (hard to find at a decent price!) that will sound just as nice. Roundwounds offer poorer tone, in my opinion. The flatwounds can be slapped, popped and whatever else one likes to do while playing bass. The tone is much more consistent using flatwounds, all the way up to "fret" #24.

The bass was set up perfectly. The original frets were as good as any I have seen, the action was (still is) amazing, and the finish was as good as any I have seen as well (I say was, because my bass has seen over 10 years of playing). The pickups were adjusted well. For a factory-made bass, this is the best money can buy. The wood is very nice, and swamp ash has a tone that cuts through any mix of sounds that may be going on up on stage. Since my bass was unique to begin with by being a "showroom" model bass, I was fortunate that every detail was well attended to.

This bass has been dropped a couple of times (Thanks to the few who cannot handle such a bass!) and is fit as can be. The hardware has lasted for well over 10 years without need of repair or replacement. The finish is still very nice, considering some scratches from this-and-that. I installed strap locks, as this bass is a bit heavy. I do not like to take chances.....I adjust the truss rods only as needed, which has been three times in the over ten years I have owned this bass. I have NEVER seen or played a more robust, dependable bass in my 20 years of playing and owning basses. I always use this bass without a backup-there is nothing else I have played to compare to how this bass works for me. Preventative, and CONTINUOUS maintenance (very little is really needed, but it is always good to inspect the whole bass before EVERY show!) is all is needed. The only reason basses "break down" is due to user laziness or error, and monitoring the status of your instrument should be mandatory if you take your playing seriously. I have seen no other factory bass as reliable as this one, although I am sure many exist.

The company is great, repairs are not necessary as of yet, and a warranty would expire before this bass does.

If this bass were stolen or lost, I would have a hard time figuring out what bass to buy next, unless it was another one of the same kind. I love everything about this instrument. Compared to other basses, there is no equal unless you have a LOT of money to go custom. I paid 950 dollars for the bass, brand new. Worth twice that in my book, seeing as how it has stood up to any situation I have played in. The reliability and sound alone are worth twice as much, as is evidenced by other basses paling in comparison (Modulus, Fender, GHS, Epiphone and a slew of others that cost more cannot compare to the Avante's value! You can quote me on that!).

For anyone who needs a great, reliable workhorse of a bass, this one is IT.

Made - 1995, the model I have is the AVB-SB-06FL bass which is a 6-string Fretless. It has an Ash body, Maple neck and an ebony fingerboard. It has with 2 Seymour Duncan Baselines pickups, active electronics, A BTR-05 Tailpiece. The Bass is 3 Tone Starburst with Black Hardware. Being 6 string, the neck is fairly wide but very very comfortable. Volume, Tone, cut & boost are all controlled by 2 pots, each with a center and outer control(total of 4 knobs).

This is an all around bass, Rock/Funk/Jazz etc. Being fretless does require more accuracy when playing specific songs in order to keep that unique fretless sound hidden. And being 6 stringed means slapping, thumping, plucking whatever you choose to call it, requires good aim, or you'll wind up hitting the wrong string (Some very interesting - how'd he do that errors can occur too) :)
I mostly use Hartke amps, but the actives in the bass make up for most shortcomings in any amp. Those Seymour's real move air on the other end.
There is an annoying hum depending on the amp's grounding, but I have also noticed it in headphones, until I touch the strings, then I become ground, only shocked once though, bad house wiring.
I really can't pigeon-hole the bass on sound, it covers the full spectrum, but my MM Sterling appears to be a tad brighter - might be the strings though.
The bass is comfortably on stage and in the studio.
I love this bass!

Factory setup was great, but then I custom ordered the bass, Not many bassist seem to want a 6 string fretless.
Everything about the bass was fine, except.....it seemed to detune a lot. After the first month (and several him-bare-assing moments), I returned the bass to the dealer, who advised they would check the instrument out, they ended up sending it back to Aria, who said there was nothing wrong with the bass. It never detuned after that, hmmmmm.
I still love this bass

I have heard, I play very agressively, and many bassists seem to want to avoid letting me play their instruments. The say I torture a bass. I'll seek help soon, really. This bass is very tough, but I'm not sure it will last at the rate in which I play it. The Ebony neck has string impressions on it and the pickups have some chipping too. I have the action very, very low and the pickups may need to be lowered to get them out of my way. Maybe tomorrow I'll do it. But then again, the neck on any guitar is a consumable an replacing pickups is not unheard of either. Everything else is in mint condition except for the outer-ring of the bottom pot, it slips.
The bass is very dependable, but IT EATS BATTERYS, always keep an extra with any active instrument.
I have never played a gig without a back-up, pooh occurs.

I have never spoken to customer support, but they sent my bass back quickly when I first complained about a problem with the tuners. And I haven't had another problem with it.

I have been playing about 24 years, and have more equipment than I can remember, but I do have, a 1980's Fender Jazz, a very old Rick 4001, a 1985 Ibanez RoadStar II, one custom made Shelton bass, a MusicMan Sterling and the Aria. I have owned a host of other basses, one in particular holds a special memory, an 1970 Fender P-bass which was stolen during a gig. Remember, always have a backup instrument. It's not always your instrument that fails, sometimes it's someone else's integrity and decency.
I first played the fretted version of the Aria, and requested a fretless version, I wanted to expand my abilities, it will make you a better (more precise) bassist IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)
I love everything about this bass, only my Sterling gets equal play now. One wish though, that there was a way to turn the active pickup-off. Someone offered to put in a switch, but I declined, I'd rather leave the bass stock, if it's not broke, don't fix it.